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melyaliz · 3 years ago

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Remember Me 10

Master List

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Pairing: Bakugo Katsuki x OC

Notes: Trying to catch up on a few chapters.

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---------Bakugou---------

Everything was lovely. Perfect and beautiful. The food was delicious, the drinks were sweet, Olive looked amazing

And Bakugou was about to murder that lady who wouldn’t stop taking pictures of them from across the room. Seriously? This was supposed to be a nice place and these people were acting like riff raff. He couldn’t even pay attention to the questions Olive was asking him. His date clearly saw the woman as well since her gaze kept darting over to the rude fan. However, unlike him she wasn't really acknowledging it.

Oh great, now she was coming over here.

“Excuse me, are you Ground Zero? My son loves you, Japanese heroes. I was wondering….”

Olive’s brown eyes grew wide, blinking in shock at the woman standing before them. “We’re actually in the middle...”

“Oh he doesn’t mind honey. After all these heroes love attention.”

“Maybe after we eat?” Olive’s eyes darted from the woman to Bakugou’s hands which were gripping the table so tightly it was a shock it didn’t break. It was VERY clear that he was NOT loving this attention. Quickly the young woman tried to think of another way to de-escalate this situation. While she hadn’t known Bakugou for long it was clear from both the resorts and their conversions he was not the picture of easy going. Which was the kind of attitude you needed for women like the one standing by their table.

“No no, actually could you just take the photo?” she asked holding out her phone to Olive who looked down at it. The situation being so comical she was having a hard time not laughing. God if only she could be filming this situation to save forever. This woman was a piece of work. Looking back up at the prestant fan Olive was about to respond when Bakugou, who had been festering in his seat trying to keep his cool for the whole interaction, lost it.

“Can’t you see we are on a DATE!?!” The blonde snapped sparks flashing from his fits singing the white tablecloth as the women, shocked, instantly took a step back.

“Oh excuse me… I didn’t.”

“Just go!” he snapped, already feeling that mix of annoyance and instant embarrassment that he had just lost his temper in front of his date. His face so red it almost looked like it was on fire. His hair standing on edge looking like the small sparks that were flickering from his palms.

But the damage was done. Glancing over at Olive he noticed she wasn’t even looking at him but her phone. After a moment she glanced up at Bakugou then the woman who was retreating to the safety of her own table. Slowly turning back to Bakugou Olive took a sip of her wine, her face totally unreadable.

“ My friend and his wife are going to this bar where this metal band Revocation is playing. Did you want to ditch this and go ?”

“Uhhh” Still coming down from the scene that had just transpired it took a moment for his brain to register what she was saying.

“ It’s this band ” she held up her phone for him to see, “ I know you like Metal so… ”

“ Yeah let’s go ” he stood ready to leave right now. Over this whole fancy restaurant and it’s perfectness. Honestly, this wasn’t really his thing he had only taken her here because he knew chicks liked it.

Or apparently the chicks he had taken out before Olive.

“We still have to pay. ” she mumbled reaching for her bag.

“ Don’t you dare, ” he growled, still heated. Freezing Olive glanced up at him before sitting straight in her chair a small smile slowly starting to grow on her face. Sipping the last of her wine she tried to hide her amusement.

Bakugou decided not to ask her what she found so funny instead pulling out his wallet taking a few deep breaths. Calming himself down. Breath Bakugou breath. As if on cue the waiter came rushing up. He had no doubt witnessed the whole scene and was ready to get this explosive hero out of his restaurant.

“ I’ll order an uber. ” Olive said, “I’m excited” she added in english smiling and Bakugou suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

The club was a small hole in the wall with a stage. Dirty with low grade alcohol and beer. Olive ordered for them saying Bakugou had to at least try a local brew since he was in San Diego.

It was ok, a little bitter for his taste.

The opening band was ok. He might had enjoyed it more if Olive didn’t seem so distracted. She kept stepping forward slightly, casting a half a glance behind herself as if trying to discreetly see something behind her. Her distraction distracting him. What was wrong with her?

Then suddenly her body became translucent and some guy who had been standing behind her fell through her. Slowly, as if she was underwater, she stepped over him glaring down at the offending man.

“Wow, not cool!’ the guy says getting up touching his face checking if there is bleeding.

“Yeah, it’s really not cool that you kept touching my ass!” she snapped up at him. Eyes flashing with frustration. “If you're close enough to fall, you're too close.”

“I can’t help it, that skirt….” his predatory gaze at said skirt was cut off by Bakugou stepping in front of Olive. English my not be his native language but he had heard enough to understand what was going on. And he was not ok with it.

“Get away from her.”

“You with her?” The guy asked sizing Bakugou up. It was apparent, even dressed in the nice slacks and button up that Bakugou had put on for this evening, that he could take this guy. Yet this guy didn’t seem to really understand that as he puffed out his chest trying to make himself look better.

“I will kill you” small sparks flickering in his hand ready to take this guy out. Who did this creep think he was?

Bakugou was about to show this douchebag JUST who he had been messing with he felt a hand folder over his own stopping him.

“Just walk away and stop touching women without asking.” Olive said calmly, her hazel eyes hard as her grip on Bakugou’s hand tightened slightly. The guy, who had seen the sparks, knew he was no match for the blonde and decided to leave while his limbs were still attached.

“Olive!”

At the sound of her name Olive turned and waved to a couple coming up toward them. Her hand still intertwined with Bakugou’s. As the couple came closer she dropped his hand and Bakugou couldn't help but miss her touch a little. But only a little.

The guy who had called out her name pointed his thumb behind his shoulder at the creep who was now nursing his pride at the bar with a bottle of IPA. “What happened with that guy?”

“ Bakugou, this is Peter and Emma . ” Olive said, pointing to the couple. The guy had shaggy auburn hair with pale skin and a face of freckles that made him look almost like an overgrown child. The woman next to him had short curly black hair and dark skin. They were such a contrasting couple they almost stood out in the crowd of people. “That guy tried to grab my ass and…” she started retelling the incident so quickly that Bakugou couldn’t keep up. She even kept using her hands to act things out while adding in sound effects making the couple laugh.

She must have reached the end because Peter leaned over toward Bakugou holding up his hand for a high five.

“Dude nice!”

Bakugou wasn’t really the high five kind of guy but he had also had enough PR classes to know when to just do it. What was the term american’s used for these kinds of guys? Oh yeah, surf bros. Peter was a surf bro. Although his energy level did kind of remind Bakugou of Kirishima.

The rest of the interaction throughout the concert was awkward slow english with Olive mumbling a few words here and there. The couple was friendly enough but for the most part they were there to listen to the music and Bakugou was grateful they didn’t force too much conversation. Although, every once in awhile Peter would glance over at Bakugou sizing him up as if trying to gauge who this person Olive had brought was. It took a lot of self control not to call him out on it but after the restaurant Bakugou knew he needed to keep his temper in check if he wanted to save tonight. And deep down he wanted to make a good impression on this girl who would rather spend the night listening to Metal music while drinking cheap beer than at a fancy restaurant.

As the night wore on and the drinking continued Olive’s Japanese became better and worse all at the same time. Her confidence was rising so she was speaking quicker but because of that she kept mixing up tenses and direction. One moment Bakugou could understand everything she was saying with total clarity the next it was as if she was speaking totally giberious.

It was kind of cute though because she was so confidently failing.

