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thebigbadbatswife · 3 years

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One Single Thread Of Gold Tied Me To You

Summary - Everyone is tied to their soulmate with a red thread tied to their wrist. All except Y/N’s, who’s thread is gold. Tired of waiting for her soulmate to come and find her, she decides to go and find them. It doesn’t go quite how she expected it to.

Warnings - A little angst

[A/N] - This is a soulmate au where you and your soulmate are attached by an unbreakable red thread (or, in this case, gold), tied to your wrist. This was inspired by the song 'Invisible String' by Taylor Swift.

Word Count - 4k

As the early morning sun slowly filtered into your room, through your blinds, you carefully examined the thread attached to your wrist. Everyone had one; it was your link to your soulmate. Yours was different to everyone else though. While everyone had red, yours was gold. As you turned your wrist, it caught the sunlight and glistened a little.

Everyone you knew had always been fascinated by it. As was nearly every stranger you met. Why was it gold? What exactly made you and your soulmate so different to everyone else’s? Questions you had often asked yourself as well. Why were you two so different?

Your family had a theory that whoever it was, they were rich. Very rich. That was surely the reason it was gold. Nothing else made sense to them. Meanwhile your friends were completely convinced that your soulmate was some kind of God.

“Come on, Y/N! It’s the only thing that makes sense!” Tracey said before taking another sip of her third glass of wine. Her usually bright emerald eyes were glazed over from all of the alcohol. “Why else would it be gold?”

“You gotta admit, Tracey might be drunk right now, but she has a good point!” Skylar joined in. She took her brown eyes off the blonde and looked over at you before continuing. “Oh! What if your soulmate is like Wonder Woman or Superman or something! How cool would that be?”

You rolled your eyes and took a sip of your own glass of wine. “Stop it. You’re both being ridiculous,” you had told them because they really were being ridiculous. There was no way your soulmate was a member of the Justice League, let alone an Amazonian Princess or the Man of Steel.

You were, of course, curious of your soulmate yourself. Who wouldn’t be curious of the person they’re destined to end up with? But you didn’t think up the crazy theories your friends and family liked to come up with. Instead you wondered things like, what kind of hobbies do they have? What’s their favourite colour? What type of music do they listen to? Were they a cat person or a dog person? And other things like that.

Another thing about the thread that tied you to your soulmate was that, while everyone could see the thread around your wrist, only you and soulmate could see where it led. While you had always wanted to follow it, you had decided that it would be better to focus on having a decent job and place to live first.

During that time a small part of you had hoped that maybe your soulmate would come looking for you, but since they clearly weren’t, maybe you should? After all, you had a well paying job and a great apartment, so why not? Every job was legally required to allow people time off to go search, so that wouldn’t be an issue. It was paid time off as well so you didn’t have to worry about money. You also had a car so you wouldn’t have to spend a shit ton of money on travel. At least, you hoped you wouldn’t. In truth, for all you knew, your soulmate could be in a completely different country. Now that would certainly complicate things.

Shaking that thought away (because there was no way fate could be that cruel), you got out of bed and set about putting the wheels in motion that would allow you to start following your thread

‘ Welcome to Gotham City! ’ the sign read as you drove past it. When you had told those close to you, your plan, they had been super supportive. Now, if they knew where your thread had lead you, you doubted they’d be as supportive. Hell, even you were rethinking things now. Out of all the cities for your soulmate to be in, it just had to be this one.

How did you know it was this city that they resided in and it wasn’t just another stop along the way? It was hard to explain, but you had a feeling deep within your gut, almost like a sixth sense that just yelled “Yep! This is the place!”.

You felt extremely uneasy as you drove through the city. It was night-time as well which did absolutely nothing to help. Honestly, of all the times to arrive in Gotham, night-time was definitely the worst. Well, there was nothing you could do about that now, you just had to keep on going, so you did.

The golden thread snaked through the gothic city and went from the “posh” part of the city all the way to the worst part of the city. The buildings were run down and most of the windows were boarded up. Each turn you took there were shiftier and shiftier characters on every corner. You started to get the feeling that you really shouldn’t be here. Plus you were starting to wonder if you really wanted to know who your soulmate was if they were hanging out in neighbourhoods like this.

You brought your car to a stop in front of a particularly dark and sinister looking alleyway. A particularly dark and sinister looking alleyway that your golden thread lead straight into. Coming to this part of this city was already a bad idea. Continuing to follow that thread to what had to be your certain doom was even worse. Yet, at this point in your mission, you were pretty much committed.

You couldn’t help out a quiet and very nervous laugh as you climbed out of your car. ‘ This is fucking insane ,’ you thought as you stepped out of your car. Before shutting and locking it (though you doubt that would do much to protect it in this area), you grabbed your pepper spray. ‘ I really hope your worth all this .’

As you followed the thread down the alleyway, you heard a sudden loud bang. A gunshot. You stopped in your tracks and you could feel your heart pick up its pace. Your thread lead in the direction the shot had come from. ‘ I really hope you weren’t involved with that .’ Taking a deep breath, you continued down the alleyway.

The alleyway lead out onto another street. There was a small crunching sound as you stepped out onto the street. Taking a step back, you looked to the ground to see what you had just stepped on. The ground was littered with small shards of glass. Looking up, you figured the shards of glass were from the bulbs from the streetlamps. Something had broken them. It didn’t take you long to figure out what, or rather who ,was responsible.

Further down the street, taking on group of ten men, was none other than Gotham’s Caped Crusader. The Batman.

You quickly ducked back into the alley you had just left. You then carefully peered around the wall, so you could watch the fight. You were well aware of the fact that your thread was leading straight toward the fight. Which meant that your soulmate was involved.

You watched the fight intensely, both intrigued and terrified to figured which one of the men was on the end of your thread. There was a voice in the back of your head praying hardcore that it was the hero in the centre of the fight.

Batman was a blur of black and dark grey as he rapidly made his way through the group of men. With a variety of different punches, kicks and gadgets, he made short work of them. During his combat flow, you followed your thread with your eyes and a small gasp left you as you realised who the other end was attached to.

Holy fuck. You’re friends had, kind of, been right. While your soulmate wasn’t Wonder Woman or Superman, like they had suggested, he was apart of the Justice League’s ‘Big Three’. Your soulmate was Batman . At least now you knew why he hadn’t come looking for you. He’d been busy saving the world.

Now you had to figure out how to approach him before he ended up disappearing into the night.

Exiting your cover, you took your thread between your finger and thumb and gently tugged on it a couple of times.

Batman looked at his end of the thread curiously as your tugs had gotten his attention. Then his head drifted upwards, following where it lead till his eyes settled on you.

If he was shocked, he didn’t show it. He just stood there, his eyes never leaving you. Part of you wanted to cower away from the intense stare, but you willed yourself not to. He was your soulmate, and you weren’t a criminal, you had no reason to be afraid.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, finally ending the silence between you. His voice was deep and almost robotic sounding. Probably some sort of voice modulator to help hide his identity, you figured.

“In Gotham? Yeah, this place really sucks,” you replied, thinking about all the things you had heard about this city, “but I came here to find my soulmate; to find you.”

“You shouldn’t have.” His voice was sharp and serious as he spoke. He also sounded irritated at your sudden appearance, which caused you to frown. That couldn’t be right… could it?

“What?” You hated how meek and pathetic your voice sounded, but you couldn’t help it. Wasn’t this supposed to be a happy moment? One of the happiest in your life in fact. Instead you felt like you were being scolded rather than meeting the person who was supposed to be your other half.

“I didn’t want to meet you. Now I suggest you go home. It’s not safe here.”

What? You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. There was pressure behind your eyes and your throat tightened. You took a shaky breath as you took a step backwards away from him. It quickly sunk in that the man you’d been destined to be with, the man you had thought about since you were old enough to understand the concept of a soulmate, wanted nothing to do with you.

“I-I’m sorry I disturbed you.” Your voice broke as you fought back the tears that threatened to fall. You weren’t going to give him that satisfaction. You then turned around and ran back toward where you had left your car.

As fast as you could, you started your car up and made your way to a safer part of the city. It didn’t take you long to find a somewhat empty parking lot to park in. Once the engine was off, you screamed and aggressively slammed against the wheel as you let the tears freely fall.

You felt like a complete and utter fucking idiot. Of course he didn’t want you. You’d probably just get in the way of him saving the world or something like that. Besides, what was that article you had seen a few months ago? Something about Catwoman and a relationship between the two? While it happened very rarely, some people in the world had been known to reject their soulmate because they had found someone they deemed better. Is that what had happened? Whatever the reason, you could feel your heart breaking.

You had used to think that, out of all the members of the Justice League, Batman had been one of the cooler members. Now all you could think was that he was a massive jerk.

Maybe it was your own fault for romanticising the whole thing and thinking that your meeting would be something out of a fairytale. Apparently fate was far crueller than you could have ever thought it to be.

Bruce watched as she ran away from him, back down the alleyway she had come from. A small voice in the back of his head told him to go after her. To grab her, hold her close and apologise, tell her that he hadn’t meant it. He ignored it and headed off in the opposite direction, back to where he had left the batmobile.

Over his comms, he heard a barely audible sigh and he could easily picture his butler and lifelong friend shaking his head in disappointment. No doubt he was going to get an earful once he got back to the batcave. Well it certainly wasn’t the first time.

As the batmobile pulled up in the batcave, he could see Alfred waiting for him. ‘ Here we go ,’ he thought as he got out of his car and removed his cowl.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he stated as he walked past him and toward the batcomputer. He set his cowl down on the desk. Even as the words left his mouth he knew he had wasted his breath. If there was one thing that Alfred had done consistently since Bruce had started down this path, it was letting him know when he disagreed with something he did.

“Was that really necessary Master Bruce? She’s come all of this way…” Alfred started, but ended up trailing off. There was a small moment of silence before he continued. “You know, I remember a small boy who couldn’t wait to go out there and find…” Before he could finish what he was saying, Bruce promptly cut him off.

“What would you have me do, Alfred?!” His voice echoed off of the cave’s walls and disturbed some of the bats still hanging on the ceiling. Bruce gestured toward his equipment and the display cases that held some rather badly damaged batsuits. All of them testaments to injuries that had come far too close to killing him. “Would you really have me force this life on to her? The dangers, the no guarantee I’ll come home…” He took a deep breath and rested both his hands on the surface of his desk. “She deserves so much better.” His voice was quiet, but still easily heard in the, almost, silent cave.

“With all due respect, sir, I believe she should be allowed to make that decision, not you,” Alfred replied before leaving the batcave, not giving Bruce a chance to respond.

He looked in the direction of the stairs that lead up into the manor. The direction that Alfred had headed in. Was he right? Should he be leaving it up to her to decide what she wanted? But with all the dangers he faced nightly… No, it was better for him to stay far away from her.

Over the following week Bruce found himself distracted. It didn’t matter where he was, what he was doing, he couldn’t focus. And considering what he did once night fell over Gotham, to say being unfocused really wasn’t good was a complete understatement of the situation. He had been having far too many close calls recently.

He couldn’t get it out of his head. The way she had looked at him as he told her he didn’t want to meet her, that she should leave. Alfred’s words echoed in his mind and he found himself questioning the decisions he had made that night. Something that Bruce rarely, if ever, did. Everything he did was meticulously planned and there was never any doubt when he made a decision. Was this what happened once you met your soulmate and rejected them?

Bruce was sure that the rest of the Justice League had taken notice. With how off beat and slow to react to certain things, it would be hard not to. Of course, if they had, none of them had mentioned it to him. Apparently they knew better. For the time being, at least. He was sure it wouldn’t be long before they did try to pry into his personal life.

Which lead him here. On the roof of the building opposite of Y/N’s apartment building. He hadn’t needed to do any extensive research to find her, or learn her name, because he had been in this exact spot a couple of years ago.

Two years ago Bruce’s own curiosity had gotten the better of him. He blamed Clark and his soulmate, a reporter by the name of Lois Lane, for it. He had seen them one too many times in the Watchtower together and had found himself wondering who exactly his soulmate was and what they was like. As a result, he had gone looking for them. Not because he wished to finally meet them, but so he could make sure his soulmate was safe and happy. And she was, so he had left. Only ever checking up on her every now and then to make sure she had stayed that way.

He looked down at the golden thread that came out of his gauntlet and lead down toward the apartment he’d been watching. Both as Bruce Wayne and Batman he had made sure to keep it well hidden. With its unique colouring he couldn’t allow anyone to see it. It would be all too easy for his enemies to find her if they did see it.

He knew that by being here he was easily undoing everything he had done to keep her safe, but, then again, had she not done exactly that when she had tracked him down in Gotham? Besides, and while he would never say it out loud, Alfred had been right. It should be up to Y/N to decide whenever or not she wanted all the baggage that came with him being in her life. Baggage that had driven more than one person from his life…

He shook that thought from his head and got up from his crouched position on the roof. Bruce then leapt from the roof and allowed himself to fall for a couple of seconds before opening up his cape and let it catch the wind that was rushing past him. He silently glided over to her apartment’s balcony.

Y/N was in her apartment alone. She was sat on her sofa, the light from the tv was the only thing illuminating the room.

Bruce was unsure of how exactly to go about this. Back in Gotham he had originally thought of approaching her as Bruce Wayne, but quickly discarded it. Bruce Wayne showing up at an out of the way apartment building was sure to garner attention. As would Batman using the front door, so the balcony had seemed to be the best option. But now that he was here, he wasn’t entirely sure it was.

Should he just knock? That seemed like the best way to go about this. It was going to scare the everloving daylights out of her, but he could deal with that.

He gently rapped the glass of the balcony door with his knuckles. As he had expected, Y/N leapt up from her seat. A bowl and the contents of the bowl followed her and scattered across her carpeted floor. She spun around and when she saw him, the look of shock on her face quickly turned to anger. Her eyes narrowed and he swore that glare would be enough to make even the toughest of Gotham’s thugs would cower at its intensity. Maybe she would deal with his life better than he thought.

After a minute of glaring at him, she turned around and walked toward the lightswitch. At the same time, she gestured for him to enter.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” she demanded as soon as he had entered the apartment and shut the door behind him. The rage in her voice was evident and Bruce was sure he could cut the tension in the room with a batarang.

“I came to apologise,” he said, his voice gentle despite how distorted his modulator made it sound. Y/N scoffed immediately. He didn’t blame her. If he was in her shoes, he wouldn’t believe him either. After all ‘Batman’ wasn’t exactly known for making apologies.

“Yeah right.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m being truthful. I… I shouldn’t have said what I said. It wasn’t right.”

“Then why did you say it?” A fair question and one he had an answer to. Before he even said it, Bruce was aware how cliché it sounded.

“I wanted to keep you safe. This life isn’t for everyone.”

“So without even meeting me, you decided that it wasn’t for me.” She shook her head. “That’s not your decision to make!” she yelled at him.

“I know. It’s been pointed out to me before.” In fact that night in the cave wasn’t the first time Alfred had told him that. “But that’s why I’m here now. To give you all the information you need to make that decision.”

You listened intently as Batman explained the dangers of the life he was leading. The dangers that effected the people in his life in one way or another. He also made it a point to reiterate the fact that when he left at night or was summoned by the Justice League there was no guarantee he would return. You asked the occasional question, but for the most part you just listened to him to talk and let his words sink in.

You got it. You understood the very clear concerns that Batman had about this whole thing, they concerned you as well, but you weren’t about to let it deter you. You wanted to know your soulmate. Even if it ended horribly, like he was saying it would, you felt it in your core that you would regret not knowing him, especially if the worst truly did happen. And you told him so.

“Even if you’re not wearing a mask, this life is dangerous. Anything can happen.”

“Anything could happen to me when I leave my apartment each day.”

The superhero life wasn’t special in that regard. As you spoke, your voice was a lot calmer than it had been earlier. In fact, as he had spoke and explained you had found your anger slowly fading. You still wanted to slap the jerk superhero before you, but that was a considerable downgrade from your overwhelming need to deck him when you first saw him standing on your balcony.

“It won’t be easy.”

“I’ve never backed down from a challenge before.”

You admired his commitment to deter you, but it wasn’t going to work. You were too stubborn to let it. Something you were positive he was learning very quickly.

“There’s nothing I can say to convince you that this is a bad idea, is there?”

“Nope.” You made sure to pop the ‘p’.

Batman sighed deeply. You watched as he looked away from you and toward the golden thread that linked the two of you together. You could almost hear the gears in his brain turning as he thought. Then he was looking back up at you.

“In that case then.”

You watched as Batman brought his hands up to his cowl. Your eyes widened and you couldn’t help the small gasp that left you as he removed the cowl and revealed his identity to you. Bruce Wayne. While you didn’t live in Gotham City, you were well aware of Gotham’s favoured son. You would’ve had to have lived underneath a rock to not know who he was.

And apparently your family had been right on the money, literally. Not that you cared about the money, you weren’t superficial like that. Personality was far more important than the material items someone may or may not have. In your eyes, at least.

You both stood in silence, his blue eyes studying you, probably trying to gauge how you were going to react. To be truthful, you weren’t entirely sure how to react. Except maybe…

“Well, it’s… it’s nice to meet you Bruce Wayne. I guess this is the part where we forget about what happened and start over?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

Yeah, sure, this was probably going to end horribly, but you were looking forward to the adventure that lie ahead.

#bruce wayne #batman #bruce wayne x reader #batman x reader #bruce wayne x fem!reader #batman x fem!reader #bruce wayne imagines #batman imagines #soulmate au #my writing

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shinsorokiri · 3 years

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UA Idol | Chapter Twenty

Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader

Word Count: 3,079

Warnings: Language, excessive amounts of nerves, Y/n’s song mentions a razor

A/N: Another one. This one was fun and now I’m excited because we are getting into live shows which means a LOT OF ACTION IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN LEMME TELL YOU. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one! I’m having fun with this series and I have a few ideas for some other ones, so if anyone would be interested in hearing about them just let me know and I’ll post little prefaces or something. Okay, I’ll shut up now, please enjoy! :)

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“Are you ready to kick some ass?!” Mina screams as the two of you are getting dressed for your final performances of Hell Week. You laugh a bit, shaking your head. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’m assuming you’re even more ready considering you just screamed that at six in the morning.”

“Oh, you know I’m ready. I’m so pumped, dude. So. Pumped.”

“I can tell.”

“And you need to calm down, (Y/n), I can tell you’re nervous.”

“I’m always nervous, Mina. Especially with this.”

“Yeah, well you’re gonna kill it and get through to live shows with absolutely no problem, so I don’t wanna hear it,” Mina winks at you as she applies her lipstick, and you grin. It’s nice knowing your best friend has more faith in you than you do. You freshen up, making yourself look presentable. You’re wearing the best outfit you brought here, and to say you look good is an understatement. “Someone looks hot,” Mina says as the two of you are about to leave. You laugh. “Speak for yourself,” you say, and she just stops in the middle of the hallway and starts twerking and doing tiktok dances. All because you said she looked hot and she’s extra as hell. You can only roll your eyes as you laugh, and surprisingly while she’s doing this, Uraraka runs over to you guys and joins in with her. “Oh my god y’all, let’s go,” you say through laughter, rushing over to the elevator and hitting the button.

Uraraka and Mina both follow after you the minute they hear the doors ding, opening up to reveal Midoriya and Todoroki. “Hey guys!” Uraraka says, hugging Midoriya. Todoroki and Midoriya both greet everyone and you all start talking about the performances. “I’m so nervous,” Midoriya says, and Todoroki tries to inconspicuously grab his hand to give him reassurance, but you all see it. None of you say anything though because it’s cute. “I am too, dude,” you say, and Mina hits both of you. Not like actually hits but a friend smack on the arm. “You two need to stop this, you’re going to do great!” “I agree with Mina, you’re both going to be just fine,” Todoroki says, and Midoriya starts grinning like a mad man. “But it’s okay to be nervous, just know that y’all are going to kill it and everything will be fine!” Uraraka says, giving you both a thumbs up. By the end of the elevator ride, you feel a little better with what’s about to happen. When you all walk out into the lobby where you run into Hitoshi and Denki. “Hey guys,” Mina says, running over to Denki and bumping him with her butt. She is… very energetic for getting up extremely early. Denki laughs and butt bumps her back. The two of them have the most chaotic energy you’ve ever seen in two people. It’s kind of impressive.

