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mrsmarymorstan · 4 years ago

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Now Furuba S2 is over, what now?

I’m already seeing a lot of people asking for recommendations now the S2 Sub is over; so this is a list of series that I think you’ll enjoy if you like Furuba!

All platforms listed are true for the UK, but might not be for other residences. More viewing options may be available in other territories.

Unless specified, All Manga/Comic recs are available from regular bookstores and EBook Stores. If you’re in the UK I’ll suggest checking out Hive, which is an online store where a potion of each sale goes towards a Local Independent Bookstroe of your choice! They also have flat-rate free shipping!

Okay, so the actual recs! (I got lazy in some places and used the official synopisis)

Romance

Convenience Store Boyfriends Funimation (Dub) Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 Eps Total

“Six high school boys hang out at a local convenience store where they talk about their daily lives. Haruki Mishima and Towa Honda are first year students looking forward to the high school experience. Alongside them, there’s Nasa Sanagi, the only member of the cooking research club. Natsu Asumi is a loner but has third year students, Mikado Nakajima and Masamune Sakurakoji, looking out for him.“

Kaguya-sama: Love is War S1 - Crunchyroll, Funimation (Sub) S2 Funimation (Sub/Dub) 24 eps - Ongoing Manga: 18/20 volumes available in English

“Known for being both brilliant and powerful, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya lead the illustrious Shuchiin Academy as near equals. And everyone thinks they’d make a great couple. Pride and arrogance are in ample supply, so the only logical move is to trick the other into instigating a date! Who will come out on top in this psychological war where the first move is the only one that matters?”

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Netflix (Dub/Sub), Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga: 12/12 volumes available in English

“High school student Chiyo Sakura has a crush on schoolmate Umetarou Nozaki. When she confesses her love to him, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. When she says she wants to be with him, he invites her to his house and has her help on some drawings. Sakura discovers that Nozaki is actually a renowned shōjo manga artist working under the pen name Sakiko Yumeno. She agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to him. As they work on his manga Let's Fall in Love they encounter other schoolmates, who assist them and serve as inspirations for the story.”

Snow White With the Red Hair Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 Eps Total Manga: 9/22+ volumes available in English. Anime ends Vol. 8

“In the kingdom of Tanbarun lives an independent young pharmacist named Shirayuki. Shirayuki is a plain girl, save for her shock of beautiful apple-red hair. Her stunning mane gets her noticed by the prince, but instead of romancing her, he demands she be his concubine. Shirayuki chops off her lovely locks, and runs away to the neighboring kingdom where she befriends a handsome stranger.”

Tsuruedure Children Funimation (Dub), Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga (Ebook only) 12/12 Volumes available in English

“Short and charming comedic vignettes offer a quick glimpse into the unique and funny situations, misunderstandings, and all around confusion that can happen in a high school romance. For starters, there’s a story about a delinquent girl and the student council president, and one about a stoic boy confused about an emotional girl. Relive the charm of high school romance!”

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku Amazon Prime (Sub) 11 Eps Total Manga: 4/9 volumes available in english

Looking for a slice of life romance but you’re an actual adult now and don’t want to read about teenagers? Try Wotakoi! It combines office romance with childhood friends-to-lovers. Narumi is a Fujoshi who doesn’t want anyone to find out the truth of her ways, Hirotaka is a Game Otaku who doesn’t care what anyone says about it, together they go about the ins-and-outs of dating as an adult.

Coming of Age

BOFURI: I don’t want to get hurt, so I’ll max out my defence Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Ongoing

“She may be new to gaming, but Maple has found the secret to invincibility! Just put all your skill points into defense until you can't even move. That works, right? She doesn't want to experience any pain in the VRMMO game she started playing, and somehow it works better than anyone expected. Now she's got followers??”

Brand New Animal Netflix (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total

“Set in a world where humanoid animals (known as beastmen) inhabit Earth, the series centers on Michiru Kagemori, a young teenage girl who one day suddenly starts turning into a tanuki beastman. Running away, she seeks refuge in Anima City, a city built for beastmen to be able to live peacefully as themselves, and ends up meeting a wolf beastman named Shirou Ogami. Together, they investigate how and why Michiru became a beastman, becoming mixed up in even stranger events in the process.”

Hyouka Funimation (Dub/Sub) 23 Eps Total

“A worthy addition to any animation fan's collection, Hyouka is a stunning masterwork that spins a charming tale of high school romance and mystery. After disenchanted student Hotaro Oreki joins his school’s Classic Lit Club, he meets Eru Chitanda, a kindhearted and inquisitive girl with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting him caught up in all sorts of trouble.”

Koto Oto Tomara! Sounds of Life Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 Eps Total

“Down to its last member, the koto club will accept anyone who is interested in the traditional Japanese instrument. But when a delinquent and a prodigy player sign up, finding harmony isn’t going to be easy—especially not with ensemble competitions looming around the corner. With enough time and some incredible skill at the strings, perhaps this motley crew can strike a chord with the judges.“

O Maidens in your Savage Season HIDIVE (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga: 7/8 volumes available in English (8th available for pre-order)

The series follows a High School Literature club as they make their nervous first foray into the nature of sexuality. What is the difference between sexual attraction and romantic attraction? Does watching porn mean wanting to have sex? What are these strange feelings I am having down below? Why are boys so gross and girls so pretty? Each girl undergoes their own journey and finds their own destination, a brutally honest yet heart warming look at teenage female sexuality.

CW: Sexual Assault, pedophilia (both portrayed as BAD AND TERRIBLE things)

Our Dreams at Dusk Manga: 4/4 volumes available in English

IF YOU ONLY CONSUME ONE THING ON THIS LIST MAKE IT THIS!!!!! The series is the VERY DEFINITION of “It Gets Better”.

After his classmates discover some gay pornography on his phone, Tasuku Kaname contemplates committing suicide. Just as he’s about to jump, he spots a mysterious figure parkouring down a mountain. Shocked out of his moment, he decides to go and investigate what’s happening and finds an LGBT+ Drop In Centre. The series follows the lives of the people in the drop in centre, from Haruko who wishes to marry her closeted girlfriend, to Misora who is still trying to figure out what their gender is but has the threat of puberty hovering of their shoulder.

It’s very clear that Kamatani-sensei has written this story FOR the Queer Community. It’s a truly beautiful story. Please give it your money if you can, so that Kamatani-sensei can actually earn some money, and so that Seven Seas know that there is a viable audience for these stories! So that we may get more content!

Reverse Harem

Fruits Basket is NOT a reverse Harem, but i figure there’ll be some fan crossover.

Kiss Him, Not Me Cruncyroll (sub) Funimation Dub available on DVD etc. 12 Eps Total Manga 14/14 volumes available in English

“Kae Serinuma believes one thing—princes belong together! As an avid boy’s love fan, she loves nothing more than fantasizing about faux relationships between the boys at her school. But when she loses weight due to the stress of her favorite anime character dying suddenly the boys want…her?! From pretty average to prettiest girl, Kae just wants these boys to date each other, not her!”

Sub uses an irritating “Silly Fat Person” voice that the Dub doesn’t. CW for Sexual Assult, though it is depicted as a BAD thing and used for Kae to question why she is so into it when reading BL, when IRL it is terrifying?

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom Crunchyroll (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total

A TRULY Bisexual harem! After bumping her head, young Katarina Claes awakens with all the memories of her past life... and promptly realises she’s been re-incarnated as the antagonist of her favourite Otome Game! Determined this time to live past the age of 17, Katarina starts to make plans to turn all her enemies into allies through the power of kindness and understanding! Throughout the series, she tries harder and harder to avoid her doom flags... without realising that she’s turned those doom flags into romance flags!

Katarina lives out the fantasy of going to magic school and eating cake as all the pretty people fall head over heels for her. A pity she’s too dim to notice.

Ouran High School Host Club Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 eps total Manga: 18/18 volumes available in english

Set in the high class elite private school of Ouran High, the Host Club exist to provide entertainment for the ladies of the school. Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi Fujioka, stumbles across the Host Club and in their haste to leave they knock over an ¥8,000,000 vase. Now she must earn that money back by working for the Host Club, all the while disguising the fact that she’s a girl. Not that she ever felt much like a girl before hand anyway. Along the way, she gets to know better the Cool Kyoya, the flamboyant Tamaki, the Mischievous Hikaru & Kaoru, the Strong and Silent Mori-senpai and the adorable Honey-senpai. Comedic Hijinks ensue!

Slice of Life

The Emperor and I Manga: 4/4 volumes available in English on Shonen Jump App

One day Kaho returns home from school to find an Emperor Penguin in her fridge. He quickly becomes a beloved part of the family, but a secret to the rest of the world who would want to take him away from them. Hijinks ensue.

Kakushigoto Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total

Doting single father, Kakushi Goto, is determined to hide the fact that he writes echhi humour manga for a living. He couldn’t bare it if his daughter were to ever find out the truth, the shame of his profession only alienating her. A laugh out loud series that will suddenly cut you deep as it explores the nature of grief and familial love.

My Brother’s Husband Manga: 2/2 volumes available in English

“Yaichi, a stay-at-home single father, lives with his daughter Kana in suburban Tokyo. They are visited by Mike Flanagan, the widower of Yaichi's estranged twin brother Ryōji, who has traveled from his native Canada for three weeks to learn about Ryōji's past. Kana is fascinated by Mike and is immediately accepting of him, though Yaichi is hesitant to accept Mike as family.

While Yaichi is not overtly homophobic, Mike suggests that his tacit discomfort over his brother's sexuality drove a wedge between them that led to their estrangement. Mike's interactions with the family and neighborhood over the subsequent three weeks prompt Yaichi to confront his own prejudices around sex and sexuality, as his growing tolerance and eventual acceptance of Mike parallel his overcoming of his own homophobia.”

Whilst the trope of “the gay brother dies and the heterosexual brother learns not to be homophobic” might be over done in western media, the same is not true for Japan. It’s a heartfelt and honest look at grief and acceptance, as well as how the nature of family is changing all around the world... but attitudes are maybe conservative attitudes aren’t as quick to catch up.

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life Funimation (Dub/Sub)

So apparently everyone went “this show is undubbable! It relies too much on puns and untranslatable humour!” and then Howard Wang said “hold my beer” and did it. A bizarre comedy series set in a high school. It’s probably best known for the ongoing fight between the deer and the principal.

Way of the Househusband Manga: 4/5+ (ongoing) volumes available in English

After he meets and marries the career driven Miku, Tatsu AKA The Immortal Dragon decides to give up his life of crime to commit to being the worlds’ best husband. You’d be surprised at the transferable skills between a Yakuza enforcer and a house husband. From knowing how to efficiently cut up a slice of meat, to how to perfectly clean a bathroom of all evidence. Hilarious and heartwarming, Taki and Kyoko would be best bros.

Slice of Life + Supernatural

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K S1 Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 episodes Netflix S1 (Dub/Sub) S2 & 3 (Sub) 50 episodes total

“Saiki Kusuo is a typical 16-year-old high school student… except he has psychic powers. He can use them to get whatever he wants, but he also knows everything that people are thinking. Everything. No surprises, no secrets, no normal human experiences. He’s kept his powers in check since childhood, but with the temptations of high school now on his mind, he’s bending the rules—and spoons.“

Sabrina The Teenage Witch (2019)

Writer Kelly Thompson wears her magical girl influences on her sleeve in this new take on the Archie Classic. Sabrina is your regular teenager, except she is also a witch and so are her aunts. Hijinks (and Card Captor Sakura References) ensue.

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 eps total Manga 13/13 Volumes available in English

“Kamome Academy is rumored to have many mysteries, the strangest of which involves the mischievous ghost of Hanako-kun. When occult-loving high schooler Nene Yashiro accidentally becomes bonded to him, she uncovers a hidden world of supernatural beings. Now the two of them are conspiring to keep the peace between student and supernatural—that is, if they can only stay out of trouble themselves.“

Jughead (2015) 4 Volumes total

Bought to you in various parts by the creators of Squirrel Girl, Jughead combines slice of life with spy thriller, time travel and the joy of a good burger. Hilarious and heart warming, this run holds a special place in my heart as the one where Jughead was confirmed as canonically asexual and continues to express various aro/ace moods throughout the series. There’s a REASON my friends say I’m a Real Life Jughead....

Weathering With You - available digitally/physically 28th Sep. 2019

In June 2021, first year high schooler Hodaka Morishima leaves Kōzu-shima in order to get to Tokyo. When his ferry to the city is hit by a rainstorm, he is saved by Keisuke Suga, who runs a small occult magazine that’s looking for an assistant. As Hodaka becomes broke and struggles to find work, he meets Hina Amano, an employee of a McDonald’s restaurant. She takes pity on him and gives him food. After agreeing to work with Suga, Hodaka learns about the legend of the “sunshine girl” who can control the weather! It turns out that the newly unemployed Hina is a sunshine girl! And with her little brother, they start up their own business to bring sunshine to the never-ending rain of Tokyo.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Crunchyroll (Dub/Sub) 12 Episodes Total Manga: 22/28 volumes available in English

After tripping on the stairs, School Bad Boy Ryu Yamada and Top Student Urara Shiraishi discover they can swap bodies with a kiss! They then learn that they’re not the only ones with magic powers in the school, and with the help of the Supernatural Studies Club they begin to track down the identities of the 7 witches of Suzaku High.

This series really stretches my limits on fan service, but at least it does proceed to get a little even in terms of gender. It’s still a really rather sweet and romantic series, once you get past the boobs and panties.

Your Name Netflix (Dub/Sub) Spin Off Manga “Your Name: Another Side: Earthbound” - 2/2 volumes available in English

A modern take on the Red Sting of Fate mythos, Mitsuha and Taki are two teenagers tied together. Three times a week, Mitsuha will wake up in Taki’s body and live the life of a Tokyo School boy. In turn, Taki will wake up in Mitsuha’s body and learn what it is to be a Rural Shrine Maiden. A look at the bonds that tie us, and how fate won’t let two young people fall apart before they can meet.

Also the animation is BEAUTIFUL and it made me cry. Like a lot. There’s a spin off manga called “Your Name: Another Side” that follows the same story but from the POV of Mitsuha’s friends and family. It really brings new light to the events and made me very emotional.

Mental Health

Green Lanterns: Rebirth (2018)

Jessica Cruz suffers from PTSD and severer anxiety, seeing her utalising her will power to overcome those problems and harness that energy to help save the universe is so incredibly powerful and moving.

Hawkeye (2012-2015) 4 Volumes

The Fraction/Aja/Wu/Hollingworth Hawkeye run is widely considered one of the best superhero runs of all time. Fraction and Aja perfectly capture “functional depression” at its finest, and we watch as Clint Barton slowly burns all his bridges before being forced by his friends to sort his shit out and put them back together again. There’s also a whole issue that’s primarily written in sign language too.

My Roomate is a Cat Funimation (Dub) Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 eps total

“Mystery author Mikazuki would rather live in total isolation than deal with others. Getting a roommate is the last thing he’d ever do, until a stray cat sparks an idea for his next novel. After plucking the little killer off the streets, this four-legged muse inspires Mikazuki in ways he would have never expected. And for the street-wise cat, this human just opened the door to a whole new world.”

