#I AM LITERALLY A JUNIOR IN TERMS OF CREDITS
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clingyduoapologist · 1 year ago
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Tonight’s thrilling lesson from freshmen orientation: cheating is bad actually
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23, 34, 45! 💛✨✌️🫶
Thank you for the ask, @themareverine!!!
23. A talent I have
I'm pretty sure you knew this would be a tough one for me, given my own internal monologue at times, just as I'm sure that might be specifically why you asked 💕💕. This isn't so much a current talent, as I am way out of practice, but I've been feeling rather nostalgic today, so I'm gonna have to say my former abilities with the clarinet.
I was in symphony band in high school since sophomore year, section leader of both symphony band and marching band for junior and senior years, multiple times going to solo & ensemble and pulling 1's since 7th grade (that's the highest ranking), and qualifying to go to the next level, but it always conflicted with a pre-existing concert or symphony band trip, so I never took it further. I was selected to be the only clarinet in our jazz band as well, for junior and senior years, and then auditioned for and made the Michigan Marching Band for freshman and sophomore years in college. Yup. I'm a nerd! (And I'm gonna go cringe a bit now, because I'm not used to bragging on myself like this and I feel awkward 😅😅).
34. A time I succeeded
Let's see...I'm going to sort of expose my sometimes crippling perfectionism, anxiety, and over-achieving tendencies, here, but I feel like it's still a relevant answer to the question.
Freshman year of college, I was able to bypass "entry level" chemistry courses, and go straight to Organic Chem because I'd done well enough on the AP test in high school. Chemistry was kinda my thing, my "jam", if you will, so I went into college chem more than a bit cocky (which is surprising for me), and the first exam came along, I studied just the night before, because all of my other exams allowed me to do that and sail through with flying colors.
Oh boy did I ever get freaking burned. Even with the class being graded on a curve.
The remainder of the semester went a little bit better, in that I studied well in advance, and all, but with marching band a huge time-suck, plus needing to keep up in my other classes (huzzah for taking the max amount of credit hours one could take in a semester?), I skated through at the end of term with a B- (and let's be real, I was lucky to get that.) But to my little "all A honor roll" perfectionist self, that was...tantamount to failure. So second semester comes around, I'm enrolled in part deux of the class (they split it into Orgo 1 and Orgo 2), I literally ate, breathed, and slept with that hideous lime green textbook at my side, went to study group religiously once per week, and at the end of semester two, wound up with my prized A. (And it would've remained an A even if they'd taken away the curve).
45. Who I want to hug
I would give absolutely anything for one of my grandpa's hugs, right about now. He just had this way of making me feel like I could conquer the freaking world with one hug, even with all of my self-doubt, and I miss that so, so much, every day.
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hummingbirdsinjune · 2 years ago
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My School President Ep 12 thought dump (there are spoilers)
- The relief that Tinn's mom didn't force him to come out is astronomical. There is a very clear difference in Gun's comfort with his mom, and Tinn's reservation with his own parents. It's so so so important for him to come out on his own terms and a very big step for her to realize that when she saw how nervous he was.
- Tinn's mom forever. I'm actually glad we meet her as his mom in MSP before MLC because I have a feeling we really won't like her in MLC.
- That honest conversation queer youth has about knowing not everyone is accepting. So important coming from Gunn, to support Tinn after Tinn has supported him all this tim
- I don't know if I can watch this because Tiw's faces are too funny
- That's right Tiw take the credit you deserve
- The girlies returned!! Sob they're so cute
- Tinn entering his angry at the world arc in the last episode is wild. Now that he doesn't have Gun's success to focus on, I imagine he's going to dismantle the government.
- not the TANDEM BIKE on god that's the wildest thing in this show
- Tinn really said "you miss 100% of the chances you don't take"
- AH. AH. NSKXKGKSKSIC WHAT.
- Sigh. I hope the stress doesn't last long lmao
- "Sound and I have no secrets" excuse me while I go cry
- Pat lmao right to the point. Por being so dumb. Yo finally using his 1 braincell. I love these kids.
- Gunn's friends 🤝 love, support, and happiness
-;Gun trying to help Tinn like just break my heart already
- oh yes more umbrella gays
- no I don't like crying gun I physically can't handle it
- aww so much of the school being supportive even though it's very weird to take and share photos of people without them saying it's okay but w/e you know for the sake of fiction
- literally stopping every 30 seconds to laugh at Chinzilla cooing over each other
- damn they really called us out about GunTinn or TinnGun lmao (yeah yeah Gun said GunTinn but of course he would. I'll stick with TinnGun)
- Obviously we knew from the preview that the comically bad guidance counselor is actually a close minded, judgemental person but it doesn't stop it from being shocking
- OH MY GOD IT WASNT TINN THROWING HANDS (screaming into the void)
- See this is why I refrained from saying anything bad about Kajorn. He's always been ripe for a character arc.
- Tinn's mom took her development in strides. I've been disappointed in her, and I am very proud of her. She just needed the time to adjust how she was looking
- I will live and die for happy Kajorn he's been uptight this whole series
- hehe SoundWin
- Here I was in my feeling about this being almost over and I'm not actually in part 4 yet lmao
- ep 12 is long AF lmao
- my soul. The TiwPor glances
- did they never get juniors? LOL the music club is doomed
- ayyyye Win get your man yes sir 🤭
- the contrast of kissing in this episode compared to the entire season has me like 😳 y'all I'm GROWN
- aw Pat 😂
- sound just?? Left his guitar?? that HE brought to school instead of a backpack?
- actually not hearing Tinn sing more is a crime
- Tinn's dad is such a dad lmfao
- Tinn 🤝 Tinn's Dad 🤝 The Thunder
- Gun you menace
-GUN
- no official TiwPor 😭
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watevermelon · 5 years ago
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Patience is a Virtue | Shinsuke Kita x Reader
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✧ Summary: You lost track of the days that you were in love with Kita. He was so much more than just the team mom that many outsiders dubbed him as. He was the wielder of cold-logic and held the bluntest of words at times, but he showed his own special brand of care for each member of the team. What you hadn’t expected was for him to especially care about you.  ➳ Warnings: Language because twins lmao ➳ Tags: Childhood friends to lovers; mostly fluff and humor; Atsumu being a little shit; friends trying to be match-makers; mild jealousy on Kita’s part; introspection and some character development
✧  Masterlist
---xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx---
As the manager of the Inarizaki volleyball club, you were no stranger to the antics of your generally loud team. And while this was usually elicited by the twins, with most of the team ahem especially Suna being no help (since many would rather film then break-up the fight), you were almost a pro at keeping them calm to the public eye.
You grew up alongside most of the members of the team, a strange connection between all of the players. From advanced classes in junior high to being literal neighbors to some of them, you were long-term classmates with many of the members - including the captain himself.
Kita was much more than the doting team mom than people gave him credit for. Yes, he was often the face of the team, the voice of reason that handled the interviews and other press coverage, but this all came from a place of stone-cold reason. He had strict routines and never cared about doing things without practical rationale. Kita had a mature way of thinking, often compartmentalizing both people and emotions, to the point that it made people his own age not relate to him.
Even the quiet Suna, the analytical little shit who loved to poke fun at said captain, had honestly admitted that he thought Kita to be on the robot-side of the emotional spectrum. 
And, despite all this, Kita was the long-term object of your affections.
It was all the little things that made your crush on him grow. From his proper speech, the blunt words no matter to whom he was speaking to, or his unusual brand of care he extended toward his teammates, Kita was the foundation of Inarizaki that you fell for. And when he was named captain of the volleyball team? You almost cried alongside him, reveling in the rare fit of pure happiness that he was gracing your eyes with.
You remembered the last time you walked home together, for once not being called away on separate duties as captain and leading manager. He treated you to ice-cream and walked along you side-by-side.
“Mint chocolate-chip with two cherries.” He told the street-cart vendor confidently, knowing your favorite flavors by heart at this point.
You ordered for him in kind, receiving the treat from the vendor as Kita paid for both of your orders. Anyone else would be contesting it, but you knew that Kita would not take no for an answer. He did stuff like this all the time with you, you were better off not fighting it. This was not the hill you wanted to die on.
But you were surprised when Kita licked at your ice cream, smiling as he tasted it and maintaining your gaze head-on. The shock on your face must have been evident since the smirk on his widened. You reached for the cone in his hand, only for him to lightly slap it away.
“Should I be asking with a pretty please or something?” You asked with a playful pout.
“No.” Kita replied, before lowering it to your eye-level.
Did he want you to lick it? While he was holding it????
Wordlessly, you followed his silent command and felt the minty taste of your afternoon snack on your tongue. Kita watched the action, eyes following your tongue as he shot you a friendly smile. He pulled away before you could get that much more, before licking your ice cream again.
Was that an indirect kiss???
“My, you two make quite the couple.” The vendor commented, clasping her hands together as she watched your interaction.
“We’re not dating.” Kita answered, squashing any hope you had from that interaction.
He was just?? So confusing??
You had so many little moments like this over the years. So many that had you often questioning deep into the night what truly was your relationship with the blunt captain of Inarizaki. You fell for him so many years ago, it made you wonder when was the last time you really thought of him as just a friend. Did he truly not know about your feelings?
But Kita was smart and on just as many occasions, you wondered if he knew the truth but simply did nothing about them. If he could read the twins with little effort, there was no doubt he understood your feelings long-ago, but decided not to act.
At least, that was your reason behind not openly admitting it to him:
That Kita knew you had a crush on him. And since he did not feel the same, it was better off if he did not address them.
And so you never brought it up, stewing in silence for years. 
Eight years was a long time to be in love alone.
“You should just give up on him.” Jisoo, your fellow Inarizaki manager commented one day. She was in the same class as the twins, a year your junior.
The both of you were lounging outside in the courtyard for lunch, a humidly hot day that made the two of you especially lazy this particular school-day. Only a few more hours more and you would be free of classes, liberated of any schoolwork and finally enjoying the weekend.
You were mindlessly scrolling through your phone, looking at the different posts on social media from your various friends. Atsumu had posted of his serve practice the day before, his comment section flooded with various hearts by his fan-club of all things. Osamu’s private Instabook was of food while Aran’s had posted one of the day’s blue skies.
“Why would I do that?” You asked with a sigh, already used to her trying to guide you away from him. You understood why, it was hardly a smart decision to hold onto your feelings, not that you really cared.
“Aren’t you tired of it by now?”
But was that a good enough reason at this point? You were a third-year and about to graduate. If there was one thing that was constant throughout your entire life in the farming prefecture you called a home, it was that you had feelings for the captain.
The sky was blue. Summer was hot. You liked Kita.
It was that simple sometimes. And while there were moments that hurt your heart, it was not like you had any head-space to even try to stop.
“Maybe.” You answered candidly, “Honestly, I wouldn’t even know how to. But I don’t want to either.”
“I worry about you, senpai.”
“What can I say?” You tried to joke, even with your sad smile. “Kita has my heart on lock-down.”
“We’re all going to the twins’ party this weekend, why don’t you try talking to some of the guys there?”
“Not this again.” You complained as you put your phone down on the table.
“Come on!” Jisoo pushed, “I’m sure there’ll be someone there that peaks your interest.”
You raised a brow in response, doubt evident on your face.
She teased, “It could also be on a purely physical level.”
Laughing at her statement, you said. “Like that’s any better.”
“A little smooches here and there never hurt anyone.”
“Now I’m worrying about you.”
She giggled, before continuing. “Just think about it. First guy tonight who hits on you, give him a chance.”
While you would have dismissed the thought immediately, there was something rather playful happening in the pit of your stomach. As if, for once in a long-time, you wanted to feel the puppy love of just casually flirting. Of grinning and laughing along with someone's advances and actually enjoying one these parties; rather than just sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart waiting for Kita to hopefully show.
“I don’t know, maybe.”
She sighed loudly, happy to have cracked you a little. Jisoo continued with a teasing grin on her face. “Oh right, I forgot. You’re a masochist.”
“I could’ve told ya that.” Another voice broke out, the familiar setter of two-tone hair taking the seat next to you. He picked at one of your french-fries, eating it with no preamble as Suna took the seat diagonal from you, next to Jisoo at the picnic table outside. 
For someone who spoke a lot of game about not being caught up with the twins, Suna tended to hang around Atsumu quite a bit.
“I am not a masochist.” You defended from Atsumu’s words, earning an eye-roll from the other female manager.
“Why else would you agree to manage a team with the twins?” Suna quipped before taking out his phone, probably scrolling through social media as well. Atsumu shrugged in agreement, a smirk on his face.
“Also, tell that to your love life.” Jisoo countered, playfully moving her lunch out of Atsumu’s reach before the setter could commandeer some of hers.
You quietly pushed the rest of your fries in his direction, appetite long gone on this overly humid day. Doing this sort of thing was actually quite natural with the twin, sharing food and hugs were a normal thing with your friend.
“It’s not that bad.” You argued.
“Wait, have ya ever dated before?” Atsumu asked.
“Have you?” You countered back, the setter was infamous for his many… romantic encounters. But the young man had yet to ever put a serious label on any of those instances, at least not to your knowledge.
He rolled his eyes in response, turning to Jisoo instead to continue.
“Come on senpai, not even a smooch?” She pushed.
You felt your face flush at having been called out, “Well....”
Atsumu turned his body toward you in his seat, his insufferably confident smirk back on, “I could help ya with that.”
You pushed away at his shoulder, “You say it like it’s a problem.”
“Ya savin’ it till ya get married or somethin’?” He asked, genuinely curious. Even Suna turned to you, looking up from his phone in interest.
You turned to Jisoo, the conversation taking a dangerous turn. If you said yes, their curiosity would definitely be spiked. And it was not like you could lie to them and say it was some random person in your class - you knew these boys for years, but they also knew you in kind. 
Yes or no?
The other manager did not even try to bail you out and your silence was already tantamount to an answer.
“Aww. How cute of ya, (L/N).” Atsumu chuckled, reaching to pat your head. You slapped it away before he got too close. For someone younger than you, he was quite the brat. Years of being friends long stripped away any formalities apparently.
“Looks like our heart-breaker manager is actually very sentimental.” Suna commented, a brow raised in your direction.
“Heart-breaker?” You questioned in genuine confusion.
“Come on, (L/N)-san.” Jisoo answered this time, “She’s had her heart set for so long, she hasn’t even seen the other boys she’s curved.”
“How is that possible when no one’s confessed to me?”
Jisoo laughed while Atsumu absently tapped his finger on the table, “Even I know that ain’t true, (L/N).”
“Whatever.” There was no reasoning with your underclassmen when they were this dead-set. No one had confessed to you before, right? At least none to your memory, they were just being instigators as usual?
“That doesn’t answer the question why ya sittin’ here single.” Atsumu stated.
“He obviously has feelings for you, but she’s too much of a wuss to confess.” Jisoo stated it plainly for you, then turned to look at Atsumu with an expectant face. “So it’s either because he hasn’t noticed, which I doubt, or he’s not looking for commitment.”
“Ah. And it’s someone we’ve known for years, huh?” Suna deduced, words come out slowly.
You straightened your back in surprise and shot warning looks toward both boys. This was getting too close, they were starting to put together pieces of a puzzle you hadn’t even willingly handed to them. And knowing these little shits, they were not going to let this go until they found out.
Atsumu inclined his head for you to continue while Suna’s eyes never left your own. Suna was smart all the time, but with being associated with the twins constantly, it was easy to forget that fact. And since the trio acted like idiots so often, you tended to forgo how truly analytical even the Atsumu was. 
This was not good - so not good. It probably would not take them long to deduce the person at this rate.
“I swear to the highest volleyball gods out there,” You spit out as your turned to the other manager, “I will fucking smite you off this planet if you say another word.”
Jisoo burst out laughing immediately, almost choking on her lunch as Atsumu grinned at your warning, the exact opposite response you wanted.
“Strong words ya got there.” He commented, body still angled toward yours in interest. “Looks like we hittin’ a lil too close to home?”
“Don’t even try it.” You responded back, turning away from his inquisitive eyes and back to your phone.
Needless to say, they didn’t listen.
Suna backed up in his seat, eyes glancing between you and the setter. “No commitment, huh?”
Meanwhile, Atsumu was rapid-firing questions. “Is it a second-year? Third-year? Is he on the volleyball team? Do we know ‘em personally?”
You smiled at his now peaked curiosity, the setter almost looking like a small puppy waiting for a treat. But you refused to answer, no doubt sure that they would tell the captain the moment they found out the truth. You turned to Jisoo, who was smiling away at Atsumu, but otherwise sat thankfully quiet.
Atsumu was firing off specific names now, hoping to get any response from you.
“The bastard’s gotta be on the team.”
“Bastard?” Jisoo laughed at the nickname.