“Hey,” you say to Hitoshi and he grins. “Hey.”

Unbeknownst to you, he had been checking you OUT the minute you stepped off of that elevator. He knows you’re insanely attractive and he’s seen you look good countless of times but like… wow. Right now, you look insanely good, and he can’t even try to hide the fact that he was looking you up and down. Of course, Todoroki noticed this, and made a mental note to text in the group about what he just saw. But later. When you two weren’t around.

“Alright guys let’s head out!” Denki screams the minute that Kirishima, Bakugou, and Sero step out of the elevator and Momo and Jirou appear from the stairs. Now you all could walk to the theater, it truthfully wasn’t that far, but UA Idol provided the contestants with big ass vans just like they did for the first round of Hell Week. You pile in one with Mina, Denki, Hitoshi, Kirishima, and Bakugou yet again, but this time the conversation is a lot more familiar and Bakugou even partakes in it without calling someone a dumbass in every sentence.

The drive really was short, so you just stared out of the window the whole time. You were listening to what was happening and responding with laughs and things, but you weren’t necessarily talking. You were just going over the lyrics of your song in your head and trying not to psych yourself out. Hitoshi knows this, of course, and he gently hits you with his foot, causing you to look at him. “You okay?” he mouths, concern evident on his features. You nod, and he raises an eyebrow at you. You give him a small grin, trying to convince him that you were fine because you really were, you were just nervous. But he doesn’t buy it and decides that he’ll ask you about it when the two of you are alone. And Kirishima notices this exchange, but he also bookmarks it in his brain to talk about in the group chat later as well.

When your van pulls up to the theater, you all hop out and head inside. Everyone is gathering in the actual theater again, and you all head in. This time, you’re sitting with all of your new friends instead of just Hitoshi since you aren’t divided up into genres this time, but of course you were still right next to him. “Okay, seriously, what’s up?” you hear a whisper and look over to see Hitoshi highkey concerned about you. You smile a bit. Cute. “I’m just nervous Toshi, it’s okay,” you respond, and he frowns. “I wish I could help you out with that but like, same.”

“I knew you’d feel my pain. But don’t worry, you’re going to do great.”

“And you are too, kitten.”

He elbows you, causing you to smile. Now you didn’t feel 100% confident after this, but you did certainly feel a lot better. When all forty of the remaining contestants are gathered in the theater, everyone is informed on what is about to go down. The theater is where everyone will wait and watch the performances on a big screen, but since they’re in LA and it’s a really nice day, a separate performance stage was set up outside. Everyone will be doing another soundcheck before the performances, since they’re changing from indoors to outside, and they will start at two pm. It seems a little early, but the way they do this is they have everyone perform for a live audience which usually takes around three and a half hours. Then, they need to discuss who will go through and who won’t, which can take anywhere between an hour to two hours. Then, they proceed to invite everyone back onto the stage outside where the judges are going to be sitting to tell them if they’re going through to the live shows, or if they’re going home.

After that, you all get to work immediately. Everyone heads out to the outdoor stage, running through soundcheck again and adjusting to the new dynamics of outside. You would be lying if you said you weren’t also pumped as well as nervous. This was about to be so fun, but also extremely important for your future. Before you knew it, it was two, and there were so many people in the crowd. You all watched from inside the theater on a big screen on the stage, and you hear Sero mutter something in Spanish while Denki and Mina’s jaws drop. “That… is a lot of people,” Midoriya says, his nerves evident in the shake of his voice and look of fear in his eyes. “Yeah, but who cares? If they’re here to hear good music and watch a good fucking performance that’s what they’re gonna get. Don’t let a shit ton of strangers make you perform like shit, Deku,” Bakugou growls at Midoriya. He’d started calling him Deku ever since yesterday when he saw how clumsy the poor kid was. It’s not a very endearing nickname, but it’s certainly a degrading one. Midoriya doesn’t seem to mind though, and in retaliation started calling him Kaachan. Don’t ask why, no one really knows, but it makes Bakugou’s blood boil. “He kind of has a point, you know,” Uraraka says as the first contestants start going. “I mean, they’re here. For a good performance. So that’s what we’ll give them!”

You take a deep breath, trying to listen to Bakugou and Uraraka, but still internally freaking out a little bit. Everyone going so far had been really good, you have no idea how the judges can pick people to send to the next round and who to get rid of. You would never be able to do that. You watched as all of your friends, old and new, went, occasionally going to sing backup for them. For some unknown reason, basically all of you were the last one to go. Kirishima and Denki helped Bakugou sing the background vocals for his song, Sugar, We’re Goin Down by Fall Out Boy and then Kirishima and Bakugou in turn helped Denki with his rendition of No Control by One Direction. Meanwhile with Kirishima, he had quite a few people helping him out since he’s singing Locked out of Heaven by Bruno Mars, but all of them had amazing performances. Mina, of course, killed her performance of Positions by Ariana Grande as well as Uraraka with her performance of New Rules by Dua Lipa. Sero completely and totally caught everyone off guard singing a Caramelo by Ozuna, mainly because a lot of people didn’t realize he was Asian Latino and fluent in Spanish, Japanese, and English. Of course, you all knew because you hung out with him like all day yesterday and he threatened to beat Bakugou with a shoe completely in Spanish which was hilarious because Bakugou didn’t know what was going on, but a lot of people (excluding the judges since they saw him literally audition in Mexico) were surprised. Midoriya did a surprisingly good cover of Dance Monkey by the Tones and I and Todoroki really did a great job singing Willow by Taylor Swift. Mans has range. And now, Hitoshi was up. You gave him a thumbs up when he looked back at you at the piano, which was a decision you both made so you could since back-up and also play the piano, it made sense to do and was easier on the pianist in the band. He could learn one less song. Then he started strumming his ukulele and went off.

“I was scared of dentists and the dark. I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations, Oh, all my friends are turning green. You're the magician's assistant in their dream.

Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ahh-ah-ah And they come unstuck…

Lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song, And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.

There's this movie that I think you'll like. This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City. This cowboy's running from himself, And she's been living on the highest shelf.

Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ahh-oh And they come unstuck…

Lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song. And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.

I just wanna, I just wanna know If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay.

I just gotta, I just gotta know I can't have it, I can't have it any other way.

I swear she's destined for the screen. Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh

Oh lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song, And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.

Yeah, I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.”

The crowd was very interactive with him, singing along and afterwards, they were going crazy because they genuinely enjoyed his performance. He looked at you with a very happy expression that made your heart skip a beat. You smiled back at him, and he motioned for you to take the microphone while he took his place at the keyboard to help sing back-up for you. The judges also seemed to be enjoying themselves through Hitoshi’s song. You were still nervous, but you took a deep breath and started your song anyways.

“Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I know we don't need anyone, anyone. Here in the dark, I feel my heart. And we react like chemicals, chemicals Here in the darkness, I feel my heart beat.

Oh, when we lock eyes, Come with me don't kill the vibe. Look around, no one's in sight Hold me down if I get too wild, I swear. You and I could just disappear. We can run away from here. To the darkest places, Too late, no one can save us now.

When you spill your guts they don't go back in. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I say too much it's my consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) So take your razor love and run it down my skin. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I bleed too much it's my consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Oh, your fingers locked in my hair, Our clothes all over the chair, We're all alone And I'm dancin' in my underwear. You laugh and I blush, and it hurts so much. You melt and I die, The world is ours At least it is tonight.

(It's chemical, it's chemical Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

When you spill your guts they don't go back in. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I say too much it's my Consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) So take your razor love and run it down my skin. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I bleed too much it's my Consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Yeah we don’t need anyone, anyone. Here in the dark, I feel my heart. And we react like chemicals chemicals. Here in the darkness, I feel my heart beat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

You were met with more applause and singing along than you expected, and honestly you had a great time performing. You got the audience involved, your voice was spot on, everything went perfectly. And you were very happy with what you did. And it seemed like the judges were too. You both walked back to the theater, all pumped up as you sat next to your friends. Compliments were going all around, everyone telling each other how well they did. Now, you all had to wait to see if you made it through.

Everyone was called back in the order they had performed, and after seeing countless people come out with bad news and a few with good news, your nerves were back in full force. Unluckily for you and Hitoshi, you two were dead last. Again. So, you just had to sit there, and wait. And the worst part is, only half of the people who already got the news came out the way they went in to keep the remaining contestants clueless on if they made it through or not. Luckily, though, Mina, Denki, Sero, Kirishima, Bakugou, Uraraka, Midoriya, and Todoroki all made it through. You knew that much. And now, you and Hitoshi were the only ones waiting.

A producer came out and you gave Hitoshi a thumbs up as he stood to go back. “Wait, the two of you are okay to head onto the stage together.”

You look at each other, a little confused, before you stand up and follow Hitoshi back to the stage where the two of you had performed earlier. “Oh, good, they sent you together,” you hear Midnight say as the two of you walk on the stage. Sure enough, there are two seats set up where the usual one is for whoever is being told good news, or bad news. “Yeah, this will make it much easier.”

“How are you two?” Toshinori asks, and you snort. “Very nervous.”

“I second that,” Hitoshi says, and the judges laugh. “Well, that’s good. When you’re nervous about something it means you care about it, so that’s a good answer,” Aizawa says, a small grin on his face. Weird. He never smiles. “So, do y’all think you made it through?” Hawks asks, and the two of you look at each other before Hitoshi shrugs. “We honestly don’t know.”

“Yeah, everyone did really well today. We can only hope we did.”

“Another good answer,” Aizawa says, and the two of you grin. Getting praise from Shouta Aizawa is a wonderful feeling. “Well, I suppose we can just rip the band aid off. You two have been waiting for quite some time,” Midnight says, and Toshinori nods. “So, as you know, only twenty people are able to advance to the next round.”

You both nod.

“And you both did very well today.”

You both say thank you.

“And so far, we’ve only accepted eighteen people in the top twenty.”

Your heart starts beating faster.

“Which means there are two spots left.”

Hitoshi grabs your hand.

“And those two spots, belong to you two. Congratulations, it’s up to the world to see how far you’ll progress in the competition now.”

───────────────────────────────────

Song list:

Kirishima | Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

Mina | Positions - Ariana Grande

Denki | No Control - One Direction

Midoriya | Dance Monkey - Tones and I

Uraraka | New Rules - Dua Lipa

Bakugou | Sugar, We’re Goin Down - Fall Out Boy

Sero | Caramelo - Ozuna

Todoroki | Willow - Taylor Swift

Shinsou | Riptide - Vance Joy

(Y/n) | My Consequence - Hey Violet

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corpsentry · 4 years

Text

behind the taylor swift gundam was in fact another, smaller gundam: a brief inquiry into the events of june 2020

so back in june this year june and i got together and we made this motherfucker of a story with this motherfucker of a thread to keep track of it all. but you already know that! and i’ve already got one foot and three elbows in my grave, so i’ll spare you the long-winded stuff. you wanna know how i wrote 93,035 words in 4 weeks? i’ll tell you how i wrote 93,035 words in 4 weeks-

-by linking you guys to copies of my planning documents because i feel like those words speak louder than any words i can offer in the present day. these are long documents. but they are also historical artifacts. very interesting. very weird. very, uh, full of cussing. so anyway, here’s

BIG DADDY: THE ORIGINAL PLANNING DOCUMENT

for those, like me, who have no motivation left in life to do anything and rely on summaries from others to acquire new knowledge, it all started with a single line.

prince of a fallen kingdom atsumu tries to kill hinata but falls in love with him instead

june, april something, 2020

with that in mind i tested the concept out with a few paragraphs of text, which you can find at the bottom of the Big Daddy document in the graveyard segment, accidentally sold my soul to the image of hinata with epaulettes, and then worked backwards, structuring an entire plot around two images:

a) hinata getting the shit beat out of him, with snark b) hinata and atsumu dancing in an empty ballroom under the stars

if you want a betrayal, you have to have something worth losing. if you want to fall in love with someone you don’t know, you have to meet them. if you have to meet them, there has to be a reason for that meeting, and so somewhere in between atsumu became a sword instructor and hinata the prince with daddy issues. june and i used this method of glancing anxiously over your shoulder to see what you’d missed to fill out the blanks in the story, after which i tacked up a bunch of post-its, typed out the plot, consulted june, typed out the plot again, and then broke the characters down into a bunch of questions, like ‘what do they want?’ and ‘what do they have?’ and ‘what are they afraid of?’

with the plot more or less ironed out, i decided it was time to start writing, and then i decided that i was actually too scared to start writing after all, so instead i set a couple of timers using classroomtimers.com (15-20 minutes long) and i sat down and i wrote about the world that hinata and atsumu inhabited.

each warm-up was 300-500 words long, and for the first few days, i’d write one before getting into writing the story proper. later these evolved into simply picking a scene from the story and launching straight into it, which became useful for opening those scenes later when i got to them organically.

then i got lazy! so i stopped. but these shitty little exercises were really useful for me because, unfettered by plot, convention, or any kind of tradition hovering over my shoulder, i was able to fuck around loosely enough to realize what i wanted this story to be. it was a very contrived kind of trial-and-error, an exploration of the characters, the story, but most importantly, the tone.

RESEARCH, PLANNING, AND VICTORIAN BOUGIE FASHION

this is a loose map of the castle and Important Locations within it, which i drew up at the start so i could keep track of where everything was and how i could get my characters from point A to point B. i wanted the story to have Some kind of internal logic, you know, even if that logic amounted to ‘a compass would function normally in this world whereas kageyama tobio would not’.

99% of my planning and organizing within those five weeks took place in this lovely dotted cat journal which my sister gave me for my birthday and i repurposed into a metaphorical Diary of Suffering while working on juno. i used it for everything from keeping track of narrative threads to clothing consistency checks, but the main purpose was this: each day at about 10 pm i’d crack open the cat book to a fresh page, stamp the date and the day of suffering at the top, and then write down a list of things i wanted to write, address, or fix today. then i’d sit at my laptop and write like a madman until about 7 in the morning. with breaks, of course, for sitting in the bathroom and staring at the wall and sitting in the kitchen and staring at the wall, but mostly i was writing. and complaining about writing. you were there, you probably remember that.

anyway, here are some pages from the cat book.

aside from the fact that my handwriting is complete shit, you can see that i made zero effort for any of this to be presentable. it was mainly a way for me to keep track of my thoughts because i have the attention span of an ikea wardrobe and tend to forget things as soon as i think of them. the lack of structure also mirrored the way that i went about writing juno. while i did proceed, for the most part, in chronological order, i had a lot of weird and useless revelations during lunch, which by this point was happening around 2 am, and in the 5 minutes before the exhaustion finally hit and carried me down to hell. i changed A Lot. again, to understand exactly how much the story evolved from day one onwards, please consult the big daddy document.

in the meantime, here’s something else.

once june sent over hinata and atsumu’s character designs i sat down like the fucking fool i am and spent 2 hours poring over a document about victorian and other fashion movements of the past so i could assign a noun, adjective, and verb to each element of their outfits. i don’t know why i did this. i certainly could have not, but i attempted to make sense of their ‘fits from a logistical perspective and that went into the cat book too. everything went into the cat book. the cat book is a relic of the past now, stuffed with artifacts such as the birth of oikawa tooru, and also his demise.

MEDIUM DADDY: EDITING, PROOFREADING, AND CREEPY MURDER CATS

i finished writing on june 26th, 2020, approximately a month after i’d first started planning, somewhere around may 27th or 28th. at that point i had about 90,000 words’ worth of story and no sanity left whatsoever, so i took a day-long break to stare at a wall and listen to taylor swift’s enchanted on loop.

and then i made a new document, which you can look at using the link above, and i laid out everything i had to do. i’d discovered a fuck ton of plot inconsistencies and general errors while writing and lying awake in bed at 9 a.m., sleepless in seattle, and now that i was free of the demon egging me towards the first finish line, it was time to Deal with them. i speed-scrolled through the draft, which was 200+ pages compressed into one google doc, because i like to tempt god’s wrath, and fixed up all the plot issues over the course of a few days. this was the fun part.

the actual, hard editing was the extremely un-fun part. i reread the entire thing, paragraph by paragraph, line by damn line, from start to finish, paying especially close attention to awkward phrasing, incomplete dialogue, and moments which had fallen flat in my haste to get on to the next one. this was really fucking terrible. i spent more time lying facedown on the floor than actually editing anything, but after a long time (about a week), that, too was done.

SMALL DADDY: TITLES, SUMMARIES, AND GOOD FUCKING BYES

i spent a good eighty days thinking about the title, though hilariously enough we ended up with something that was a blend of our names. june + elmo = juno, which is, all things considered, pretty perfect, but the process of picking the title was Hell, and i Did Not Come Up With The Title until about 2 hours before posting. you can take a look at the haphazard clusterfuck of my title-selecting process in small daddy, which is linked above.

so the title was a last-minute choice. so was the summary. and the chapter divisions. and actually all the songs in the playlist for juno. the day we dropped juno onto planet earth like a newborn baby pitched out of the sky, i spent an hour hunched over my laptop, cutting my 213 page google doc into chapters based on nothing more than a Vibe. two days before that, i also attempted to voice-act the entirety of juno, an affair which ended at the 20,000 word mark with a sore throat and the kind of exhaustion one typically wants to sleep in a coffin for 23 years to get rid of. so in all honesty, i did very little editing, which is why there are definitely minor typos and/or mistakes hanging out somewhere on that chunky ao3 webpage. but whatever.

my attitude by july 5th (was it july 5th? or 4th? somewhere around there) was basically whatever. anything so i could get finish this damn thing, chuck it out of the window, and never see another google doc until the next century. i’ve been asked a few times how exactly i wrote at a rate of roughly 2000-3000 words per day for four weeks straight, and my answer has always been this: i died. what died, you ask? my soul. my spirit. my Will To Live. i’m a creature of fixations, and juno was my fixation for june. will i ever be able to do this again? would i recommend this experience to anyone? is god real? the answer to all of the above is probably no. juno was a fever dream, and so is my cat book. and so are all the lattes i had. and so was my 9 am to 4 pm sleep schedule.

but what we made is real. the research, oikawa tooru, the 4 am conversations in which i was like ‘how the fuck do i end this’ and june was like ‘jade proposal’ (the proposal was her idea. all rise for twitter user atsuhinas. she is the mastermind behind all of the Inch Resting moments in this story; i just flapped a korok leaf in her direction and made sure the air circulation was working properly) are real as fuck, and looking back, there’s a lot i’d change, but i’m lazy. and college is starting. and anyway, i did write 93,035 words in just under five weeks, four if you don’t count the week of Editing Hell, so i think that’s pretty cool.

thank you for reading this to the end, and for following us on our journey through the enigmatic taylor swift gundam fic which quite literally consumed my entire twitter account for the five weeks i spent working on it. retrospectively speaking i really was butt-obsessed so i am frankly incredibly impressed with everyone around me for putting up with a Husk of a Man for a month. thank you for doing that. thank you for indulging my vague tweeting, and our butterfly dns, and for reading 93 thousand words of gay fanfiction set in a high fantasy world with epaulettes and galettes. on behalf of june, once again, we are incredibly grateful for all your support.

if you have any questions about specific aspects of the writing process, or anything you’d like to know in general with reference to JUNO, feel free to drop me an ask through my tumblr inbox, or through my curiouscat over here. i’m aware i didn’t cover everything, but there’s frankly too much to put in a tumblr post without passing away somewhere around the 56% mark, so let me know what’s on your mind, and i’ll try to answer that to the best of my abilities. but anyway, before i go, here are some

TAKEAWAYS

one: don’t try to write 93,000 words in five weeks. seriously don’t fucking do it you will end up jittery and sleep-deprived and you will leave all your friends on read for a month. pace yourself. set realistic goals. you wrote 2k this week? that’s fantastic. you wrote 4k in a day? you absolute motherfucker. i hope you’re taking a long fucking break tomorrow. your story will not run away from you, but if you run too fast, you will get tired, and then you will pass away.

two: you don’t have to know everything about your story before you start writing. in fact if you have a single camera shot of two characters holding hands under a rose garden awning, i think that’s fucking wonderful. if you look at big daddy, you’ll realize that my initial plot draft, and all the ones following that, are not perfectly aligned with the final version of juno. i improvised over half of the scenes in this motherfucker, and to be completely honest, some of the improvised scenes were the best. fucking oikawa tooru was improvised out of nowhere. he only got written in way later, around chapter 8 or something, because i realized i needed a plot device and a source of information to keep the playing table from toppling over. i Sat Down one day and was like ‘okay, it’s time to write oikawa into the introduction. because he matters now. he didn’t matter last week but now he does, and soon he’s going to be the fulcrum of the entire story, because it’s like that with oikawa tooru’. it’s okay to change your mind halfway. it’s okay to go back and rewrite entire scenes or segments. it’s okay to highlight 4 pages of fresh, sentimental writing, and hit delete. writing is a fluid process, and you Will make discoveries as you progress through your story alongside your characters. be understanding of that iterative process. be kind to yourself.

three: You Are That Motherfucker. you, me, your dog, your dog’s friend, your dog’s enemy, all of us are that motherfucker. i never thought i’d be able to write anything longer than the great big map, which was a much simpler, linear story in which the other main character did not appear in the current timeline until like the eighth chapter. juno was different. juno was the motherfucker, and i was scared shitless of it, and to cope with that fear joked constantly while writing that it’d never see the light of day.

but it did. it was a rocky process, and i was awake for 48 hours after posting it because of the sheer adrenalin stuck in my skull, but i got through it. and i wouldn’t have been able to do it without june, who stepped in when i flopped over facedown on the floor and dragged me to my feet like the badass friend she is, and without everyone else in my life, who put up with me talking about The Thing that i couldn’t really talk about, but juno’s up there now. forever, or until the internet collapses and civilization goes extinct. and if the nineteen year old clown with the attention span of an ikea armchair and an a level certificate from hell wrote the 93,000 word long thing, so can you. i mean this completely unironically and with every ounce of genuine emotion i can summon from the cracked asshole of my heart.

writing is hard. writing is scary. writing is an investigation of the world around you and therefore, by extension, yourself, and that kind of honesty is freaky. it’s like going skinny-dipping next to the president’s mansion. who’s going to see you? what if they take a photo? what if you lose your spot at university?

but don’t think about that. our world is overrun with stories the way cereal bowls are full of cereal, but it’s those stories that keep us all sane in the disgusting day-to-day muck of reality, so think about your story. what’s haunting you today? what message do you want to leave printed in font size 666 comic sans across the southern hemisphere of the planet? what will you be tomorrow?

a writer. you’re going to be a motherfucking writer.

