#//because win deserves two posts of her being fabulous

[writermuses]

[baku-bowl]

broke 1,000 followers (the fuck? I don't even make content people), so decided to write up a list of some (but not all, I'll make other lists later) of my favorite Bakugou-centric fic recs. my tastes run towards hurt/comfort, as you'll probably figure from the list. if there are some Baku-centric fics that you've enjoyed that aren't on here, please add them - this is definitely not a complete list of the ones I've read and love, but I'm always up for some recs. <3

fair warning, most of these are wips.

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Social Media 101 by WindsChild8178

Part 1: Survival Guide to Fucking Up

[Solely Bakugou’s point of view]

Katsuki Bakugou doesn’t have a gentle bone in his body. He’s aggressive in everything he does and does everything with 100% of his heart in it. After the Sport’s Festival, Katsuki starts to get harassed by strangers for his unheroic demeanor. It starts with letters but it doesn’t end there. The moment Katsuki realizes the harassment has entered dangerous territory and he needs to tell someone, it’s already too late.

Part 2: Post Traumatic Life Disorder

[Point of View opens up to Bakugou, teachers and classmates]

When the Dorms are finally built, everyone is settling in well, but things become tense as people begin to realize something isn’t right with the recently rescued Bakugou.

[Cannon compliant right up to after the License Exam]

hands down my favorite fic in the fandom right now. it’s the one that converted me into a Bakugou lover. if you have any fondness for Bakugou as a character then it’s likely you’ve read this one already, but if not, I can’t recommend it enough. incredibly depressing, but with the hope that comfort is coming soon in the next few chapters.

The Kids Will Be Alright, Eventually by NotWithThatAttitude

Bakugou is spiraling in the aftermath of Kamino and his friends are starting to notice. He's stubborn, aggressively independent, and less than willing to dig into his past, but after a breakdown that ends with a painful secret revealed, he starts to get help.

Whether he likes it or not.

Meanwhile, a new kind of villain threatens an uneasy peace following the loss of Allmight. Whispers build as a new narrative slowly takes shape:

Hero society needs to change.

Feat. Therapy, Dadzawa, best boy Kirishima, dysfunctional families, healing, growing up, and the mortifying ordeal of being known

guys.. the medical accuracy of this fic is just... *chef’s kiss*

I rarely see mental health genuinely handled well in fics, but this one goes above and beyond. kudos to the author for doing such excellent research into psychology, and making the application of it in here not-boring. also, while this one does have abusive!Mitsuki, it’s done in a way that feels realistic, and how I usually will see it occur in real life, rather than just for the hurt/comfort feels.

fair warning, the fic can be incredibly triggering (themes of severe depression, PTSD, panic attacks, rape survival, abuse survival, suicidal ideation/attempted suicide, among other things), so be safe and heed the tw’s if you decide to read. legitimately one of my Top Favorite fics in this fandom.

Lock and Key by autochorystalize

Bakugou made a choked, gravelly noise before croaking out a low, “You can’t be serious.” His fingers ached to blow up everything in the room.

“I’m sorry, young man, but you can’t change reality! This sometimes happens.” Recovery Girl clicked through his file, adding a new symbol in a previously empty slot.

- - -

A pair of eyes discreetly locked on to an explosive blond plowing his way forward, parting people in his path. He recognized the kid, of course. Anyone in the underbelly of society would recognize him, after the publicity of both UA’s Sports Festival and the events leading up to All Might’s fall. The uniform he was wearing cast away any doubts about the young man’s identity.

It was a bit of a surprise that the little firecracker presented as an omega.

- - - - - - - - -

Or: there are certain types of evil that seemed too distant, archaic violations and perversions that would never actually threaten bright-eyed heroes-in-training in the clean, modern world...but sometimes those evils aren't as distant as one might think.

remember when I said that I love a/b/o fics that are full of plot and world-building and gender-induced tension? that’s this one. the OC’s are fabulous and you love to hate ‘em. also, it’s the fic that made me fall head-over-heels for the TodoBaku dynamic, so it’s got a special place in my cold, dead heart. 

be warned, there are rather explicit non-con scenes between an adult (OC) and a minor (Bakugou) in this one, but the author warns for them in advance, and you could likely skip those parts without missing too much if you need to.

Never and Always, Eventually by Wawa_Boonliang

"Katsuki can remember the exact moment that he and Deku…that he and Midoriya Izuku became friends. He can also remember the moment he and Izuku became fierce rivals, a time when they were almost enemies.

However, what he remembers most clearly about their relationship is the moment that they moved passed rivals and became something more close than mere friends. Something more like brotherhood, something forged in fire and secured in the middle of a battlefield or in the midst of natural disaster where the number of the dead was climbing ever higher. And then it was torn from him."

Katsuki is given a second chance. A chance to save everyone. A chance to change everything.

But should he?

y’all. I’m a slutty, slutty whore for time travel fics. a time travel fic with autistic!coded Bakugou? it was love at first read.

Lessons Learned by Sif (Rosae)

Rather than the police station, Katsuki's friends bring him to a hospital after rescuing him from the villains. His wounds were minor, but it didn't make having them treated any less important. As it would so happen, Best Jeanist was also brought to this hospital after the attack.

Sometimes, small choices have a big impact on how a story plays out.

classic Bakugou hurt/comfort. this fic opened me up to the potential that could be a genuinely good Best Jeanist & Katsuki mentor-mentee relationship, and I kind of dig it and search ravenously for it in other fics now. I’m also a huge fan of the behind-the-scences Pro Hero Chat group.

Slope by sunfleurmoon

“I’m not a hero. Or a good person,” Katsuki says, giving Aizawa a pointed look, “So leave me alone. I don’t care about the League or UA, or you—” The two years he’s been away have been fine, more than fine, fucking fantastic actually if you ignore the bi-monthly near-death experiences. He doesn’t need this place. He doesn’t miss this place.

And yet, longing, a childish desire to tear up, or maybe blow something to bits, they all twist in his chest like a band of traitors regardless. “—I just want to go home.”

Or: the one where Katsuki and Izuku fail the first term exam, Aizawa discovers their pasts, and Katsuki is booted from UA. Featuring questionable descriptions of villain organizations, a slightly illegal moving shop, and your favorite emotionally constipated badass in distress with a newly discovered penchant for collecting strays.

paaaaaaiiiiiiiin. the hurt is ALIVE in this one. lots of tortured, angsty exploding child goodness. the OC’s are excellently crafted, and the Bakugou & Eri relationship? beautiful. definitely deserves a read.

Ground Zero by WindsChild8178

In the wake of Kamino, Katsuki is tested more than anyone could imagine. Bound by a villain’s quirk to keep his silence or die, he lives each day knowing it might very well be his last. He continues to work towards becoming a hero, keeping his secret from his classmates and teachers, focusing on making it through each day and trying not to allow the panic or depression to get the best of him. When the villain finally corners him with demands in exchange for his life, there is really only one answer Katsuki Bakugou can give.

honestly don't know which I want updated more - social media 101 or ground zero. this author's fics are amazing, and I really wasn't expecting the twist in this one. can't wait for windschild to come back to this fic some day.

The Defect by LadyGreenFrisbee

"Why do you want to win the Sports Festival so badly?" 

Because I want to see if the defect could usurp the masterpiece.

(In which Endeavor holds a terrible secret and Bakugo has to suffer since childhood for it.)

a great concept, and I adore the shouto and Katsuki sibling interaction here. hoping the author will come back to this one some day.

A Name That You'll Remember by Heronfem

Kirishima Eijirou is a Hero. Bakugou Katsuki... is not. Trapped in his toxic workplace and increasingly desperate to get out, Red Riot's days are only brightened by a new villain known as Caution, who's not exactly villainous and keeps accidentally doing good deeds. But when a real villain appears, a threat from the past that demands that Red Riot make the ultimate sacrifice to keep the public safe, Bakugou is forced into saving the day... and eventually, Red Riot himself.

sob story good guy villains are my weakness, this fic is a gem, and I'd kill for the sequel.

Our Hero by AnonymousTwit

He felt everything jerk to the side and throw his balance off before he saw anything, dust clouding his vision and irritating his lungs as the earth itself opened up to swallow them whole. For a single moment, in a millisecond's time, his wild eyes locked with Raccoon Eyes', hers alight with fear and adrenaline-fueled desperation. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that it was the first time she'd looked at him with something other than long-deserved hatred in days.

And then he was free falling.

Or

After a particularly nasty encounter between childhood friends, the class learns about Bakugou and Midoriya's dark history and practically ostracizes Bakugou while trying to defend Midoriya. An earthquake during an outing has all sides regretting their decisions.

just fucking tear apart my self-sacrificing faves in every way imaginable while their loved ones watch on in terror. 💖🥰💖 this one is heavy on the Bakusquad and Class-1A feels, and VERY heavy on the Mina & Bakugou relationship (platonic).

Running back the tape, watching it replay by Faralyne

For someone ripped from their time, ripped from the few but strong relationships built by time and personal development, by self-reflection and swallowed pride, ripped from the one thing that made him feel worthwhile and needed and put-together, and forced to forge everything over again—Katsuki thinks he is handling it pretty fucking well.

Or

A villain’s quirk sends a 29-year-old Bakugou back in time to his middle school days.

am I a sucker for time travel? yes. am I a sucker for vigilante!bakugou? also yes. am I a sucker for this fic? literally refreshing the page in wait for an update as we speak.

Liability by sandelf

After All-Might dies rescuing Bakugou from the League, Bakugou is determined to prove it wasn't for nothing.

But the world is against him, his grief is overwhelming, and his stability is splitting at the edges.

very self-indulgent bakugou angst. tw for harassment, severe depression, and suicidality.

Special Mentions:

How To Win The Sport Festival: A Step By Step Guide by mhwright

Short re-imagining of the Sports Festival Arc if Shinso had planned a little better and worked a little harder to win the Sports Festival and if the match-ups had been slightly different. Self-indulgent fic of watching him succeed.

this is completely Shinsou-centric, not Bakugou-centric, but I love and adore it and am dying for a sequel. Shinsou is Best Boy here and you'll be rooting for him the whole time.

[inkabelledesigns]

Hey so I'm just gonna cry about dolls for a minute if that's cool.

Every month or so, I reorganize my shelf to fit a different theme or rotate the collection. I have a lot of dolls that I love for different reasons, and they all deserve some time to shine. This month is my birthday month (29th is my day), so I decided, the heck with it, let's put as many of our current favorites as possible on there! So a lot of dolls I wouldn't normally display together are present. It's so colorful and cheerful, every time I look at it I smile. You'll notice a lot of them are incomplete or missing pieces. Since I get most of my dolls secondhand, they don't always have them, and that's okay. I don't need my dolls to be complete to love them. I'm just gonna ramble about some of what makes them special under the cut.

For all unaware, I didn't start collecting dolls like this until close to the end of college in 2018. My first two are Meeshell Mermaid from EAH and Peri & Pearl from MH. I'm dazzled by mermaids, and these three hold a special place in my heart as my first.

Finnegan Wake in the wheelchair there also fits with the merfolk fantasy theme, though I also have him there as a supportive doll with Jacy Masters. I'm on spectrum and a plus sized gal, and these two are a reminder that I'm still awesome, even with those things going on. Finn's character is all about living life to the fullest and using all of himself to have a good time, and Jacy is daring and fabulous all day everyday. They help me feel better about overcoming my obstacles and just being myself.

Gooliope and Freak Du Chic Frankie are here because I love Freak Du Chic (circus aesthetic for the WIN), and I pair them with Luna Mothews because they all fall into the performance category. Having been a theater kid (though always on crew, never on stage) and a voice actor, I love performing and storytelling, and the story these dolls tell in their respective medias is so fun. LOVE Luna's arc in Boo York. Way Too Wonderland Lizzie is similar, love her story, and frankly the outlandish look of that line makes it one of my favorites.

Zombie Shake Rochelle and Venus are a very odd pick, but hear me out. I am endlessly amused by dolls that are made based on a short or silly webisode (hence my love for the Sugarcoated EAH dolls), but these take the cake. Zombie Shake is such a bizarre thing to make dolls for. Four of them exist, they were all characters that had no reason to have new looks, barely showed up, but honestly, that's why I like them. They're FUN and indulgent! I remember when I got them in the most fun lot story I've ever gotten to tell, January of 2020, I don't often talk about how I couldn't identify Rochelle at first. It took my former roommate telling me which one she was for me to know this like existed. I thought her cracks were super interesting, and it's why I've kept her as-is.

Rainbow High has a lot of pretty dolls, and Stella Monroe might be up there if she had neck articulation. But for now, we have my current loves, Daphne and Daria of series 3, and Winter Break Violet, who is so my aesthetic, but oof am I not happy with the marks on her face. You can't see them in this lighting, but there's this residue in squiggly lines, almost like her hair gel stained her face, and soap and water hasn't taken it off. I may have to give her a face-up. The number of defects my RH girls have had is kind of frustrating, I refuse to buy them unless it's clearance currently, which still isn't totally reasonable price-wise, but hey, whatcha gonna do? Hoping to do a custom at some point, if I can work up the bravery to tackle them.

And lastly, my customs. Belphene is here because I haven't given her quite enough love (she's steadily been getting posted to my Instagram). Amaryllis is still very near and dear to my heart, love my dona de fuera very much. She's one of my few dolls with a sad face, and I really need to try another. Gail and Delilah have been inseparable since I made Gail, I'm beginning to think they may have a thing for each other. Maiden of Spring falling in love with the sweetheart fairy? Oh that could be cute, but that means some playing around later with Valentina, who was intended to be with Delilah, hmm. I really need to make another fairy, I wanna do better with those wings! And of course Sammy is there, you really think I can put down my love of BATIM? Haha, nope! The searcher Funko pop is also here because Jack. I don't know if I can make a Jack doll, so we're sticking with him for the time being!

I’ve been a little burnt out on doll making for a while here, so since finishing my last two in January, I’ve been on a break. Dunno when I’ll get off of it, still kind of stuck, but hey, it’s okay. I do still have dolls to show (hopefully tomorrow since it’s a certain boy’s anniversary~), but for now, I’m just really glad to have my display up. I know it’s a silly small thing, but my dolls make me very happy, and it’s so colorful and cheerful that I smile every time I look at them. <3 

[theoriginalladya]

when they haven’t seen each other for a while (bonus point if they’re not sure the other one is alive) and all this time they’ve been trying to stay strong, but when they reunite, they crash into each other’s arms, and completely breakdown…(Abboats)

Oh my goodness, this one turned into something far more epic than I imagined! lol 2600 words later... I have a prompt for you! I'm only posting a portion of it here because of length. The rest is over on AO3. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for this one! This is something I've been toying around with inside of my head since they first started making themselves known to me, and your prompt finally provided the necessary path! <3

HUGE thanks to @shadoedseptmbr for a second set of eyes on this monster! <3 <3

from this prompt list

On AO3 here

(commissioned art of Abby Williams by the fabulous @rosenkow)

A War That Needs Winning

War is hell…

The ungodly screeching growl of reaperized batarians, so close as to pierce her ears, chases Abby into hiding behind a vehicle-sized chunk of crumbled stone without conscious thought. If she lives past this battle, through this nightmare, she will never, ever, take anything for granted ever again, most especially an appreciation for silence. The ability to just sit, be one with it as it fills her, floating away on a sea of calm – nothing in the galaxy compares to that… except, perhaps, the freedom from fear and terror.

As quietly as possible, she yanks her rifle free and lifts it to rest on the top edge of the stone. Using the scope, she sights the horrific beast and takes aim, seeking out the vulnerable spot between its four eyes. While she has no love for batarians on a good day – she has yet to meet anyone who grew up in susceptible human colonies who does, to be honest – killing this… this thing and putting it out of its misery is a small mercy. It was once a living, breathing, thinking being. Now it is only a mindless shell. There is certainly no joy to be found in this.

How many husks have I done the same for? Reaperized turians? It’s a kindness to what it once was…

That it assists the war effort is purely secondary; no one, not asari, turian, krogan, batarian, human, or any other species, deserves such a fate. She sincerely hopes if it ever happens to her, someone is kind enough to destroy the twisted, corrupted version of herself being used as a weapon. That belief is, in part, what keeps the terror at bay when she is out on a mission.

Ever patient, she focuses and waits for her shot. Seconds pass that seems like hours, until… The cannibalized creature turns in her direction, gives her a perfect target, and her finger pulls against the trigger.

Headshot, down you go!

Without a sound, she leaps to her feet and scrambles away. She has no idea the time, her omni-tool now broken, but there’s a schedule and instinct screams loudly that she’s behind. There is no other option but moving forward. Not only is there a schedule, but she has a job to do, a purpose, and it has to be done right or everything will all be for naught.

I can do this! I promised Sealgaire I will be there… and dammit, a Williams always keeps her word!

Working her way through the devastation that is what remains of London, while difficult isn’t entirely impossible. It would be far easier if her shuttle hadn’t crashed and she had the rest of her team to assist, but even she sees Fortune’s blessing in the mere fact she walked away. Even more, the crash came near Kensington, an area she knows very well thanks to those early weeks and months spent here with Coats.

Coats. Abby winces, rubbing absently across her sternum. Ryan.