“Shut up, Atsumu.” You countered, attempting to poke harshly at his forehead to stop. But he just grabbed the hand in one of his own, holding it in his lap as he continued to spit out names.
“Is it Aran?”
“Will you stop?”
“‘Samu?”
“I will murder you in cold blood.”
“... Is it me?”
You tried your best to pull your hand away, now realizing his tightening hold on against the skin of your hand. How long had you been sitting there holding hands? You felt a natural rosiness rise to your cheeks, not really because of the recipient, but because you were doing so in public with some guy.
Instead, you poked the setter’s side roughly, earning a deep groan, but freeing your hand in the process. Packing up your belongings, you stepped out of the picnic table and stated, “Lunch is almost over, we should get to class.”
You walked away with a small wave, the boys turning to the now only female occupant of the lunch-table.
“So…”
“Nu-uh.” Jisoo cut off Atsumu, moving to leave the table before she accidentally said anything.
“Throw a man a bone here! Or at least help him bone.” Atsumu murmured that last part under his breath, “Ya don’t even have to verbally confirm it - is it me?”
Jisoo paused as she stood, books in hand already. The look she threw him was mischievous, but otherwise she left in silence.
Unfortunately for you, all you were thinking about during class was that conversation you just had. Kita sat on your right in your next few classes, the mild Ōmimi behind the both of you. The last thing you needed was to linger on their teasing words of smooches and marriage. You couldn’t confess your feelings, imagining anything else?? You could only imagine the bright blush at the simple thought of it.
And apparently, you hadn’t hidden it well.
“Something wrong?”
There were still a couple more minutes until the teacher would return. And so you were sitting in the classroom with Kita alongside you, other students milling around the room. He was so damn good at reading people and you cursed that he was using it against you now.
“Just thinking about some stuff Jisoo said at lunch.” You tried to wave off.
“You’re blushing.” Kita stated bluntly, putting his book down as he spoke to you. 
He was never one to sugar-coat his words.
“Am I?” You put your palms to your cheeks, as if to feel the heat. There was no point in trying to lie to him. “She was teasing me about boys.”
“Oh. Are you dating anyone?” Kita asked.
God, this was awful. 
There was nothing worse than your crush asking about your crush.
“No, not yet.” You shook your head negatively, turning towards the window on your left, at least trying to hide your expression.
“Yet? Are you looking to date soon?”
You wanted to scream.
“Um, not in the near future.” You tried to deflect, “But it could happen!”
“Of course.” He smiled, “I packed extra onigiri for lunch, but I couldn’t find you. I’m not sure if you still want it.”
“Ah, I would love to! If I’m not imposing, then yes.”
Kita shook his head, “I packed it for you.”
“You’re so sweet sometimes.” You said honestly, taking it and munching down.
“You usually either forget your lunch or eat junk.” He stated plainly, making you suddenly blanch at his cold-words. I mean, he wasn’t exactly wrong either. You thought back to the lunch you had today, literally just water and french fries that you ended up giving to Atsumu.
“Ha, well.” You trailed off before settling on, “Thanks for always taking care of me.”
Kita’s small grin widened as he looked you in the eyes, “It’s my pleasure.”
When he said things like that, it easily set your heart aflame. It was so simple, such small interactions that you would have to squint hard to find anything underlying in his words. But you wanted to. You wanted to feel needed and also give to the captain as well.
The blush you had earlier was probably nothing in comparison to how you looked now, you were sure. And, with Kita being the ever smart cookie he was, there was no doubt that he spied your inflamed reaction.
Was that conversation over? Was he expecting a response?
Maybe the volleyball god’s did have mercy on your poor soul, since your teacher walked in then and thankfully brought your conversation to a halt. You tried not to outwardly seem relieved, turning to the front and taking out your notebooks.
Your mind wandered in and out of the lecture. There were moments that your gaze just happened to meander over to the captain to your right. It was one thing to suddenly notice you were staring at him, but another thing entirely to be caught in the action. Kita would usually just smile at you kindly, before nudging his chin toward the front of the room toward the teacher.
Even later during volleyball practice, your eyes would casually dawdle over to where the captain was standing. Whether he was watching the team with careful eyes or participating himself in practicing spikes, your eyes usually just found him.
But today was not the day to let down your guard.
Atsumu and Suna were paying careful attention to you. And now it was no secret where your gaze was pointed to. Suna smirked when he realized, but Atsumu clicked his tongue and mentally filed it away for later. Jisoo once snapped playful fingers in front of your face, grabbing your attention to flip the scoreboard.
When it was finally time to clean, Kita helped you collect the left-over volleyballs and roll the hammock into the proper storage room. You did so carefully, making sure not to accidentally touch his skin lest he back off from the motion. But the kind, neutral expression he shot you went straight to your heart.
“Let’s get the scoreboard next.” He instructed, the both of you moving to opposite sides of the wheeled board.
And you would have, if Atsumu had not thrown a casual arm across the captain’s shoulders.
“Hey, do ya mind helpin’ ‘Samu over there?” He motioned with his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to his twin who was not looking at all.
Slightly suspicious, Kita did as asked anyway and went with the grey-headed twin to mop the floors.
“What was that about?” You asked as Atsumu pushed the scoreboard along with you.
It was only when you entered the storage room alone that he replied, “So Mister No Gaps Kita Shinsuke, huh?”
“What?!” You fought the inward need to slap yourself, high voice and exclamation enough to show that he was right on the money. “You asshole, how do you know that?”
“I didn’t need anyone to tell me that.” He emphasized, gesturing at your eyes with two fingers. “Ya kept starin’ at ‘em the entire practice.”
You huffed frowning, “That obvious, huh?”
“Yea, he probably knows too - especially if Suna and I figured this shit out.”
That didn’t help at all.
“Great.” You leaned against the nearby wall and put a palm to your forehead.
Atsumu crossed his arms, “So why haven’t ya confessed to ‘em yet?”
You scoffed and shot him a flat-expression, “Because he doesn’t like me back?”
“What? He said that to ya?”
“Well, no.” You hesitated, but explained. “I mean, he definitely knows I have feelings. And Shinsuke has never been one to beat around the bush. If he hasn’t addressed it, it’s probably because he doesn’t want to make it awkward…  since he doesn't feel the same.”
“I think you’re a dumbass.” Atsumu stated back, sighing heavily. “Kita don’t think like that and we both know it.”
“Why else would he be waiting it out?” You asked, “This is the same Kita that told us he doesn’t understand how people feel nervous.”
“Jesus, (F/N). He was talkin’ about volleyball.” Atsumu groaned, raking one of his hands through his piss-blonde hair. “Kita’s human too. Maybe he’s not sure how ya would respond for the same reasons.”
“I don’t know if love advice from the school’s resident fuck-boy is a good idea.” You jabbed instead, a playful smile on your face.
Atsumu put a mock-offended hand on his chest, a smirk finding a way on his face before he squashed it down seriously. He took a step toward you until you were less than an arms’ length-apart, “Fine, have it your way. Stew in silence until he finds someone else.”
That struck a silent chord in you.
“Honestly, that was kind of the plan these past few years.” You admitted, turning your head toward the ground. “If he could find his true happiness with someone else, then I would be happy for him.”
Atsumu must have detected your seriousness, since he hesitated to say his next few words. “Don’ be like that. Stop bein’ an idiot - he likes you.”
“Shut up.”
“Come on, (L/N).” Atsumu levelled with you, “Ya standin’ here like ya ain’t the only girl he’s ever withstood.”
“Wow, what a feat.” You muttered as you sighed.
“Fine, if ya don’t believe that. Aren’t ya’ll best friends anyway?” Atsumu asked, “I’m sure he’d do anythin’ to keep you close.”
You hesitated, but agreed. Your relationship, no matter if he reciprocated your feelings or not, you were best friends. But if he didn’t feel the same and you said something? Would there ever be recovering from something like that?
Atsumu drew you out of your thoughts before he lost you further to your over-thinking, “You’re a real catch. Anybody would be lucky to have ya.”
“Oh?” You shot a withered smile at him.
“And I’m not just sayin’ that to put the moves on ya.” Atsumu joked, earning a light punch to his shoulder as you walked past him to leave.
“Yeah, yeah.” You said before turning back towards him, remembering to say. “None of this leaves this room. You hear that?”
“Yes ma’am.” He mock-saluted, a second later a loud ahem ringing through the room.
You tensed up and turned toward the door, seeing a blank-faced Shinsuke standing in the open doorway. Atsumu was always surprised, albeit much less worried than you were. Was your secret finally out?
“Am I interrupting something?” He asked, before you pushed shouted a loud No! and brushed past him back into the gymnasium.
Atsumu tried to casually exit the room as well, before his captain’s voice rang-out again, “Care to explain what that was about?” 
The setter had two options here: either brush it off or fan the flames that he knew for a fact was there. You were the obvious party, openly staring at the captain like your eyes belonged on him. But Atsumu knew that those feelings were not as unrequited as you thought. 
He remembered some club-room talk not that long ago. It was normal for the guys to discuss their preferences, something that Atsumu was rather vocal about on multiple occasions. Aran was just looking for someone he could cook while Ōmimi stated he liked girls who were generally very kind. Osamu preferred someone who was a bit meeker while Atsumu loved ‘em vocal, even bratty to the point of talking back.
“Of course, you would.” Suna commented as he dressed.
“What the fuck do ya mean by that?” The setter bit out.
“As in the fuckboy thinks he’s a girl tamer.” Suna snarkily replied.
“Well, when a girl has a mouth on her. I want to put it to good use.” Atsumu said with a smirk, earning a loose towel to the head, one that Osamu had just launched from across the room. Aran sighed and grabbed it before Atsumu could whip it back. Kita nodded toward his counterpart in quiet thanks.
Many of the others were still dressing after practice this day, it would be annoying to have to break up another fight between the twins then.
“Can ya be less of an asshole?” The grey-headed twin asked.
“Wha? I’m speakin’ the truth!” Atsumu defended, “Not every girl is like that anyway.”
“And who would the infamous Ratsumu have his eyes on?” Suna asked, genuinely curious but not missing the chance to poke at the setter.
Atsumu frowned, but continued anyway. “No one, right now. But I still got eyes, ya know. Ya can’t tell me our manager ain’t a cutie.”
“She would rather hand you a new asshole than ever date you.” Suna said, to which Akagi laughed.
“Careful, ‘Tsamu.” Osamu playfully warned, “People might think ya like (L/N)-san.”
“What can I say, she’s single and hot as fuck.” Atsumu replied off-handedly. 
It was a plain statement, but you could almost physically feel the temperature change in the club-room. Aran was glancing between the captain while the rest wondered why it was suddenly dead silent.
Osamu wondered if his prayers had been heard and he would soon be an only child.
“I suggest not saying that again.” Kita stated over his shoulder as he buttoned up the rest of his shirt.
That was a clear enough warning to everyone in the room that you were off limits. Suna had remembered this instance as well, in the present day reminding Atsumu after lunch not to push any buttons. It was clear then that Kita had no tolerance to any shit he was going to pull and now the pining was mutual on both your ends. Suna reminded him again and again during class to just let you and Kita sort your feelings naturally.
Pfft.
Was Atsumu going to be a little shit and try to sew some discord?
Hell yes.
“What can I say?” Atsumu feigned being casual, even shrugging as he exited the quiet storage room. “A pretty girl and a young guy enter a closet alone together, you know the rest.”
The glare he felt on his neck could have been enough to snap it with this much pressure. But, Atsumu digressed. He was doing the both of you a favor anyway, pushing you together when you both already had feelings for one another (albeit with some mind games interspersed).
Atsumu almost laughed when Kita grabbed your hand when the two of you walked home together. 
Kita knew what the setter was doing. What buttons he was trying to push, what he was trying to imply with you. The captain knew it all and he was still getting pissed off.
True to everyone’s assumptions, Kita knew about your feelings for him. The extent and duration, that he was not sure of. But he knew that you have thought about him in a romantic light for quite some time. Lingered looks and purposeful touches, on both your ends, was not something he could easily ignore.
What made Kita wonder was why you hadn’t said anything at all?
You were often pretty straight-forward as well. Not exactly in terms of romance, but you when were interested in something you tended to speak your mind. Whether it be a new show, some shounen anime you were following along with, you always shared it with him.
And for that fact he was always grateful.
Many of the others your age tended to be warded off by his way of thinking, branding him too mature or even too cold at times. To think that even the sarcastic Suna had nicknamed him as a robot, it was interesting to see that was how most people saw him.
But you didn’t.
Or at least, you saw passed his cold exterior and were just a freely-spoken with your mind. Kita’s blunt way of speaking had casualties sometimes, but you usually voiced if his blunt speech was too much. There were times that, if you were inadvertently hurt by his words, you would say it out-loud.
He remembered the last time this happened, not even a month ago. The two of you were hanging out under the shade of a tree, about to go out to a team hangout when you exited your back porch wearing a blue sundress. It flirted high above your knees and showed off the creamy legs of yours that he loved to trail his eyes over.
You looked breath-taking.
And so he said:
“Is there an occasion I’m missing today? I thought we were just going out with the team.”
The disappointed look on your face was immediate and it did not take a genius to figure those were the wrong words to say. But what he was not sure is where it went wrong. Logically, it made sense. You were going to walk at least two miles to the train and then from there a mile to the arcade. And most of that time you would all be standing. Would you even be comfortable doing all this walking in sandals?
But you didn’t get offended or draw away from him from these smaller misunderstandings.
You were always ready to knock some sense into him if need be.
“Not even a compliment on how I look? How mean.” You said with a frown, “I tried a bit more because I don’t usually get the chance to.”
“I know, but I want you to be comfortable considering the walks today.” Kita lightly grabbed your elbow as he stepped closer, “Besides, you always look beautiful no matter what you’re wearing.”
Your blush was palpable, Kita was almost sure he could fry an egg on your forehead, if the redness was any indication of temperature. 
“Let’s save this dress for another occasion. Preferably where only I see these.” He glanced down to indicate your legs, to which you sputtered and allowed him to guide you back inside the house.
And instead, he picked a pair of light-colored shorts and a loose summer-blouse. Kita knew you had a pair of black-and-white sneakers that would go with it anyway. You commented how it was almost scary that Kita knew your wardrobe, but he stated it simply:
I like what you wear. And I think it looks very agreeable on you.
It was simple and he stated it thusly. And from your reaction, it seemed as if it had made your day. From the beaming smile on your face to the new skip in your step, it was clear to him that he had amended the situation properly with your guidance.
But he still had the same issue: Kita thought he was being clear as day.
There was no one else he was spending time with like this. No one else whom Kita was expressing interest in like he was with you. From sharing ice-cream to hangouts alone with just the two of you, he thought his way of flirting with you was obvious? His actions alone should have been clear that he was showing his own interest in you.
And so if Kita was being clear with his feelings, why hadn’t you said anything?
This was not something he could just say and retract, either. The last thing he wanted to do was put your entire friendship on the line just to lose you. What if you actually did not feel the same way? But from your constant blushing and obvious gaze on him, you liked him too? But why hadn’t you said anything? Were you expecting him too?
He almost groaned aloud at this line of thinking.
Nothing had him flustered quite like you. Kita was confident both in school and on the court, a sure faith that no matter where it was. It was not a baseless arrogance, but more like a calm trust that he knew what he was doing was right.
And yet…
When it came to you, that brand of confidence simply withered away. Not always a bad thing, you often caught him off-guard with your own kindness and rarely did you ever truly fight. But there were times that he sorely wished he knew what was going on in that head of yours.
Like why hadn’t you said anything to him regarding this tension?
Or better yet, why the hell were you whispering with Atsumu in the gym closet?
The setter knew all about your being off-limits. Kita made it very clear that day and it seemed even then, the message did not totally receive in the asshole's mind. Or rather, it probably did, Atsumu just decided to ignore it.
And so on your shared walk home after practice, Kita gently grabbed your hand and did not let go. You almost jumped in surprise alongside him. Not that you hadn’t held hands before, but it was usually called for in the context. Navigating one of the twin’s parties, through a crowded group, or just to guide you somewhere.
But never had he held your hand for no reason.
Kita just smiled, hoping this would send a clear enough message to both you and the meddlesome boys behind you.
Meanwhile, Atsumu had to stop himself from cackling aloud. Osamu was ready to question his brother over what the hell was that about, but Suna assured him that it was best not to get involved at this rate. Aran simply sighed, but waved goodbye and goodnight to the rest of the team.
Your smile was a mask to your inward screaming, only to be silenced to a blank void. Your mind was comparable to that picture of spilled milk - the only thing inside as if the very act was an enigma. You had no idea what to say, what to do in this situation as you both continued to walk along.
For someone who was an athlete, the skin of his hand was surprisingly soft as it encased your own. You felt your hand unconsciously squeeze his and feared that the act would have him pulling away, as if waking him up from his act. But Kita squeezed back, a fond expression reflected back at you.