#my stuff

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ruewrites · 3 years

Text

Words Unspoken Out in the Open

AO3

Ship: Solomon/Asmo

Word Count: 3077

Warnings: Drinking, Partying

Solomon heard the chair move and elbows plop onto the table, but he elected to continue reading through his tome. He had a lot to read through afterall, lots of knowledge to gain potential people to warm up to… Next was the tapping of manicured nails against wood, then the exaggerated sighs which grew louder with each moment Solomon didn’t turn his gaze towards the intruder. The sorcerer finally glanced up when he felt the tome being tugged out of his hands. With a sigh, he relented, “Hello Asmodeus.”

The demon seemed a little peeved, his cheeks were puffed out and his brows furrowed. “How dare you ignore me for so long. Especially after I went out of my way to seek you out!”

Solomon grinned and rested his head against his cheek, eyes lidded as he stared at Asmo. “You really shouldn’t furrow your brow like that, Aren’t you worried about wrinkles?” he mused, fingers drumming against the table. He watched Asmo’s glare harden before the demon closed his eyes, took a breath in, and forced his face to relax. Solomon could still see the fire in those honey kissed eyes. Solomon could recognize danger, but he also knew when he was safe. “So… What brought you to me this time?”

He didn’t always have to summon the avatar to get him to show up. Sometimes he just showed up on his own accord, especially when he wanted something. Of course Solomon wasn’t innocent either. He rarely summoned the avatar of lust for idle chat.

Asmo’s smile seemed to light up, “Well, I was thinking you could go out clubbing tonight. After all, It’s been oh so long since I’ve spent time with my favorite sorcerer in all of the Devildom.” Asmo batted his long lashes at the man, folding his nimble fingers underneath his chin. “I do miss the time we spend together. I haven’t seen you in so long! I thought you crawled up and died somewhere!”

“Studying will do that to a man,” Solomon replied, “I can’t remember the last time I did something outside of my books.” Nor the last time I summoned you .

“Exactly! It’s why you should go out tonight! Let loose and have a good time,” Asmo chirped. Solomon swore he could practically see him sparkling with how much his eyes lit up. It was kinda cute, and he did look excited….

Solomon stopped drumming his fingers and met Asmo’s gaze, “Did you ask any of the others to go with you?”

Asmo’s face returned to a pout, “Lucifer is always so busy with work, and Diavolo, Mammon is in trouble with Lucifer, Levi is locked up in his room, Belphie sleeps all the time, Beel is too caught up in food, and Satan said he was busy.” The demon popped up a finger for each of them before putting one of his hands back on the table. “ Please Solomon? I’m bored! I just want someone to go out with me!”

“And you can’t just pick someone up with that charm of yours?”

Asmo’s pout deepened, and Solomon knew he wouldn’t be able to deny him. “Solomoooon,” he slumped onto the desk, lip puckering. Solomon remembered wondering how the avatar of lust could look so innocent and, dare he say, adorable. Of course he wasn’t weak to the kicked puppy eyes, but he did know how persistent Asmo could be. The sorcerer had been defeated long before the battle began.

With a sigh, Solomon leaned back in his chair, “Alright. You win, I’ll go out with you. I suppose I could use some unwinding after all.” Asmodeus lit up immediately. Honestly, Solomon was surprised the other didn’t lunge over the table at him.

“Meet me at seven then?” he chirped.

“Seven it is.”

__________

Solomon’s footsteps echoed in the darkness along the pavement. Every now and again a lampost would summon him from the shadows, but he would quickly disappear into darkness once more. Soon the House of Lamentation came into his view. Before he could even knock on the door it flung open.

There Asmo stood his makeup done and sparkling earrings dripping from his ears, dressed long sleeved crop top that had his collar bones on full display, ankle high high, and tight pants. Honestly, Solomon wasn’t sure how he planned on moving , but it was Asmo, so he really shouldn’t be surprised. “You look nice,” Solomon hummed.

“Aww thanks Solomon. I mean I always look fantastic, but thanks,” he said, before his face scrunched up as he looked over Solomon, “Not that you don’t look ravishing, but what in the seven circles of hell are you wearing?”

“My clothes.” Solomon crossed his arms with a smirk. He knew what the demon meant, but there was never anything wrong with a little bit of teasing.

Asmo pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a slow sigh. However, it quickly turned to shock as Asmo grabbed his wrist, “ Absolutely not. ” Muttering, the avatar of lust dragged Solomon towards his room. “Solomon, this is the way you dress every day! Who wears a cloak to a club?”

“I do! And what’s wrong with the way I dress?” the sorcerer asked, freeing his arm from the demon’s grasp as soon as they entered the room.

“It’s not club attire! I will not have my sorcerer going out like this,” he huffed going to grab as Solomon. The white haired man caught his wrists with a smirk on his face. Asmo could feel something stir within him. “You’re changing.”

“Oh am I?” Solomon mused, eyes lowering as he looked down at Asmo, “And are you going to make me Asmodeus ?” The shudder that ran through the demon was not missed by his sorcerer. He knew what he was doing. There was almost always intent behind Solomon’s actions, what that intent was was sometimes known only to him.

The short silence between them was deafening and lasted for what seemed like for lifetimes. Asmo could feel the tension between them. It would be impossible not to, but it was tugging at the demon’s very nature making him shift and shiver with delight. “The cloak,” he finally spit out, “The cloak comes off.” The rest could stay… For now.

Solomon let out a soft hum before letting go of those soft wrists. Swift fingers went to work on his cloak and soon the fabric was fluttering onto Asmo’s bed. “Am I allowed to leave now? Or am I still too unsightly for you to be seen with?” Solomon chuckled. Asmo mumbled something that sounded like it was along the lines of “I guess so” before dragging the taller man out.

If Solomon was a shadow in the dark, Asmo was the brightest star. Their previous conversation seeming all but forgotten, Asmo clung tightly to Solomon’s bicep. His pretty head resting gently against his sorcerer’s shoulder, the pair laughed and talked about everything and nothing in particular until they arrived at their destination.

Solomon decided it was nice to see a star like this shine to his full potential.

“You’re gonna like this place, trust me!” Asmo chirped, “We’re gonna have lots of fun! Just the two of us and you’re gonna be thanking me for pulling you away from all those books.” Asmo opened the door and Solomon was greeted with bright flashing lights and tons of people (demons?) dancing, drinking, kissing (a little more than kissing). It did look like they were all having a good time.

“Well come on!” Asmo giggled, pulling him in, “Fun isn’t going to wait for us!”

One drink.

Two.

Three.

Solomon definitely wasn’t drunk , but he also wasn’t sober when Asmo pulled him onto the dance floor… He couldn’t quite say the same for his demon though. A pretty pink color dusted across his cheeks and on the tips of his ears. It was a really nice look on him. “You’re having fun right Solomon?” he purred, “I know I am. I love the attention, but you know that, but I also want your attention. Because, like… Your attention feels really good. Like really really really good.”

Solomon smiled and ran his fingers up the exposed part of Asmo’s back, causing the demon to trill excitedly. “That so? What makes me so special?” he asked, ignoring the way Asmo not so subtly was starting to grind against him.

“You just are ,” Asmo responded, “My special human.”

He wasn’t sure if Asmo was just playing on flattery, but the fact that Asmo hadn’t ditched him felt pretty good. Part of him expected the demon to go chasing after some pretty thing that caught his eye. But he was still here, honey colored eyes looking up at him with… something swirling just behind them. Something Solomon couldn’t quite see. Adoration? Whatever it was, the sorcerer had to admit Asmo looked really good in the different colored lights that flashed in the club.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Solomon had stopped drinking, liking the idea of actually being able to walk home after they were done. Asmo, on the other hand, was absolutely smashed. While random makeout sessions weren’t uncommon with the demon of lust, his mouth tasted extremely sweet with god-knows-what he had been drinking. “Your perfume smells nice,” Solomon murmured, slipping from Asmo’s mouth to his neck. It was a rather intoxicating scent, it rivaled the alcohol coursing through his system.

The strawberry blonde let out a soft hum in response, tilting his head to the side, inviting Solomon to add some more color to his blank canvas. Solomon could feel Asmo’s heart speed up, pouding in his chest like it was looking for an escape.

Asmo didn’t even get through seven.

He crashed into Solomon in the process of trying to drag him back to the floor. Alright. He could pass that. It was when Asmo almost smashed his face on the bar, missing Solomon completely, that he took his cue to leave.. “Alright my dear,” he said, close to Asmo’s ear, “Time to get home and get you to bed.”

“To bed?” Asmo repeated, a slew of giggles leaving his lips, “Solomon you dog~ Shouldn’t you at least buy me dinner first? Of course I don’t care if we skip dinner.”

The sorcerer held back the eyeroll that threatened to come out. However, getting Asmo home was proving to be harder than Solomon initially thought. Not because the demon was grabbing at him. No. Asmo couldn’t walk to save his life. After a block, Solomon grunted and pulled Asmo closer, deciding in that moment that it would just be best to head back to his place (which was much closer).

Keeping quiet with a stumbling demon was difficult. Not to mention that Asmo had seemed to lose all concept of his inside voice. Getting back to his room without seeing the glares from other housemates had been a miracle.

“Sit, don’t move,” Solomon sighed, letting Asmo plop onto his bed. The demon immediately flopped over and inhaled.

“Mmm… It smells like you,” Asmo murmured, gripping onto the sheets.

“Well, I mean, it’s my bed… So I would hope so,” Solomon responded, digging through his draws and pulling out another shit. Asmo would throw a fit if he woke up in wrinkly clothing. Sitting down next to him, Solomon sat Asmo back up and effortlessly sipped off the crop top. The strawberry blonde stared at him with an expression that was somewhere in between want, shock, and impressed. Then Solomon helped him slip the black shirt over his thin frame.

Asmo touched the fabric slowly, as if it was foreign to him, “It’s soft…”

“That it is.”

He got up once more to go retrieve water and a damp rag. Asmo needed to drink something (as did he) besides alcohol. The rag was to help clean his face. Heaven knew that Asmodeus would raise hell if his face broke out. The deed felt odd. Not the action itself… But the silence. Asmo was uncharacteristically quiet. It wasn’t until he came back that he saw why. Mascara and eyeliner was running down his face as he stared up at the ceiling, and small sniffles escaped him.

The avatar of lust was crying, or starting too. It didn’t seem like he wanted to (maybe because of his makeup?).

Slowly Solomon set the waters down, leaned over the drunk demon, and dabbing at his face with the washcloth Asmo jumped bare legs pulling up towards his chest as he looked at Solomon. (Speaking of bare legs… He’d have to hang Asmo’s clothes up just so they didn’t get wrinkled).

“Hey,” Solomon smiled, wiping one eye clean with the cloth.

“Hey,” Asmo replied, softly. It was so odd hearing that tone come out of him. It wasn’t natural.

“So… What has you like this? What’s eating at you?”

No response.

“Asmodeus.”

Another sniffle and Asmo curled onto his side. “You never said you missed me.”

Solomon felt himself stop as he stared at the other. His face was neutral, but he was thinking over the words in his head. His hand went to Asmo’s shoulder and flipped him back onto his back. “What?”

“You didn’t say you missed me!” the words came out louder this time and for a moment Solomon was worried that the whole house would be woken up. “You don’t see me for a while! I invite you out and it’s like pulling teeth! I missed seeing you so why can’t you say you miss me? You’re my sorcerer. My special human! Didn’t you miss me? Even a little? Because it seems like you don’t-”

Solomon’s hand went to Asmo’s chin, thumb brushing against his bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I missed you. I didn’t realize that meant so much to you,” His voice was low. He had never been affected but the puppy dog look. It was fake, a mask one used to get what they wanted. But this was real. There wasn’t an ulterior motive here.His hand moved up to Asmo’s cheek, dabbing away tears and dripping mascara with the washcloth as he went before cleaning off the other eye. “There we go,” Solomon cooed, “All done. No more tears my dear.”

When Solomon went to pull away Asmo grabbed his wrist. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, face flushing pink once more, but this time it wasn’t from his drunken stupor. “You’re my special sorcerer Solomon,” he said once more, “Really special. The most special in any realm.”

Solomon chuckled, “If I didn’t know any better, I would say the beautiful Asmodeus is confessing his love to me.”

Asmo looked away.

Oh.

The realization dawned in Solomon’s eyes and from there spread to his face.

“Asmodeus-”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“Then may I do something?”

Asmo glanced up curiously, and before he could react Solomon’s lips were on his. It was gentle and sweet but also held meaning. A silent answer.

Asmo tasted like cherry lip gloss and sweetened cocktails. It was almost like trying cotton candy for the first time. The deeper he went the more he discovered. Whisky dark as night still lingered on his own breath and for a moment he wondered what would happen when you mixed it with something so tooth rotteningly sweet. Not that it mattered, because soon nibble manicured fingers threaded through his scalp pulling him in closer. Solomon had always known that Asmo had been a good kisser, but this was different. There was something different here. The fingers moved from his scalp and down his back to the bottom of his shit, feather light touched making him shutter. Solomon pulled up to kiss the corner of his mouth and trail down to the hickey from earlier. He heard Asmo whisper a quiet “fuck” as he struggled with Solomon’s shirt. Eventually after eliciting a few sweet moans from the demon, Solomon moved back and helped him remove the top. Asmo’s eyes flew over the pacts littering his skin before hands went to his pants.

That’s when Solomon stopped him, “Not tonight love. I’m afraid you might get sick on me.” The sorcerer put a finger to his lips before the demon could utter a word, “But tomorrow… Well, we’ll see how you feel.”

Asmo rolled his eyes and playfully licked Solomon’s finger. “Way to ruin the romance,” he said before letting out a shriek that evolved into a flurry of giggles as Solomon attacked him with a flurry of kisses, “Solomoooon!”

“You’re saying. This. Isn’t. Romantic?” Solomon hummed in between kisses. Then he sat up, he couldn’t quite tell when he had gotten on top of Asmo, but it didn’t really matter. As he stripped his pants, getting himself into something that was more comfortable to sleep in, he could feel Asmo’s eyes on him, “Not tonight.”

“I know I know…. You just look good!” he huffed moving over and curling up in Solomon’s blankets, inhaling his scent. Solomon joined him soon after, and the avatar of lust immediately started eyeing the pacts on him. His hand reached out to caress one in particular. Solomon closed out his eyes letting the silence bathe over them.

Finally Solomon decided to break it, “You know that one is my favorite right?” His voice came out as little more than a whisper before he took Asmo’s hand gently kissing his knuckles. He pulled Asmo closer and kissed him once more. The demon snuggled up under his chin, Solomon’s fingers reaching around to trace the length of his spine.

“I love you my dear sweet Asmodeus,” he murmured. True, he could have left it unspoken. But he didn’t want to leave room for any miscommunication. Not when his demon had built up such courage. He also didn’t want to lose something that was so perfectly within his reach. Asmo presented him with his heart, and Solomon was going to care for it.

Things were silent for a few moments more, “I- …. I love you too.”

Tomorrow Solomon would take care of Asmo’s hangover. Tomorrow they could be domestic. Tomorrow Solomon could shower Asmodeus in all of the love and affection that the fifth born deserved.

But for tonight Solomon would hold him close and feel the rapid beating of his heart, stroke his soft hair, and pepper him with kisses until either one or both of them succumbed to the sweet embrace of sleep.

#solodeus #soloasmo #asmosolo #asmodeus x solomon #obey me asmodeus #obey me solomon #obey me #drinking #partying #drunk!asmo #ruewrites

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johannas-motivational-insults · 5 years

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She-Ra season 2 episodes, ranked

All right, I have a lot of feelings about She-Ra season 2 and what was good and not so good. I’ve been doing a lot of shitposting but this is legit analysis/meta, or at least it wants to be.

To be fair, though I’m trying to rank these as objectively as possible, it will be influenced by what I care most about and find most interesting in the series. I stan Catra and the Superpal Trio and think Adora is a loveable mess, and I really can’t stand Swift Wind. So, take this with a grain of salt. Needless to say, SPOILERS AHEAD.

7. 2x03 “Signals”

I would rank this episode higher, except the A plot was so meh. It felt like it should have been a Halloween special, and if it was I’d give it a pass, but I found it so thoroughly disinteresting I all but tuned out. Of course, people who stan the Best Friend Squad might have still loved it, but their dynamic isn’t as interesting for me anymore because we’ve seen so much of it, and this episode didn’t do much to change it other than add Swift Wind in (and he really, really annoys me). The only real thing it did to move the plot forward was introduce the subplot about the mysterious transmissions, and it didn’t do anything characterization wise. Ultimately, it’s a set up episode, and to be fair it might be more interesting in retrospect once we get some payoff and see where that whole thing is going. But I dunno, I kinda doubt it.

It’s mostly a set up episode in the other subplots too, but I enjoyed watching the political machinations in the Horde because there were real, tangible stakes and important power shifts. Catra learning that having power and authority is not all it’s cracked up to be was a crucial bit of character development. That bit of her getting the air sucked out of her lungs was more genuinely scary than the creepy ghost holograms by far. You felt her desperation trying to save face with Hordak and regain her sense of power and safety after that terrifying threat, and watching Shadow Weaver tune in to and play with her insecurities was a good bit of development for and insight into their relationship. It also foreshadows how easily Shadow Weaver is able to manipulate Catra later in the season.

Meanwhile, Entrapta’s excursions and work with Hordak supplied some comic relief (which I think the A plot also tried and failed to do) and also made the Horde plot take an interesting turn. This is the episode where Catra really starts to lose power, and meanwhile Entrapta gains a lot without even meaning to. She just wanted to fix the problem with Hordak’s experiment, dear girl. On that note, I did not expect to enjoy watching Hordak and Entrapta so much, but one thing this show does really well is throw together unexpected combinations of characters and make an amazing dynamic (e.g. the Superpal Trio, Scorpia and Seahawk, Catra and Glimmer and Bow).

