#and pass will use his power of tickle master to get his revenge

[august-anon]

Sneaking Suspicion

TickleTober 2022, Day 3: Shriek

besties i’ll be honest i did not edit this one, work has been killing me the past couple weeks and i wrote this while half asleep two days ago jdkfhd

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Fandom: Boku No Hero Acadamia

Ship(s): EraserMic

Characters (lee/ler): Switch!Aizawa/Switch!Mic (leaning more heavily towards Lee!Aizawa/Ler!Mic)

Word Count: 1175 words

Summary: Shouta is by far the quiet one between the two of them, but Hizashi likes to see how loud he can get Shouta to laugh. Really, Hizashi should have expected revenge.

[ao3 link]

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Shouta may have been the Underground Hero between the two of them, but that didn’t mean Hizashi was incapable of being sneaky himself, despite what everyone thought. Sure his Quirk was Voice, he tended to be loud and energetic, and he often played into a persona for his Hero work, but at the same time, he spent his years at U.A. training with Shouta. He wasn’t nearly as unsubtle as everyone accused him of being.

And Hizashi absolutely used these powers for evil.

Stealing the last donut in the faculty room and watching chaos fall as the other teachers argue over who did it, swiping pens from his coworkers desks when he inevitably lost them (seriously, he needed to put trackers on the damn things or something, no one should be losing six pens a day), playing jumpscare pranks on his close dear friends to hear them shriek and scream and curse. And, best of all, if Hizashi was really lucky and extremely careful, if he caught the perfect moment, sometimes he could even sneak up on Shouta.

Perfect moments like now, when Shouta was far too distracted by the new kitten in their home to pay attention to Hizashi’s sneaking. His guard was lowered, his back was open, and he was cooing like a fool at the little thing, waving around a string for the kitten to chase. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Which was how Hizashi found himself with a lapful of Pro Hero toppled backwards into his lap, the kitten leaping away in fright to go hide under the sofa across the room. It was fine, Hizashi would apologize later, to both the kitten and Shouta for ruining their playtime.

But right now, it was Hizashi’s turn to play.

See, quiet as Hizashi could get, his naturally loud nature could be hard to suppress. Shouta was quite the opposite. Sure, he yelled when he had to, to get the students’ attention or when he was in the field. But truly, he was quiet and gruff and stubborn, even back when they were kids, and Hizashi just loved seeing how loud he could compel Shouta to be. At first, when they were young, he would team up with Nemuri and Tensei and– well, that didn’t matter, the point was, he would team up with their friends to jumpscare Shouta and try to drag him into their prank wars. It didn’t work very well, it would only make him even more grumpy and earn Hizashi and the rest a stern glare.

And then Hizashi discovered Shouta’s secret weakness: he was delightfully ticklish. Of course, that didn’t come without repercussions, and Shouta swiftly found out just how ticklish Hizashi himself was, but it meant Hizashi had a whole new tool in his arsenal. And that meant that he had a whole new method of trying to make Shouta crack.

By now, Hizashi’s spent years mastering his craft, tickling Shouta to pieces every chance he could get. He knows every weak point, every ticklish spot, the sound every nerve can compel Shouta to make. But despite all of that, Hizashi’s only gotten Shouta past the threshold of what can truly be considered loud a handful of times. It takes the perfect combination of timing, environment, and tickling, and it’s not always something Hizashi is successful with.

He can tell already that he won’t be successful this time. There wasn’t enough buildup, not enough to create the kind of pressure that would end in Shouta’s eventual explosion of reactions. But, hell, Hizashi couldn’t say it wasn’t worth failing in his goal when he got to see Shouta like this. His hair splayed out across Hizashi’s thighs, face red and scrunched with the rapidly failing effort to contain himself, short, quiet chuckles spilling out as his hands tried to decide whether to defend himself or hide his face. There wasn’t a moment where Shouta wasn’t drop-dead handsome, the most gorgeous man Hizashi has ever seen, but Hizashi did have to admit, he was breathtakingly beautiful with such a bright smile stretched across his cheeks, crinkling his eyes and nose in the most adorable of ways. Shit, he was so glad he got to marry this man.

“Hizashi– you ass,” Shouta hissed out through his snickers, trying to shove Hizashi’s hands away from his ribs.

Hizashi couldn’t help but snicker a little himself. “Please, Sho. You’re barely even squirming, at least pretend to put up a fight.”

Shouta tried to glare at him (ineffective due to his beaming, but utterly swoon-worthy nonetheless), but the effort was quickly ruined by his own snort as Hizashi spidered up into Shouta’s underarms that he had so kindly left exposed.

Hizashi took his time with Shouta, drawing out every snicker, snort, giggle, chuckle, and squeak the man had to offer. By the end of it, Shouta was a panting puddle of giddy mirth draped out across his lap and the floor, and Hizashi was feeling rather proud of himself. His darling husband may even get to sleep at a reasonable time that night, seeing as he was all tuckered out and had no patrol. Hizashi let himself relax as well, running a soothing hand through Shouta’s hair as he caught his breath.

It was foolish of him, really, to forget that they were Pro Heroes, with high stamina and extensive physical training, because the second Hizashi let his guard down, there were hands shooting up his shirt into his own underarms. Hizashi jolted upright with a loud shriek, sending three other cats fleeing toward the other side of the house, their new kitten stumbling close behind. 

Despite clamping his arms down to his sides, Hizashi could still feel Shouta’s wriggling and tickling all too well, and his next instinct was to fall backwards onto the carpet in hopes of pulling out of his grip, still shrieking and squealing all the way down. Of course, that didn’t work either, as Shouta just tightened his grip on Hizashi’s upper ribs, letting Hizashi’s momentum drag him along until they were chest to chest, Shouta laying perpendicular to Hizashi and using his weight to keep Hizashi pinned down.

“I’d expect more situational awareness from a Pro Hero,” Shouta said, his voice as dry as ever, though Hizashi couldn’t help but latch onto the amusement in his eyes, the little smirk tugging at his lips. It was unfair how handsome Shouta looked while well on his way to destroying him.

And then Shouta’s words registered, and Hizashi sputtered. “I– but, you– Hey!”

“Do you have something to say, ‘Zashi? If so, I would suggest doing it now, while you still have the breath to.”

Oh, Hizashi married a fucking asshole. Not that he’d have it any other way.

Asshole husband or not, Hizashi thought as Shouta darted his hands in toward his stomach, making Hizashi shriek again, Shouta better get his quirk ready before they got a complaint from their asshole neighbors. Again.

Hopefully this time, Hizashi wouldn’t be breaking any windows.

[starksvixen]

Both Good and Evil

Summary: Darth Regius has a mission sent down from Emperor Palpatine. Entice Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side using any means possible. But as the two draw closer, learning more about their pasts, they realize the balance of both good and evil.

Warnings: Ends with angst, darker themes, LONG ASS FIC

“Careful, Anakin, too harsh of a swing and you can hurt yourself!” 

You tuck a bit of your bottom lip underneath your teeth as you look at the hologram of the handsome young Jedi training with fervor, his blonde braid gently swaying with each swing of his saber. 

“I’m glad you find him attractive, you’ll need that...” a general says from behind you. 

“And why is that?” 

“You’ll need to use your...sexual capabilities to draw him over.”

Turning towards the bitter old man, the sharp static nips at your fingers as the dark Force flows through you, imagining his throat slowly closing under your grasp. 

“You will not comment on my capabilities again unless you like your little hands there, General,”

Throwing him to the ground, you ignite one of the tiny dagger like lightsabers concealed in your corset and send it straight into the General’s head. A soft sizzle and subtle smell of pennies fills the air as you analyze the Jedi from his hologram state.

Anger fills his stature with each calculated swing, a certain glint in his eye. One that obviously hungers for revenge. A weakness, something to prey on.

Something to lure him to the Dark side...

You feel your eyes flutter to a close, the world around you turning to static as you feel for his dark energy. Then you find it, the tiniest of sparks. Before you can prey upon it, your eyes are forced open, a voice echoing from behind you:

“Who are you? How did you get into the Jedi temple?”

There he was, lightsaber raised, fear in his eyes. A fight he knew he might not win against the renowned Darth Regius. 

But as you look around your surroundings, it seems as if he was on the ship with you, standing as if he had boarded minutes ago.

“I could ask you the same thing, how did you get on my ship?”

He refuses to answer, the words on his tongue fighting against his lips, a stoic face to hide his fear for the vixen of power standing before him. You cock your head softly to the side, walking closer to him as you feel the dark static you feel pulsing through your veins exuding from him. 

“You want revenge, I can feel it. You want power and to feel free from the shackles the Jedi Order have locked on you.” 

“You’re wrong!” 

His voice wavers, his saber drops the slightest touch, his shoulders ease. The idea tickles his ears as it runs like a mad man throughout his train of thought. Slowly, you bridge the gap drawn between the two of you, holding out your hand towards him. 

“Show me your pain. And I can show you freedom.” 

You can see the switch in his mind, feel the light side burning you with its touch as an even more real burn makes its way towards your extended hand. The connection ends as the lightsaber lands, leaving singed skin and grimaces. 

But you saw it, the Dark side taunting him, pulling him in slowly. 

He just needed a little push.

-

You sit in your black armchair, looking at the stars as they whiz by, your tongue enveloping the bitter coffee as you sip it. 

“How did you know I wanted revenge.”

You smirk as you place the cup back on the saucer that delicately balances on your lap. Turning your head, you quirk an eyebrow at the shirtless man before you, obviously roused from sleep.

“Well, good evening to you too,”

“Answer the question.”

A soft chuckle bounces across your throat before you lift your small cup and take another sip of coffee. 

“Why the Force of course,” you say softly, looking out at the stars once again. “You’re taught that the different sides of the Force are just that, different.”

“Because one is used for evil and the other good.”

“But the Force doesn’t determine that, the person wielding it does. Some don’t choose either side, some choose to be the balance. Like how you were prophesied to be. The Jedi Order is delusional, thinking that balance means goodness restored.” 

His eyes widen softly with interest, his shoulders releasing themselves from the cords that hung them close to his ears. You gesture towards the chair in front of you, to which he slowly takes.