As the last few songs started to play Peter and Emma had disappeared to the bar and had never come back. Not that Bakugou really cared, he was too busy explaining drumming techniques to Olive.

It had all started with her leaning forward to ask a question about the drummer, her body barely touching his as her hand gently touched his arm to pull him down to her level so she could into his ear. As the music wore on, she had slowly wormed herself under his arm, his hand gently on the curve of her back as they continued to talk music. Well Bakuogu explained, she mostly asked questions with wide eyes of wonder at his knowledge which just fed into his ego.

He was surprised how even drunk she kept up with his questions and prodded deeper. She wasn’t asking to flatter him or fuel his ego, she genuinely wanted to hear what he had to say.

Soon the conversation shifted from music to his powers and moves he was working on. A small smile was on her face as she watched him explain a trick he had been trying out. It was a little more subtle than his normal moves but he was realizing he needed some smaller, more controlled ways to use his powers in more crowded arias.

“What?” Bakugou paused frowning down at Olive who was just smiling up at him hanigng onto his every word. Biting her lip she shrugged.

“I just like you and your interests”

“My Interestings?” he chuckled gently brushing away a few strands of her hair that had fallen into her face.

Olive scrunched up her nose trying to find the right words, stumbling for a few moments she just sighed, shrugging, “I just really like you.”

“Oh do you” Bakugou said leaning forward grinning down at her, all teeth as his crimson eyes studied her expecting her to get flustered at his forwardness.

To his delight he noticed a small flush spread across her pail skin as Olive nodded her eyes never leaving his. Without thinking she licked her lips and Bakugou’s gaze followed her tongue. Moving a few inches closer he was only a hair's breadth away from her.

For a moment they both stood there just wrapping up in the moment, daring the other to make that move. To push toward that next step in this murtal attraction. Admitting that maybe there was something there, something worth exploring.

If asked, Bakugou will always say it was him who took that step forward. Who kissed first. And maybe he was, but if he really was forced to admit it he wasn’t really sure. All he knew was that one moment he was thinking about kissing her and the next he was.

She tasted just how he imagined she would. Sweet and playful, a bit like the beer she had been drinking and surgery sweet from the lipgloss she was wearing. Her body seemed to melt so willing into his, her hands gently pressed into his body, one on his arm and the other on his chest.

Not one for PDA, Bakugou moved her into a dark corner of the bar. She giggled as he pulled her to him again, his hands moving down her body to her hips, pulling them flush to him. She let out a little grunt pushing herself onto him. Her hands moving to his neck pressing herself into him as she grinded into him

“My place?” he asked huskily in english pulling himself slightly away from her, just enough to catch his breath. To put himself back together. Hif brain buzzing with more than just the alcohol.

It was like a switch in her brain went off and she pushed away.

“I can’t I’m married ”

It was Bakugou’s turn to jolt back. It was as if with those four words he had become completely sober and painfully aware that he had just been making out in some dirty dive bar. “ What ?” There was no way his brain tried to reason. Her friends would have said something. He would have seen a ring.

“He’s dead… I… you should know though because I like you” the words were slurred and making no sense to him as he stood there looking down at her completely lost. Those lips he had just been kissing pulled into a grimace as her breath became shallow.

Fuck fuck fuck.

What the FUCK?

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“Can I kiss you”

Bakugou’s voice thick and warm like his body wrapped around her. His eyes trailed up from her lips to meet her own with the most intense gaze Olive had ever felt. It was as if those crimson eyes were looking into her very soul. Cracking her open bare before him seeing things she didn’t even know about herself. Nodding mutley her tongue felt like it had been velcroed to the top of her mouth.

He learned forward gently touching her lips. Hesitant at first, testing the waters but knowing them oh so well. Olive couldn’t remember kissing anyone but Eliott so the experience of Katsuki being so good seemed very foreign to her. He tasted sweet with just a hint of smok. The taste of alcohol barely evident on his breath as he slowly moved his lips pulling her in deeper.

It was so warm. His tongue flicked expertly over her lips asking for entrance, his hand travelling up from her arm to her cheek gently pulling her closer to him. His touch was too tender and intimate. As if she was made of porcelain. About to crack and break. Shatter across the floor.

Olive didn’t want to be weak. She wanted to be confident and strong. To be happy. To be the woman she had been with this man who was way out of her league. To be…

To be…

Her heart was beating so fast she couldn’t breath. It was pounding in her chest as if it could crack her very bones shattering through her chest. She needed air. She needed to catch her breath.

She needed Eliott.

Pulling away she could see the concern spread across Bakugo’s face as he looked down at her. He had looked so happy. So focused and now… he was unreadable.

“I’m sorry I…” she stammered trying to pull herself together. Those little porcelain pieces putting them together on this china doll. That’s all she was, a fragile little doll.

“Don’t apologize. I hate it” he cut her off shaking his head, his eyes unable to meet hers.

“Oh…” she paused unsure how that felt, “ I’m not sure how I feel about not apologizing.”

“Well apologize if you are sorry but none of that insecure shit.” he said his gaze snapping toward hers burning bright hot flames in his eyes. He wasn angry. It was taking every ounce of self control to not lose it on her.

And she couldn't blame him. The woman he loved was dead and what he had instead was this… this broken thing.

It made her angry too.

It felt like they were caught in this loop. Both of them were looking for something they were missing. He was looking for something in his past and she was looking for something in her future.

“ I just.. ,” she let out a long breath, “I hate this so much,” giving up and switching to english so she could be as honest as possible. The weight of the statement hung over them, pushing down like some dark storm cloud. Her saying what both of them had been feeling for weeks. Finally out loud. Barely understandable over the music on the dance floor it was still there.It hung there between them both like the chaem that had grown since the accident.

This wasn’t really club conversation. Not that much of what had been spoken that night had been very good “night out” topics.

“Let’s go,” Grabbing her wrist Bakugou turned, pulling her off the dance floor.

“But the others… do we need to say goodbye?” she asked glancing over her shoulder trying to find his… their friends.

“No, I’ll text them later,” he wouldn’t but he knew she would worry and - of all the things on her mind - it wasn’t worth it.

The cool air against their skin seemed to wake them both up. It hit them like an ice cold drink on a hot day as they excited the bar. Refreshing and just everything they needed. Olive let out a long breath, her hands going up to her dark hair wishing she would just massage the answers into her skull.

What were they supposed to do?

“ I hate this too ” his back was to her but she could hear him as clear as if he had whispered it in her ear. He turned to look at her, studying her. “It’s like you are there but you're not. ” he said switching to her native tongue. Just another reminder of how distant they were from each other. Just another struggle in this relationship.

“I feel like I’m living in the body of a stranger. As if I don’t fit in my own skin” hot tears were fighting in her eyes, frustration filling her body like bowling water. Bubbling so close to the rim it would spill over at any moment. “I want to love you, I want to be that girl… I just don’t know her… she’s years away from what I am right now.”

Her words were simple but strong determined to talk this out. Her eyes bright as she searched his answers. How could she make him happy when she didn’t know anything about the Olive he had fallen in love with?

He lunged forward grabbing her arm pulling her to him. Wrapping her in a warm hug. His body enveloping her in his own just holding her as she let out a choked sob crying angst his black tee. His hand gently stroking her hair as he kissed the top of her head fighting back his own tears. He had always hated seeing her cry, and she had probably been crying more these past weeks than he had ever seen her cry in the 4 years before.