A Silent Voice (Manga/Movie) Movie: Netflix (Dub/Sub)

“A former class bully reaches out to the deaf girl he’d tormented in grade school. He feels unworthy of redemption but tries to make things right.”

CW Attempted Suicide, bullying

Please watch the dub. Lexi Marman Cowden, who voices Shoko, is an ACTUAL hard-of-hearing actress. It makes for a more real and vulnerable performance that avoids the mild ableism of the Sub hiring a Hearing Actress and robot-ising her voice.

Yuri!!! On ICE Crunchyroll (Sub) Funimation (Dub) 12 eps total

“Yuri Katsuki makes his way to the Grand Prix ice skating competition as Japan’s top representative with his eyes on the prize. However, instead of celebrating, Yuri walks away defeated and ready to retire for good. But a run-in with champion Viktor Nikiforov and rising star Yuri Plisetsky ignites a new fire within him. With the two of them close by his side, Yuri will take to the ice once more.”

Yuri’s defeat sends him into a very relatable spiral of lack of self belief that he slowly starts to regain thanks to the help of Viktor. Part sports anime, part love story, all full of feels.

The Dub is considered hit or miss depending on whether you like accents or not, but honestly it’s worth it for Sabat’s Christophe giacometti. Ayame walked, so Christophe could strut.

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I’m gonna start by recommending the Shonen Jump App, it’s £1.99/month and gives you access to all their recent publications as well as their back catalogue in English! So you can read all of Boys Over Flowers, Nisekoi, Naruto, One Piece, Haikyuu, Assassination Classroom, My Hero Academia etc. for a fraction of the cost of buying the physicals! SO much manga at your finger tips! No, they don’t sponsor me but i wish they would.

Astra Lost in Space Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga: 5/5 volumes available in english, available on the Shonen Jump App

A group of teenagers on a school trip become Lost In Space and quickly discover a conspiracy is a foot. Part thriller, part comedy, saying anything more about this series would count as a spoiler given the number of plot twists throughout.

Radiant Funimation (Dub) Crunchyroll (Sub) 42 eps total Manga: 13/13+ volumes available in english (ongoing series)

A french manga turned into a Japanese Anime.

“Seth, a sorcerer destined to find Radiant, sets his sights on Caislean Merlin for answers. He’s desperate to find out what the Knight Sorcerers know, but can he trust them? In the wake of all that is unknown, he digs deep within himself for the wisdom and confidence to control his powers. And as the world around him continues to grow with more magic and power, he gains strong new allies.”

The series has BIG Saturday Morning cartoon vibes. My 12 year-old self would have been ALL OVER this.

Batman Ninja (Netflix)

What if a Japanese animation studio asked DC if they could make a batman movie? And then just threw a Japanese history book at it? What if there was time travel? What if the main batman villains were all feudal lords in Japan? What if everyone were Samari? What if Damian had a small animal companion he could communicate with using a flue? What if Jason’s hood was made out of wicker? What if Penguin had a penguin shaped mecha?

A wild ride from start to finish that makes no sense but really, do you care?

#fruits basket #anime #manga #recs #furuba #anime recs

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kkaeyva · 4 years ago

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Hii, congrats on 100 followers! ☺💖 Your writing deserves so many more for sure ^^

Could I possibly request a match up? i go by Ai online, She/Her pronouns, bisexuality, slightly male leaning but the girls of genshin are BEAUTIFUL <33 I'm an Aquarius and INTP

Personality wise, I'm pretty quiet, even when people get to know me, im just not overly chatty, I sometimes ramble when im talking about stuff I love but I'm overly self aware of speaking too much. I have a super dry sense of humour and sarcasm and one liners are my type of humour for sure! It can sometimes come across the wrong way though

I keep a smaller friendship circle just im really bad at keeping up with everything, so I unintentionally ghost people for days just bc I forget I have messages haha

I really enjoy learning new languages, something about it us SUPER interesting to me. Another hobby of mine is gaming, I try not to be competitive but uh, it seems I definitely have a competitive streak.

My other main hobby is fashion, I dont really stick to a particular style, but I love trying different looks and styles to see what I enjoy, and learning about other fashion subculture that im not as familiar with like lolita etc ^^ I do have a problem of picking up new hobbies and dropping them just as quick, the amount of unfinished projects I have lying around is a little silly haha

And a wildly different fact is I really love karaoke with my friends (when it was safe to anyway) with a small few drink and a karaoke booth it was a lot of fun and something out of my usual comfort zone that I something I really enjoy ^_^

Hopefully that is enough, again, huge thanks for putting this on, and again, huge congratulations on the follower count 🎉💖

omg hey! a fellow intp! <3 thanks for participating!

i match you up with...

kaeya!

— after much contemplation and deciding between a handful of people, i’ve finally decided to go with kaeya :’) though, the runner-ups are somewhat close seconds! — kaeya is the type to encourage you to tell him everything you’re passionate about. he’s content with sitting and listening to everything you have to say— what kind of partner would he be if he didn’t care to listen? — if you ramble, that’s okay. if he is the one who carries the conversation, that’s fine with him too! and honestly, have you seen kaeya have a conversation with diluc? i’ve yet to see a conversation between the two without using sarcasm to insult each other in it, so i’m sure kaeya can tell if you’re being sarcastic as a joke! — i think kaeya would be the type to just visit you in person if you were to unintentionally ghost his messages,, (he’d be super dramatic about it as well, in a comedic way of course) or he’d go the extra mile and send a letter in the mail if he’s too busy to actually come by? i don’t know, just a small headcanon i have for him i guess :’) — kaeya definitely has an interest in learning new languages as well! he literally wrote his windblume festival love poem in hilichurlian, come on now,, — have you seen kaeya’s outfits? he’s really only had one other outfit (in the manga), but damn does this man know how to dress. i’m sure he’d also be open to trying out different styles with you, and he’d even suggest cute matching outfits,, if you’re into that, of course. — learning about a lot of different things seems like a very “kaeya” thing to do. he needs the knowledge so he can smooth talk and appeal to those suspicious drinking buddies of his— they’re his main source of information, so it’s very important to get on their good side! so of course he’d support you in every hobby you decide to take up :) and he likes seeing you find joy in different things, it gives him a soft, fuzzy feeling of content on the inside — hm,, i don’t know about kaeya’s opinion on karaoke, but imagine drunk kaeya,, singing the chorus of ‘my heart will go on’ by céline dion,, just a silly thought, i suppose <3 — runner-ups: xiao, childe, keqing (i had a lot of options jfdsgsk;;;)

#genshin impact matchup #matchup event #♡— 100 #user.unknown

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joshbentley-blog1 · 6 years ago

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2018, A Year in Film

Much like my love for music, I use the end of the year to compile a list of my favorite films, films that affected my life and altered my perspective and appreciation for the arts. Here are a list of motion pictures that I consider impactful in some shape or form, transformative to a degree, and worthy contributions to the medium. Enjoy.

Honorable mentions:

Roma

Alfonso Cuarón’s return to Earth since 2013′s Gravity finds itself in 1970s Mexico, backdropped by the political turmoil of the time and laced with the mundane yet subtly beautiful comings and goings of every day life. It is an intimate and sincere look into the struggles of surviving day by day, but also a gorgeously emotional ode to the resilience of those entrapped by the life’s unprejudiced judgement.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Distributor: Netflix

Genre: Historical drama

Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson returned to the beloved medium of stop motion animation this year with Isle of Dogs. His previous work, Fantastic Mr. Fox, was a charming and quirky story of a fox father trying to provide for his den in the midst of a heated human versus animal dispute. But where Fantastic Mr. Fox lacked substantial depth (not a bad quality by any means), Isle of Dogs builds a narrative of love and hope, eloquently animating the unimpeachable love humans and dogs so equally share. The set design, animation quality and Wes Anderson quirks are all at their very best. A must-see for any Anderson fan, or appreciator of stop motion animation.

Director: Wes Anderon

Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Genre: Stop motion animation / sci-fi / dystopian

Sorry to Bother You

Directorial debuts were bountiful this year, and one such standout is Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You. An apt and absurd social commentary, with enough laughs to punch through the somewhat dark depths it veils. The film starts off vanilla enough, but you soon find yourself in the midst of a dark, fever dream that won’t end. The phenomenal writing and cast make this original an extremely hard film to forget.

Director: Boots Riley

Distributor: Annapurna Pictures

Genre: Absurdist / dark comedy

Top 10:

10. Disobedience

When New York-based photographer, Ronit (Weisz), learns of her father’s unexpected passing, her past life and all its troubles are brought to the forefront. Returning back to the Orthodox Jewish community in London in which she grew up, Ronit is faced with various extremes. From the turmoils of having to explain herself to the Jewish community, to the re-kindling of her relationship with Esti (McAdams), to facing her own faults and desires, Ronit’s life is crumpled and staggered. Disobedience is a heartfelt and organic story of love finding a way through all the dark and uncertainty.

Director: Sebastián Lelio

Distributor: Bleecker Street

Romance: Romantic drama

9. You Were Never Really Here

A heroic yet traumatizing narrative finds Joaquin Phoenix’s Joe in the midst of unfolding the inner workings of a crime ring that stretches further than anyone could have comprehended. Joe is a former military and FBI operative, now a hired gun whose job it is to rescue trafficked girls. Director Lynne Ramsay expertly maneuvers the chaos and violence of the film, often subverted our expectations in various means. Phoenix gives one of his best performances to date, and Jonny Greenwood’s original soundtrack is the icing atop the cacophonic cake.

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Distributor: Amazon Studios

Genre: Psychological thriller / crime drama

8. The Old Man & the Gun

If (500) Days of Summer were all grown up is how I would begin to describe this story. But The Old Man & the Gun is much, much more than a simple romantic comedy. Much like the director’s project from last year, one A Ghost Story, David Lowery once again explores the fabrics of time and how they shapes us as a species. The story is a contemplation on time’s inevitability and its relationship with our feelings of love and yearning. Beautifully backdropped by an America long passed, Lowery’s film finds two characters especially intertwined, strung together by the fickle hands of time itself. Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek have undeniable chemistry, and it is this chemistry that acts as the driving force of the film. Redford’s swan song is one to be seen and remembered dearly.

Director: David Lowery

Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Genre: Biography / romantic comedy

7. First Reformed

A deep meditation on faith and all the uncertainties it brings with, First Reformed is an imaginative and exhausting look into the vitriol we have brought upon ourselves, and how God and Man meet at such an abyss. Reverend Toller, once a chaplain in the Armed Forces, now resides and serves in an old Dutch Reformed church, serving a diminishing congregation and existing in the shadow of the neighboring megachurch, Abundant Life. Toller is forced to deal his own morals and understandings, while also supporting those in his congregation. As his service becomes increasingly darker and more difficult, Toller looks deep within himself and looks to God for an answer, any answer.

Director: Paul Schrader

Distributor: A24

Genre: Drama

6. Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham uses his directorial debut to discuss the Internet in its current context. From his discussions on the A24 podcast, Burnham wanted to find a proper medium for such a discussion, because many who try to judge the Internet and its culture do so miserably. It is understandably difficult to critique such culture without sounding tone deaf, but Burnham executes it to perfection. What better way to critique the Internet than by doing so from the perspective of an eighth grader, a person who has grown up in the shadow of the digital age? Elsie Fisher is a breakout star, nailing the timid courage of her character. Through excellent and organic performances and modern comedic writing, Eighth Grade is a coming-of-age story unlike any other.

Director: Bo Burnhma

Distributor: A24

Genre: Comedy-drama / coming-of-age

5. Annihilation

2018 was admittedly a weaker year for science fiction, but one project that rose above the rest was Alex Garland’s Annihilation. Garland’s no stranger to science fiction or horror, having tackled the genres in 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, and Ex Machina. But with Annihilation Garland is able to capture horror rooted in science, incomparable to any other film. Based on the novel by the same name from author Jeff VanderMeer, the story follows a group of scientists venturing into a quarantined zone known as “The Shimmer.” Once inside, the scientists are faced with the supernatural horrors they studied from afar. Garland’s work is immense and vivid, deserving of so much more praise than it has received.

Director: Alex Garland

Distributor: Paramount Pictures & Netflix

Genre: Science fiction horror

4. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Coen Brothers are no strangers to the subversions of classic film. Their tangled narratives, inconclusive conclusions and ponderings on the workings of humankind have made them standout directors, enemies of conventional filmmaking and pioneers of darkly comedic explorations of humanity.

"A song never ceases to ease my mind out here in the West. Where the distances are great, and the scenery monotonous."

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the Coen Brothers' first true western since 2010's True Grit, is anything but monotonous and certainly a welcome addition to the genre. Additionally, it is a triumphant return to form for the Coen Bros. Buster Scruggs is unlike most films, and again finds the Coen Brothers subverting the western genre, in its anthological form. Six vignettes tell the tales of settlers, outlaws, cowboys, and every sort of man and woman in between in the days of old, when the West was formed, and includes every bit of gruesome and grim detail.

It is not secret the Coen Brothers are adept at macabre storytelling, and are avid explorers of what makes man tick and humanity tremble. Their iconic dark, dry humor, their gritty and off-center storytelling, and their classic subversions of film are all present in Buster Scruggs. But while Coen films of past contained these elements (e.g. Hail, Caesar!), I have felt that their recent works have lacked that classic Coen charm. That snappy dialogue, the witty banter between characters, the intricate storytelling, all have been present in their works, but not since A Serious Man have I felt the Coen's magic this potently. That is now, not since Buster Scruggs.

The film's characters and stories do not overlap. But the themes and lessons certainly do. The opening ballad of one gun-slinging, guitar-strumming cowboy, Buster Scruggs (aka 'The San Saba Songbird'), is a gruesome musical. Full of shootouts and gore, it perfectly sets the tone for how the remainder of the film will play out. Tim Blake Nelson is charismatic, ruthless, and quick as a whip in this vignette. And I would have adored an entire film devoted solely to his character. But the Coen's first subversion comes when our hero is gunned down in the street by a faster gun.

Near Algodones, New Mexico, we find James Franco's outlaw. Robbing a bank, he is retaliated against by a surly old man covered in pans. This vignette feels shorter than its predecessor but is equally humorous and grim. The third story, Meal Ticket, gives us a glimpse into the harsh realities that faced early western settlers. And how making a living does not always coincide with morality and ethics. Liam Neeson and Harry Melling gel so well together but share few pieces of back-and-forth dialogue. I've seen some criticize this vignette for straying from the classic "western format," but to me it perfectly captures what it meant to live such a life.

All Gold Canyon is among my favorite of the stories. Its beautiful shots, wide takes of a beautiful canyon, and the juxtaposition of a man searching for riches in the mud while the true riches of nature are set behind him. It's a simple story, but it leaves the viewer wanting more from Tom Waits' prospector character. One of the view stories to end happily (in a sense), I found All Gold Canyon to be a masterful work of minimalist storytelling.