Slipping into the shadows between two buildings, she swipes the back of her hand across her brow, ignoring the smear of blood that comes away on it. The piercing ache from battle injuries sustained in the crash she can live with; the guilt for surviving when none of the rest of her team did? That’ll be more of a challenge, but one she’ll deal with later. For now, her concentration is on make it to the FOB, to rendezvous with the rest of Hammer. The fate of the galaxy depends on it.

But what of mine?

In the back of her mind, she continues to hear the last transmission the shuttle received before it went down, words from the team guiding them in.

Be advised: Enfield reporting 80% KIA. Camden, 75% KIA. Redbridge, 92% KIA. Kensington, 100% KIA.

Kensington… Ryan…

Pulling lower lip between her teeth and biting hard, Abby desperately searches for a way to block the despair trying to take hold.

I know you better than that, Mharú! You won’t allow it – not you, not the rest! It can’t be true…!

Read the whole thing here // Read the series here

[unmaskedagain]

White Horse (This Ain’t a Fairytale)

          Quick one-shot. Needed to do something sort of different.

 Marinette had dreamed of the moment. The moment she would finally be brave enough to look Adrien Agreste in the eyes and tell him how she left; that she loved him. She had pictured, hoped, how would be a thousand times. It would be like fairy tale. Adrien the handsome prince. Her, the princess. He’d sweep her off her feet. And they’d go get ice cream together, ready to start her happily ever after. Like in the movies.

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Adrien frowned, scratching his head, like he didn’t know what to say. “I just don’t think of you that way.”

           In retrospect, Marinette should’ve known better.

“Oh,” Was all Marinette could say. She felt numb, despite knowing her heart had shattered in her chest.

           Because of course he wouldn’t feel the same. Marinette so stupid to think he would. She should’ve known… She should’ve known!

           Adrien shrugged, “It’s not you,” He offered. “I like someone else.”

           Because of course he did.

“Yeah,” Marinette nodded, looking anywhere but at him. “Cool. I get it.”

“I might’ve considered once,” Adrien rushed to add. “But you sort of changed.”

           Marinette took a step back, “Changed?” She didn’t change at all.

“You’ve been distant from the class and all our friends,” Adrien explained. “And the whole Lila thing?”

“Lila?” Marinette said numbly. “She’s a liar, and people deserve to know the truth. And I haven’t been distant from the class. They’ve been ignoring me.”

“Because you keep calling Lila out,” Adrien put in. “It’s causing problems. She’s not hurting anyone.”

           Marinette looked at him, really looked at him. “You don’t think that she’s hurting anyone. Not even Nino who she promised would meet a big time director so he’s not finishing his piece for film festival. Or Nathanial who broke off a great partnership with Marc because Lila promised he was better off and that she introduce him to DC comic book writers? You don’t think that’s hurting him?”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Adrien shrugged. “They’ll be other opportunities. Marc will take Nathanial back if he apologizes.”

           Again, Marinette just stared. Because no! No Marc wouldn’t because Marc was already poached to work on Claude’s graphic novel about a kid who finds out he’s the descendent of Van Helsing.

           Could Adrien be serious? Was he that naïve? Was Marinette? Had she gotten so lost in his eyes that she never even stood a chance of seeing what he was really like? How could she claim if she had ever loved him if that was the case?

“And when the class finds out Lila’s lying,” Marinette raised her hand to stop Adrien from interrupting. “And I have no further intention of outing her,” To her disgust he looked pleased. “When they find out she’s lying, and the fact that they stopped being my friends, bullied me, harassed me in some cases, and basically given me the cold shoulders for almost a year. Do you think I will forgive them? That we’d go back to being friends?”

“Of course you will,” Adrien said brightly. “Why wouldn’t you?”

           Marinette just blinked, amazed. “Because they hurt me.” She just shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when get there.” And Marinette would take sweet pleasure in burning it down. “I’m going to go now…” She started to walk away.

“I’m sorry again!” Adrien called.

           Oh that Marinette knew for certain. And so was Marinette for that matter.

Over the next few weeks, Marinette was in a state of confusion. Her heart had been crushed. But it seemed to fade rather quickly. Mostly because every time she thought about him, she’d hear his words and feel sick. All those dreams she had about her and Adrien made her want to bang her head against the wall. Because what if that’s she came across; with all her fairytale wishes. Life wasn’t a fairy. She wasn’t a princess. No one was going to come sweep her off her feet. And unlike Adrien, she had always known that life wasn’t anything like the movies.

The issue was that maybe she was more like Adrien then she thought. Didn’t she think that once her friends knew the truth everything would be okay? Didn’t some part of her think Alya and her would go back to being besties? That’ll it would all be bygones? But what about all the hurt feelings? The broken trust? The cruel words? Those all didn’t just vanish. That wasn’t how life worked. There was no possible way for them to go back to the way it was.

And the more she thought about it, the more Marinette wasn’t sure that she wanted it to.

Marinette had been really tired of being taken for granted; all those school trips, dances, birthday parties, fundraisers, and she never even got a thank you. A lot of her classmates just frowned in disapproval once Lila mentioned how she could’ve done it better, made it better if Marinette had let her help. So Marinette gracefully quit being class president; let someone else take the lead. She was tired of doing free commissions; it cost a lot of money and time and no one seemed to even care. Then Lila mentioned how she had a tailor and personal designer who was so much faster than Marinette, who might be doing it on purpose as no one could be that slow. In the face the suspicious glares, Marinette had casually mentioned how great it was for Lila to offer to help their classmates as Marinette would no longer be able to do free commissions. Then Marinette decided that the next thing to go was demands, not asks, of her time. This had come after Alya had dropped off her little sisters’ at Marinette suddenly and cited how busy she was. Only for Marinette to see posts about a class party.

           Then Marinette made sure she was always busy. And she asked her parents not to just let anyone up to her room. Marinette had to go get then now.

No, Marinette was quite sure, she rather nothing went back to the way it was. Too much had been said and done. It was too late for fairy tales or movie magic. Too late for anyone on a white horse to come around to carry her off to a happy ending.

Time passed, and Marinette watched with a twisted feeling of glee in her chest, when the entire class seemed to slowly fall apart. First it was the winter school trip. Originally, Marinette had planned an amazing tour of presidential office and then a quick trip to the beach. However, when it became clear that nothing had been done yet for the trip despite months of warnings, Marinette backed out of going. She laughed for days, when she saw the pictures of the class on a local farm.

Then it was the school dance. Lila’s personal designer apparently suffered a horrible fire in her studio and all the dresses were destroyed; leaving most of the girls in the class in tears. They’d gone in old dresses. Marinette, however, had worn her most fabulous design yet. A beautiful, lacy, scarlet dress that made her look WOW, as her new friends had put it. Luka had been her date; only as a friend of course. The two had realized that while they had a lot in common, the attraction wasn’t sexual.

Fundraisers were next. And the targets were never hit. Trips to festivals, museums that required more than a few hours ride, and the like were cancelled. The annual spring trip, something the class had looked forward to for two years, had been all but cancelled. Usually, it was trip to another country for two weeks. Marinette had planned on New York. But Marinette was no longer class president by the first week of October.

Marinette’s only problem came when Rose and Juleka broke up. The one other pairing, Alya had once sworn, the class was more invested in than Adrien and Marinette getting together. The two had been so in love. Then Lila happened.

She got into Rose’s head about deserving a prince, about how shy Juleka couldn’t really be serious about her if she never expressed it like others did, and what about Prince Ali? How would he feel if he found out Rose was dating someone else.

And Rose, poor sweet Rose had always had a head full of fairy tales. She never stood a chance.

It wasn’t surprising when Luka and Marinette found Juleka crying on the deck of the boat. Marinette had taken mercy on the girl. She made not have been Juleka’s friend anymore but she was still Luka’s sister. And anyone could see she needed time away,

So After a quick intervention, Juleka now knew Lila to be the biggest Liar on the planet. Marinette invited her on her trip to Metropolis for spring break. The trip had been under the guise of World explorers club, which had been just Marinette and her new friends (Claude, Marc, Ondine, Aurore, Luka, Bridgette, and Felix) who saved enough money to spend two weeks in the States away from their and any and all drama.

To make it look education, and to stop Mendeleiev from giving them suspicious glares, they even book a tour of LexCorp. Again, mostly to appease Mendeleiev.

However, Lexcorp was the highlight of the trip if you asked Marinette. She’d run into Connor Luther-Kent, a small town boy, with biceps as big her head, and the biggest blue eyes she’d ever seen and promptly knew exactly how she’d be spend the rest of her vacation.

Connor had led the tour.

…Okay so Connor was supposed to lead the tour. But he and Marinette had kept sneaking glances at each other with blushes on their faces so much that his Aunt Lena, who swore she wasn’t spying, took over the tour. Eventually Connor and Marinette felt the far back of the tour, trading jokes and accidently touching hands. They didn’t even notice when tour ended.

“And the concludes the tour,” Lena announced. “Oh pretty French girl making eyes at my nephew, Connor’s free tomorrow around 6. He’d love to meet you at the fair in town. Maybe win you a stuffed animal.”

           Connor turned bright red.

“Oh Marinette would love to go, handsome farm boy,” Mendeleiev answered with a smirk. “She just wants to say her curfew is eleven. She’ll brings friends, so brings some of yours. And she respectable girl who doesn’t kiss on first dates.”

           Marinette squeaked.

“Understood,” Lena beamed at the embarrassment of the blushing teens. “Connor’s a gentleman. And such a boy scout, if pretty French girl doesn’t make the first move, nothing will happen. He’s a shy one.”

           Mendeleiev crossed, “That might be a problem. Marinette’s just as shy as handsome farm boy. I guess we’ll see what happens.”

“Guess we will,” Lena smiled.

           The two women and the rest of Marinette friends just stared at the two teenagers who looked ready to die.

           The fair was great. Marinette’s friends and Connor’s got along great. Though Luka skipped out with a handsome kid named Tim. Aurore found redhead named Wally intriguing. Ondine ditched everyone to go hang out with a black boy with blond hair name Kaldur. Marc and Claude left together. And finally Juleka and a girl named Artemis went to ride the Ferris wheel together. Turned out, Juleka had a thing for blondes.

           Marinette and Connor spent the entire time, holding hands, and eating weird fair food, and getting more than a little lost in each other’s eyes.

           The rest of the trip was pretty much the same. The two friend group would meet up and usually break off into couples not long after.

           Marinette did find herself covering for a curfew breaking Luka at one time, another for Ondine. And most surprising for Juleka, who assured everyone she was fine through texts, but didn’t make it back to the hotel till the next day. Luka high-fived his sister on her way in.

           The only times, it was a couple-free zone when was when they had to do something educational. The daily planet had been fun. Lois Lane had been insightful and gave great advice to Aurore. She had been interviewing an Olympian swimmer who had no problems shelling out advice to Ondine. And then to the local history museum and the art museum.

           It took everything they had to convince the teacher that a movie premiere was education. If the movie was some action superhero blockbuster, it might’ve been easier. But still the glasses wearing teacher caved, though with way she eyed Chris Evans, Marinette thinks they might tried too hard.

           And once when Marinette got backstage passes to see Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale perform on their Pop and Rock tour. Neither star hesitated to bring Marinette and her friends on stage. They had announced her as their fashion designer, who did the amazing dress Clara was wearing and rocking look Jagger sported. Luka got to play guitar for Jagged. Clara and Jagged did a cover of an old *NSYNC song that her mom had revealed was her favorite song growing up.

(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You.

           The bluenette had shed a few tears on stage, in front of everyone.

           Marinette would find out later that the concert was live streamed.

           Her most heart stopping moment came when Marinette met Connor’s parents; it had been an accident. They had been going to outside concert when Connor remembered he needed to drop something off at his dad’s place, and it was just going to be for five minutes. They had gotten to the penthouse. Connor left her in the living room. Marinette had been looking at the pictures on the mantle when she heard a clearing of the throat.

           She turned around and came face to face with Times’ man of the year, Lex Luthor. Never again, will she considered Gabriel Agreste scary. He was tickle-me Elmo compared to Lex Luthor, maybe a rouge furby doll. Those things were always creepy.

           Lena stood next to him with a pretty blond woman Marinette knew to be Kara, who Marinette knew from picture to be Connor’s aunt, who worked out of National city.

“You must be… Marinette?” Lex drawled.

           Marinette fought not to smooth out her fifties-style chic sliver dress. “Yes, Sir. Connor just stepped away.”

           They made light conversation after that. Marinette telling about her interests and achievements and wondering where Connor was because five minutes her ass. When Connor’s other dad arrived.

           A ruffled looking man looking man, that looked remarkable like Connor, that wore the most hideous plaid shirt she’d ever seen. “Hi’ya, I’m Clark. Connor’s dad.” He introduced. Clark held out his hand. “You must be Marinette, Connor hasn’t stopped talking about you since you two met.”

           Marinette shook his hand with a smile. And she didn’t mean the say, doesn’t how it slipped out. “Who let you out of the house dressed like that?”

           The two men froze. So did the women.

“What?” Clark asked a stunned look on his face.

“Seriously!” Marinette said, unable to stop herself. “That shirt shouldn’t just be thrown away. It should be burned to ashes and fed to the designer.”

           Clark blushed, and pushed his glasses up. “I like it. It looks like my other ones.”

“There are more of those sins of nature!” Marinette exclaimed. “How? Why? Who hurt you?”

           Lex smirked.

           That was when Connor came into the room, with a smile on his face. He wrapped an arm around Marinette’s waist and looked at his parents, “What’s going on?”

“An intervention,” Marinette snipped.

           Lex Luther pointed at Connor, “Marry that girl.”

           Lena and Kara fell down laughing.

           Connor’s face turned red.

           Clark looked like a confused puppy.

           Marinette came with apology cookies the next day.

           Connor and Marinette were officially boyfriend and girlfriend by the time the trip ended.

           While they were gone, however, things in Paris weren’t going great for the class. The three days of break had been great. Spring trip was just to an amusement park which had disappointed quite a few, but they’d perked up when Alya pointed out that at least Marinette wasn’t there to ruin it all for them. As far as they were concerned life was good without the bluenette.

           Then the fourth day happened. And Juleka posted her first picture. Marinette, her new friends, Juleka; the World Travel’s club, in Metropolis. The mood quickly soured after that. The pictures of their fabulous hotel rooms. The pictures of them at LexCorp with Lena Luther herself; Max was left reeling. Then came the pictures the fairs and dates the group had gone on. Alya had nearly cried when she saw the pictures of the tour of the Daily Planet. Rose had cried when she saw Juleka with some beautiful girl named Artemis.

           The worst of it happened when the entire class got together to watch Pop and Rock on tour as Alya’s house. The concert had been stream. And They had all been so excited. Until Marinette was called on stage, and along with all her friends. The popstar and Rock star dedicated a song to Marinette.

           It had been a trip worthy dreaming about.

           That was when the class remembered just how amazing Marinette had been at planning school trips. Why they ever wanted her to resign, they couldn’t remember.

           Adrien saw a picture Marinette and some dark haired boy holdings hands and for some reason felt his heart break a little.

           When they got back to Paris and the break ended, Marinette and Juleka walked to class with their heads held high and love in their hearts. When the girls got to their seats, Alya was the first to try and ruin their good mood.

“Have fun over break?” She snapped.

“Loads,” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “As many times as you like Juleka’s pics of the daily planet I’d assumed you know that.”

           Alya’s temper grew as jealous soared through her, “You could’ve at least invited your friends.”

“I did,” Marinette stated. “Or don’t you remember when you yelled at me the lunchroom that you weren’t my friend anymore. And rest of you agreed.”

           Some looked ashamed. Others still looked petulant.

“Our trip sucked,” Kim groaned. There were nods in agreement.

“Talk to your class president,” Marinette shrugged. “Last I check, that wasn’t me.” She motioned to Lila. “I’m surprised Lila couldn’t do something better with all the connections she has. I’m sure she could out due a bunch of kids who just saved a few bucks over the course of the year.”

           Lila smiled pleasant but the look in her eyes could’ve killed Marinette, “I was so busy. With all my charity work. There was no time.”

           Marinette hummed in response.

“You all looked so amazing at the movie premier!” Rose beamed. It was clear to those who really looked that the blond was sad, maybe even heartbroken.

           Juleka nodded, finding that the sight of her ex-girlfriend wasn’t as devastating as it would’ve been before the trip, “Marinette designed all of our clothes.”

           It took six months after that for Lila’s kingdom to crumble and for the entire class to apologize to the bluenette. Unfortunately, Marinette didn’t react like they’d hoped. Sure, she accepted their apologies, even forgave them, but she made it clear they weren’t friends. They’d never be friends again.

           Adrien had given her a disappointed look afterwards and had tried to convince her that everything could go back to the way it was. She shrugged, and didn’t dignify him with a response.

           It was three months after for Hawkmoth to finally be defeated thanks to Connor who turned out to be Superboy and the rest of Young Justice who may or may be dating the rest of the new team Miraculus.

           It was a week later that Chat Noir and Ladybug revealed themselves to each other. It didn’t go as either of them had hoped.

           Marinette didn’t know who was more surprised. Her or Adrien. She frowned when she saw the hope in the blond boy’s eyes.

           Adrien had been stunned and then a happy smile appeared on his face. Ladybug and his princess was one in the same. She had liked him. Had asked him out. Adrien may have been stupid to turn her down but that it didn’t matter anymore. It would all work out, “Princess,” He said. “I knew we were meant to be.” That was what he thought until Superboy flew down to stand next to Marinette.