The Entrapta subplot was the most interesting of the episode and unfortunately it was relegated to the C plot. This episode would have been way better if they’d put more focus on the Horde side of things and/or given the “Best Friend Quad” something with more substance.

6. 2x01 “The Frozen Forest”

This episode was fine, but it didn’t do much to stand out. It was important, of course, to follow up on the end of season 1, and if they had skipped this episode entirely it would have left a huge gap. But with the two main groups of characters not interacting at all in person, there was little reason to be emotionally invested in the fight scenes. We don’t really care if Horde bots get destroyed. It would have been more interesting to see the Superpal Trio directly fighting the Princess Alliance, but on the other hand it did set up just how big a role Entrapta’s tech knowledge was going to play this season. The stuff with the princess alliance was cute, I always enjoy seeing more of Mermista, and they did some character work (which I can always appreciate) with Glimmer and Frosta. But since we only see the princesses once more this season, it hasn’t had much of a chance to pay off yet.

The highlight of this episode was Adora fighting Catra in the simulation and her ensuing conversation with Light Hope. (“There. There.” and “I also have buttons” were two of my favorite one-liners of the season.) The simulated fight was very cute, and I definitely screamed when Catra grabbed Adora’s hand while delivering her customary “Hey Adora,” right before taking her down. And look, the fact that Catra was flirting so hard with Adora in that simulation means that an AI with very poor social awareness has picked up on their sexual/romantic tension, and that’s hilarious.

The Horde side of things gave us more time with the Superpal Trio, who are always delightful, but not a ton happened over there either. This episode established that Entrapta has fully moved in to the Fright Zone and Catra is comfortably leading the Horde’s advances and has respect from Hordak and the Horde’s soldiers. It also foreshadows how impressed Hordak is going to become with Entrapta’s work (and unimpressed with Catra’s) when her EKS bots steal the show in that meeting. Finally, the episode introduced the shifted dynamic between Catra and Shadow Weaver now that the power position has flipped. That ongoing subplot was possibly the saddest part of the season, and this one scene did a good job of setting that up.

Overall, this was a good and necessary setup episode, but because it had all that exposition and setup to do we didn’t get a ton of good character/relationship moments (Frosta/Glimmer and Catra/Shadow Weaver being the notable exceptions). So yeah, it was fine. But there were definitely stronger episodes, which we will now get into...

5. 2x04 “Roll With It”

This was a very cute episode, a fun one to watch. The reason I ranked it fifth is because there are three very strong episodes this season and 2x07 had higher stakes, being the season (mid-season, lbr) finale. On the Horde side of things, I loved seeing more of Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio. Lonnie really shined this episode and I keep waiting for someone to realize how smart and capable she is and promote her. And of course, Scorpia. Darling oblivious Scorpia who just wants to impress her crush. She’s not very smart but she’s earnest af and can pack a punch, and this is the first episode where she really stands out.

The planning session in the rebellion camp was really fun to watch, though I’m sure I missed a ton of jokes because I’ve never played D&D. The chaotic way the princesses all play off each other was more evident here than in 2x01, which made for some great gags. The different approaches they each take and the different aninmation styles used to portray them were a lot of fun. Glimmer’s noir hero fantasies were my favorite, personally. (And apparently she sees Catra as a very sexy villain? I need more on this, please.)

Adora’s monologue about the worst possible secenario revealed all her insecurities, and it was one of the highlights of the season. Her anxiety issues and messiah complex have been touched on before many times, but this is the first time they’ve really come bubbling to the surface this season. It was really nice to see the whole group reassure her that she isn’t in this alone, much like Bow and Glimmer did before the Battle of Bright Moon. And while it’s been hinted at before, this episode really solidified her obsession with Catra. And Scorpia’s too, as I mentioned above.

It’s easy to forget that Catra wasn’t actually in this episode (AJ Michalka was, but her character was not, not for real) because you felt her presence everywhere. The bit with all the princesses’ different renditions of her was hilarious. But you know, it was nice to see the show put together such a strong episode without Catra. Having the emotional focus on Adora again was a nice change of pace.

4. 2x07 “Reunion”

This episode gave us what 2x03 lacked: it made the Best Friend Squad interesting again. That group is most compelling to watch when there’s conflict among them, like in the stretches of 1x01-1x02 and 1x08-1x10. They weren’t in an actual fight this time, but Glimmer and Adora being so thrown by Bow’s secret family life meant that things didn’t feel “as usual.” Glimmer’s insecurity about not meaning that much to Bow resurfaced, and Bow’s “coming out” scene was extremely moving. But thankfully there was comic relief, too. Adora mispronouncing words to try and sound scholarly was a great ongoing gag, and the eventual fight between the Best Friend Squad and the elemental was really fun because it was so chaotic with Bow’s dads being extremely confused.

Okay and look, Bow’s dads. Finally we get to see why Bow is the most well-adjusted person in the group. His parents aren’t perfect, but they did way less to fill their kids with insecurities than Angella or Shadow Weaver. Angella’s not a bad mom but it’s easy to see why Glimmer feels so inadequate. And Shadow Weaver is, well, Shadow Weaver.

This episode was sort of oddly structured for what is essentially a mid-season finale in the sense that the A plot was about relationships more than the overarching plot, but that’s not necessarily bad. And they tied the plot back in at the end with the reveal about the Crimson Waste, setting us up to finally move forward in this transmissions subplot in season 3.

There wasn’t a lot of time for Horde stuff this episode, but Scorpia forcibly loving Catra and turning her into a burrito was one of my favorite scenes of the season (maybe I will do a Top 10 later on). Catra opening up to Scorpia about her problems for the second episode in a row was huge, especially after experiencing a heart-shattering betrayal in the previous episode. Catra’s final scene where she gets exposed as a liar and choked out felt a bit truncated to me... like after they set that up as this terrifying threat in 2x03, they lingered a lot less in the terror of that moment in this episode. So that was kind of disappointing, but it still worked well as half of the cliffhanger (the weaker half, imo, but it was still extremely nerve-wracking).

It was hard to pick between #4 and 5 on this list, but ultimately the amazing cliffhanger was what put this one over the top. Both our protagonists are in danger, at the mercy of our two worst villains, and even though I knew what was coming as soon as I saw Adora sleeping, the shot of Shadow Weaver standing over her bed made me scream. I hate this show for leaving me hanging here, so they did it right.

3. 2x02 “Ties That Bind”

Ranking this one so high may be an unpopular opinion, but I personally loved this episode. I didn’t care much for the B plot except it was good insight into Adora, but the A plot was so delightful it made up for it. Mixing members of the Superpal Trio and Best Friend Squad almost always results in something good... maybe not for the characters, but for the audience. Watching Catra and Glimmer play off each other’s insecurites was great, and it was sweet watching Bow attempting to befriend Catra, just like he did with Adora. The conflict between him and Glimmer about how to treat their hostage felt very in-character, a good callback to the beginning of season 1.

Of course, Catra is a much more annoying hostage than Adora was. Her being a little shit and doing everything she could to get on their nerves was amazing, and I would have gladly watched a full hour episode just of that. The sassiness and manipulation we see from her in this episode balances nicely with the deep emotional stuff she goes through this season in her fight to win approval and prove her worth. It also produced my favorite joke of the season: “How are you such a nightmare?!?”/”Eh, years of practice.” I felt that in my soul as a youngest child. I also loved all the cat mannerisms they incorporated in this episode, it was very cute.

There is a bit of emotional meat to that story, with Catra and Glimmer’s confrontation at the end after Glimmer says Adora ran away from Catra, not the Horde (rude, btw). But the real emotional moment comes when Bow and Glimmer find out Entrapta stayed willingly with the Horde. That was heart-breaking. Heart-shattering, even. Especially because Bow and Glimmer feel such guilt for her being left there in the first place. I wish there had been more follow-up on this major emotional beat, but that’s not a weakness of this episode itself. This was my favorite Entrapta scene of the season, even though there were a lot of other great ones.

Like I said, the B plot was... okay, but not amazing? The bits with Light Hope glitching were funny, if a bit creepy. (But she’s always creepy, so.) Swift Wind annoys the hell out of me when he’s being hyper, but seeing his eventual heart-to-heart with Adora gave him some good depth and development. Plus, this episode does a really good job of illustrating not only how uptight Adora is, but why. There’s that messiah complex again (which I don’t blame her for btw, that’s Shadow Weaver’s fault). I like episodes that focus on Adora emotionally, and separating her from Glimmer and Bow meant her storyline got to be a bit more serious and in-depth. I just wish it hadn’t been opposite Swift Wind... not because it wasn’t effective, but because Adora’s arc was good but I have little desire to rewatch it if it means I have to watch more of him. Sorry, I guess I’m an anti.

2. 2x05 “White Out”

As I’ve said before, this episode is the highlight of season 2. Once again, that has a lot to do with the dynamics that occur whenever we mix members of the Best Friend Squad and Superpal Trio, and this time we got all of them in one place! And they added Seahawk to the mix too, which I didn’t expect to like because he tends to get on my nerves, but pairing him with Scorpia was a move of pure brilliance.

Scorpia and Sea Hawk’s little heart-to-heart about feeling unappreciated and Drunk Adora validating and encouraging them was so so cute and heartwarming. All the Drunk Adora and Scorpia stuff was great, actually. It was funny but also made very textual how much Catradora is an insecurity for Scorpia and how she’s afraid she’ll never be able to live up to that and Catra will never open up to her the same way. And Adora actually seems to genuinely like Scorpia when she’s not focused on the evils of the Horde, so that’s good to know moving forward. And yeah, that pairing also brought us “Girls night in!” and the closet joke, another highlight of the season.

In the other mixed grouping, Catra and Glimmer renewed their rivalry, and that’s always fun to watch. Entrapta continued to be her usual chaotic self, and any time we see her interacting with Bow it tends to be a great scene. The reveal at the end that she had the tech all along but didn’t tell Catra because she liked hanging out in this remote place with her friends was really, really cute.

I would be amiss to not mention the Catradora of it all in this episode, because holy shit this is actually the only time they interact in person all season. That is just wrong, by the way, but I did thoroughly enjoy what we got. It’s very clear they still have an emotional hold over each other despite their attempts to “let go,” between Adora’s overly-focused anger and Catra’s expressions whenever she hears or sees Adora. Adora actually kind of hates Catra right now and I think that caught Catra off guard. Catra’s panic when Evil She-Ra almost killed her was a great moment of vulnerability, how she tried to appeal to the Adora inside. She dropped the act for a moment and genuinely tried to connect with Adora, and maybe it made me tear up a little.

Along those same lines, the one thing that pissed me off about this episode was that we didn’t get to see Catra interacting with Drunk Adora. That would have allowed Adora to interact with Catra in a vulnerable state too, and in general it just would have been amazing. And the trailer kinda suggested we would get to see that, so that made it extra disappointing. Can’t these two just talk about their feelings and actually hear each other and communicate properly, please? Ugh. Still, despite these frustrations, I loved the Catradora content.

But the real highlight of the episode was Scorptra. The scene where Scorpia tried to ask Catra out on a date was amazing and so freaking cute. Of course there’s also the stuff I mentioned where her insecurities about Adora came spilling out. And the look on Catra’s face when Scorpia aborted a mission to save her life and then whisked her away despite her protests... that was a huge moment. She doesn’t think of herself as worth saving, but someone else does. And despite the fact that Scorpia disobeyed direct orders, I think this is where Catra really comes to trust her. It’s certainly where she comes to respect her. And then they shared a blanket! God, this was so cute. I expected to enjoy the Catradora stuff more but a) there wasn’t all that much of it and b) this was so incredibly pure and sweet, watching Scorpia finally make some headway and Catra finally open up to someone again, even if it was only a little bit. I am a multi-shipper now, I can’t help it.

1. 2x06 “Light Spinner”

It was hard choosing between this and White Out for top spot, but I’m a slut for villain backstories. This episode was the less entertaining of the two, and I think I’d have to say White Out is my subjective favorite, but objectively I do think this is the better episode. Why? Character development.

Shadow Weaver was a bit too twirly-moustache of a villain at times in season 1, so seeing how she became what she is now did a lot for her character. Seeing how a desire to do good mixing with a thirst for power can drive someone to make mistakes and turn evil was very interesting, and having Micah be part of the backstory made it all the more compelling.

The ways Shadow Weaver tries to mold people with more intrinsic power than her so she can use that power was a crucial new insight, one we’ve never seen before. It explains why she’s so obessed with Adora, which was never really explained in season 1. And it also suggests that part of Shadow Weaver’s dislike for Catra came from Adora’s connection to and therefore influence over her. Shadow Weaver wanted Adora’s loyalty to be to her above all, even above the Horde, and Adora having a close friend (who’s a rebellious loose cannon, to boot) was a danger to that goal.

This episode is essentially about Shadow Weaver and Catra, both separately and together, and it does a great job of drawing parallels between them even before Shadow Weaver outright tells Catra that they are the same. They both go off on a rant about how no matter what they do, no one listens to or respects them. Shadow Weaver seems to have a bit of a self-loathing streak that she took out on Catra, too... kinda like Glimmer being annoyed by all her worst qualities manifesting in Frosta.

As for Catra, it shocked me that she was so upset about Shadow Weaver being sent away to die. Though she obviously still craved Shadow Weaver’s approval, I didn’t expect her to react so badly to this. Clearly Scorpia didn’t either, and her trying to tease Catra’s reasons out of her was sweet. It was nice to see Catra continuing to open up to Scorpia after that moment with the blanket at the end of White Out, but there’s still a lot she’s holding inside. She still genuinely cares about Shadow Weaver despite how she’s been trying to hurt her for revenge and her own satisfaction... that sound familiar?

And unfortunately, Catra’s connection to Shadow Weaver and her need for maternal love and approval was her downfall. After she mocked the rebellion for their bleeding hearts and how easily manipulated they are, mind you. This is where Catra’s tendency to sympathize with Shadow Weaver (which we saw at least twice in season 1) finally came back to bite her in the ass. It was terribly sad because Catra actually has a big heart and Shadow Weaver knew that and took advantage of it.

It’s hard to say how much Shadow Weaver meant of what she said to Catra when they had their big confrontation. It wasn’t clear whether or not she had seen her badge hidden in the food, whether she was only trying to manipulate Catra or if she was being earnest about any of it. Was the physical affection she gave her genuine, her way of making up for things and saying goodbye, or was she just fucking with Catra? I dunno, but either way this betrayal she pulled was awful, and if she was trying to be nice she would’ve been better off holding Catra at a distance than letting her get her hopes up. For real, Catra’s reaction when she realized Shadow Weaver had used and betrayed her was gut-wrenching, one of the rawest moments we’ve seen from her. I might have cried, a lot. She let herself be vulnerable in a way she rarely does, and for that she got absolutely obliterated emotionally. Again.

So yeah, this wasn’t a particularly fun episode, but it was a very strong episode of television and it did a lot to make Shadow Weaver more fleshed out and interesting. It finally brought one of the show’s most fraught relationships into the spotlight and let it combust in front of us, and as painful as it was to watch, I can’t help rewatching the Catra and Shadow Weaver scenes again and again. I never expected Catra to so openly ask Shadow Weaver why she was never good enough for her and what she did to deserve all the abuse. It was an incredibly rewarding scene to watch with great emotional payoff. And for a stan like me, that made it the best episode of the season.

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makeste · 5 years

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BnHA Chapter 232: Giant Bitchslap Arm

Previously on BnHA: Gigantomachia woke up and started ninja-running toward Aichi prefecture. Then all of a sudden we cut to Hawks just chilling on an Osaka rooftop with a bag. Everyone was like, “whoa, Hawks, what are you doing in this arc?” Hawks was all “well I’ll show you” and then he had a flashback where he fucking murdered Best Jeanist, probably, and everyone was like “um, hey, what the actual fuck” and Hawks was like “well you asked” and we were all filled with regret for having done so. Back in the Ol’ Villain City, Twice caught up with Tomura and Spinner and they were very happy to see him, and Tomura was like “so anyway we’re almost at Re-Destro’s tower and I can’t wait to fucking kill that guy” and the others agreed but they also worried that Tomura was too exhausted to keep this up much longer, and so Twice went on ahead to try and finish off RD on his own. The chapter ended up with Twice #241762-D arriving at the top of the tower to confront RD and rescue my boyfriend Giran.

Today on BnHA: Twice creates some clones of Tomura and the gang to help him out. Re-Destro then insta-kills one of the clones and tells Twice that he’ll kill Giran if Twice uses his quirk any more. He then makes his arm go all big and he just fuckin’... [gestures wildly] WHIPASH!! and just smacks them all to death, and then he goes over to where Giran is and gets ready to kill him while he and Twice are having a moment. Thankfully the not-quite-dead-yet Tomura clone intervenes, and as he fights him, Re-Destro launches into a big villain monologue about the Mother of Quirks, a.k.a. the mother of the first superpowered child to ever be born. Long story short, that baby grew up to be Destro, and his mom was all “please be kind to him and let him live in peace!” and so they fucking killed her because people are terrible. As RD is wrapping up his story and about to kill the clone Tomura, the real one reaches the tower and is all, “TOUCH!!!” This is the single most badass thing anyone has ever done, and the chapter ends with a wobbly Tomura confusedly interrogating an enraged Re-Destro while “We Will Rock You” by Queen plays in the background omfg.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, and added one or two ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

so this happened again

listen here my anonymous friend, thank you for not spoiling me, but I do have to say that if your goal was to have me once again approach this chapter in stark terror, mission accomplished lol

here’s how it’s gonna go. I’ve got a mirror, and we’re gonna use it to cautiously peek around corners before clicking to the next page, and from what I understand that should protect us from being instantly killed by Horikoshi’s murderous basilisk glare. the characters, on the other hand, well...

what kind of sound effect is this

glomp glomp? are these Horikoshi sound effects? does he know his little Twice clones are making enthusiastic hugging sounds?? and yet this is oddly in character though

also it looks like he’s cloning at least one Tomura and Dabi! so that should be fun. we get to see RD presumably murder them all on this little test run, and then they’ll hopefully have a better idea of how to approach this on their second go-around

RD says he had a lot of guards down below, and he’s praising Twice’s quirk. well, his “superpower”, anyway

that was the title of this chapter, incidentally; “quirks and superpowers.” I do vaguely wonder why they’re so insistent on using different terminology for it, and I wonder if there’s an actual reason for that

anyway so now Jin is yelling at the clones that they’re clones. so it’s okay if they die and stuff. lol. I’m sure that makes them feel a whole lot better

you guys this is fucking amazing though

I wonder if this Tomura is less sleep-deprived? also, Twice duplicated the hands as well! that’s something that was pointed out to me a little while ago, back when they were fighting Gigantomachia. this actually seems a bit iffy to me now that we’ve been reminded that he needs to understand the details of something in and out before he can copy it. like, he couldn’t copy the quirk-be-gone bullets because he didn’t know how they worked. but somehow he knows how these hands work though??

or maybe he doesn’t, and these hands don’t actually work like the Real Deal hands. that’s probably the case actually. so anyways I wonder if this Tomura will act a little different. I’m probably overthinking this to the extreme lol

and Twice and Dabi are making the exact same joke I made three paragraphs earlier about “that should make them feel a whole lot better.” get your own material you assclowns

last but not least, lol at him having to reiterate his tale of bravely overcoming past trauma yet again to Compress because he missed the whole story. poor Compress, all confused and out of the loop. I wonder if Twice duplicated his robot arm. it’s hard to tell in the picture whether it’s missing or he’s still just in the process of creating it

oh shit

heh. it’s possible Jin has not thought through the potential long-term consequences of this little undertaking at all sob. but that’s a problem for future Twice! right now current Twice has more important things to deal with, like kicking Re-Destro’s ass

yeah, you see, he’s all “don’t worry about that right now” and presumably tucking that whole notion away someplace in the back of his mind to be properly fucked up by later on. as anyone with ADHD can tell you that’s clearly the best way to deal with all of your problems

-- oh shit and it looks like this particular Twice doesn’t really need to worry about that anymore in any case

what is it with people in this manga being decapitated lately. who hurt you Horikoshi

uh, so. hey

are they?? they fucking outnumber you by a ton. though as you’ve just ably demonstrated, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything

fuck. okay let’s pause this for a sec to get our bearings here. so a bunch of clone Twices have RD cornered with a clone Dabi, Tomura, and Compress, all of whom have their own quirks, but presumably weaker versions of them. they’re also each basically one hit point away from a swift death, which is definitely something to consider

meanwhile RD has just the one of him, but possesses an unknown quirk, and does not seem to be at all fazed by the current situation which is a bit unnerving. oh yeah, and he does still have a hostage, though, if the others insist on taking their sweet time to go and untie my boy Giran. yeah. so that part’s also not good. dammit Twice untie him already

SHIT

MOTHERFUCKING -- OKAY JIN, LISTEN UP, NORMALLY I’D TELL YOU TO CALL HIS BLUFF, BUT A LITTLE MOUSE (ETA: referring to poor dead Miyashita, not the anon from earlier! I only just realized how that could possibly be read as being weirdly passive aggressive or something and that’s not the case! sorry anon!) INFORMED ME THAT THIS GUY DOESN’T ACTUALLY FUCKING PLAY AROUND, THOUGH. I HAVE A FEELING HE CAN AND WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT HE’S PROMISING, SO PLEASE TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY OMG I DON’T WANT YOU TO HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND’S DEATH ON YOUR CONSCIENCE AFTER WHAT HAPPENED WITH MAGNE

sob. where’s that mirror omg

okay... and we’re cautiously clicking forward... and good, Jin looks appropriately shook

maybe a little too shook. look I didn’t mean for you to just immediately freeze and surrender though, guy

aww but Tomura’s reassuring him

yes but as I already explained, you’re all technically one love tap away from the sweet embrace of death here while he’s at full power. it’s iffy dude. idk. I really like that you immediately spoke up to comfort your bro though! the League of Gentle Hearts continues to warm my soul

oh my god but seriously look at them

even Dabi is getting in on the friendship action. even if I’m not quite sure how he intends to not burn Giran to death along with RD lol. but at least his heart’s in the right place

-- oh shit

THEY LOOK SO WORRIED OMG AND LOOK WHERE RE-DESTRO IS STANDING

A COLD FUCKING CHILL JUST WENT DOWN MY SPINE OH GOD NO I’M NOT READY FOR THIS. I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON HIS SEXY GRAY HEAD I WILL WREAK VENGEANCE ON YOU SUCH AS THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN, AS SOON AS I’M DONE SOBBING MY FUCKING EYES OUT

SOB I DON’T WANT TO TURN THE PAGE. THE MIRROR ISN’T WORKING. HORIKOSHI IS A SADISTIC FUCK WHO HAS NO QUALMS ABOUT KILLING OFF EVERYONE I LOVE. BEST JEANIST, GIRAN, THE DOG. EVERYONE!!