The Gal Who Got Rattled is my favorite of the six stories. Zoe Kazan, Bill Heck and Grainger Hines have excellent chemistry and play off each other so well. Straying from the deep west, we are drawn northwards, on the Oregon Trail. The simple yet dangerous treck is beautifully captured by the Coens here, and the story envelops you in its charm. And finally, The Mortal Remains ends our journey. A story laced with symbolism and metaphors, it's the Coen Brothers at their peak. The skeletal format of this vignette is much like the morals explored in No Country and A Serious Man, and I found myself wondering how the story could possibly end. And then it does. The final subversion of the film is this vignette's untimely end.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs may lack continuity in terms of character arcs and storytelling. But what it certainly does not lack is character, masterful writing, expert characterization, and a deep understanding of what captivates us as viewers. The Coen Brothers understand that sometimes, simplicity is best. There is beauty in minimalism, and I believe Buster Scruggs is a excellent envisioning of such a statement.

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen

Distributor: Netflix

Genre: Western / anthological film / dark comedy

3. Hereditary

They say the devil is in the details, and so such phrase would better describe Ari Aster’s debut, Hereditary. Perhaps the phrase shouldn’t be taken metaphorically though, instead literally; the film finds a family thrown into tragedy after a Satanic occult ritual, long in the works, begins to root itself in the foundations of the family.

Aster uses the story to burrow into our pysches, to strike fear and discomfort into the viewers. He does so not only expertly, but in such original fashion as well. Sure, Aster’s influences can be indentified and picked apart by an experienced viewer, but his crafting of a narrative and his fleshing out of the characters is so unique and a welcome take to the horror genre, Hereditary feels like an entirely new breed of horror.

The film begins with the funeral of the mother to Annie Graham (Toni Collette). As guests pour in to the congregation, it is clear that Annie is shocked with the occupancy. She states in her eulogy that her mother was a very private and secretive women, and that she is shocked to see so many unfamiliar faces here to pay respects to her estranged mother. Once home, Annie and the rest of the family unwind to a disturbing degree of comfort. Annie does not seem shaken by her mother’s passing, as she begins clearing out boxes that belonged to her mother. As she is exiting her studio however, a vision of her mother briefly appears in the dim and dark corner of the unlit room. Annie steps back, wondering if what she saw was real or a fabrication of her mind. Thus, begins the Grahams’ descent into darkness.

Following the funeral, Annie’s only daughter Charlie expresses her worry over the loss of her grandma. Stating, “Who’s going to take care of me?” Charlie is at a loss. Annie comforts her saying of course she will take care of her, but Charlie responds by asking what will happen when Annie is gone.

Later, Peter (Annie’s son) asks if he can go out and visit friends at a party. Annie lets him go but on one condition, that he takes Charlie with him. Charlie begins having visions of her own, and begins tinkering and creating absurd and deformed sculptures. An obvious introvert, she is reluctant to agree to go to the party with Peter, much to the chagrin of Annie. At the party, Peter finds a group of friends to smoke marijuana with, leaving Charlie by herself. Alone, Charlie gets into trouble and her and Peter rush home. An unfortunate incident occurs en route, which only propels the darkness further.

Annie becomes desperate for answers and substance to her mother’s reclusive and secretive life. She finds hints of the truth through old belongings and an old friend of her mother. Visions keep recurring and stranger forces begin to act on not only Annie but Peter as well.

Soon, the family is tumbling down a slope of despair. Séances, rituals, occult castings begin to mount and the demons and darkness begin to unleash. The film is a gripping and horrifying look at what is perhaps most universally frightening, family.

Director Ari Aster is unafraid to explore and highlight the grotesque and grim. He utilizes shocking imagery and beautiful lighting to display these horrors front and center, while still relying on subtle scares to keep the audience in suspense. Not only is the film adeptly disturbing, its characters are compelling and interesting. None are thrown by the wayside, and the spiraling story’s success is hinged on the characters we come to love. Toni Collette gives her greatest performance to date, and Alex Wolff proves he can handle a broad array of material. Milly Shapiro is excellent as Charlie, rivaling Elsie Fisher for young breakout star this year.

The magnificent blend of cinematography, acting, writing, and horror imagery Hereditary the best horror film I’ve seen all year, and certainly one of the most gripping stories I have ever experienced.

Director: Ari Aster

Distributor: A24

Genre: Supernatural horror / disturbing horror

2. The Favourite

It is often the case that period pieces take on a serious tone, dramatic takes on the facts and legends of old. Think Phantom Thread or Lincoln. Not too common are period pieces that extrapolate on the well-known, but also leave plenty of room for creative freedom from the production team. Even more rare are such projects that include elements of absurdity and dark comedy.

But it would not come to anyone’s surprise to find out that such a project exists at the hands of director Yorgos Lanthimos. Best known for his previous works, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos is almost Wes Anderson-esque or Tarantino-esque, in the marks he leaves in his films. His style is so distinct and his directions very much his own.

The Favourite follows suit, and Lanthimos’ quirks and trademarks are found throughout. From the monochromatic color palette to the dry, darkly comedic dialogue, the film is familiar in a way. But also true is that the film is nothing like Lanthimos has ever done before. It is grander, more gruesome, diabolical in a way, biblical in scope. His first film for a major production studio perhaps led to a grander scope, but I believe that this was a logical next step for the director. From The Lobster it was apparent that Lanthimos was willing and more than capable of tackling a monolithic project such as The Favourite, if given the right assets. It is inspiring to see such a film come to fruition.

The film finds three women in the royal court of Queen Anne: Abigail Hill, Sarah Churchill, and Queen Anne herself. Churchill (known in the film commonly as Lady Marlborough) has serviced the Queen for quite some time, prior to Ms. Abigail Hill‘s arrival. Both as a political aid and as a lover, Churchill finds comfort and immense power in her role beside Queen Anne. Everything seems to be going well for the court; the Queen, while certainly inept, has the confidence of her subjects and the war with France is going better than expected.

But then Abigail Hill arrives. A cousin of Sarah Churchill’s, Abigail travels to the court in hopes of working under both the Queen and her senior, Lady Marlborough. Hill begins as a lowly servant, making meals and cleaning sections of the palace. But not soon after, she advances the ranks, eventually rivaling Churchill in terms of power and influence on the Queen and all of Britain. The two cousins turn on each other, a once subtle love quickly turns to angst and hate.

The relationship of the three women dips and ascends throughout the film; there are periods of immense joy and respect, but also grim and violent progressions of guilt, lust and jealousy.

All of these emotions are so vividly captured thanks to the unique cinematography and direction. Camera angles are unconventional, using low-lying cameras to peer upward towards the characters, or highly placed lenses creeping above the Queen and her court. All of these placements give the sense that the viewer is spying on the characters, that we are sneaking into their lives unbeknownst to them.

It is the performances of the three leads and the unique cinematography that gripped me so powerfully upon my initial viewing. Olivia Colman (Queen Anne), Rachel Weisz (Sarah Churchill) and Emma Stone (Abigail Hill) are all superb talents, free the stretch their acting chops and creative imaginations to bring such life to their characters. But the supporting cast is equally brilliant. In fact, no elements of the film come off as ill-planned or weak. The film is like a well-oiled machine, perfectly in sync and precise to a scary degree.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Genre: Historical comedy-drama / period piece / romance

1. Burning (버닝)

It has been quite some time since I have felt this looming questioning of morality, this cutting sense of dread from a motion picture. Burning is a Korean psychological thriller by Lee Chang-dong, and tells the story of three individuals caught in the unforgiving hands of lust. An ineffable sense of desire lurks throughout the film, as the three characters find themselves and their relationships with each other engulfed in tragedy. Love and desire quickly transforms into decay and wrath.

Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in) is a part-time delivery man, who one day finds an old schoolmate working outside a department store. Shin Hae-mi (Jun Jong-seo) asks Jong-su out to drinks and the two quickly become entranced by one another. Hae-mi asks Jong-su if he remembers her from their shared past. He does not. She informs him that they attended middle school together, lived in the same village, and that Jong-su once called her ugly leading to her receiving plastic surgery. Still, deeply infatuated and perhaps a tad remorseful, Jong-su helps Hae-mi by looking over her reclusive cat while she travels to Africa in the hopes of some soul searching.

Hae-mi eventually returns to Seoul, this time bringing back a friend she met while in the airport, Ben. Ben and Hae-mi bonded over their shared heritage and nationality, being the only two Koreans in the airport at the time. The trio goes out for hot pot and drinks, where Hae-mi states in a drunken stupor that she felt incredibly lonesome while in the Kalahari desert. She describes a bittersweet lonesomeness that only such a vast expanse of desolation could bring. Jong-su seems unphased, almost detached from such a stark statement from a normally bubbly individual. Ben, looks noticeably concerned but then says he has never understood why people cry, he has never shed a tear himself. The three leave shortly after.

Time moves on, and Jong-su eventually moves back to his hometown to take over his father’s farm, as his father has come into legal trouble. Hae-mi and Ben become ever closer and Jong-su appears to remain detached from Hae-mi from the exterior. Deep down, Jong-su feels heavily for Hae-mi, eventually expressing his love for her to Ben at his farm.

Darkness sets in when one day Hae-mi does not respond to Jong-su’s calls. From there on out the story becomes a mysterious and incredibly riveting tale of love and the dangers of desire and inaction.

Yoo Ah-in is incredible as Jong-su, and nails the detached and perplexed characterization. Steven Yeun steals every scene he is a part of, reminding me of Heath Ledger’s Joker or Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in terms of menacing presence and subtle malice. But for me, the standout actor is Jun Jong-seo and her portrayal of Hae-mi. She embodies the character perfectly, and I felt for her character throughout the film. Hae-mi is clearly struggling to find her own way and desperately wants to find courage and power in some shape or form. I can relate to that struggle. Truly, this film is carried by its characters and the beautiful performances by their respective actors.

So many other elements come together to make this film a success though. The cinematography is masterclass. Using wide lenses to capture the claustrophobic chaos of downtown Seoul and the vast and desolate disconnect of the Korean countryside, cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo is able to capture the diverse beauty of Korea. He uses intimate close ups and handheld camerawork to create cutting scenes of tension and discomfort, drawing the viewer into the experience, emboldening the story of Jung-su and Hae-mi. A wide variety of long takes and tracking shots are utilized as well, forcing the viewer to pay attention and highlighting the characters in an organic moment.

Perhaps my favorite scene of the year, and certainly my favorite scene of the movie comes about half way through the runtime. It involves Miles Davis’ song, “Générique,” and a particular character’s tribal, rhythmic dancing. It’s a beautiful moment of reflection in the film and still runs through my head.

I will refrain from discussing the film anymore, as I strongly believe this work is best experienced with as little knowledge as possible. Lee Chang-dong, Yoo Ah-in, Jun Jong-seo and Steven Yeun, and the rest of the production team have created something incredibly raw and thoughtful here. It is more than apparent that an immense amount of care went into making this story and adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s Barn Burning a triumphant success. What I love about this film is, in a way, it made me feel a connection to my home country in such a profound and unexplainable way. I haven’t seen many Korean films, but Burning was able to kindle a connection in me that I haven’t experienced with other Korean films before. For these reasons, I can decidedly say that Burning is my favorite film of 2018.

Director: Lee Chang-dong

Distributor: CGV Arthouse (Korea) & Well Go Entertainment (USA)

Genre: Psychological thriller / romantic drama

#film review #film #movie review #movies #movies of the year #films of the year #sorry to bother you #roma #isle of dogs #wes anderson #yorgos lanthimos #the favourite #burning #lee chang-dong #hereditary #a24

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animaechanthoughts · 5 years ago

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DORORO Episode 18, 19 and 20

Everyone knows that I absolutely love Dororo, because of it's amazing characters and storytelling. I have said before that I consider the anime a personal ten out of ten and I believe it's one of the best anime I have ever watched. But as much as I love it, I have to admit that since Episode 15 (infamous among fans for it's decline in animation quality) I have noticed other instances where it seems like the animation team doesn't seem to have as much time as they used to for more insignificant scenes in every other episode. The fight scenes and interactions between Hyakkimaru and other characters are still overall amazing, but every so often there are scenes that are so obviously neglected it's actually funny - at first. But really, it kind of makes me sad that it seems like in the second course of the anime, they have not cared to keep up the quality of the first course. Or maybe, have not been able to? This could be due to budget cuts or other projects. Although it can be understood, it certainly doesn't feel fair.

Is it possible that the first course was the same, and I'm only starting to notice it now after everyone pointed out how bad episode 15 was? I'm not sure... I was absolutely enthralled with the first course (and I still am with the overall story), so I would like to hear what other people who like the anime think. Is the second course worse (in terms of visuals and animation) than the first, or did I just not notice it until now?

Like I said, though, the fighting scenes are still amazing. For example Tahomaru VS Hyakkimaru in episode 18 was really intense and Hyakkimaru's movements were very well animated! I was so impressed.

I thought it would be interesting if I could find out the name meanings of Hyakkimaru and Tahomaru.

Tahomaru (kanji: 多宝丸) directly translated means "many treasure circle".

Hyakkimaru (kanji: 百鬼丸) directly translated means "hundred demon circle".

In episode 18, and in previous episodes too, I have found it very interesting how they have developed Itachi's character. One could do an intensive character study on his motivations and the events that lead up to his death. I wish I had the time, bur for now all I am going to say is that as much as I disliked him for his betrayal of Dororo's parents... He truly was a character I could feel sympathy for towards the end, and it made me so happy that he never really mistreated Dororo, even when finding out she was a girl. In episode 18, I was actually grateful to him for, in his own way, protecting Dororo and taking her to her father's treasure (although of course it would have been ideal if he never kidnapped her in the first place, but I mean, if he hadn't, he would still be alive, so I feel like he definitely got punished enough already for doing what he did, no point in me dragging it out now). His death was actually a very sad, but beautiful scene, almost in a karmic way. It's hard to describe.

Thoughts I am left with after episode 18:

- the stone figures that fell on Tahomaru's men, are they figures of the gods that Dororo's parents worshipped?

- I feel sorry for Hyakkimaru when he asks "why?" to Tahomaru (Why do you want to kill me? What did I do? Why do I deserve this?) ugh, it breaks my heart

- I love how, even after the landslide, the first thing Hyakkimaru thinks of is Dororo and whether she is safe

- did Hyogo die?? I think he did! I'm editing the video quite a while after watching the episode and I only just really realised this... But wait, then at the end they are bandaging him up and taking him away on the ship. So I'm not sure if he's dead or not. Edit: just saw him again while editing episode 20. I don't really understand what was the point of showing him lying on the ground, wounded, and yet pretty much nothing happened to him... hmm

- even though the animation quality and visuals are not always what I think they could be, there are some scenes that really make up for it (not just the fights, but scenes showing off a sunset, like at the end of episode 18, or the scenes showing the mountains in fall, like in episode 20 - wow).

- one of my favourite scenes is the scene where Dororo decides that she doesn't know what to do with the money yet, so she leaves everything there (except taking a few coins for them to get by on). In this scene, Hyakkimaru holds out his hand to Dororo. I love this. They are both such beautiful souls, only trying to do the best they can with the lives they've been giving, in whatever way they know how.

Episode 19: The Story of the Amanojaku

This episode was a welcome break from the darkness of the last couple of episodes. We had The Scene from Hell, where Dororo started to question Hyakkimaru's humanity. Dororo was kidnapped. Hyakkimaru reunited with his "okachan", but even this reunion was cloaked in sadness because not even Jukai wants to give Hyakkimaru a leg to continue on his journey. Itachi dies. Tahomaru continues to hunt his brother. It's all just very dark and difficult.