           Marinette gave Adrien a pitying smile, “I’m not a princess, Adrien. This isn’t a fairy tale. This isn’t the movies. We already had our chance.  I’m leaving Paris. I’m joining the justice league. It’s too late to catch me now.”

[therockerfromspace]

What the hell is going on with the Grammys - a massive master post.

 Buckle up; this is a mess.

So as we all know, Grammy nominations came out on Tuesday. And... whew there’s a lot to unpack. So this master post is (hopefully) going to explain all the different strands of this. 

A disclaimer before we start: this is in no way bashing the artists who have been nominated. I am sure they all work immensely hard and although they submit themselves, most of them have 0 say in the nominations process. For the love of God - we’re not going after any individual artist. 

(also, just for clarity and conciseness: this post is going to focus on the “Big 4″ in terms of nominations - Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of The Year and Album of the Year). 

So - Best New Artist. As a category I’m happy with all the nominees - the criteria is weird as hell though (basically you can just keep submitting yourself up to 3 times? and it doesn’t matter how far into your career you are? ok I guess). I’d love for Phoebe Bridgers or Megan Thee Stallion to take it personally, but I’m happy with all the nominees. It’d be nice to see Blackpink get an acknowledgement but they could end up getting nominated next year because of eligibility dates. So yeah, no major issues with Best New Artist. 

Just to clarify before we move on - Wikipedia has better definition of the difference between SOTY and ROTY so I’m just going to paste it here:

Record of the Year is awarded for a single or for one track from an album. This award goes to the performing artist, the producer, recording engineer and/or mixer for that song. In this sense, "record" means a particular recorded song, not its composition or an album of songs.

Song of the Year is also awarded for a single or individual track, but the recipient of this award is the songwriter who actually wrote the lyrics and/or melodies to the song. "Song" in this context means the song as composed, not its recording

ROTY: Record of the year ... it’s very safe. Rockstar, Say So, Everything I Wanted, Don’t Start Now, Circles and Savage were all expected. The Black Pumas song is an outlier but normally there’s a couple of smaller songs on the nominees list so not a complete surprise. Black Parade is also a bit of a turnup - it’s a great song and obviously had some momentum this summer but wasn’t huge . I was surprised not to see The Weeknd in this category (more on that later); would have nice to see BTS on the list but again, not shocking. 

SOTY: A mix? I guess? Most of it is overlap from ROTY - but there’s a few different songs in the way of Cardigan, I Can’t Breathe and If The World Was Ending. Personally, I’m really happy that Cardigan and I Can’t Breathe are in there - my personal favorite would be I Can’t Breathe Winning. “If The World Was Ending” ... was there I guess? So congratulations. 

AOTY: Oh boy. AOTY is a mix. So the less surprising inclusions: Folklore and Future Nostalgia. I do genuinely believe it’s a tossup between those two now as to who wins AOTY - I’m going to give the edge to Taylor right now because she’s won it before for Fearless and 1989 but I’m not sure the Recording Academy would give it to her 1 in 4 years ish consistently. Then again, Taylor is a Grammys darling and 2nd highest Metacritic score of the nominations, so it wouldn’t shock me. I’m shocked HAIM are nominated in the best possible way (it’s my personal AOTY), but the rest ... I’m stunned by. Djesse Vol 3 is also great but I don’t think it has a shot; Chilombo was good but not brilliant, Black Pumas got in with a deluxe version (yes it’s a good album, but it’s going to be close to 2 years old by the time the Grammys roll round), I’m not a massive fan of Hollywood’s Bleeding but Post Malone’s commercial impact can’t be denied. Coldplay is the one I find most bizarre - it wasn’t a particularly good album nor did it stick around commercially. So yeah - it would nice for HAIM to take it (I think they have a shot of pulling a “Golden Hour” and taking it home) but I’d be shocked if it didn’t go to Taylor.

So. Yes, there were some snubs - I thought Harry Styles would get a SOTY nomination, I was also expecting BTS to sneak into a couple of categories; Phoebe deserved an AOTY nomination and Rina Sawayama deserved some recognition. However. 

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE WEEKND?

The Weeknd not getting a single nomination. How? No matter which way you look at it, Blinding Lights, should be up for ROTY or at least in the Pop categories. OK, so After Hours isn’t going to be one of the all time great albums, but you can’t look at that list and think “hmm, yes; they’re all objectively better than After Hours.” Because they’re not. That’s a fact. The Weeknd has spoken out against the Grammys in the past (which I’ll come to in a minute), but the truth of the matter is is that the Grammys are institutionally biased. Let’s roll back to 2015. In 2016, the nominees for AOTY were 1989, Beauty Behind The Madness, Sound & Color, To Pimp a Butterfly and Traveler. Thinking about this in terms of critical success, the Grammy should have gone to Kendrick for “To Pimp A Butterfly”. It went to 1989. Ok, so 1989 is a great album! and commercially, was the biggest selling album that year. So from, that (and the following year, where 25 won over Lemonade) we could deduce that the Grammy focuses on the album that’s made the most commercial impact. HOWEVER: if we carry this logic into 2021, none of the nominees make any sense. Surely if they did, then only Folklore and Future Nostalgia would be on their. No matter how you look at it, After Hours straddled the line of being inescapable for a year and of getting great reviews. It should have been nominated for AOTY and that’s the bottom line of it. 

So why wasn’t it?

Probably The Weeknd criticizing the Grammys previously didn’t help. But according to that bastion of news, TMZ, he was given the choice between performing at the Grammys or at Superbowl. The Weeknd negotiated, and agreed to do both. He was announced to be performing at the Superbowl on 12th November (link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54921206) . Grammy noms come out on the 24th, TMZ reports he was given the choice between Superbowl and Grammys about 8 hours after the nominations (https://www.tmz.com/2020/11/24/the-weeknd-ultimatum-grammys-super-bowl-performance-snub/) . Then, The Weeknd tweets this maybe an hour later (https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1331394452447870977). To add insult to injury, he went from being in “negotiations to perform” to no nominations. Now that’s a kick in the teeth.

A day later, the president of the Grammys, Harvey Mason Jr. does an interview with Variety (https://variety.com/2020/music/news/grammy-harvey-mason-weeknd-snub-show-1234839208/). Gives a load of non-answers as expected. But he does talk about the Grammy committee. 

We don’t know much about how the Grammy voting process works. If you’re a member, you listen to the songs in the categories and then vote. BUT THEN. The top 20 songs/albums go to the committee. There’s 20 people on the committee - some with direct links to labels and artists. So they could hypothetically pick songs ranked 15-20 and nominate then. Which is why I think The Weeknd was majorly snubbed. I think The Weeknd got into the top 20 in all the categories he was nominated in and the committee overruled. That’s my theory anyway. The Grammys have been problematic for years - but since I’ve been following then from 2015ish - they’ve been accused racism (lack of BAME winners), sexism (remember the “well women should make better music” comments in 2018 https://variety.com/2018/music/news/grammys-so-male-women-recording-academy-president-neil-portnow-1202679902/) and then the mysterious ousting of Deborah Dugan at the start of last year (https://www.vox.com/2020/1/26/21082057/2020-grammys-sexual-harassment-corruption-recording-academy-deborah-dugan-rigged-nominations). 

When Deborah Dugan was fired, she alleged sexual misconduct and voter corruption in the academy. (If I can find a copy of the original PDF I will, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/22/suspended-grammys-chief-deborah-dugan-alleges-sexual-misconduct-in-recording-academy). But honestly the article speaks for itself. The grammys are corrupt, and not a true measure of artistic integrity. 

So, as much as I find them fascinating - let’s not give them any more weight then they deserve. If your fave has a nomination, great! If not, it doesn’t make them any less of an artist. 2020 has been a fabulous year for music, so let’s concentrate on that. 

It’s impossible to cover every aspect of the Grammys in one tumblr post, and well done if you’ve made it to the end. If anyone has any questions, I’ll try and answer them to the best I can. 

Thank you so much for reading! And Happy Thanksgiving, remember to donate to Native people today if you can - here’s a link to some places to donate https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/1332000439378784261 !

[umbrahighpriestofgiratina]

Mother Of DOGARS!

I, somehow, never posted this here. Well I’m fixing that now. This was written for  @ ChloboShoka on the Serebii forums years ago for a gift exchange that went down there.  it involves unusual headcanon parentage and aliens. 

Mother of DOGARS!

Fantina was busy cleaning out the gym, along with her Pokemon and several Gym Trainers. The last Gym battle had been hectic, and everyone was working hard to make sure the scorch marks, toxic sludge, and such were all removed carefully. Fantina herself was removing some errant Grass-type vines from the wall when her Mismagius approached with a ringing cellphone levitating before it.

"Oh, it's Paul!" Fantina said. "I wonder how his career at Pokestars is going..."

She answered the phone, with "Paul" quickly replying.

"Fantina, honey! I need your help!"

"Help?" said Fantina. "Paul, what could you possibly need my help with all the way over in Unova?"

"Call me Pop Roxie, that's my stage name! I'm talking about our daughter!"

Fantina froze. All color seeped away from her skin. She double-checked to make sure the chill in the air wasn't from her Mismagius, which was merely looking at her with concern.

"Our- Our daughter?"

"Yes! It's near Christmas! And we've been so many Christmases apart! Please, Fantina, I'm begging you to win her over so we can be a family again!"

"But... Juan, dear, why can't you help? She's our daughter, not just mine!"

"That's the thing, honey! I would! But I'm stuck filming a big picture! And you know how persnickety my director gets!"

"I heard that!" said another voice from the phone.

"I know!" said Pop Roxie

He addressed Fantina again with a sigh.

"So I'm booked! Fantina, you're my only hope!"

"A-alright... Pop Roxie." said Fantina. "I shall."

"Thank you, honey! Good lu- I told you to keep an eye on those SFX Zoroark!"

The phone abruptly hung up, and Fantina promptly groaned and collapsed to the floor, her Mismagius floating over and futilely attempting to prop her up. A gym Trainer came over to her, concerned.

"Fantina, are you OK?"

"Physically, pretty much fine," she said. "Psychologically not so much."

"Do you need me for anythi-"

"Yes. I need help with getting a plane ticket to Unova."

"Er, all right?"

The Gym Trainer left to get what was needed as Fantina picked herself up and sighed, her Mismagius dusting her off as she placed a hand to her forehead.

She had no choice. She was going to have to reason with Roxie.

------

At the Virbank City Gym, a punk rock band was playing at its loudest and screechiest as a Garbodor and Scolipede looked on. 

<Do you think Roxie's backups are ever gonna improve, Algernon?> said the Scolipede.

<I hope so Socrates,> said the Garbodor. <Right now it's like Roxie's backing them up!>

Algernon and Socrates gave hearty laughs.

Meanwhile, as the band was playing, the guitarist looked up at a gaping hole in the ceiling.

"...Are we ever gonna fix that?" he said.

The singer and bassist, Roxie, shrugged. "Eh, probably not. Adds to the grunge-y look of this place."

"But didn't it happen after that weird hole on the sky opened up?" said the drummer. "While freaky shit was going down in Alola?"

"That got cleared up by someone else, didn't it?" said Roxie. "Why should it be my proble-"

At that very moment Fantina burst in through said hole in the ceiling atop her Driftblim.

"Roxie, I'm here!"

Everyone in the Gym froze. The drummer and guitarist stared. Roxie, however, glared at her mother, and made a dismissive motion toward the others.

"Leave."

"But-"

Roxie gritted her teeth. "This is personal."

At that the drummer and guitarist panicked and fled off into side doors leading into back rooms. Fantina descended upon her Drifblim and jumped off directly in front of Roxie, the two entering a silent staredown as the Drifblim floated over to Socrates and Algernon. 

<Ay, Antoinette!> said Socrates. <What're you doing here stirring up old family feuds?>

<To ensure that both parties are kept in line,> said Antoinette. <I do hope you two can assist.>

<Sure thing,> said Algernon. <We wouldn't want Rox to be smothered by her mother!>

The three Pokemon took their places behind their Trainers as Fantina broke the silence with a sigh. 

"Roxie, it's been ages..." 

Roxie growled. "And I'd rather it'd had been ages longer."

"Sweetie, I've always wanted to make up with you... Didn't you have a fight with your father and have that work out?"

"That did. But that was different. Dad was being a dim-witted, dense, dumb daft dippy dorky doltish doofus, sure, but he was only being a dim-witted, dense, dumb daft dippy dorky doltish doofus. You are on another level entirely."

Fatina finally scowled back at Roxie and put her hands on her hips. "Sacre bleu! What did I ever do to you to deserve a status as lowly as that?!"

Roxie rolled her eyes to the point they almost reached the back of her head. "Oh, where do I begin... Well, first, you never let me be myself. I always wanted to live the punk dream, but you never liked that. You wanted me to be graceful, majestic, fabulous, glamorous - hell, I think it would have been death by glamor for me if you kept it up! But it wouldn't matter to you because my last living moments would have been absolutely beautiful, would it?!"

"Honey, you're a budding young woman who can make her own choices now, and you know I would never neglect you to such a lev-"

"You never respected what I wanted in Pokemon either! You kept talking about the unearthly grace and majesty of Ghost-types when I wanted the grungiest of Poison types!"

Fantina pointed to Algernon. "Well I have reason to take offense if that means raising things like living garbage and getting yourself sick!"

<Hey!> said Algernon. <I'm made of refined garbage, lady!>

Only hearing growls and a "Garb!", Roxie still scoffed at Fantina. "Algernon takes offense to that, mother."

Fantina scoffed back. "Well even so I don't see why you'd treat me this way even as I try to apologi-"

"That's not even the clincher!" said Roxie. "You spent so much time focusing on your contest and gym leader careers that aside from when you were disapproving of me you never paid attention to me at all! It was to the point when Dad took his sailor career off to Unova I went right off after him! You are a horrible mother and I don't think you'll ever change, you bitch!"

She started storming off; Antionette, Algernon, and Socrates stared off in shock while Roxie's words finally struck a nerve in Fantina and she started heading after her.

"R-Roxie, sweetie, wai-"

The front door busted open as Pop Roxie charged in.

"Roxie! Honey! I need your help!"

The two stopped and whiled around to face him.

"Dad?"

"Sweetheart?"

"I'm so glad you're both here, but making things up for Christmas needs to wait! There's a disaster in Pokestar Studios!"

"Merci!" said Fantina. "What sort?"

"The SFX Zoroark - they're rioting!"

"What?!" said Roxie. "Why the hell would they do that?!"

"The more and more Pokestars pushes for CGI everything, the more people and Pokemon they piss off!"

said Pop Roxie. "Zekrom, I remember when the animators rioted..."

He shuddered.

"But the Zoroark had only one job anymore: To sub in for any live Pokemon the studio couldn't get! And now they've gotten that taken away from them they're on a rampage!"

Roxie and Fantina stared in awed silence at Pop Roxie before the former gave the latter a glare.

"...We work together. Just this once. That's it."

She headed off with her father and Pokemon. Fantina and Antionette sighed before doing the same.

------

Pokestar Studios was in chaos.

Most humans and Pokemon had retreated elsewhere or deep inside buildings. Everywhere else, however, were yowling, frenetic Zoroark, Night Dazing buildings and ripping panels off the roofs with their sharp claws.

Roxie, Pop Roxie, and Fantina charged into the situation looking on in horror before Pop Roxie grabbed a Pokeball from his belt.

"They can make themselves invisible, but I've got something for that... Go, Darrin!"

He sent out a Lucario, which immediately flared his Aura feelers to sense out the Zoroark. The Zoroark gave a frenzied collective snarl at the appearance of a natural enemy, and began hiding themselves with their Illusions.

At the sight of her father's main Pokemon Roxie got to thinking.

"Fighting type... Wait..."

She immediately rounded on her mother.

"Hey! Why'd Dad drag you along for a Dark-type invasion? You just have Ghost types, you're literal dead meat!"

Fantina cracked her knuckles. "Ohohohoho, Roxie, don't underestimate me; I've had plenty of experience with Dark types and know my workarounds...

She sent out her Mismagius to accompany Antionette, then addressed the latter. "Communicate a bit with Darrin, please?"

<Where are the cloaked Zoroark?> said Antoinette.

~Trying to close in on our location in front of and behind us,~ said Darrin.

Antionette swung her body in both directions to send Gusts at the hidden Zoroarks, damaging them lightly but breaking their Illusions. 

"Joan!" Fantina shouted to her Mismagius. "Give them a Dazzling Gleam!"

The Mismagius cackled and produced gleaming rays of pink light from the gems on its body, hitting the Zoroarks and sending them sprawling. Those who tried to duck out of the way were met with Aura Spheres from Darrin.

Several of the Zoroark tried to take a third option and leap at Roxie, but they were met with the thick antennae of Socrates in a Megahorn. 

Roxie pumped her fist. "Hah! We got thi-"

Suddenly Darrin's eyes widened as his aura feelers tremored violently and he started looking around wildly.

~Guys! Something's very wrong here... The Zoroark, something else, something wrong, is driving them crazy! And it's approaching fast!~

<What the hell do you mean by tha-> said Socrates.

He was cut off by a critical Power Gem that sent him skidding to the ground.. 