The two of you walked home together whenever you had the chance, unless called for by other duties. So this was usually normal for the two of you. Conversation was just easy, ranging from school or recent events, and even if one-sided you had no issues with simply speaking to the captain. And yet today…
Kita and you were both completely silent.
You couldn’t even tell if something else was on his mind, a neutral look on his face as he looked ahead. Was this action to show that he was reciprocating your feelings? You hated being unsure like this, but there was too much vulnerability to simply lay-out what you wanted to say.
Even on the train, Kita sat next to you quietly but still held your hand over his knee. You watched the action, before trying to level your breathing as to not freak out. But Kita kept going about his day, even taking out his phone to check a few texts with the other hand.
It was meant to show this was entirely on purpose.
Only when your house popped into view during something conspiratory popped into your mind - Did one of the boys tell him?
You felt the small seed of hope grow further. Was it just a coincidence that the day Suna and Atsumu found out about your secret was the same day, after literal years, that Kita found out as well? And that maybe if he knew now, was he reciprocating in some way?
You moved to glance at him in the corner of your eye, but he was already looking at you.
The both of you stopped short of the gate, but you hesitated for a second to say anything. There was so much on your mind and stewing in silence was the exact opposite thing you wanted to do. Before you could even think of words to say, your captain made the first move again.
Kita tenderly reached for your other hand, holding both in his much larger ones. He brought them up together and shot you a gentle smile, “(F/N), your hands are so soft.”
It came out like word vomit.
“I like you, Kita!”
SHIT.
Maybe you read him wrong?? If he was going to make a move, why was he looking at you so surprised??
“And here I was, wanting to say something first.” Kita said as he chuckled lightly, his hands gliding the rest of the way up your arms. “I like you, too.”
You didn’t even have time to overthink, Kita wasting no time and pulling you towards him. Quickly raising your hands to his chest, you steadied yourself against him as he held you in the close embrace. His smile was almost blinding - not from the size, but rather the genuine feel behind it.
Your hands slid upwards, folding behind his neck as your faces drew closer together. One of his hands gently carded in your hair, lightly guiding you to him. You closed your eyes in silent anticipation, long awaited joining finally happening with only stars as your audience.
The skin of his lips slotted gently against yours and you silently relished the feel of the prolonged peck. You pulled him closer, silently nudging him to go the step further. Kita smiled in response, making you beam right back at him. It was honestly hard to deepen the kiss further, expressions pulled from your shared grins. You were two idiots smiling at one another, foreheads pressed together as you struggled to deepen your impassioned kiss.
“I’ve waited so long to hold you like this.” Kita whispered against your lips, one of his hands resting around your waist.
“Me too.” You replied in a low vice, eyes still closed as you just felt him.
He watched your cute expression, from your rosy appearance to the way you deliciously leaned your body into him. Kita felt his eyes shutter closed, savoring the feeling of you two finally joined. You moved together in tandem, softly at first, and then with a swift intensity that made you cling to him even further - as if Kita was the only solid thing in this suddenly swaying world.
The world was constantly moving, either too fast or too slow or too much at times. Until finally, in Kita’s arms, it finally felt right.
“I’ve liked you for a really long time.” You confessed.
“I know.” Kita responded simply, “Me too.”
You almost wanted to laugh, but withheld it from possibly breaking the atmosphere. “Is it really that simple?”
“Yes.” Kita said as he smiled, moving to place a light kiss on your forehead. “I was honestly… afraid to say anything in fear of your response. But now we are both aware, right?”
You grinned back and stretched on your tippy-toes to kiss his cheek, “Yes.”
“That’s it then.” Kita stated as he leaned his forehead back against yours, “You’re mine. And I’m yours.”
You whispered back, “Sounds like a deal.”
His insistent mouth parted your eager lips, sending wild tremors crawling up your spine, evoking sensations you had never known you were even capable of feeling. And as the swimming giddiness spun you round and round, you steadied yourself to kiss him back just as passionately. With a swipe of his tongue against the crease of your lips, you parted your mouth eagerly.
There was no battle, no insistent fight between your two appendages. There was only Kita, eagerly roaming around your mouth as you sensually rubbed tongues. You openly moaned at the feeling, not even noticing the noise until Kita was smiling in response.
You blushed at the realization, but Kita only complimented the sound. “Make that noise again for me.”
Your smile dropped to a more sultry smirk.
“You’ll have to earn it.”
Kita felt his eyes comically widen before dropping to a half-lid, “Oh?”
“My parents aren’t home…”
“Oh.”
Kita placed a kiss on your forehead just to lean away, one of his hands dropping to grab your own. You hurried along with his pace, suddenly breaking out into a faster walk in the direction of your home.
“Let’s make up for lost time, shall we?”
BONUS:
“No way.” Jisoo commented on the sight before her, nudging Atsumu standing next to her. The twin’s party was ravaging around them, but there was an unlikely and yet very likely couple that had just walked through the door. And while it was normal to see the two of them together, it was the first official time as an exclusive couple.
Walking in was Kita and you, hands clasped together like this was oh so natural.
Akagi greeted the both of you with a smile while Aran waved you guys over to the living, where many of the other team members were playing a game. Kita guided you through the party, joined hands proudly on display for all party goers.
Atsumu held out a hand in Jisoo direction’s, causing her to frown but nonetheless place some lost yen in his open palm.
But seeing you smile and share a kiss openly with the captain, Jisoo didn’t exactly mind losing this bet.
---xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx---
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macaroni-rascal · 4 years ago
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Waxing poetic idea: virtuosity
First of all, what a concept for a waxing poetic, we love the pun, we love it all. Second of all, I have no idea just how long this has been sitting in my inbox, but better late than never, I suppose!
When I think virtuosity I generally think about music, so for the purposes of this post, I am going to focus on how Virtue and Moir are masters of musicality, as I can make a separate post about their general talent and skating skills.  
I truly believe that Tessa and Scott were (and continue to be) the most musically inclined ice dance team ever. It’s nothing new, but Paul MacIntosh their old coach has spoken before saying there as just something natural about them and their ear for music, Tracy Wilson commented on them  as juniors and early in senior as a team that really listened to their music and that they used their edges and knee bend to match the rhythm of the dance, etc. It was obvious that this team just had a certain ability and flow that went above and beyond what had been previously seen in the sport. 
They were ice dancing to music, not figure skating to background noise.
There was always an impression that music meant a lot to them, and the emotional connection they felt to music was very important, the program they hated the most (Malaguena) was because they didn’t chose it themselves, and the program they had the most trouble with emotionally (The Seasons) was because they also couldn’t form a connection and tried to force something. The stunning thing about Tessa and Scott’s skating is that nothing ever looks forced, it all seems to be placed and done to maximize their ability, the music, and the art of figure skating. So, cmplpete with hyperlinks as well as gif credit, lets get into it.
I say that Valse Triste is one of my favourite free dance of theirs, but I don’t think people get just how much. In terms of how much a song can be elevated by movement, VM did everything correct with Vale Triste. 
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This perfect moment in the beginning where the music is drawn out and sweeping and so their movements match perfectly, I just love the ina bauer moment right on that first long violin sound, followed by Tessa’s nice deep long edge and then another sweeping movement. Also, the last lift directly on the crescendo of the music, when Tessa raises her hands into the air when the silence holds, and then again, that lovely piece of silence  while Tessa is balancing on Scott and his squat. Then the last moment with Scott’s arms and the violin again... All of this matches the music so well, it very much feels like they had this choreographed already, and then Jean Sibelius wrote Valse Triste for them. So stunning.
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Umbrellas of Cherbourg was just a piece of mastery in terms of hitting musical highlights. The first lift was so effective, all the of the step sequences were musical and lilting and joyous. I also love the moment in this gif, the abandon in their movements echoes the abandon in the song as Catherine Deneuve sings “je ne peux pas, je ne peux pas” and it really does feel like they can’t help but move this way. I don’t need to understand French to feel it, they made the movement match the music so well that it becomes universal. Special shout out to the fucking stunning backwards inside edge they both hit as they go around the corner. *chefs kiss*
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What I also love about their virtuosity and their musicality is that they never really settled. They picked a very difficult piece of music for the Olympic year because it was the only music they felt any connection with. It was a hard program because they really took time to highlight the music, and the accents are quick and staccato. What’s stunning, is that I think anyone who watches/knows vm can perfectly hear the music that should be playing over the gif, and nothing else COULD be playing. So often, especially recently, I watch  ice dance programs if feels like any generic music could be on and it wouldn’t change much. Tessa and Scott could never. Every movement and every moment is deliberate and on theme.
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Tessa and Scott’s dance holds are a literal thing of beauty and should be studied. That doesn’t have much to do with what I am writing about currently, but I thought it needed to be said. Nights and Days is an all time favourite programs. We love a wango. I love the opening especially and how they go from a nice easy arm movement to two quick poses, then Tessa’s moment with that leg and giving that face, that hit the opening notes so well, only to have the music really begin with their leg kicks.
Let’s talk about how a waltz goes counterclock wise on a dance floor and is quick-quick-slow and Tessa and Scott started their program going counter clock wise around the rink, and having their movement begin slow-quick quick, slow-quick quick...because I’m never not thinking about it
There are so many moments in their free dance to Hip Hip Chin Chin that I desperately love and that I have yet to see gifs of it. Besides the stellar and iconic opening footwork, the coolest twizzles (accenting the drums with their transition into each twizzle), and some very cool lifts (I mean, hello temptation lift), I love the step sequences and the transitions in this program so much. Some favs include:
Tessa’s booty pop to the drums and her arm on “rhythm”
Tossing Scott and a literal hip hip chin chin
Hitting twizzles and free legs on beat
Tessa just in this moment and her arms
The “I can’t resist” moment and the silence as they just pull in on beat, throw their hand up on beat, and hug on the ice sensually 
That little kick they do in the step sequence right on the double beat
Anyway, that program is a fucking wonder and the fact they only did it once fully in competition is a small tragedy.
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Tessa’s twizzle from the Waltz goes on right on that stunning lick of effervescent music lives rent free in my head and will until I die.
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As does the extension and flair Tessa gets in this one small hand and arm movement. More character in this tiny little one second gif of carmen than in the entirety of Davis and White’s Notre-Damn that year, quote me.
Carmen, in and of itself, is so fascinating and intricate from a music standpoint, they hit all the moments so well. Tessa’s second leap into the air on the curve lift, the ending pose for the  twizzles, that rad as hell and incredibly difficult transition where Scott all but throws Tessa face first into the ice and she lands in a sort of lunge that took all season to perfect. I could go on.
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I truly am, one day, going to make a post about Dream a Little Dream and how it is the best short dance program ever performed. In terms of virtuosity it is unmatched. Again, it is that type of program where you can so easily hear the music playing the background because everything just...fits. I can hear Ella crooning “stars shining bright aboooove you” as Tessa rounds around Scott and his arms flow along with the melody. I also love the moment with “sycamore tree” and the transition there. Shout out also having the solo lady twizzle in the finnstep right on the boom of the music. There are too many moments to count. The whole program is magic.
Another special shout out to the latch step sequences and especially how they changed the diagonal step so that Tessa’s double twizzle hit right on the music and created such a moment. I also love the straight line lift and how with the changes made so it was timed perfectly to be in a moment of silence between lyrics. Tessa and Scott know how to use the moments of silence and stillness just as much as they know how to use the moments of intensity and attack.
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Moment of appreciation for the guitar lick during the rumba where they kick in as they get that chocktaw key point before the inside 3-turns. Iconic behavior.
What I love is that they dig deep into their music, really listen, and really try and make their movements and their program not only match the music, but elevate the music to the point where you hear things you maybe didn’t before because it never got highlight in that way before. 
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I love that they aren’t afraid to not only hit the big, in your face “rooooxaNNE” moment, but it’s that they chose to put it at the end of their twizzle sequence which needs perfect timing, perfect synchronicity, and perfect attack. Not to mention, the amazing head-head moment with the violin right after. But then! It’s not just the end of the twizzle sequence, because they also accent the music every where in between because the first set is on beat to the music as is the second set which leads into their arm transition in character and then we get the big moment. With Tessa and Scott, their musicality is such that they create these little micro pockets of moments amidst one giant moment that is their full program; because the twizzles fit perfectly in the program, but the twizzles also stand alone as their own moment of tension and release -- just magnificent.
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Off topic, but gosh it always amazes me just how fast they are going into and through this lift. As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s not just the big accents they are hitting, but the small ones as well. It took me half the season to realize there is a lovely little piano lick right as Tessa backflips and rises up into position, just as the music is rising along with her and once again, it just feels right.  No other teams owns the ice and owns their music quite like them. Because it’s not just that they are so musical, its that they have the ability to skate to all of these different types of music, and look at home in every single one. In that, they are objectively unparalleled.
When Tessa and Scott skate, it almost feels like the music is asking them to create something, and is ultimately grateful for them doing so.
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sappyspeare · 4 years ago
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yi-city arc: the messy tragedy that has torn me to shreds once again
i am once again being internally torn to shreds because i'm thinking of the absolute heart wrenching mess that was the yi city arc
like i'd make a comment on the inherent homo-eroticism of the whole arc or smth but now i'm just. sad. it really is just the saddest thing when u think about all these broken relationships, broken bonds, and more so all the ghosts that the last man standing would have to deal with
like any duo-trio-group i try to make from this arc ends sadly because 3 out of the 4 main players literally die. and a-qing's story especially because shes just a kid? i feel like when i was far more into mdzs i focused on my comfort characters a lot more but now that its been a while and i've seen some other fandoms i'm just consistently hit in the face with the fact that a-qing was just a kid. and her death is often glossed over by fanon and head-canons but she still dies and she never deserved that she never deserved to be caught up in the power plays and the revenge plots. she was just a kid who needed a home. (and she never gets the same treatment as the other juniors from the fanbase either. shes always portrayed as very one dimensional, which pisses me off too because again: shes just a kid and she's a far more compelling character than we give her credit for)
obviously song lan probably doesn't harbor any remorse for xue yang, but for xiao xingchen and a-qing ? god. xiao xingchen too! the whole arc was actually pretty good in terms of story-writing and a general plot that made sense (which i far preferred to the ending with jgy because jesus jgy is one whiny mf /lh) but the guilt! the looming horror of what he's done, of knowing the price of his actions, the consequences!
and xue yang. lord knows i'm conflicted about that asshole but if there's one thing i can say is that his part in this whole arc is what made it so compelling and tragic. the knowledge that even the smallest of anyone's actions in this, any players turn, might have been another push off the ledge
anyways. tl;dr: i'm sad and thinking about the yi city arc makes me even sadder
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mischiefandi · 4 years ago
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A Shitty Love Song (Part 1) - Stiles Stilinski
Wild Ones
A/N: hey everyone! this has been a long time coming! thank you for lovely comments on my previous post, im super happy to finally be posting this. a HUGE thank you to @duskholland​ for helping me out so much with this series, ily to death bitch. enjoyy yall
Summary: Y/N is a 17 year old girl who struggles in an epic battle against herself. Whether it is amor’s icy grasp or life’s unexpected course that forces her to finally open up, only one thing is certain. The truth cannot be long hidden.
Warnings: underage drinking, party times, maybe a couple of swear words but im not sure haha
Word Count: 5,3K
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x Reader (Y/N)
Series Masterlist
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(picture is not mine -> credits to @ pechka on unsplash)
Seasons before, in the early fall where the leaves don’t yet want to leave their wooden hooks, Y/N had just started her junior year of high school. Being the new girl in school, she was afraid of being alone - something she had always been - but not this year. Whether it was chance or fate, she happened to fall upon a curious but wonderful group of people who quickly became her friends.  
At its center, Scott McCall, young lacrosse player with a boyish charm and a heart of gold and by his side, Stiles Stilinski, an eccentric and spirited young man. Surrounding them were Lydia Martin, the fiery and confident genius, the sweet yet lethal huntress, Allison Argent, and finally Isaac Lahey, charming Mr Mischief himself.
This pack of wild cards had found a new companion, and Y/N fit in like a puzzle piece filling in its designated spot. She got along with everyone in the group, forming indestructible friendships with these eccentric teenagers, and she felt fortunate beyond belief. More often than not, she would eat with them by the walnut tree outside of the school. The group would share stories and food, complaining about the soporific lessons from the earlier period, or excitedly planning the next outing, the next party. Every week, the teenagers would go hang out in the woods by the mystical ruins of the Hale House, doing more of the same. Life was light and good.
The group had planned on hanging out by the Hale House one quiet September afternoon, but the universe likes to play tricks, and somehow Y/N and Stiles were the only ones to show up. Deeming it a happy accident, the pair walked through the damp woods together, talking about their day and slowly letting each other in. Laughter echoed between the trees and the wind turned.