This episodes serves as a relief before throwing us right back into the despair that is episode 20 (one of the saddest episodes in my opinion - I'll explain more later).

In episode 19, Hyakkimaru and Dororo seek the swordsmith named Munetsuna to repair the swords in Hyakkimaru's prosthetics. The interactions between Dororo, Hyakkimaru and Okowa, Munetsuna's daughter, serve as quite the surprising comedic relief, in an anime that has mostly had me contemplating moral philosophy and questioning the sanity of some viewers who actually see Daigo as a righteous character.

I loved to see so many people in the comments section enjoying this episode. Some of the funniest things:

- the horse at the start

- Okowa being willing to travel with them, and Dororo calling her an idiot

- Hyakkimaru speaking in opposites

- the animation when Dororo is shocked after Hyakki says he doesn't need her anymore

- the seamstress "my how ugly you look, such a plain girl, you put this beautiful kimono to shame" XD pfffsshhahahhaha

- Okowa trying to drag Hyakkimaru to get married

While editing the reaction video, I am thinking that Okawa really is an idiot XD these people were speaking in opposites for so long and she just rolled with it. Hahaha! but realistically what was she supposed to think. Their actions clearly did not reflect their words. They probably got used to it and just went with it themselves. I don't think this episode is meant to be overanalysed, it's a whole lot of fun and that's what I think the creators intended with it! Everything from the music to the voice acting added to the fun and hilarity of the episode.

As much fun as the episode was, it had a really important moment in it. When Munetsuna and Dororo are talking about the swords, he says "My ideal is to make a sword that makes fighting cease". I wonder if this is possible. Weapons can be used to fight, of course. But they can also be used to defend... The weapons themselves are not what bring death and destruction, it's the hands that wield them. "I just know I shouldn't use my power for the wrong cause" - this too reflects that meaning in my eyes. It's not the making of the swords that put violence into the world. As long as he doesn't use his power for the wrong cause (create for the wrong people), he sees himself as using his power for the right cause instead. I think Dororo gasps after hearing this, because she herself has doubted Hyakkimaru and whether he is doing the right thing (or maybe, whether he is doing the right thing in the right way). She looks guilty for a second, but then looks up at him determinedly and says she was wrong. She will continue to stay by Hyakkimaru's side.

- How did the ghoul in this episode escape from its confinement?

- is the reason why Okowa and her dad were not affected, because they had those masks in their house? I think so

- at the end, I'm just happy that everyone looked happy...

Episode 20: The Story of Nue

The visuals in the beginning of the episode, where Dororo and Hyakkimaru are walking through the mountains, are absolutely beautiful. One of my favourite scenes in this anime ever is of Hyakkimaru holding out a fruit to Dororo, the Fall trees in the back background... When he hands it to her and she is so touched that she starts tearing up, it really touched my heart.

The moment Saburota appeared on screen though, I was immediately suspicious. At this point, who wasn't?? Most viewers probably find it hard to trust anyone of the new characters at this point... Or is it just me? When he said the Nue ate his mother though, I lowered my guard. Although it's natural to distrust people when they give off a certain vibe, I didn't want to judge him solely on his first impression, especially since the anime has surprised me in the past after judging too quickly (the spider/woman ghoul for example). Sadly, I was right to be suspicious of him from the start.

There was a small scene with Daigo receiving a message from someone. "One of the demon statues lets out something like a heartbeat now and then". Daigo thinks of his wife telling him about the goddess head being smashed and that their days of prosperity are over, because his deals with the demons have been broken... welp! Time to find another innocent baby to sacrifice!

Now, about Saburota...

TSilva, someone on my Discord, said the following: "I think [Saburota] just wanted an excuse to convince himself, if no one else can beat the demon then it was only natural to run away. Just so he doesn't feel like he's in the wrong about leaving his mother to die because people normally don't want to admit they were in the wrong. Hence his excuse to say Hyakkimaru isn't human just so he can feel better about himself."

I really hated that part of the episode! At the end. Where Saburota, after being devoured by the demon, says that the only reason Hyakkimaru didn't run away is because "he is not human". That is such a copout! He just doesn't want to take responsibility for his own cowardice. Dororo has shown a lot of bravery all throughout the anime. Just because Saburota and the other men ran away from the Nue, doesn't mean anyone who doesn't run away from it, is inhuman. Yes, most people would run away if a monster that is clearly stronger than them is chasing them. But Hyakkimaru has suffered his whole life at the hands of demons, and that has only made him stronger and stronger. Jukai made it possible for him to protect himself. Hyakki's whole life was harsh as fuck, but it made him strong. He didn't face the Nue because he's inhuman, he faced the Nue because he is strong and he wants back what is his - not only for himself anymore, but to better protect Dororo.

Hyakki is shown to have a growing redness inside of him now... the "demon red" colour. It is possible that he could lose himself in all of the violence he inevitably gets caught up in, trying to get back his body... But it's not fair :( he is not evil. But I think the amount of anger and despair in him right now, for not having a body to save Dororo when he needed to most... It's turning into an awfully dark power... All of this, because his father abandoned him and sacrificed him to the demons because he could not sort out his own problems. Tahomaru was able to use his mind to figure out a way to defeat the crab ghoul that was plaguing that town, causing them a lot of hardship. I'm sure if Daigo was smart enough, him and his people could have overcome the natural challenges they faced, without having to kill an innocent newborn. But Daigo did not want to think and sacrifice time to overcome their hardships naturally. He took a shortcut and made a deal with the demon because he wanted prosperity and power now.

Hyakkimaru is still suffering for that decision. Honestly, fuck Daigo.

I'm really not sure what the ending means - when we see the Hall of Hell, and one of the stones seems to be lighting up in certain parts... it looks like 1 demon with several parts. And it flashed to images of the Nue's body too... I don't understand what that symbolises, but I'm sure we'll see in the coming episodes. Only four left!

“One cannot escape one's fate. Such a heavy burden. Is it his fate to bear it?”

Is Hyakkimaru supposed to have just been satisfied to carry the burden that Daigo placed upon him by a decision Daigo had made? That doesn't sound like fate to be. It sounds like the worst parenting in the world. It can also be compared to how people today are treating the planet, exploiting its resources with no regard to the generations that come after them... As long as their generation benefits... As long as they are doing well now... who cares about those who must carry the burden of their poor decision making later? It's easy to throw morality out the window, and instead of facing up to and dealing with our own problems, take shortcuts that make things easier for us... But difficult for whoever comes after us. It's easier and a lot of people may benefit in the present. But that doesn't make it right.

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yaachtynoboat711 · 6 years ago

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At First Glance: Ch.1 ✨💃🏽

A/N: Get ready to learn about the journey out favorite couple has gone on before the Gala! I struggled with this chapter all week. Thank you, @great-neckpectations and the group chat for helping me get out of my block. Love y’all 😭.

Pairing: Winston Duke x Black Plus-Sized! OC

Word Count: ~2.8K

Warnings: language, fluff, Yaa won’t let that petty go 😭

The annual Black Yale Alumni Association Benefit Ball was in full effect.Every year, the BYAA hosted this event to raise funds for their scholarship fund to help Black undergrad and grad students. This was the most anticipated event for Black Yale of the year for both alumni as well as current students. With the event always falling around Halloween, the Ball was a costume party and had a different theme. This year’s theme was “Music’s Icons”.

Even though she had just graduated Yale Law School in the spring and was slated for graduating with her Ph.D. in the December, Khalida Abdullah was NOT missing her first Black Alumni function. Since Yaa had been at Yale, she’d been one of the best-dressed people at the ball. She was always slaying the theme, no matter how vague or specific the theme or the guideline’s would be. It’d helped to have an interest in historical fashion and a sister in the fashion industry. The process for that one night was a strenuous process that lasted for months, with most time being spent in researching ( Yaa’s undergraduate was after all in History, so research came naturally to her in all facets of life). When the theme was announced in late June, Yaa knew she was going as Selena.

The easiest part of Yaa’s decision was picking which musical legend she was going to be for Ball; the hardest part would be which iconic outfit to choose from. Anything Selena put on her body would be replicated by fans and stans for the next 20+ years after her unnecessary death. Either you slayed Selena’s fit or it slayed you; most would fall victim to the latter. Yaa decided on Selena’s outfit from her last concert. It was definitely one of her most iconic and most difficult outfits to pull off. Months of preparation continued until an email was sent regarding the ball. This year’s Best-Dressed would not be granted so easily.

October 26, 2013.8:49 pm, Yaa’s AirBnB.

It was finally time for the turn up. Everything was laid out: the earrings, the custom wig adorned with Selena’s signature bangs, the makeup, even a replica of her lipstick-adorned microphone (Yaa practiced her routine while wearing red lipstick for the effect) were ready for Yaa. Yaa was precise with every detail of the ensemble. In the midst of all the preparation, Yaa’s best friend Tanisha, offered her nervous friend some comedic relief. “

“DAAAAAAAAAAAMN, K.D.! The way you looking and the way this tight ass suit is fitting on ya, you gon’ fuck around and hook a nigga!”

“What are you talking about, Neesh? You always say I’m getting wife’d up at any function I go to. The hell they lookin’ for? I’ve come to this every year since I’ve been in New Haven and nothing. Well, besides being with Quin, but that’s the same as saying nothing. Only reason I’m going is to take pictures, socialize, and say ‘thank you’ to the board and other people for helping me make it through Yale...that’s it. Ain’t no husbands coming this year!” Yaa yelled from the bathroom as she was finishing up her makeup and making her way back into her room. She watched Neesh as she transformed into Donna Summers.

“Do you even wanna get me started?” Neesh inquired as she helped her best friend put on her silver bootie heels, “ Sis, at 22, you were the VALEDICTORIAN of 2013’s Yale Law School class. It was like damn near 700 folks in that hoe and you was the smartest bitch in that bitch, not to mention the fact that you still gotta whole Ph.D. coming in December. You the shit and I just hate that you don’t relish in that. It’s a nigga right now gettin’ ready as we fucking speak going into this function totally oblivious to the fact that a thick ass angel in a tight ass purple sparkly catsuit and a damn wig is finna ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom’ her way into his simple ass life. Give it a chance, I know you a young genius but live a little,bitch. He’s gonna be there.”

Yaa chuckled in confusion, “Neesh you dumb as hell for that. Also, you sound pretty confident that he, whoever he is, is going to be there. Please God don’t tell me you’ve played matchmaker again. Bitch I swear to God I’m slappin’ the shit outta you and that’s on muvas.”

“I’m sorry,sis, but I couldn’t let this one pass. He’s the sweetest and most down to earth guy ever. He just graduated with his Master’s in acting in the spring.” Neesh replied.

“Where?”

“Yale.”

Yaa’s reluctant spirit began to soften. “How did I miss him? Is he Black?”

“Bitch, I oughta choke you. Of course he is! Now I must warn you, he, too, just got out of a relationship and he’s never been with a Black woman before.”

Yaa side-eyed Neesh. She knew deep in her heart that Neesh was trying to help. While she appreciated the notion, Yaa was very reluctant to throw herself back into the dating market after her break-up three months ago. “Ok, but please know that you’re still on indefinite suspension from the position of matchmaker.”

The last time Neesh played matchmaker, Yaa’s ex, Quincy ended up being bout crazy as hell. He was very charming, yet manipulative. Yaa was many things, but being to put up with Quincy’s shit wasn’t among them.

At this point, Neesh was begging: “I promise you, K, this one is so much different from Quincy. I’ve been observing him since we started the program. He’s amazing; if I wasn’t such an amazing friend and he hadn’t been in a relationship, I woulda kept him for myself. But I decided not to and we wouldn’t have worked. I know I fucked up but please give this guy a chance.”

When Yaa met Neesh , Neesh was in her final year in Yale’s Theatre program. Neesh was a graduate assistant and the creative genius behind every Yale production. She mastered everything: makeup, costuming, wigs, lighting, you name it. However, she loved costuming and makeup. The two met at an Alpha party the semester Yaa arrived to Yale. Being that they were both SGRho’s and had much in common ,the pair had basically been inseparable since their first conversation. Since graduating, Neesh moved to New York where she became the Creative Director for an off-Broadway theatre company.

Yaa felt sorry for her friend pleading the way she was. Yaa wanted to be stubborn but something was telling her to meet this mystery guy. She finally broke her contemplative silence: “What’s his name,sis?” Neesh was radiating with joy. “His name is Winston. Winston Duke.”

Yaa’s eyebrows went up in curiosity. “Hell kinda name is Winston?” Yaa asked as her head fell back in laughter. Yaa was now wondering what this Winston character looked like. He clearly had to be attractive, or else Neesh wouldn’t have given him a second thought. This was definitely a move of redemption. As the two friends took pictures, Yaa began to get excited about meeting that Winston fellow? Was he tall? Was he Greek? She’d figure out at the ball.

10:54 p.m., The BYAA Ball

The function was going up by the time Neesh and Yaa arrived; that was the plan all along. The vibrations of the loud music pulsated against the walls and floors of the venue. Waves of excellence and Black splendor filled the room.The pink and purple lights juxtaposed the white curtains and couches throughout the club in which gave the space an inviting and jovial energy.

The DJ was blasting that good shit and everyone was going up.

All eyes were on the pair; Donna and Selena were in this bitch and everyone took notice. They took pictures at the photo booth and went their separate ways to socialize with their separate circles. Yaa was the belle of the ball; the moment she walked into the room, Winston saw her and let her and her tight ass purple ass catsuit Bidi Bidi Bom Bom her way into his heart. He watched as she basically floated across the room,socializing with everyone that knew her. Then she smiled. Winston was slightly turned on by the warmth and calming beauty in this Cinderella girl’s candy apple red-colored trillion dollar smile and angelic glow of her caramel hue.

“Wow”, he thought to himself, “She’s a vision of beauty...is that—is that a dimple? GAH!!! It’s just one? My God, she’s perfection. She’s so fuc—GET IT TOGETHER, DUDE!” If there were a control center operating his brain right now, they’d be in overdriven crisis mode. Never had Winston ever felt butterflies for anything other than maybe an audition, but here he was, falling madly in love with a girl that just walked into room. Then she turned around—my God. Winston just about died. Winston wasn’t a guy that obsessed over body features on a woman, but trust Khalida Abdullah’s ass was too much for him.

“Well,I’ll be damned; this tree ass nigga here fine as hell! If he keep looking at me like I’m a jug of water, he gon’ have to buy me dinner. Mmm! Chocolate ass. ” Yaa mentally stated.

The man in question was a rather tall individual. He was clean-shaven, a beautiful milk chocolate toned and had a rather ambitious,yet shy energy about him. Judging by the outfit, Yaa figured he was dressed as Don Cornelius. While he was looking away, she saw him smile and saw only one thing: a gap. Yaa was mysteriously obsessed with gapped teeth, especially on guys. She didn’t know this man from Adam, yet she was feeling him from a distance.

Completely entertained by the mutual eye fucking before them, Neesh and one of Winston’s colleagues and friend, Lupita, smirked to themselves as they mentally devised a plan to get Yaa and Winston together. “Peet, we better not be thinking about the same thing.”,Neesh remarked with a smirk. Lupita chuckled,”Yes. They need to be next to each other. She’s perfect for him!” The friends gravitated towards their gentle giant of a friend. Winston looked at them with confusion,”What’s up, ladies?” Lupita and Neesh looked at each other before Neesh spoke:

“ You remember that lawyer friend I was telling you about?”