SOBBB NOOO --

WHAT THE CHRISTING FUCK

OH MY GOD NO PUT IT AWAY!! HORIKOSHI KOUHEI I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T STOP RIGHT NOW!! I MEAN IT YOUNG MAN!!

SOB HE’S DRAWING IT OUT FOR ALL IT’S WORTHHHHHH I CAN’T I’M NOT PLEASE WHY

FUCK YOU AND YOUR COMEDIC INSERTION OF FOUR ADDITIONAL TWICE REACTION PANELS YOU PITILESS BASTARD!!

NOOOOOOOOOOO

THE BASILISK APPROACHES, GIRAN IN ITS SIGHTS!!

OH SHIT

holy -- fucking -- I don’t even

wow

well that all went down fucking spectacularly

looooool. okay, time to move on to plan B guys. bring on the indestructible mountain man. let Tomura have his “I have an army!” / “we have a Hulk” moment

so is Giran even still alive, or did he get caught up in all of that. lol I’m just fooling. of course he’s still alive, Horikoshi is going to drag out my torture for this entire arc and make it really slow and excruciating

yeah whatever. they have a hulk. just you wait

and some of the dying Twices are glomping over to Giran to make sure he’s okay, naturally. because my feels were briefly spared for a single fucking panel and we can’t have that, no ma’am!

HAHAHA WHY

THESE FEELS, MY GOD. WHATEVER!! JUST LEAVE ME HERE TO DIE THEN!!

JESUS CHRIST, HERE I WAS SHIPPING TOGAWICE LIKE ANYTHING, AND THEN HORIKOSHI COMES ALONG ALL “BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU WEREN’T ACTUALLY SHIPPING GIRANTWICE THIS WHOLE TIME” AND FUCK ME, HE’S FUCKING RIGHT

GIRAN IS SMILING SO SOFTLY MOMENTS BEFORE HIS LIKELY DEATH, AND I’M ABOUT TO PERISH IN A TYPHOON OF EMOTION. GIRAN IF I COULD LEAP IN THERE AND TAKE THE BLOW FOR YOU I WOULD

YOU GUYS HERE IT COMES. IT’S BEEN NICE KNOWING YOU ALL. LET’S ALL HOLD HANDS AND WAIT IN HELPLESS TERROR LIKE IN TOY STORY 3

and Twice makes sure Giran’s not alone at the end though. god I’m about to lose it for real though, shit

-- !!!!!!!!!!

(ETA: lmao I love that it’s making a “TCH” sound. like that hand is so done with his bullshit.)

what THE FUCK TOMURA ARE YOU SERIOUS?!! I WAS ALL SET TO GO ALL “OH HAPPY DAGGER” HERE AND THEN YOU TURN UP TO SAVE THE DAY WHAT IS HAPPENING

WHAT IS THIS CRAZY ADRENALINE RUSH AHAHA. DON’T BE FOOLED, THAT IS RALPH WIGGUM “I’M IN DANGER!” LAUGHTER THOUGH

but wow, so yeah. feels postponed. fucking deferred, motherfucker. FIRST WE GET OUR FIGHT ON

oh hey! funny you should mention! cuz it’s just that he’s been trying to prove said worth for the last six weeks! so if you could provide some convenient way for him to actually do that, that would actually be great. Machia is a harder sell than Simon fucking Cowell, so

oh, he’s still talking

actually this is super interesting to me omg. also that’s really fucked up. poor Damien! he didn’t do anything! all he did was glow a bit, what is wrong with people

(ETA: I have been informed by many kind people that Destro is not in fact the glowy baby Damien from China lol. I got kinda mixed up there lol.)

probably cuz they killed her

yep

yeah that seemed to be where that was leading. society is predictably fucked up, etc. that poor lady

this has nothing to do with anything, but I just want to throw it out there that I would kill to read an AU with the 1-A kids set in this time period roughly 200 years earlier where they have to hide their quirks for fear of being killed over them, and they’re all just doing their best and growing up scared and traumatized and some of them are bitter at the world and others are hopeful of one day making it a better place. oh my god. “makeste, that’s just an X-Men AU” you point out and oh my god you’re right. that means it probably already exists oh shit. I need to go on another fic binge

anyway

Tomura is all “yeah I know history too” and making me feel bad. some of us didn’t grow up in this universe, Tomura

Tomura just let the man talk, I need more worldbuilding stuff for my AU headcanons

you’d think that the Army would be embracing the word “quirks”, then? this woman seems like the type of martyr figure they ought to be all over. I guess there’s more to the story and I should take my own advice and shut up and let him finish

I see, so they associate the government’s use of the word “quirk” with their oppression. idk, I feel like they ought to be trying to reclaim it then. but whatever

so he’s wrapping up now

oh!!

his mother?!

DESTRO WAS THE SON OF THE MOTHER OF QUIRKS? DESTRO WAS DAMIEN?! holy shit!!

so that means RD is descended from the original quirk bloodline! yooooo I did not see that coming at all. no wonder the rest of the Army reveres him

anyway but now the interesting part is over and he’s moving on to crazed ranting

whatever you say buddy. how did you wind up with Giant Bitchslap Arm powers if your great-great-granddad was just some dumb glowing kid though

oh now he’s getting all pompous

I’m sorry I didn’t realize having a long and tragic family history was a prerequisite for kicking ass. though if it is. may I interest you in the horrific saga of the Shimura family, though. this so-called street punk has quite his own tale of woe actually

oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

(⚆_⚆) [sits up straighter]

AHHHH THEY’RE SAVING HIM!!

YOU GO LEAGUE!! YOU GOT THIS!!

AHHHHHHH

!!!!! THEN TELL HIM TO SUIT UP

oh shit wait I think he might be talking about Actual Tomura and not Gigantomachia! even better!!

OH HEY THAT’S A NICE TOWER YOU HAVE THERE. IT SURE WOULD BE A SHAME IF SOMEONE... PATTED IT GENTLY

LOOOOOOOOOOL YESSSSSSSSSSSS

(❛ӧ❛三❛ӧ❛)

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!

LMAO HE’S ACTUALLY BARELY KEEPING IT TOGETHER THOUGH AND IT’S THE BEST. “WAIT... YOU’RE THE GUY... BUT SHOULDN’T YOU BE... BUT WAIT WEREN’T YOU IN...?”

SO NOW IT’S ON BOTH EYES, EH? GOING FULL RORSCHACH UP IN THIS BITCH. WELL WHATEVER. I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW I’M HIGH ON THE ADRENALINE OF HAVING HAD THE FEAR OF GOD PUT INTO ME AND BEING RESIGNED TO ANOTHER CHAPTER OF HEADS BEING REMOVED FROM WHERE THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE, ONLY FOR HORIKOSHI TO BE ALL “PSYCH!! I STILL LOVE YOU!” AND HAVE MR. RIGHTFUL HEIR COME UP AND FUCK UP RD’S SHIT OMG. AND I STILL SHIP GIRANTWICE!! AND GIRAN’S STILL ALIVE SOMEHOW AGAINST ALL ODDS OH MY GOODNESS

ohhhhh man. well, time to place your bets then people. who would win:

one megalomaniacal balding CEO with a giant arm who talks too much but has like an army and shit

One Sleepy Boi

hahaha. well, Tomura? time to get that worth fucking measured, then, kid

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acesgroupchat · 5 years

Text

Feedback Bingo: Wrap-up and Recs!

It’s finished! At long last! One of my favorite things about doing this festival is all the awesome fics I read for it (SO MANY AWESOME FICS). It also made me do a bunch of things I wouldn’t have otherwise done, and all of them were great fun. So if you’re thinking about doing it, do it! This is a list of everything I read for this, because it was all awesome and y’all should def give some of these a try! (Under a read more because I read a LOT of stuff for this thing, and I have a lot of feelings about it)

The Best Birthday Present by Kimboo_York:

for: rarepair, and all works from a creator

This one is GREAT. It is both super funny and super earnest. I was totally charmed. I don’t actually ship Meng Zhi/Mei Changsu, but I fully did while I was reading this.

Choices by Kimboo_York:

for: recent work, and all works from a creator

You know who I DO ship though? I ship Lin Chen/Mei Changsu like a FIEND and this was EXACTLY what I wanted for that ship. It’s sexy, it’s heartbreaking, it’s snarky. It’s exactly them and I have already read it five times.

Things Lin Chen Never Says by ofsevenseas

for: work rated gen, 2+ year old work, long comment (tbh there were a LOT of long comments in this challenge but this was the first)

by now if you follow me you know that I live for Lin Chen. This fic WRECKED me. So full of grief, so wistful. If you want to get destroyed by feels in 300 words or less this is the fic for you.

Deux Banquets by Oceanna

For: different language, <2 comments (woo first!), engage in a discussion

If you have any French at all I recommend reading this fic. It’s great! a fascinating and unexpected crossover with MDZS, and a shitwack of awesome identity porn to boot. 10/10 would read again.

South of the Summer by Saliencense

for: femslash, <5 comments, 3 works in 1 day

This one is just so sweet and beautiful! It has a very “last moments of youth” feel. Very breathless and atmospheric.

Shape of My Heart by Anchorpoint

for: Non-text work, re-comment on an old fave, 3 works in 1 day

A video! More Lin Chen of course. This is a delicious little angsty thing and a huge part of the reason I watched Surgeons. re-incarnated Lin Chen trying AGAIN to save MCS in the modern era? Yes please.

So I Heard You Broke Sima Lei’s Leg by @convenientalias

for: 3 works in 1 day, recommend on a different platform

I rec’d this one before, but I will again here. Mu Qing! Is! So! Cute! This is the good good sibling content you’ve been looking for, and a fantastic missing scene from the early show.

Fighter and Lover by @convenientalias

for: recommend on a different platform, 5 day streak (and everything previously but this was the one that clinched it)

Even more good Mu Qing content! This one is extremely charming and a fascinating look at what an adult Nihuang/Xia Dong courtship might look like.

Birth of a Year by @convenientalias

for: Live blog reactions to a work, Free Square: comment on a fic the day it comes out

This one made me laugh and then it totally wrecked me with Yujin feels. The conversation between Marquis Yan and Yujin had me on the edge of my seat. Also a ton of awesome cameos by our beloved supporting characters, and a fascinating look at the kinds of familial relationships in the show.

The Measure of Guilt by hongliu

for: every chapter of a multi-chapter work, cheerlead a WIP.

Ok this one? is SAD AF. Truly heartbreaking. PEAK tragic Lin Chen content. Will 100% make you cry. Angst of the highest order. 10/10 would wail again.

Ever Onward by @aboxthecolourofheartache

for: visual transformative work, @ a creator on another platform

I spent literally every day of the challenge worrying about how I was going to get the visual square because I don’t draw AT ALL. And then I realized Lin Chen is just a vulpix and got WAY too invested in the idea of Ever Onward GO. @aboxthecolourofheartache is the best and most indulgent audience for my endless dumb ideas about her work, and I had a LOT of fun making weird screenshots for this. Will we ever see Gyrados!Jingrui? stay tuned to find out!

Seriously though if you haven’t read Ever Onward yet, drop everything and do that RIGHT NOW. Cancel your plans for the next week because it’s a Long Boy, but it’s gripping and fascinating and every possible kind of fun. 10/10 will screech forever.

The Purple Cup by @convenientalias

for: include a link in a comment

I read this one in lecture (I’m the TA so it’s ok if I’m not always paying attention) and I had to work REALLY hard to keep my look of HORRIFIED delight off my face. This is such a wild concept and goes SO MANY cool places. Also the look inside the mind of Prince Yu is fascinating and frightening in all the right ways.

It also sent me on a completely inexplicable early Taylor Swift spiral. Which I then felt compelled to share.

the mist that cloaks the river, the clouds that hide the stars by @sovinly

for: text-based transformative works, feedback using something other than words

Parts of this work feel like looking in a mirror, and it haunts me in the best way possible. Sovin’s ICONIC Fem!Yujin longfic will absolutely rock your world. Honors the experiences of a MUCH broader swath of women than canon, and the fix-it for Xie Qi that I never knew I needed but needed DESPERATELY. Go read it right now. Bring tissues and remember to hydrate.

To celebrate the last day of bingo I decided to write a double drabble (my first!) based on this, because that Xie Qi fix-it brings me so much comfort and joy, and I still think about it even a year after this fic ruined me.

#fic fic fic fic!#fic recs #nirvana in fire #fandom #aceswrites

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bakusquadup · 6 years

Note

Hey! New here and I thought I’d request since your ask box is open. Could you please write an scenario for the soulmate prompt 14. You see in black and white until you meet your soulmate - then you can see colors. With the quote “After eveything... I’d still choose you.” with Bakugou Katsuki? Cheesy, I know, but I kinda feel like it ^^’

I’ve been having a hard time getting inspired with PP and another fic that I’m currently working on, so I decided to answer some asks that have been sitting in my box for a very long time. I’m so sorry that I didn’t answer this earlier, I’m kinda the worst. Hope you enjoy this extremely belated answer. Also, this does not mean my box is open again. I already have a ton of requests waiting to be answered, sorry!

-Shelley

Bakugou Katsuki

You swung your briefcase lazily at your side, the rhythmic motion moving in time with your strides. As you walked, you kicked at a pebble at your feet, the gray rock blending in with the matching pavement. Well, it blended in with pretty much everything, actually. Your world was painted in shades of white, gray, and black, a bland, monochromatic landscape, just as it had been since you were born. Everyone said that you would understand how beautiful life was once you met your soulmate, once you could see the blue of the sky, the green of the grass, the orange and red and pink of a sunset. It was hard though, when the sky and grass and sunset all rested around the same neutral shade of gray. Always gray. Gray, gray, and more gray. You couldn’t help being dubious, that having a soulmate would even make a difference.

Maybe you didn’t even have a soulmate. You were two and a half decades in to life, well past the time that most of your friends have met theirs. Out of those closest to you, five people had met their soulmates in the last five years, only two of which had met theirs in the last year. You were the last one standing at this point. And it was not a good feeling.

Coming to a stop at a street corner, you waited patiently for the little gray hand to become a little gray person, signaling your allowance to cross the road. While waiting, you swiped through the notifications on your phone. A graduation photo here. An engagement announcement there. Everyone out living their fulfilling, colorful lives.

Suddenly, a stranger slammed into you, knocking the phone free from your grip and swiping your briefcase in the process. You sputtered, flailing to pick up the smartphone and hit the thief at the same time, merely managing to swipe a hand through empty air.

“Hey, wait!” you yelled pathetically.

“Get the fuck out of the way!” Another man pushed you out of the way, sprinting past after the first. He was wearing an elaborate costume, mostly black with lighter accents, and explosions flared up from his palms as he launched himself into the air. In a brief moment of clarity, you recognized him as the hero Ground Zero. A man famous for his skilled captures but terrible personality. You patted yourself down, searching for your phone to snag a picture before he disappeared again.

Wait, your phone. Crap.

In one swift motion, you retrieved the phone from its place on the ground and raced after the men. Villain or not, you sure as hell weren’t going to let someone run off with your years of hard work piled within that briefcase. Ignoring the walk signals, you darted past the street into a back alley where the two had gone, heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through your veins.

You stopped short when you found the thief flat on his back and Ground Zero above him, boot pressed to his chest. The hero hoisted your bag from the ground by a finger, inspecting it.

“Um, that’s mine,” you interjected.

“Who the fu-” The pro-hero turned around and that’s why you were hit.

The dark alley shifted from grayscale to a myriad of colors. The walls around you were still gray, but you were shocked by the thief’s blue shirt and the orange and green accents on Ground Zero’s costume, the blond spikes growing up from his head. Your voice caught in your throat when the hero’s gaze met yours and you could see the crimson irises glowing out from behind his mask.

Ground Zero seemed to have the same reaction. His eyebrows had knit together and his mouth fallen open, a mix of confusion and awe painting his expression.

“Get off of me.” The thief squirmed under the hero’s foot, scratching at his leg as he tried to push it up, but Ground Zero only responded by pressing down harder, leaving him coughing up air.

“What’s your name?” Ground Zero asked, redirecting his attention to you.

“[Y/L/N] [Y/F/N].” You paused, considering your next words. “I guess I’m your soulmate.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, forcing back a grin. “About damn time. I’m Bakugou Katsuki, wanna get a drink?”

“Katsuki?” You poked your head around the corner into the living room, searching for your boyfriend. It had been six months since you met, all of which has been filled with family and friends raving about how “they were wondering when your soulmate would turn up” – you didn’t tell anyone about your fear of not having a soulmate – and just last week, Bakugou had gotten you to move in together.

“What is it?” He was sprawled across the rug, legs spread wide and chest pressed to the floor in front of him. He didn’t bother lifting his head to respond to you, just pushing his torso further forward to deepen the stretch.

“Did you see my message from earlier? My office is throwing a celebration for the new merger and we’re allowed to bring a plus one.” You meandered into the room, stepping over Bakugou and throwing yourself onto the plush couch behind him. “Think you’d be able to take a night off?”

“When was it again? The thirteenth?” He sat upright, lacing his fingers together and stretching them above his head, the length of his spine cracking audibly. “Yeah, I can do that. I’ll probably need to keep my work phone on in case they have any updated on Shigaraki.”

“I’m sure your arch-nemesis could wait for one night.”

“He’s pretty consistent with his terrible timing,” he retorted. “He might not give me the option to wait.” Your lips pressed forward into a small pout, corner pressed tight. Noticing your expression, he boosted off the floor, dropping onto the cushion next to you and slinging an arm over the back of the couch. “I’ll try to make an exception, though.” His vibrant eyes bore into yours with the complete honesty that he couldn’t help but show. Even after half a year, you couldn’t get over the vivid scarlet in his eyes. You were starting to grow accustomed to colors in the world, but the color of those two irises always left you speechless.