“Listen, Anakin, I understand the Order is your entire life. But there is so much you don’t know, what they’ve kept from you. Because balance is not one way or another. One cannot exist without the other. You’re prophesied to bring balance to the Force, not be the Order’s puppet.”

“But that balance means the fall of the Dark Side, that’s what I was meant to do.” he says, his face contorted into confusion.

“Not necessarily. While yes, I do believe you will be the fall of the Sith, the Dark Side will always be around. I believe you are not a sole vessel for goodness. You are a vessel of great complexity, holding both good and dark in your hands.”

Silence fills the vessel as your gaze is drawn back towards the stars. You feel his eyes on you until he fades away, yet another connection broken.

- 

“Jedi are swarming the ship! We need to evacuate!” 

Grabbing your lightsaber, you secure it to your corset filled with saber daggers, their handles at the ready. Rushing out from your room, you look at the battleground before you. 

“There she is! Darth Regius!”

A group of young Jedi’s yelled this as they ran down the hallway towards you. But as you pulled the handle from your corset, relinquishing the burning blade, they ran like chickens. 

“(Y/N)?” 

Turning around quickly, you’re met with a stunned Anakin, his lightsaber at the ready. Without hesitation, you take the first swing. As confusion interrupts his beautiful features, you project a message through the Force. 

Look like you hate me. Wouldn’t want your master to find out about our little chats now would you?

Quickly, forced hatred plasters onto him as his strikes become more and more aggressive. As his force becomes harder and harder to block, you become more frantic. No way were you about to let a padawan bring you down, even if he was your mission. 

Without a thought, your next swing strikes him in the face, causing the smallest of scratched burns to form. With a gasp, you watch as he reels back from the blow, a small smirk coming on his face. 

“You owe me a rematch,”

With that, he runs away with his other Jedi as the entire ship cheers in defeat of the Jedi attack. Everyone around you chants your name, but you don’t have the same fervor. Instead, your mind replays the moment over and over again, one sentence coming out in front it all. 

He finally trusts me. 

 -

"Why trust me?” you ask softly from your desk, different forms needing to be signed glaring at you under harsh light. 

“I don’t,” Anakin replies, his lightsaber humming with each swing as he twirls it around with accuracy, pacing back and forth in your room. 

You stop what you’re doing, laying the pen down straight against the papers before standing up. Anakin stops his twirl pacing, looking towards you as you hold out both hands to him.

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you something to trust.” 

A few minutes pass as you hold your position in front of him, your hands beginning to shake under the weight of vulnerability. Eventually, he drops his saber somewhere unseen, and the calloused hand as well as metal seamlessly slide into yours. 

You project your worst memory, Emperor Palpatine murdering your parents. They were meant to keep his child safe alongside you, raising the two of you together so you would become dyad’s in the force, a perfect storm of darkness. 

But then the child ran away.  

A dyad unmade. 

A deal broken.

The tears fall as you hear their screams, the buzz of a lightsaber silencing them with one fell swoop. 

“Come, child,” his gravelly voice echoes. 

Filled with fear you follow, the memory ending, leaving you reduced to tears in front of the boy you had just barely gotten to know. 

“You’re...young, like me?” Anakin says shakily, looking at you with unshed tears. “I was always told you were older.”

You shake your head, shaking the tears away, shaking the pain and loss off your heart. 

“I worked hard to survive. Be the child Palpatine lost or face the same fate as my parents.”

“Have you tried to escape? Call for help from the Order?” 

“They are the reason my parents are dead!” 

You harshly pull your hands away from his, the broken and war torn fingers digging into your own hips. 

“A Jedi saw Palpatine’s child and helped him escape, to bring him away from the dark side. That Jedi signed my parents’ death warrant...” 

Turning your back to him, you sigh, lifting a shaking hand to wipe away any sign of weakness left on your face. But another wave of sadness hits you as something different enters your mind’s eye.

Anakin, his nightmares, her dead body, the slaughter, all of it. It plays in your head like a nightmare before his force slowly withdraws. 

Your body disobeys your mind as you twist to the broken man in front of you. 

“You’re not the only one who’s lost someone.” 

Walking over, you wrap your arms around his neck and hold him close. His strong arms wrap around your waist as you chuckle softly. 

“We’re both pretty fucked up, huh?”

“I guess we are,”

A knock on the door makes him suddenly disappear, leaving only the shape of him in your curled arms.

-                              

Warm water drips down your skin as you struggle to see through the steam in your small refresher. You reminisce on the months that had passed. What began as long talks across galaxies became long talks across bedrooms. You knew you had a job to bring him to the Dark side, how dangerous a connection to him could be. You repeated the mantra every night. Slipping on the silky robe you placed on the black marble counter, you walk out to your bedroom to find Anakin sitting upon the silk sheets. 

His padawan braid was gone, his dull beige robes replaced by dark leather that showed off his frame quite well. 

“I see they’ve let you graduate, Anakin.”

“Finally...”

“I told you that they wouldn’t understand your power, that they would hold you back,” 

A scoff comes from the man, causing a smirk to come from you. Walking towards him, you gently lay a hand on his cheek where the smallest of scars lays on his handsome face. As you analyze his features, the way his eyes look at you full of lust and adoration, you slowly lay down, laying a gentle kiss on his plush lips. Your hands make their way into his hair as his hands pull you closer to him by your hips. Slowly, your lips break apart but still stay closer together, your mumbles tickling his lips with each word:

“You should grow out your hair, it would suit you,” 

A soft smile, one that only you got to see (but you never knew that) appeared on his face as he gently pulls your hand away from his scalp.

“You flatter me too much,”

“Only because you deserve it.” 

His gaze falls, guilt pushing his shoulders to cave in towards his chest. Your heart shakes, threatening to break. Taking a step back, you take a deep breath as you turn towards the doors of your refresher. 

“You deserve the truth...” you whisper. 

Slowly, you turn back towards him. 

“I was tasked to bring you to the Dark side. Emperor Palpatine is part of the Sith, he is not who you think he is.”

His eyes widen at your sudden divulgence, only to be quickly filled with anger. 

“So all of this time you’ve been manipulating me?!”

“No! Nothing I ever did was to manipulate you!” you walk closer to him. “Because I found not a broken boy but a strong man meant to carry out his prophecy. Please believe me!”

Anakin pushes you away with the Force, an evil glow filling his eyes. You had done your job, but never had you felt worse. 

“Well, I guess you completed your task.” 

And with that...he was gone. 

[cto10121]

The bad Shakespeare takes keep coming, I see. This one had the cleverness to couch itself as a personal narrative (makes it much more interesting, tbh). But as bad Shakespeare takes are my bread and butter, my boon and bane, mamma mia here we go again, with Merchant of Venice.

“But those who thought the play was irredeemably antisemitic were, the consensus went, vulgar and whiny—​and, completely coincidentally, they were also Jewish, which somehow magically invalidated their opinions on this subject.”

I’m glad (is that even the right word?) this author found scholars that don’t think this play is anti-Semitic, but my experience with scholarship has been way more mixed than that. Suffice to say, this is literally all the play is known for these days, and views of the play as anti-Semitic are everywhere (Rosenbaum even had a hot take that since the Nazis liked it, it must be anti-Semitic). Didn’t know Harold Bloom thinks this play is anti-Semitic, though. That in itself is a bit of a red flag, as Bloom is a notoriously poor reader of Shakespeare.

“[I]n Merchant, Portia unhappily fulfills her father’s requirements of her suitors, while in Il Pecorone, the lady enjoys drugging her suitors and robbing them blind. By removing this detail, Shakespeare removed the suggestion that malicious schemers come from all walks of life.”

Or, by removing this detail, Shakespeare removed the clear and abhorrent sexism of his original source that turned a woman robbed of her autonomy by her father’s will into a criminal. It’s almost as if you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

“Dr. Lopez, one of the most respected physicians of the 16th century, had indiscreetly revealed that he once treated the Earl of Essex for venereal disease. The earl took revenge by framing Dr. Lopez for treason and arranging for his torture; while on the rack, Dr. Lopez “confessed”—​though “like a Jew,” as the court record states, he denied all charges at trial, while the attorney for the Crown referred to him matter-​of-​factly as “a perjuring murdering traitor and Jewish doctor.”

This is a very twisted account of the Lopez affair and Essex’s motives in going against him, at least to my understanding. For context, Lopez was accused of receiving loads of money from the King of Spain to poison Queen Elizabeth.

According to Stephen Greenblatt, in Will of the World: “Essex had tried some years before to recruit Lopez as a secret agent. Lopez’s refusal—he chose instead directly to inform the queen—may have been prudent, but it created in the powerful earl a very dangerous enemy. After his arrest, he was initially imprisoned at Essex House and interrogated by the earl himself. But Lopez had powerful allies in the rival faction of the queen’s senior adviser William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and his son, Robert Cecil, who also participated in the interrogation and reported to the queen that the charges against her physician were baseless.” Lopez apparently had been taken bribes from various sources, and confessed (freely? under torture?) “that he had indeed entered into a treasonous-sounding negotiation with the king of Spain, but he insisted that he had done so only in order to cozen the king out of his money.” Weird.

Greenblatt isn’t a historian, though, and Essex was indeed an asshole to Lopez, (and for what is worth, I feel Lopez was innocent; I just get those vibes) but so far I can find no other source that Essex actively framed Lopez. Most likely he did some sleuthing, dug up some questionable, compromising stuff, and tried to blow a hearth flame into a firestorm.

“After all, the historical record gives Queen Elizabeth a cookie for dawdling on signing Dr. Lopez’s death warrant; her doubts about his guilt even led her to mercifully allow his family to keep his property, not unlike the equally merciful Duke of Venice in Shakespeare’s play.”

Again, Lopez had powerful allies (doesn’t get much higher than Burghley), and again, re: Greenblatt: “According to court observers, Elizabeth gave Essex a tongue-lashing, ‘calling him rash and temerarious youth, to enter into a matter against the poor man, which he could not prove, and whose innocence she knew well enough.’” A cupcake, then?

“And it is of course entirely unclear whether this trial and public humiliation of an allegedly greed-​driven Jew attempting to murder an upstanding Christian, rapturously reported in the press with myriad antisemitic embellishments, had anything at all to do with Shakespeare’s play about the trial and public humiliation of a greed-​driven Jew attempting to murder an upstanding Christian—​which Shakespeare composed shortly after Dr. Lopez decomposed. Most likely these things were completely unrelated.”