Winston nodded,”Yeah, I remember. You never confirmed nor denied if she was cute. I’m still waiting on your answer,Tanisha.”

Neesh rolled her eyes, “ Boy, shut up and follow me.”

The thought of finally meeting Neesh’s lawyer friend made a usually calm Winston a little anxious. The walk across the venue made his chest tighter the closer he got. He still didn’t understand why he was so nervous. His loud friend didn’t settle his nerves either as she practically yelled towards her lawyer friend.

“AYO, K.D.!” Yaa almost got whiplash from turning her head at the rate in which she did. Her eyes widened as the fine guy she was looking at earlier was coming towards her. Her heart almost stopped when he stopped in front of her. He was much taller than she’d imagined, but you wouldn’t catch her complaining. Sis was completely shook. Neesh cleared her throat louder than normal to break the two from the trances they were in.

“Wow. You’re tall.” Yaa stammered.

“Nah, I’m Winston.”, he replied as he smiled and shook her hand. She was NOT about to be out-pettied by this man. If it was a petty war he wanted, then by all means a petty war is what he was going to get.

“Wow, that was corny. That’s what they teaching y’all in the theatre program now?” Winston’s heart fluttered as Yaa’s Southern accent got the best of her. It only came out when she said certain words or phrases.

“Ok, Elle Woods, I see you got jokes, too.”

“One, my name is Khalida Abdullah. Two, coming from a nigga named Winston, I know you got jokes.” Both Lupita and Neesh were damn near on the floor laughing at the exchange. They both knew Yaa was going to win this fight.

“I’m glad they taught you how to be observant in law school.”

“Yeah, of fucking course. You seem to be pretty damn good at observations too, nigga.” Winston was shocked. His train of thought stopped as he realized his attempts at sneaking looks at her failed. He hid his shame and defeat with a rather stoic stare; Yaa returned his stare with a petty stare. After what seemed like forever of staring at each other, Yaa walked closer to Winston and signaled for him to match her height. “You actin’ like I didn’t see your tree ass eye-fucking me all night from all the way over here. Yes, I’m short, but that doesn’t mean I don’t peep shit, Big Fella. I’m about to head to this here cash bar. You coming or not?” Yaa whispered in his ear. She walked away with an extra pep in her switch. She wanted him to know that the ass he was staring at all night wasn’t restrained by the confines of a Spanx. He followed her like a little puppy.

After getting drinks, they began talking; their connection was instant. He found himself making jokes just to hear her infectious laughter. She found herself falling in love with his gap-toothed smile and hearty laughter. They discussed each other’s costume and found many common interests.

“So you’ve really been a Selena fan your entire life?”, Winston inquired, “ I just saw the biopic two years ago and I’ve been a fan ever since. I don’t speak Spanish, but her music is everything.”

“Yeah. When my dad was teaching me Spanish, my personal goal was to translate Selena songs without a translator. It also improved my Spanish skills before I needed them.” Yaa answered.

“So you’re fluent now, yeah?”

“I’m fluent in four languages.”

Winston was shocked, “Seriously?!”

“Yeah, there are a lot of things, you’ll learn about me.” She winked.

Suddenly, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” came on. The DJ acknowledged Yaa as she made her way to the dancefloor, mic in hand. The DJ started the track back again. Yaa transformed into her idol and the force of the Tejano Queen was with Yaa. She glided as she danced around the dancefloor. Winston watched in amazement. When she finished, the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Winston was the first one to greet her she left the floor. He told her how amazing she looked and how he felt like Selena was on the floor.

For the remainder of the night, Yaa and Winston talked on the balcony of the venue in the cool nighttime October breeze. They exchanged numbers and social media handles as they walked towards Yaa’s car. He almost stepped on her to get the door for her. “I’m sorry, but you won’t touch that handle, at least when I’m around.” Yaa looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. “You sound pretty confident you’re staying around, Mr. Duke. Tanisha didn’t tell you I drop niggas like a bad phone call?” Winston smirked. “She did,but that doesn’t apply to me.” He closed her car door and waved as she drove away.

When Yaa finally got home, Tanisha was on the couch waiting for her.

“BITCH! You got that nigga in love with your little ass.” Neesh interjected as her head fell back in laughter.

“Whatever. I hate to say it, but you were right: he ain’t that bad. Quincy could never.”

“Yeah,yeah. Thank me at y’alls wedding.”

Yaa rolled her eyes. “Bitch, fuck you.” she laughed. “We have a date in three weeks.”

Neesh’s eyes and grin grew wide. “A WHAT?! Does he know you’re in D.C. now?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t know how my situation would be.”

The two talked about their night and how boo’d up Yaa was. Though she wanted to deny it, her glow and goofy grin were saying otherwise. “I think it’s him.”

The The peanut butter to my jelly:

@great-neckpectations @randomwordprompts @blackgirloneshots @babygirlofwakanda @kumkaniudaku @royallyprincesslilly @eriknutinthispoosy @teheeboo @texasbama @wakandan-flowerz @soldierandawar @summertimesadnesswithadashofsass @vanitykocaine @sarahboseman @niquelafleur @blackpantherismyish @pastelastronomy24

#AtFirstGlance #DestinedToBeDuke

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esselley · 6 years ago

Note

Aaa prompt: KageHina or TodoDeku as dorama actors or kpop idols, fanservice turns into reality, fake Lisa's become real kiss...

:D I’ve done KageHina actors and KageHina idols, so Tododeku it is! idols AND drama actors, because I can

“Midoriya-kun.”

Izuku jerks his head around at the sound of the low, quiet voice. The lightly tinted balm his stylist is applying to his lips to give them that ready to be kissed glow for the cameras smears across the side of his face and she swears.

“S-sorry, Hagakure-san!” he stammers, blinking wide, startled eyes at his co-star as he approaches.

He must have already finished with make-up. If it was up to Izuku, he’d just say not to bother. His co-star is beautiful, already–it’s no wonder Izuku has to spend double the time in the chair he normally would.

After all, he’s going to be on camera next to Japan’s number one idol, the Smoldering Ice Prince, Todoroki Shouto.

It’s their first day of filming. Izuku has never actually spoken to Todoroki before; they work for different labels, and everyone at Izuku’s company keeps reminding him of what a huge chance this is, how lucky he is to be able to act alongside Todoroki (not to mention Uraraka Ochako, another huge fan favorite).

Not only is Todoroki the most popular solo artist in the country, but he’s constantly in demand for roles in dramas. Izuku, meanwhile, is one member of a very large group that only just debuted. His face is plain and his voice isn’t bad, the fans say; the freckles are cute but he’s otherwise forgettable. This might be his one and only shot to catch people’s attention–and keep from getting dropped from his label once his contract is up. He definitely, absolutely cannot blow it.

“I… sorry?” Todoroki asks, staring at him, and Izuku realizes he has been rambling most of that under his breath while Hagakure attempts to wipe the glob of lip balm off his face. “I didn’t catch that…”

“Sorry!” Izuku shrills. “C-can I help you with something–with anything, Todoroki-san?”

“I wanted to introduce myself,” Todoroki tells him. He pauses, then asks, “Are you… alright?”

“I’m completely fine, why do you ask?!” Izuku squeals. “I’m very excited for this opportunity, and of course the chance to work beside you, since you are Japan’s best and brightest and honestly even more attractive up close! I never in a million years thought they would cast me in this role, so I very much hope I don’t let all of you down to the shame of myself, this production, my entire company–”

“Midoriya!” Torodoki cuts him off, somewhat frantically. “That’s… I’m also excited to be working together. Please start breathing again, slowly–”

“I’m sorry,” Izuku says again.

“Stop apologizing,” Todoroki says. “I’ll see you on set, alright? Just… keep breathing, okay?”

Izuku nods, and promptly forgets to follow his advice as soon as Todoroki exits the trailer. That… could probably not have gone much worse. He groans and puts his face in his hands. Hagakure swats at him.

“You’re mussing your bangs,” she says.

“I’m sorry,” Izuku repeats. He hopes he can remember any of his lines, instead of the mantra of apologies running through his head.

Todoroki and Uraraka have already taken their marks for the first scene by the time Izuku arrives. They are veterans, and seeing them together, talking and at ease, makes him even more unspeakably nervous than he already was. They’re sitting on a very well lit park bench, and the production assistants lead him to where he’s supposed to be like he’s a small child, even though he’s read the script more times than he can count and knows what it calls for. He can’t really blame them.

“Good morning, Midoriya-kun!” Uraraka says cheerfully. Izuku feels his face go up in flames and warbles some sort of greeting that sounds like he’s close to tears. She pats him on the shoulder, seemingly unfazed.

It takes some time yet for cameras to get rolling and up to speed, but soon (all too soon), they are calling for quiet on the set. Izuku tries to breathe, breathe; he knows this scene, he’s studied it, he can do this.

It’s a very silly scene, with his character getting more and more flustered as Todoroki’s character, the charming and irreverent leading man, woos Izuku’s childhood crush, Uraraka, right out from under his nose. Izuku would feel more sorry for his own character if he didn’t feel like it was absolutely deserved. The scene builds up steam until the big comedic moment, when Izuku is supposed to lean in and try to kiss Uraraka on the cheek, only for her to move out of the way, causing him to kiss Todoroki on the cheek instead. Izuku is so nervous that he’s sure he’s sweated all his make up off anyway. And then comes his cue and he sucks in a deep breath and lurches forward–

Todoroki turns his head at the last moment, which is not in the script, and their lips meet.

Ah, Izuku thinks vaguely, as all thoughts flee from his head, I was right. Todoroki’s lips are smooth and soft, but he’s not wearing any balm, probably because he’s perfect. His lips, also, fit perfectly against Izuku’s, and so does his hand, when he brings it up to rest against Izuku’s undoubtedly sweaty cheek. But he doesn’t pull away in disgust. He strokes his thumb along Izuku’s cheekbone and Izuku sighs against his lips, as all his nervousness evaporates for one tiny, golden second.

“CUT!”

Izuku jerks backwards, stunned. Todoroki withdraws his hand slowly, his eyes still looking deep into Izuku’s.

“I’m sor–” Izuku starts to say, but Todoroki won’t let him.

“Don’t,” he says softly. He rubs his thumb over his lips contemplatively; they’re a little more pink, where Izuku’s balm has rubbed off on him. “You’re a good kisser, Midoriya.”

Izuku’s mouth falls open. As Todoroki apologizes to the director, saying he thought it might be good to have a “surprise” take in there, Uraraka looks between them and then steeples the tips of her fingers together, like she knows something Izuku doesn’t. Izuku looks at her for guidance, for help or understanding, but she just shakes her head and giggles.

“Let’s roll for take two, take two… lights!”

Izuku puts his hand over his chest and takes a deep breath. He feels his heart rate slowing. Todoroki and Uraraka are both smiling at him, and he nods, and actually manages to smile back. He realizes he’s not really nervous anymore.

“Camera!”

“Thanks!” he says.

“Anytime,” Todoroki says, and Izuku does a double take. By “anytime”, does Todoroki mean… kissing?!

“Action!”

#tododeku #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #bnha #esselle writes #bnha fanfiction #request fill #tumblr fic #'let's keep these short' she said #xixisssouza-blog #esselle replies #essie's bnha fic

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azulamakesmeblank · 6 years ago

Text

A Brothers Love.

“Hello! Do you think you could write a fanfic about Sokka’s reaction to hearing the news that Katara and Aang are getting married please???” -@disneysweaterz

I am so so so so so so SO beyond sorry for the delay! A lot of friends I hadn’t spent time with came over last minute and one day ended up becoming two and just- AH, I’m sorry for how late this is!!!! I did do a bit more than you ask for, but I hope it’s okay with you!!! I really hope you like it and I just want to thank you for such an amazing idea to work with!!

I feel like I could really take a read over this again and change some things, but for now, I am happy, and I hope anyone reading likes it too!

-Without further adieu-

Aang felt as though his heart was beating out of his chest, his legs all of a sudden feeling too weak to hold his weight. For some reason, he avoided her eyes; maybe it was nerves getting the better of him as he was down on one knee, palms face up to her holding something very special. Not a word had been spoken between them. Any man would have feared the silence, but Aang was happy to wait. He would give Katara all the time she needed.

Her eyes glistened with tears.

It was stunning; beautiful; perfect - dare she say, even more, gorgeous than her mothers. The two ends of the blue satin necklace hung over the sides of his palms, delicately waving in the ocean breeze. Katara found herself unable to look away, hearing only the sounds of the waves crashing gently on the shore and her rapidly beating heart. The fabric was rich, and she noticed threads of purple interwoven throughout the blue, giving it an otherworldly glow when the moonlight hit it. And the pendant... where to begin. It was an opal stone reflecting colours Katara had never seen before tonight. It was completely flawless, marked with an engraving original to any other; the first to ever have existed - the symbols for water and air combined.

This was the best moment of her life so far, but the best was yet to come. The best would be the day she married him. “...Aang,” Her voice cracked, a pool of broken sobs stuck in her throat, and his eyes finally lay on hers after hearing her voice.

“Katara, I... I know we’re young.” Aang began: he was seventeen. “But I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life. If you aren’t ready to take such a big step, I-”

“Yes.” She whispered.

And adrenaline raged through him.

“Yes!” She spoke again, louder, making sure he heard her loud and clear. The tears were now falling to her cheeks and giggles sporadically spilt from her lips, unable to be stopped. She was ecstatic. Katara had never felt joy as pure as this: not since the first night, they spent together.

“Yes...?” Aang was still unsure, that pit in his stomach still feeding him doubtful thoughts. Until she said the words:

“Of course I’ll marry you!” the tears still coming - streaming down her face. And finally, he believed her, a grin spreading across his face as he stood, arms wrapping around her in an instant and lifting her from the ground. The air was filled with their laughter as he swept her off her feet, spinning her under the sky. The Airbender was completely high on joy, gripping her to him as tight as he could. He never wanted to let go as the realisation dawned on him over and over again in his head: they were getting married...

They were getting married!

Her toes finally touched the sand, and his eyes glistened in the moonlight, and she decided again that no one was as beautiful as him. And he decided again that no one was as beautiful as her.

“I love you.” She whispered, gazing deep into his loving eyes.

And she kissed him before he could tell her the same, their lips pressed together in such a loving embrace.

Their lives would be spent together, and nothing was as perfect as that.

“Sokka’s coming for dinner tonight,” Katara spoke from the vanity, her eyes on his reflection sitting comfortably on the edge of their bed.

“Really?” Aang frowned. “I thought he was staying with Suki for a few days?”

“He was.” She sighed. This had happened before: her brother would seek refuge at their house for a few hours, contemplate his thoughts, realise he misses her (maybe taking a few drinks to get to that realisation) and then he would run straight to her place (or walk with Aang as company if he did have the few drinks) full of regrets and apologies to give to her as soon as she opens the door. “I was talking to Suki at the market. She told me about their fight.” Aang tipped his head back.