“You better hold to that.”

Champagne flutes clinked around you as employees toasted to the coming future for the company, the sounds already escalating as the partygoers grew more and more inebriated, delicate tapping of glass growing into aggressive crashing of the flutes and quiet congratulations shifting into raucous festivities. You were no exception, third glass of bubbly in hand as you laughed loudly with a coworker, Bakugou at your hip, the soberest person at the event.

“So, tell us, Bakugou-san: how much money does a pro-hero actually make?” one of the sloppier attendees asked, alcohol creeping into their voice and slurring their words.

“You don’t have to answer that, Katsuki.”

“I definitely don’t have to fucking answer that,” Bakugou spat, scowling at the questioner. You nudged him with an elbow, giving him a side-eye, and his expression softened, but he didn’t retract the comment. He was never one to pull punches, literally or figuratively. The group went silent. Bowing your head slightly, you pulled your boyfriend away from your coworkers to hopefully cool down with some much-needed time away. Ever the introvert, Bakugou was.

“Katsuki, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s fucking wrong. Your nosey piece-of-shit coworker was bothering me.”

“First of all, you’re right. He was being a nosey dick and you had every right to be angry. But people have been saying stupid stuff like that all night and you didn’t say anything until now. What’s wrong?”

He grumbled to himself unintelligibly, turning his head away so you couldn’t read his lips.

“I can’t hear you.”

“I said I haven’t heard anything from the office all night!” He snapped his head back to you, brows connected in the center and features clouded with a mix of anger and worry.

“Katsuki, that’s obviously a good thing. If the League of Villains was making a move tonight, you would be the first person to hear about it!” You passed him your champagne, motioning for him to take a sip. “It’s okay to relax a little bit. You need to get Shigaraki out of your head, it’s not doing you any good to dwell on a villain that isn’t going to attack tonight.”

“Yeah, you should focus on the one that is attacking tonight,” an unfamiliar voice added. You planned to spin and face the source, but were stopped halfway through when a hand wrapped around your throat from behind. You and Bakugou both froze, panicked expressions mirrored back at one another. From the corner of your eye, you could see the red and orange sparks flaring up from your soulmate’s palms. With the tiniest of motions, you managed to shake your head at him, eyes widening slightly to convey the message clearly. The sparks dissolved slowly.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I’m here for your soulmate.” The fingers around your throat tightened and started to feel…warmer. Oh god, no, they were hot. They were really hot. You struggled against the grip, trying to get away from the scorching heat causing your skin to boil and your windpipe to close involuntarily. Across, you could see the color drain from Bakugou’s face as he watched blue flames flare out from above your collar.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

Bakugou’s eyes shifted to his pocket for an instant before darting back up to the villain, his right hand moving slowly to silence his phone.

“Your work phone?” the villain asked, causing Bakugou to narrow his eyes suspiciously. You could barely focus on the words exchanged over the searing heat pressed to your neck. “Took them longer than I expected.”

“Took who longer to do what?” Bakugou was creeping closer to you, a millimeter at a time, as he spoke. He was prepared to lunge for the villain when the opportunity arose.

“The cops or heroes or whatever. Took them longer to discover Shigaraki.” Bakugou’s face darkened.

“Doing what?” The way that your soulmate uttered the two words sent a chill through you, the pure rage that he felt seeping into the short question.

“Just the usual, nothing too big. Plus,” the heat increased again, “is that really what you should be worried about right now?”

At this point, you were ready to pass out from the pain. The heat was beyond just burning your skin, it was pealing and searing it away. Soon enough it would be charcoal. You had to get out; you had to get the heat away; you had to breathe.

“I’ll bet you could make it over there before Shigaraki gets away, but that’s only is you don’t mind letting me have this one.” The villain yanked you closer to him, pressing his chin atop your shoulder, and for an instant, you worried about what Bakugou would do. But those worries were unfounded when he leapt out, punching the villain square in the face and sending an explosion to force him back toward the nearby balcony.

Crumbling to the floor, you clawed at your neck, caught between not wanting to touch the raw skin and needing to hold you head up to breathe properly. Tears rushed from your eyes and short, raspy coughs forced their way from your lungs. Lacking the strength to lift your head, you only managed to hear the rest of the interaction, not getting to see what transpired.

A loud explosion blew out near the balcony, rapid footsteps following in the direction. Bakugou was shouted a string of obscenities and firing off a string of explosions to match, each one reciprocated by taunting laughs from the villain.

“I’m disappointed, really,” the villain said. “Finding your soulmate has made you weak.” This was followed by another loud explosions and one final “fuck” from Bakugou before the heavy footsteps returned to you.

“[Y/N]? Can you breathe? I’m calling an ambulance right now,” Bakugou murmured above you, hand running through your hair soothingly.

“Katsuki, I’m sorry.”

“Shh, shh, don’t be sorry. You’re going to be okay.” He seemed to be reassuring himself.

“No, something happened-” Your sentence cut off halfway by a bout of coughs, but you fought them off and continued on. “Something happened with Shigaraki and you…you couldn’t do anything because of me. I’m so sorry.”

“That’s not your fault. Of course, it’s not your fault. Even if it were your fault, it wouldn’t matter. I could lose Shigaraki a thousand times over because of you. I could watch the city fall apart because of you. It wouldn’t fucking matter. After everything…I’d still choose you. You were the one that gave my life color.” He took your hand as he punched in the emergency number with his other. “Now, shut up and let me get you some help.”

#its about 2k and its kinda all over the place lol #i just needed to get out of my writers block #ive been having a really hard time rn #bakugou katsuki #asks #imagines #mine #bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia

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anniebissett-blog · 5 years

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Why Utilizing Golfing Clash Cheats is So Amusing and Why You Must Consider Utilizing one Of These Cheats

Let us speak about Golfing Clash. It truly is an wonderful online sport for the cell mobile phone. It can either be performed on iOS, Android, or any other operating program really. It operates on Apple iphone as properly as Samsung and Nokia, and so on. Numerous folks choose to use cheats when enjoying Golfing Clash. Why somebody may well ask. But this specified someone possibly has not tried out utilizing Golfing Clash cheats them selves. It truly is a good deal of enjoyable and delivers tons of benefits to the floor. You can get unlimited coins and gems, even though limited to one particular every day use, this nevertheless provides up to a ton of gems and coins above the course of a couple of days. Can you envision using this cheat resource every single one working day? That's a ton of on the web currency! You can possibly even offer cash and gems to your close friends or household, to receive some further swift funds. Anyway, in case you are questioning in which to locate 1 of these Golf Clash cheats, you can go to this internet site to give you an case in point. This is not the only Golf Clash cheat out there of course, but it is one particular that I can personally advocate to you. I've used it a good deal in the past when I utilised to perform Golfing Clash, but considering that of late I have not experienced the time to perform which I type of regret. I truly beloved that recreation and loved shelling out several hours at a time just currently being a nerd! The spouse skipped me, yeah, but it was so entertaining! And I do not complain when she is carrying out below online shopping! Anyway, we are obtaining off subject listed here. Back to Golfing Clash. Let us talk a lot more about this Golf Clash hack I was conversing about. It's basically an on the internet generator which works on some secured proxy servers on their stop. What that implies is you do not have to worry about getting banned due to the fact you by no means downloaded the cheat to begin with. There are no traces back again to your account which implies there is not likely to happen everything negative to you. You can just sit back and loosen up and get pleasure from the match with your recently extra cash and gems. This specific tool is probably the only Golfing Clash cheat that operates in my expertise. Since consider my phrase for this - there are a lot of fake ones out there, and you never want to squander your precious time on people. You want to choose a hack device that works. So ideally you can appreciate that I linked you this doing work 1.

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sky-girls · 6 years

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Driving Me Wild

So here it is the first chapter! So this will have a chapter for each way, so 4 in total and hopefully everyone will have this kinda format. Also nice reminder that i don’t know shit about buenos aires and i don’t actually remember thaaaat much about playing guitar so things here could be very very wrong in many ways. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this!!!

The sweet way

“So we are going to start with the easiest one.” Matteo tells her over the phone as she is trying to tidy up her closet as her mom requested, so far it’s not going great. “At least for you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She asks slightly offended as she gives up on folding her shirt properly, she hears him chuckle and she pouts.

“We are going to start with the sweet way.” He tells her and Luna hums. “Which is basically just being extremely considered and paying attention to what people might want and need and doing small things for them, which i think fits you perfectly.”

“Awww.” She says smiling a little to herself. “You think i’m sweet.”

“I don’t think i have ever even tried to hide that, delivery girl.” He laughs. “So there’s no reason for your reaction.”

“Just let me have this.” She tells him and he laughs even more. “Okay so basically I just gotta be extra nice to you?”

“Not just nice.” He tells her. “You gotta be surprising, you have to touch my soul with the small things you do. “

“Okay so that doesn’t sound hard at all.” Luna says with a pout. “How do I even know you have a soul, though? “

“That’s not being sweet, Luna Valente.” He says but he is trying not to laugh she can hear it.

“I am just making sure you are not putting me up to an impossible task.” She says smiling to herself.

“I would never do that to you, please.” He huffs. “You will just have to work really really hard to achieve this.”

“Well I never give up.” She says. “I am sure I can handle this.”

“Of course you can.” He says softly and there’s something weird on the way he says it but she doesn’t ask. “I am not giving you much pointers here cause since it’s me it would be cheating, plus I think you are a natural.”

“I will try my best, of course.” She tells him and the conversation dies a little after that. “So see you on monday?”

“Of course.” He says happily. “I can’t wait for it.”

Day 1

She spends all weekend thinking how to do this, how to be extra sweet and extra nice and do something touching for Matteo but she honestly comes up empty so she decides to start small.

That monday she gets to school earlier than usual to wait for Matteo, she has some cookies for the both of them and some coffee for him. She is determined to do this right. She is convinced the magic in the world is on the little things, the little acts of kindness and that’s how she is going to approach this week, she will focus on Matteo of course, on the things he likes, on what he wants to do, on whatever he might need but so far she doesn’t know much of that for this particular week, so she just brought him breakfast.

She is waiting inside of the blake, with an eye on the door and when he appears focused completely on his phone she approaches him carefully.

“Hello.” She says from his back making him jump a little but he hides his surprise and turns around smiling at her.

“Hi.” He says with a smirk. “Surprised to see you here this early I was actually about to text you to make sure you weren’t running late.”

She smiles a little at that, he always texts her on the mornings of school days to make sure she is on time, that she won’t end up running messy and hungry cause she skipped breakfast. It always makes warmth spread over her chest, it takes away the morning crankiness and it makes her feel so so special. He is probably not doing it on purpose but she thinks this is the how the sweet way of flirting is supposed to make the other person feel and she wants to make him feel so appreciated and light and soft as he makes her feel.

“Ámbar wanted to do something or other so I had to hurry today.” She tells him and he frowns.

“Did you have breakfast?” He asks right away and she rolls her eyes as she goe sto sit on one of the benches on the hallway.

“Yes, I did.” She tells him as he sits next to her. “Did you? Cause you skip breakfast quite a lot for someone who is always lecturing for not eating it.”

“I can stand the hunger much better than you, delivery girl.” He tells her. “Besides I always eat breakfast I just buy it here, that’s why I am so early.”

“Well, today you won’t have to spend your precious money.” Luna says happily and tries to take the thermos and the cookies in one swift move but ends up getting them stuck on her backpack and Matteo laughs. She pouts at him and he gives her this small smile she loves, just barely a lift of the corner of his lips but his brown eyes are soft and full of laughter.

“And why is that?” He says when he notices that she won’t say anything, she manages to take out the cookies first and then struggles with the thermos.

“Well, because I brought you breakfast.” She exclaims at him and his smile grows bigger as she hands the things to him. “I have your favorite cookies and your coffee, the cookies are great, the coffee I hate so I wouldn’t know.”

“That’s very sweet of you.” He says emphasizing the word sweet and she rolls her eyes, she was hoping that he would miss this one at least, that she could give him a nice surprise that would be just that but well apparently she is not good enough at this.

“Just eat your cookies, Balsano.” She tells him elbowing him softly and he happily takes a bit of one of them, they stay in silence as he eats that one but when he gets the second one he breaks it in half and gives one to her.

“No, but thank you, really.” He says sincerely and she gives him a small shy smile, not finding his eyes even if they are looking for hers.

“I made the cookies.” She says nervously playing with her fingers. “Not this morning, of course, last night, maybe I should have made them this morning they would have been fresher and nicer and more deli-”

“Hey.” He stops her nervous fidgeting softly resting his hand on hers. “They are perfect, never had better cookies.”

When she looks up at him she feels such a strong feeling of yearning on her chest that it physically hurts, it makes her throat close and breathing harder.

“Thanks.” Is all she manages to say cause her bravery is focused somewhere else, focused on the way she is tangling her fingers with Matteo’s.

He doesn’t pull away but her heart won’t stop beating like it wants to be heard by every single person on this school.

⭐

When she thinks of it she is brushing her teeth and she almost runs out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in her to do it but she makes herself be chill and finish brushing her teeth and go through her usual skin care routine before she runs to her room, more specifically to her phone.

As soon as she grabs it she jumps on bed and opens his contact decided to do this but as she types the words anxiety sets in. She has no idea why, it’s just a text, it’s not any weird and it’s not any over the top, it’s just normal text, very her. But it somehow feels like a serious deal, like she is doing something important and her hands get all sweaty and her heart all fast and she hates it. She reads it over:

Me:

Nightyyyy, I hope you have the sweetest dreams tonight and rest tons ofcc ily!!!!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖

She has written to him ily before damn she has even written about the exact same thing when they are texting until it’s late night and he sends her to sleep, but like this completely random and unprompted she just...It just feels different.

She takes a deep breath and hits send before quickly putting her phone on silence and locking it, she doesn’t really have the courage to see his answer she will see it tomorrow.

Day 2

Her alarm wakes and as soon as she remembers her text from last night her eyes shoot open and she goes to grab her phone. She struggles to turn down her damn alarm but as soon as she does she can see that she has a text from Matteo. She hesitates to open it for some reason but she does cause her curiosity is stronger than her unfunded fears.

Chico Fresa:

Thanks v much i hope you do too and have the best sleep possible 💖💖 see ya tomorrow ;) ily2

Its a good answer, it even has hearts and a winky face but there’s something about the casualness of it that makes her stomach drop, he doesn’t seem any surprised or touched or anything like that, which means she failed her mission probably. She sighs heavily and hides under her covers for a few seconds. She doesn’t see Matteo much on tuesdays, they are really busy days for him and her classes end before than his today, even before lunch so she has no idea what to do for him today that’s nice and sweet and that he likes mostly. She unlocks her phone and reads the words again, he is online so she fills herself with courage to do what comes next, no matter how simple it is.

Me:

Good morning chico fresa! I hope you had an amazing night

Now I need to go get ready or I will be late but i hope you have a great morning until we see each other later ;)

She is in no way, shape or form sure of any of the words on her screen but she really does need to go get ready and have breakfast if she doesn’t want to be later for school or have Ámbar leave with the car and without her. She feels her phone vibrate as she is putting on her school uniform but she ignores it. It’s easier that way.

Even if she is trying to be chill and calm she does run inside of the blake looking for Matteo and as soon as she seems him she jumps to hug him, not just out of anxiousness but because she feels like this too. He is talking to Ramiro who looks startled when she appears out of the nowhere hugging Matteo from behind but laughs as soon as Matteo jumps surprised.

“Hi to you too, delivery girl.” Matteo says laughing and Ramiro just vaguely gestures at her as a hi she smiles widely at him and so does he before Matteo maneuvers her and she ends up hugging his side and can’t see Ramiro anymore. She feels him kiss her hair and she hugs him tighter. She likes being like this with him.

“How are you?” She asks softly her voice muffled against his clothes.

“Besides the heart attack you almost just gave me?” He asks and she looks up at him with a small pout. “Pretty great right now.”

“Well I am sorry.” She says pretending to be sad and trying to disentangle herself from him but he doesn’t let her. “I didn’t think me hugging you would be a bad thing.”

“I never said that.” He says kinda offended and she keeps trying to pull away from him. “YOu just surprised me that’s all.”

“Now I feel like you are just trying to spare my feelings cause you don’t like me hugging you.” She says.

“Luna, please.” He says rolling his eyes and pulling her closer. “That’s ridiculous of course I like you hugging me.”

“Do you mean it or are you just saying?” She asks with the best puppy face she can muster and she can see how Matteo is struggling not to smile.

He is about to say something but Ramiro talks before.

“Well I can see when I am not needed in a situation.” He says amused and sends Matteo a look she can’t quite understand but Matteo doesn't seem happy about it. “ See you in class Balsano, have nice day Lunita.”

Luna looks at Matteo confused but he just shakes his head at her, he moves so he is hugging her too and having him so incredibly close to her is definitely not good for her heart, or herself control.

“How are you?” He asks softly after a few seconds. “How was your sleep?”

“It was pretty nice.” She says honestly. “How was yours?”

“Amazing.” He says with this lopsided smile that makes her stomach clench in a very pleasant way. “How could it have been not after that beautiful goodnight text you sent me?”

“You liked it?” She asks shy blushing softly and looking away from his eyes.

“Yeah, it was the perfect move.” He says clearing his throat and something on Luna’s chest feels heavy. She doesn’t have time to explore what it is cause the bell ring and she has to go to class so she gives him one last quick hug and runs to class with her heart on her throat for some unknown reason.

⭐

When she gets to the mansion she is still thinking of Matteo not that this is anything new, she spends a lot of her waking time thinking of him one way or another, a lot of her asleep time too but she rather not go too deep into that particular topic. The difference is that now she is thinking about how to do something that would make Matteo happy, she knows tuesdays are hard for him, they are a long day and he has some asshole teachers and he is always complaining about them so she wants to do something that will make him happy and she has one idea but that will have to wait until tomorrow and she needs something for today, something that will make him smile and relax and feel better.

She walks around the house and her room for a while until she gets a strike of genius and goes to grab her computer, this is serious work and she will do it well.

By the time she is done messing and tweaking and double checking everything it’s about the time Matteo should be finishing his last class so she decides there’s nothing else to do but to send him the link. She opens whatsapp web and copies it and she struggles for a few minutes what to say about it, after a while writing and rewriting she settles for something simple.

Me:

This songs remind me of you :p

And after the that the small image of a silly drawn strawberry with a playlist called To A Matteo appears. She had toyed with the idea of naming it something better, something deeper or more important or whatever but in the end she didn’t dare, so she just presses send and hopes that maybe this makes him smile just a little.

Day 3

As soon as she can she goes out running from the blake, the classes are over and Matteo surely is looking for her, she hasn’t done anything much today for him, nothing sweet or anything but she had been waiting for this moment the whole morning.

She walks as fast as she can and she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket but she doesn’t seeit until she is at the place she was headed to. It’s not far from the school so she had to be quick and she had to be careful to not be caught.

As expected is a text from Matteo asking her where she is and she quickly types to say that she had something to do and that she will see him on the roller later, he seems weirded but says that okay so she puts her phone back on her pocket and looks around the music store.

She doesn’t know that much about instruments or at least not about the technical aspects of them, it’s something that no matter how hard Simón tried to teach her she never quite managed to catch any of it and now she very hates that fact. She sees a store employee and approaches him with a small smile.

“Hi.” She says softly. “I am looking for strings for an acoustic guitar?”

“Any preference?” He asks and Luna scrambles her brain to remember what Matteo has said about guitar strings.

“Well, metal I mean steel strings.” She says blushing a little. “And not too thin but not too thick either cause he plays with his fingers a lot too, actually on the lighter side cause he really likes to do that.”

The sales guy is very considered with her lack of terminology and just takes her to the section of strings quickly explaining why some are better for some kinds of guitars or playing style depending on the material and gauge, whatever the hell that means, and she ends up picking some that look pretty much like the ones he has now and she hopes that they are good and that he will like them. When she goes to the register a pick catches her eyes, it’s black with small silver details on the edges, it’s slick and elegant. She gets that too.

⭐

She goes inside the Jam&Roller skipping instead of walking, she is honestly excited about the gifts and his reaction she sees him sitting on one of the tables and she takes advantage that he is not paying attention to the door to go quickly to the table and surprise him but he looks up before she can manage and the smile that he gives her makes her stomach do some sort of somersault.