But she wasn’t hiding them from him anymore. She was crying freely in front of him. Letting him in to what she was struggling with.

He could feel her hands gripping his denim jacket pulling him closer to her as she shook her head, her tears seeping through the thin cotton of his shirt. Not that he cared. She could ruin that dumb shirt for all he cared.

Just stop crying.

“ I’m sorry ” she mumbled through her sobs. “I’m sorry”

Pulling away he took her face, his in hands wiping away the tears on her cheeks with his thumbs. Bending down slightly so he was eye level with her he shook his head.

“Stop apologizing, this is not your fault and once I find the guy who did this to you I will… I’m going to fix this Olive.”

She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her arm, “W...What?”

“The guy who did this. The moment we find him I'm going to pound his ass into the cement until he undoes this. And then I’m going to kill him for doing this to you. For making you feel so sad.”

She studied his face blinking wide tearfilled eyes unsure if she understood him. But he wasn’t going to clarify for her. She might not fully understand it right now. She didn’t know him well enough to know what he would do for her.

And the answer to that was anything .

“Let’s go home” he said standing up straight holding out his hand for her to take. Gently she slipped her hand into his nodding sniffing again. A soft sad smile on her lips as she blinked away a few stray tears from her lashes. It took all his self control not to kiss her again.

They walked in silence for a while. Lost in their own thoughts. Hands gripping each other as if they so much as loosened theri grip they would lose the other. That they would drift away until the chasm between them was too great.

“ God I’m a mess” Olive let out a wet laugh looking down at her now makeup smudged sleeve and arm.

“Yeah you are, ” Bakugo chuckled looking down at her before trying to rub away some of the mascara and eyeshadow that was running down her face only to smudge it more. “You almost looked this bad on our first date.”

“Did I start crying then too?” The horror written over her face was adorable. Sadness forgotten replaced with total embarrassment. Memories of that night came flooding back to Bakugou. That look of amusement she had at the restaurant. The excitement she had while making him try different beers explaining them over loud music. The way her body rocked out to the music in that bar. And the way that same body melted in to his while kissing him in that dark corner.

“No just sweated, we went to a metal concert with Peter and Emma.”

“Fuck no we didn’t!” Olive’s eyes grew wide at the choices of her past self, “ I must have really liked you… Peter is… was Eliott’s best friend.”

“I didn’t realize that at the time” H e had learned that fun fact a year later when Peter had - in Bakugou’s option- hilariously threatened the hero that if he ever hurt Olive he would cut off Bakuoug’s balls.

As if Bakugou could even imagine hurting Olive.

The memories of that first night and the millions after made him smile, they were such different people back then, yet so much the same. “You also got drunk and told me you were married after we kissed.”

“I didn’t,’” she groaned hiding her face behind her hands “ What is wrong with me? ”

“ You meant to say you had been married but ” he couldn’t help but laugh at the memory. While not funny at the time it was nothing but comical now.“ I had no idea what you were saying. ”

That got a laugh out of her giving him a sense of triumph. “Did I ever tell you that when Eliott asked me out I told him that I was just a very awkward person and if I was too weird he needed to tell me and then I shook his hand and said ‘let’s do this?”

“You didn’t, but I think mine wins.” he said, nothing can top that night in Bakugou’s book.

“Oh for sure” she paused biting her lip, a sure sign she was still worrying. However, her eyes were much brighter now. “You’re better looking than him.”

“I know.”

“Well it’s good to know you know your are hot.” her tone was playful, for a moment it almost felt like the old Olive was back. Teasing him about being so full of himself but also feeding his ego a moment later. “Although it doesn't explain us to be honest.”

“Huh?” he asked, turning to her, confused.

“ Like, you’re the number 1 hero, hella hot and… I’m like maybe a 5 in everything.”

“I wasn’t number 1 when we met, I was number 2. I only became number 1 a little over a year ago.”

“Wait really?”

“Yeah” he sighed looking up at the sky. He couldn't see the stars because of all the lights from the city but the moon looked down at them. Full and bright. “You… I never thought I needed anyone to support me. That I could do everything by myself but you somehow just snuck in and proved me wrong.”

“Now that doesn’t sound like me.” she said softly having a hard time imaging she was cool enough to help a hero make it to number 1. She could barely get herself to an average ranking on the Amazon seller’s list.

“You just kept telling me I could do it. Kept pushing me to do things I didn’t want to do, to get there.” they paused at their apartment building looking up at it as they stood outside scared to go in. as if leaving the city would break this spell they had created. “Deku always said he was who he was because of the people who supported him and I always thought it was stupid. But… you didn’t just support me you pushed me. You helped me.” he looked down at her meeting her gaze. She had been looking up at him smiling softly watching him speak as if he had just told her she was made of star dust or some other romantic bullshit.

“Can I kiss you?” she asked, catching him off guard. “I’m not… ready for much more but… just one kiss before the end of the night…. Just…”

He cut her off capturing her lips. Kissing her so desperately it made Olive’s head spin. Just drinking her in as if his actions could say what his words just couldn’t.

He wanted so much more than a kiss. He wanted all of her like he used to have. But he would get what he could take. Because no matter what was going on, no matter what kind of Olive he had right now.

She was worth it.

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Story Tag: @0hmydeku @inumorph @it-jinxed-us @myraticm

#bakugou katsuki x oc #bakugou x you #bakugou katsuki smut #bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou smut #bakugou katsuki #bakugou fanfiction

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kholoudnine · 6 years ago

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THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

Hey guys!

So I have just come out of last weekend's book fest, am writing this at like 4am waiting for my sleep aids to finally kick in because I really should be going to bed now, and I thought It'd be a good time to start a blog post.

This past week has been crazy and just picking up more and more as it goes on. I've been ordering books, selling to stores(more to come on that little detail soon), signing up for signings in other states, booking meetings, and getting together more places to perform my art live. It's a work out for sure but the more I do the clouser I feel like I am to where I wanna be in life, so it's all worth a little lack of sleep. Although I have been making a commitment to sticking to a decent regemin for taking care of myself. If you read my poetry, you know I struggle with this daily, but if I wanna be at my best on stage and at signings and in my work, than it's an important step. It's also something I wanna encourage. For people not to just accept the narrative of being unhealthy and tired, if you're unhealthy and tired, strive to change that. I have so many ideas for blog posts and videos about how I've been going about doing that which I hope you'll enjoy and take something from. This post though, I wanted to talk about something that I've been asked for a lot lately, advice.

Now I knew when I started this that there would be people who looked up to me and people who want to know I did it and want to know what they can do for their dream and just wanna know more about my journey, the thing about that was just I thought all that as a little kid and I thought it'd be something that came from record deals and being rich and screaming stadiums, never did I think my self-published books and my open mic performances would draw so many people asking me for guidance through their own journey or draw so much curiosity for how I got where I am today (which for a time I thought wasn't very far). I've even been mistaken as a professional in the craft, someone with years of signings and publishing under their belt. This got me thinking, what exactly makes a professional, and what do I have to offer?