Nearly all the major Shakespeare biographies and articles I’ve read literally and explicitly talks about the possible influence of Lopez’s execution on Merchant of Venice and names it as an inspiration: Greenblatt, (he even headcanons that Shakespeare watched the execution!) Bate, Ackroyd. That’s how Horn managed to ping my BS radar something awful—because I had read about it, many times, even if it was mentioned in passing. It’s solid, legit Shakespearean academic fanon. The sarcasm is really unwarranted, and childish besides.

“It was damned hard to hear the nuance while parsing lines like “Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnal,” or “My master’s a very Jew; give him a present, give him a halter,” or explaining what Shylock meant when he planned to “go in hate, to feed upon / The prodigal Christian.”

The first two are the fool’s, Lancelot’s, lines, I think. As for Shylock’s hatred toward Christians, while ugly, it’s entirely understandable given the Christian characters’ treatment of him pre-play and during it (Antonio spitting on Shylock’s gaberdine and then asking him to borrow money from him is called out by Shylock himself for its sheer hypocrisy). It also fits Shylock’s character as an unassimilated Jew, resenting Christian hypocrisy and racism.

“The actor began the brief soliloquy that every English-​speaking Jew is apparently meant to take as a compliment: ‘I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? . . . ​If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?’

“Wait, that’s the part where he’s more human?”

[…]“Sure,” I told my son, game-​facing him back in the rearview. “He’s reminding us how he’s like everyone else. He’s a normal person with normal feelings.”

My son laughed. “You seriously fell for that?”

[…] “What do you mean?”

“Shylock’s just saying he wants revenge! Like, ‘Oh, yeah? If I’m a regular human, then I get to be eee-​vil like a regular human!’ This is the evil monologue thing that every supervillain does! ‘I’ve had a rough life, and if you were me you would do the same thing, so that’s why I’m going to KILL BATMAN, mu-​hahaha!’ He’s just manipulating the other guy even more!”

And then the crowd applauded, Harold Bloom cried, and the mayor gave the author’s six-year-old son a gold medal for his Brave Hot Take. Honestly, this was the most unbelievable part of the essay I’ve read. Unless this kid has been reading academic essays on MoV that posit this exact same interpretation (“Shylock was just using humanistic rhetoric to justify his ~bloodthirsty revenge!”), this one’s for a fake Internet stories anthology. Shylock may be a dour, miserable pain in the ass, but he is no Barabas, an actual anti-Semitic caricature—he has a character, and a recognizably human one, and the play bears it out that he is right in his anger.

“I reviewed the other moments scholars cite to prove Shylock’s “humanity.” There were two lines of Shylock treasuring his dead wife’s ring, unlike the play’s Christian men who give their wives’ rings away. But unlike the other men, Shylock never gets his ring back—​because his daughter steals it, and becomes a Christian, and inherits what remains of his estate at the play’s triumphant end.”

Er, this is a non sequitur—that last has nothing to do with the first. The point is, Shylock doesn’t give away his ring; the fact that his daughter stole it means nothing to his treasuring it. It may be proof of the play’s marginalization of Shylock (which accurately if sadly reflects real-life systematic marginalization), but not his humanity. Shakespeare just doesn’t do backstories, even for major characters, so it is significant that he gave Shylock a wife/beloved in the first place.

“Finally, scholars point to the many times Shylock explains why he is so revolting: Christians treat him poorly, so he returns the favor. But for this to satisfy, one must accept that Jews are revolting to begin with, and that their repulsiveness simply needs to be explained.”

This makes absolutely no sense at all. If one accepts Jews are inherently revolting, then no explanation need be given for when a Jewish character acts revolting! The racist accepts the revolting Jewish characterization without qualm. The fact that the play insists on his grievance is significant.

“We listened together as Shylock went to court to extract his pound of flesh; as the heroine, chirping about the quality of mercy, forbade him to spill the Christian’s blood as he so desperately desired; as the court confiscated his property, along with his soul through forced conversion; as the play’s most cherished characters used his own words to taunt and demean him, relishing their vanquishing of the bloodthirsty Jew.”

YMMV, but to me there are no cherished characters in this play. That’s the whole point! Everyone is so mired in this dreary capitalist materialism that denigrates genuine human connection into mere transaction. Everything to these characters is money, money, money (and class), or at least tainted by it. Shylock is simply the most overt (and honest) of the lot. Love relationships, religion are impoverished; Portia and Bassanio are scarcely more suited than Portia and her other suitors. Shylock and Antonio are Jews and Christians in-name-only: They are capitalists first and foremost. Portia is a smarter, more likable Karen. Lancelot isn’t funny. Jessica is okay, but her leaving her father is framed as a asshole moment at least in one instance. Portia is probably the most lovable, but she has her asshole moments too. There are no truly awful characters, but you don’t need to demonize and dehumanize your whole cast into two-dimensional racists just to make a point.

Merchant of Venice is not the best of plays. It is one of Shakespeare’s experiments, a proto-problem play before his Jacobean era, using dark comedy and a slight bent of farce to explore and elucidate social issues, racism and discrimination, chiefly. At least it tries, anyway. Taming of the Shrew is the first proto-problem play done completely farcical, which at least makes it compelling in a slapstick-satire way; Merchant is much more sociologically astute, but also more dull and coolly distant even from its own concerns. I don’t blame anyone, much less Jewish people, for not liking the play or thinking it a masterpiece. I myself don’t, though for reasons that have nothing to do with the usual ones. I like what Shakespeare was trying to do and I think he did some things very well. It has ambition and thought. But I feel like for most of it Shakespeare was on writing autopilot while mentally looking around for something a bit meatier to adapt and develop. It’s a jogging-in-one-place play; he has a couple of those.

In sum: Author argues for complicated play’s anti-Semitism, ends up just saying the racist slurs by the flawed/asshole Christian characters made her and her son uncomfortable (feat. A distorted and even misleading account of the Lopez affair). Plus some internalized anti-Semitism to sort through, methinks.

[cinebration]

Turmoil (Qui-Gon Jinn x gender neutral!Reader) [One-shot]

Happy Revenge of the Fifth! (And belated May the 4th!)

This is garbage, but whatever.

Premise: You are Qui-Gon Jinn’s first padawan, but unbeknownst to him, inner turmoil and dark forces plague you.

Warnings: none

Gif Source: padawanlost

“I think you’re ready for the Trials.”

Instead of exulting, your heart faltered. Nodding, you kept your face carefully neutral. “I’m glad you think me worthy, Master.”

Qui-Gon Jinn glanced aside at you, a frown tugging on his thin lips. It wasn’t that he sensed your lack of excitement but more that he had expected some reaction in your face.

“You’re allowed a little excitement,” he said, a hint of humor in his voice.

Smiling thinly, you answered, “I am pleased…but I have had great experiences by your side Qui-Gon. If I’m granted Knighthood…I wouldn’t be your padawan anymore.”

Qui-Gon’s frown deepened, a slight furrow appearing in his stately brow. “You would rather remain a padawan?”

Dangerous waters, you thought. Turning away, you began walking down the long corridor in the Jedi Temple. Qui-Gon matched your stride easy, catching up to you with a few long steps.

“Talk to me,” he said in that soft voice of his.

Once I get Knighted, I have a job to do, you wanted to say. Instead, you deflected, “Have we been given an assignment from the Council?”

“Yes. I think you’ll be pleased. It’s on Corellia.”

Home. Your step faltered a fraction. Qui-Gon didn’t fail to notice.

Reaching out for your elbow, he drew you aside into a shadowy corner. “Talk to me,” he pleaded.

He has such a lovely face.

You batted the thought away, quelling the emotion that rose with it. “Corellia is full of memories I hadn’t planned on revisiting.”

“What memories could you have? You were brought before the Council so young.”

“Memories enough.” The tone of your voice prevented further questioning. “When do we leave?”

“Immediately.”

Giving him a curt nod, you strode away. He stared after you, unease tickling the back of his mind.

~~

The ship was manned by a pilot and had no other passengers but you and Qui-Gon. The cockpit, segmented from the rest of the ship by a closed hull-grade door, cut off the pilot from the inner workings of the ship, leaving you and Qui-Gon alone.

Qui-Gon took the opportunity to uncover the source of your reticence. He hadn’t let on how much your sudden silence and lack of excitement was bothering him. He had come to rely on talking to you, sounding out his own thoughts and your reactions to them. You were something of a perfect complement to his teaching style and his personality—something he had sensed only slightly when he met you, along with a streak of defiance very much like his own. It wasn’t until he took you on that he realized just how much you were a match.

To see you withdrawn made him hurt.

“You weren’t so apprehensive the last time we went to Corellia,” he said, sitting beside you.

That’s where the bad memories started. You shrugged and stared down at the floor. “Master, I’m trying to meditate.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s really important that I—”

“Stop.” Qui-Gon placed his hand overs yours, his palm dry but warm, comforting as much as it was inflaming. You tried to withdraw it, but he tightened his grip, unwilling to relinquish you just yet. “Lying doesn’t become you.”

You exhaled heavily through your nose. “Okay, so I wasn’t meditating. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m too…distracted.”

“By what?”

You could barely remember the last time you weren’t distracted by the Jedi Knight. Shortly after you became his padawan, you had found yourself slipping down the slippery slope that were feelings, the kind the Jedi Code forbade. It was your fault, really. Nothing had been easy for you. No one had ever been kind to you without wanting something in return.

Except for Qui-Gon, who made you laugh and lifted you up.

Because you’re his padawan, you reminded yourself sharply.

“I’m just as new at this as you are,” he said quietly, drawing your attention, “but I know it’s not good to have secrets between a master and his padawan.”

Your hand curled into a fist beneath his massive palm. There were two secrets, one of them vastly more dangerous than the other. He would, you knew, draw at least one of them out of you.

It just couldn’t be the insidious one.

A thought suddenly struck you. “Will I fail the Trials if I can’t control a certain emotion?”

“It depends on the emotion and the strength of it.”

Perhaps there was hope. If you failed the Trials, your other obligation would be forfeit. Would it mean death? Perhaps. But maybe that was your fate all along.