"Socrates, no!" yelled Roxie.

She stopped and stared in horror as an otherworldly, translucent jellyfish-like creature descended before her.

"What is..."

The Zoroark were thrown into a further frenzy by the sight of the creature, and began lobbing Dark Pulses, one of which hit Antionette. Sensing her weakness, the creature lobbed a second Power Gem at Antionette, sending her crashing into the ground.

"What in Giratina's name is going on?" said Fantina.

"I don't know, but I'm taking this thing down!" said Roxie. "Algernon, use-"

She was interrupted by the creature lobbing a third  Power Gem at her, the gems of light cutting into her skin and clothing hard enough to draw blood and knock her to the ground, helpless.

"Roxie, no!" yelled both Fantina and Pop Roxie.

Fantina saw the creature start to advance towards the prone Roxie and scowled.

"Not my daughter, you jelly bitch."

She, Joan, and Algernon moved toward the beast. Pop Roxie and Darrin moved to follow, but the Zoroark began encircling them en masse, and they were forced to keep them at bay with volleys of Aura Spheres.

Fantina, meanwhile, pointed at the creature with a gim expression on her face. "Joan? Nasty Plot into Shadow Ball!"

Joan's power grew with wicked thoughts as she lobbed a ball of dark energy at the creature; it was hardly phased, however, and retaliated with a Venoshock that sent her reeling back.

While the creature was distracted, however, Algernon picked up a piece of Pokestars rubble, which he tossed up and down. "Hey creep! Rox taught me this for dealing with floaty types!"

He threw the hunk of rubble at the creature for a Smack Down, taking it by suprise and leaving it stunned by a following Psychic from Joan, leaving it dazed and reeling.

Fantina looked up at the sky; it was night, with stars faintly glimmering. "You know, whatever kind of Pokemon you are, I could just end this mercifully..."

Joan charged a Nasty Plot into another Psychic.

"...But given you hurt my daughter..."

Algernon lobbed a Gunk Shot.

"...You need to learn a more proper lesson."

The strange creature was blasted to the floor by both attacks, and feebly twitched and crawled around, barely moving otherwise.

The Zoroark stopped what they were doing, dazed and confused; having forgotten what they were mad about they all shrugged and made their way back to their homes, giving Pop Roxie and Darrin time to catch their breaths. Fantina, meanwhile, glared at the near-unconscious creature before seeing Roxie again out of the corner of her eye and rushing over to caress her.

"Roxie, dear, are you alright? I'm so sorry... So sorry for everything..."

Roxie coughed and looked up at her mother weakly. "No, I... I'm sorry... You... You saved me... You actually cared..."

Fantina smiled and stroked Roxie's face protectively as ambulance sirens wailed in the distance.

----------

In the hospital, Fantina and Pop Roxie sat by Roxie's bed, having idle conversation with her as she rested. Eventually a nurse came up to them.

"The results are in; she's going to be all right. The creature's neurotoxins didn't get to her, so the stitches she got will be all she needs."

The others sighed in relief.

"Speaking of that creature, however..."

She made way for a man with graying hair in a brown trenchcoat that caused Fantina's eyes to light up upon seeing him. 

"Bonjour, Looker!" said Fantina. "It's been a while."

"It has!" said Looker. "But I'm here to tell you that creature you defeated was an Ultra Beast - a strange type of Pokemon that resides in the Ultra Dimension! The one you caught specifically was UB-01 Symbiont - otherwise known as Nihilego, a Rock/Poison type. The Ultra Beasts gave us a hell of a time in Alola, and if they're spreading elsewhere we'll have to keep an eye out..."

"So what do we do with it now?" said Pop Roxie.

"Usually HQ wants us to bring those Ultra Beasts back for study or... extermination..."

He shook his head, then smiled at Fantina and handed her a strange, blue, striped Pokeball with gold ringlets. "But we've made exceptions for powerful yet compassionate Trainers before and can do so again. I feel that Ultra Beast will be in good hands with you, Fantina."

Fantina smiled back. "Thank you, Looker."

Looker nodded and left the room with the nurse; as soon as they were out of eyeshot and earshot Fantina gently nudged Roxie.

"Psst! Sweetie!"

Roxie blinked. "What Mom?"

Fantina pulled the strange Pokeball out of her dress and handed it to Roxie.

"It's a Poison-type, right? Then it's my gift to you!"

Roxie started. "Really?"

Fantina winked. "I beat it down so it so it could be taught a lesson for hurting you, didn't I? Why don't you deliver a further lesson personally?"

Roxie grinned. "Then oh hell yeah I will!"

----------

The Christmas tree and lights were shining in Pop Roxie's house, as Pop Roxie, Fantina, and Roxie sat together talking and laughing.

"So," said Roxie. "On that week to Alola to find out more about my Nihilego I got you both something."

"Oh?" said Pop Roxie.

"What are they?" said Fantina.

Roxie tossed a Quick Ball towards her father, revealing a small, purple, crablike Pokemon that scuttled up his back.

"That's a Crabrawler. Like climbing things, so watch out for that, but I think he and Darrin will get along. They evolve in cold places too."

Pop Roxie petted the Crabrawler, which gave a happy chittering noise and a "braw!".

"And for you, Mom..."

She tossed a Lure Ball to summon a strange spectral creature that seemed like an animate, moss and rust-encrusted anchor.

"That's a Dhelmise. Ghost/Grass type, but it can power up its Steel moves with its Ability too."

Fantina looked the Dhelmise up and down. "Fascinating..."

The Dhelmise gave a creak and groan that seemed vaguely approving in response.

Fantina then approached Roxie. "Now, if that Nihilego isn't too much of a handful, I've got a present for you as well - my Gengar Olympia was being a bit feisty and..."

She handed Roxie a Pokeball, which Roxie opened to reveal a young Gastly, who giggled and danced around Roxie's head, making her laugh. She then turned and smiled at Fantina.

"Thanks, Mom. You're pretty great."

***

 Here's an added OLD ART bonus kindly donated by @daydreart​ (she still had the file after all these years, which is good, because I sure lost it)

[curious-minx]

A ranking of four 200 Hundredth Episodes: Bob’s Burgers’ recent victory lap stands above the rest

The Bicentennial. How many among us get to be a part of something that get’s broadcasted for over 200 episodes? In the world of animated sitcoms it is a small, Fox dominated burrow. Bob’s Burgers is the latest series to become bestowed with this particular honor, and is possibly the best of the Fox line-up to do so. Family Guy’s 200th episode, Season 11 - Episode 12,  is the only Fox series to be given a full blown on-air anniversary treatment. The episode is a Valentine themed Brian and Stewie lark and like all of the other entries on this list celebrates it’s 200th episode anniversary in a more casual, blithe fashion. Family Guy is the only show Fox has bothered to air an entire half hour  special, but months before the actual airing of the 200th episode in Februrary. I am deliberately skipping over Family Guy and South Park’s 200th episodes. In the former’s stead I chose to watch American Dad’s 200th episode, because McFarlane is such a titan in adult animation that deserves recognition. The South Park episode is too exhausting for me to get into. South Park’s 200th episode, Season 14 - Episode 05, is the one that evoked the wraith of a  New York based Radical Muslim organization that would soon be “shut down” (i.e. members arrested) a few months after the episode aired on April, 2010. The 200th episodes of South Park and the Simpsons are the only two series to have received Emmy nominations, and in Simpsons case a win, due to their 200th episodes. Here’s hoping for Bob’s Burgers to get a similar recognition, because I think its 200th episode is pretty special and straight to the point.

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1.) Bob’s Burgers - “Bob Belcher and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Kids” 

Out of all the 200 episodes is episode the most consciously in conversation with itself. The 200th episode has been treated with a reasonable amount of respect with The A.V. Club bringing their Bob’s Burgers coverage out of retirement and Variety and Salon also got into the mix. Gotta be honest a part of me over at The Curious Minx would prefer if the Bob’s Burgers recap lane was kept on the narrower side, but on the other hand this is a fabulous series that should be written about by as many different publications. 

In a recent  tired and routine zoom Variety interview (https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/bobs-burgers-remote-recording-200th-episode-1234830796/) BB’s creator Loren Bouchard touches upon how this 200th episode is supposed to serve as something of a pilot. An episode so fully realized that even if you are someone with no active bank of knowledge about the Bob’s Burgers minutiae of the Belcher family dynamics and still enjoy this episode as much as a full blown series fan. The episode is written by Steven Davis, a producer and writer with an extensive amount of episode writing and producing credits on Bob’s Burgers. The quality of a Bob’s Burgers script in the pandemic era  is becoming more relevant, because of the diminished role of improv, and this episode definitely feels crafted by a creative team fully in touch and aware of their characters and how to put them in satisfying situations.

Compared to any of the other animated sitcom families, the Belchers are noticeably the more lower middle class. There is a pervading sense of an overall struggle for survival and prosperity that is cooked right into the series pilot debut. Season 1 - Episode 01 “Human Flesh” sets the tone of the series, despite the overall writing and characters being sharper, the stakes have not changed much. Bob’s Burger’s like any American restaurant not under the protective aegis of a Big Franchise is in a state of perpetual turmoil. In the pilot episode the difficulties of running a standard American restaurant are made even more complicated by dysfunctional family hijinks. 

The 200th episode differs from the pilot in one dramatic way and that is the presence of the extended Belcher family member Teddy. In the original pilot Teddy is completely absent, whereas in the 200th episode Teddy’s role as surrogate family member is made even most distinct by having Teddy being invested above and beyond in helping save his pal’s Bobby’s restaurant. The return of the ornery and quirky Health Inspectors Ron and Hugo are serving as the most obvious form of echoing of the pilot. I highly recommend rewatching the pilot after viewing this episode, because I had completely forgotten that the Belcher’s saving grace is that Hugo and Linda were once in a relationship together. The pilot is noticably very contained setting wise, focusing exclusively in and around the Belcher family restaurant. Whereas, the 200th episode explores more settings with the Belcher children going across town to find a replacement for Bob’s broken oven part, an oven that they feel they are entirely to blame for destroying. A couple of celebrity guests Stephanie Beatriz and SNL’s Kyle Mooney that true to Bob’s Burgers spirits are usually just playing characters of little to no consequence. Unlike the other Fox family in this list that really leans in on having celebrities playing themselves, the best celebrity guest appearances on Bob’s Burgers tend to be the most anonymous, and Kyle Mooney’s put upon hardware store clerk is a great example of this. 

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t dwell on the satisfying Linda contribution of the episode. Linda makes the critical set piece that ignites the restaurant fire. Linda’s gnarly mermaid sculpture is a great visual metaphor for the series. Especially when the Mermaid Statue is used to build up a very well constructed song-based gag. The whole episode made me feel really good about the state of the series and especially the Movie (And Loren Bouchard backs this up by giving interviewers the impression that the film’s delay has only improved its quality). As far as 200 episodes of long running animated sitcoms go, you certainly can’t go wrong with this one!

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2. King of the Hill - Hank’s Bully

By all accounts the most unremarkable episode on this list. An episode that also has a trollish spirit that gets a sadistic glee in tormenting the fuddy duddy Hill patriarch. This is the also the 200th episode with the lowest stakes, the least of a spectacle, and most unassuming 200th episode. While trying to research anything of note to include in my review of the episode all I could find was this reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/KingOfTheHill/comments/bpl235/hanks_bully_was_near_impossible_to_watch/) where a user is criticizing the way in which Hank it mistreated. When I was rewatching this episode my partner also found this episode hard to watch and sympathized with Hank’s plight against a Clifford-like malicious imp of a hateful child who’s sole purpose is to make the lives of everyone else around him more difficult. 

To me what most stands out about this episode is the fantastic direction by longtime King of the Hill animator, former Bob’s Burgers animator, and current Rick and Morty director, Kyoung Hee Lim. A seemingly badass woman  working in a field that is not particularly kind to women or to women of color. I am pretty shocked that no one in all of her years as a director on some pretty important shows has brought her up or did an interview piece on her. Maybe this is something the good folks at The Curious Minx can aspire to? I am definitely going to be taking a further dive into the 22 episodes of King of the Hill that she directed and revisit the 15 episodes of Bob’s Burgers to see if I can discern what makes a Kyoung Hee Lim episode. 

One major ploy detail that I noticed in this episode, a detail that is also oddly prevalent on the other two 200th episodes, is the trash talk. And by that I do mean literal trash talk. The B-plot of this episode is what makes the episode pop for me in that the pairing of Dale and Peggy is a really successful one. The episode finds Dale frustrated with the Arlington Waste department and how they won’t take his refrigerator full of dead squirrels and his freeze full of dead crow. Dale then takes advantage of this dead blessing in disguise by getting into the world of competitive taxidermy with Peggy’s creative eye complimenting Dale’s gruesome technical prowess.   Both of these characters operate on such an oddly similar wave lengths that watching the two of them embark on a taxidermy journey together was strangely touching and fun to watch. And I am a vegan that feels weird about killing animals in video games, but the ending visual gag of the episode is especially inspired. My one complaint is that the episode is severely lacking in Bobby Hill. Probably because I just recently finished watching Better Things and basically want every show to be the Pamela Adlon show all the time. 

/////

3.) American Dad - “The Two Hundred”

Visually and conceptually this 200th episode really impressed me. As previously mentioned at the start of the post, I am not someone that is particularly warm to the McFarlane brand of comedy, but American Dad really is where he saves his best work for. This 200th episode got the complete opposite treatment of Family Guy. Airing on a Monday night on TBS this episode was pretty much given a shrug, but that does not tamper down any of its ambitions. The whole episode is basically a pastiche of Apocalyptic Dystopian alternative timeline tropes centering around an alone and traumatized by his past Stan. The episode has one of the most clever ongoing visual gags I have seen on a show where flash backs are teed up by Stan’s ridiculous new post apocalyptic tattoos. The core family and ancillary characters of American Dad are all given terrific moments to shine in this heightened post apocalyptic hellscape, and the key to any enduring series success if whether or not you can tell that the creatives involved respect and enjoy the characters that they are writing for. This being a McFarlane project there are a couple of embarrassing lines of dialogue from the show’s respective gay and Black characters and an over indulgence on Rodger based humor, but overall this 200th episode left me with more appreciation for this series as a whole. I will still always make sure to appreciate whenever a long running creative property takes stylistic swings and risks.While there is nothing particularly fresh or novel about a cannibal laden post apocalyptic wasteland this 200th episode managed to find some find fun character beats to subvert tropes or double down on them. The visual of a consistently on the move runaway train that is also mysteriously always on fire was also especially well executed. This episode could easily have been a series finale if the series hadn’t already played around with alternative timelines like in their Christmas specials. 

This episode also features more trash talk! One of Stan’s tattooed regrets revolves around Francine failing to get the trash picked up on trash day because Stan had purposely neglected to take it out. This rather odd pattern is about to make a whole lot of sense with the fourth and my least favorite 200th episode by the Simpsons.

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4.) The Simpsons - Trash of the Titans

How many more times can I impress upon you that the 200th episode  of your animated sitcom is an  an occasion for trash talk? One more time. This 200th episode of The Simpsons is by far the most trash centric 200th episode of them all. The first animated adult sitcom to get over the 200th episode hump, the 200th episode  “Trash of the Titans” has some fun real-world trivia attached to it, but other than that this is one of the lesser “Golden Era” Simpsons offerings by a long shot. 

My primary source on contention with the episode lies in the direction Homer takes in most of the episode. A 2016 Uproxx (https://uproxx.com/media/simpsons-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/) article gained traction and a Wikipedia citation by comparing Homer���s antics to that of possible former rising Dictator Donald Trump. The episode involves Homer acting at his absolute most abhorrent in an election to boot, and his behavior in this episode is some of the most irredeemable Homer has ever been. The article oddly neglects to make note of the fact that Homer in this episode also makes similar slights against Mexico, referring it to an inherently “dirtier” country.  The episode ends on a truly groan inducing aged as fine as old socks in the cheese drawer with a crying Native American gag. Ah 1998 when we could pretend that the Crying Native American commercial was just silly social commentary and not racial minstrelsy. 

There is also one other instance that didn’t sit well with me and that’s when Homer is seen physically assaulting a woman working the booth at a U2 concert. I could handle the bullish descent into crooked politician, but watching Homer violently push a woman out of the way felt out of place. A retread of all the growth and development we’ve seen him go through over the course of 200 episodes. Of the other three patriarchs discussed on this list a Homer Simpson centric plot tend to not work as well for me especially if you compare him to the other animated TV fathers. 

The episode also features two celebrity guest spots. One made by Steve Martin who does a good job becoming more or less unrecognizable as the original Springfield Sanitation Commissioner Ray Patterson. The other celebrity guest appearance is more of an ill-portent of signs to come with U2 playing themselves. Whenever a celebrity is playing themselves on The Simpsons it usually does not work out. Not everyone can be used to advance a plot as seamlessly as Barry White. Although it is funny, funny in a “oh, we were so much simpler” sort of way that this episode garnered controversy and a ban on UK television over U2 and Mister Burns’ use of the word, “wanker.” Flash forward to 2009 and Bono is once again throwing around his favorite cheeky pejorative this time in reference to fellow earnest bland frontman Chris Martin (https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/24741/Read). 