So for the people who ask me about my experience, I've pretty much been at this my whole life. It's been a constant uphill battle for me with anxiety and doubt and obstacles of all sort pushing back, but since I was a little child dressed as Hannah Montana and using letter stencils to write songs I was sure this is when I wanted. Something I need. That meant going to every free class I could find. The library funded a lot of my passion and education, with improv and acting classes, guitar lessons, computer courses, open mics, and workshops. I lived in libraries. I would read books about design and flip through adventures, I'd sit in the stacks learning about podcasts, I took photography and leadership in freshman and sophomore year of high school (for the gods' awful times I was in online school *shudders*). I still go to those classes now, the maker's space is going to help me tremendously in the next coming year. I'm so excited about it all still. For a long time with all those classes, I was still the quiet one. Even with all these teachers believing in me, I couldn't beileve in my own voice. I didn't think I could speak, and around my peers I was still weird, so I was quiet. Until JYPS workshop, that is when I was put on a stage for the first time in my teenage career. Working with the group definitely drove me to who I am now, instead of just being taught poetry, I was taught business, I was taught to stand on corners and give out flyers, to promote myself, to be confident and build connections, and I still go now. I'll be there this weekend, learning just like everyone else will be. This is where I found my voice. So as you can see, I've got experience, but I'm still trying to learn more. I don't really think I'll ever not be a student.

Knowing that, I will now give my best advice. I'm going to break it down into FAQ's because I do get a lot of questions, and most are more or less the same things.

1. How Do yoU Find Events?

I find all of my events through my mum and word of mouth. My mother started releasing books about a year before I did and she finds a lot of the events this year since most are ones she researched years prior. Other events I find through the library system and old fashioned word of mouth, it is not uncommon for people to come to my performances or see me at a signing and invite me to another somewhere else. Networking is key. Always remember to talk to people at these things as you'll never know who you'll meet. Do not be afraid to ASK "Hey can I preform here? Hey what signings are there in town? Hey Siri search local book signings?" You'll find something surely.

2. How Do You Find Inspiration?

Everywhere. My life, other books and art, music, dancing, etc. I've been dancing and gotten entire scenes in my head randomly or laying back and listening to music then I'll start replaying the song as a whole outline shows itself to me. It's really a magickal thing, being an artist. It does take practice for some to get to that level of spacey but you can always start by writing about what you know. Many scenes or emotions or characters in my books can be connected to my life in some way or another, maybe an altered moment, maybe a name I heard, maybe a character that reminds me heavily of a friend. Start with writing what you know, I will occasionally write out my thoughts like a novel when I'm trying to sort things out or I'm in a funk, find your thing.

3. How Do You Get Over Stage Fright?

You just do it. Get on stage, it's really the only way I've found to deal with it. A lot of people don't know this but I do have grand stage fright, to the point of running off the stage when I was younger actually. It still bothers me and I'm in constant management with it. If you don't get on stage you'll surely never get over it. Start small. For me going up and performing in front of people who don't know me, acting as a character who was not me, would help tremendously. Occassionally I'll still channel some more confident and emotionally showing version of myself for my performances, it's whatever works as a small step for you. Some people feel more comfortable anon like me, but others may want to start by preforming in front of people they trust and slowly work their way to strangers. Don't push yourself too far to fast, and don't worry about if you start by running off the stage, you get over it.

4. How Do You Self-Publish?

There are several ways to self-publish your books, the way I chose to go through primarily was Amazon. I put my books on their website (not signing their exclusivity contract) and then I can sell it other places. So I've also been trying to add my books to Lulu, I have previews up on Tablo and Wattpad, and I'm selling them to a local bookstore. Amazon prints my books so I do pay them to order the copies but I do not pay the same price as a normal costumer, since they are mine I only pay the cost of shipping and printing. You can find loads of other self-publishing routes with some diligent research, look around and find what's right for you, don't be afraid to ask other authors who self-publish questions at book signings, many are willing to help others.

5. What are the benefits of self publishing?

Since I self-publish my book I get to tell the story my way, without some of the hurtles trade might give me. For instance, my books are quite dark and do contain not only strong language but descriptive violence. When JK Rowling was publishing Harry Potter, Ron actually swore quite a lot, but because the publisher felt the book series would appeal so well to children, they had her change that about the character so as not to poke any parents. Prisoner Nineteen could bring a very wide audience (though I in no way compare my work to Harry Potter) but seeing as the characters are mostly quite young (the main being only fourteen) I could see it drawing in a younger crowd than would be expected for a series like it, because I published it myself, I don't have to worry about that. I market it as YA, and really leave it up to the reader (and their parents) what they feel comfortable reading. This for me is the biggest plus of self-publishing, you get no deadlines and complete creative freedom.

6. How Do You Write A Book?

I can't exactly tell you that. Everyone has a different way of writing their book, I've seen a million different writing styles and writing processes, it's really up to you how you write your book. As for finshing it, what helped me was having a clear goal and deadline in mind.

7. How Do You Balance Everything?

Chaotically. I'm definitely not going to lie and say this is all super easy. Meetings, school, art projects, volunteering, blogs, writing, signings, performances, and whatever else I have to do that week balanced on having a social life and not going crazy? It's not exactly easy. And occasionally you will probably freak out and/or cry from stress and anxiety, that does happen to me sometimes, but if it's what you want to be doing and I mean really want to be doing? Oddly enough, it doesn't feel like work a lot of the times. It feels great to be able to be doing something you actually love and want to be doing. If going a little bit crazy is a part of the process, eh, just makes for better writing and more theatrics. Did the sane man really ever make great art or great changes?

8. How Do You Get Your Stuff?

So usually this is directed towards my merch. Everything you see on my tables is customised and designed by yours truly (save for things like my lights or shell). I get an idea, I plan it out, and I then search all over the internet to find my supplies. (Honey really helps with this. Save money, create smarter.) Look on Pinterest or Tumblr or at other cons to try and think of something that fits your book.

9. How Do You Find The Courage?

Caffeine. Straight to the vein. I just get an iv drip before every apperence.

No but, really it's a lot of channeling your nerves into your work. Of deciding if this is really really really something you wanna be doing. If the answer to that is yes? You'll find your courage and strength. A support system doesn't hurt. If that can't be friends or parents, then you can find it in groups. Look around your local art scene. I'm sure somewhere there's a workshop or two, check on NaNaWrimo they do video chats, join a group on social media, find a pen pal, but nothing can really replace knowing people are rooting for you and knowing that you're working towards your dream goals.

10. How old are you?

I am eighteen years old and my birthday is June 24th, so. You're certainly not too young to do something and make decisions with your life. There is no "starting age" that's when you decide it is.

And to close, the thing that makes you a professional. I really didn't know, but a friend of mine posted online a few days ago "You are a rapper if you are rapping." This I think is true in all things. Especially in art, there is no point when you should ever stop learning, but you are what you are. If you sing, and you're serious about it, you are a singer. If you dance, and you're serious about it, you are a dancer. If you act, and you're serious about it, you are a dancer. If you write, and you're serious about it, you are a writer.

#blog #writer #writeblr #writing #advice #the prisoner nineteen series #prisoner nineteen #faq #kholoudnine

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goodnewsjamaica · 6 years ago

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A conversation with John Barnes, Part Two: His Anfield culture shock and learning the ‘Liverpool Way’

New Post has been published on https://goodnewsjamaica.com/world-view/a-conversation-with-john-barnes-part-two-his-anfield-culture-shock-and-learning-the-liverpool-way/

A conversation with John Barnes, Part Two: His Anfield culture shock and learning the ‘Liverpool Way’

In 1987, Liverpool Football Club were beginning yet another rebuild. They had won a league and FA Cup double in 1986, but the 1986/87 season ended in disappointment.