“The Jedi Code,” Qui-Gon continued, suddenly pensive, “weighs thought over instinct. At least, that’s how the Jedi now interpret it. But the Force guides us through all if we listen to it. Another word for the Force is instinct.”

He smiled in the way he did whenever he dispensed wisdom he had just plucked from the deep well that was his inner world.

Don’t think. Feel.

You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his. His mustache scraped your upper lip not unpleasantly, his lips almost as soft as your own. Blood rushed through your head, blocking out all other sound.

He didn’t react.

Pulling back, you avoided his gaze. If that didn’t get you a failing score for the Trials, you didn’t know what else would. Scrambling to your feet, you fled to one of the berths in the ship.

~~

“I did not select you only to have you fall into useless turmoil,” Darth Malas snapped. She flung back her cloak’s hood, revealing dark eyes in a too-pale face, a network of blue veins threading up the side of her cheek. “Tell me your progress is where it needs to be, at least.”

Upon landing on Corellia, you had, eyes averted, checked in with Qui-Gon to the diplomatic summons hall. After a brief introduction and an assurance that the talks would proceed shortly, you stole away before Qui-Gon could pull you aside.

Meeting the Sith Lord was more of an excuse to put distance between yourself and your master and less of a mandatory check-in, though that was what it was.

“I may be starting the Trials,” you said, hiding the misgiving in your voice. Around the Sith Lord, it wasn’t a requirement to keep one’s emotions in check. In fact, she tended to encourage emotional expression, but you weren’t going to give her more reason to doubt you. Now that you and your master were on Corellia, the Sith Lord could retaliate in any way she saw fit in response to insubordination—including attacking your master.

“Good,” the older woman crowed. “Once you pass, you must get yourself sent to Serenno.”

Anxiety constricting your chest, you asked, “What if I fail?”

Darth Malas fixed you with a piercing stare of her pale-green eyes. “Then you will have been a waste. I don’t like waste.”

“No, of course not,” you mumbled.

“Get back to your master,” the woman sneered, “before he questions your absence.”

“Yes, my lord.”

You ducked out of the woman’s office, appearing to be an ambassador meeting the local dignitary. If the government knew—if Coruscant knew—that a Sith Lord held quite the position of power over a relevant planet, they would lose their minds.

You had half a mind to tell them.

But that would indict me, too, you thought bitterly.

~~

You expected to be escorted to the meeting room for negotiations.

You were steered instead to the ambassadorial quarters, where Qui-Gon Jinn lay in wait.

Stepping into the suite, you crept around the corner, hoping to hide yourself away.

Qui-Gon called your name.

Cringing, you froze and glanced over your shoulder. He stood by the window overlooking the city, leaning casually against the sill. His arms weren’t crossed, but his brow bore deep lines in it.

“Come here,” he ordered.

You dragged your feet, heart pounding with each step. Stopping a bit away, just out of reach, you stared at a spot beside his head, unable to meet his eyes.

“You’re avoiding me.”

You laughed explosively despite yourself. “Clearly.”

“We need to discuss this.”

“Are you going to tell the Council?”

The question caught him by surprise. “No. This isn’t their concern.”

You frowned, your turn to be caught off-guard. “It isn’t?”

“This is between us.”

Your throat tightened at the sound of the collective pronoun falling from his lips, so softly spoken that the weight of it dropped into your belly.

“I’ve broken the Code,” you blurted, trying to salvage the situation. “I can’t pass the Trials.”

Qui-Gon pushed himself away from the window, slowly wandered over to you, pensive. “The Council and I disagree on a lot of things. I believe that for a Jedi to be compassionate, they must know love, in whatever form it takes.”

Your frown deepened. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” he answered slowly, “that we are both young, and the young can be foolish, but they can be wise, too, on matters the mature have forced themselves to forget.”

His fingertips brushed your face, sending sparks through your skin. You blinked helplessly at him. You still couldn’t understand.

“Pass the Trials,” he murmured, cupping your face in his hands, “so that when we are no longer master and apprentice, we can revisit this issue.”

He pulled you into a warm embrace, dwarfing you with his huge frame. Joy and confusion warred within you as you clutched him back.

When I’m a Knight, we can be together, you thought.

Your stomach fell.

When I’m a Knight, I have work to do.

The pallid face of Darth Malas haunted you.

[diveronarpg]

In fair Verona, our tale begins with GENEVIEVE ZHANG, who is FORTY-SEVEN years old. She is often called GERTRUDE by the MONTAGUES and works as their CAPTAIN. She uses SHE/HER pronouns.

TW: DEATH

Her tragedy began like the tragedies of so many others before her: with unadulterated JOY. Married twenty-five years to a man who treated her like she’d hung the stars in the sky and the proud mother of one of the most INFLUENTIAL young men in Verona, Genevieve Zhang could say at last that she’d done what many said she never would: she’d made a life for herself—a damn good one, but more than that, she’d made a name for herself as one of Damiano Montague’s most trusted captains. The story of the girl who’d grown from rags to riches had come full circle; she was as proud as she was happy, fiercely protective of her son and the notion that she’d become someone of her own accord. It hardly mattered that her married name carried more weight than her maiden name ever had; beggars couldn’t be choosy, and QUEENS picked their battles wisely—coming to terms with the real reason she’d ascended the Montague hierarchy so quickly wasn’t one of them, and neither was grappling with the guilt of spending her evenings in another man’s bed. Ignorance was bliss, but since it was in short supply, she settled instead for denial and found it just as sweet. The night her Howard had been found facedown in his pillows with a knife in his back, she’d been with her lover under the guise of business having run late. Damiano himself had told her the news, clearly distraught over the murder of one of his closest friends, and she’d tried her best to out-mourn him for the sake of saving face, to mask the STORM of emotions brewing beneath the beautiful face of a newly-made widow. There’s an art to losing your spouse that she’s yet to master, like learning how to continue dancing when your partner leaves in the middle of a song. Bystanders are generous with their support, but no one tells you how to feel, and for all that Genevieve is the master of her own emotions, a queen of hearts if there ever was one, she can’t help but wonder: what else is there to mourn when her love for him died long before he did? DEATH was something she’d have never wished for him; he was a good man, a good husband, a good father, and his death has only served to complicate the matters of her fickle heart further. The guilt didn’t die with him; any chance for ABSOLUTION did. The music plays on, and all eyes are on the woman who buried the love of her life and father of her child mere months ago. She’s played the part well thus far, wearing black and taking time away from her duties to be alone. She’s graciously accepted condolences and gifts from her husband’s friends—old letters he’d written, a knife he let a colleague borrow but never got back. But for all that no one seems to suspect a thing, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pretend her heart is six feet under when it’s cradled in the palms of another, alike to him in everything but blood. It’s easy to lie to others, to tell them that she’ll never love again, but the woman staring back at her in the mirror knows she already does. It’s a BETRAYAL, the likes of which will surely CONDEMN her when the time comes for her to join her husband, but what he doesn’t know—what he never did and what he never will—can’t hurt him. As far as she knows, he died loving her like he always had, and she’s able to squash the tickle in her stomach that tells her she’s not the only one capable of lying through her teeth most days. She had it all, and then she lost it. But little do they know, she doesn’t need their pity; she lost a shadow of a past love, but her flame hasn’t wavered—it’s GROWN. She’s still the queen she was at the height of her marriage, ruthless and regal, and wouldn’t her king want her to continue to thrive—to love again? This is her comfort, her SALVATION, the thought that lulls her to sleep in her lover’s arms at night, even as doubt that her lover is as innocent as he claims to be chills her to her core. Their love is worth killing for, but the thought that he just might’ve keeps her up at night. Still, the secret is hers to keep, too. We’ll take this with us to the grave, she thinks. Even if her lover’s the one who put her husband in his.

HECTOR RIVERA: Guardian angel. She sees the way he looks at her son, eyes alight with a mixture of sorrow and adoration so bright and so pure. She sees everything he does for him, too, or at least sees what she is able to. It pains her to see someone else fill her position so wholly; despises herself for being self-aware enough to appreciate the leeway such predicament provides considering all the secrets it allows her to get away with. But above all else, she is eternally grateful for Hector for being there for her son in all the ways she cannot be; appreciates everything he does for their family, too, because she sees the way he looks at her, as well. The boy seems to do everything with the Zhang’s at the forefront of his mind and she loves him for it like she does her flesh-and-blood son.

HENRY ZHANG: Son. He’s so much like his father that at times, the guilt of what she’s done nearly kills her. She’d thought the most difficult part of keeping her secret—looking her husband in the eye and telling him that she loved him, that there was no one else for her and there never would be—was over when she laid him in the ground, but looking at Henry is like looking at a memory, and even death has provided her little reprieve (and the worst part of it all is that deep down, she knows she deserves no such thing). It pains her to lie to him, but that’s what mothers and fathers do: they twist the truth into whatever shape they see fit to protect their children. It’s for the best that he doesn’t know, and if she can help it, he never will. She’s proud of the man he’s become and proud to be his mother, but she fears he’ll loathe the term if he ever learns the truth. What can she say? She’s as selfish as she is selfless. CRISTIAN DE LUCA: Lover. She doesn’t remember the day it all went wrong, the day her marriage began to decay, and perhaps that speaks volumes for the type of relationship they share: understated, subtle, wrong. For all that she’s content to step on the backs of others—of loved ones—to accomplish her goals, she’s been seduced by no illusions. She knows what they did—what they continue to do—is the worst kind of betrayal, and the mutual understanding that it needs no explanation or justification has only strengthened the bond they share. Sometimes she lets herself believe that it was him—that somewhere deep in his brilliant mind, he devised a plan to damn her and succeeded—but she knows that it takes two, and she’s always been the type of woman to own both her victories and her defeats. To her, Cristian De Luca is both. ODESSA VERNON: Pupil. Of all the things she’d come to expect of Alvise Vernon’s daughter, barging into her quarters and announcing that she wanted to be lethal was not one of them. Still, it’s quite endearing to see a bright girl she played a part in raising grow into herself, and she’s more than willing to offer her expertise in the matter. She’s not sure what brought it on, whether it was the murder of her father or the war that’s begun as a consequence, but in the end, it all comes back to the same desire: revenge and the power to get it. The younger woman has spent the better half of her life being taught that her father would right every wrong for her, and Genevieve imagines she’s had a bit of a revelation since his passing—that not only does she have the power to do it herself, but also that it wouldn’t truly be retribution if she didn’t. Of course, it makes the captain no difference; a gun fires the same regardless of its holder’s intention.