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
A little more than a month had gone by and Halloween was just around the corner. Classes seemed longer than usual, bigger stacks of schoolwork forming daunting piles on Y/N’s desk. But school was the last thing she could think of when she got home after a long day of concentration. The only thing that mattered, was Stiles. Video calls, phone calls, and late night texts that seemed to never cease took over the second Y/N’s feet passed the threshold of her home. And nothing compared to these conversations.
“I’m sorry but no.”
“Stiles, stop, seriously.”
The mole-speckled boy lunged forward in front of the screen and passed a shaking hand through his spiky hair.
“There is no way you like the second trilogy better than the first one. It’s just not possible.”
“Well it is possible, because I do,” Y/N retorted, her unfazed expression gleaming back at him.
“Literally how? The group dynamic alone should make you see reason. I mean come on. Han and Leia? Han and Chewie? Han and Luke?”
“You do know Star Wars doesn’t exclusively revolve around Han Solo right?” she asked, her lips breaking into a smirk.
“First of all, no. Second, give me one single reason why the second trilogy is better than the first,” Stiles said, “I dare you.”
“One reason?”
The boy nodded, serious as a statue.
“Hayden Christensen.”
Stiles groaned deeply, his face buried in his large hands.
“Can’t even have a serious discussion about Star Wars with someone rational.”
“I’m not sorry.”
“You’re the worst.”
Y/N paused, holding a finger to her chin.
“Hmm, agree to disagree.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Hey! How can we have an intelligent debate about anything if you use swearing as a last resort.”
“I have given up on us. It’s over.”
Y/N laughed profusely against her pillow, shaking her head.
“You’re a drama queen.”
“FRIENDSHIP OVER!” Stiles bellowed and Y/N shot her head back, unstoppable laughter erupting from her stomach.
“It’s going to make things awkward at the party, Friday,” Y/N said between chuckles, her laughter quieting down.
“Who said you were even invited,” replied Stiles, adjusting his shirt, revealing a tiny patch of skin just above his sweats. Y/N’s eyes flicked over to the screen but the second had passed.
“Funny. Listen, I gotta get some sleep otherwise I’ll pass out in math or something.”
“Yeah, I should probably also go to bed sometime soon.”
“Hopefully before tomorrow morning.”
“Har-har,” said Stiles, smiling at the camera, his chocolatey irises beaming at Y/N.
“Goodnight nerd.”
“Goodnight loser.”
Y/N stuck out her tongue at Stiles before hanging up the call.
That night, as she carefully brushed her teeth and got her clothes ready for the next day, Y/N thought back on her video call with Stiles, a warm smile spreading on her lips.
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
The week passed so slowly, each hour lasting an exhausting eternity. School, demanding as ever, while keeping Y/N busy, was the reason why time seemed so lengthy. The nasty side-effect from tantalizing hours is the amount of thinking you do to keep busy. So Y/N did just that. She thought about how much she cared for her group of friends, she thought about the fact that she had never felt like she belonged like she did then.
She thought about how nice it was sitting by the Hale House, enjoying each others’ company, how life is so much lighter when you feel surrounded, how much she had learned about herself after meeting the pack. She thought about the band Stiles and her liked so much. She thought about Star Wars. She thought about the sound her computer made when Stiles sent her a message. She thought of his hair, his moles, his neck. She thought about how thrilling it was when he sat next to her. She thought about how much he mattered in her life, just like the others mattered too.
Y/N did so much thinking that week. But the funny thing is, amor has a way of tricking your mind. Your body believes one thing but your mind has been bewitched, and no amount of thinking you do can remove the fog clouding over your eyes. 
When came Friday, Y/N was happy to be done with school, bursting through the doors of the establishment, excited to go home and get ready for Danny’s Blackout Party. She was thrilled about going, however nervous she felt. 
She had never been to a party like Danny’s rave before and she had no idea what to expect. But more importantly, she was afraid of crowds. She had tried going out to packed bars with people from her old school, but the chaos and the drunks surrounding her made her feel beyond uneasy. 
“Y/N! Wait up!” She heard Allison exclaim, and she slowed down her pace, allowing the brunette to catch up with her.
“Are you excited for tonight?” asked Allison, her light brown eyes gleaming brightly.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be...crazy.”
“You okay?”
Y/N forced a smile and nodded overenthusiastically.
“Yeah! Just tired. It was a long day,” she replied.
“Same here, which is why, we need to let loose tonight! Let’s get ready at Lydia’s, so we can all head over there together.”
“Sure. Quick question though, how did Lydia get us invited in the first place?”
Allison giggled, nodding her head towards Aiden and Ethan standing by their motorcycles.
“How do you think?”
The girl’s laughter echoed through the cool autumn air and disappeared with their cars. It was going to be a night to remember.
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
As Y/N and Allison reached Lydia’s house, Y/N couldn’t help but feel more and more anxious, tightly gripping her bag filled with clothes and makeup. The party was starting to worry her.
People had been whispering about it all day back at the high school, talking about the numerous illicit drinks that would be served and the intriguing entertainment. It seemed like the Danny had gone all out for Halloween. Still, not knowing exactly what to expect practically terrified Y/N. 
She was outgoing, but big crowds and chaos were things that made panic bubble up inside of her very core, quickening her heartbeat to a frightening extent. She loved dancing and partying, and much like other people her age, she loved a good drink every once in a while, but huge events and big blowouts, she had never been a fan of.
Putting on a brave face, Y/N shut the car door and walked up the stairs to Lydia’s front porch, ringing the doorbell as Allison locked the car. After what seemed like mere seconds, Lydia opened the door, letting the excited girls in.
“Finally. I thought I was going to have to get going without you,” she said, smirking at the pair.
“Y/N couldn’t decide what to wear,” replied Allison, sending Y/N a look that made Lydia scoff.
“Excuse me if I've never been to a neon-themed rave. How am I supposed to know what to wear?”
“Well the name of said rave could be a pretty good indicator,” mocked Lydia as the girls walked up to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
“Ali, what are you wearing?”
Allison giggled with a smirk and did a demonstrative twirl, showing off her burgundy flannel shirt and black jeans.
“This!”
Lydia raised her eyebrows at the brunette, a confused expression etched on her face.
“Am I the only one here who understands the term “neon”?” she asked.
Allison shook her head then slowly unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a neon pink bra.
Y/N laughed, shaking her head. This stunt was definitely orchestrated for someone special.
“Wow. Isaac will love it.”
“It’s about time you two did something about your situation,” joked Lydia, reaching for an eyelash curler.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” replied Allison with an innocent shrug and a slightly less innocent wink.
“Well now that Allison’s outfit is sorted, it’s your turn, Y/N. Let’s see what’s in this enormous bag of yours.”
The strawberry blonde bent down and grabbed Y/N’s bag before she could say anything, emptying its contents in a flash.
“No, no, definitely not, no…Y/N, why are all of these clothes black?” inquired Lydia, with a look of disgust she had difficulty hiding.
“Lyds, I told you, I don’t know what to wear to a rave.”
“Show me your bra.”
“What?”
“Show me your bra. If it’s the right colour, we can just pair it with some of my clothes.”
Y/N reluctantly removed her white shirt, revealing an electric blue floral lace bra, much to Lydia’s delight. Allison whistled approvingly.
“Okay here’s what we’re gonna do.” Lydia walked over to her closet, carefully studying its contents. Allison and Y/N exchanged a glance as Lydia clapped her hands together.
“This goes with this, and you have to tuck it in, like so,” she said, “okay, try this on. Now.”
Y/N looked down at the outfit her friend had put together.
“Yes ma’am,” she mumbled, her face as white as a sheet.
Y/N walked to the corner of the room as the girls chatted and finished getting ready. Her heart thundered as she passed her neck through the bottom of the sheer black top Lydia had handed to her. Looking herself in the mirror, all she could see was a blushing dishevelled mess. Her bra covered most of her chest, but the curves of her breasts were only slightly hidden by the black mesh material she was wearing.
“Okay, this is okay…” she muttered to herself, trying not to panic.
Bending down, she grabbed the black layered skirt she had brought with her and brought it up to her hips, tucking the top inside. The skirt helped balance out the outfit, but still Y/N wasn’t fully convinced.
“How are you feeling?”
“Kind of nervous honestly.”
“I meant how do you feel about the outfit- but you’re nervous? Why?” asked Lydia, walking over to Y/N in front of the full-length mirror.
“It’s just- I’ve never been to a big party like tonight, much less looking like…this,” Y/N reluctantly replied.
Lydia bit her lip and sucked in some air before smiling widely at Y/N and taking a step forward.
“By “looking like this” I hope you mean by looking incredible. Y/N, look at yourself. You’re tall and confident, the outfit looks amazing on you. Your look is not the problem,” she said, gently.
“Then what is?”
“You tell us,” replied Allison, walking over to the girls by the mirror.
Y/N exhaled deeply and turned around to face her friends.
“I hate crowds. I love partying don’t get me wrong, I just- I get really really panicky around big crowds of people. The noise, the warmth, all of it, just terrifies me. I’m worried that I’ll hate it and freak out or something. I’m sorry, I probably should have said something before.”
As soon as the daunting words had slipped through her lips, Y/N felt a weight lift from her weary shoulders, a wave of relief passing over her entire body.
“Hey, it’s okay. Everyone’s got something they’re uncomfortable with. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” said Allison, sweetly.
“I know, it’s not that I’m ashamed, I just- didn’t wanna be a downer. I really am excited for tonight! I’m just nervous.”
Lydia placed her hands on Y/N’s shoulders and smiled brightly.
“Look, you’re gorgeous right now. Even without my help, you’re gorgeous. And tonight, we’ll be around the whole time. If you feel freaked out or you start to panic, we’ll go outside and get some fresh air. We don’t mind.”
“Exactly, we’re your friends. You know you can depend on us on occasion,” Allison joked and Y/N laughed, shaking her head timidly.
“Seriously, Y/N, we’re gonna have a ton of fun tonight. And if you need anything, whatsoever, we’re both here,” added Lydia.
Y/N’s heart swelled and she felt her eyes filling slowly. Blinking the impending tears away, she smiled widely, her radiant eyes following suite.
“Thank you, both of you. You’re the best.”
“Agreed. Now, that’s sorted. Are you comfortable with the outfit?” asked Lydia.
Y/N looked at herself in the mirror, analyzing every detail of her figure, taking in how “out there” the outfit was. After a few seconds, she nodded to herself and smiled.
“You know what? You only live once.”
Allison giggled and rested her arms on Y/N’s shoulder.
“Tonight is going to be amazing!”
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
As Lydia’s car pulled into the parking lot in front of the venue - a large concrete building comparable to a construction site - Y/N sent a text to her friend.
Y/N: we just got to danny’s party
Y/N: u guys here?
The girls looked up at the windows on the top level, the neon lights shining through catching their attention, the music already reaching their ears.
The group excitedly entered the building, Y/N’s heart thundering against her ribcage. Allison noticed the worried look on her friend’s face and she slipped her hand in hers, sending her a warm smile. Y/N took a deep breath, and the three beautiful girls went into the otherwise empty elevator. On the way up, Y/N’s phone vibrated against her palm and she looked down at the screen.
Stiles: we aren’t there yet
Stiles: Scott needed to go get something
Y/N’s heart couldn’t help but sink a little. She had hoped the boys were going to be there already, though why, she couldn’t say. Her phone interrupted her thoughts again.
Scott: by smth, Stiles means someone
Scott: and by someone, he means Kira
Scott: also we’re late because of the jeep
Scott: ;)
Y/N chuckled and texted him back, Lydia and Allison sharing an inquisitive look.
Y/N: figures :))
“Who is that?” asked Allison as the elevator doors opened.
Y/N winced slightly and turned to Allison.
“It’s the boys. Scott was just telling me they picked up Kira…”
“Oh.”
Lydia looked from Allison to Y/N, and back, the awkwardness beyond tangible.
“Are you okay?” asked Y/N, worried that the news had killed the mood.
“Honestly? I don’t love the idea of partying with my ex and his new girlfriend, but we broke up three months ago. We’ve both moved on. Besides, I really like Isaac. I’m not gonna let this ruin my evening,” Allison answered, a soft smile on her lips.
“Allison has Isaac, Scott has Kira, Stiles- well I don’t know about Stiles. That leaves you and me, Y/N. You can help me avoid Aiden tonight,” said Lydia, straightening her dress.
“Aiden, as in, the guy you hooked up with who just so happens to be the guy who invited you to this rave?”
“Precisely.” Lydia walked away hurriedly, and the girls laughed, entering the venue.
The grey concrete in the hall was uncharacteristically bland compared to the other-worldly burst of colours inside of the venue. Neon blue, pink, orange, yellow, and green exploding in every direction, paired with blaring purple lights attached to the concrete beams above the dancefloor where what looked like at least 70 people were jumping up and down to the beat of Losing It by FISHER. Strands of white UV tubes hanging from the ceiling all around the dancefloor lit up every white item of clothing in the room, turning the pure colour into a bright purple.
This giant nebula of chaos and colour made Y/N’s blood pump ten times faster throughout her body. That or the the bass blasting through the giant speakers by the DJ. Either way, the thrill of it made Y/N shiver, her whole body completely frozen in place. 
“This is crazy!” Allison gasped.
“Danny really went all out,” said Lydia, staring at the dancing figures in the center of the room.
Y/N’s phone buzzing woke her from her trance and she read the text.
Stiles: be there in about 20 minutes
Stiles: can’t wait to embarrass you on the dancefloor
Y/N: oof
“Let’s go get a drink,” Lydia urged, walking over to the large snack table with numerous bottles. Y/N read the labels and nodded, impressed by the wide range of drinks.
“Wow. Jack Daniels, vodka, a shitton of beer, wine coolers, rum, Jagermeister…Danny really did go all out.”
“Pass me a cup,” said Allison.
As the girls filled their glasses, Lydia eyed Y/N’s cup.
“Y/N, are you sure you want to start with a triple shot of vodka?”
“Yeah, it’s fine!” Y/N exclaimed, downing the drink before anyone could stop her and gasping as the strong liquid burned its way down her throat.
“Ohkay, take it easy,” said Allison, shooting a worried glance at Lydia.
“I’ve got it under control,” replied Y/N as she refilled her cup.
“Let’s go dance!”
Allison dragged the girls away from the table, walking over to the dancefloor. Y/N downed her second drink and nodded wearily.
“Yesss, let’s do this!”
The looming herd of party-goers, intimidating as it was, seemed a little less daunting now that Y/N was actually at the party.
“How bad could it be?” she thought to herself before treading through the mass, occasionally bumping against people energetically throwing their limbs around.
In the middle of the chaos, Allison stopped and started moving her hips in sync with the song, Lydia quickly following suit. Y/N bobbed her head along to the beat of the bass, her arms swinging awkwardly on either side of her body. Allison laughed and grabbed her friend’s arms forcing the movement to flow through Y/N’s limbs. Lydia busted up and down, moving her waist so naturally it seemed like she had been born for this very moment.
Closing her eyes, Y/N tried to focus on the music vibrating throughout her body, the memory of the colours surrounding her floating behind her eyelids. Allison sang along with the lyrics of the current song, shouting out the words as she moved from side to side. Y/N slowly started to lose herself to the music, letting go of her inhibitions, forgetting the world around her.
When the beat changed, her feet jumped up and down, as if they had a mind of their own. Her head felt heavy yet no thoughts crossed her mind. The music had gotten rid of all concentration, the only thing left was the bass flowing through her veins, making her entire body pulsate to the beat.
Beads of sweat trickled down Y/N’s neck as she kept dancing, her feet starting to ache with every jump. It had only been about fifteen minutes, but to the dancers, it seemed like a wonderful eternity. Finally, Lydia tapped on Y/N’s shoulder and shouted by her ear.
“Let’s do some body painting!”
Y/N nodded profusely, a wide smile on her lips.
“Ali went to dance with Isaac!” Lydia shouted as the pair pushed through the crowd.
“Where’s the paint?” shouted Y/N, trying to hear her own voice over the music and failing miserably.
“Over there!”
A tall blonde boy holding brushes with purple and pink tips smiled as the girls reached him, his charismatic grin turning Y/N’s cheeks bright red.
“What can I do for you ladies?” he asked, his pearly white teeth a bright purple as his grin widened.
“My friend over here needs a lot of paint. Emphasis on lot,”Lydia insisted.
Y/N shook her head, giggling stupidly.
“Not too much paint,” she said warmly.
The boy smiled with a wink.
“Let me worry about that.”
Y/N removed her mesh top, holding it with her right hand, patiently waiting for the boy to start painting across her chest and back. She shivered as she felt the cool wet tip of the brush meet her sweaty skin, sliding a few inches down, a thick stripe of paint spreading across her back. Y/N giggled at the cold feeling, the alcohol in her system reaching her head. She closed her eyes and bent her neck to the side as the boy continued his line up to her collarbone.