Resting Wanker Face

The other fun factoid about this episode once again is not related to the show, but the show’s influence spilling out into the real world. In the late 80s and throughout the 90s, Adams Mine was an abandoned pit located somewhere in Ontario situated in a term I’m learning for the first time, the “Canadian Shield.” An exactly similar proposal is made by Homer Simpson during his reign of Sanitation Commissioner. This sweeping of trash under the rug does culminate into a satisfying visual gag as a climax that feels like a Garbage Pail Kid/Toxic Avenger version of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. More bizarrely and unfortunate, this episode also aired a week after the passing of Linda McCartney. How messed up is that? Couldn’t they just have waited at the end of the season or at least on an episode that doesn’t involve wallowing in filth? 

The episode features another developing bad habit in terms of the inclusion of songs and song parodies. There is virtually no connection to Willy Wonka in this episode other than the fact that both “Candy Man” and “Trash Man” have share a similar pronoun. Unlike the use of songs in Bob’s Burgers where they tend to be unique to the character’s reaction to dramatic consequence, on the Simpsons it’s more often than not a  a song for the sake of a song. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but why not go for a joke about parodying real musical trash titans, The Cramps, or even trash up a U2 song? On the episode’s Wikipedia entry in the Production section Matt Groening is quoted to saying that the visual gag of a department store sporting the slogan, “Over a Century Without a Slogan,” wasted a lot of man hours. So much effort and reach for a joke with a fraction of a minimal of pay off is essentially the Simpsons ethos in one visual gag. 

Once again, it bears repeating that this episode is also rewarded for an Emmy. If you break down the episode as starting off as a satire of Holiday Commercialism with the creation of the cynical Love Day holiday and ending the episode as a foreboding parable about the very real ecological repercussions of improper waste management. This clearly sounds like classic Simpsons reverse engineering management. Instead this is a classic case of an episode of the Simpsons being more interesting to think about than it is to actually watch. This is also the 200th episode that least honors its central cast of characters. Marge and Lisa are both afforded meager moments of wisdom and decency, but Bart is more or less even more irrelevant to the plot than Bobby Hill was on his 200th episode. 

As for today it seems like the only Simpsons anniversary that will likely rouse any more attention it’s way will be the 1,000th episode.. Think how much more trash we as a collective species will have made by the time that milestone roils around!

////

In Conclusion:

When you start to make 200 episodes of anything the one feeling that seems to creep up is one of, “taking out the trash,” or you’re making art out of trash. Trash being a metaphor for the entire medium of Television. The TV market is an ever growing landfill, one of America’s Rapiest Dads made a whole cartoon about kids living and learning life lessons in a junk yard. So much of Television is only a means of  mass marketing  ground up pieces of detritus. Then you’re supposed to be grateful that your detritus gets to be a bumper for advertisements and the occasional merchandising. You’re an adult, you’re not supposed to take cartoons seriously. They are empty calories, brain noise, and at best background noise. Yet they are the only types of shows that can consistently manage to get over well over the 200 episode mark. At least back before the Netflix business model of show’s only deserving 1.5 seasons. 

Bob’s Burgers is reaching its 200th episode in an unfathomable media landscape, one that is completely demolished and in the process of being rebuilt from the aftermath of the coronavirus. The 2020s could be a turning point for animation going forward, animation is a severely grueling and technically difficult sector. This newfound interest in the medium may finally be  the financial boost and support that it dearly needs in order to properly pay artists for their work. The creators of these series may not think of what they do as art and to keep themselves afloat have to think of the act of bringing an animated sitcom into the world as necessary as taking out the trash. Our trash is a mirror. Inside the landfill we see our own morals and values reflected right back at us. Bringing forth life means a lot of shit. With every year you keep an infant human alive that means (x) amount of disposable diapers piled up. I suggest we make like the Belcher children and try to salvage our trash, put a wig on our trash, put a crop top on our trash, paint some lashes on your trash, because we’re all in the end up going to be put into the ground (beef). 

[thesaltyoceanwaves]

Nice Guy Adrien the Musical Outline - ACT II

@lenoreofraven

→ The second half of this act from “Meant to Be Yours” to “Breathin” has been adapted into my fic “Bewitched,” for those who want a better idea of how things would play out.

��� In “Bewitched,” Viperion has a hypnosis power, which I refer to as “Snake Eyes” in my other work “The One to Make It Stay.” This was because this was written prior to “Party Crasher” airing, so we didn’t know what the snake’s power would be. I think “Second Chance” could still be used in this scenario, but I’ll leave it vague for the time being.

→ Like I said before, I’m going to write Act II with Marinette being akumatized into Bewitched in mind. Now, it should be possible to akumatize Marinette into something else and have roughly the same outcome, depending on the powers that you give her. Anyway, Bewitched’s outfit is a slightly altered version of this one that NS Yoon G wears in the music video: 

However, I changed the bottom half of the outfit to be more appropriate for a fourteen year old girl, so instead, she’s either wearing a black tulle mini skirt (which would fall just above her knees) or black biker shorts of the same length. Underneath them, she’s wearing black and white striped leggings similar to this outfit:

As well as black boots and lots of chunky, spiked jewelry, and a black witch’s hat on top. She hides her akumatized object in her blouse pocket. So, yes, her akumatized form is essentially cosplay of NS Yoon G, but toned down for a fourteen year old girl.

Act II opens with the students having returned to school after break (either for All Saints or Christmas, depending on how much time has passed since the beginning of school), and classes in session. Adrien has been none stop trying to text Marinette and get her attention, but to no avail. She has blocked his number by this point, and he’s resorted to contacting her through other social media sites and apps. Despite trying to flaunt his relationship with Lila in Marinette’s face, it seems to have entirely backfired, and at some point, Adrien broke things off with her. Alya continues to play cheerleader for Team Adrinette, but we see signs of wariness from Nino. Bustier’s class is going to discuss Romeo and Juliet, but everyone seems more interested in the status of Ladybug and Chat Noir. A fan sent in a video of Chat confessing his love to Ladybug and sent it in to the Ladyblog, where it was immediately posted. Adrien decides that this is his opportunity to make big romantic gestures to Marinette and win her over. However, Marinette has decided to move seats by this point to keep Adrien away from her, and is now in the back. He doesn’t have as many opportunities to talk to her. As class begins, Ms. Bustier calls for everyone to return to their seats so they can start discussing the reading. Alix makes a comment about how Romeo and Juliet has the lamest, most nonsensical plot she’s ever read. Everyone gasps, clearly offended and asks how she could say something like that. (I Hate Shakespeare)

The school day comes and goes, and once again, we find ourselves at Chloe’s hotel. She is relaxed upstairs, turning her bedroom into a summer simulation of sorts. She’s being waited on by Sabrina and Jean, while complaining about the events of the day (“Ugh, Adrikins has been so weird lately! First, he said he liked Dupain-Cheng, of all people! Then, he decided to date that girl with the sausage hair just to make her jealous. And now he’s pretending it didn’t even happen?” “That discussion we had about the play today was utterly ridiculous!”) To wash away the events of the day, Chloe has ordered a full day of pampering for herself, including a trip to the spa. She’s even nice enough to arrange a package for Sabrina and Jean. After all, she needs them in tip-top shape. (Fabulous)

Gabriel has been noticing an increase in negative energy lately. He thinks it’s his chance to evilize someone into his most powerful akuma yet. Adrien returns home from school in a rather snappy mood, complaining about a girl. This makes Gabriel pause for a moment. He’s a bit worried that his akuma might end up picking the girl that rejected Adrien and going after him. However, he can’t afford to just give up on saving his wife, either. He won’t let anything stand in the way of reuniting with her, not even his own feelings. Surely, Adrien would understand someday. (Standing)

Adrien is frustrated about how things aren’t going his way. He’s messaged Marinette about 273 times in the past week, and hasn’t gotten a single response or reaction from her. He even had to give up on Operation: Jealousy, because it made her less interested in him. How is that even possible, he wonders to himself. Plagg points out that if Adrien continues this behavior, the Master might decide to pull his miraculous away, but Adrien isn’t convinced. How else are they going to defeat Hawkmoth? And speaking of his power, he decides it’s time to pay Marinette a visit. Plagg is against using Chat to get close to Marinette/Ladybug, but he doesn’t listen and uses his freedom and mobility to find her. (Macavity Part 2)

Marinette, tired of the influx of messages and how Adrien won’t leave her alone, decides she can no longer handle being Ladybug. She heads over to Fu’s and lets him know that she can’t afford to be Ladybug, since she’s at such high risk of being akumatized. She’s returned the earrings to Kagami, and told her to meet Fu, because she can’t handle it anymore. Fu tries to convince her otherwise, but Marinette won’t change her mind. Running out of the room in tears, Marinette laments how everything could have gone so wrong. Maybe Lila was right. Maybe she was cursed. What an irony, she thinks to herself. (No Good Deed)

As Marinette is running home, she ends up stopping in front of a store with some mirrors. An image flashes in her head - her as Ladybug. She tries to go for a quick change to get rid of it, and takes out her hair ribbons, stuffing them into her pocket. Before she can get any closer to home, Chat pops in, and after her avoiding him all day. Once again, he proclaims his love for her, reminding her that he’s dumped Lila, so there’s nothing standing in their way now. Then he realizes she’s been crying. Marinette snaps and tells him he’s the problem. There’s back and forth arguing until Kagami appears as Ryukōun, and tells Chat to back off. The two of them get into a fight as Marinette runs off, not sure where to go. Hawkmoth akumatizes her into Bewitched (not shown on stage/screen until next scene) and she promises him that by morning, neither Chat nor Ladybug will be a problem. (Meant to Be Yours)

The next day at school, everyone is gathered outside to share gossip, with quite a few people surrounding Lila as she launches her next story. Adrien quickly finds Nino and Alya and relays what happened the previous evening. Alya assures Adrien that things will turn out alright, but Nino points out his concerns with Adrien’s behavior. Before a full fight can escalate, Bewitched enters the scene and blasts Lila with her curse beam and frightens everyone around her. Bewitched forces Lila to tell the truth, lest she get hurt by her own words. Lila ends up revealing that she and Ladybug were never friends and that the interview she did for Alya when she first arrived was a lie. Bewitched then goes on to curse Alya to always or do the wrong thing, and turns Nino into her familiar. As the scene goes on, more and more students get either cursed or familiarized (Nino and Juleka are absolutely spared; Nino because he defended Marinette’s honor and Juleka because Bewitched doesn’t want to upset Luka). Adrien, Kagami, Felix and Chloe all manage to escape prior to getting hit by Bewitched. (Reason to Become a Witch)

Managing to get far away enough from Bewitched, both Kagami and Felix berate Adrien for his actions. If he just left Marinette alone after the rejection, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. Kagami points out that he doesn’t deserve the ring, completely outing Adrien as Chat Noir. Luka arrives on the scene and is caught up by everyone. He is not pleased and calls Adrien out for being so selfish. He’s even less pleased when it’s revealed that Adrien only became interested in Marinette after it was revealed that she was Ladybug. Before the fighting can escalate, Kagami decides to split up the group. She gives the snake miraculous to Luka and Felix, telling them to go after Bewitched, while she and Adrien go and give Chloe the bee. (Congratulations)

Kagami and Adrien arrive to give Chloe the bee. However, a bit of arguing causes the cat to be let out of the bag, and now Chloe is in on the secret identities (both Ladybug and Chat). She is infuriated by Adrien and how ugly his attitude has gotten. And disappointed in herself after realizing that doing nothing didn’t stop any akuma victims. That was the wrong thing to do in this case, she realizes. Instead, she needs to work on standing up to people like that and use the power that she has to her advantage. She’s going to be the hero that Ladybug, no, Dupain-Cheng, believed she could be. (Ugly Heart)

Luka and Felix run into Bewitched. Felix saves Luka from getting hit, but becomes a familiar. Queen Bee, Ryukōun and Chat Noir arrive on the scene, but Chat’s ego quickly causes him to lose the cat miraculous to Felix after Bewitched turns Queen Bee’s power against them. Luka transforms into Viperion while Alya arrives on the scene to apologize. Satisfied, Bewitched familiarizes her. Using his power, Viperion is able to calm down Bewitched and convince her to give up the akuma. After Kagami purifies it, she, Luka and Felix all take Marinette home. After the long day, Marinette tries to find ways to make herself fall asleep, but the events of the day weigh heavy on her mind, and she’s anxious as to what comes next. (Breathin)

[chidoroki]

thanks for the tag @pbvbbles​ !! Sorry this took a few days. I kept thinking about it to the point where it kinda got outta hand and couldn’t stop rambling, oops..

Rules: Name 10 favorite characters from 10 different things and then tag 10 people.

Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha

The original favorite! He went a little crazy for power but how much he matured during his redemption journey is just so good?? I mean, have you seen how excited I get whenever he makes an appearance in the Boruto series? Oh boy! A super strong shinobi with some of my favorite abilities and jutsu! (& the reason why I tend to favor so many quiet, dark haired characters with the peek-a-bangs trope)

Toradora!: Ami Kawashima

She may come off as bitchy and deceptive at first, but then she receives such wonderful character development that I could watch over and over again. She learns that it is possible for people to genuinely care about her without her airhead facade, which allows her to just be herself. She remains as snarky and level headed as ever but seeing her embrace her true personality is such a treat. I can literally go back and re-watch the entire series just to see her.

Pokemon: Alain

You can bet that I was one of the few people who were actually happy when he had defeated Ash during the Kalos League and claim the Champion title! He deserved it, especially after all that nonsense Lysandre put him through. He’s a powerful trainer who is always full of determination and I love how open he became to others over the course of the series. Ah, I wish he would return. (quiet x2, dark hair x2)

My Hero Academia: Momo Yaoyorozu

ya thought it would be Shouto because of the username hm? nope! Momo is an absolute queen! I’m so proud of her for regaining confidence in herself again and how natural she is at being a strong hero. Truly a perfect combo of intelligence and beauty! I can’t wait to see her preform in the culture festival soon. & I know they’re overdone but hell, I do enjoy the cannons. (dark hair x3)

Black Lagoon: Revy

My absolute favorite character of all time! While it is amusing to watch her personality soften up ever so slightly due to Rock’s presence, she remains such a deadly threat the entire series. She swears like a sailor and has a tendency to go berserk, due to a dark past, but she’s a strong woman and a complete badass! Literally a one-woman army thanks to her amazing firearm skills, earning her the “Two Hands” nickname. Totally not your typical protagonist and I think that’s why I love her so much. Super confident in her abilities, brutally honest, beautiful and so enjoyable to watch in action.. I could honestly go on forever about her. please lord i need more manga content for a season 3

The Promised Neverland: Ray

Best. Boy. Ever! The quality of character development he goes through in just one season is fantastic. After suffering for many years and thinking his life is nothing but “cursed,” he now hopes of a better future.. he wants to actually live! He vows to protect ever single kid in their family and is willing to do anything he can to achieve a happy, normal life for them. Ahhh he is just so precious.. I want to hug him! He deserves the best! (quiet x3, dark hair x4, peek-a-bangs x2)

Dororo: Hyakkimaru

I’m still so impressed with how well he could fight and function with all the missing senses and prosthetics he had. Watching him become more human with each episode was so satisfying. Despite the constant fights against demons and an entire nation trying to kill him, he remains so gentle and was able to find happiness. I still wish we got just one more episode post-time skip to see more of him and Dororo adjust to a more calm life..and to see more of his darn good looks. (quiet x4, dark hair x5, peek-a-bangs x3)

Fire Force: Arthur Boyle

The knight king himself! This boy never fails at making me laugh. It can be anything he says or just a simple facial expression. He’s a total dork but he makes me smile. But he’s also real strong too! He’s basically the reason why I’m so excited for season 2 this summer. I must see more of him!

No Guns Life: Mary Steinberg

A fearless engineer with a ton of sass. It didn’t take much for her to become my favorite in this series. She’s just a real joy to watch. I read what I could of the manga and there’s some scenes I’m real excited to see! I can’t wait to learn more about her when the second half continues next month.

Free!: Rin Matsouka

My favorite boy changed every season but in the end, it had to be Rin. Just look at him! He’s fabulous! I’m really happy that he learned to relax and be himself, rather than be closed-off and obsessed with winning and I think that’s how he won me over.

tagging: @bluelric @just-like-playing-tag @boahancokk @shreedy @naratemari @ivy-saurs @water-shuriken @ommanyte @vermilion-city-gym @liivolt​

Apologies if any of you have done this already! No pressure either, only if you want to of course! & you totally don’t need to go all out like I did, I just had too much fun. my type is so obvious isn’t it..and there’s more that aren’t even included here if you can believe it!

[dragracereviews]

RPDR S12 Ep8 Review

Look who’s back, back, back again! I haven’t really posted much in the last week despite the fact that I obviously have the time (fuck this quarantine) but I figured I should keep up with the episode reviews now that I’ve started them. We all know I wasn’t sad to see Brita go last week, but I was rather upset at Jan not winning the challenge like she should’ve, so you can just imagine how this review is going to go. Let’s get into it!

I’m just going to skip to the runway/airing of the commercials because the first half of the episode doesn’t really matter. The editing always makes the front runners look like they’re doing badly and sometimes the bottoms look like they’re doing well so fuck the producers and their meddling. Anyway.

Category is...Black Wedding!