Genevieve is portrayed by LUCY LIU and was written by BREE. She is currently TAKEN by EMMA KATE.

[thepilotanon]

Prelude xvii

...to the next stage {masterlist}

It’s officially cold outside and all I want to do is find some Supreme Leader Kylo to snuggle and keep warm. Thank you to everyone who sent very sweet messages last chapter, I really appreciate and love reading them (that warms me up, hahah). Please feel free to leave a message and I hope you will enjoy!

warning: slight violence, but nothing too graphic.

General Armitage Hux was used to being put on the spot, especially when it came to working the First Order. For him, he was born and raised in military glory, in conducting a symphony of armies and battles to succession and winning against the Resistance, or any other small military militia attempting to overthrow the golden title for the galaxy’s future. His father never failed to remind him of being a little speck in the vast galaxies of planets, moons and stars, yet he knew that he stood over Brendol Hux with his dying breath. He knew the galaxy saw power in him, even as he died with his eyes open, still staring at his only son, there was no words of comfort or love ever given to him. General Armitage Hux was used to being disappointed to the point of holding a grudge, this was not news…

But he was not used to biting back his fear with the sight of the Supreme Leader’s female apprentice entered the main bridge. Alone, without the guidance of the Commander Ren as usual of her outings.

Turning around to face the main window of the Supremacy, Hux forced himself to keep his cool as he heard the familiar boots of Nova’s steps approach him from behind. A few officers greeted the incoming visitor, which she obviously responded with a smile in her voice that made Hux’s chest twist. It took a moment for Hux to see from his peripheral vision of Nova’s familiar profile, her hands reaching out to the hologrid and beginning to insert specific keys to activate a holomap and data files. For a few, quiet moments, neither one of them said anything as the clicking of boards and beeps of machines continued on.

“Good morning, Hux,” Nova spoke smoothly, her voice causing an invisible shiver within his spine.

Swallowing, Hux then cleared his throat. He didn’t say anything in response to her greeting, feeling it to be a trap or some sort. However, his eyes darted to peek at the holograms she projected to herself, her fingers moving fluidly across the transparent screens, opening and closing files within moments of a simple glance.

“I’m looking at the files of the ‘troopers and officers I trained on Starkiller Base, to see if they are keeping up with their studies and improvements,” she said, making Hux freeze and look away as he realized that she was looking into his thoughts - or was he projecting them for her to see? He didn’t know.

Hux remembers how Nova defeated Snoke’s strongest Elite so easily, making him think of all the possible ways she could attack him.

“Was that intimidating to you?” her voice crept up his shoulder like a ghost, making him stiffen. “Perhaps, if you desire to ease that fright you feel, you should join me when I help train the ‘troopers. I learned very young that being exposed to things you fear most, often makes you used to it.”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t voice my personal thoughts out to the open of the bridge,” Hux hissed out through his teeth, making Nova hum curiously. “Stop reading my thoughts. It’s an invasion of privacy I still have aboard this ship.”

“You say that, yet Snoke and Kylo can also read you like a book,” Nova responded casually. “Even Phasma can read an expression exposed, it’s not that hard.”

“Mind you that I merely pretend that my thoughts are my own privacy, and intend to keep it that way.” Hux exhaled when her only response was an amused shrug, her hand sliding across the holoscreen to disengage, closing the files all at once. “And not speaking so loudly about my thoughts, either. It’s considered very rude.”

“Not as rude as partaking in having your sibling inject my body with poisons,” Nova whispered, making Hux choke on his own saliva and begin a coughing fit. A passing officer offered him some assistance, yet he waved them away when Nova finally turned to look at him, meeting his eyes…

And smiled brightly before turning to leave from where she entered, saying her farewells to everyone in the bridge.

Hux followed after her with fury, ignoring the confused stares of his underlings and stormtroopers darting out of his way.

Grabbing her by the shoulder, Hux pushed her against the nearest wall, doing his best to radiate his anger towards her inside and out. She didn’t seem fazed by any of it, a simple blink by the hard shove against her collarbone and a bored, expressionless stare.

“She was not -” Hux collected himself to speak quieter, but still venom in his voice while the ship continued on with their day. “She was not my sister!”

“From what I understand, offsprings from a similar parent are considered to be related to each other, therefore siblings,” she responded casually. “You two were related from the same father.”

“Half,” Hux hissed out. “She was my half-sister, but she was never anything close to family.”

Nova’s brows knitted together carefully. “I don’t understand, you say you were not family, and yet you can’t stop thinking that she’s no longer alive.”

Hux swallowed as Nova leaned her head forward, keeping direct eye contact with him, and he felt his skin grow cold from the analyzing stare. “You wonder what happened to her, and how you two shared the same childhood home and servants; how Mara was as brutal to those who poked fun at you as a child, yet offered you kind smiles when she shared extra food with you that her own mother wouldn’t spare for you.”

Frowning, Nova tilt her head. “Different mothers. The one person Mara could never protect you from, and you tell yourself that you hold that against her to become much higher ranked than her. How you felt glad to see her when she entered the throne room while you and Snoke were conversing…”

“She knew what she was doing -”

“And how she was willing to take her life before being caught, but it was too late,” Nova finished with a monotone voice, making the General loosen his hold on her. “You still wonder if it was me who killed her, for trying to poison me for your leader?”

A smile emerged on her face. A sweet, innocent smile that struck right through his chest, as if his own being was in danger. “Oh, Hux, I didn’t execute her,” she confessed kindly. “If it was me who had the honor of killing the ones who were poisoning me, you would have definitely have known. You were also involved.

“My methods of getting revenge and even to those who intended to harm me would have included witnesses that didn’t do anything to stop it,” she explained, as if explaining today’s food portions by color. “I would have started with Mara, of course, but I’d bring her to everyone else to see what to expect. One at a time, slow and painful.”

Seeing how he swallowed thickly, Nova’s eyes glowed with sort of amusement that matched her times playing with random droids aboard the ship. “Ah, now you’re wondering what I would have done! Well, I’m sorry to tell you, Hux, but I don’t like ruining surprises like that. I was taught to never let my target suspect what I’ll do to them…”

Going to her toes, Nova’s soft lips reached to his ear as she whispered so quietly for only Hux to hear. “However, if you’re so curious to know how I would torture my targets, you can always volunteer yourself for a demonstration.”

Hux tried to keep his racing heart down and his thoughts locked away from her, trying to protect himself from being read like a simple younglings’ book. He couldn’t believe everything Nova discovered from just a short amount of time, unless…

Could Snoke or even Kylo Ren read him, and he never noticed?

A sudden pressure to his wrist, Hux’s mouth dropped open to release a silent, agonizing cry when the woman squeezed her much smaller fingers around his circulation, twisting it around. It wasn’t enough to cause a sprain or cracking his bones, yet it still hurt immensely with the way Nova’s expression dropped to a neutral, bored stare as she watched him curl forward and trying to release her grip on him. Leaning down to his ear again, Nova whispered with a more threatening tone that would for sure haunt the General’s nightmares for quite some time.

“Until then, keep your hands off me.”

He stumbled a bit when she casually released him, for her to be so unaffected by anything as she kept her back straight and her smile soft, her hands resting easy at her side as she tipped her head. “My sincere condolences, Hux,” she said, turning her heel and walking away.

Hux was left in the hallway with a bruised wrist, and a bruised ego.

Commander Kylo Ren sat in his room, minding the chilling floor underneath him and tickling his bare feet. Having finished training with his Master and then immediately going to spar with his Knights, Kylo had a filled schedule of constantly being on his feet and working around the Supremacy to the point that he didn’t have spare time to himself or with Nova. Not that it wasn’t common for the both of them to spend so much time, but Kylo felt a sort of tickle in the back of his head that he noticed something different about her from the little chances he had to steal a glance her way. The little, fleeting seconds of seeing her scurry by to her next task of directing a training group or follow officers to be educated on a meeting.

Her mind was at work, jumping from one thing to the next as Kylo could feel the energy of her attention focusing on numerous things at once. Her body never resting and her feet jumping from one spot to another, Kylo could see underneath her facade of her curious eyes and bright smile to others; there was something on her mind, and it was bothering her.

Not having to particularly ask through the Force of looking into her thoughts, or even ask to, Kylo decided to keep his helmet visor to turn her way when she did look towards him, just to let her know he knew. The little spark in her eye directed towards him, and the smile of her lips, was enough for him to continue on and wait until later.

Being that it was now the official night cycle, having finished his own spar and meetings with numerous fleets and bridges at General Hux’s side, Kylo took on a small meditation session to himself. It was somewhat interesting to see Hux having to take frequent breaks in between, massaging his wrist and ordering a cold pack to tuck underneath his sleeve…

No doubt of Nova’s Force remnants radiated off of it, yet Kylo didn’t pursue to look deeper.

Kylo felt the soft weight of her body leaning against his bare back, making him release a soft sigh at the feeling of her hands coming around his shoulders to give him an embrace, her cheek resting against the warm skin on his back. Opening his eyes and ending his meditation, he turned his chin to see her own closed and hair damp from her shower. She was dressed in her pajamas, a silk tunic top that draped over her body and long pants that matched, he felt the material of the clothing only enhance his definition of softness to her body, hair and eyes.

Moving to bounce his shoulder, Kylo allowed her to crawl around and into his embrace on the floor of his chambers. Inhaling the scent of her cleaned hair and fragranced skin, Kylo rest his cheek on top of her hair, relaxing when she snuggled her face into him. Her warm face pressed into his shoulder and breath tickling his neck.

Her thoughts quiet, yet her mind was still buzzing very noticeably.

“You’re curious about something,” he murmured into her skull, moving his lips to her temple to whisper closer to her ear. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m confused of the meaning of family,” she told him softly, making Kylo frown in confusion. “I do not understand, if you’re related by blood to someone, that is the direct definition of family. However, if you maintain a close relationship that is too high of friendship and below of lovers or so, it’s still similar… Yet, with either one, it doesn’t make sense as to why someone would reject them as such, if it makes the most sense.”

Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, Kylo processed her words carefully. “You wonder why someone would reject their family, or something along the lines, over something that has nothing to do with their own personal gain.”

“Yes.” Looking up to him, Nova kept her hands on his bare chest, right over his heart. “Wouldn’t one rather be happy to be accepted into a family of sorts, or at least have one companion?”

“Bonds are not looked upon in -”

“I’m not asking this as a Force-user or being part of the First Order,” Nova interrupted him, frowning with sadness, “I’m asking as a living being.”

“Why do you ask?” he questioned her softly, not at all bothered by her sudden stubborness.

“I was taken away from the one who would have been my mother as soon as I was born. I was never given to anyone to be part of a family, only to serve families as a slave,” she told him. “I never got to meet my mother or father, much less know if I have brothers or sisters to call my own… For all I know, I could have killed them without even knowing who they were in combat or by force of an owner.”

Looking up to him, Nova bit her lip at seeing how intently he was looking at her, eyes unreadable. “When you think of your family, even when I don’t ask of them, you have warmth in your eyes and your heart eases. I know you do not have ties with them anymore, but your memories of them still linger, and I love seeing you have those wonderful memories to dream when you have a hard time and you don’t want to talk to me about it.

“Having those to look back on, I wish I could have the same thing, even if it was someone I wasn’t blood-related to,” Nova frowned, looking down to press her forehead to his collarbone. “When I hear or sense one who refuses to acknowledge individuals who give them nice memories...I don’t understand it?”

“And who was the one who inspired this mental conversation with yourself, Nova…”

“Some officers,” Nova answered honestly. “The blonde officer who works in the main bridge in the far right corner, next to the man and communication board; the older officer who brings Hux his caff on routine, and the one that I speak to sometimes before we go to eat lunch. A few ‘troopers under Phasma, and Phasma as well… There’s Hux, and then there is you.”

Kylo’s body stiffened under her touch, and she nuzzled her face further into his neck. “You’ve shown me the good and bad memories of your past, Kylo - of when you went by Ben - of your parents and uncle. I see you hold on to the good memories, and I wish I could have something along the lines of those possessions.”

“Memories?”

“Family moments,” she said softly, almost tired. “People to call family...or to be accepted as something more. I don’t know…”

It took a few long, quiet minutes, both of them remained unmoving, before she felt Kylo’s large, warm hand slip cautiously up her spine and into her wet hair. Nova’s eyes fluttered at the soothing motions of his fingertips massaging her scalp, combing through her wet tresses and avoiding tangles from the conditioner she used. His affectionate gesture caused her to stretch her back and crane her neck upward, sighing softly into his ear when he gave a light kiss to her covered shoulder. Once his hand slid down to cradle her lower back, Nova leaned a bit off of him to meet his gaze.

“I think I often reflect on good memories of my past self,” he spoke softly, his thumb rubbing along her spine with the most gentle strokes, “because, if I had the choice, I somewhat desire to create more of those happy memories someday, with a new family.”

“How does one form a new family?” she asked with furrowed brows.

Swallowing, Kylo used his other hand to push her hair away from her shoulder, admiring the smooth, silky material of her sleepwear. He kept his stare on the careful stitching on the top’s shoulder. “The formation of marriage between two beings also forms a new family between them,” he told her carefully. “Unlike how Bavva III slaves would be claimed to one another from others around them, the real, original meaning of marriage is a form of union between two people…”

“Union,” Nova repeated and Kylo nodded, the corner of his lip twitch.

“Oftentimes, marriage is for love of one another to be bound together, and no one else could separate them, emotionally or physically. Some marriages are for gain in power among families, some for political uses. But...I know more of marriage as to being in love with someone and want to offer them everything beyond something to sell or physically hold.”

“It sounds rare,” Nova mused softly, her imagination soaring for Kylo to see behind closed eyes. “Rare, but very beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I believe so, yes.”

Smiling, Nova lifted her hands and rest one of her palms over his beating heart. The other began trailing light, ticklish touches between each mole and faded scars across the expanse of his bare, broad chest. Familiar with his bare chest and arms from all the times he lounged and slept shirtless, she wasn’t shy about leaning forward to his collarbone and resting her lips against the curve of his clavicle in the comfort of his arms around her body. She hummed against his skin affectionately at the feeling of his fingers continuing their gentle massage to her spine, all the way up to her neck.

“I think you can still have happy memories, Kylo,” she whispered to him, her lips brushing up his neck and feeling his pulse. “I think you can have whatever you like.”

“As I think you can too, love.” Turning his cheek, angling his chin just right by the time her mouth reached his jawline, Kylo brushed his lips against hers with careful measure. “Remember, you’re a free being now, you can do whatever you wish without consequence or anyone to stop you by command.”

Allowing him to give her a quick kiss, Nova thought it over carefully. Sensing her mind sparking with thought, Kylo pulled away far enough to speak. “Yes, no one can stop you from doing what you wish,” he smiled against the corner of her lips.

Nova made a soft noise, bumping her nose with his as she continued to contemplate the possibilities. Kylo chuckled, giving her another quick kiss before rubbing up and down her back.

“It’s best to just forget of what is in the past,” Kylo suggested as he carefully lifted her off his lap and proceeded to get up. “Think of the future.”

Nova blinked, eyes following him as he stood at his full height and stretched his back. “Let the past die?”

Kylo released his stretch, meeting her gaze as he processed it. “So long as I know I’m not who I once was - a slave who battled - and that I have no more restrictions held against me, it would be best to let the past die, right?” she suggested, trying to find the right words.

Hunching down, Kylo gently cupped her face with both hands and pressed a careful kiss to her forehead, then down to her cheek. “Perhaps, if that is for the best,” he agreed. “I’m going to take a bath, alright? Try not to think too hard about it, you’re just fine, Nova.”

Watching him leave to his refresher and closing the door, Nova hummed a bit and listened carefully for him to prepare his tub and the sloshes of water before getting up and approaching the door. Using her knuckle to knock once, she waited until the hatch hissed open to enter the brightly lit refresher with the scent of the bath mix of strong mint and herbs to handle back aches and muscle soreness.

With Kylo’s back to her, his arms resting on the rim of the large tub with his knees peeking from the colored water - a deep red - turned his head to see her approach him in a similar way of greeting him earlier. Watching her approach his back and wrap her arms around his naked neck and chest, Nova rest her cheek on his shoulder with closed eyes. Biting his lip, Kylo waited before lifting his hand to lightly brush the top of her head, fiddling with a lock of her hair.

“What are you doing now?” he asked, seeing her smile yet refusing to open her eyes.

“Letting the past die,” she told him. “Only bad past memories, though. I refuse to let go at how warm you are, and how I love the touch of your skin; it makes me feel better knowing that I now share a comfortable, soft bed with someone who holds me and keeps me warm willingly.”

“When I meant by past, I actually meant with what was bothering you, love,” he corrected himself, a short exhale of what seemed like a dry chuckle causing her to open her eyes. “Of the past of when you were a slave, or with your parents - it doesn’t matter now, which is not the past.”

“Still, I’m letting it go to thinking of what I can appreciate now,” she proclaimed rather proudly, her lips in a grin. “You’re warm and strong, and I like it when you hold me. I also like how your body looks.”

“My body?”

Nodding, Nova lifted her head to press her mouth against the soft patch of his skin between his collarbone and shoulder. “You have pretty marks on your skin, like the stars and planets outside the Supremacy, and the scars are like shooting stars or flying asteroids. Still warm and comfortable, despite how strong you are physically, you hold me like I’m fragile. I’ve never had that before, and it feels wonderful.”

“Not fragile, treasured,” he corrected. She smiled at that, and Kylo leaned in to kiss the shape of her ear with a simple brush of his lips. Nova turned head closer, giving him a chance to nuzzle her better. “Very, very treasured. A treasure I adore and love,” he whispered, just to feel her giggle against his skin as he nipped her ear affectionately.

A part of Nova’s heart felt the swell of warmth, having herself tuck this small, warm and sweet moment into a new slot of memories for her future.

Fun fact: As Mara was based off of Mara Jade, learning that Hux’s father’s wife was named Maratelle Hux, figured this would be an interesting twist on Hux and Nova’s relationship.

taglist: @ayatimascd @ymariejp @yippee-ki-yay-motherfucker460@formerly-anonhamster @rosalynbair @redhairedfeistynerd @imyourdreamwife @kyloxfem @goth-pigeon

Remember, if you would like to be tagged for future chapters, please don’t hesitate to message me! I’d be more than happy to add you. Thank you for reading and I hope to hear from you!

[williamlwolf89]

600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy

Power words are like a “cheat code” for boosting conversion rates. Sprinkle in a few, and you can transform dull, lifeless words into persuasive words that compel readers to take action.

And the best part:

You can use them anywhere.

In this post, you’ll learn how to use power words like a kung fu master. Specifically:

The definition of power words (and why they’re so powerful);

The 7 types of power words proven to increase conversions;

Examples of how bloggers, writers, and businesses are using power words to boost conversions;

600+ powerful words you can use, bookmark, and reference (again and again).

Download All 600+ Power Words(in one handy, free PDF)

Let’s jump in.

What are Power Words?

Power words are persuasive, descriptive words that trigger a positive or negative emotional response. They can make us feel scared, encouraged, aroused, angry, greedy, safe, or curious. Authors, copywriters, and content marketers use “power words” to spice up their content and compel audiences to take action.

Clear as mud?

Let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill. All the power words are underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something.

In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident.

Power Words = Emotional Words Packed with Persuasion

Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words drenched in sensory details, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

And it goes beyond speakers and storytellers.

Email marketing messages, resumes, copywriting, blog posts, infographics, step-by-step tutorials, sales copy, inspirational quotes, content marketing, and proposals are all designed to influence the reader in some way. You want to pass along information, yes, but you also want the reader to feel a certain way about that information.

Maybe you want to impress them, get them excited, make them cautious, get them angry, encourage them to keep going, or any number of emotions. The better a job you do at making them feel, the more influential you are, and the better your chances of getting what you want.