“What’s your name?” she heard him ask.
“What’s yours?” she chose to answer, smiling wickedly.
She heard him laugh as he started painting little dots up her back.
“Jeremy.”
“Nice to meet you, Jeremy.”
“You know most girls like a proper introduction before getting this close,” he said over the pulsating music, his breath fanning over Y/N’s neck as he painted small strokes down her shoulder. Y/N grinned mischievously.
“I’m not like most girls,” she teased as she turned to face him.
“No, I guess you’re not,” the boy replied, his eyes darting towards her lips and back up.
“I’m almost done with your body- I mean with the paint,” he said, shaking his head with a grin. Y/N giggled and stepped closer.
“I’m all yours…” she replied.
Jeremy’s deep blue eyes lingered on hers before focusing on her chest. Y/N thanked the universe that he wasn’t looking straight at her, otherwise he would have seen her cheeks fill with red for the second time. He delicately placed pink and orange dots up and down her chest, careful as to not stain her bra and she watched him, observing his concentration with admiration. Finally, he looked up, smiling at her.
“My masterpiece is done,” he declared, placing the paintbrush on the body paint stand.
Jeremy reached for a mirror and handed it to her. She admired the strands and dots painted across her body in a chaotic waltz, the hot purple and pink clashing against her skin. Looking up at him, she grinned widely.
“You’re talented,” she said.
“It’s easier when you have such a good canvas to work on…” he replied, sending her a look hot enough to melt her.
Momentarily remembering the outside world, she looked around and quickly realized Lydia wasn’t there anymore, probably off dancing or looking for Allison. Y/N turned back to Jeremy.
“I’m sorry, I should probably go check on my friends…” she said, biting her lip as she slipped her mesh shirt back on.
“Of course. Maybe later, we’ll bump into each other on the dance floor?” he replied, a nervous smile etched on his lips.
“Yeah, maybe.”
Y/N winked at him and walked away, trying her best to keep her cool.
“Well that was something.” She thought to herself, a wide grin planted on her face.
Looking around, she couldn’t find either of her friends, nor could she find Isaac. Slightly disappointed, Y/N walked over to the table and poured some vodka in an unused cup before knocking her head back, letting the burning liquid run down her throat.
She eyed the dancefloor and thought back on her previous conversation with Jeremy. She was beyond nervous. She’d never actually kissed a boy before. The opportunity just hadn’t ever presented itself. But now that she was here, feeling tipsy as ever, a few feet away from the cutest boy at the party, she couldn’t help but think, why not?
Wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt and downing her fourth - albeit, strong - drink of the night, she nodded to herself and walked over to the dancefloor.
As Five Hours blasted through the speakers, Y/N pushed her way through the sweaty crowd once again, making her way to the center of the dancefloor. Ignoring the world surrounding her, she closed her eyes and gave in to the music, feeling every beat of the song pulsate throughout her entire body.
Colours, flashing lights, the feeling of people’s skin against hers, her head spinning and swaying in every direction, it made her feel alive. As the last drop of the song reached its peak, Y/N jumped with the crowd, knocking her body against complete strangers, feeling the warm and sticky air fill her lungs with every breath.
The song Too Much by Curbi started to play and Y/N felt someone’s body against hers. Closing her eyes, she turned around and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. She sighed lightly, enjoying the feeling of her skin against the boy’s. His fingers treaded down her back, firmly settling just above her ass, holding her steady in a sea of bustling bodies.
She danced against him, turning around again, her back facing his front. Moving against his body, she felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her in. His hot breath fanned over her neck and she moaned slightly, squeezing his hand reassuringly.
Suddenly, time seemed to stand still when his lips lightly touched her warm skin. Y/N inhaled sharply, her eyes still shut. The only thing she could hear now was the sound of her heartbeat furiously thundering against her ribcage. Slowly caressing the boy’s arm, she allowed further access to her neckline, moaning loudly as she felt his feverish lips plant warm kisses on her neck, inching higher and higher. Y/N’s hands reached for his and she tugged them closer to her body, her hips still moving against him. His lips danced furiously across her neck, leaving dangerously beautiful marks on her skin.
The music seemed only to heighten her senses. Her legs almost gave out when she heard the boy groan lightly against her ear, her response, a small whine at the loss of contact with his lips. She turned around and tried to open her eyes, the bright lights bursting through the gap in her eyelids. Squinting at his face, trying as hard as possible not to lose herself to the music again, Y/N’s eyes caught a glimpse of the boy’s face.
Bright pink dashes stained his cupid’s bow and the right corner of his bottom lip, the paint from her neck helpless in the face of a passion like this one. Y/N’s eyes scanned the rest of his face and widened slightly when they met amber irises, warm and inviting and so familiar. Her fingers threaded through his damp dark brown hair, her brain trying to comprehend what was about to happen.
His chocolatey eyes looked deep into hers and he licked his lips slowly, the world around them fading. Y/N felt her vision blur as she inched closer to him, her nose picking up the scent of old leather and pine trees and rain. His lips lingered over hers and she felt a chill as her name echoed through the air.
“Y/N…”.
Their lips connected in a frenzied blur, sending sparks of pleasure throughout Y/N’s entire body and the chaos surrounding the pair completely swallowed them. His teeth slightly bit her bottom lip and she deepened the kiss, ardently giving in to his deliciously demanding mouth. Unable to control her body, she steadied herself against him, tugging at his shirt with one hand, the other cupping his face as he sucked on her delectable lips.
Their bodies so unbelievably close disappeared in the crowd of dancers, the whole world somehow a thousand miles away.
Time, a forgotten concept.
A/N: I seriously hope u enjoyed this!! if u did please reblog :)) (would be super helpful especially with tumblr acting up w the tags and all that) <3 part 2 coming soon!!
if you would like to be added to this series’ taglist, please send me an ask :)
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jedivszombie · 4 years ago
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15, 23, 33, 44 & 64? :)
Thank you for these questions Danny! Once again I am incapable of answering anything without it turning into an essay so you will find the answers under the cut!
it’s hump day: let’s talk about F1 baybee
15. Is there a driver that you disliked in the beginning but now like?
I answered this here.
23. Is there a driver that you think is underrated?
Yes! Quite a few actually! In terms of the current grid I really think that Antonio Giovinazzi is very underrated - sure he took a while to come to terms with the Alfa and driving in F1 but we are now seeing a much more complete Antonio who is pushing his teammate in qualifying as well as the race. He more consistently scores points these days too. He’s the Ferrari reserve driver for a reason, the FDA don’t just pick up any old scrub and give them a seat. Sure he’s not Charles or Callum but he is a solid driver and he deserves more credit than he gets. 
I also really think that Nicholas Latifi is very underrated. We saw him multiple times getting quite close to George’s pace last year during his rookie season - sure he made mistakes but he was literally a rookie. People forget that because they consider him ‘old’ to be a rookie, when really he’s what used to be a normal-ish age for people to start in F1. If Williams hadn’t constantly given him weird 4 stop strategies for no apparent reason he might have been able to capitalise on some of the crazy situations. Also so far this year he has been way more on the pace of George and closer to scoring points. He’s a solid driver who has results in junior formulas and sure you can say the money he brings with him got him the seat but he’s also managed to get up to speed fairly quickly all things considered. 
Finally, I’m gonna throw it back to one of my absolute fave drivers because this is a bit of a weird one. I cannot believe I am having to type this sentence out but I truly believe Robert Kubica is highly underrated, or at least underrated by a subset of F1 fans. Newer F1 fans seem to think he is basically a pay driver (thanks to the Orlen sponsorship) and that he’s washed up or whatever. BUT he really isn’t and he’s very, very talented and fast. I was lucky enough to get to follow his F1 career prior to his accident and my god the things he could do with the cars he was in. 
First race he participated in he would’ve finished 7th if it hadn’t been for a disqualification and he outqualified his experienced teammate (sorry Nick but Bobby K really did That to ya). He also essentially made Jacques Villeneuve, who he was just standing in for, run for the hills after just that performance. Third ever F1 race Kubica was in he got a third position. He dragged BMW Sauber and Renault to some places they should not have been in and he was in the running for a championship back in 2008. 
Even after his accident he came back to F1 and racked up hours as test driver and gave valuable feedback and then as Williams driver he scored their only point of the season and the last point Williams had. Both Seb and Lewis have often commented that he is one of the best drivers they have ever competed against. He is very mechanically minded and sure he is bringing in big sponsorship money into Alfa but he’s also giving them a lot of very valuable feedback about the car - you know the thing that everyone says Kimi is incredible at, well Robert’s incredible at that too. Also he is now in ELMS and his team just won the first round in LMP2, not too shabby for someone the vast majority of F1 fans would have you believe is washed up and past it.  
33. Do you have a favourite team principle duo or ship?
Fave team principal duos: Toto Wolff and Cyril Abiteboul. Marcin Budkowski and Cyril Abiteboul ✌🏻
44. Where would you want to have a race?
I think it sure would be neat if we had a race in Malaysia or Germany - #bringbackNurburgring. Also we should go back to South Africa or maybe have a race in another African country because I think that would be cool. 
64. Is there a ship that seems so weird but somehow just works for you?
I don’t really think I am into any weird ships just super niche ships. Like Fernandrea (Alonso and Andrea Stella) or Arrivabene and Toto Wolff or Seb and Toto. 
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mcrmadness · 4 years ago
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Oooo, how about two from each of them? Fanfic asks: J and P, film asks: 15 and 16, music asks: 20 and 26.
OMG thanks!!! :DDD
Ask games: Fanfic asks, Film asks and Music asks. (People you can still send me asks if you want, asks are fun to answer to!)
***
FANFIC ASKS:
A little background before we get to the questions: I haven’t written too many, actually only 6 quite short ones (and one of them is a bit longer than usual) about Die Ärzte (Bela/Farin FTW) and all of these I have written between the years 2009 and 2012, so I was 18-21 which means they are not that good. And there’s lots of things I wouldn’t write anymore. I also have a WIP on my computer, I started it in 2012 but stopped writing altogether only to start writing again in the end 2018, it has bit over 28k words currently and tbh I have written 90% of that when I started writing again two years ago. I still have my old ones up on LiveJournal (ask for a link), but I haven’t published anything fron this later one as I’ve just been writing down all kinds of snippets whenever I have had an inspiration. I think those are also a lot better in quality than what I wrote before, the old ones are quite cringey.
J. What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?
I guess we talk about those fics I have also finished, now. It’s actually hard to decide but I would say my favourite is either Why not even once? or The Boring Book Freak. I think the latter is actually The favourite.
The first one (was actually my second dä ff overall) is set to happen in 2003 and in that one Farin is leaving for another vacation somewhere and Bela wants to go with him, but Farin wants to travel alone and Bela is struggling with that, as well as with Farin finally leaving and having to somehow survive his time at home without Farin there. The writing itself is bit stupid and I feel that the end got bit too far but otherwise I like the idea.
The second one (came actually after the previous one) is set to happen in the early/mid 90s (my fave Bela/Farin era btw) and on that they just are at some random summer cottage. Now, fuck cottagecores and such, I wrote it because summer cottages are a thing in Finland and I wrote it when cottagecore was not even cool yet. Somehow I imagined that it would be very Farin-like to rent a cottage from the middle of nowhere, in a forest and then spend a weekend or so there with Bela. Who then is not entertained at all and is bored because Farin won’t put away his book and won’t give him any attention, so he tries everything to get Farin’s attention. I especially like the visual images this fanfic gives to me, I can see their hairs and outfits so well and those are also aesthetically very pleasing. (They look the same as in that Absolut Live interview from the 90s, I don’t control their looks with my fics usually, I just have an idea and then my brain creates how they look in that particular scene :D)
I have also written a short songfic around the lyrics of their song “Ich weiß nicht (ob es Liebe ist)” and it was fun to imagine that as Bela/Farin. That was fun to write.
This got a bit long so I put the rest under a cut:
P. What are your favorite tropes to write?
(Had to google what a trope is lol. I’m old-school and no longer know most of the terms unless they’re old terms.)
Angst - I put my own angst, sadness and angriness into my writing often. It’s when I feel like in real life I would need other people but I don’t know how to reach out or don’t just feel comfortable about opening up, I open up a file and start writing. This is also where we get to the next trope...
Hurt/Comfort - But not so that X hurts Y, but that Y feels hurt for other reasons and then X comforts them. I kinda got obsessed with this theme after being bullied at school so I was always hurt but never comforted, so I often go back to those feels and emotions with my text to look for that comfort (hug, nice words, whatever) I never got in real life.
Fluff - This is bit complicated because I like writing fluff but I also hate reading fluff I have written. Because it does not sound like me. And sometimes when I write, I feel like standing behind my own back and vomiting a little on the inside because of how cheesy and disgusting that is but still I can’t stop writing. And then I feel like a different person when I read them because I can’t believe it’s ME who wrote them. The same way when I watch movies and people kiss, I always look away. And I want to look away when I read my fanfiction. But I can’t, especially because I know I looked at that scene in my head when I wrote it.
Humour - I love humour so much and I like to include this to my writing. Normally I put the humour in my comics but some of that fits also in the regular texts too.
***
FILM ASKS:
These are super tough but also fun - I have been trying to think of what to answer to these for days.
15. A film everyone loves but you hate?
The Avengers (-12). Sorry but not sorry. Well I don’t hate it but I don’t understand why everyone says it’s the best Marvel movie ever. It’s not. It’s full of clichés and stupid forced heteroromances and whatnot and the plot was just so, so predictive I don’t understand why it’s often talked about as some sort of cinematic master piece. I literally was able to tell everything that was gonna happen next when I watched it for the first time. Only cool things in that movie are Loki and Iron Man, whose character I already liked as I had seen the Iron Man movie and liked it. But I hated both Thor movies (the third one is awesome tho). 
I like Marvel and I have seen I guess most of the movies - before MCU all good Marvel movies to come out were The X-Men movies and Spider-Man movies, and because I saw so many terrible Marvel movies, I was avoiding the whole MCU and I got into these movies much later and still, after seeing them all, I say The Avengers is one of the worst ones. Thor and Thor 2 are pretty much even worse (and I haven’t even seen the Hulk movie because it looks terrible), mainly because I just can’t stand the fact they’re mainly just built around Thor and his love interest...
16. A film you love but everyone else hates?
Spider-Man 3 (or the whole trilogy with Tobey Maguire). I see we continue with Marvel here but seriously I don’t understand why everyone is always picking on Tobey’s version of Spider-Man? And people especially hate the third movie and how Venom was portrayed in it (I’m obsessed with Venom’s human teeth pls I want his teeth), when it’s actually the best one for me. The second one is bit boring because it was again all about whining and Mary-Jane... Anyway, the reason why I am so attached to these movies is that I saw the first Spider-Man movie from TV when I was a teenager and in junior high myself, and I was bullied and a bit of a nerd so I could relate to Peter Parker a lot, and it gave me just so much strength to see him become Spider-Man and to stand up against the bullies and other assholes.
I also saw the third movie in the movie theater and there was one scene during which I started hysterically laughing with my friend because of an expression Tobey made as he was sitting on a bed, I don’t know why but somehow I just totally lost it at that :D It still makes me laugh so much when I see it! And when the movie ended, I heard a The Killers song “Move Away” for the first time during the end credits and TK was one of my favorite bands at the time (and still is).
***
MUSIC ASKS:
20. a song that empowers you
It gotta be Dead! by My Chemical Romance:
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This album was what got me through all the shit that happened when I was 15+ and especially this song always made (and still makes) me feel so good. I often listened to my old mp3 player while walking to school and back home and every time this song came by, I just felt like nothing can harm and that life FINALLY was so great! It’s so energetic and still makes me feel that living is actually super awesome.
26. a song that taught you a lesson
Hmmm. I think I will answer to this with Dusche by Farin Urlaub.
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That thumbnail is terrible but... And why did I choose this song? Well, I’m all for the sound what comes to music and I’d say at least 80% of all lyrics go way over my head. I just don’t have the skills for understanding poetry and also very poetic lyrics make me go crazy. I hate not knowing and when I have to assume, guess and interpret something. I don’t want to guess but I wanna know what someone has actually thought.
Dusche was the first song that had lyrics that for the first time ever actually spoke for me. I probably saw some video with English subtitles a fan had made and it just blew me away because holy shit, people are capable of writing lyrics even I can understand??? And that way I realized I can like lyrics but only if they make absolutely no sense (aka are funny or somewhat crazy, like Dusche) or when they are written in a story form or sung from the 1st person view or to “you” or in passive - but only if I can get behind the idea there.
After Dusche, Farin’s song Porzellan followed. And one of my absolute favourites is Karten. So, Farin is one of the only few people whose lyrics I have been able to understand. I still don’t hear lyrics and don’t understand a majority of the lyrics my fave bands write, and I have understood only a couple of Bela’s lyrics and I’m not sure if I’ve understood any of Rod’s lyrics. It’s not even about the language barrier anymore really, it’s just the topics or wordings I cannot comprehend.