He is obviously about to ask where has she been but before he can manage to do that she puts her small bag on the table in front of him. He recognizes the store she knows he does but besides that he seems completely lost and she is very happy about that.

“It’s for you.” She exclaims proudly.

“For me?” He asks sounding like she had just told him someone discovered a new law of gravity but he still grabs the bag and looks what’s inside.

She is bouncing on her tiptoes at the beginning but he takes so much time to say anything or give her any reaction but confusion that she starts getting anxious and the need to explain herself appears.

“You said a few weeks ago that you will have to change the strings on your guitar soon.” She starts rambling. “So I thought hey why not buy him some new ones but maybe I messed up, maybe they are not the kind you like, if they are not you can always go and change them of course it’s not like-”

“They are perfect, Luna.” He says and there’s something so warm, so earnest on his voice that fills her whole body with a pleasant, soft, happy and bubbly feeling. “Thanks very much, these are great, I love them.”

“I got you a guitar pick too.” She announces not being able to keep the smile off her face and Matteo grins even bigger at her.

“I saw.” He says and the way he is looking at her make her lean in closer. “It’s very beautiful.”

She just nods at him, this bubbly feeling taking control of her throat and not letting her talk so she just sits and smiles back at Matteo who keeps staring at her. He seems happy but he also seems troubled somehow, or maybe she is reading too much on the situation. She takes a sip of his smoothie because she needs something to do and that’s seem to wake him up.

After that things are back to normal, they are teasing and playful and dorky as always but there’s just one small thing that is not right and she doesn’t like it, she doesn’t like not knowing what it is either

Day 4

The next day its weird, she wanted to have lunch with him, hang out a little with him buy him dessert or something but he is nowhere to be seen and when she texts him he tells her he is on the roller and she is surprised and confused because he still has one class left after lunch and matteo is not the kind to skip any class, she asks if he is okay and he says that’s perfect and he seems okay when she calls him, right before her classes start but there’s still something weird on the whole situation and she really doesn’t like it.

She is anxious until she gets to go to the roller and once she gets there the first thing she does is look for him, the longer she doesn’t find him the more her heart sinks and the more she is convinced that there’s something wrong, when she finds him on the bleachers of the rink she is convinced that something is indeed happening. He is just sitting there even if his skates are on and he is not even looking at anyone or drinking water or playing with his phone he is just looking down at his hands playing with his own fingers. She hurries to put on her skates and quickly finds herself in front of him.

“Hello, chico fresa.” She says dramatically and he looks up giving her a lopsided smile that doesn't reach his eyes, she takes both his hands and holds them between them. “What’s got you so down?”

“I am okay.” He says and she raises an eyebrow at him, a gesture she definitely picked up from him. “I am,” I swear!”

“Then why are you here looking like someone kicked a kitten in front of you.”

“You know very well I wouldn’t just be sitting if someone kicked a kitten in front of me.” He tells her and Luna rolls her eyes.

“Okay then whatever analogy works for you.” She mumbles. “But what happened? Why are you sad?”

“I am not, I tell you.” He insists and Luna sighs, staring at him, she can’t read his eyes or his expression beyond the fact that he is not happy and is quickly getting annoyed with her questioning.

“Okay you don’t have to tell me.” She gives up but pulls him to her trying to get him to stand up. “As long as you skate with me.”

“Luna…” He starts but she shakes her head and manages to make him stand up.

“No, Lunaaa.” She says imitating his tone. “Just please skate with me.”

She looks at him with a pout and he looks back, it’s not long before he sighs and she is squealing and dragging him to the rink.

She doesn’t know how he always manage to get her mood up by skating, it’s not like he does something special he just leads her around, makes her spin and laugh and feel as light as air, but she is afraid she can’t really do the same for him. She knows he likes skating, and she knows that he likes skating with her but she doubts he gets the same rush, she doubts his heart speeds up the same way, that her touch send shivers down his spine, that the way their hands fit together so perfectly makes him feel all warm inside, she doubts just the sound of her laugh can make him happy in ways he can’t even explain. But she can do her very best and she will try to make him feel just a little bit better.

Luna pulls him into the rink and then turns around smiling at him making him stumble and end up too close to her, it doesn’t really have the same effect as when he does it but he looks surprised still.

“Not as nice when they do it to you, is it?” She asks teasing and he rolls his eyes at her but there’s a little smile there that starts picking through the corner of his lips and she feels victorious with just that. She won’t rest at it though.

She giggles and pulls him, skating laps around the rink as fast as she can and telling Matteo to keep up with her. It’s weird feeling being the one who leads, being the one that makes him spin around, or makes them change direction, the one who pulls them into starting tricks and does the first jump, buts it’s nice, she likes it, and he seems to like it too. He relaxes and laughs softly and after a while he starts skating more normally, he picks her up, and pulls her too close when she spins, he mimics her moves and adds some of their own.

She has no idea how much time goes by until they are standing in the middle of the rink, both sweaty and tired and laughing at each other as he holds her close by the waist.

“Do you feel better?” She asks softly looking up at him,breathing fast.

“I do.” He says and she just nods and hugs him, she knows that whatever is making him feel bad is not completely gone but if she made him feel just a little bit better then she is happy.

Day 5

She doesn’t forget the fact that Matteo is not feeling his best for whatever reason so she decides that for the last day she is going to do something big, something important, something, nice, she doesn’t have enough time or money to do what she would like but she decides to take him to the National Museum Of Fine Arts that has lost of pretty paintings and is, luckily, free unlike the modern art one.

The food part is very much harder to manage, she considers doing a picnic but the museum closes pretty early and they won’t have more than a couple of hours after school for that and she can’t just carry food around and pretend it will surprise him. So she will have to buy him dinner, which is pretty much a hard thing cause he is very picky guy and he likes some expensive things sometimes but she manages to find a small restaurant that seems to have enough variety and is cheap enough that she can afford for both of them, they sell some good pizza that they can share and won’t hurt her wallet so much.

She spends all afternoon planning this so of course she gets to school very excited and Matteo notices.

“What’s up with you today?” He asks her amused and she just smiles not being able to keep herself from jumping on her toes as she shakes her head. “Come on you look like someone told you you won a crystal skate or something that can’t be nothing.”

“It’s nothing, really.” She says and Matteo just looks at her unbelieving. “Okay, it is something but I am not telling you what.”

“Why?” He asks with a pout and she flicks his nose softly.

“Because I don’t wanna.” She says sticking her tongue at him. “You will know soon, don’t worry.”

He wants to complain but the bell rings so she kisses his cheek and takes advantage of the moment to run away from his inquisitive eyes. It’s not a big thing, she knows it’s not but she is excited and she thinks he will like it.

He keeps asking her through the day and she just evades every question and gives hims silly answers until they are leaving the school she takes his hand saying that he will know soon but he needs to go with her.

He is confused but does it without problem, except he keeps asking all the bus ride where they are going. She is worried she is overhyping him, that he thinks it’s something bigger and important, but she knows Matteo likes this place and she knows he hasn’t had a chance to visit any of the new exhibitions so she hopes it’s at least a nice afternoon for him.

“I thought we would visit the museum today.” She tells him when they are getting off the bus, the stop is not right in front of the museum, so they get to walk a little. She spends the short walk hoping that he won’t let go of her hand.

“Is that what got you so excited?” He asks incredulous when they are in entering the museum and she pouts a little, pulling away to take some of the pamphlets of the museum.

“I know it’s not an amazing thing or something super especial.” She says not looking at him and just walking into the museum.

“I really do, thanks.”She startles when he appears next to her and puts his arm around her shoulders, squeezing it a little. When she looks up he is smiling a soft, warm smile and his eyes are so incredibly gentle she can’t stand to look at them for long

They start walking as she looks down to her feet and he keeps her close at all times. She really hopes this learning how to flirt works for something cause she wants this. Always.

⭐

Honestly, she had thought the museum would be boring, she is not exactly the kinda girl that likes to walk around and see art pieces, no matter how pretty they are being quiet and slow is not something she generally excels at. Museums tend to make her restless, tend to not have enough to keep her senses occupied, she doesn’t like them for more than few minutes but Matteo makes it interesting. He tells her the history of the pieces he knows, comments on the ones he doesn’t and listen to all her weird occurrences and question and actually answers the ones he can and laughs softly along whatever she finds funny.

It’s nice and when they are leaving a closing time is dark and cold and she still doesn’t want to let him go any soon. She doesn’t let him say anything before she drags him to the small restaurant nearby laughing and saying it’s another surprise. She wants to be so light, so free, so close to him always and there’s something on her chest that tightens with yearning when she thinks of it but she sets herself to just enjoy this night.

“It’s so nice in here.” She says when they walk in and Matteo looks at her with reproval.

“You should have brought a jacket.” He says as they sit.

“I did!” Luna defends herself.

“It’s winter, Luna, you should have brought a better one.” He continues and he pouts. “I’m texting my dad’s driver so he take us home I’m not letting you walk around like this.”

“You sound just like my mother.” She pouts even more sinking on her seat and Matteo rolls his eyes but says nothing more.

After they have ordered and she is sipping on the tea he made her get he softly kicks her foot softly.

“Thanks for today, really.” He says softly. “It was a great day.”

“Are you feeling better?” She asks and Matteo blinks at her confused. “You were sad yesterday and even after we skated you were still a little sad so I wanted to cheer you up, did it work?”

Something passes through Matteo’s eyes, sharp, dark, sad and quick but before she can even fully process it it’s gone and the soft eyes of her Matteo, those sweet reassuring ones that make her knees go weak are there.

“It worked amazingly.” He says softly holding her hand over the table and playing idly with her fingers. “I am incredibly happy right now.”

“Me too.” She say with a sigh and intertwines their fingers. He probably has no idea just how much she means it, but it’s okay as long as she gets to say it.

#soy luna #mine #dmw

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theteenagetrickster · 4 years

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R&B performer takes home her first ARIA

The 33rd annual Australian Document Industry Awards at Sydney's The Celebrity casino on Wednesday has found Indigenous artist Kaiit case her quite initial field award for greatest soul and also R&B release. On accepting the award for her solitary, Miss Shiney, the 22-year-old Melbourne-based artist given thanks to"household, good friends and also forefathers "as well as stated she wishes to utilize her setting as an Indigenous girl to"deliver messages of assistance

"through her songs.: lang=" EN-US" data-contrast="vehicle" >"Examine what I can possibly do as a person of colour

as well as within this field ... as well as along with the influence I can produce ... with my term s, "she mentioned.

The Gunditjmara as well as Torres Strait Islander musician has actually risen to fame over recent year many thanks to her tune Miss Shiney, released in Might. The succeeding song checks out article writers obstruct delivered by insecurity. Communicating with NITV

Information on the ARIA red carpet, Kaiit

said she is actuallycurrently working with new songs which is expected to become discharged very early upcoming year." I'm servicing fire popular music. Only went back coming from Bali and also was actually the very first solo vacation through on my own so I've simply been coming down to it and also composing popular music,"she stated."S inging to folks is actually a goal, for

folks to be actually capable to hear me and also receive something from it". She likewise acknowledged her ascendants for providing her the guidance and stamina to become capable to create popular music."xml: lang="EN-US"data-contrast="auto">"With the help of all my ancestors for constantly residing in front end of me and also around me, our experts are doing this all together I promise,"she pointed out. Seven Aboriginal performers were actually nominated for honors on thenight, featuring novice nominees Kaiit and also Cook Young Boy, Electric Fields, Jessica Mauboy, Thelma Plum, Briggs, Dan Sultan.EN-US"xml: lang ="EN-US"data-contrast="car"> Dan Sultan applied for Best Kid'sAlbum for his

launch, Nali & Pals, shrouding worldwide celebrities, The Wiggles." [The award] is not the factor our team do it, but it experiences excellent." he mentioned after returning from the dais."To have that acknowledgment is actually nice." Gamilaroi female Thelma Plum was likewise chosen for 6 honors on thenight, includingCd of the Year for her launching file A lot better in Blak,as well as forFinest Women Performer.Thelma Plum executes during the course of the 33rd Annual ARIA Popular Music Awards at The Superstar in Sydney. She said to NITV News that her elections were actually" over whel ming" yet " additionally extremely amazing.""It's impressive, I assume there' s a lot of A borig i nal people nominated and also it ' s remarkable. T his is actually just how I feel i t ought to be actually,"she said. " I think we have the absolute most ability as well as it should be acknowledged as well as I'm delighted that it is actually being="

EN-US" data-contrast="car ">recognised on the mainstream system like the ARIAs, and I anticipate next year for there being actually even much more." Thelma claimed her smash hit song Better in Blak was a monitor for each Aboriginal female in Australia."Being actually an A borig i nal lady is just one of the hardest points in

Austral i a b u

t I ' m so happy with myself as well as my lifestyle ... I just presume even though the y're against our team our experts are therefore resili

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nt, our team are thus tough," she mentioned. "People, a ton of the time, t r y to take the co l our out of the conversation ... however I' m unable to perform that . I' m always an Ancient girl . " Darwin songstress, Jessica Mauboy, strolled into the ARIA Awards with elections for Finest Women Musician and also Best Video Recording . "The Information that I wish to offer is ... rely on your fact given that it is all regarding fact because that's what makes you available and knowledgeable however also conscious and also strong because if that remains in inspection everything else will definitely flow in lifestyle ," she told NITV News on the ceremony. " And also passion on your own, you possess to like yourself to adore lifestyle. " Greatest Australian Live Act: Hill Hoods Absolute best Male Musician: Administrator Lewis Best Children's Album: Dan Sultan Ideal Female Performer: Shades and also I Best Stand Out Release: Tones and also I Best Difficult Rock and also Heavy Metal Cd: Northlane Finest Country Album: Morgan Evans Best Group: The Teskey Brothers Absolute best Worldwide Performer: Taylor Swift Absolute best Video Recording: Person Sebastian Absolute best Individual Release: Shades and also I Greatest Grownup Contemporary Cd: Paul Kelly Ideal Rock Album: Amyl and also the Sniffers Ideal Soul/R & B Launch: Kaiit Finest Hip Hop Launch: Sampa the Excellent Best Development Musician: Hues and I Album of the Year: Dean Lewis Song of the Year: Individual Sebastian Instructor of the Year: Antonio Chiappetta Finest Dance Launch: Rufus Du Sol Cozzies with lifestyle: Indigenous swimwear for this summertime Whether it is actually freshwater, saltwater or even in the pool-- pullulate an occasion of cultural narration.

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bellabooks · 7 years

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The Case for (Imagined) Queerness in the Works of Jane Austen

As 12 years of mandatory English classes taught us, a book’s impact and importance depend on a ton more factors than just “what the author decided the plot should be.” Every story is contextualized and processed by its individual readers. And if you think you understand the power of this reader/text relationship like the bookish queer youth does, oh boy are you out of your league. There’s an entire ocean of characters out there, and so shamefully few of them are non-hetero. Fan fiction, fan art and extensive Tumblr analyses abound trying to engineer Queer Subtext for any book, movie or television show you can imagine. LGBTQ folk are experts at collecting scraps of dialogue, stray looks or ambiguous moments, pinning them to the cork board of Accidental Queer Representation and connecting them with the red yarn of, uh, Extremely Biased Interpretation? Much like the metaphor in that last sentence, these cobbled-together narratives are often flimsy at best, but we stand behind them with conviction. See? I’m a weathered professional at holding together a trembling, papier-mâché construct despite all evidence to the contrary! Plenty of heteronormative franchises and stories have been given new life by the queer reader’s re-programming, but I have felt mostly alone in my bold quest to Gay Up the works of Jane Austen. These stories all at least partially revolve around the stirrings of Heterosexual Love in the hearts of young women and naturally have been favored mostly by my exceedingly hetero, female-identifiying peers. Therefore I have taken it upon myself to do this heavy lifting on behalf of the Queer Agenda. I have labored intensely for many years, and now at long last I present my findings on a few of Jane Austen’s most notable works. Mansfield Park for Queer Youth Ah, Mansfield Park. The story of a mousy, impoverished heterosexual young woman fending off the advances of a wealthy and charming young heterosexual man in order to ultimately commit to an austere and boring heterosexual young man. Or is it? Exhibit A: Mary Crawford, The Original Girlcrush When Miss Mary Crawford and her wealthy and charming heterosexual brother Henry move into the neighborhood, young Fanny Price and her better-off cousins the Bertrams find their lives turned upside-down. Perhaps not quite in the way you would think. Miss Crawford’s beauty did her no disservice with the Miss Bertrams. They were too handsome themselves to dislike any woman for being so too, and were almost as much charmed as their brothers with her lively dark eye, clear brown complexion, and general prettiness. (Chapter 5) The first half of this excerpt is a very informative piece of intel on the lives of conventionally attractive, straight women. (Finally, Taylor Swift’s #girlsquad makes sense!) The second half, however, is queer as hell if you just believe hard enough. “Almost” as much charmed? Come on, Austen. Just give it to us straight. (Uh, no pun intended.) Everyone is in love with Mary Crawford, which is beautiful and tragic. The Bertram daughters are bound by custom and convention to marry men, but in the depths of their hearts, they clearly yearn to leave it all behind and run away with Mary. Exhibit B: Wait, Is Mary Crawford after Edmund or Fanny? The ongoing flirtation between Mary and Edmund is explicit enough. While they turn out to be ill-suited for one another, the initial sparks between them cannot be denied. Only slightly more subtle, however, is Mary’s fascination with Fanny which leads the two women to spend the majority of their free time together. Such was the origin of the sort of intimacy which took place between them within the first fortnight after the Miss Bertrams’ going away—an intimacy resulting principally from Miss Crawford’s desire of something new, and which had little reality in Fanny’s feelings.”(Chapter 22) Mary, girl, we’ve all been there. Experiment away! Bless Jane Austen for this completely unintended example of much-needed bisexual representation. Exhibit C: Fanny Just Wants a Beard I have always found protagonist Fanny Price’s rejection of rich, effusive and affable Henry Crawford in favor of her stoic and dare I say withholding cousin Edmund Bertram to be one of the most frustrating heterosexual choices in literature, which is already full to bursting with the baffling entanglements of straight people. Ostensibly, Fanny has chosen a life of quiet morality as worth more to her than indulgence and having fun and being happy. And at first glance, the moral of this story seems to be the bland and inoffensive message that it’s actually okay for straight women to love solemn contemplation and quiet alone time and reading indoors on a rainy day. Oh, and being sexually attracted to one’s first cousin too, obviously. But is there perhaps a more original and insightful takeaway from this novel? Of course there is! Arguably, a queer reading of Mansfield Park is the only thing that would explain why in the end, Fanny falls for the least threatening or exciting man she has ever met. It also explains her intense discomfort with male attention. (She’s described in Chapter 21 as “almost as fearful of notice and praise as other women were of neglect.”) She’s not looking for sex appeal or chemistry, because she knows she will never find them in a man, nor does she want such a thing. The best case for Fanny is a dependable and amiable enough life partner with whom to pay the bills, share in life’s various duties and sleep in separate beds. Edmund is certainly that. Emma, Obviously in Denial In addition to having the most personally relatable protagonist I have ever encountered, Emma is coincidentally also the easiest of Jane Austen’s works to jam into a queer-shaped mold. You can read a good 85% of this novel as the story of a lady-loving lady in very deep denial struggling with the heterosexual inclinations of all the women she cares for. Unfortunately things go a little off the rails when Emma finally realizes her love for Mr. Knightley, which is difficult to handwave away seeing as how it is actually a rather compelling Heterosexual Romance. We’ll just ignore this minor detail that is arguably the culmination of the entire novel and focus on the rest. Exhibit A: Feelings? For Men? We are often reminded in this book that Emma has little to no interest in ever marrying. And why would she? She does not lack for money or status. Her only reason to marry would be True Hetero Love. “I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.” (Chapter 10) Okay but is it not your nature to be in love or to be in love with men? Maybe this requires just a bit more introspection, Emma. Indeed, let us examine Emma’s attempted quasi-relationship with Frank Churchill. Emma realizes that she feels left out of all the fun watching her friends fall in love and circle through flirtations and makes the decision to get a crush on Frank with the aim of adding a little excitement to her life. (Relatable!) She notices that there seems to be something missing in her feelings for Frank, but she boldly soldiers on through the motions of being In Love so as to better fit in. Eventually, even Emma, queen of self-delusion that she is, cannot continue to pretend to love a man as anything more than a friend. But, on the other hand, she could not admit herself to be unhappy, nor, after the first morning, to be less disposed for employment than usual; she was still busy and cheerful; and, pleasing as he was, she could yet imagine him to have faults; and farther, though thinking of him so much, and, as she sat drawing or working, forming a thousand amusing schemes for the progress and close of their attachment, fancying interesting dialogues, and inventing elegant letters; the conclusion of every imaginary declaration on his side was that she refused him. Their affection was always to subside into friendship…When she became sensible of this, it struck her that she could not be very much in love. (Chapter 13) Because “I can like Men if only I just try hard enough” has always worked out! Exhibit B: I Only Sabotaged My Best Friend’s Relationship For Her Own Good Who among us hasn’t vehemently encouraged our dearest friend Harriet to turn down the advances of a perfectly lovely boy whom she likes very much ostensibly because he’s not good enough but actually because lurking in the deepest recesses of our subconscious, we could not bear to see her with someone else? This is so classic, I could rest my case right here. I probably spent my entire teenhood trying to subtly manipulate my secret lady crushes into dumping their boyfriends. “I lay it down as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to ‘Yes,’ she ought to say ‘No’ directly. It is not a state to be safely entered into with doubtful feelings, with half a heart. I thought it my duty as a friend, and older than yourself, to say thus much to you. But do not imagine that I want to influence you.” (Chapter 7) I would never tell you what to do! I’m just saying maybe think about it. And while you’re thinking about it, think about the fact that you’re thinking about it. If you really loved him, would you even need to think about it? Makes you think, doesn’t it? Exhibit C: Serial Monogamy On the topic of Harriet, let’s take a closer look at a pattern of behavior Emma seems to set up. She was exceedingly close to Mrs. Weston, her old governess-turned-best-friend before this woman had the nerve to move out and get married to a man. Emma, drowning in sorrow at the loss of this relationship, cannot handle being single and working on herself for a while, therefore she immediately turns her faculties to selecting herself a new girlfriend. When Emma decides that Harriet shall be her next life partner, she cleaves to her wholly and immediately. Harriet must accompany Emma on all her errands, must call on her nearly daily and must attend every party Emma attends as well. The poor girl doesn’t know how to exist without being in the constant company of a woman who adores her. Have I mentioned how relatable Emma is enough times yet? Pride and Prejudice and Homosexuality Yes, Pride and Prejudice is perhaps the most Heterosexual piece of literature ever written at first glance, but please! Do not doubt my ability to make Austen’s most enduring triumph Extremely Gay. I told you I was a professional. By the time my case is finished, you will see that Pride and Prejudice is one of the queerest classic works in the canon. Exhibit A: Uhhh, Why Do Darcy and Bingley Have to Be Together All the Time? Darcy has Pemberley. Bingley has enough money to buy any property he pleases. There is no reason these boys need to follow each other from estate to estate, attending parties together, traveling to all the same boroughs. Darcy, if you hate the country so much, why don’t you just go live at home in your home that you own? You know, the home that everyone constantly talks about how incredible it is? The home you can just ride a horse over to right now? That home? Darcy gets a lot of guff for convincing Bingley not to propose to Jane. And yeah, that screams Jealous Secret Crush on Darcy’s end. But one must also wonder why Bingley would have been so very easy to persuade. If he truly wanted to marry Jane, I think it would have taken more than a slight nudge from his platonic best bud to ghost her the way he did. I mean, he didn’t just stop answering her texts. He moved himself and his family out of town. However, it doesn’t seem quite so inexplicable to dump one’s beard at the urging of one’s Secret Boyfriend now does it? Exhibit B: Everyone Is Gay for Georgiana “I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments; and the affection she inspires in Louisa and myself is heightened into something still more interesting…” (Chapter 21) I swear to God, no one in this book will ever shut up about Georgiana Darcy. We get it! She’s so very beautiful and kind and charming and talented! The Bingley sisters practically salivate over her. Lady Catherine admires her in her own grumpy old elitist way. Elizabeth finds her fully delightful. Everyone is obsessed with Georgiana. She’s like the Shane McCutcheon of Regency England. Exhibit C: Relax, Elizabeth, People Get Married. Elizabeth has decidedly no interest in marrying the human embodiment of Oblivious Mansplaining, Mr. Collins. Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte Lucas, however, seems to think the constant stream of ignorant babble is worth the cash money. So she locks it down, infuriating Elizabeth. She had always felt that Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture! And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen. (Chapter 22) Lizzy. We get that you weren’t into him, girl, but why are you, like… so upset about this? Could it be that your dearest partner and secret love Charlotte has accepted a Heterosexual Union. And immediately after you yourself made such a display of rejecting one? Ouch! Sense and Sensibility Guys, I tried with this one. I really did. But all the women in this book are related and also obsessed with dudes. I thought I could stick it to the straight people, but I must regretfully concede that this task is beyond even my expertise. If anyone has a queer angle on this one though, please contact me immediately. We queers have always been around, even when every offshoot of culture has tried to erase us from existence. Yeah, it’s super fun to retroactively barge our way back into old literature. But it’s also a much-needed assertion that we exist, we matter and we deserve to see ourselves. Even in light-hearted novels about manners and marrying rich and falling in love with one’s first cousin. Ashley Chupp is a Chicago-based writer, crossword enthusiast and frequent crier at the local Trader Joe’s. Gif 1: fibu.tumblr.com Gif 2: teenvogue.tumblr.com Gif 3: BBC Gif 4: bringmybooks.com http://dlvr.it/PZ94CB