So…

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe add a little personality or pizzazz — that extra little “oomph” that makes your reader pay attention?

Want to bring your ideas to life, to make them take up residence in the mind of the reader, lurking in the background, tugging, pulling, and cajoling their emotions until they think and feel exactly as you want?

Then you need to infuse your content with power words.

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The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Fear Power Words

Encouragement Power Words

Lust Power Words

Anger Power Words

Greed Power Words

Safety Power Words

Forbidden Power Words

We’ve organized our power words into seven different types, which all accomplish the same goal: Each elicits emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why these words work.

1. Fear Power Words

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Fear Words

Here’s an example of a blog post headline here at Smart Blogger that utilizes three different fear words:

Open it and you’re greeted by this fear-packed introduction:

I was in agony.

Waves of pain unimaginable shot down my spine, causing every muscle in my body to contract as if I’d been shocked with 20,000 volts of electricity. My back arched up at an unnatural angle. My arms and legs began to shake.

One moment, I was on a webinar talking to a few hundred people about traffic, walking them through exactly how to start a blog and make it popular. The next, everything went dark. I was still conscious, but just barely.

Pretty effective, right?

If you’d like to sprinkle fear power words into your writing, here are a bunch to get you started:

Agony Lunatic Apocalypse Lurking Armageddon Massacre Assault Meltdown Backlash Menacing Beating Mired Beware Mistake Blinded Murder Blood Nightmare Bloodbath Painful Bloodcurdling Pale Bloody Panic Blunder Peril Bomb Piranha Buffoon Pitfall Bumbling Plague Cadaver Played Catastrophe Plummet Caution Plunge Collapse Poison Corpse Poor Crazy Prison Cripple Pummel Crisis Pus Danger Reckoning Dark Refugee Deadly Revenge Death Risky Deceiving Scary Destroy Scream Devastating Searing Disastrous Shame Doom Shatter Drowning Shellacking Dumb Shocked Embarrass Silly Fail Slaughter Feeble Slave Fired Strangle Fool Stupid Fooled Suicide Frantic Tailspin Frightening Tank Gambling Targeted Gullible Teetering Hack Terror Hazardous Terrorist Hoax Torture Holocaust Toxic Horrific Tragedy Hurricane Trap Injure Vaporize Insidious Victim Invasion Volatile IRS Vulnerable Jail Warning Jeopardy Worry Lawsuit Wounded Looming Cringeworthy Last chance Fugacious

2. Encouragement Power Words

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired.

And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Encouragement Words

Here’s an example email from Mirasee:

With two encouraging words — life-changing and magic — in one subject, it’s an email that stands out in most inboxes.

Want to give your readers a pep talk and get them charged up again? Want to encourage them?

Use these persuasive words:

Amazing Jubilant Ascend Legend Astonishing Life-changing Astounding Magic Audacious Marvelous Awe-inspiring Master Awesome Mind-blowing Backbone Miracle Badass Miraculous Beat Noble Belief Perfect Blissful Persuade Bravery Phenomenal Breathtaking Pluck Brilliant Power-up Celebrate Praise Cheer Prevail Colossal Remarkable Command Revel Conquer Rule Courage Score Daring Seize Defeat Sensational Defiance Spectacular Delight Spine Devoted Spirit Dignity Splendid Dominate Spunk Effortless Staggering Empower Strengthen Epic Striking Excellent Strong Excited Stunning Extraordinary Stunt Eye-opening Supreme Fabulous Surprising Faith Terrific Fantastic Thrive Fearless Thwart Ferocious Titan Fierce Tough Force Triumph Fulfill Tremendous Glorious Unbeatable Glory Unbelievable Graceful Unforgettable Grateful Unique Grit Unleash Guts Uplifting Happy Valiant Heart Valor Hero Vanquish Honor Victory Hope Win Incredible Wonderful Jaw-dropping Wondrous Kudos Brighten Lovable Radiant Flawless Classy Affable Stupendous Virtuoso Cheery Openhearted Jovial Beauteous Logophile

3. Lust Power Words

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything.

As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Lust Words

See if you can spot the lust words in this headline from Cosmopolitan:

Okay, the orange underlines probably give it away, but my hunch is you didn’t need them.

Power words like captivating and love jump off the page. And if you use them properly, they can stir all sorts of emotions in your readers’ heads.

Here’s a lascivious list of descriptive words to get you started:

Allure Naughty Arouse Nude Bare Obscene Begging Orgasmic Beguiling Passionate Brazen Pining Captivating Pleasure Charm Provocative Cheeky Racy Climax Raunchy Crave Risque Delight Rowdy Delirious Salacious Depraved Satisfy Desire Saucy Dirty Scandalous Divine Seduce Ecstasy Seductive Embrace Sensual Enchant Sex Enthralling Shameless Entice Sinful Entrance Sleazy Excite Sleeping Explicit Spank Exposed Spellbinding Fascinate Spicy Forbidden Steamy Frisky Stimulating Goosebumps Strip Hanker Sweaty Heavenly Tantalizing Hottest Taste Hypnotic Tawdry Impure Tease Indecent Tempting Intense Thrilling Intoxicating Tickle Itching Tight Juicy Tingle Kinky Turn on Kiss Unabashed Lascivious Uncensored Lewd Untamed Lick Untouched Lonely Urge Longing Voluptuous Love Vulgar Lure Wanton Luscious Wet Lush Whip Lust Wild Mischievous X-rated Mouth-watering Yearning Naked Yummy Sneak peek

4. Anger Power Words

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it.

The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Anger Words

The authors of this Forbes headline don’t pull any punches:

I didn’t realize some people get angry over business jargon, but apparently it’s a thing. And this headline, undoubtedly, had such people frothing at the mouth.

If you want to connect with people’s anger and slowly but surely work them into a frenzy, use the power words below.

Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂

Abhorrent Money-grubbing Abuse Nasty Annoying Nazi Arrogant No good Ass kicking Obnoxious Backstabbing Oppressive Barbaric Pain in the ass Bash Payback Beat down Perverse Big mouth Pesky Blatant Pest Brutal Phony Bullsh*t Pissed off Bully Pollute Cheat Pompous Clobber Pound Clown Preposterous Cocky Pretentious Corrupt Punch Coward Punish Crooked Rampant Crush Ravage Curse Repelling Debase Repugnant Defile Revile Delinquent Revolting Demolish Rotten Desecrate Rude Disgusting Ruined Dishonest Ruthless Distorted Savage Evil Scam Exploit Scold Force-fed Sick and tired Foul Sink Freaking out Slam Full of sh*t Slander Greedy Slap Gross Slay Harass Smash Hate Smear High and mighty Smug Horrid Sniveling Infuriating Snob Jackass Snooty Kick Snotty Kill Spoil Knock Stuck up Knock out Suck Know it all Terrorize Lies Trash Livid Trounce Loathsome Tyranny Loser Underhanded Lying Up to here Maul Useless Misleading Violate Lollygag Quixotic

5. Greed Power Words

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either saving or making money.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Greed Words

Its explicit and implicit use of greed words makes this popular book from Dave Ramsey a great example:

“Money” is hard to miss — it’s probably the ultimate greed word and it’s sitting there in capital letters.

But a title like “Total Money Makeover” also implies another greed word (even though it doesn’t directly state it): money-saving.

(It also gets bonus points for using the safety power word “proven”, which we’ll discuss in a moment.)

If you want to stomp on your readers’ greed glands, use these power words:

Bank Jackpot Bargain Lowest price Best Luxurious Billion Marked down Bonanza Massive Booked solid Money Cash Money-draining Cheap Money-saving Costly Nest egg Discount Pay zero Dollar Prize Double Profit Explode Quadruple Extra Reduced Feast Rich Fortune Savings Free Six-figure Freebie Skyrocket Frenzy Soaring Frugal Surge Gift Treasure Golden Triple Greatest Waste High-paying Wealth Inexpensive Whopping

6. Safety Power Words

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver, and they need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Safety Words

On the landing page for one of our Smart Blogger courses, we use power words to make sure our customers feel safe:

In addition to “legitimate” and “guaranteed” in the screenshot above, our landing page is sprinkled with numerous safety words:

Money-back

Results

Refund

Proven

Risk-free

They work for us, and they can work for you.

Help your customers feel safe by using as many of these power words as possible:

Above and beyond Privacy Anonymous Professional Authentic Protected Automatic Proven Backed Recession-proof Bankable Refund Best-selling Reliable Cancel anytime Research Certified Results Clockwork Risk-free Endorsed Rock-solid Foolproof Science-backed Guaranteed Scientific Ironclad Secure Legitimate Sure-fire Lifetime Survive Money-back Tested No obligation That never fails No questions asked Thorough No risk Trustworthy No strings attached Try before you buy No-fail Unconditional Official Verify Permanent World-class Guilt-free

7. Forbidden Power Words

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

How to Crank Up Emotion with Forbidden Words

This Ahrefs article tempts you with its headline:

What’s the “secret”? Only one way to find out.

Whenever you want to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:

Ancient Lost Backdoor Never seen before Banned Off the record Behind the scenes Off-limits Black Market Outlawed Blacklisted Private Bootleg Restricted Censored Sealed Classified Secret Cloak and dagger Smuggled Concealed Strange Confessions Tried to hide Confidential Unauthorized Controversial Uncensored Covert Under wraps Cover-up Undercover Exotic Underground Forbidden Under-the-table Forgotten Undisclosed From the vault Unexpected Hidden Unlock Hush-hush Unreachable Illegal Unspoken Insider Unveiled Little-known Withheld

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Now that we’ve looked at the different types of power words (and gone over a few quick examples), let’s go over all the different places you can use them:

Powerful Words in Action: 14 Places Where Strong Words Can Help You

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-In Boxes

Homepage

Business Names/Blog Names

Product Names

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Button Copy (Call to Action)

Author Bios

YouTube Videos

Book Titles

1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any blogger who’s been in the game for a while knows the headline is the most important part of writing your blog post.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of your content. If your headline fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their tweets and social media feeds.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.)

The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer.”

Here’s one from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits.

This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

Last one:

This headline from our How to Make Money Writing: 5 Ways to Get Paid to Write in 2020 post incorporates two greed words: “money” and “get paid.”