Thank you again for the ask! This was very interesting to ponder and answer to :)
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goonlalagoon · 6 years ago
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Okay, so this all came to mind after @thats-the-moon-grey​ posted a link to their new Check Please blog and mentioned the apparent overlap between L&L fans and OMGCP fans - so while waiting for the train I started bouncing Academy!OMGCP ideas around in the discord and figured I should maybe collect them somewhere easier to find in case I ever go back and write...actual fic about this because I’m invested now.
So we have:
Jack Zimmerman is a Heorics feat major from a long line of Heroic Feats Majors, who came to the Academy a bit late due to having a breakdown thanks to significant external pressure? Maybe got partway through his first year or maybe in this ‘verse there’s more of a lead up to the Academy. Junior Heroics, or something?
(Jack hasn't yet gotten to Rupes level of 'not a sack of potatoes' understanding with his father, but they're working on it now) (His dad is the equivalent of Sarge, somewhat, in terms of the level of general awe and respect he's held in, both inside and out of the Bureau)
(Alicia Zimmerman does have the ‘not a sack of potatoes’ relationship with Jack. She wasn’t part of the Leagues herself but is widely acknowledged as The Woman To Know by literally everyone and is held in about the same level of awe by the Bureau as her husband. She has Miz Eliza’s “it’s my life and I’m going to live it” attitude combined with Aisling Jones’ grasp of sociopolitics and diplomatic power)
Holster is a combat spec
Ransom is a guide, and he takes it seriously
Frantically studying at three am seriously because "I got that one question wrong on the last test and it's a mild diuretic, what if I'd given it to someone in the field and then they died of dehydration?!?"
He also rocks up with some basic defence skills/physical fitness, so he and his roommate Holster do fitness training together and Holster teaches him more defence because hello? It is his literal job to look after the other people in his league, and how is Ransom supposed to do that if he can’t protect them?? He strives to be able to keep people from getting hurt in the first place.
I feel Shitty would be a guide or a sage, but with a family line not quite as illustrious as Jack's but one where he was definitely expected to be one of the 'respectable' specs, I.e. hero or combat
Actually, yes, Shitty is a reluctant combat spec who gatecrashes lectures for the sages/guides (credit to @soundofez​)
Shitty and Jack are roommates
Lardo is a sage, but more on the ‘creative thinking’ side of things than the ‘books and notes and libraries’ side.
She isn’t actually that interested in active League work, and doesn't particularly care about getting actively involved in the physical side of vigilante life but is very much still The Boss(tm)
She’s the best at organising and planning and kicking this bunch of goofs into gear so she does that
She’s basically Sez, is what I’m saying here, only at the Academy
@thats-the-moon-grey added “Lardo’s creativity + “boss of you” vibes mean she’s the strategy master, Jack is the tactics master but he leans on her a lot to describe what she’s seeing from the sidelines of a fight while ducking and running”
She’s a less extreme Rupert, and is the one who remembers logistics and to pack ceral bars and water and all that stuff
Jack is good at doing all of that for himself, but he forgets that not everyone grew up with all of this.
Jack internally: not everyone grew up knowing Exactly How Much To Pack?? Some people don't know the exact ratio of carbs to protein they need for a day of hunting Things??? Some people don't know that swords rust as soon as you turn your back if you don't clean them right????
Bitty is a Mage who is much more here for the pretty lights and household uses, thank you kindly
He doesn’t do brute force well, but his spell design is a thing of beauty and his casting once he’s got the power in hand is blink and you miss it quick
Johnson is also a mage, and a ridiculously powerful one so is super sensitive to the Elsewhere storms
He has to bail on a planned outing of extra curricular hijinks, and sends Eric Bittle along to help instead because really, this storm isn’t going to affect anyone else unless they’re as sensitive as Johnson.
Johnson mysteriously disappears from most day to day activities, but keeps doing his bits of all of the assignments and covering for them
(Johnson is a seer and Knows How This Will Go, Folks)
Jack at first is...not great with Bitty joining their extra curricular activities
(He and the rest had a system, okay?)
Bitty is a good Mage but not a strong one and that means he can't rely on firepower the whole time
And this ends up with him getting personal defence training from Jack
Because he has issues with conflict but Jack knows you can't exactly avoid it as a League and he's already let his itty bitty mage take a bad hit once this year
Anyway, extra curricular vigilante hijinks happen and they all bond and have a great time and probably save the world or something
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five-wow · 6 years ago
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9.20 thoughts! this got very long, just as an fyi.
not even a minute in and some guys sold a teenage girl a gun. oh boy.
on the plus side: i remember which episode this is now! it’s the one with the gun that somehow has a connection to lots of five-0 members’ lives!
the banter between those two cops was really fun (and not as stilted as it sometimes is when a random Cop Or Security Duo shows up!) and then one of them got shot and something like that kind of HAD to happen but i’m still sad
OKAY so the first connection is that junior is friends with one of the guys who sold the gun and the guy shows up at HQ and i was like, oh no, but then he tells junior what he did!!! that’s so good!!! i’m weirdly proud of this very minor side character who did a very bad thing
DANNY. THERE’S DANNY. i technically knew he had to be in this episode somewhere because i’ve seen photographical evidence of it here on tumblr, but THERE HE IS. YAY. i mean, i love almost all of the main cast, but i think part of the reason why it took me a month to watch the previous episode was because danny wasn’t in it. it still just doesn’t feel right. it’s like there’s something missing. and here that something is!
junior and his buddy leave and steve and danny are alone in the office and steve said something case-related directly to danny and i’m weirdly excited about that, too!! my bars are literally so low.
BABY STEVE. baby steve is watching inspector gadget, oh my gosh, aw.
i love how doris is supposed to be there and she picks up the phone and tells mini steve to turn down the tv, but we never see any part of her except a hand and some hair because they didn’t hire the actress for this episode. so subtle.
i am... so conflicted about this scene. on the one hand, mini steve is super cute. on the other, we’re probably supposed to like young john here and think he’s a Good Dad but i just... kind of low key hate everything he does. he looks annoyed when doris tells him the call is for him, like she’s bugging him somehow after being the one who picked up the phone in the first place, and the whole “i have to go to work. take care of your mom while i’m gone, okay?” that he says to steve is so bad, omfg. steve is what, five? i know the “man of the house” thing is very common in media but it’s! so! stupid! doris is a grown woman and steve is a tiny little boy - doris has to (and can!) take care of steve, not the other way around, god. /rant
oh! we do get a full body shot of doris but it’s blurry doris! and she’s SUPER PREGNANT which makes the fact that john let her get up to answer the phone in the first place kind of bad too, actually, oh boy.
doris: “john, if something was wrong you’d tell me, right?” john: “i’m not gonna lie to you, i don’t know. just lock the door behind me, i’ll try to call you as soon as i get this straightened out.” OMG WHAT. okay a) this is hilarious knowing as we do that doris was actually a highly trained cia agent/assassin and probably way more skilled than john and outranks him by far, fjdkfd, and b) i’ll give john a little credit for being somewhat honest and not just going with “no, everything’s totally fine, don’t worry”, but the answer he does give is almost worse because it’s so incredibly vague, holy shit. he says “i’m not gonna lie to you” and he doesn’t, but he also doesn’t tell doris who called or what they said or why he’s suddenly leaving for work in the middle of the night or why he thinks she needs to lock the door.
i’m only six minutes in at this point. i’m talking too much oh gosh
WAIT WAIT WAIT. john is offering himself up as a hostage, alone and unarmed and without backup, and THAT’s the “oh, i don’t know if there’s something wrong honey” situation he was leaving for? john. the fuck. now the “i’m not gonna lie” was definitely a lie after all.
the guy with the gun: “you’re such a good boy, john.” i respectfully disagree, my man.
the guy with the gun apparently killed his business partner and john arrested him (of course) and he and john have a talk about it where the guy is like “i shouldn’t have gone to prison!” and john is like “you got off lightly!” and it’s okay but. john is so smug about it and i hate that. he’s probably supposed to look bad ass and cool but i just. i just really dislike it. it’s this macho man thing and i’m not into it at all.
guy with gun, talking about his son: “you made sure he grew up without a father.” this, um, kind of made me laugh, because apparently that’s one of john’s specialties - for this guy’s kid by sending him (probably deservedly) to prison, sure, but later also his own kids by sending them away, fdjfkd. wow.
ooohhhh the gun guy said “steve, right?” and the frame kind of flipped to present day steve and that was very cool! i loved that.
2010 danny! and he’s talking to grace on the phone!!! already love it.
i also love that they gave him a baseball cap, presumably to hide the kind of obvious difference in hair that nine years brought.
danny kind of snubs the local food and it’s very 2010!him, but oh danny. it’s not the poor shop owner’s fault that your ex dragged you there against your will.
oh BOY. the shop gets robbed and the owner shot (which was expected, of course, when a main character wanders in there at night), and then danny asks the random woman shopping there to keep pressure on the owner’s wound until the ambulance gets there (which... he hasn’t called, and he also hasn’t told her to call for one, so that, uh, might take a long, long while) and then he takes the shop owner’s shotgun and RUNS AFTER THE SHOOTER. which is very heroic of him but also makes every single complaint he has in season 1 about steve’s daredevil approach to law enforcement VERY IRONIC.
oh, danny loses the guy and NOW he calls it in, fjdkfkd.
jerry is doing some smart tracking thing on the computer and it’s pretty regular h50 stuff but there’s an email adress on the screen that’s literally “gunlover[bunch of numbers]” and i’m screaming oh gosh
they already found the girl! but her dad is understandably not that jazzed about letting his daughter be investigated for murder. but good job on tracking her down so quickly!
2015 tani at a party!!! aww.
ohhh gosh koa is target shooting with the gun, which probably means he’s going to end up getting framed for something, oh no.
oh boy, tani has the same concerns so she confronts her boyfriend about it but she also knows her boyfriend’s in a gang and then the police comes knocking at his door about a murder, so that’s not going to end well.
ooh, 2015 tani was a police informant! and she’s talking to a pretty cool female detective and i appreciate that, even though you’d have to squint to count this scene as passing the bechdell test because almost every sentence references tani’s boyfriend, the boyfriend’s gang or tani’s brother.
steve and danny are interrogating a suspect together!! i might be completely wrong, but i feel like we haven’t seen that in a while.
suspect: “i don’t know if either of you guys are married, but even if it goes south, you can’t shut down some of those feelings, you know? like the ones that go right down into the core.” HMMM. INTERESTING. the camera is literally on danny’s face for a good portion of this, gosh.
they close their main case and i thought for a moment there was going to be some big twist because the episode isn’t near over yet, but instead they realize that this gun was used for a whole bunch of other crimes. it’s a “community gun”! i love that term, wow. how nice and cooperative of them all, sharing this one piece between them.
danny recognizes his case from the ones on the screen!!! and he tells the rest of them that he went to get a bite to eat on his first night in hawaii and that the store was robbed, and i’m kind of glad that at least the team seems to recognize that this is extraordinarily bad luck, ha.
also, steve barely reacts to danny’s story, so i’m taking that to mean that he definitely already knows it. which would make total sense! this seems like the kind of thing danny would rant about at some point during one of his “why i hate hawaii” tirades in season 1, but still, i like that. they know each other.
fjdkfjdk i LOVE how the whole team is standing there and piecing together the fact that they have connections to a ridiculous number of the crimes committed with this one gun, and jerry keeps commenting about how freaky it all is. this is so much fun, awww.
young john gets shot but of course he was wearing a vest, because he can’t die yet, because he needs to save that for a moment much later when he’s scarred his kids more and when he can die horribly on the phone with his son.
OKAY BUT “d. lukela”!!!! i’ve been watching the john bits very sceptically at this point but THIS I DID NOT SEE COMING and i ADORE IT.
john: “listen, duke, i’m not gonna lie to you man...” WHY do you keep saying that john, omfg. at least this time you’re telling the truth about not lying, i suppose. 50% not lying about not lying isn’t much, but it’s a start.
steve!! remembers!! that night!! and it’s because he was six and really scared because he knew something was wrong oh nooo
danny and tani talking in the car is super nice!!! and danny gets to drive the camaro for once which, wow, that’s pretty shocking
ahhhhh, the only thing this danny+car scene was missing was steve and then he CALLS. very good.
i just. listen. i just love danny. the way he keeps butting into the tense conversation between tani and this guy she used to know who she put in prison? it’s both hilarious and secretly very kind, because it’s making the moment so much more bearable for tani.
danny and tani find the guy from the convenience store robbery and he just turns around and puts his hands on his back to be cuffed when they ask him to! he doesn’t pull out a gun from somewhere or even try to run away! holy shit!
duke and steve are in california rounding off steve’s dad’s case and of course they get shot at before even knocking on the door and then the suspect runs for it, too. maybe it’s just steve. maybe their work would be a lot easier if steve’s presence didn’t magically make all the suspects shoot and run.
and the gun gets put away in a box in evidence storage, closing the case(s). aww. that’s a nice end.
okay, so, as much as i complain about john mcgarrett, i did really enjoy this episode very much! it was a really fun idea to have this gun travel around the island and use it to show little parts of characters’ backstories and i liked the execution of it too, plus the pacing was good and it had some funny moments and it had (very importantly) danny in it. and tani’s background!!! i think that was the one that surprised me most, because danny being a good cop with bad luck and steve having a not-so-great dad are a bit of a given at this point (though i still enjoyed seeing that, too!), but we knew precious little about tani’s life before five-0, and apparently there’s a huge story there. knowing what this episode showed us, i kind of want her to have a conversation with kamekona at some point - they both had a youth where they (almost) went the wrong direction, and they both got out of that in part for the sake of their brothers, and then they both ended up in the five-ohana somehow, which is probably not a place they ever saw themselves. i don’t know, i just love the idea of this unexpected friendship/understanding between two characters who don’t seem to have a lot in common at first glance.
also, more general comment: the funny thing is, until i watched this episode i hadn’t realized how much i missed this silly show and its silly characters over the past month. i totally did that not-watching-it thing to myself (not even intentionally, but still) and clearly it was more of a mistake than i realized because oh my god it felt good to see them all on my screen again, gosh. :D
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heartslogos · 5 years ago
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newfragile yellows [622]
“And then Ellana reminded me about this thing she had found when she was working on her prep for the assignment Montilyet sent her on three weeks ago — “
“But you said you didn’t see Ellana at all that day. I’m pretty sure no one’s seen Ellana in two weeks because she’s in a radio free zone. Like, I’m not sure how she hasn’t coming running back screaming about being unable to access social media.”
(For someone who has zero social media presence, Ellana is hooked on the stuff. It’s some hallmark of a great spy, Maxwell thinks. Mahanon, Herah, Leliana, Ellana. All of them are completely plugged into social media and are always up to date on the most current of media trends and flavors. Leliana’s basically running the most anonymous and yet meme-able Chirper account anyone’s ever seen but no one knows that the account is run by someone in the Inquisition.)
Bull looks at Maxwell like he's an idiot. This is pretty uncalled for, Max thinks. He’s been doing a pretty good job at paying attention to this extremely challenging story. It’s full of plot twists, tangents, red herring details, possible Chekov’s gun scenarios, several asides that have little to no relevance other than in the slightest squint and you miss it kind of way, and of course all of Bull’s wonderful color commentary. And of course, the fact that Bull doesn’t explain the things he should explain, and goes into great detail into the things that don’t need any kind of expository address.
Maxwell has the whole broad strokes image of the current story going, if not the finer pointillism details. He can see the forest and the trees, as it were.
And yet Bull’s here giving him this look like he’s missed the entire forest by a continent.
“You assume that I need to physically see Ellana in order to hear her voice in my head?” Bull rolls his eye. “I’ve been with that woman for years, Trevelyan. You think I can’t hear her saying shit and telling me off? You think my brain can’t fill in the blanks using her speech patterns? Fuck off with that.”
“That sounds deeply disturbing.”
“Are you telling me that sometimes you don’t have a voice in your head that sounds like your cousin’s, or Pentaghast’s, or maybe even Sera’s warning you off of something stupid?”
“You mean a conscience?”
“No, that’s a moral thing. I’m talking about a factual thing. Also it doesn’t have to be about telling you to do something. Sometimes the voice reminds you of stuff. Or makes jokes at you when you see something. Or provides color commentary when you’re doing whatever it is you do.”
“You have a great deal more imagination than I ever gave you credit for if you’ve got Ellana Lavellan’s voice in your head talking at you at any given moment with little to no prompting,” Maxwell determines. “Maybe you ought to help Varric fix his manuscripts. Sometimes his dialogue is unbelievably flat.”
“He makes up for with with great plot twists.”
“Those plots twists are our lives.”