1. Jackie Cox: Jackie knows her aesthetic and she stuck with it this week while at the same time, telling a story. Was it the most polished look? No, but I still appreciated what she was giving. Also, her commercial was hella funny and definitely deserving of the top.

2. Jan: UGH Jan looked so fucking good! Her face was beat to the Gods and this dress is beautiful! I absolutely loved the “I Don’t” on the back and her whole story line of swallowing the ring was genius! Also, I don’t think her commercial was that bad...maybe I’m just biased. I do see how it was very one note, but at least that one note was enthusiasm. (shade intended) We’ll get into Jan’s fate later on, but I think she looked perfect and deserved to be safe this week.

3. Jaida Essence Hall: I think Jaida looked flawless and expensive, but at the end of the day, it was just a pretty dress that didn’t really tell a story. Also, her commercial was good but not worth writing home about. I feel she was very middle of the pack this week which is honestly not a bad place to be right now. She deserved her safe status.

4. Gigi Goode: Gigi looked so damn good but it’s also what we’ve come to expect from her by now. Her commercial, however, wasn’t great. There were some laughs in there that the judges didn’t even crack a smile at which I found unfair, but I do think the only reason she wasn’t in the bottom two was because Ru loves her so much. Plus, whoever went up against Widow was bound to go home, but more on that later.

5. ...I’m not going to say too much on this one for obvious reasons...but whoever designed this look does need a shout out. Also, to those that felt this queen deserved to be in the bottom two are letting what she did outside of the show cloud their judgement when viewing what she’s doing on the show. The commercial wasn’t terrible, the look was well executed, and we all know she’s unfortunately not going anywhere anytime soon so we’re just going to have to get used to it. Now, moving on to more deserving queens...

6. Heidi N Closet: Before we talk about what happened in the episode, I want to make it well known that it pisses me off that Ru refuses to call Heidi by her full name. I’ve heard worse drag names and I don’t think it’s fair how she gets picked on for hers. Fuck those bitches. That being said, I think Heidi did a good job this week. She looked beautiful on the runway and her commercial was fucking hilarious. I do think someone else was more deserving of the win though, but more on that later.

7. Widow Von Du: DAMN Widow looked so good on the runway! The dress, her makeup, those contacts. Amazing. Her commercial though was definitely the worst of the bunch. It broke my heart to see her crumble like that and I honestly kind of blame Ru for reminding her that she hasn’t won a challenge in a while. Way to shake her confidence before a big challenge, Mr. Charles! And if you’ve watched Untucked, wasn’t it simultaneously heart warming and heartbreaking to see her have such a vulnerable moment in front of her idol?! This will definitely be an episode she’ll never forget. (P.S. Excuse the bad picture. I couldn’t find a better one online)

8. Crystal Methyd: I LOVED CRYSTAL’S LOOK SO MUCH!!! It was spooky, it was campy, it was different, and yet it was kind of glam at the same time? Her makeup looked great and she is probably the most versatile MUA on this whole season, TBH. I also found her commercial fucking hysterical so she was the clear top in my eyes. Great job, Crystal! You and your amazing mullet made me so proud. (Again, bad picture. Not my fault the girls aren’t posting all their looks themselves)

Now let's compare the top and bottom queens to my tops and bottoms.

Actual tops: Jackie, Jaida, Heidi, and Crystal.

MY tops: Jackie, Heidi, and Crystal. I think Jaida deserved to be safe this week, not in the top. However, it seemed you were either in the top or the bottom this week, so I can forgive it.

Actual bottoms: Jan, Gigi, She Who Must Not be Named, and Widow.

MY bottoms: Again, considering it was only tops and bottoms this week, I can agree with this. HOWEVER, I think it should’ve been Gigi and Widow in the bottom two, NOT Jan. This fucking show and their meddling producers. They clearly put Jan in the bottom because they knew Widow could beat anybody and they didn’t want to risk Gigi going home. Plus, their lack of love for Jan has been apparent since the beginning. Fucking assholes.

Winner of this week's challenge: Heidi

MY winner of this week's challenge: Crystal. I really think Crystal did amazing this week. Both her and Heidi’s commercials were great, but I think Crystal’s look was better. And despite my above complaint about the show picking favorites, it almost surprises me that Ru didn’t give Crystal the top spot just for finally embracing her fabulous mullet. I’m not mad that Heidi won though, I just would’ve given it to Crystal.

Winner of the lip sync: Widow

MY winner of the lip sync: Widow OR a double save. It broke my fucking heart to see Jan in the bottom, but I also knew Widow wasn’t going anywhere. She’s a phenomenal lip syncer and she was performing in front of her idol, FFS! I do think Jan held her own though, and I so wish it could’ve been a double save. But I bet you anything the producers thought that Jan’s story line was up and they were going to send her home, even if Widow had thrown the lip sync. Those fuckers didn’t appreciate Jan for the star that she is and I’ll never forgive them for it. #JusticeforJan 💔

[sippin-on-red-wine]

No. 6 Collaborations Project: A review!

It’s been a week since this fabulous album has dropped into our hands. Click “Keep reading to hear my thoughts on each track!

Track 1. Beautiful People Khalid ★★★★ Favorite Lyric: You look stunning dear/So don’t ask that question here

Thoughts/Reflection: Ed keeps referring to this song as ‘cozy’ and I completely agree. The vibe is cool. I love the tone of his voice here and I think it meshes really nicely with Khalid’s. The content isn’t super relatable, but I think we can all take something away from this one. It’s a good note on self-awareness and being able to see the reality in things that may look glamorous on the surface. 

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Track 2. South of the Border feat. Camila Cabello, Cardi B ★★★★★ Favorite Lyric: So join me in this bed that I’m in/Push up on me and sweat darlin’/So I’m gonna put my time in/Won’t stop until the angels sing

Thoughts/Reflection: This track is literally freaking scorching hot fire. TBH I’m surprised that they led the album with IDC and not this one. It feels like big radio potential to me. Regardless, this song is an absolute BOP - so catchy and so fucking sexy. 

I know Ed’s Spanish leaves something to be desired ☺ But I feel like we can cut him some slack after singing (yet another) song dedicated to going down on a woman. The ginger is forgiven! Five stars for him! And I’m going to have SOTB on repeat all summer (or for the rest of my life).

Oh, I also really like Cardi on this song. IDK if she’s problematic or w/e, I don’t really follow her in the media at all. But her verse is fun. (I think Ed got a lil jungle fever AY) bahahahah

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Track 3. Cross Me feat. Chance the Rapper, PnB Rock ★★★★★ Favorite Lyric: Know she gonna slide anytime you bitches talk shit/Keep a lil blade in her fuckin’ lip gloss kit 

Thoughts/Reflection: Love love love LOVE this one. It just makes you want to get up and DANCE the damn thing! I have to laugh a little at the thought of Ed being hard & tough, lol, but it’s a cool concept nonetheless. Like he said in his Charlemagne interview, it’s kind of a love song…. but a different tempo. It’s catchy as all hell and Chance’s verse is fucking cool. 

Full points. 

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Track 4. Take Me Back to London feat. Stormzy ★★★★★ Favorite Lyric: Coz you can win BRITS (it don’t stop)/And you can do Glasto (headline slot)

Thoughts/Reflection: Fuck. This song, though. IIt’s the first one that jumped out at me when I did my first full album listen. And I haven’t stopped listening since. The chorus is so syncopated. Stormzy is sick on this track, I love his voice so much. And it just feels like the two of them really play off each other nicely and probably had a blast making this song. 

Also, Ed flexing “Grossed half a billi on the Divide tour/No I’m not kidding what would I lie for” is BDE and I’m personally really here for it.

This song is a banger and you should dance in your kitchen to it while baking pastries. FIve stars for you, Big Mike and Teddy.

(Dear God please let Stormzy guest live in Ipswich)

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Track 5. Best Part of Me feat. YEBBA ★★★★ Favorite Lyric: it’s not a lyric but that part when Ed & YEBBA are harmonizing perfectly in the whoooaaAAaaaA 

Thoughts/Reflection: I love the sound on this song! His voice is so raw and tender here. It reminds me of Plus era, but grown up. I think it may be how delicately he approaches the syllables in his verse and the chorus. YEBBA’s tone is super rich and lovely, and they sound great together.

I’m taking a “star” off here because I don’t love the lyrics. I get that he’s being vulnerable and showing insecurities in verse 1, but then YEBBA follows that up with lamenting about misplacing things and being late for the train? It doesn’t seem to match up with admitting physical/bodily insecurities. Also, it could just be that I hate that Ed thinks of himself this way.

DUDE IS HOT AF

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Track 6. I Don’t Care feat. Justin Bieber ★★★★ Favorite Lyric: I don’t like nobody but you/I hate everyone here

Thoughts/Reflection: Oh god. When did this song come out? I’m trying to think back to my first impressions of it, LOL. It’s bright and poppy and of course it went and stayed #1 all summer (thus far). I remember thinking it was so cool that the melody is super mainstream and upbeat, but the underlying theme is around social anxiety. “Crippled with anxiety/But I’m told I’m where I’m sposed to be” 

I mostly skip this one now that the full album is out, but I think I listened to it for a full 48 hours on repeat when it first dropped. Bieber is problematic and shit, and honestly I don’t think he adds much to the song. I really like Ed’s acoustic version where he does the whole thing solo.

The bridge slaps. Literally. I love that clapping bit behind it. I wish that Ed hadn’t fucked up the lyrics to the bridge in the acoustic version lolololol

Four stars, will bop along for many moons to come

-

Track 7. Antisocial feat. Travis Scott ★★★★★ Favorite Lyric: So antisocial but I don’t care/Don’t give a damn I’m gonna smoke here/Got a bottle in my hand bring more tho

Thoughts/Reflection: DID YOU SEE HIM GUEST AT TRAVIS’ SHOW LAST NIGHT? This song was already one of my faves but holy shit. In interviews, Ed talks a lot about feeling awkward on stage without a guitar - but it didn’t look like that last night. He was bouncy as all hell, sounded great, looked great. Looked like he was loving the crowd’s energy too.

And the music video? That deserves a post all on it’s own.

This track is pretty short but it’s packed with good stuff. Ed’s intro is really strong here, the chorus is interesting despite the repetition. I physically can’t help but groove along to this tune. I’m sorry. I have no say in the matter

-

Track 8. Remember the Name feat. Eminem, 50 Cent ★★★★★ Favorite Lyric: 20 years old is when I came in the game/And now it's eight years on and you remember the name/And if you thought I was good, well, then I'm better today

Thoughts/Reflection: YES. YES. YES.  The song intros with a reference to Ipswich, bitch. I love how Ed makes those connections back to his upbringing.

It’s a little unreal that these three iconic voices/styles can flow so well on a song and still sound so balanced. 

I’ve got this one on repeat too. I’m determined to learn all of the words damnit!!

Five stars for a tune that I would love to see performed live someday.

-

Track 9. Feels feat. Young Thug, J Hus ★★★

Favorite Lyric: See you wigglin’, jigglin/If I have a bite will it taste like cinnamon?

Thoughts/Reflection: This song is fine. I like the feature verses. The song just doesn’t stick out that much for me.

-

Track 10. Put It All on Me feat. Ella Mai ★★★

Favorite Lyric: I try to be strong but I got demons/So can I lean on you?/I need a strong heart and a soft touch

Thoughts/Reflection: Falsetto. Falsetto everywhere. I love that! Ella Mai’s voice is so rich. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot more to say on this one. It’s not a song I’m playing on repeat, but I don’t skip it either.

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Track 11. Nothing On You feat. Paulo Londra, Dave ★★★★ Favorite Lyric: You and I/Whisky on ice/Maybe later we can turn down all the lights

Thoughts/Reflection: This song is SEXY and cool…. ‘smoke clouds and the scent of perfume’.... the imagery. Man. More falsetto here. Also, please go look up the translation of Paulo Londra’s verse. Thanks. I’m sweating. Is it hot in here? This album is *sexual* 

ALSO THE ‘BRRRP’ AFTER “they keep ringing my phone”  bahahahahah 

-

Track 12. I Don’t Want Your Money feat. H.E.R. ★★★★★

Favorite Lyric: I need you here for the good times and the bad times/Yeah the pullin’ out my hair gettin’ mad times/Not just the when I’m in your bed on my back times

Thoughts/Reflection: THIS IS SUCH A GODDAMN TUUUUNEEEEEE!!!!!!! I love this song so much. 10/10 jamming out to this in the car at every opportunity. Finger snappin’ cool r&b vibe. I love the super quick tempo (but not quite rap?) in Ed’s verses. And I always appreciate the little double-meaning-references in Ed’s songs - like ‘diamonds, silver or gold’ means $$$ of course, but also just success in terms of album sales performance.

TBH when I saw the title on Ed’s tracklist reveal, I totally thought this would be a slow mushy love song about how Ed’s lucky to have found someone who wasn’t into him for his money. This was a pleasant surprise!! I love that it’s a little angsty.

Five STARS bitch I love this song and y’all are sleeping on it

-

Track 13. 1000 Nights feat. Meek Mill, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie ★★★★

Favorite Lyric: Birds eye view/Pay my dues/For a two-mile queue

Thoughts/Reflection: i been ON for a thousAND NIGHTSSSSS NEW YORK TO LONDONNN DIFFERENT CITY EVERY DAYAYYY

1000 Nights: a flexy bop and I love it

This song is about the Divide tour which has been going for approximately 572 years. Not that I’m complaining.

But it’s cool (how many times have I said ‘cool’ in this post? don’t answer that). Ed loves touring and that comes out in this song. And Meek’s verse is so fun to rap along to!

Four stars.

-

Track 14. Way To Break My Heart feat. Skrillex ★★★★★

Favorite Lyric: I can’t stop thinkin’ bout her/And her lips on mine, so soft/Feelings I don’t know the name of

Thoughts/Reflection: biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch.

This song is NOSTALGIC and I simply adore it. It has that same… “cozy” feel that Beautiful People does. Which is strange, considering it’s a song about heartbreak. But it’s just so. Soft. And warm. 

We’re back to super soft placement of words and such pure tone. 

It’s hauntingly beautiful. And yet uptempo! Bless, Skrillex. I especially love the drums that come in during the chorus, after “you’re still gone, and i’ll say”

PS, the soft sound of mouth smacking at :13. Use headphones.

Some of my favorite Ed songs are ones about heartbreak, and I appreciate that he included one here. About an imaginary heartbreak 👀

Take another five stars from me, bud

- Track 15. BLOW feat. Chris Stapleton, Bruno Mars ★★★★★

Favorite Lyric: Hot damn/Pop it like a pistol mama/You got me down on my knees/Baby please?

Thoughts/Reflection: *laughing nervously*

Again, definitely not what I expected out of this track when the titles were all revealed. I LOVED release day on this one. The world collectively lost their shit. I need nothing more in this world than to see this song performed live, especially with a full band and Ed on an electric guitar. 

I’m still not over this loud, full, energetic song full of men bellowing about wanting to, well, fuck.

Bye

(five stars from me and also my 62 year old coworker Jan)

:::OVERALL:::

This album is SO GOOD MATE and I already cannot wait until the next collabs project! Ed blessed us with 15 amazing tracks to tide us over until Subtract comes out. They’re so different from his normal album stuff and I really love to see him try new sounds and get to create/collaborate with artists he admires so much.

it also has me real hot and bothered lmao

Thanks for coming to my tEd talk.

[silverfrostheart]

Help if you want jdhdhf

Here's this list of tarots major arcana bullhocky. I should note, in a fight, tarot can only use 5 cards at a time. So he's not OP lol. And he CAN run out of magic. But he's still quite strong and possibly gaster level? But Hey here's the list. It's incomplete but help if you want! I certainly need it -w-;;;;

1. The Fool

The Fool is traditionally both the first and the last card of the Major Arcana; in fact, the Major Arcana cards together comprise the Fool’s journey through life. The Fool represents new beginnings, excitement, courage, and potential.

The Fool is also full of advice that wouldn’t look out of place stenciled onto a lime-washed board and sold at a Hobby Lobby, things like “Believe in yourself and follow your heart” and “Have faith in where the universe is taking you.”

Like that one aunt, “The Fool is all about new experiences [and] personal growth.” He is also a little pouty, and appears to have been captured in the middle of saying, “It’s their loss!” The Fool has very fine bone structure.

The little white dog prancing dog at his feet is supposed to represent a “protector,” though it’s not sure from what, if anything, a nine-pound dog is qualified to protect you. “All the tools and resources he needs” for this trip are packed into a bindle the size of a bento box. He’s wearing yellow slouch boots and carrying a single white rose — it’s like using Goop to outfit an Everest ascent.

The Fool represents innocence, a kind word for stupidity. “He does not seem to mind if he does not really know what lies ahead,” which sounds like a really passive aggressive thing to write in someone’s yearbook.

Magic ability-portals

Character who represents this card- Underswap sans

2. The Magician

The Magician (whose more metal name is The Magus) is the first card of the Major Arcana. The Magician also symbolizes fresh starts and new beginnings, because 100% of people who ask for a tarot reading want a new beginning.

The Magician is driven and goal-oriented; he can “apply skill and initiative to accomplish all [his] goals.” His description reads like a performance review. He’s also wearing a snake for a belt.