“Ahh,” The sound of realisation. She shook her head at him with a smile. Katara adored her brother, but sometimes his surprise company was kind of annoying. But it did open a perfect opportunity for the newly engaged couple. “You could take the chance to tell him the news...?” Aang mused, a smile fighting its way onto his lips.

“I was planning on it,” She smiled at him in the mirror, taking the betrothal necklace off of her neck and reaching for her mothers. Aang frowned instantly. “Can you help me with this?” Her hands disappeared to the back of her neck under long and thick lengths of hair, her hands holding the ends of the fabric for him to tie, but a surge of curiosity compelled him to stay put.

“Sweetie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you take off your necklace?” Then she realised how that must have looked to him.

“Oh, no, don’t worry. I’m just putting moms on for tonight because Sokka would notice mine straight away,” Mine. It was nice to hear that. “I want it to be a complete surprise when we tell him.”

“Is it that noticeable?” She spun around again.

“It’s that beautiful.” She reassured him. His eyes looked to the ceiling for a second, trying to fight back the biggest smile.

“Suck up,” He joked under his breath, making his way over to her, the suppressed grin soon surfacing. She gave him a playful punch in the arm.

“Shut up.” She turned, her back facing him again, feeling his fingertips light against her skin as he gathered all of her hair together and brushed it over one shoulder so he could see what he was doing.

“Is it too loose?”

“No, that’s perfect.” She turned, her hand now resting on his cheek. He smirked at her.

“Not as perfect as you...” He wiggled his brows.

“Who’s the suck up now?” She laughed, lightly smacking his cheek. It was banter of course, but he still leaned down, stealing a kiss from her laughing lips and attempting a quick getaway, but she quickly pulled him back to steal another, which led to her pulling him down for another, and another...

And another. Until her back was against the bedpost and his hands were in her hair. Until their pants filled the air and half of his clothes were somewhere on the floor. Until she-

“Hey, guys!” The couple froze as their front door slammed closed. Her chest was still heaving.

“Shit -” She took one look at him. “Shit! Aang, get dressed!”

“Don’t act like this is my-”

“Get dressed!” She hissed, shoving him and running to her vanity, while he struggled to hold back his laughter, grabbing his clothes off the floor.

“This was not my fault,” Aang defended with a laugh.

“Yes, it was! If you hadn’t kissed me in the first place-”

“-Hello? Anyone home?”

“This wouldn’t have happened!” She whispered after hearing her brother from the hall. “We’ll be right there!” She shouted before throwing Aang a glare; who was frantically fixing his robes. “Go!” She hissed again, causing him to throw his hands up in defence.

“I’m going!” Aang chuckled and made his way out of their room and to the kitchen to find Sokka already sitting at the dining table. “Sokka!”

“Hey, man!” He got to his feet and beckoned Aang in for a hug. “Wow, you are getting pretty tall!” He said while patting his back.

“I’m almost eighteen, Sokka,” He pulled back. “Can you stop talking to me like a kid?” Aang laughed a little, uncomfortably, even.

“Don’t worry dude, I’m only teasing you,” He punched his shoulder with a grin; quite hard, actually, Aang still feeling like he was being treated like a kid. A kid who was marrying this guys sister.

He wondered if he’d think they were too young?

“Wow...” Sokka muffled with his mouth full before going back to his bowl to gather another hefty amount of fried duck and rice. “This is delicious!” Aang raised his brows at her, a shy smile on her lips.

“You think anything edible is delicious-” She picked at her own food.

“I tell her all the time, Sokka, but it's like talking to a brick wall,” He looked her way, wishing the girl he loved would take a compliment every now and then. Another bit of the vegetarian meal she had prepared for the both of them was soon placed in his mouth. But, Sokka was having duck: she had to prepare some kind of meat every time her brother came. He wasn’t a fan of vegetarian cuisine.

“Katara,” He stopped eating, moving his chopsticks, that were already halfway in his mouth, to point them at Aang, a piece of duck still in between them. “Listen to your boyfriend.” He stressed every word. Aang’s eyes widened at this, and he kept his head low and his focus on his meal, clearly hiding his face. Katara noticed him smirking. He was more than her boyfriend now, to his smug delight at this moment. Katara found herself fighting back the laughter she felt bubbling in her chest at how cocky he seemed; but instead, she rolled her eyes, looking back at her brother.

“I do listen to him.”

“Do not.” Aang scoffed, jokingly.

“Yes, I do!” She turned, trying her best to be serious.

“You know, I kinda believe Aang-” Sokka shrugged to his sister whose mouth was now agape. Aang gave her a triumphant look, but for attention was on her brother, who gave up on trying to get another mouthful anytime soon.

“I’m your sister!”

“But Aang’s my bro! Isn’t that right Aang?” Sokka didn’t know how true his statement would be.

“It sure is.” He agreed, smiling at Katara whose eyebrows raised. This is the perfect opening, she realised.

“Well, actually...” She started, her features now void of the mock annoyance she donned previously. The comedic atmosphere suddenly dulled to something a lot more serious. Something Sokka was not ready for as his eyes darted between the both of them, searching for an explanation for the change in mood. Aang got back to his initial position, Sokka’s arm dropping, and he cleared his throat. Sokka looked beyond confused, and a little worried. “Speaking of brothers,” Aang made eye contact with her, giving her a look that asked if he could continue. His stomach was a mess of butterflies and nerves. Of course, she complied, and so he turned to face her brother head-on, drawing a deep (and not so steady) breath through his nose. Sokka gave him his full attention, but not without question. His whole body was tense.

“What is going on?”

“...I asked Katara to marry me.” Aang said, and Sokka’s features softened immediately. It was as if an invisible weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He didn’t know what to say, so he watched them instead. The warmth of her hand embraced Aang’s under the table, the couple looking Sokka’s way intently. His lack of reply knocked their confidence a bit. At last:

“...Katara?” he said something. Did his voice crack a little? Katara thought.

“I said yes, obviously.” She laughed nervously, giving Aangs hand a squeeze. She really hoped his voice did crack.

Abruptly, Sokka got to his feet. But he stood for a bit in silence, just looking at them. Now that he was on his feet, he didn’t know what to do or what to say. All control over his voice was completely gone in this moment and his breath was caught in his throat. Aang was worried, turning his head to her for a second, but she was just as confused as him - the look on her face not helping. If he wasn’t happy, Aang didn’t know what to do - much less Katara. Aang felt like he was going to be sick - but then, Sokka let out an exasperated breath that seemed to thaw the smile that was frozen underneath the shock on his face, and Aang released the breath he didn’t realise he was holding. Their hearts were racing as the smile only grew on his lips, and at last, he found his voice and: “My baby bro is getting married!” He blurted out and pulled Aang up by his robes into a hug so tight it almost winded the Avatar. Katara still sat on her chair feeling... indifferent. One: she was excited and relieved that he was happy. But, two: Baby bro? What about baby sis?!

“Hey!” She interrupted, Aang in the unbreakable grip of his fiance’s brother, desperately patting his back to let go.

“They grow up so fast!” Sokka sniffed to himself, rubbing at his eyes while completely ignoring Aang's struggle and instead hugged him tighter. Behind this joking, childish demeanour, Sokka was absolutely over the moon. There was no way on earth would he ever have a serious reaction to news like this.

“-Sokka-” Aang managed to get out. “-I can’t breathe-”

“Sorry!” He released Aang, hands on his shoulders at arm's length and peering into his eyes. “I’m just so happy for you two!” He grinned, squeezing his shoulders so tight it made Aang physically winch.

“Would you mind showing it?” Katara complained from behind her fiance, arms crossed, feeling a little left out, but she couldn't keep the smile from appearing on her lips when Sokka finally looked in his sister’s direction. He was beaming. It felt so good to tell him and to watch him as he grinned at both of them. Her brother was trying his best to hide the way the tears threatened to pool in his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek, unbeknownst to both of them.

“...Come here.” He gestured to Katara, and she gingerly smiled up at him before she was engulfed in an embrace so loving that she remembered they hadn’t hugged in years. “I am so, so happy for you, Katara.” He shut his eyes tight, a smile that he decided wouldn’t be wiped off his face for at least a few days on his face, resting his chin on the top of her head. And she found that her eyes were threatening to spill with tears again as her brother swayed her from side to side, holding her close to his chest. Aang was happy to watch, seeing the siblings so happy, but Sokka called out to him. “Aang, get in here!” He outstretched an arm to him, and Katara copied, sniffing a little as her gaze met Aang’s; he was smiling like an idiot.

Soon they were in a giant embrace, and not one word was spoken between them for a while as they basked in the sheer joy of the moment. Their food was getting cold, but they didn’t care. When feeling love and happiness like this, nothing else in the world mattered.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #sokka #aang #katara #kataang #kataangtag #kataang engagement #prompts #fanfic

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gh0stcav1ty · 6 years ago

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Forsythe - Notting Hill AU for @theheavycrown and @eventyyr

“ Arch, i’m leaving! Meet me at the shop with lunch and i’ll help you finish you resume.” Jughead called, hearing Archie groan as he walked out of their quaint apartment.

Jughead walked down the the steps onto the sidewalk, contemplating on what coffee shop he wanted to pick up his latte from that morning. It was 7:30 AM on the dot, Jughead was heading to his favorite place to be and his second home all in one; “The Snake Nook”. His very own book shop he opened three years ago, never being late for the opening each morning. He decided to take the scenic route to his favorite coffee shop in all of New York, seeing he had the extra time to do so. He moved with morning bustle quickly, until he arrived in a quaint hipster cafe at the end of the block. The place was nearly empty, except for a beautiful blonde with a book in her hands, sitting in the corner with her feet tucked under a pillow. She was absolutely beautiful though, Jughead couldn’t bring himself to interact with her. She looked up, noticing him staring, and gave him a little wave before returning to her book. Jughead returned the wave before grabbing his latte as he exited the cafe.

He knew he had seen this girl before, but couldn’t quite figure it out. That was until he had to walk through times square, only to see her face on a billboard for a new movie coming in the fall. She was smiling, and Jughead couldn’t help but lazily smile to himself as he continued on. He arrived at the bookstore at 7:59 sharp and once the bell rang, he turned the sign on the front door to indicate they were “open”. He didn’t mind being the only one that worked there, it was a quiet work day doing things he loved to do. The day was a fairly steady pace throughout, many people coming to browse the latest series of science fiction novels. Around lunch time, Archie strolled in with a white paper bag filled with his usual lunch from his favorite diner, “Pop Choc’ Lit Shoppe”. Archie lifted it up as Jughead practically leaped at the bag, eager to eat his burgers. They sat down in their usual window nook and began to tweak Archie’s resume.

“ Holy shit,” Archie said, eyes following someone approaching the store. “ That’s Betty fucking Cooper.” Jughead choked on his food as he turned around to see the beautiful woman from the coffee shop walking through the front doors, making the bell chime lightly.

“ Go talk to her dude,” Archie said, nudging him slightly. “ It is quite obvious you have a thing for her.”

“ Are you listening to yourself? She is a world-famous actress. I am just a bookstore owner.” Jughead said, whisper yelling at Archie with a hand obviously blocking her vision of the conversation.

“ Yeah, a bookstore owner. The one she just walked in to.” Archie said, slapping his shoulder. “ Go talk to her.”

Jughead stood, pushing his glasses to their correct balance on his nose. He pushed up his sleeves as he approached her, trying desperately not to shake.

“ Miss, is there anything I can help you with?” He stuttered, smiling at her shakily.

“ Yes, please! I love your bookstore but I don't get to come in here very often because I’m often out of town. I’m not too familiar with the selection, do you possibly have Beloved by Toni Morrison?” She asked, looking at him with a slight smile.

“ We do! It’s a personal favorite of mine so it’s back here in the “Snake Charmer’s Favorites.” He said, as he led her back to the corner section of books in the back.

They stood there for a good 45 minutes, not much of the conversation could be heard, but laughter filled the section with joy. As they walked back to the register, Archie saw as his best friend gained an extreme amount of courage.

“ Are you free tonight? My childhood friend’s birthday party is tonight and I don’t have a date.” He said, looking down sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

A smile grew wide on her face. “ That sounds wonderful, I would love to! How much do I owe you?” She asked, digging for her wallet in her bag.

“ Not a cent,” He said smiling at her brightly. “ Meet me here at 6:30 tonight and we can walk over to the party.”

“ Ok!” She said, smile growing even wider as she pushed the door open to exit.

Jughead closed early that night, the first time he’s done that since opening. They both spend the next few hours thinking about the events yet to come and the attire needed. Jughead settles with a white button-down shirt, brown pants, and black suspenders. Betty had picked out a spaghetti strap dress to match her eyes. They both left early, inevitably meeting each other there 15 minutes earlier than planned.

“ Shall we go?” Betty said, comedically stepping up to him, her arm bent to him. They both laughed as they made their first few steps and as the time passed, I don’t think they stopped laughing.

They arrived at Toni’s house, and Betty was an immediate hit. Everyone adored her, and Jughead knew this wouldn’t be the last he’d see of her. As they all sat down, laughing on the balcony, Betty broke the chatter.

“ So I know that Jughead cannot be his real name, so what is it?” She said, still slightly giggling from Sweet Pea’s previous joke. Jughead looked over at Toni immediately, frantically shaking his head, begging her not to tell her.

“ Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third,” Toni said, in an english accent. Everyone immediately burst into laughter as Jughead rolled his eyes with a slight smile. The party lasted for several more hours before people started to leave. Betty and Jughead walked out to the front of the building before Betty grabbed Jughead’s sleeve, turning him around to face her.

“ Forsythe,” She mimicked, making him roll his eyes as he smiled to look at her. “ I had a wonderful time tonight.”

“ As did I, Elizabeth.” He said, returning the mockery and making her giggle.

They were close together, practically feeling each other’s breath as one. Jughead finally closed the distance, setting off fireworks as their lips touched. They stayed here for few moments before parting, making Betty light up.

“After you Forsythe,” She said, bowing for him to walk as she hid a giggle.

“ Ladies first, Elizabeth.”

Sorry about my inability to have grammar, I’m running on no sleep.

Here you go loves! @theheavycrown @eventyyr

#bughead #bughead au #notting hill au #riverdale #no sleep

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nellie-elizabeth · 7 years ago

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Nathaniel and I Are Just Friends! (3x11)

I... just... this... show... is incredible.

Cons:

None? I mean, the only thing I can think of is that I do wish there were more time for certain elements. We spend a lot of time with Hector and Heather in this episode, but we don't get to see how Rebecca, who lives in the same house as them, is involved in this dynamic. And Valencia has a new relationship, but we don't really see anybody else interact with her significant other. White Josh spends some time away and then adopts a dog, but we don't see him interacting with the other characters. This is yet another example of my ONLY COMPLAINT being that I want more. I enjoy what I have, and I wish I could see even more of it. That's not a bad problem to have.

Pros:

Where to even START?! This episode features an eight month time jump. I wasn't expecting it, but it worked perfectly to accelerate certain characters along their paths.

Paula got a nice meaty subplot, and it made me realize how much I've truly missed her character recently. She hires her law school friend to the office, but he ends up bonding with the other employees, and she discovers that she's been the office bitch all along. This might seem like just your typical sitcom-ish plot thread with silly office shenanigans, but it ends up being so much more than that. The moment when she overhears her coworkers saying such mean things about her is really hard to watch. You really feel for her in that moment. I also loved all of the musical theatre references, especially Rebecca making a Rent reference and then telling Paula not to watch the movie. I hear ya, girl.