Liverpool finished runners up to Everton in the league and were beaten by Arsenalin the League Cup final. It was a rare trophy-less season compounded by the impending loss of Ian Rush.

Rush and Kenny Dalglish had formed one of the deadliest partnership in football throughout the ’80s. However, in 1987 Kenny had completed his transition to the manager’s position, hanging up his boots in the process.

Rush had departed for Juventus. The King would have to refashion his empire.

In a rare move for Liverpool, who had built their success on adding one or two players every couple of years to a team of all-stars, Dalglish signed four new attacking players in one season.

Those men were John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Peter Beardsley and, of course, John Barnes.

They would click instantly and become the rocket fuel that propelled perhaps the most flamboyant and mesmeric Liverpool team of all time.

Leaving Watford

So far in our conversation we’ve covered Barnes’ formative years and his rise to prominence at Vicarage Road. Now it’s time to turn our attentions to his move to Anfield. Barnes picks up the story:

“Liverpool came in for me in the January, but [Watford manager] Graham Taylor called me into his office and told me I would be joining them in the summer.”

I ask Barnes about claims, in Alex Ferguson’s autobiography, that Dave Bassett, who succeeded Taylor at the end of the 1986/87 season, had offered the United manager the chance to sign him and that he had declined the opportunity.

Ferguson is said to have rued his decision, given it had extended Liverpool’s dominance of English football for a few more years.

Barnes is dismissive of the idea that joining United was ever a possibility.

“I’d already signed for Liverpool before Bassett took over,” he said. “I never played under Bassett. I don’t know. He might have said to Alex Ferguson, ‘do you want to sign John Barnes?’ But it was already arranged for me to go to Liverpool.

“I only met Dave Bassett once. I was going to Liverpool in two weeks. He invited me to his house to say good luck. He never mentioned Manchester United. It would never have happened.”

Liverpool and Watford had agreed a fee of £900,000. That was clearly a huge sum of money in 1987. Although, it was short of the transfer record at that time. I point out that, given Trevor Francis had become the first £1 million player in 1979, the Reds had got themselves a bargain.

“Yes, but what you have to realise that Peter Beardsley signed shortly after me for £1.6 million, which was the biggest transfer fee ever. Trevor Francis went for £1 million in 1979 but nobody had paid more than that since. It’s more the case that the Francis deal in ’79 was exceptional.”

Nevertheless the idea of snapping up a player of Barnes’ calibre for under £1 million is remarkable. The subject of his value is discussed in the film, Poetry in Motion.

Former England team-mate Viv Anderson muses on what a player like Barnes would fetch in the current market.

Given the benchmark set by the Paul Pogba transfer, he suggests, the bidding for John Barnes would have to start at £100 million.

A Northern Culture Shock

So, the next stage of his career beckoned and a move north had been sealed. I suggest that despite having spent his life in Jamaica and the south of England, he would surely have known all about the history and qualities of his new club.

However, I was interested to know what his thoughts and perceptions of Liverpool the city were ahead of the move.

“None whatsoever. Playing for Watford you’d travel to away games on the Friday and come back on the Saturday night.

“In the south they have perceptions about the north. They talk about flat caps and outside toilets, so you do have that misconception. It’s kind of like when you talk about racism and what you’re told about other people.

“You know you talk about the north-south divide and down south they have this superior attitude towards northerners. In many ways they probably still do. But, obviously understanding how discrimination works, I never believed any of that.

“The thing is, I knew a lot of northern footballers. For me they were probably more lively than the southerners, always laughing and joking. So I was looking forward to it.”

Nevertheless, the player was in for a culture shock of sorts when he arrived at Anfield. In the film he describes the simplicity of the Liverpool way, which had remained largely unchanged since the days of Bill Shankly.

I put it to him that the routine at Melwood must have seemed overly simplistic compared to his time under Graham Taylor. Barnes goes further, stating:

“Yes simple and, as far as I was concerned at the time, backwards I must admit. At Watford we had psychologists, nutritionists and top-notch methods. At Liverpool they were just playing five-a-side football.

“But after a while, you get to learn Bill Shankly’s way, that he got into the training, was much more forward-thinking and much more advanced than any other team. But at the time, to me, it seemed disorganised.”

I mention that I’d also heard other former players describing how often the advice from the Boot Room, whenever a game was going badly, would be simply, ‘sort it out’. Barnes agrees.

“Yes. Work it out for yourselves. Liverpool always signed players that they knew over a period of time had the intelligence to play football. Yes you had to have ability, but you had to understand the game.”

How Barnes Was Made For Liverpool

Barnes clearly fitted the bill. This is a theme repeated throughout the film, with many of Barnes’ former team-mates and coaches attesting to his ‘footballing brain’. It was a key factor in enabling him to reinvent himself as a central midfielder as his blistering pace began to fade.

“Nowadays they sign players after six good games. I played at Watford for six years and four years for England. Liverpool always had senior players who could help the younger players, who in turn would become experienced.”

It was a formula that served the Reds well for decades, as they built one great team after another. They’d simply top up the talent pool every couple of seasons.

But, what was so special about the coaching, the tactics?

“What happens as a coach is that you train and prepare and you come up with tactics. Unfortunately, football doesn’t work like that. It’s fine, all well and good, until you start the game and the opposition do something you didn’t think they would, and the tactics aren’t working.

“What do you do? Are you going to wait until half-time, for the manager to do it, or, do you look to the bench and say ‘what do we do? We weren’t told about this’?

“At Liverpool the coaches would say to you, ‘I’m not telling you what to do. Work it out for yourself’. And what that does, what helps you to do that, is the experience you have.

“That was a culture shock, because Graham Taylor, for 90 minutes, told us exactly what to do. So what I didn’t know was that in six years Liverpool had seen in me that I was able to translate that into what Liverpool wanted me to play.

“So, Liverpool saw things in players that you didn’t know you had yourself.

“I never thought I was a Liverpool player. Watford played a long-ball game. Liverpool were completely different, but they saw something in me.”

So, was this part of a deliberate philosophy by Liverpool? Did they simply recruit intelligent footballers, who could fit into their methodology and way of coaching? Is that the secret that lay behind their dominance over almost three decades?

“Oh, Liverpool picked players who couldn’t do that. But, then they didn’t last. It wasn’t as if Liverpool always picked the right players all the time.

“If you couldn’t do it, you’d be quickly found out and you’d be got rid of, or you wouldn’t be in the team.”

Here, Barnes gives a fascinating and revealing insight into the secrets behind Liverpool’s unparalleled success.

The philosophy that drove the club to domestic and European glory was built on the pillars of football intelligence, understanding the simplicity of the game and a ruthless streak that ensured only the very best were fit to wear the shirt.

In the 1987/88 season, Liverpool and Barnes proved themselves to be the very best in land. They would sweep all before them and play majestic football.

By: Jeff Goulding

Original Article Found Here

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monkeyandelf · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on Buzz News from Monkey & Elf |

New Post has been published on https://www.monkeyandelf.com/a-year-in-fashion-2017s-biggest-stories/

A Year in Fashion: 2017’s Biggest Stories

2017 has undoubtedly been a big year for the fashion industry and there has been plenty to talk about. From the surprise departure of Christopher Bailey at Burberry to the death of Azzedine Alaïa, the year has seen some of the more shocking things to have happened in the industry in recent years. Suprise collaborations between the likes of Louis Vuitton and Supreme were also shocks. Here we round up the biggest stories that have rocked the industry in 2017.