#Books #Emma #Jane Austen

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frontproofmedia · 3 years

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MAYWEATHER VS. PAUL PAY-PER-VIEW UNDERCARD PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES AND PHOTOS

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Published: June 05, 2021

Featuring Badou Jack, Dervin Colina, Jarrett Hurd, and Luis Arias Plus! Former NFL Star Chad Johnson Ahead of Boxing Debut Against Brian Maxwell Fighters Competing on Mayweather vs. Paul SHOWTIME PPV Undercard Preview Respective Showdowns Taking Place This Sunday, June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

MIAMI – Fighters competing on the Mayweather vs. Paul SHOWTIME PPV undercard previewed their respective showdowns during a final press conference Friday before they enter the ring this Sunday, June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Friday’s press conference featured two-division champion Badou Jack and unbeaten Dervin Colina, who meet in the 10-round light heavyweight co-main event, and former unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd and veteran contender Luis Arias, who square off in a 10-round attraction. Also participating in the press conference was former NFL star Chad Johnson and versatile fighter Brian Maxwell, as Johnson makes his boxing debut in a special exhibition against Maxwell to kick off the pay-per-view telecast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Tickets for the live event are on sale now and available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com. Here is what the fighters had to say Friday from the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry: BADOU JACK “I’m just thankful that I’m still fighting on Sunday night. Now we have a new opponent and it’s going to be the same outcome. I’m in great shape and I can’t wait. “Colina is just another guy. I respect him for coming in and stepping up as a late replacement. But I was going to win this fight on Sunday whether it was Pascal or anyone. “I’m very frustrated about Jean Pascal. But I’m a pro and I can adjust no matter who is in front of me. I’m disappointed because I won the first fight against Pascal and I waited 18 months to get my revenge. “I have a little anger that might get taken out on Colina, but it’s nothing personal, just business that I’m here to take care of on Sunday night. “I don’t really care about the title too much, I really just cared about getting that revenge against Pascal. I waited so long for this and I could have taken different fights while I waited. “He’s an undefeated guy so he’s going to come in here with a lot of confidence looking to show off his power. We’ll be ready though regardless how he comes into the fight. I had great sparring like always, so I’m prepared for what he’s going to bring.” DERVIN COLINA “I’d like to thank Team Badou Jack for the opportunity. This is what I do. I was born for this. Come Sunday you guys will see what I do. “I was scheduled to fight June 11 on a different card. The fight came a little bit earlier on June 6. But I’m ready to fight and there are no excuses for this fight. I’m coming to win at all costs. And you’ll see what I do on Sunday. “I respect Badou and what he’s done in this sport, but I know that I have everything I need to shock the world come Sunday night. “I have nothing to lose and that makes me dangerous. I’m going to leave everything in the ring and announce to the whole world that I’m a fighter you’re going to be hearing from.” JARRETT HURD “Everyone knows I have unfinished business at 154-pounds. I’m not looking past Arias though. This fight is just a stop at middleweight because I’m going back down to take care of that business. “We’ve had an amazing training camp with my new trainer Kay Koroma in Colorado Springs. I have a chip on my shoulder. I think a lot of people forgot who I was. I had the best resume in the weight class. Come Sunday, I’m going to remind everyone who I am. “It’s always strictly business and it’ll be the same on Sunday. Arias is obsessed with my weight and thinks I’m struggling. But he needs to focus on what he needs to do on Sunday night. “I don’t know where I’m rated right now, but I’m the best fighter at 154 pounds. Showing that to the world is the goal on Sunday. “We just took it back to the basics in training camp with my coach Kay Koroma. You can always learn more in the sport. “I’ve been boxing for 15 years now and coach Koroma just helped me evolve the things I already knew. He’s got me not just coming forward and using my strength, but moving around and boxing a little bit.” LUIS ARIAS “I think the narrative is they needed an opponent for Jarrett Hurd, and I wasn’t looking so great lately. But people tend to forget I was 18-0 before I got my first blemish. When I was with Floyd Mayweather, I was 9-0 and that’s when I was most comfortable. That’s the mentality I’m taking into this fight. “I’ve been around Floyd since December. I’ve been in Vegas training in the altitude, just like Hurd. I’m in tip-top shape for this fight and he still has to figure out how he’s going to fight. “Now the boxing world is going to be watching this fight. I’m going to be on my Ps and Qs and he won’t have to look for me. He will have to pick and choose once he gets hit on Sunday what style he wants to fight. “This is a must-win for me. This is a great name for my resume. I haven’t ducked anyone. I’ve taken every name that’s been brought to me. When his name came up I said absolutely. I’m ready and I’m an old-school fighter. I’d fight you in this backyard, that backyard, any backyard. On Sunday it will show. “He’s the one who has got the issue with the weight. The fight doesn’t really make much sense at 160 because he’s not ranked and wants to go back down to 154. But it’s too big of an opportunity and too big of a card to complain about the weight. We’re going to put the gloves on and whatever he weighs, he weighs. This is going to be the best fight on the card.” CHAD JOHNSON “I feel really good. I’ve been using boxing to prepare for football throughout the years, but I’ve never done it to this magnitude. To prepare for an actual fight, is something new. I’m facing a guy who does this for a living, so I’m not taking this lightly at all. “I was always nervous before every kickoff. So I’d be a fool to say I’m not nervous going into something where I’m out of my element. “One thing I’m extremely good at, is when there’s lights, cameras and a crowd, is going in there and entertaining. “I’ve been working with Jorge Masvidal a little bit, but the last few weeks have been in Houston with Jermall and Jermell Charlo. That’s where most of my work has been. I’ve been doing everything possible to make sure I look the part Sunday night. “I’m out of my element, so of course I’m approaching this fight humbly. He’s coming to knock my head off. Football is something I did all my life, that’s why I walked the way I did. I can’t be arrogant and take this fight lightly.” BRIAN MAXWELL “I don’t know how my name came up for this fight. But like everyone has said, ‘Who is Brian Maxwell?’ That’s been a trending topic on every social media. But guess what? Today, you all know who Brian Maxwell is. And I’m excited about this. It’s a perfect matchup for me. It’s a perfect matchup for Chad. The best of both worlds. Coming from a fan. My hashtag on social media has become ‘Idols Become Rivals.’ And this is the perfect time and the perfect moment for me and him. Like I told him over the phone, I’m a huge fan. But the fanboy has gone out the window. Now we have to entertain and that’s what we’re going to do. “This is an exhibition, so we are coming to entertain the fans and put on a show. But at the same time, we are two men who are coming in front of each other and have to fight. No matter the outcome, we’re going to put on a great fight. “I’ve followed this man since Day 1. I know his every move. I’ve modeled myself after him and it’s like fighting myself. I’m going to be humble about this and we are going to put on a show for everyone. “That has been the question, what round am I going to knock him out. I’m here to entertain and to have fun. This is a great opportunity.” LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions “We have a stacked undercard on Sunday night. I’ve promoted tons of events and this is one that I’m really looking forward to, because it gives us an array of great fights in addition to a little something different. “I’m really looking forward to this card. South Florida has been buzzing since we announced this event. We can’t wait for the great crowd and the tons of fans tuning in from all around the world. “When I think of Chad Johnson, he’s a showman. He does so many different things really well. He’ll be making his foray into the boxing industry in what should be a terrific bout against Brian Maxwell. Chad is looking to possibly steal the show, which is what he’s known for doing. “Former unified champ Jarrett Hurd is a great champion and I’ve known him for many years. He’s looking to get back and make his mark where he left off. He’s let it be known that after this fight, he’s going to take control of the 154-pound division again. He’ll be up against Mayweather Promotions own Luis Arias and I’ve had the opportunity to witness Arias preparation firsthand. I can tell you right now he’s more than prepared to upset Jarrett. “In the co-main, I can’t say enough about Badou Jack. He’s a great champion in the ring and a terrific example outside of the ring. He does so much to help people around the world and Floyd and I are really proud of him. We know he’s going to put on a great show Sunday. “When it comes to this undercard, the fans are in for a great treat. It’s going to be nothing but action from top to bottom.”

(Featured Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime)

#HF #Floyd Mayweather Jr #Logan Paul #Mayweather Promotions #Showtime Boxing

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ralphlayton · 4 years

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How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020

There has to be a word for the creeping dread B2B marketers have been feeling this year, preferably something German with a ton of umlauts. As we watched events in the spring cancel, postpone, or go virtual, we held out hope that summer would be different. Then July’s events moved out. Now it’s looking like the type of large-scale events B2B marketers depend on will have to wait until 2021… at the earliest. But we don’t have to despair! We can close the gap with virtual events. The speaking gig at an industry conference can become a webinar, as can a planned panel discussion or product demonstration. The good news is plenty of people have more spare time than before to watch your webinar. The bad news is that everyone who makes webinars has time on their hands, too. So, your webinar has to have a little extra oomph to stand out in the crowd. Here’s how you can level up your webinar creation and promotion.

How to Get the Most from Your B2B Webinar

It’s no longer enough to put up a slide deck and talk through bullet points. These tips will help you make a more compelling webinar — and make sure that people attend it.

Start with Content Research

No marketer worth their salt would make a blog post without doing content research. Why should your webinar be different? To determine the best subject matter for your webinar, bring all of your research tools to bear:

SEO research via SEMRush and Google Analytics

Question research via BuzzSumo and AnswerthePublic

Prospect feedback from your sales team

Competitor content evaluation

All of these resources will help you home in on the topics that your audience most wants to hear about. Your research might even drive what type of webinar you create: If your audience needs how-to advice, you might do a live demonstration. If they’re looking for thought leadership, you might partner with influencers. Speaking of the latter...

Reach Out to Influencers

In case you missed the headline yesterday, B2B Influencer Marketing is kind of a big deal. There’s no greater boost to your credibility (and your potential audience) than adding industry thought leaders to your webinar. Look for people who are influential with your audience — those who are regularly producing content and engaging with anyone who posts a comment. They don’t have to have Taylor Swift-level follower counts to make a difference. They just have to be able to get a relevant audience’s attention and hold it. Also, it’s not enough to just have someone appear with you on camera, though — it’s important to ask meaningful questions that will enable a substantive discussion. Keep your content research in mind as you plan the interview.

Create a Landing Page & Promote

Give your audience plenty of time to prepare for your webinar. We recommend starting outreach at least two weeks beforehand, and up to a month if you can swing it. Create a short landing page to collect sign-ups — include a few key points you plan to cover, and introduce yourself and your guests. You can promote the landing page via social media — image-led social works well — and blog content that builds anticipation for your topic. Don’t forget to include the webinar in your newsletter, and to enlist your influencers to drive pre-registration. One great way to promote the webinar, and focus your content at the same time, is to poll your audience via social media. Ask for their thoughts on your topic. Ask what they most want to know about it. Ask what they would like to ask your thought leader guest. These posts can help drive registration while also making sure the content will be more relevant to the audience. [bctt tweet="“One great way to promote the webinar, and focus your content at the same time, is to poll your audience via social media. Ask for their thoughts on your topic. Ask what they most want to know about it.” @NiteWrites" username="toprank"]

Change Up the Format

The Q&A, the panel discussion, the lecture — there are a few tried-and-true formats for webinars. But as the market gets flooded with content, we need to be more creative. For example, what about a working session instead of a discussion, where your panel collaboratively creates something? Or what about spicing up an interview with interstitial, pre-produced video content? You could even host the webinar on a platform like LinkedIn Live (while recording it for later publication, of course) and interact in real time with the audience. Just make sure to have a moderator to help keep the questions flowing smoothly.

Plan and Practice, But Be Flexible

It’s always a good idea to run through your entire webinar a few times before you go live. If you’re doing a lecture or presentation format, that means practicing all the content you plan to put across. For a panel discussion or interview, you may not be able to do a full run-through with your influencer, but you can still test the technology you will be using. Don’t let your practicing and planning make your presentation too rigid, though. You should be able to follow an interesting conversational thread in your interview, or incorporate an audience comment in your presentation, without the whole thing going off the rails. Of course, it’s always going to be tricky to run a live presentation, especially if you or your guests don’t do this type of presenting for a living. It can be challenging to think on your feet, come across as engaging, and keep a conversation focused and interesting to your audience. Which is why I’m going to court controversy and say...

You Don’t Have to Be Live

As we think about changing up the format and offering a higher-quality experience to the audience, it may be time to let go of the idea that webinars have to be live. After all, editing is the gift that you give to your audience. You wouldn’t write a blog post in real time with a hundred people watching. You wouldn’t record a podcast episode and publish the raw audio. So why not pre-record and edit your webinar? It’s true there is an immediacy to a live presentation that would be lost with a pre-recorded one. But the boost in quality for the audience could cover that loss. And you can still have an interactive experience with the audience through chat. You could even play the pre-recorded portion first, then hop on the video stream live for an audience Q&A. There’s an enormous gap between the standard slideshow & lecture webinar and the produced, polished video that audiences appreciate most. Pre-recording and editing is one way to start closing that gap.

Follow Up with Extra Content

What should your audience do next after attending the webinar? That’s a question to answer before you take your first registration. Once you have a next step in mind, create a content bundle to send to each registrant after the webinar airs. This bundle could include a normally gated eBook or two, some recommended reading from your blog, or more content from your influencer guests. You can also create extra content from the webinar to help fill out your editorial calendar. Use excerpts from your discussion to fuel blog posts. Repurpose the audio as a podcast. Pull the best quotes to use as video posts on social media that drive to a gated version of the recorded webinar. Essentially, it’s about getting the most value possible from your content asset — the same thing you do with eBooks or blogs.

Webinars Killed the Radio Star

The pandemic has made webinars a go-to tactic for marketers who are missing out on face-to-face events. But as more marketers get into the webinar game, your content needs to be extraordinarily valuable and extremely well-promoted. If you plan, produce and promote your webinar with the same strategic care that you use for the rest of your content marketing, you’ll bring your audience more value and earn their attention in return. Check out our CEO Lee Odden in a recent webinar: Social Media in the Times of Social Distancing.

The post How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020 published first on yhttps://improfitninja.blogspot.com/

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samuelpboswell · 4 years

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How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020

How to Get the Most from Your B2B Webinar

It’s no longer enough to put up a slide deck and talk through bullet points. These tips will help you make a more compelling webinar — and make sure that people attend it.

Start with Content Research

SEO research via SEMRush and Google Analytics

Question research via BuzzSumo and AnswerthePublic

Prospect feedback from your sales team

Competitor content evaluation

Reach Out to Influencers

Create a Landing Page & Promote

Change Up the Format

Plan and Practice, But Be Flexible

You Don’t Have to Be Live

Follow Up with Extra Content

Webinars Killed the Radio Star

The post How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from The SEO Advantages https://www.toprankblog.com/2020/07/b2b-webinars-2020/

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