“I know, I’m surprised that this kind of shit happens even though I lived it. It’s gratifying to know it sounds as fuck-all stupid on paper as it does in real time.”
-
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this,” Evelyn pinches the bridge of her nose, “I can’t be your life insurance beneficiary. I am your boss. It would look beyond shady. You have an extremely hazardous job. This is the kind of thing people get taken to court over. This is the kind of thing companies get taken to court for. This is exactly the kind of negative press that we have Josephine working around the clock to mitigate and avoid.”
“You are all I have,” Maxwell says, jabbing his finger onto her desk, “Evelyn. You are literally the only person I have. There is no one else I could possibly put as my beneficiary that wouldn’t look more suspicious. Oh, yes, I die and suddenly Sera has a lot of money? The lesbian ten years my junior who likes to make fun of my private school background and my usually-straight-man choices? Malika? The young woman almost twenty years my junior? Edric? The man who’s almost twenty years my senior? Cassandra Pentaghast whom I’ve been carrying a torch for for the past how many years but has confirmed that she would rather us stay friends and that’s perfectly fine with me and I count myself lucky that she even wants to be my friend?”
“Your…” Evelyn grimaces. “Well. We have that one cousin.”
“Ah yes, that one cousin who is so far removed from us that I’m pretty sure that they’re actually Antivan and haven’t seen us at all aside from when we’re on TV? That one cousin who’s name we don’t even remember because they’re Antivan, and are basically our cousin only in the vaguest terms possible? Did you mean that cousin?”
Evelyn puts her head in her hands.
“Who did you put as your beneficiary?”
“Josephine,” Evelyn answers immediately. “I figured she’d be the one able to utilize it the best.”
“Can I set Josephine as mine?”
“No, because Josephine ranks above you and circles us back to the same problem of you putting an employer as your life insurance beneficiary, especially when said employer puts you in compromising positions.”
“You let Ellana put Bull as her beneficiary, and technically he outranks her in the Inquisition flow chart. He’s a team Supervisor and she’s a team Lead,” Maxwell points out.
“One, they’re married. It doesn’t matter at that point,” Evelyn replies. “Two, even if they weren’t married just because they’re both in our clandestine operations branch mean one outranks the other. Technically Bull has a higher job title, but his official departmental assignment is in Information Assessments. Ellana’s department is Reconnaissance. Both fall under the umbrella jurisdiction of Leliana, but neither one reports to the other directly. They’re fine. Three. The idea that you think anyone here can permit Ellana anything shows such fatal hubris I’m astounded that you haven’t been struck by lightning. Maker, Max.”
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myloveofwords · 6 years ago
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Can’t Find My Way Home. Part 4.
Reader Gender: Female (You’re Samantha Winchester)
Word Count: 2,866
Summary: With Samantha and Dean’s meeting done, let's see how well Samantha handles the Winchester custom of lying to those you care about...
Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. 
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                                                  The Bunker. 
I wake up in the passenger seat of the Impala. I feel the smile across my face as I glance down and see Dean's leather jacket draped across my body. 
I sit up and stretch, in a vain attempt to relieve the constricted aching of my limbs. I glance over at Dean and see the worry clearly etched across his face.
We sat there for a while, neither of us knows how to start up a conversation. What do I say to my biological father after eighteen years?
I clear my throat and try anyway "So where are we headed?" Without taking his eyes off the road he mumbles "Lebanon, Kansas." I eye him skeptically "Why?" Dean's mouth turns upwards as he talks "We're going home."
I look at him dubiously "You have a home? I thought you lived out of hotel rooms and the Impala." His smile widens "We do when we're on cases. When we're not on a case we head back to Kansas."
 I look out the windshield not being able to look at him "You still live where your mother died?" Dean shook his head "Nope."
I release the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding "Then where do you live?" He looks at me arrogantly and says "You'll see."
I huff back into the seat and fold my arms across my chest "Where's Sam and Castiel?" Dean moves his hand off the steering wheel and starts rubbing that spot on his arm again "Sam's behind us driving your car back and Cas. . . I've given up on trying to keep up with him."
I nod slowly running out of things to say. The rest of the drive is pretty quiet I ask a couple of questions, Dean answers them flatly, and we sit in silence again.
As we cross over into Kansas I am singing along to Metallica and smiling out the window. Dean looks over at me suddenly "You like Metallica?"
I nod as I continue to look out the window "Mom listened to it in her room a lot. She liked Classic rock, I guess it reminded her of you." Dean didn't respond, but I knew that pleased him.
Dean takes a back road into the woods and I mumble "Of course you live in the middle of nowhere." Dean simply smiles and nods. Intrigued now, I sit up and cross my arms on the dash looking eagerly ahead.
I suddenly see a big concrete mass with railings leading down to a single door "Seriously? Do you literally live in a hole in the ground? You're too big to be a hobbit." Dean smiles over at me as he parks the Impala "Just wait until you get inside."
I hop out the Impala and bounce my way over to the door "Why? What's inside? Maps of Middle Earth and walking sticks?" I stand patiently waiting for Dean to open the door.
I smile up at him innocently as he responds "Remind me to never introduce you to Charlie; she'd love you to death." 
Dean opens the door and motions for me to go in. As I make my way into space where my father apparently 'lives', a single phrase escapes my mouth "A bunker? You live in a bunker." 
Dean walks down the steps into the main room and lays his duffel on the mahogany table.
I walk around slowly, trying to imagine living here and trying to come to terms with how large this place is.
I walk slowly into the kitchen, noticing that it looks very commercial. I walk down many hallways stopping at every door I can find. I notice a door with a large hole in it and wonder what in the hell was trying to get out.
I walk into a room that looks like a storage room, and I eventually find a leaver that moves the selves and reveals a dungeon type room. Holy hell, we have a dungeon? 
I laugh inconceivably and walk over to the single chair in the middle of the room. As I get closer I see that the handcuffs have traps and sigils on them, well that's smart. 
I walk out of the room and close the door behind me sighing heavily, why is my family so weird?
I shake my head and move on; I open the door to one of the rooms and find a military-like bedroom. Everything is in its place, nothing but neat. 
Guns above the bed, a single picture of Dean and Sam on a dresser, and as I walk deeper into the bedroom I smile as I inhale deeply. 
It smells of Dean; a hint of leather, musk, and whiskey. 
This is my father's bedroom, I tilt my head as I smile wildly to myself. I hear Sam's voice ricochet across the bunker and I slowly make my way back to the main room.
When I am in the hallway about to get back to the main room I hear Sam and Dean's whispers. Sam sighs deeply and says "Dean you have to tell her. She has a right to know." I hear Dean's grunt as he hastily replies "Drop it, Sammy. It's my problem, I'll deal with it."
I hear Sam's condemning tone "Dean." Dean didn't say anything and I hear Sam's dramatic sigh "So how are you doing? With all this, I mean." 
Without a seconds hesitation Dean answers "I'm fine." I peek around the corner and see Sam's unconvinced facial expression "Yeah. Sure."
Dean lays down the book he was currently reading and says "What do you want me to say, Sammy? That I'm terrified? That I'm scared shit-less that I'm not going to be a good father? That she might die doing what we do and it will be all my fault?"
Sam doesn't say anything he just waits for Dean to finish then says "Dean, you were the closest thing I had to an actual father. I'm proof that you are a wonderful father. Everything bad that has happened to me I did to myself, and you were always there to help me clean it up. We'll figure this out, together."
I walk into the main room and clear my throat, Sam looks up and smiles at me "Hey there kiddo." I smile politely and say "Hiya Sammy." I walk over to the table and ask "What are we researching?"
Without looking up from the computer Dean says "There's an article about a woman mysteriously dying in her own home. I sent Garth to wrap it up, sounds like a simple haunting." I nod "Then why are you looking up spells? You don't need a spell to cast away a spirit."
I see Dean rub the spot on his arm again as he says "Just brushing up on my exorcisms." I look at him questionably "But that's not an exorcism."
At this, he turns and says "And how would you know that?" I shrugged "I speak Latin. I thought it would be a good thing to learn for my line of work. I also took a Spiritual Communications Class in college. We analyzed several exorcisms . . . And let's just say that I took the extra credit seriously."
Sam looked at me obviously impressed "They have those now?" I nodded "It was a one-semester course and it was mainly for people who thought of the idea of spirits interesting."
Dean spoke up "You speak Latin?" I smiled smugly "Etiam Decano. Quam turpe nescire." Dean looked at Sam expectantly and without even looking up Sam instantly translated "Yes Dean. I speak Latin."
I smile and look back at the book Dean was looking at "So why are you looking at a spell that is used to get rid of a wart? Do you have warts, Dean?" 
Dean looked at me sulkily "Seriously? Warts?" I nodded slowly and pointed to the book "That word there means wart. In some contexts it could mean mark, but not in this context. You can tell by the sentence construction."
Sam looks at me with a shit-eating smile on his face "How old are you again?" I look up and land on Sam's inquiring eyes. I feel my cheeks go red under his prodding gaze "Eighteen. I turn nineteen in June."
Sam continues with the questioning "And you just finished high school?" I shake my head "Not exactly. I was sixteen when I graduated high school. Right now I'm technically a junior at Georgetown." Sam nods "Georgetown, that's impressive. What's your major?"
I smile and dramatically breathe in before I say "I'm working on a Major in Classical Studies with a concentration on Hellenic Studies, and a minor of Theology with a concentration of Biblical Studies." Dean spoke up "Well that's a mouth full."
I blush and say "Yeah, imagine writing it on job applications." Sam's face is split into a grin as he watches me "Do your foster parents know what you do?" 
I smile sadly "No, they understand that it's dangerous, and they understand that I can't tell them because it will put them in danger. Speaking of which, I need to call Barbra, she'll be worried. I'll be back in a second."
I padded off to the kitchen and called Barbra. She answered on the first ring "Samantha sweetie, is that you?" I smiled at her understanding tone "Yeah it's me."
She started shooting off questions excitedly, all the unwanted feelings flying to the front of my head "What happened? Did you find Bobby? What is this all about? Are you okay? Do you need me to come?"
I smile warmly to myself as I hear the concern in her voice "No Barb. I . . . I kinda met my biological father today." I hear the excited screams on the other end and hold the phone away from my ear "Oh My! How!?!"
I feel the heavy tug on my heart return as I realize the excitement had worn off "He was at Bobby's." You smile sadly as she politely asks "And how is Bobby? Staying out of trouble I hope." 
I couldn't fight off the sob that ricochets deep in my throat at Barb's harmless inquiry "Yeah, you could say he's staying out of trouble. . . Um, Bobby's dead."
Barbra's voice dropped immediately "Oh my. Sweetie are you okay?" I nodded sadly to myself as I feel the grief threaten to take over "Well, I will be I think. Eventually. It's just going to take some time to realize that he's actually gone . . . But anyway, apparently Bobby had planned this all along, he had sent for us both to show up at the same time. I met Dean, his brother Sam, and their friend Castiel."
I hear her reassuring tone "Well that's exciting, maybe you all can grieve together. I know Brad and I will. He was such a good man. . . Anyway, tell me about Dean! What's he like?"
I sit on the table in the kitchen and say "He's exactly like I imagined him! I mean he is strong, protective, and occasionally really sweet. But at the same time, he can be distant, cold, and unwilling to make connections with people. It's a weird combination."
Barbra calmly said "Well, he probably has his reasons. Just give him some time. Now tell me about Sam!" I smile at the memory "Sam is different but the same. I always envisioned him as a geeky little brother, but he isn't. He's sweet, funny, and can be protective. But Sam's other side is different. It's like he feels he's let Dean down, and he is constantly trying to make it up to him. It's a very unhealthy relationship."
Barbra laughs a little "You've always been able to read people. Do they look like you imagined?" 
I smile as I hop off the table and lean on the door frame of the kitchen watching Sam and Dean work "Well, Sam is much taller than Dean, which I didn't expect. Dean still has short hair, and Sam's hair is almost as long as mine. But they are both adorable. They've each got their own charm about them. Dean is more of a manly man bad boy type, but Sam is more lengthy and tall. They're both exceedingly handsome. It's weird to think that I actually came from this bloodline."
I can imagine Barbra's proud smile as she says "I can believe it. You've got the best of both worlds it sounds like. You've got the beauty and brains from Sam, and Dean's demeanor, you could conquer the world if you wanted to." 
I laugh loudly at her "Yeah right."
I see Dean come into the kitchen and lean on the door frame. I smile at him and tilt my head questionably; he smiles and asks "Can I talk to her for a minute?" 
I smile as I ask Barbra "Ummm, so Dean just walked in, and he wants to talk to you." 
I hear Barbra's confused but excited tone "Yes, of course! I'd like to talk to him too."
Before I hand the phone to Dean I turn slightly and put my hand over the microphone so only she can hear me "I'm gonna warn you. His voice is like velvet dipped in chocolate. So behave." I hear her laugh as I turn back around and hand the phone to Dean.
I smile as he takes the phone and says "Barbra? This is Dean Winchester." I hear hints of Barbra's excited voice from across the room and smile as a smile crosses Dean's face. 
I watch him carry on a conversation with my foster mother and I feel a warmth come over me. This is unbelievable.
I'm snapped out of my happiness by Dean's voice "Would it be okay with you if my brother Sam and I came by? We'd like to meet you and your husband face to face, and I'd like to personally thank you for all you've done for Samantha."
I watch with wide eyes as my mouth drops open. Seriously? What in the hell brought that on? 
Dean smiles at my reaction as he says "Great, we'll head on over there now. I look forward to meeting you." I watch with a dumbfounded expression on my face as I watched Dean say goodbye and hang up the phone "What in the hell brought that on?"
Dean smiled and shrugged his shoulders "It was Sammy's idea." I walk over to him slowly, eyeing him the whole way and grab my phone out of his extended hand "I don't believe you. This was your idea, you want me to finish out college and you're trying to get Barbra and Brad to back you up!" 
I watch the cocky smile cross his face as he coolly declares "I have no idea what you're talking about."
I walk past him into the other room, "So Sammy, apparently we're heading to Ohio." Sam doesn't look up from his computer "Okay, let me grab my bag." 
I turn around and Dean is gone and when I turn back around Sam is gone. Okay. These guys have to be ninjas or something.
I sit at the table and look at the books on the table, I see a couple of common lore books but then I see a file folder. I reach over and pick it up. Okay, that's the Men of Letters symbol. Let's see what I can find out here. 
I open the folder and see a single picture of a red abrasion on a forearm. Okay, I know this symbol, this is a similar concept of the mark of Cain.
I look into the folder more and I find a handwritten account on all current information on the mark of Cain. Cain killed Abel . . . Blah, blah, blah. . . I know all this . . . Ah, so Cain made a deal with Lucifer to save his brothers soul. And Lucifer tricked Cain into killing his own brother. Wow, that's kinda harsh, and it feels oddly familiar. So we're trying to remove the mark of Cain . . . From who? Cain?... Who in the hell is Metatron? And why in the hell was he in the dungeon?
I hear footsteps so I close the folder quickly and place in back on the table. Sam walks in and sits down across from me as he asks"You doing okay?" 
I nod quickly "Yeah, considering. Once the excitement wears off it'll be different though."
Sam smiles sadly at me "Yeah, Dean took it pretty hard when Bobby died." 
I nodded "Yeah. It's not an easy thing to deal with, and I'd only known the man for eight years, I can't imagine losing someone who was there for your whole childhood."
Sam looks at the table and starts fiddling with his computer "He'll be okay. Dean is well-known for getting through hard times." 
I smile at Sam and nod as Dean walks in the room and says "Ready?" 
Sam and I nod and follow Dean out to the Impala. 
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donnerpartyofone · 6 years ago
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21 Questions
Tagged by @getoutofmyhouse who had oddly similar answers to mine
Nickname: only the one I use here, that I gave myself--Claire Donner, which has to do with my famous love of cannibalism. Claire is my real first name, though.
Zodiac: I am so very cuspy. I was born at about a quarter to midnight on April 20, so I tend to relate to, and feel insulted by, the suppositions about Aries and Taurus equally. I’m one of those jerks who will tell you astrology is a bunch of hoo ha...and then drone on with my Many Esoteric Ideas about it, so I’ll just stop myself right here.
Height: 5’ nuthin is what I prefer to say...because saying I’m 5 and 3/4′ sounds a little like saying I’m 10 and a half years old.
Amount of sleep: It’s all fucked up. Until I got into my 30s I could, and would prefer to, sleep endlessly. Now I go to bed around 10 (depression), get up around 5 or 6 (being old), and for extra fun, I’ve developed this insomnia that often keeps me up from about 2am-5am. I try make the most of it by getting up, getting high, watching a movie or two, writing...basically just having a secret private day by myself. I’d really rather go back to just sleeping constantly though.