Read more Life features and check out our Store.

2017 was a big year for the fashion industry and there were a few shocks to be had. There were deaths, collaborations and departures from posts you never thought you’d see, and there was plenty to keep the fashion lot talking. We’ve rounded up the biggest talking points and the things that we think were notable for the year, from collaborations between Louis Vuitton and Supreme to the departure of Christopher Bailey at Burberry.

Azzedine Alaïa’s Death

On the 18th November, the fashion industry was rocked by the death of legendary designer Azzedine Alaïa. The Tunisian-born designer had been a figurehead in the industry for many years and passed away at the age of 82 in Paris. He was famed for his clothing, notably his dresses, and he was dubbed the ‘king of cling’ due to the way his clothes wrapped around a woman’s body.

It was confirmed that he had suffered a heart attack. Edward Enninful, the recently appointed editor-in-chief of British Vogue, said of the death, “Azzedine Alaïa was a true visionary, and a remarkable man. He will be deeply missed by all of those who knew and loved him, as well as by the women around the world who wore his clothes”.

Azzedine Alaia with Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Alaïa was born in Tunis in 1940 (although this date is unconfirmed as he frequently lied about his age) and has had a very illustrative career. He initially started at the Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts in Tunis to study sculpture, but soon realised that his ambitions to be the best were above him and so he moved towards the fashion industry. In 1957 he moved to Paris and after building up client base of his own he began assisting Christian Dior. However this was ended after five days as his immigration papers were incorrect.

From Dior he went on to Guy Laroche, Thierry Mugler and eventually he started his own atelier. In the Seventies he became a hit with Hollywood stars, including Greta Garbo, and in the early 1980s he put out his first ready-to-wear collection for women, which was met with critical acclaim. Over the years he did his own thing and in 1992 he completely dismissed the seasonal timeframe of the fashion industry. He said ““When the collection is ready, it’s ready. Unless I have a length of fabric in my hand and a girl in front of me, I really can’t come up with a lot of ideas.”

Azzedine Alaia PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Christopher Bailey resigns from Burberry

One of the big shocks of the year was Christopher Bailey‘s decision to depart from British fashion house Burberry. After 16 years of working for the brand he decided that it was time to depart and move down other creative paths. He will see out his position as president and chief creative officer and Burberry said Christopher will remain president and chief creative officer until March 31, 2018, when he will step down from the board. He will provide his full support to chief executive officer Marco Gobbetti and the team on the transition until Dec. 31, 2018.”

Christopher Bailey PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

It has been rumoured for some time that Christopher Bailey was to leave Burberry, especially after he handed over the CEO role to Gobbetti. It came as a shock that he was completely leaving the company as since 2001 he had been a key player in transforming the company’s image and fortunes. He is praised with turning the brand around, stripping it of its ‘chav’ image and giving it a new lease of life. Thanks to him campaigns have been stronger than ever with the brand working alongside the likes of Cara Delevingne, Naomi Campbell, Brooklyn Beckham, Eddie Redmayne and Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

Cara Delevingne PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

On the decision to leave, Bailey has said “it has been the great privilege of my life to be at Burberry, working alongside and learning from such an extraordinary group of people over the last 17 years. Burberry encapsulates so much of what is great about Britain. As an organization, it is creative, innovative and outward-looking.” He continued “I do truly believe, however, that Burberry’s best days are still ahead of her, and that the company will go from strength to strength with the strategy we have developed and the exceptional talent we have in place led by Marco. I am excited to pursue new creative projects, but remain fully committed to the future success of this magnificent brand and to ensuring a smooth transition.”

There is still speculation about who will take over the creative director position, but the key player seems to be Phoebe Philo of Céline.

Supreme x Louis Vuitton

2017 was the year we saw one of the biggest collaborations ever between two brands. Supreme and Louis Vuitton hooked up after rumours were flying about and Kim Jones finally confirmed the collaboration.

Kim Jones and the Supreme team presented the collaboration in January 2017 and it immediately became the talking point of Paris fashion week. It was sold across the world at pop-up stores in June of the same year. With Louis Vuitton Kim Jones has introduced street wear to high end, using brands like Umbro and Fragment Pieces to do so. Supreme was his biggest player yet. When asked about the collaboration he said “You can’t have the conversation of New York men’s wear without Supreme right now, because it’s such a massive global phenomenon. I just feel that the strength of their graphic versus the strength of the Louis Vuitton graphic, and that kind of Pop Art feeling — it works together perfectly.”

Louis Vuitton x Supreme PHOTO CREDIT: PAUSE Magazine

Supreme x Louis Vuitton has been hailed as one of the greatest collaborations ever, but prices were not kind to those fans who wanted to get a slice of the action. Kim Jones decided that prices would fall under the Louis Vuitton price point, rather than Supreme‘s and so things were not cheap.

Versace honours Gianni Versace

To mark the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace’s death, Donatella pulled out all the stops. For her catwalk show in September 2017 the Versace creative director got the old gang back together and her catwalk show saw the original supermodels team up. Walking down the catwalk at the end of the unveiling of Versace‘s collection which was in tribute to Gianni Versace, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni were the picture of Nineties glory.

Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni for Versace PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Kaia Gerber dominated fashion week

Kaia Gerber, the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, made her catwalk debut in 2017, walking first for Calvin Klein. At 16 years old she is one of the youngest models on the circuit, but the Spring/Summer 2018 shows proved that she was the most buzzed about. She basically walked for every designer, from Valentino and Fendi to Chanel and Alexander Wang.

Kaia Gerber walking for Calvin Klein, making her debut PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Edward Enninful takes over British Vogue

In August, Ghanian-born Edward Enninful became the first black male Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue. He became the 11th editor of the fashion magazine, taking over from Alexander Schulman who had been at the helm of the magazine for 25 years and stood as the longest serving editor of Vogue. Prior to joining British Vogue Enninful had been creative and fashion director of US magazine W since 2011.

When Edward Enninful was just 19 years old he became the youngest fashion editor in the game when he became that at ID magazine. For his first issue of British Vogue he had model of the moment Adwoa Aboah on the cover and completely changed the way the magazine worked. It was a celebration of all things Britain and he worked with the likes of Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, John Galliano, Victoria Beckham and Skepta. Prior to his first issue coming out, he had completely overhauled the Vogue office, firing all those he thought were elitist and the “Sloaney sloths” and making it a more diverse place.

British Vogue, December 2017 PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

The revival of the dad trainer took place

2017 was the year that unlikely happened and the so-called “dad trainer” became on of the most popular shapes in the game. The likes of Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga, Raf Simons and Acne Studios have all got involved and it has seemingly been a game of who can get the ugliest and biggest trainer silhouette. Even Kanye West took a step away from his Yeezy Boosts and began to show off a new range of Yeezy wave runners which look more appropriate on the foot of a 40-year old father of two. Yet this is 2017 and the chinky trainer is the shoe that everyone wants and wore. We reckon next year will see more of the same.