The Magician card is holding a symbolic staff and making a symbolic hand gesture. He is holding symbolic tablets, wearing a symbolic robe, and standing hip-deep in symbolic flowers. Above his head floats the symbol for infinity. The Magician is like a junior high essay on The Scarlet Letter.

Magic ability- create sheilds/forcefeilds

Character who represents this card-Canvas

3. The High Priestess

The High Priestess “sits at the gate before the great Mystery” and “in front of the thin veil of awareness, which is all that separates us from our inner selves.”

If you’re the kind of person who’s into tarot, you are the kind of person who wants to draw the High Priestess card. On a “What tarot card are you?” quiz, the High Priestess is the card everyone wants to get. The High Priestess is the Elizabeth Bennet of tarot cards.

Moreover, her message is “trust your inner voice,” which is a message absolutely everyone wants to hear. No one goes to a tarot reader to be told, “Your instincts are totally wrong.” A tarot reader’s primary job is to be an enabler — in your heart you already know you’re going to quit your job to be a yoga teacher, you just want someone to tell you that teaching yoga is your destiny.

“Knowledge of how to fix [your problem] will not come through logic or intellect but through your intuition,” she says, which is a real load off for people not overly gifted with logic or intellect.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Tarot himself

4. The Empress

The card of feminine energy, the Empress represents fertility, beauty, and abundance. She may indicate either a physical or metaphorical pregnancy, which seems like something you should really nail down.

The Empress wears a bold patterned caftan she picked up in Yucca Valley. She’s sitting on a red velvet chair that looks like she found it on the sidewalk and tried to reupholster it herself. The Empress definitely uses the DivaCup.

Magic ability-Healing

Character who represents this card-Alterswap Toriel

5. The Emperor

The Emperor is the patriarch, the masculine seat of authority and power. The Emperor is paired with the Empress, even though he’s clearly at least thirty years older than she is. His expression is both scornful and wary, and he seems to suffer from mild rosacea.

The Emperor is seated on a throne “decorated with four rams’ heads, representing intellectual heights, determination, action, initiative, and leadership.” It is not at all obvious why rams’ heads should represent these things, and the last three sound like they were borrowed from Six Sigma.

Magic ability- Fire

Character who represents this card-Ferrell ( @jumpybox )

6. The Hierophant

The staid male counterpart to the much more fabulous Priestess card, the Hierophant represents institutional authority and established traditions. Like the Priestess, he is a religious figure, but in a much more orthodox setting.

No one is ever excited about getting the Hierophant, the middle school principal of tarot cards. If you were the kind of person who got excited about orthodox religious authority, you likely wouldn’t be getting your tarot read in the first place.

Moreover, the Hierophant offers good, boring advice, like “… follow due process and to stay within the conventional bounds of what is typically an orthodox approach. Instead of being innovative, you will need to adapt to the existing set of beliefs and systems that are already in place. You will need to do what is expected of you.”

But the Hierophant is not all bad. The card can also represent a wise mentor, someone like a priest, boss, or teacher. It also may represent a gateway to higher consciousness, as does without exception every other tarot card.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Aion ( @cutiegrumpycerym )

7. The Lovers

The Lovers card represents love, of course, and of the most rarified kind. The lovers share the deep emotional, physical, and spiritual connection you could expect from the kind of couple who calls themselves “lovers.” The two lovers stand among symbols of fertility and intimacy. The woman is gazing at the giant flaming angel in the sky, and the man is gazing at the woman’s pelvis.

The Lovers card also represents a crossroads, and the need to make a decision. “Unlike the Fool’s choice which has no wrong answer, the choice of the Lovers is very much right or wrong.” What’s more, “these decisions or choices are incredibly important and significant so it is essential that you choose the right path.” No pressure.

Magic ability-long distance communication with someone you care for

Character(s) who represents this card- Cross and Xchara

8. The Chariot

The Chariot represents will power, control, self-assertion, and victory. Also, in a refreshingly literal twist, the chariot can represent driving. The card is a real grab-bag of mystical symbolism, including stars, moons, alchemical symbols, and two extremely irritated sphinxes, the leftmost of which is actually rolling its eyes in disgust.

Everything the Chariot says, you can imagine being shouted through a megaphone: “this struggle will ultimately make you stronger!” “get in the race and win it!” “you have to dominate and beat the competition!” “assert yourself and be bold!” “pick up those knees!”

Magic ability-augmented speed

Character who represents this card-Mans (Spidertale Sans - @jumpybox )

9. The Hermit

The Hermit looks like a thinner, tanner Gandalf. He wears the grey cloak of invisibility. Having reached the snowy summit of his harrowing spiritual quest, he now looks sad and a little sleepy.

The Hermit represents being single and loving it. “Be content with being alone or associate only with those on your level,” the Hermit says emphatically over brunch. “Do not waste time and energy on those not ready or not worthy.” (cough, *Brian*) The Hermit is constantly posting about introverts on social media.

Magic ability-Invisibility

Character who represents this card-Chronicle ( @shigxx -I HOPE THIS IS OK AAA)

10. Strength

“The Strength Tarot card represents strength,” a popular tarot site helpfully explains, but unlike the amped-up jock jam sloganeering of the Chariot, Strength here means inner strength of character.

Strength is personified by a lovely woman wearing a long white dress wreathed in flowers giving a lion a comprehensive dental exam in what is surely a very specific fetish. “This lion is happy to submit and surrender to the woman,” who has tamed him with her strength of will and really on-point eyebrows.

Magic ability-augmented strength

Character who represents this card-Altertale sans

11. The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune represents life’s inherently cyclical nature. Sometimes things will go well, other times badly, but in the end, balance will be restored. The Wheel also represents karma, as well as fate and the external forces that control our destinies.

The Wheel of Fortune has absolutely everything you want in a tarot card, including an angel, a lion, a bull, a snake, a Sphinx, esoteric letters and symbols from several major world religions, and an eagle that looks like the artist started out trying to draw one thing and then changed their mind halfway through.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-

12. Justice

The Justice card represents justice, as one might expect, and more sternly, the idea that one gets what they deserve. Justice is all about taking responsibility for one’s self, and she gets a little blame-y: “your decisions and actions have long-term consequences and your present and future circumstances are most likely a result of these decisions and actions.”

Lady Justice sits on a throne, holding in one hand a double-edged sword; and in the other, a set of scales. She looks stern and unbending. “A little white shoe pops out from beneath her cloak, reminding us of the spiritual consequences of our actions,” in a note as charming as it is inexplicable.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Storyshift Chara

13. The Hanged Man

Like the Death card, the Hanged Man sounds much worse than it is. The card represents surrender: the man is described as a “willing martyr,” someone who sacrifices himself to a greater cause. The Hanged Man also represents a period of watchful waiting, and he is doing that waiting upside-down.

The Hanged Man is suspended from the World Tree, and “given the serene expression on his face, it is believed he is hanging on the tree of his own will.” (Really?) He may represent “letting go,” a thing you absolutely should not to when hanging upside-down from a tree.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card- Error/Eri/Geno

14. Death

Books that teach tarot reading advise readers to preface the revealing of the Death card with some variant of, “Now don’t freak out…” In fact, the Death card usually symbolizes a time of change, where one door closes and another opens. This can be a very positive thing, a time of renewal and new beginnings. Then again, sometimes the card symbolizes death.

Death here is a skeleton wearing a suit of armor that indicates death’s invincibility. He is riding a horse with a very small head and red eyes. A collection of disproportionately small people bow before Death’s inevitable slaughter as he regards them with a goofy grin.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Reaper (ofc)

15. Temperance

The Temperance card signifies calm, balance, tranquility, and avoiding extremes. Temperance is cautious, keeping one foot on dry land.

In her hands she holds two cups of water, one hot, and one cold, creating that mystical symbol of cosmic balance, tepid water. Supposedly, the water she is pouring is actually flowing backwards, from the lower cup to the upper one, though it’s impossible to verify that.

Magic ability-

Character that represents this card- Core frisk

16. The Devil

Unlike the Death card, which seems bad but is good, the Devil card seems bad and is bad. The Devil represents materialism, vice, and addiction. He controls our lowest, most animal desires. At his feet, a man and a woman are chained, in servitude to their baser nature. However, the chains are loose and they could slip their heads from them if they tried, indicating that their bondage is voluntary.

The Devil is more disappointed than terrifying, and his Satanic hand gesture is a dispirited wave. The chained lovers at his feet look dopey and complacent, gesturing towards the inky cave of the insatiable unconscious like it’s a showcase on The Price Is Right.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card- Fresh

17. The Tower

Following on Death and The Devil, the Tower is a very bad card. It symbolizes sudden catastrophe. After this time of chaos, new and better things may emerge, but that’s likely small consolation during your current era of unremitting disaster.

The Tower is a sturdy-looking building that probably seemed safe, but now it has been struck by lightning and it’s on fire, and the same lovers who were so dreamily enraptured on the Lovers card and so calmly drugged out when chained to the Devil are now plunging headlong to their ruin amid 22 symbolic flames. The man’s mouth is open with surprise, while the woman’s is pursed in anger, as if to say, “I warned you about the lightning.”

Magic ability- earth manipulation

Character who represents this card-

18. The Star

After the destruction of the Tower, the Star is all love and light. The card represents joy, kindness, hope, and faith — basically anything you’d want to embroider on a tea towel.

On the Star card, a naked woman is serenely pouring water from a clear, still pool onto the grass, where it runs off in five streams said to represent the senses. The woman is pretty but in an approachable way. Behind her is a field of stars and a tree in which roosts the sacred (if extremely crudely drawn) “ibis of thought.”

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Nebula

19. The Moon

One might assume the Moon would be a good card, suggesting femininity, fertility, and other mystically significant things, but in fact, the Moon is a mixed bag at best. The card represents intuition, but also subconscious fears and dark impulses. The Moon is associated with the eerie, mysterious elements of our unconscious minds, including recovered memories and nightmares.

The moon itself is upstaged by all the weird animals that are roaming around beneath it. A lobster crawls out of the depths of a dark pool, symbolizing the disturbing images that bubble up from our unconscious minds, and joins two dogs baying at the moon (some interpret these canines to be one dog and one wolf). Beyond the animals is a narrow path between two desolate towers. The moon wears the expression of someone who has just said their final word of an argument in bed and is now pretending to be asleep.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Nightmare

20. The Sun

The Sun is everything the Moon is not: open, positive, upbeat. Whereas the Star is serene and blissful, the Sun is way too chipper. The Sun played “Get Lucky” at his wedding. The Sun cheers for the kiss cam. The Sun likes to shout “I can’t hear you!” from the stage. The Sun means well, but all the other cards are embarrassed for him.

On the tarot card, the Sun itself looks a little embarrassed, pointedly averting his eyes from the spectacle below him: a naked, wreathed baby riding a white horse in front of a field of sunflowers, like the result of a dangerously escalating feud between Mary Engelbreit and Anne Geddes.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Dream

21. The Judgement

The Judgement card means judgement, not surprisingly, but also an inner voice, sudden realization, or higher calling. Judgment is about resolution, the cathartic climax to all of your struggles. The Judgment card also looks absolutely crazy.

The card shows a group of pallid, naked people rising up from their graves in a colorless, blasted landscape to the call of a trumpeting angel. The angel appears to be faking playing a trumpet, and not even faking it well. He holds the instrument stiffly while pointedly avoiding eye contact with the zombie cult members whose arms are upraised in worship of him.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-Outerfell asgore

22. The World

The World is the last card of the Major Arcana, and represents the summation of the journey begun by the Fool. After all the adventures of the past twenty-one cards, the World represents accomplishment, closure, and completion.

Unfortunately, the last card of the soul’s journey is also a bit of a mess. When you hear the phrase “the world,” many images may come to mind, but one them is probably not a dancing lady wrapped in a purple shawl, holding a baton in each hand, and surrounded by a lion, a bull, an eagle, and a human figure described as a “cherub” though he looks at least 28. The lady looks a little off-balance and more than a little drunk, which is perhaps not a bad symbol for closure after all.

Magic ability-

Character who represents this card-

[truthsuniversallyacknowledged]

Now I’ve Stopped Crying: Why The Game of Thrones Ending Sucked

I needed this to exist and it didn’t. So here it is, in no particular order: 

1. Violation of its own rules 

Westeros was loosely based off of Medieval/Renaissance Europe - the filming locations were exclusively European, and all manner of cultural ‘identifiers’ - clothing, political system, ethnicity of the actors/characters - followed that of Medieval Europe. The Red Wedding is based off a real Italian wedding, Jaime and Cersei resemble Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, a real set of incestuous aristocratic siblings, while Sansa and Joffrey also have their naming equivalents in the same family - Lucrezia’s brother, Gioffre, and his wife, Sancia. The High Sparrow is also similar to Savonarola, a religious fanatic in late Renaissance Italy, Braavos has clear parallels with Venice - I could easily continue. 

Naturally, there were cultural ideas from Medieval Europe which were clearly established in Game Of Thrones - the divine right of kings, bastardry, and discrimination towards women, foreigners, and various other minority groups - including the disabled. By pretending that Bran would have been keenly accepted not only by the aristocracy, but by the average peasant in Westeros, the plot is suddenly ignoring the framework within which the show has been operating. Throughout the show, there were two aspects a king had to have; either he could take the throne by force, requiring a large army or perhaps dragons, or he needed to be born in line - the right to the throne which has paramount to the entire series. One thing is ultimately clear; Bran as the King is jarringly wrong.

2. Compromising of characters

One thing Game of Thrones did exceptionally well is nailing politics; by the end of the series viewers had a clear understanding of the motives and principles of every character. But the ending D&D wanted would never have been allowed to happen with our set of characters around (perhaps this should have been a red flag that it wasn’t a good idea!) and so we watched as characters we’d known for years suddenly forgot who they were. Daenerys wanted to break the wheel and end suffering, and she sacrificed enormously because she wasn’t willing to take her dragons and burn the place down because that’s not the person she wanted to be - until the writers wanted her to be. I could have accepted that u-turn in character arc - if it was the only one. Jaime, after being almost killed by Cersei, finally, finally decided he’d had enough and made the choice to go to Brienne, which was the culmination of seasons and seasons of him slowly improving as a person and agonising over his feelings for cersei and his own identity. And then he just went “nah”. The Northerners, regarded for their strong loyalty, let Jon wander off into the wilderness and readily accept Sansa as their new ruler. Despite earlier reminiscing on her father’s words regarding how “the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”, Arya decides to... be a lone wolf. on a boat.

But I’m barely getting started. Tyrion, a cunning political mastermind, not only became dumb as dog shit, but, having first-hand knowledge of the treatment of disabled individuals in Westeros, despite any ability they might have (not that Bran demonstrated ANY ability to lead well through the whole series - but I’ll get to that), he somehow didn’t see any problem with this plan. (Side note: if right to the throne and being disabled don’t matter, why couldn’t Tyrion be king?) 

Sam. Sam takes the whole goddamn cake. He is the one who discovers Jon’s parentage, and with a FULL UNDERSTANDING of how important it is. And he has watched Jon demonstrate bravery and courage and leadership time and time again - he is his best friend and strongest advocate. And so, when the time comes for him to fight for Jon: he suggests democracy? and then lets Bran take over without so much as a word in Jon’s defense? Pathetic. And so, so, wrong. 

3. “Who Has a Better Story than Bran the Broken?”

I could name a few. hundred.  We have been watching a series that clearly followed Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, and a long list of other political players, artistocratic families and usurpers - but from the very beginning, we have followed those two, always. To suggest that the entire direction of the series was some great practical joke, designed only for an oh-so-shocking plot twist, is so utterly contemptuous of us, their loyal audience. It’s also absurdly disrespectful to the story itself, which deserved a real ending. 

4, When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. 

Jon did neither. His end was a total cop-out - D&D didn’t want to kill him, but him winning would have been too predictable, so they formed a sheepish way out that they seemed to think was good enough. They were wrong. 

And as for Bran? He wasn’t. even. playing.

But this is a symptom of the biggest issue with this whole ending; avoiding predictability was more important to the writers than ending the story well. Having spent years and years watching an intricate story as it followed out its natural path, in accordance to the guiding principles of each character and they world in which they live, it’s no surprise that some audience members were bound to predict the ending. But we loved game of thrones not just for its plot twists, but also for its witty dialogue, deep and fascinating characters, and consistently captivating story - this ending had a whole lotta shock, and not much of anything else. 

5. Bran didn’t deserve it 

I already touched on why Bran would never have been accepted and how totally inconsistent his takeover was with, well, everything. But Bran isn’t at all kingly - he hasn’t demonstrated leadership of any kind, hasn’t participated in the politics of the kingdom yet still has no understanding of the everyday person, and also displays no compassion or empathy, particularly towards Meera.  He also didn’t see anything wrong with taking the throne from Jon, who not only deserved it according to the show’s framework but also deserved it in the eyes of the audience because he was, simply put, a good leader and a good person. 

We also never really got an explanation as to why Bran was Bran again - and i thought the Three Eyed Raven couldn’t take titles. This whole ending really doesn’t stand up to even mild scrutiny - evidence of the lack of thought which ruined one of the greatest shows of all time. 

6. What was the goddamn point? 

Why couldn’t Gendry be King? Or Tyrion? Why did it matter at all that Jon was Targaryen, or the rightful heir? Why did we bother watching Daenerys scheme for season after season if she was going to burn King’s landing anyway? Why did Melisandre bother to bring Jon back to life if he wasn’t going to be significant in killing the Night King or taking the throne? What the hell was the point of the white horse? 