It’s one of our most-popular posts, and its headline’s use of power words is a big reason why.

2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Too many writers overlook the value of subheads, which is a mistake. Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention.

Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on E-book mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads grab your attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

Adding one or two power words to your subheads will compel readers to stick around longer, which will increase your dwell time — a big deal in Google’s eyes.

3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only a handful of readers bother to open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning,” do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The power phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try to add a power word to your subject line so it stands out in readers’ inboxes.

4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do it is by converting readers into subscribers.

That means — unless you’re using a blogging platform like Medium which doesn’t allow them — you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website.

You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t give it away to just anyone.

(Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

As an example, here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoided feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s understated, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

In short:

If you’re not using power words in your opt-in boxes, you’re missing out.

Big time.

5. Using Power Words on Your Homepage

Your homepage is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who visit your website will see this page first, so you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their homepage to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as a red carpet — welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your homepage is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave (never to return).

Look at this value proposition on the homepage for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds,” “Misfits,” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate it from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong,” “Healthy,” and “Permanently.”

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s homepage:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage.

You can use it in other parts of the homepage too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list:

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Having a forgettable name is poison to your website’s growth. So when you start a blog, you want to make sure you have a name people can easily recall.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding), you should use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands out there.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else about it. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

8. Using Power Words on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your e-commerce products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is followed by emotion-packed subheads:

And he even uses power words in his guarantee:

9. Using Power Words in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a huge list of reasons you should sign up to their email list. And many case studies use bullet lists to quickly summarize information.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through them.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these lists wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

11. Using Power Words in Button Copy and CTA (Call to Action)

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too — even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free” (as in the example below):

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate,” “Money Back,” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

Here’s an example from Tim Ferris:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing — like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site.

Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog (or write a paid article as a freelancer), your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

As an example, here’s the author bio from Henneke Duistermaat in her post on overcoming writer’s block:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each perfect word for maximum impact.

Here’s another example from Sarah Peterson’s post on blog ads:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free,” “Reveal,” and “Begging.”

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

13. Using Power Words on YouTube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on YouTube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles.

All the biggest YouTube channels do this.

They understand most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feeds, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention. If you want your video to stand out and be the one they choose to watch, your title has to be captivating.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting,” “Punishment,” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars, and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting.” It’s another smart trick many YouTube channels use to stand out more in YouTube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid,” his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views it’s received).

14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better.

With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before.

You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Here’s another:

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power.

The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

One more:

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open and read it in one go.

The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.

Back to Top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Powerful Words Did I Miss?

They’re known by many names…

Emotion words. Good words. Strong words. Powerful words, creative words, fancy words, sensory words, trigger words, smart words, feeling words, descriptive words, impactful words, interesting words, positive words, unique words, and even — yes, seriously — awesome words.

But whatever you call them; smart, attractive people such as yourself have mastered the strategic use of power words and use them every day to pack their writing with emotion so they can increase conversions.

Yes, this is an enormous list of words, but with so many power words available, you’d need a thesaurus or Word of the Day dictionary to catch every single word on the first pass. (Plus, new words seem to be added to the English language every day.)

What are some other good words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the power words list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive “cheat sheet” of favorite power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy appeared first on Smart Blogger.

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If Issei participated in the Holy Grail War

Updated this one! 

So this is going to take some liberties of course, but basically this is what Issei would have been like, and how I think he’d affect the Holy Grail War. This will be more if he was from a magical family, less like Shirou who only knew small magic and became a master because of his father.

Firstly, Ryuudouji Temple. It lays on a leyline, which means that you’ll summon stronger spirits. It’s also one of the points where the Holy Grail appears.  Furthermore, it’s pretty secluded—something that many masters value, like the Einzberns. So, for a magical family to control the temple, they must be very powerful and respected, like the Tohsakas, who’s house is in a similar spot.

Therefore, one can say that the Ryuudou family are likely an older magical family, with a long lineage and high respect in the city. They are likely younger or newer to Fuyuki than the Tohsakas, as they control the city and every magical family must ask to settle there, but they must be friends for the Tohsakas to give them such a nice place to settle down.

To survive the dwindling importance of mages, the family sets up a temple, acting like monks to explain their distance from the city and their weirder hobbies. To be successful they specialize in healing magic and making crafts (similar to Medea’s crafting ability) to bestow luck. Thus, while they are one of the key families in the game, because of their specialization in healing magic and crafting, they are regarded as weaker compared to the First Three families. However, in other wars, they are the first families to side with another family, as their healing proves very useful in the war.

So, now that we’ve got all that down. Now to Issei.

Except not. In Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, we learn that Issei is the second son in the family. So, this means that Issei’s older brother must have not been born with the gift of magic. This might be because Issei’s mother isn’t as talented as Aoi at birthing mages, or maybe Ryuudouji temple is starting to dwindle in magical power. Nevertheless, his brother does not learn of magic, and instead is trained to become the head monk once his father passes away. This leaves Issei to train more for magic.

Issei is thus born with magic ability. From what we know about Issei in the games, we know that he is very diligent and would likely love learning magic and practicing his skills, similarly to Tohsaka Rin. He would watch by his father when he did his healing, and would spend his nights making trinkets to increase his luck, improve his health and his grades. I love the idea of younger Issei giving one of these to Shirou, and that’s one of the reasons why Shirou has so much plot armour. With this, Issei likely dabbled in many forms of magic, but ultimately sticking with crafting and healing, as that was what he learned the most of. 

Issei is trained to be a mage and a monk, but his final training comes when Souichirou Kuzuki appears at the temple seeking refuge. Souichirou teaches Issei martial arts and becomes a strong fighter, able to take down Shirou on the rare occasion Shirou asks to fight him.

When the Fifth Holy Grail war starts, we have this great competition. Rin versus Issei. While Rin is a much stronger mage, Issei has his monk and martial training to compensate. Many players consider these two to be the key players in this Holy Grail War—whoever beats the other wins the grail. This fits with their competitive natures, and I originally thought Issei was a master simply because of how much Rin/Issei interaction we got in the prologue. Also, I feel like these two would be very interesting for Kirei, and he would funnel resources into the both of them to make this war much more fascinating, like he does for Shinji in UBW.

So, what would Issei want for the holy grail? I think, considering his personality, he’d probably either want to access the Root, or simply to win. Issei would be the perfect foil for Rin, both of them wishing them same things, but because of a mutual hatred for the other, they would refuse to work together. The root would tickle his intellectual self, while winning would restore some of the shame his family had undergone in the last couple of wars (similarly to the Einzenberns).

Then, Issei’s servant. Now, for him to be in the war, he’d have to replace one of the masters. Thus, I have three possibilities: replace Souichirou, replace Shinji, or Medea doesn’t summon Assassin. 

Now, for Souichirou first. I really dislike taking him out of the war, because then there would be so many kids in the war. 5 out of 7 masters would be kids (Shirou, Rin, Issei, Illya and Shinji/Sakura). Souichirou was so interesting and important (especially in UBW) because he was an adult fighting against a bunch of kids, he had lived through much more than these kids, was a trained killer, and thus he didn’t value human life as much as Shirou does. This also opens up a seventh master, as Caster would not control Assassin. Hassan would be in the picture, and it’s interesting who could control him. Maybe Sakura kicks Shinji out and Hassan sides with him for revenge? Maybe Kotomine summons him and thus Bazzett is a player in the war? Maybe Zouken sides with him, similarly to Heaven’s Feel? But, if Issei takes his place, then for a Caster, I see two choices. The easy one would be Issei to summon Saver instead, who is Buddha. However, if he was to stick to a Caster, I’d like one of the Sohei, a group of warrior monks, to be his servant. They were important players in the Warring Kingdom times, and it would be more likely for Issei to have a relic relating to monks than anything else.

So, if he replaces Shinji.  This would put Issei against his teacher, which would be an interesting topic to delve into. Maybe they would team up? If so, they would be really strong. So who would be his rider? Like the Sohei, someone from the Warring Kingdoms period would a great fit, and a couple come to mind. Tokugawa Ieyasu or Oda Nobunaga would be great picks, but they would likely pose a more Rider-Waver relationship as the servant would be so much greater than the master, which I don’t think Issei would like. Therefore, I think Toyotomi Hideyoshi would be a good Rider for Issei.

Finally, if Medea never summons Assassin. Maybe by this point Assassin has already been summoned by Issei, or maybe Medea never decides to summon him. Part of me really wants Kojiro to be summoned again - maybe the temple is such a perfect catalyst, or maybe something goes wrong in the summoning and Kojiro shows up instead of Hassan. It’s upsetting that we don’t actually get to see how those two would have interacted, but I love head canons where Issei grows old and dates his ghost samurai boyfriend. If he summons a hassan, the No Name Hassan from f/sf or Hassan Lily would be good picks for me. These servants would probably help him get over Rin. 

Ultimately I just want his servant to be like Souichirou. From F/HA we know that Issei really looks up to him, and if his servant was similar, it would be very sweet (especially if in this world, Souichirou doesn’t participate).

For either Rider/Issei or Assassin/Issei, we could have a strong pairing of Issei and Souichirou with their servants. Imagine that!

Finally, how would Issei do? As there are three routes it’s hard to say, but I’ll put two possibilities.

Either Issei continues to be a foil for Tohsaka and survives until there are only three masters left (four if Kirei/Gil) or he dies early, similarly to basically everyone in Heaven’s Feel. If Issei survives until the end, this could push Shirou to choose who he would side with, as I believe he would want to side with both. If he dies early, this would likely be because of a small miscalculation, underestimating someone, or Kirei being Kirei. If this happens, it would help Rin seem much stronger, and prove why she’s such a great master, which thus then pushes the Kiritsugu way of being a mage versus the Tokiomi way of being a mage. And ultimately there is the ending where he and Kojiro win, they grow old and gay together, live happily ever after. 

But yeah, that’s my thoughts. This is simply if Issei was from a mage family, as I think he would be in a lot worse of a position if he was thrust into the mage world like Shirou. I really love Issei’s character in the series and wished that he had become a master in the game, sadly that wasn’t the case. 

I will be writing some more on my take of what a Issei route would be like, now that I know how that would likely go. 

Thanks for reading!