Balenciaga Triple S PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Balenciaga took on Ikea

2017 was the year that Balenciaga essentially ripped of Ikea’s shopping bag – you know those blue ones you get to carry your purchases in when you’re walking round one of the giant stores. The Internet went into a meltdown when the fashion house, head up by Demna Gvsalia of Vetements, started to sell near-identical bags to those at Ikea for a price of £1600.

Ikea was quick to respond and they even went as far as putting out an ad to highlight the fact that Balenciaga has essentially copied their design. The ad basically highlighted how to differentiate the £1600 Balenciaga design from one of Ikea’s 40p carrier bags, highlighting the durability of the Ikea “original”.

Ikea’s advert in response to Balenciaga PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Nike x Off-White

Louis Vuitton and Supreme weren’t the only big brands collaborated in 2017 and Virgil Abloh’s Off White teamed up with the Nike team on a collection of ten trainers. The collab saw the creation and release of ten special editions of previous trainers, from rehashed Air Jordan 1s and Blazers to Air Max 90s and Prestos. The collab was spotted being worn by everyone from Kendall Jenner and Naomi Campbell to Justin Bieber and was undoubtedly (sitting just behind Louis Vuitton and Supreme‘s hook up) one of the biggest of the year.

PHOTO CREDIT: Modern Notoriety

On That Note

2017 proved to be a big year for fashion, with the death of Azzedine Alaïa seeing everyone come together to mourn the untimely passing of a true fashion icon. Edward Enninful became the first male Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue, replacing Alexandra Schulman and beginning a new era for the fashion bible. Collaborations were aplenty and two that really stood out were those between Supreme and Louis Vuitton and Nike and Virgil Abloh’s Off-White. It has been a mixed year though, with Ikea coming to heads with Balenciaga and let’s not forget those moments that made us quite literally question the fashion industry (those Vetements bum zip jeans anyone?)

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hardcheapknock-blog · 7 years ago

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We did it! We passed the time for 50 days by providing memorable Star Wars related content for you the humble and gorgeous viewer(s). Holy craps what a ride. Well, we are on day zero and probably have seen or are seeing The Last Jedi as we speak. So for now here is some bonus goodness from some of our beloved authors before we go on a much needed holiday hiatus and Last Jedi binge. See you in 2018!

Gundy

The Audacity of A New Hope

Our 50-Day Countdown was really tough. What really surprised me about my performance during the countdown is I never really ran into a creative block. My biggest challenge was finding the time to do what I wanted in the time allotted. If it became clear that I would not have enough time to create the post I wanted, I somehow found a way to post something faster to buy myself extra time.

Each of us had to publish every four days, and with each other as our own best critics, the posts had to be solid. JERMAINE SOLID.

Sometimes an idea hit me and I had it turned around in 24 hours: “Rey Mind Trick“, “Midichlorox“, and “Chalmun’s Cantina Sippy Cups” are good examples of this. One post, “‘Made To Suffer’ by Guest Artist Edvard Munch“, actually happened by accident and I just followed it to the new conclusion which was really fun!

The Red Arm Diaries

C-3PO’s red arm was a source of hilariousness for me. It’s absurd how it is introduced, made to be an object of mystery and speculated upon, and then by the end of The Force Awakens, replaced with the normal, gold arm.

I’d planned to focus almost entirely on the Red Arm in a series called “The Red Arm Diaries”. This would include equally-absurd theories of how the red arm came to be. Yes, I am aware that the real story behind the red arm is out there to be discovered, but the average movie-goer isn’t going to do that. I had planned to create one-page vignettes around what transpired between Episode 6 and 7 that could account for the red arm.

In the end, I only did one comic, “Reunite Us, Interruptus“. I’m not sure if I got tired of drawing old Goldenrod or just lost faith in the idea. The other ideas that I did make a priority are still things I’m very happy with. In general, I just wish I’d done more comics.

The Reject Pile

Here are some ideas I decided NOT to do…

“The Red Missile”

I had the idea for a short comic where “Holiday Special” Boba Fett’s backpack missile kept getting him in trouble whenever he wanted to rent a creature to ride – by accidentally firing and choking them. So he’d have a reputation for just being a lousy customer and not the bounty hunter everyone fears him as.

In starting the research, it made me really sad to hear about all of the incidents in the 70s that led to toys no longer being able to fire missiles on which children can choke. So I scrapped that idea. I really wanted to make that pop culture reference work, but not on the backs of dead children. Well, this time.

“The Shortest Fan Cut of ANH”

I thought it would be funny to show how simple things would be if R2-D2 had simply started flying as he did in Attack of the Clones but in A New Hope.

So, the droids land of Tatooine… C-3PO mounts up on R2, they bypass the jawas and the Lars farm and simply fly to Obi Wan’s hermit hut. They fly to Mos Eisley and hire Han and Chewie AND they are able to arrive on Alderaan before it blows up! Later, they simply mount a bomb on him and send him into the exhaust port, flying, kamikaze-style. The end.

“A Christmas Falcon”

I have a lot of great photos from my childhood, opening Star Wars toys on Christmas morning, wearing Star Wars pajamas. I just couldn’t think of a way to make that slice of nostalgia into a post.

Yeah! The Imperial Troop Transport!

Christmas Falcon! PJs!

Whoa, how did this get in there!

Thanks for reading!

Samson

It really doesn’t surprise me anymore about how much back story can be created pertaining to the most random stuff in A New Hope. Case in point, the large skeleton of some beast that roamed the Dune Sea of Tatooine, which 3PO just happened to walk by, in search of rescue. I don’t know when they first started calling it a Krayt Dragon. It must have be a while back ago, cause when I was looking up images of the skeleton, I knew to look up “Krayt Dragon.” Apparently they are the apex predators of Tatooine. Too bad we didn’t see a living one in the film take down a Bantha or some Jawas.

My problem isn’t so much with all the back story stuff, be it official or fan fiction. My problem is with all the art being created hypothesizing what the creature actually looked like in the flesh. All the renderings pretty much show a traditional, elongated dragon head complete with horns around the back of the head. Even Terryl Whitlatch, who designed a lot of the creatures for Episode I, drew her dragon with fairly long snout. I really love the illustration, but that skull just doesn’t match the source material. If you look at the skull in the film, it’s a stubby head with no horns. It almost looks like a Camarasaurus (sauropod dinosaur) head, but with pointy, needle teeth. The only illustration that comes close to the skeleton on film is a painting by Ralph McQuarrie depicting two sand people hunting a Krayt Dragon. I think it was part of the original pitch art he created for Uncle George, but I’m not entirely sure about that. It may have been done much later for some book, regardless the head on this dragon looks rather stubby. Either way, there sure is a crap load of stuff for a background skeleton that only appears for a few seconds on screen. But that’s the appeal of Star Wars. All these little details, bringing the world to life, that people will obsess over and latch onto… even 40 years later.

FlippyCrap™®

Counting down origin

Well a quick tale of truth is 2 years ago I decided to countdown the days till The Force Awakens by myself despite Phil Collin’s song Against All Odds. Well take a look at me now Phil! I started at 100. That’s one more bottle of beer on the wall per the song and I don’t even drink! And without any preparation or knowledge of Star Wars(lie). Yeah in retrospect it was a crazy venture seeing how there is life. But I went with it. Using facebook as my vehicle of display, each day I posted something new. In the beginning it was just me googling the hell out of SW related items and trying to find the funniest or most interesting ones. But then I started to actually create my own. It seemed more ownable and frankly the kids (7-12 friends) loved it.