It's so nice to see Rebecca and Paula spend some time together. These scenes were so brilliant because they reinforce the fact that Rebecca has actually grown and changed. Paula actually has to ask Rebecca what's going on with her, because Rebecca doesn't just burst in and dominate the conversation and make it all about herself. She's there to talk to Paula about her problems for a change. The show doesn't make an issue out of this, but it was a nice touch. I also liked the reasoning behind Paula's behavior. She's not just being cruel for no reason. She's insecure about her own intelligence, and she's worked so hard to get to a point where she can feel proud in her own career. I feel like that's something a lot of women can identify with.

Heather and Hector are actually a very cute pair, and I'm glad that Hector is getting to develop in his own right. This is another plot thread that, if you were to just describe the basics, you might think it were a basic sitcom plot. Heather is pregnant and grumpy, Hector tries to keep her in line. Okay, that's fun, and there are some great comedic moments that come from that. But this show has a way of always elevating basic ideas and doing so much more with them. We see Heather struggling not only with the hormones of pregnancy, but with the reality of her own adulthood. I mentioned in last week's episode that she made a lot of really big changes really quickly, and here we see that while she's coping okay with the added responsibility, she's still scared. She and Hector decide that they'll figure stuff out together, and it's so refreshing to see.

Before I get to the main plot with Rebecca and Nathaniel, I also want to point out that we check in with some other characters. White Josh gets out of town for a while because everything in West Covina reminds him of Darryl. He comes back with a dog, so I'm glad he at least has that going for him! And... drum roll please... guess who has a girlfriend? Valencia! I could not be more in love with the way they did this. It's just a tiny little footnote in the episode. She meets this woman when helping her to plan an event, and then eight months later they're in a relationship and have gone into business together. I'm... this is amazing. Obviously I hope we learn more at a later date, but I love how casual and not a big deal this was. I'd love to see Rebecca, Heather, and Valencia's other friends get to know her girlfriend and see how that all fits in. Great setup for future content down the road!

And now for Rebecca and Nathaniel. Ohhhh boy. Rebecca is back in therapy with Dr. Akopian, who, by the way, gets a totally kick-ass musical number to open up this episode. It was a really amazing way to start things off. Rebecca is present and dedicated to working on her mental health, but there's just one thing: she and Nathaniel are sleeping together, even though he is in a serious relationship with Mona. Rebecca thinks this is the ideal solution, until she sees Nathaniel with Mona and realizes that it's wrong, and that she's still not in a place where she can be in a relationship. Dr. Akopian encourages her to accept love, and Nathaniel basically tells Rebecca that he wants to be with her, and if she wants that too, he'll leave Mona and they can do this thing for real. Rebecca shows up at Nathaniel's place, sings a beautiful reprise of "Face Your Fears," and tries to muster up the courage to enter into a real relationship. But... she chickens out and leaves.

This is just... I cannot express how much I love everything that's going on here. Rebecca is getting better, but she's really scared that if she's in a real relationship, she'll revert back to old and very, very bad habits. In the most heartbreaking scene, she tells Dr. Akopian that she doesn't want to die, and she's afraid she'll go back to that dark place if things don't go well with Nathaniel. And then on the other side you've got Nathaniel, who is clearly desperately in love with Rebecca and would drop everything and be with her in an instant if she just asked. The scene at the end where he tells her that he respects her decision to end their affair, but that it meant a lot to him, was just so well-acted. Of course, their coded break-up, where they talk about office supplies, was also the perfect blend of comedy and sadness.

The final moments of this episode were oddly intense. This is yet another example where if you say what happens, it wouldn't seem like that big of a thing. A woman goes to a man's door, contemplates entering, then leaves. But I was actually on the edge of my seat. As she approaches Nathaniel's door, I was so nervous. Was Mona going to be inside? Was Nathaniel going to be home? Was Rebecca going to go in? Was she going to decide to be with him, or to tell him once more that it was over? I really didn't know what was going to happen, and I didn't even know what I wanted to happen, you know? I want Rebecca to be happy, and she does deserve love. But I also want her to focus on her own mental health, and if she doesn't feel ready for a relationship, I have to respect that. And I want Nathaniel to be happy, too. I hope these two kids can work it out in the long-term, but I'm not sure if it needs to happen right now.

Before signing off, I just want to take a moment to sincerely praise Rachel Bloom's performance. She gave such an understated, complex read of Rebecca as a character. Her "Face Your Fears" reprise was gorgeous, and the scene where she tells Dr. Akopian about her worries was honestly heartbreaking. Rachel Bloom is a great comedic actor, but I think she deserves just as much praise for her dramatic moments.

I can't believe the season is already almost over!

9.5/10

#review #crazy ex-girlfriend #crazy ex-girlfriend review #crazy ex girlfriend #crazy ex girlfriend review #crazy ex-gf #crazy ex gf

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foulcrownkoala · 4 years ago

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Top Social Media Sites You Need to Care About in 2020

Would it be advisable for you to bet everything on Instagram? Possibly place half of your web-based media financial plan into Facebook and split the rest among YouTube and LinkedIn? Shouldn't something be said about Pinterest? These are the sorts of inquiries tormenting private ventures and advertising groups the same.

To assist you with choosing which best influencer marketing platform india will be ideal for your image this year, here are our picks for the top online media destinations you should think about (and put resources into) during 2020 and direction on where to put down your wagers.

1. Instagram

Long the home of influencers, brands, bloggers, entrepreneurs, companions and everybody in the middle of - Instagram has bested well more than 1 billion month to month clients for quite a while. In case you're contemplating whether an important portion of your crowd invests energy in the stage, the appropriate response is doubtlessly a reverberating yes.

Who's on Instagram (and Why): Instagram has gotten perhaps the most famous online media stages for adolescents and youthful grown-ups, particularly in the US. Utilization of the application gradually drops off with age however remains steady across the two people, so on the off chance that your clients are under 40, at that point Instagram can't be overlooked.

The Content that Works Best on Instagram: Beautiful photography, dazzling visuals, exceptional plans, selfie-style video that talks straightforwardly to your crowd and a strong topic to your substance will help you stand apart on Instagram.

You Should Prioritize Instagram if: Your intended interest group is younger than 40, you run a way of life, web based business, or photography business.

2. YouTube

YouTube hails as the second most well known web index on the planet today, directly behind its parent organization, Google. In the event that your business could profit by delivering video instructional exercises or walkthroughs, outwardly determined instructional substance, item audits or meetings, at that point this web-based media stage is an absolute necessity for arriving at their in excess of 2 billion month to month clients.

Who's on YouTube (and Why): An astounding 73% of US grown-ups report routinely utilizing YouTube, with a hefty focus in the age scope of 15 to 34 years olds. YouTube is comprehensively famous among the two people, and use will in general go up close by pay and level of instruction.

The Content that Works Best on YouTube: Video as it were! Contingent on your kind of business and who your crowd is, both long-structure and short-structure video substance can function admirably on this stage. Most watchers tune in for a blend of training and amusement, so whether you're showing your crowd arising showcasing strategies or web based video interactivity, strive to hold their consideration all through your recordings. You may likewise consider taking advantage of famous YouTube patterns like unpacking recordings (particularly on the off chance that you rep an actual item) and "with me" content that takes watchers alongside you for the ride. Also, if beginning a YouTube channel feels aggressive, banding together with YouTube influencers who are amped up for your central goal could help you try things out before you make a plunge.

You Should Prioritize YouTube if: Your crowd is underneath the age of 50 and devours video content as a methods for one or the other instruction or amusement.

3. Facebook

With almost 2.5 Billion month to month clients, Facebook is gives over the biggest web-based media website on the planet. While that essentially guarantees probably a portion of your crowd routinely utilizes the stage, it's built up a fairly negative standing among more youthful clients that are progressively going to other elective destinations.

Notwithstanding, if your image stands to profit by sharing industry-related news, connecting with (short-structure) recordings, designs and other outwardly engaging substance—particularly in the event that your essential crowd is over the age of 30—at that point consider having a presence on Facebook. You may likewise consider utilizing Facebook gatherings to assemble your clients or network in one spot on the web. Facebook gatherings, not at all like Facebook business pages, aren't for promoting, however they can be useful in making discussion.

Who's on Facebook (and Why): 68% of US grown-ups report utilizing Facebook, with 51% saying they're dynamic on numerous occasions every day. Use is spread pretty uniformly among guys and females, while clients will in general get progressively dynamic as age increments (particularly past the 40+ year old segment).

The Content that Works Best on Facebook: The additionally intriguing, connecting with or in any event, polarizing your substance is, the more probable it is to turn into a web sensation on Facebook. Lean intensely on short recordings, eye-getting pictures and eye catching features to pull in a crowd of people. For Facebook gatherings, intelligent substance and friendly exchanges are the best approach. Think about live streams and surveys.

You Should Prioritize Facebook on the off chance that: You need to contact a crowd of people of grown-ups and have drawing in visual (or video) content that can catch their consideration, conjure a quick passionate reaction and make them eager to impart to their companions. Or on the other hand on the off chance that you need a simple method to make an online network around a point or business.

4. Twitter

While Twitter's month to month dynamic client numbers have drifted reliably around 300 Million for some time now, an incredible 40% of those clients are dynamic on the site on different occasions every day, recommending that if your crowd utilizes the stage, they're probably extremely locked in. The prominence of this web-based media website stays high among well informed clients and is especially dynamic in B2B verticals identified with business, promoting and governmental issues today.

Who's on Twitter (and Why): 63% of Twitter clients are between the ages of 35 and 65, with guys making up almost 66% of those individuals.

The Content that Works Best on Twitter: Twitter has gotten a mainstream medium to impart breaking news, digest scaled down substance, and discuss straightforwardly with your clients progressively. Recordings and pictures will in general stand apart best, yet a very much coordinated composed tweet actually does some incredible things in case you're jumping on moving subjects and are especially clever.

You Should Prioritize Twitter if: Your crowd slants toward the segment of develop guys between the ages of 30 and 60. Investigation with a blend of substance types going from instructive recordings, to grasping visuals and conversation strings that offer exhortation and suppositions.

5. TikTok

This newcomer is under two years of age, yet got more than 1 billion downloads of their video-based application during their first year of activity. Today, TikTok apparently observes more than 800 Million month to month clients (as indicated by a spilled publicizing deck), which immediately puts it among the top online media stages on the planet as far as sheer client figures.

Who's on TikTok (and Why): Around half of TikTok's crowd is younger than 35 in the US, with most of that crowd concentrated among those between the ages of 16 to 24.

The Content that Works Best on TikTok: Entertaining, intriguing, comedic and once in a while outlandish short-structure video content, normally set to the tune of well known tunes. Think fun, appealing music-video style content.

You Should Prioritize TikTok in the event that: You need to reach (and engage) a youthful crowd with fun video-based substance that doesn't regularly have an immediate association with your items or administrations. Being excessively self-limited time on this stage won't construct you a devoted after, so be set up to adopt the strategy of engaging first.

6. Pinterest

Pinterest has become an extremely mainstream social bookmarking apparatus for saving thoughts and finding imaginative motivation with regards to everything from cooking to DIY home tasks, excursion thoughts, inside plan, business and everything in the middle. With a group of people dominatingly comprising of grown-up ladies, this online media stage is additionally frequently refered to as a urgent piece of the item disclosure venture.

Who's on Pinterest (and Why): With more than 320 million month to month clients, Pinterest brags one the most thought crowds of ladies among all web-based media locales. Almost 80% of their clients are female, with a substantial fixation among Millennials.

The Content that Works Best on Pinterest: Vertically-formated pictures do best on this stage, due generally to the perusing experience clients are given. Cleaned symbolism with clear duplicate that passes on what the Pinner will check whether they navigate performs best. Numbers, records, and statements should be a major piece of your system here. What's more, remember to consider catchphrases and search terms in your symbolism.

You Should Prioritize Pinterest if: Your crowd comprises overwhelmingly of grown-up ladies, your business is identified with way of life, style, enriching, or DIY.

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ask-dancer-jimin-blog · 7 years ago

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Wishing on a star

So I decided to write this little fic thingy for @raisingmylegson @ask-kimdaily ’s legfam au. This is a short fic I came up with from the comic about Yoongi contemplating about being a rock. It’s not that good and this is probably really creep but well I hope you still like it a little lol rip

(THIS HAS SOME FLUFFY YOONSEOK!!!)

Yoongi hadn’t pondered very much on it before. He’d never questioned his existence on why he was nothing more than simply a rock. As ridiculous as it sounds, that was exactly what he was, but he was rather content. He was never really lonely or sad; he had legmon and legson to keep him company even when their rather over analytical personality made him want to close his eyes for eternity, but they were family and he loved them. Even jungkook the meme giant, who always rambled about the beauty of Timbs and continuously proved how much of an idiot he was, proved to be a presence Yoongi was fond of.

He had to admit, however, that he was most grateful to Hobi, the literal sun itself. Again, as ridiculous as it sounded, Yoongi was most fond of the being that was the sun; that lit his mornings to a new day, that although sometimes woke him from his nap with his radiance, would leave him feeling giddy to be alive despite the fact that he couldn’t move. It was only natural that Yoongi felt rather upset when the clouds would cover Hobi from his view, a clear sign when Hobi would be upset, and his tears would pour down on the world through the clouds.

But it was more of the undeniable loneliness, that got him sometimes crying himself to sleep, sometimes having him question what he could have possibly done in a previous life to be born this way. One particular night, he’d held back his tears, and decided to confide to Hobi his concerns. Part of him believed the sun couldn’t possibly hear him when it was night and so he confessed of dreams he’d been having lately, believing in his heart that no one would had listened.

“Hey, Hobi, I dont think you’re awake right now, but I wanted to tell you a few things”, he’d began to say cautiously before releasing the memories of his dreams, letting the words hang in the air until he would sigh contently and drift of into sleep. His dreams were special, made his heart ache in longing, a longing he himself had not understood. He didn’t question it, didn’t dare to because he felt happy.

~~xXXx~~

He dreams again. He doesn’t know where he is, but the place take the air from his lungs at its beauty. Wait? Lungs. He has them, he thinks, a hand softly patting at his chest. Hands and legs? He wriggles them experimentally, and he feels overjoyed. He stands by a hillside or so it seems, and he walks slowly towards the highest peak, stumbling slightly because of the foreign feeling, to see the most breathless view of woods.

Endless trees, leaves swaying slightly as the wind caresses through the branches, flowers of all kinds spread out in hues of yellow, reds, and pinks. He’s by far most astounded by the sunset before him, as the sun descends slowly in bursts of orange and red and yellow, but it isn’t Hobi. There seems to be no life to the sun, but it doesn’t make it any less breathtaking, any less pretty to the rest of the view.

“Yoongi”, a soft voice call and he’a startled, flinching before whipping around his body to gaze at a young orange haired male with a gorgeous heart shapped smile and bright honey brown eyes. Yoongi blinks at him confused. “Don’t look at me like that, hyung. I seemed to have scared you, that’s a first” One half hearted glare and a giggle escapes the orange haired male’s lips. “Sorry, haha…It’s just there’s so much more for us to explore and I’m sure you don’t want to miss it”.