Last movie I saw: I saw GRETA in theaters tonight, which was ok. I guess I thought any Neil Jordan film would be headier than this, but watching Isabel Huppert just running around acting like an absolute maniac is a rare treat! My last video experience was RAW, which I put on to bother my husband right when we got home from the theater. (I think he liked it more than I originally did, to my surprise)
Last thing I googled: The correct spelling of Sylvia Likens’ last name. I’m obsessed with this type of crime where a group of people (usually a family and/or some of their friends and neighbors) fall into some kind of shared hysteria where they protractedly torture to death an acquaintance for no particular reason. Some times there’s an element of mystery as to why the victim didn’t leave while they were still able to, which suggests to me that the murdered person was just as much a victim of the groupthink as the perpetrators. Other example victims include Suzanne Capper, Vera Jo Reigle, and I think to some degree Sophie Lionnet, James Bulger, and Junko Furuta. (Also a crime they briefly discuss in the book Lords of Chaos, where several people murder a friend in their trailer, but I can’t remember it specifically enough to look up the names--the other last thing i tried to google) I keep thinking there should be a psychiatric and/or legal term for this kind of crime, but I’ve never heard one, so let me know if you got one!
Favorite musician: I have trouble with questions that involve ranking anything, so I’ll just say that right now I’m listening to a lot of old White Zombie. I didn’t know anything about their origins as an East Village noise band, and I’m fascinated by the stories about how apocalyptically miserable it was to be in that group. I’m increasingly obsessed with people who work their asses off doing something they barely even enjoy, for what must be borderline spiritual reasons.
Song stuck in my head: Nothing right this second, for which I am very grateful. There’s something awful in my brain that causes me to wake up with some maddening, babyish tune stuck in my head more often than not. It is most frequently the Ten Little Indians nursery rhyme. This is literally killing me.
Other blogs: @anhed-nia, which started as a dumping ground for long posts about mental illness, and turned into almost only movie writing. at some point there was just so much movie shit that i started to feel awkward about posting anything personal there again. i also got @getoffyrass which is a group blog, and a repository for images that make great drawing references. everyone is encouraged to post their drawings, too, although it is seldom used. i still like having it around, for when i have time to draw. my “real” drawing blog is @neveratendermoment but i don’t draw often enough anymore...
Do I get asks: i used to get tons! i really enjoy them, even the trolls to some degree. i must have seemed like more of a regular tumblr geek girl back in the day. also tumblr has just changed a lot since then. my blog was definitely a casualty of Best Stuff First, i think my follower count stopped dead forever right when that happened, and now that practically every single fucking thing on this entire site is either fandom shit or *discourse*, i really have nothing to offer tumblr anymore, anyway.
Blogs following: 1,057. 
Lucky numbers: 2! Also 5.
What I’m wearing: black wool long john pants from Chrome, and a white v neck teeshirt with the words BLACK MAYONNAISE on it in black Rocky Horror font. i live near the notoriously toxic Gowanus Canal, and “black mayonnaise” is the actual term used to describe what’s on the bottom of it, by the scientists who are trying to figure out what to do with it.
Dream trip: i am really excited by travel, it’s hard to pick. i’m hopefully making a dream trip soon though: my father’s mysterious finno-swedish family is from the åland islands, and my husband and i will be planning part of our honeymoon there, whenever that happens.
Dream Job: i think about this a lot, because the older i get, the more i object to the entire concept of having to work to live. i’m into the whole universal basic income thing. i’m at this point where i can barely stand to think about capitalism in any way--like i think about how the need for money is so mortally serious that there’s a lot of physical stuff in the world that only exists because someone was scared of starving, tons of useless products and packaging and factory byproducts and all kinds of fucking straight up garbage that was only invented due to the lethality of poorness. i would rather be left totally alone forever if possible. however, if i HAD to do something and i COULD do anything, it would probably be film criticism. this fantasy takes place in a world where people care so much about what i have to say that i can make a career, not only out of movie writing, but out of only writing about the specific movies i want to write about, referring to nothing other than my personal reactions.
Favorite food: i wish the answer weren’t just “cheese”, but it probably is. also mushrooms. anything cinnamon. i’m a pretty adventurous eater though. the most important thing for me is a variety of flavors and textures.
Languages: english. i took several years of italian in junior high-high school, and did nothing with it. i taught myself to read french pretty fluently, but i would fold right up if someone tried to speak to me. i learned a bunch of swedish on duolingo, shoulda kept it up. i’ll get back to it! i really regret never learning spanish though, so i’m easily torn on what to do with my time.
Play any instruments: clarinet in junior high/high school, also alto sax which i did not enjoy at all, a little guitar. i bought a used electric bass last year that i have really been enjoying, but i feel a lot of guilt around not playing enough. so much of it is just strength training. that’s probably what i like about it, though. also i got a lot of electronic music software and midi controllers and stuff...and then i realized that it could take me months to sort through the thousands of samples i have to program this stuff, and i only got so far into it before i started to get discouraged. i need to get back to it, it’s ridiculous to let that stuff lie around. this is a rare example of me wishing i knew someone local to play with, who could speed me along on how everything works.
Favorite songs: another one of these impossible questions! anybody who is even reading this can probably guess the answers from the handful of music posts i reblog over and over and over. the other night i got all hyperactive and forced my husband to drop everything and listen to “buffalo stance” by nene cherry, which i never ever get sick of. real top contenders for favorite song might be “Stand By the Jamms” by the klf, and this recording, which has gotten me through many difficult hours:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8k1HsF3EvY
https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/sunray-sonic-boom-music-for-the-dreamachine-cd/STRAWB.003CD.html
Random fact: i’m sure i’m missing out on something really funny and cool, but for now it’s just the well-known fact that i read palms.
Describe yourself as aesthetic thing: man, how do i answer this without being totally pretentious? maybe nobody can! i’m coming up with something really hard to describe but it will be worth it. the other day i watched this insane, completely unnecessary movie about lorca and salvador dali (played by robert pattinson) as gay lovers. there’s a scene in it where lorca does that “pick a hand” thing to dali, and dali picks an empty hand. of course, they’re both poor students who couldn’t be buying any gifts, so they do this obnoxious pantomime where dali pretends lorca actually gave him something--but then it turns out that lorca really DOES have something. he opens his other hand and gives dali...SOMETHING. i don’t know what! they make such a big deal out of it, but what the hell? you see it for a second in this closeup, but it’s shot from like, behind and slightly underneath, and it is just unrecognizable. it’s sort of an orange blob? it’s probably meant to be a sculpture. but, i love the idea of doing the “pick a hand” thing to somebody, and the other person is just like...hey wait a minute, what the fuck even IS this?? 
it reminded me of one of the most amazing things anyone ever did at my school, bard college. this genius art student who I WISH I COULD NAME TO CREDIT HER did her senior project as this like...made up product. i saw them at the senior show, hanging off a spinner rack, like you’d see next to the register in the drug store. they were called Toilet Buddies. they were these plastic, brightly colored objects that looked like toys, but they didn’t have a familiar earthly shape, and because of the title, it was IMPOSSIBLE to imagine what to do with them. so, she gets the lipstick cam from the film department, and shoots this video of herself sneaking some Toilet Buddies into Walmart. then she takes them to the register and BUYS THEM--the baffled cashier looks for them for a while, and eventually just rings them up as a general grocery or something. then in part 2, the artist TAKES THEM BACK TO THE STORE WITH THE RECEIPT AND GETS A REFUND.
so anyway, i see myself as like a fake product--something that looks just familiar enough to exit, and that appears to have a designated purpose, but it’s just kind of cheap and foreign and it becomes nightmarish to try to imagine what to do with it. 
I don’t know if anyone i know will want to do this, but i tag @negativepleasure @moviesludge @former-contender @dimestoreman @thefuzzydave @darkarfs @theoddsideofme @blueruins ...um, i don’t really know who would enjoy this. the ultimate would be @garbagenacht
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dancerstudying · 6 years ago
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first semester: grades + some thoughts
hi friends! so, I just finished my first semester of college (aka university to those of you not in the US). after a week of finals and lots of stress, I’m now at home, safely ensconced in the couch doing as little as possible. however, final grades were due today, so I thought I’d take a moment to run through what my grades were and kind of reflect on them. I wanted to do this both bc I thought it could give people a better idea of the transition b/t high school and college grades-wise, and also as a record for myself.
a note/disclaimer:
if you don’t want to know what my grades were, you don’t have to read this! I’m not trying to brag and I don’t want this to be something to compare yourself to! everyone is on their own path and has their own definition of success -- a bad grade for me might be a great one for you, and vise versa.
also, this will probably get pretty long. grab a snack.
some background about grades in the US
grades are given on a scale from A to F, with A being the best and F being a fail (we skip E tho idk why). grades are based on a combo of exams, quizzes, assignments, and essays, with the specific percentage/which of these counts determined by the professor. this varies from school to school or even from class to class but generally the scale is
A: >93.3%
A-: 90-93.3%
B+: 86.7-89.9%
B: 83.4-86.6%
B-: 80-83.3%
ok I’m tired of typing things out but you get the point. this pattern continues in the 70s for C and the 60s for D. usually anything below a 60 is an F (fail) but again this can depend. some classes are graded on a curve, where the grade boundaries are moved either up or down so that the majority of students get a B-/C+, which is supposed to be the average. this prevents grade inflation and also helps you out if the class is very difficult and test averages are in the 50s or 60s (pretty common for classes like organic chemistry).
some background about my grades in high school
I feel like this info is important for context and also to give an idea of the academic level I generally operate at (okay that sounds v pretentious). anyway, it’s pretty generally expected that you can expect to see a drop in your grades from high school to college. this differs based on a ton of things, but almost everyone experiences it so it’s totally normal and to be expected! anyway, I went to a fairly competitive and well-ranked public (government funded) high school, and I grew up in a well-educated university town, so I felt I was pretty prepared for college. I took mostly AP/honors courses and ended with a 3.95 GPA (unweighted) when I graduated. basically, I was almost a straight A student with a few Bs in there (thanks to pre-calc and AP Spanish). 
I’m now at a fairly selective school, though not anything close to the Ivy League -- I think the acceptance rate for my class was 17-18%. of course, selectivity is not a great indicator of how difficult classes are, as many selective schools (particularly Ivy Leagues) have rampant grade inflation.
my majors are neuroscience and dance and I’m on a pre-med track.
anyway, let’s get down to the nitty gritty: my grades this semester.
early modern England (3 credit hours): A- 
I took this course because I placed out of introductory writing but still needed a writing-intensive course and it seemed interesting enough. honestly, it was much more difficult than I expected. I consider myself a fairly good writer, but the professor I had for this course was a tough grader for papers. I did manage to get an A on my final paper which was a victory. after easily getting all As in writing and history classes in high school, an A- is a little hard to accept. however, I worked really hard in this class and am honestly satisfied with my grade as I know most people do not do as well in this class. it was also a 2000 (sophomore level) class, so I was definitely being challenged.
intensive ballet IV (3 credit hours): B+
so, this is my lowest grade. at first, I was really disappointed by it, but it is a 4000 level course (mostly juniors and seniors) and we’re graded based partially on skill, so I have to accept it and move on and just hope to do better next semester as I’m taking ballet IV again. I know I could have worked harder in this class so I’m not going to complain about it, just learn from it and try to improve.
intro to cell & molecular biology (3 credit hours): A
this is probably what I’m proudest of. this class is known for being a true weed-out course for pre-meds and most people just hope to pass, but I got an A! it feels especially good because I know I worked hard for it and didn’t just skate by on natural intelligence. I also hadn’t taken biology since freshman year of high school so there was a steep learning curve. I didn’t just do well, I honestly learned so much and doing well in this class confirmed for me that pre-med is the right choice.
general chemistry I - lecture (3 credit hours): A-
I have such a complicated relationship with chemistry, and honestly, I’m really glad I’m done with this class. I hate to blame professors but sometimes you just get a really bad one and this was one of those cases. his lectures were extremely disorganized and he didn’t explain things clearly at all. it’s partially my fault that I didn’t get an A, though, as I definitely could have put more time and thought into studying, especially for the final. it was just so hard to stay motivated when I could barely follow lectures. I have to take gen chem II next semester but thank god I have a different professor.
general chemistry I - lab (1 credit hour): A
not much to say about this one. I’m happy to have gotten an A since it really intimidated me at first -- lab in college is way more serious than in high school. I learned how to write a proper lab report which is an important skill as a science major.
honors colloquium (1.5 credit hours): A
I loved this class soooo freaking much. everyone in the honors program has to take a first year seminar and I chose one about modernism and if it’s still relevant to the contemporary world. it was also a discussion based class which I love and I got to write my final paper on literally any topic I wanted and how it was related to modernism (mine was about the modernist search for identity in The Handmaid’s Tale, and I’m so proud of that paper, especially considering I wrote it the day it was due). anyway, not a super hard class, but still proud of that A.
urban sociology (3 credit hours): A
another class which I loved. I found it kind of easy as it was mostly memorization of concepts and theorists and I have a good memory, but I did put more effort in than I would have to an “easy” class in high school, and was rewarded by getting 100% on the final! would highly recommend sociology to literally anyone -- I’m taking another sociology class next semester and am considering a minor in it.
dance company (1 credit hour): A
this is like, not a real grade because dance company isn’t even a real class -- it’s just on my schedule so I can get credit for performing in the fall dance show. I’m pretty sure everyone who shows up to rehearsals and performances gets an A. regardless, I’m happy for the boost to my GPA.
so that’s it! overall, I ended with a 3.7925 GPA. I have to confess that it is slightly lower than I would have liked, but I’m overall happy with my efforts considering this was my first semester of college. my class load next semester is a little bit lighter, both in terms of credits and in terms of difficulty of classes, so that will hopefully make things a little more manageable. I have to have a 3.6 by the end of this year and a 3.8 by the end of sophomore year to stay in the honors program, and considering I’m almost at a 3.8 now I think it’s completely doable. 
I hope this was useful to those of you who are starting college soon. obviously this differs from school to school and especially if you’re not in the US, but in general you can expect a slight dip in your grades. it shouldn’t be anything dramatic if you can keep organized and on top of things, but there are a lot of transitions associated with starting college so don’t feel badly if things don’t go according to plan! you have time to make up for it, and med schools/law schools/grad schools know that grades your first semester of freshman year are not necessarily fully reflective of your abilities and will likely pay more attention to your grades later on.
thanks for reading this whole rambling thing! also, I might make a separate post about differences in grades between high school and college (how things are weighted, harshness of grading, etc.) so let me know if you’d find that helpful!
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fullwets · 2 years ago
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this is not meant to shit on piastri at all because his junior career is the best a driver can do, but ngl, this "piastri future champion / sargeant future latifi" rhetoric makes no sense to me. basically every time they have competed in equal or similar cars/teams, they have been EXTREMELY close to each other in terms of performance, and both also rate each other as competitors very highly - i don't know how people can rate them so drastically different.
in 2018, logan actually finished 4th versus oscar's 8th in the formula renault eurocup. this resulted in logan moving to f3 in 2019, while oscar repeated the competition in eurocup (albeit winning his second attempt).
when oscar advanced to f3, he and logan competed against each other as PREMA teammates. logan was actually favored to beat oscar going into the final race, and due to no fault of his own (got squeezed between two other cars in a first lap incident), he was unable to even challenge for the title he was so close to earning. oscar only beat him by 4 points. he was also able to exploit one of oscar's weaknesses: qualifying, with logan earning 3 poles that year, oscar none.
logan competed with a literal BACKMARKER team in f3 after that, and still went on to win a race and earn 4 podiums, his impressive performance giving him the opportunity to advance to f2.
people can hate him for his family's politics or "he's a yank" but putting him on par with latifi is a huge stretch. i'm not expecting miracles from him either because i mean, he's in a williams, but i don't think the occasional points hauls like alex has fought for his life for (quite literally) are completely out of the question either.
sorry for this long rant and history of/analysis on junior careers but this annoys me. there's plenty of drivers who i don't like for various reasons, but i can still give them credit when credit is due.
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anon.... anon ur Mind. I just got home from work and am not going to do this justice at all but I honestly hope ur right abt Logan. I don't think I have *as* high of hopes simply bc a) regardless of records etc, Oscar was truly on another level in 2021 and even tho I didn't watch as much of the 2022 f2 season Logan was never anywhere near there even tho he did very well for a rookie, b) I have LESS than zero faith in Williams despite how fond I am of them. I honestly believe that Alex performs miracles every week in that car and I don't expect any driver to measure up to what he can extract from that thing. and c) I do not think Logan is ready for f1 lol. I think he rly could have benefitted from another year in f2 but u know. when there's seats there's seats 😔
ANYWAY all this to say I hope all two rookies on the grid this year score points mwah. for the narratives! & "purely for my own amusement" is the greatest way to enjoy any sport I will stand by this :')
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