Some of those “classic” ones were inserted into this countdown because dammit I could do what I want. Those were The Star Wars Halloween Special (day 45) and Thanksgiving message from the bounty hunters (Day 22). But the rest were new, fresh and stupid! Just don’t forget to tell Kanjiklub!

So short, long story brief, my colleagues at HardCheapKnock decided to do one together for The Last Jedi. This way it was not as daunting with multi folks on it. In truth it still was tough but we frickin’ did it!

Writers notes

Some of the inspiration behind my posts:

Yoda’s Suffering (day 35) – this was intended to be a message about the struggles of children in Uganda. You should read about it on the web if you have time.

Not again Threepio NSFE (day 35) – again about Uganda

Walrus Man Discount Replacement Limb or Other Club (day 2) – This one took about a month to do. Mainly the drawings of every body and part. Actually I had this mostly done before we even started the countdown. Just tweaking it along the way.

Utini Speeder Wreckers (day 15) – This was a homage to a local CHICAGO TV commercial from the early 90’s. Took about 2 weeks to do. And if you think the quality looks shitty that was the intention so wah! Here are some clean behind the scenes photos then jerks.

Anyways God bless you if you sneezed within the hour (otherwise this is void). And God bless Star Wars.

As a reminder although the countdown is over you have 11 more days to enter the: LAST JEDI COUNTDOWN CONTEST! We are giving away a $100 Dollar Fandango Gift Card!!! We know you are going to see The Last Jedi…so we want to buy your second, third or fourth viewings! So it’s quite easy to play. You can do one or all of the following for a chance to win:

Visit Hard Cheap Knock on Facebook

Follow @hardcheapknock on Twitter

Post a tweet

List the hidden numbers you found throughout the countdown – HINT there are 7 of them!

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goodnewsjamaica · 6 years ago

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Celebrating the making of beauty by D-Marie

New Post has been published on https://goodnewsjamaica.com/education/celebrating-the-making-of-beauty-by-d-marie/

Celebrating the making of beauty by D-Marie

One of the most elegant nights to hit the Jamaican soil took place on Sunday October 28 at the Mona Visitors Lodge on the campus of the University of the West Indies. When Good News Jamaica was asked to cover the event, we had no idea what we were about to experience. What we knew was D-Marie is one of Jamaica’s top make-up institutes. We were looking forward to a great fashion show.

Fast forward to the day of the event. We arrived early and began by feeling under-dressed. Although in a suit and looking ‘spiffy’, by our standards, we were nothing compared to the elegance in the room. The ladies whom we met must have gotten the memo; ‘wear the best dress on earth’. The men did not disappoint either with very well put together ensembles. We went picture crazy, even though there was already a photographer on site and we were just there to cover the story.

After paying respect to our flag by enjoying the national anthem, the MC, Noran Price, kicked things off with a prayer by Dr. Donovan Thomas of Choose Life International. From then on, the roller coaster ride of emotions were turned to full tilt. This was no fashion show. This was a top class celebration of the next batch of City and Guilds recognized professionals in all aspects of the art of makeup. Even with that explanation, we had no idea what was to come.

“One Way” is a song by Busy Signal that explains the ‘No matter what’ mentality that Jamaicans are usually known for. The back story though is that we built that mentality through many downfalls and disappointments. This was depicted perfectly by Monique Ellis who did a skit about the power of doubt. Doubt can ruin your life’s growth, your self image, your image to everyone else. But the good thing is, doubt is a leech that only has power if left unchecked. Once we make the effort to pull that leech off and stomp on it until it is dead, we start to sing ‘Soar we a soar’ like Ryan Mark. The skit was powerful and was obviously planting seeds on welcoming soil.

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Valedictorian Shannell McLeod continued the heart felt messaging with her address to the class. What started out as a ‘what if’ turned into ‘what do I have to loose’ situation. Based on her tenacity and the training she received at D-Marie, this powerful sister opened her own beauty salon, went back to D-Marie for level three training, and is planning on opening a franchised D-Marie in Clarendon. What Ms. McLeod stood for was that ‘never give up’ energy. She also made sure to thank her “mentor, teacher, friend, sister, principal” Dawn Lindo for being the driving force on the days when that nasty doubt tried to creep in. Again, the message of keep God in the middle of your action, stay focused on your goals, experience success! The room was overjoyed with her story.

When we think of make-up school we usually think of eye liner, foundation, blush, and mascara. Not at D-Marie. When you enter that school you do think, but whatever you can conceptualize, D-Marie will bring it to live. Take for instance turning a young lady into a golden queen… Done!!! How about creating your very own fairy…. Done!!! Making a young lady into what looks like a 80 year old bent back, can’t walk, woman….Done!! This is all call make-up art and the technique learned at D-Marie was on display for the night. The graduates can now be put anywhere makeup can be applied. As the valedictorian state about her journey, “I’ve been to Miss CC 2017, Revelon Jamaica, Miss Jamaica Festival Queen, Youth Expo 2018, Miss Jamaica World 2018, Miss Universe 2017, Miss Clarendon College, Kingston Bridal Week 2018, and recently Pulse Model Search. D-Marie has done so much for me…” Other graduates showed their prowess in special effects make-up art and the list goes on.

The keynote speaker for the night was Kerri-Ann “Kiki” Lewis Thombs. Back on the scene after an hiatus to birth and take care of her new born. Ms. Thombs did what she is known for best by her close friends, (which everyone believes they are based on how they are treated by her). Kerri was real. Starting out by instructing the gentlemen and ladies in the room to applaud each other for support and work put in to get to this night. Her story of being a woman “who has been through the ringer”. After her back story, Kerri began the life long lesson for the graduates and the audience. Her first lesson was ‘you are your own competition’. She explained that the brand that each student has to represent is their own as they will have roles that are much more than a make-up artist. She went on to explain the fact that our souls are the only real aspect of us that matters. We need to cultivate our soul so that it is continuously growing positively. That skill starts with our thoughts. When we change our thoughts to powerful lives, then we can achieve just that. “Whoever and all the obstacles that are in your life are there for a reason. Obstacles are there to teach you how to overcome them to take you to the next step into your purpose”. “Stop giving your power to people. If something trigga yuh an upset yuh, it’s because someting inside yuh you waan fix and dah person deh jussa [tek advantage]”. Again the room was filled overjoyed with those statements as they struck a chord. The final message dealt with self love. “Don’t be so focused on coupling up and relationship goals without developing time to love, you. Because you see the type of person that you attract into your space is going to reflect that exact same way you love yourself”. As expected, Kiki delivered a stellar message which left the room pondering about our next life move. Without a doubt, she was a breath of fresh air.

Good News Jamaica was surprised when they mentioned that they would not present the diplomas to the students. We had totally forgotten what the event was about. With a chuckle, we re-focused our attention to the graduates. After which, we were greeted by Marva Duncanson of City and Guild Jamaica who had nothing but unchaining remarks for Dawn Lindo and D-Marie, and how impressed and thankful that there is a partnership between the two companies.

The emcee duties were handed over to Sakina Deer for the evening who introduced us again to the graduates, but this time the graduates were putting the last touches on their ‘subjects’ who graced the stage with an exquisite runway show.

As said before, the event was elegant, welcoming, and definitely needed.

Take a look at some of the pictures below which tells the amazing graduation story more comprehensively than words.

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