7. An end to the post (hopefully I did a better job than they did)

I felt compelled to write this because I have yet to cease encountering people who think that this disgrace disguised as an ending was okay. And it truly upsets me that it was such a disservice to what was a truly fabulous show. 

But the last reason that this ending sucked has a silver lining; it was widlly wrong, and most of us knew it instinctively - before we really analysed it and argued about it (and it my case, composed overly long posts about it). And we knew it instinctively because we know this story - and maybe, like me, you weren’t sure what exactly to expect, but you knew it wasn’t this. We know this story, and we know the true ending - even if it’s only in our hearts. 

[uraharasandals]

Victor / Hunger Games AU

A self-indulgent hunger games au that no one asked for, again :p. I just finished reading the series (again) and realised there was a lot of stuff I didn’t catch up on the first time I did. So I wrote this, because it just seemed so accurate and sheds light on both series. Hopefully this also sheds light on Chuuya and Kouyou’s relationship and other relationships as well. (also inspired by a hunger games series on ao3; The Long Road Home)

Title: Victor

Word count: 1533

Chuuya, Kouyou (other side relationships) 

Character study 

  As soon as the wretched trumpets blared to signify a victory, Kouyou could’ve collapsed right there and then, out of happiness and sheer exhaustion.

  Another victor. Finally a tribute from Eight, a male tribute.

  She stared at her victor on the screen, trying to ignore the blood in his hands, bewildered expression on his face, and a cut down his leg, a steady flow of blood on skin and soaking the makeshift bandage wrapped around it, and instead focused on his bright orange curls, almost as dark as hers but not quite, a shade lighter, the ends singed off by the fire just used by the Gamemakers to flush out the tributes, but nonetheless more intact than the rest of him combined. 

  A hand on her shoulder made her jump, almost rousing her animalistic instincts to kill. Almost. But instead she forced herself to be calm, and turned around to look into the amused glint in Mori Ougai’s red eyes. 

  “Congratulations.” District Two. He had seen her through her four years of mentoring, all four years of fresh pain and numbness and being forced to obey Snow’s commands. The first four years were the worst; all of them had told her that and invited her into their circle, the circle of young and attractive and talented victors who were either identified as threats or viewed as potential escorts, lovely and charming as they are. And she had accepted. Being with friends had made her feel better, much better, and for the first time since the Games had ended, Kouyou was able to sleep without nightmares prowling her dreams.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke, but Mori allowed Kouyou’s eyes to linger on his and search them. Normally, she wouldn’t even doubt his words, but Two was extremely protective of their tributes, and her victor just killed Mori’s boy. She looked at those dangerous red eyes carefully, but any trace of hostility or anger directed towards her was carefully concealed or not even there at all. Of course. Despite that, Kouyou allowed a small smile to grace her lips. “Thank you.”

  “Go and see him.” She turned to face Fukuzawa Yukichi, mentor from Seven. “He’ll need you.”

  “Wear something nice too,” Yosano added. “You’ll never know who you encounter.” 

  “Well, Kouyou anee-san looks fabulous anyways, so I don’t think it really matters.” Dazai from Two swiveled around in his chair, drawl evident in his tone. She wondered why Two had two male mentors this year, but then again Dazai had won just last year. Maybe they wanted new, fresh faces in the scene.

  “And aren’t you flattering as always.” Kouyou threw back a smirk at him, but shrugged on her vibrant outer kimono anyways, and walked out with one last thankful smile at the room.

  As she made her way down the endless grey-blue corridors with the aid of one guards, the giddiness in her disappeared, and was replaced with dread, and anxiety.

  What was she going to tell him? About the so-called ‘deals’ between the President and the victors, that they obey him or else? Her little victor was attractive, and there was no doubt that some patrons had fixated their eyes on him, which would make Snow have something to control him with. Unless he was strong enough to make it through, which she now had slivers of doubt about.

  Winning the Games did not make someone a victor. It just made the Victors wish they were dead, were the ones who were killed in the arena, because life after the games, promising as they were at first sight, was just a big huge continuation of the Games themselves. The only difference was what needed to survive. In the arena, you just kill. Outside, everything was so much more complicated. Kouyou sighed, and drew her coat closer to her body to somewhat stop the shivering.

  “We’re here,” The guard announced, leading her through a door looking like a part of the wall, which slid open soundlessly.

  Kouyou had took a deep breath before entering, but nothing would’ve prepared her for the boy, collapsed on the ground, still with the bewildered expression and now a vacant look in his eyes, dried blood still on his limbs. The wound on his leg was patched up roughly, but she could clearly see that wasn’t enough, and it was this sight that snapped her back into action.

  “Didn’t anyone heal him?” She fixed a glare on the guard standing emotionless in the room.

  “He refused to budge, madam. None of the anesthetics helped.” The man replied, and Kouyou understood the tourniquet now.

  At that, she knew it was her job to do, and quick, because he was in danger of losing a limb, and bit her lip to stop the hurt and guilt inside her from welling up and spilling out, before kneeling down in front of the boy and taking his trembling hands in hers, perfectly manicured with smooth pale skin. Kouyou tried not to notice the obvious Capitol-like quality of her hands as compared to his rough ones, worn due to work and his days in Eight, now bloodied with the dry red of his fellow tributes, but it was there, obvious and glaring at her, and for the first time, she started doubting whether she was really worthy of representing District Eight.

  At that, the boy jerked up. and as if noticing his surroundings for the first time, murmured, almost a whisper and like a lost child, “I want to go home.”

  Kouyou was thankful for the lack of cameras here, because this certainly wasn’t something a Victor should be saying, and it certainly wouldn’t be wise to do this either, to be comforted by an older mentor who barely survived her own Games, but for now it didn’t matter. There would be a time for her to tell him everything and teach him, but slowly, carefully. Because now that she had seen this vulnerable side of him, knew also the strength and extent of things that would push him over the edge, and how much Snow could and would use against him. The man himself would probably know as well, having eyes and ears everywhere, and Kouyou found herself dreading whether he could stand straight with the burden of the world on his shoulders.

  But he could. And he would. And he must. She had seen the restraint shown when his friends clung to him during the goodbyes said before the train pulled away, and the way he held himself together, the shreds and pieces of himself left after his fellow tribute was torn apart by mutts. She had seen the cold and grim determination in his eyes, heading to the arena and forcing himself to his feet after the Careers - four of them - had decided to make a punching bag out of him after they’ve caught him. Yes, the boy in front of her is a survivor, only with a fragile heart.

  The word brought her up short. Didn’t all Victors have fragile hearts? Because otherwise, how could Snow have had taken hold of the ones they love most, and force them into the endless and cruel cycle of being bought and sold? Because otherwise, how could some of them end up drinking their lives out of a bottle or dependent on the sweet relief of morphling? All of this was left unspoken on Kouyou’s lips, and for a moment, she didn’t want to tell him all of that. But she had to. Just like the others before her, she had the role of a mentor and advisor, and had to take up the responsibility of telling them the truth, no better how horrifying and bitter. They deserve that much, at the very least.

  So, for that moment, Kouyou allowed all the unspoken words and many more to pass through the silence, unspoken, but there, and instead look into his expectant eyes and said, gently, “And we will. We will return home as victors, Chuuya, you and I.”

  His eyes widened, blue wide blown but with a silver of light. “Really?” Uncertainty, but with hope. Kouyou willed herself to stay calm and in control, and to tell him one more lie. 

  “Safe and sound,” She promised. As if overwhelmed by relief, Chuuya promptly collapsed, exhaustion sending him straight into her arms.

  Instantly, arms, foreign and appearing out of nowhere, belonging surely to the Capitol doctors waiting for him to be subdued, reached for Chuuya’s limp form, and she let them, despite the gnawing fear of him never returning. But after all, they need a Victor.

  Sighing, she rose, and turned back to the guard who brought her here, and followed him out of the room, now the floor caked with blood and Chuuya and everything else, and back to the band of mentors who either would be heading back in preparation for Post-Games affairs, or knocking back a bottle, but nonetheless where she belonged. Few would congratulate her, but the handful few would be enough.

  As she walked, Kouyou finally felt the immense relief flooding her at the sight of her victor’s return. Welcome back, Chuuya. 

[mychakk]

Hello again my dear friend. Your very own SSS is back with questions regarding your gift(s). I was actually wondering how you feel about au's fics. Do you like them? And if yes, do you have a favorite one? And after that please tell me your favorite hc about all of the ships you love and you have included in your ship list. I would like to know more about them and how you see them all.

Oh, I love AUs! I love the what if stories that explore a canon divergence or a similar but different path due to some one change (although I don’t like swap fic like swap lock with Molly as the consulting detective, just no.). I also love the AR like Potter’verse for Sherlolly, Victorian, Pirate, Medieval, Regency etc. I love AUs they allow to explore the characters in a new way. It’s also tricky to keep them in character but some leeway is always allowed ;) I love arranged marriage and marriage of convenience trope a lot. 

Oh, my, hc for my beloved ships, well I think I listed a lot of them XD ok, here it goes: (I think it’s more view/feelings bout them than hc per se, sorry!)

MCU: 

Pepper/Tony - I think it’s all about her quiet but unmovable support of him and yet the ability to call his bullshit. (sounds familiar, doesn’t it? I have a type I suppose). And once he realises what he has he’ll do everything to protect her. That scene in Iron Man 2, when instead of taking to armour onto himself he puts it on her… Yes, those two are just perfect. As for hc, I like to think that Pepper was already pregnant at the end of Avengers 3, so when Tony returns (and I don’t accept any other option, Marvel, you hear, they deserve a happy ending!), There’s going to be small little being (I’m leaning toward a daughter) around Pepper’s legs to greet him as well. :)

Peter/MJ - Oh, this is my OTP since my childhood as I’ve always loved Spider-Man. I love the new dynamics in MCU, and I cannot wait to see their romance. My fav part is that she’s eventually aware of his true identity and supports him (see, a type, I tell you). In the animated version from the mid 90s their story was quite a tragic one and I think I liked it a lot too. 

Gamora/Peter aka Starlord - Oh my, they are two hurt by harsh life, wary people, especially Gamora, and their romance was such a sublime precious thing. Not overtly done but there. And how he managed to win her over, how reluctant she was but he persisted first with steadfast friendship then something more (once again sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). I cried like a baby while watching Avengers 3, both times. I also cry at the Guardians Movies (yes, the movies, both of them, because they are about friendship and family above all else). Guardians are my top favourite movies of the whole franchise, duh, 

Steve/Natasha - Here it’s a little tricky because I’m a little multishipper for those two. Steve/Peggy was a tragic romance that pulled at my heartstrings, but I really wouldn’t want it to be revisited, tbh, I liked how star-crossed they were. I definitely do NOT ship Steve with Peggy’s niece (was it?), nope, no feelings about them whatsoever. But, Natasha… Now, Winter Soldier, and ever since… There is such a potential for those two. They work so well together. Yes… And once again it’s about her quiet but efficient support of him. Burce/Natasha didn’t do anything for me, sorry. But I was intrigued byt Natasha/Clint and kinda shipped them until we learnt about Clint’s family. I love that he had a family. 

Harry Potter 

Harry/Hermione - God, this ship. This is my OTP. Only Sherlolly rivals it as my OTP. Atm, Sherlolly is top one, but Harmione is close by and I still revisit the fandom just for the two of them. I love that they are such a close friends. The trust between them in unmovable, unshakable; she follows him and supports him, but isn’t afraid to call his bullshit, he encourages her and is there for her, he was the first one to see her as someone with feelings (it for sure wasn’t Ron no matter how much I love the redhead). He taught her to see past books and cleverness, he taught her about friendship and love. And she was onle of the very few and probably the very first one who saw him just as Harry (it took time for Ron and way too long for Ginny, to lose the fangirl/fanboy attitude). I love how complementary they are. For me they are perfect. I like to hc they have always been in love with each other just didn’t realise it at first. I like to imagine that post war, instead of the epilogue, all the characters managed to truly find themselves which led to a more suited pairings (for me the series ends before the epilogue obviously ;)

Ron/Luna - I have a major issue with Ron and Hermione and it’s how he treats her. I’m sorry but he always belittles her and she does the same to him! But for me, Luna has a lot of Hermione’s traits (inteligence for once), but never bellitled Ron, but always supported him. Hermione does it too, of course, and yet Luna’s support seems more like a fuel for Ron to reach his potential. Hermione will always be better than Ron and for Ron who always craved greatness it’s a huge thing to overcome. But Luna seems to follow her dreams yet support Ron in his. That’s how I have always seen them. That’s what is my hc.

Neville/Ginny - I definitely prefer this pairing for Ginny. It’s mostly because once again I felt that Ginny’s support could have helped Neville become the man he could be (thankfully he managed it without her, but before book 7, I always felt she could be the key for Neville and it stayed with me), I always felt that his quiet nature and less flamboyant self would be a lot more calming for her fiery temperament than Harry ever could… 

Draco/Ginny - Here I am for the fiery combination of the two XD I also like a redeemed Draco theme. And sometimes ship him in a onesided Dramone too. I also like their kinda Romeo/Juliet situation. 

Lucius/Narcissa - that ship took me by surprise, tbh! I’ve read a couple of fabulous Harmione fics with them, and two of the greatest broke them apart making them more an arranged polite pairing than anything else and I realised I actually ship them as in love. I don’t know why, I just like the idea of them, even being on the wrong side of the light, to still being able to experience love. In the end it was that love that redeemed them. Sometimes I like to hc they fell in love after they were arranged. 

Remus/Tonks - the way she fought for him, and in the end their true love won. Even if for a short while before being cut of tragically. I like that they are actually quite an unusual pair and because of their age difference too. Sometimes I like to hc that if they survived they’d struggle as a married couple but overcome all the obstacles and learn how to be truly happy together 

Bones 

Booth/Brennan - this is another major OTP for me. I love their friendship, mutual, trust, support, their ability to compromise and being opened to the other and their life/word view. Their love story was the greatest feature of the whole show. It was so nice to see them reach a happy ever after and live through it. I love how they both grown as characters thanks to this wonderful relationship they shared over the years. And how faithful, how loyal to each other they have always been.

Angela/Hodgins - this is another story of true love can prevail everything. God, she was such a free spirirt, it looked like he didn’t stand a chance, but his persistence, his love for her, his support as she were with someone else after their break-up, and then their happiness. God, I love them so much. And I want a Hodgins of my own ;)

Sweets/Daisy - they were so cute as a silly version of Booth/Brennan. They also learned a lot about themselves and each other during their relationship. They grew both as characters and as a couple. And I really liked it.  

How To Train Your Dragon 

Hiccup/Astrid - first of all they are friends. And based on that, they support each other, trust each other, back up each other, but also talk and point out flaws. I like to hc they’d have always ended up together. 

Ruffnut/Fishlegs - this one is a tricky one as it’s only fanon based. But I like the idea of Ruff, who is a wild spirit, and Fishlegs who is the scholary type, to find some kind of connection and appreciation. It’s a little similar to Neville/Ginny I suppose. I really love them, and how they could truly balance each other. 

Anne with an E 

Gilbert/Anne - oh, I have always shipped them, but in this version it’s all about his devotion. He’s so completely in love with her. They also try to be friends and support each other and be there for each other and I think that’s wonderful. 

BBC Sherlock:

Sherlolly - oh, my. I think the thing about them for me is their mutual trust and a certain tender approach toward each other. I think that Molly is the only one who truly sees Sherlock as a man and not the Sherlock Holmes and it’s something that’s very attractive to Sherlock, very addictive and that’s why he can be himself with her, and show his vulnerability. There is also a lot of respect between them in their quiet companionship. I also like that they are kinda hidden from everyone else. Only the audience truly knows what really goes between them and that’s very precious to them. I like how they support each other. They work together, they trust each other even if they don’t like what they see. But they work together. 

Warstan - Mary is just perfect match for John. They work so well together. I hate that John almost threw it all away. It shows he’s human but it was a very painful plot. I like to hc, that Mary would have eventually forgiven him, but he would have to really work to get her trust back. I will also dare to say, that maybe there were some huge issues on both sides to work through and John’s wayward thoughts toward E were a result of that. Don’t get me wrong, he was the one who did an awful thing. But maybe Mary wasn’t such a saint either, after all she left him and Rosie without a second thought (to protect them sure), but she wasn’t willing to work with John. Maybe she subconsciously pushed him away? Maybe she was afraid of his reaction based on how badly he took the news about her past? It doesn’t change the fact that both were at fault and didn’t have enough time to work through their issues. They were faulty real people and that’s what I love about them. I wish I could see more of them and their fight for their happiness. 

Mythea - Once again an example of a ship with a woman supporting a man. I like to think he is very protective of her but also kinda shy about his feelings. I don’t know, I see him also viewing himself as unworthy of her affections. While she is kinda helplessly in love with him. In the end they take their heads of their arses and have their happily ever after. I like to hc that Anthea’s been moved away from Mycroft to protect her and maybe because they did start a relationship and she was on maternity leave so that’s why we didn’t see her in s4 ;) 

So, I hope you don’t mind me being talkative about my ships XD

Do you share some of mine? Do you have complete deferent views on the characters? Feel free to tell me :)