Yoongi can’t quite remember or well he doesn’t think he knows who this man is, but he finds himself nodding with excitement as the latter grins even brighter and urges them to head along.

And just like that Yoongi awoke, struck with with awe, wanting to succumb to a dream like that again, yearning to do so. He decided to confide in Hobi yet again and wondered of the sun ever heard anything he would tell him. The whole time he feels giddy as he whispers his dream eagerly and excitedly as though he’d actually lived out the experience

The next time he dreams, he feels the sudden rush of adrenaline in his veins, his heart pumping rapidly, and he realizes he’s running. He notices the mint colored hair he possesses slap his forehead, wet from sweat, but before he can even comment about it, he looks at hand holding tightly onto his wrist. He sees the same male from before. He looked scared out of his mind, but his still laughing and he realizes its because behind them a brown bear is rushing towards them.

They end up tripping over a stray branch from one of the trees as Yoongi falls on top of the orange haired male. They shuffle to see the bear slow down and give them an intense glare. Yoongi blinks at seeing it simply stand there, sniffing the air to get their scent as though to see if they pose a threat. It gives a slight growl like yawn, comedic actually, before it waddles away back from where it was running after them. The two males remained stunned in silence, only the current from the river behind them, making heavy noise.

“D-Did that really just happen?” the younger dares to mutter in pure disbelief. Yoongi thinks it’s adorable how his ugly expression looks like a fish as he snorts trying to hold back his laughter, in vain. Soon the hearty laughs escape his lips and the younger joins, both in relief from being alive and from the exciting experience.

“That really was something. I swear we were going to die”, Yoongi chuckles softly as he watches the other male shuffle towards the river. He rolls up the legs of his pants, the mint haired male watching curiously as the younger sticks his tongue out in concentration before thrusting his hands into the water. He sees the water splash violently before he pulls out a fish in his hands. “what the hell are you doing?”

“Hyung! It’s dinner!” he chirps excitedly before the fish flops out of his grasp slapping him in the face and plopping back into the water and effectively swimming away. The younger pouts rubbing his hand down his face.

“Yeah, I don’t think it was wise to tell our dinner we were gonna eat it”, Yoongi snickers.

“Shut up!!!”

Yet again Yoongi wakes up to excitedly tell Hobi about his adventure until he sees Hobi rising from his own slumber as excitedly as always. Bright sun rays giving off a warm feelings. “Morning Yoongi!” the sun calls out and Yoongi smiles brightly, so unlike himself, that Hobi seems to beam (lol pun not intended) even more. “Wow! You seem really happy this lovely morning”.

“I had a great sleep, is all”, he mutters and if he had shoulders, Hobi would probably be able to see him shrug dismissively.

“I’m glad”, Hobi murmured almost inaudibly.

And the days continue on like this. Each time Yoongi traveling to different places, seeing all linds of creatures and plants. One day dipping his feet in a stream, others caressing the leaves of plants and smelling the exotic flowers, others running through the fields or hiking all in the good company of the male he’s become fond of. It makes him sad that he’s become attached to this male in his dreams. He’s afraid to one day sleep and the dreams no longer present. His dreams are the only doors to the world he can’t himself see and all have been most memorable by the man who has been with him through out it all.

When he falls to sleep this time, in his dreams it’s the first time that he sees the night sky. A fire is front of him warming him nicely despite the chilly breeze passing through. He sighs contentedly when he feels a thin blanket or cape(???) wrapped around his shoulders. “Thanks”, Yoongi mutters gratefully not needing to look up to know who it is. He feels the male sot next to him and has the instinct to get him to huddle closer as he covers them both with the thin material

What’s peculiar this time is that he can see what he’s doing, but he can’t speak or move. His body begins to do its own thing. Its confusing, but he doesn’t want to panic. He wants to see why this dream is being rather strange. So he let’s the clothes surround him, letting the dream guide him instead.

The cloth isn’t much but it helps keep their body heat closed around them, and it easily absorbs the heat from the fire. “Look up, Yoongi hyung! The stars look amazing!” he chirps as he gives Yoongi a fond smile before they both simultaneously look up at the lights in the sky. It is a beautiful sight and this moment just seems perfect. “You know, hyung. They say a shooting star grants you a wish. It’s cliche, but of we see one we should make a wish about our next life” The orange haired male whispers softly. He sighs as he lays his head on Yoongi’s shoulder when he hears Yoongi hum.

“We should do it”, he mutters in agreement as the younger male brightens up when he sees the sudden flash of light pass through.

“Quick hyung! Make your wish”, and Yoongi finds his body forcing him close his eyes tightly at the outburst and it seems he was making a wish. When he opens them again, the younger male beside him, looks at him expectantly. “Well? What do you want to be?”

Yoongi finds himself snorting, but smiles softly. “A rock”, he hears himself say before the younger burst into laughter.

“Aw, come on, hyung! Be serious. You can’t be that lazy”, the male whines, but his eyes are watering from his laughter. Yoongi feels himself freeze…a rock? Why did his dream self say this? Why a rock?!? That’s just ridiculous.

“Hey! Listen brat, there’s a good reason”, he hears himself say catching both the attention of his consciousness and the younger male. “Look, I want to be a rock because then I get to be out here in the wilderness. I won’t be prey to animals and it’ll take the weather a good fight to bring me down, but regardless I’ll be able to always be in these places I love. Wake up and see the the trees, always feel the air, see the flowers, and the animals. Just be completely immersed here in nature and just be able to be free. I think most of all, I love to feel the sun warming me every morning when I wake up and be able to see the stars lull me sleep”, he explained a large smile splayed on his lips.

The younger looked stunned by his answer and even he himself had not realize that the state he was in wasn’t even a bad thing. He had never realized that his dream self thought in such a way, but he felt as though maybe this wasn’t a dream. Maybe he was the object he was because he had wished this before. He heard a sweet laugh interrupt his thoughts as he looked at the younger’s extremely happy and loving face.

“What did you wish to be?” Yoongi asked.

The younger smiled even wider before responding. “The sun”.

And Yoongi woke up with a start, realization heavily reaching his mind, like a wave hitting harshly agains the rocks on the shore. This wasn’t a dream. He knew that voice had been familiar, that smile had been all the more. That had been him in his past life and he had wished to be like this just like he realized that Hobi had wanted to be the sun. They had always been together even since a long time before.

Yoongi feels like crying. Nostalgic, but so happy. He thinks this was probably the last of his dreams as he clears his throat to speak. “Hey Hobi, you asleep?” the questions again floats in the air, with no response before he decides to continue.

“Sometimes I miss my legs”, he confesses before taking back his statement. “No not my legs, but rather walking? Well no not that. Dang this is hard, but It’s actually the places where walking used to take me. I don’t really remember too much or anything about them, but I remember they were breathtaking. I loved them…loved the feeling they gave me. I want to go to those places again someday”, he whispered with a soft sigh.

He remained quiet briefly before he posed a question he’d been dying to ask himself as well. A breeze softly passes through and the lone tiny flowers that’d grown on the grass from his body had begun to sway. “Should I have wish to be a rock when the time came? Heh…It’s too late to think that, huh?” he huffs before the flower detaches and float into the air.

Yoongi watches it solemnly, and sighs. “At least the breeze was nice…good night, Hobi”

~~xXXx~~

“Yoongi!!! Wake up” a loud voice interrupts his sleep and Yoongi almost yells if he hadn’t recognized the annoying voice of Jungkook. He glares heavily at the giant in annoyance before he pauses to take in his surroundings only slightly.

“Where are we?” he ask curiously.

“Hmmm, you’re on my head”, and Yoongi really resists the urge to call him an idiot, “but we’re actually thousands of feet above ground…I think…But well you’re not supposed to be here, but Hobi said today was an exception because apparently you were crying about a walk?”

Yoongi feel the urge to cry reach him. Hobi had listened to him every night. He knew all this time. He looks before him and see the all familar view. The trees, the flowers, and this time the sun with Hobi’s fond smile plaster across the surface. Tears spill down his face, feeling so touched, and so relieved. Hobi beams brightly at him in content from afar. He hadn’t even realized a set of flowers had bloomed beautifully on his head from they joy he felt as laughter spilled from him.

“Pftt. What a dummy”, he muttered, a few more tears slipping, “A nice dummy”.

He had finally found his answer.

#legfam #yoonseok #yoongi #min yoongi #hoseok #jung hoseok #jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts #bangtan sonyeondan #beyond the scene #bts hoseok #bts yoongi #bts jungkook #bangtan boys #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction

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heelmaryse · 7 years ago

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everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, should go watch the kurt angle special right now. it was honestly one of the most emotional, beautiful, funny, sad yet entertaining things i have seen in a long, long time. just his whole journey from being an olympic gold medalist who knew nothing about pro wrestling, to learning the ropes in literally one year and going on to become the legit best wrestler in the whole world. and on the way it highlights just how many times he broke his neck - like every time his career was about to reach a highpoint he broke his neck, which gave him the mentality to wrestle every single match like it was his last, to "keep going until he died." it highlights his addiction to pain killers and alcohol, him contemplating suicide multiple times, his whole spiral downwards which led to his release from the wwe. it showcases kurt's redemption, his recovery. his realisation that "20 years ago, i was a role model... now i'm a recovering addict." it shows how he changed for his wife, for his children and with this one goal in mind to come back and finish his career in the wwe. and there are moments which made me cry like when he visits his family's graves. how his father died in a construction accident, and his sister died of a heroin overdose in 2003, one day before kurt had that iconic ironman match with brock lesnar. he was out there wrestling one of the best matches i have ever seen, and who knows what mental state he was in. this whole special reminded me just why exactly kurt angle is my favourite wrestler of all time. he went from rookie to best in the company in literally record time. he literally put his physical and mental wellbeing, his neck, and even his personal life on the line just to entertain us. he was a legitimate badass, he is so legit that he wasn't afraid to be the butt of every joke. he literally has everything - an amazing wrestler, very comedic and hilarious and an amazing face or heel. he's literally a genius and he needed that hall of fame induction. he cleaned up his act and went to rehab and now he's finally where he belongs and i am so happy for him. everyone needs to go watch that special. and know that kurt angle is legitimately one of the best in the world.

#wwe #Kurt angle #iM SORRY this wasn't meant to be that long but I'm so emotional #I love Kurt so much #all I have to do is binge watch Kurt angle stuff on YouTube #and you'll love him too

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tipsycad147 · 5 years ago

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Shamanic Totems of the Four Directions 2

The east is connected to those whose birthdays fall between March 21 and June 20 and is represented by the Golden Eagle. While it is impossible to say one totem is more significant than any other, the eagle is a profound totem to many tribes. As mentioned in my last article, each totem has a key word or phrase that summarises the totem’s energy. The key words for Eagle are spirit, healing, messenger and creation. The eagle feather is the most sacred of all healing feathers and is perhaps the most powerful in feather magic. Eagle flies the highest of all birds and thus is closest to the Creator. In fact, Eagle is the messenger of Creator Spirit and is the prime connection between heaven and earth. The great height to which the eagle ascends allows him to “see the whole picture.” Eagle’s perspective is the antithesis of Mouse who views the world through close inspection as through a magnifying glass. The golden eagle is associated with the power of the sun and received its colour as he soared through a hole in the sky to the home of the sun. Eagle is a totem of great responsibility and represents an obligation and opportunity to integrate your mind, body and spirit-self through spiritual practice. Simply by having a consciousness of this great power, you may begin to incorporate it into your existence. While there are many ways to accomplish this, one excellent means is to “become” your totem while meditating. Even if you don’t meditate, you can still achieve this connection through contemplation or reflection. Find a quiet place where you can quiet your mind. When your mind becomes still, begin to see through your totem’s eyes. As an eagle you will soar above the earth below. During your flight do not try to do or see anything specific. Rather, ALLOW yourself to see whatever is presented to you. As the messenger of the Creator, you may be very surprised what Eagle brings to you.

The south is the direction of those born June 21 to September 22 and is connected to Coyote.Many tribes have stories involving Coyote. Coyote is seen as the trickster. Sometimes Coyote is even represented as “the clown.” In some of the stories, Coyote’s trickery backfires and he ends up tricking himself. Yet, the stories can be misleading as Western eyes may interpret Coyote to be just a comedic buffoon bent on self-destruction. While it is true Coyote’s energy is one of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves, it is also the energy of being a catalyst for great change or evolution. The Navajo emergence story (how the Navajo people came to the earth’s surface) is one in which Coyote, through indirect action, served as the catalyst for the Dine’ (The “Navajo” People) moving from their original underworld home to their present place on the earth’s surface out of extreme necessity. Coyote has the joint energy of wisdom and folly. His energy is one of great magic which does not always work the way we intend for it to be but does work in a way that is meant to be. If you take any stock in the phrase, “everything happens for a reason, when it is supposed to and how it is supposed to” you may be expressing the energy of Coyote. Coyote teaches us not to take ourselves to seriously and that we can sometimes make things too complicated. He also teaches us that even if it seems our actions created a bad situation, the final end result may be positive if we envision and allow it to be so.

For those born September 23 to December 21 the totem is Grizzly Bear and considered the energy of the west. The key words for Bear are introspection, intuition and connecting with the inner self. As Bear enters the womb-cave of Mother Earth, she enters the Dream Lodge and walks in the Dreamtime. Medicine people have long called on Bear’s energy to access the subconscious/unconscious. When hibernating Bear emerges from her cave in the spring, it is as though she is born anew. Bear is a wonderful totem to reflect on during meditation. Bear energy is all powerful yet introspective. Bear teaches us to go within to find answers to questions of the 3-D, observable, temporal world as well as those of the ethereal plane. It is by quieting the mind and going within that we will truly KNOW.

To the north we find White Buffalo the directional totem for those born December 22 to March 20. As with Eagle, White Buffalo is among the most sacred of the totems. The key words for Buffalo are abundance and prayer. The buffalo were a primary source of life for many tribes; clothing, food, shelter, weapons, tools and ceremonial implements all came from the grace of Buffalo. It is White Buffalo Calf Woman (Ptesin Ska Win) who saved the Lakota in times of famine with the gift of the sacred pipe (chanunpa). As the story goes, food had become scarce in the Lakota nation so two braves were sent to find game. They had become desperate as their search seemed in vain. Then a beautiful woman appeared on a hill. As they approached her, she said she had the key to their salvation but one of the braves only lusted for her and he was turned to stone. She reiterated her purpose to the other and together they returned to the village. She brought to people the sacred pipe and instructed them on how to manifest a new reality through right action and right prayer. Through the pipe (and the sacred pipe ceremony), she showed how all things are connected (mitakuye oyasin). These teachings explained how, when the right action is accompanied with right prayer (or thought/meditation/reflection), all things needed would become abundant. Once the people had been instructed how to integrate thought (prayer), action and the 3-D temporal world reality, she transformed into White Buffalo. As she disappeared over the same hill she was first seen on, abundant herds of buffalo began to appear on all horizons.

https://earthdna.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/shamanic-totems-of-the-four-directions/

Image by http://ravenari.deviantart.com/

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