#anyway the big part of me no likey is that. i CAN do it clearly.

[autism-corner]

hate

[popculturebuffet]

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck: The Last of the Clan McDuck!  Review “It Was Worth THE Dime”

This is one of my faviorite comic book stories of all time. Given i’m a massive comics nerd, for both books and strips, that is the highest praise I can give this wonderful, epic, beautifully drawn and deeply emotoinal story. I first discovered it in the local library that had the second volume, and found the rest online at a now long dead fan site. And while it took me longer than I care to admit to really dig into Duck Comics, and even now i’ve only scratched the surface, I can say without a doubt this story is the reason I’m so deeply attached to Scrooge as a character, and that I was excited as  I was for Ducktales 2017. This comic showed me just what Scrooge McDuck should be at his core as a character, and showed me what a wonderful character that is. So with all that glowing praise as you can guess i’ve been wanting to cover this for years, and even considered though back when I was more primarily a comic book reviewer last year. Any time i’ve reviewed stuff before now, i’ve considered it, and with Scrooge’s Sisters Hortense and Matilda presumably and definitely debuting on Ducktales soon, and it’s about damn time, the timing could not be better or clearer to dig into this utter triumph.  But before we can take a look at the story itself we naturally have to take a look at the man behind it: Writer and Artist Don Rosa. Don Rosa is easily one of the best Duck Comics writer out there, seen by many as only second to his own faviorite duck comics writer and God of Ducks, Carl Barks. For those 1 of you who do not know, Barks was the man who created pretty much everything in the duck universe comics wise and a bit in animation too: He created Daisy, Scrooge, Gladstone, Magica, The Beagle Boys, The Junior Woodchucks, Gyro, Little Bulb, Glomgold, Rockerduck, and the list goes on. While he didn’t make EVERY duck, he made so many that it’d be impossible to imagine either version of Ducktales being possible without him.  So of course Rosa was a fan and while he took up the family buisness, he was also an artist and duck comics fanboy on the side. So when, even if it meant a paycut, the opportunity to actually write and draw them came up, he lept at it and thus became one of their publishers go to guys, even if said publisher published the stories overseas where the Duck Comics are far more popular and still going to this day, and ironically where most duck comics printed nowadays get their stories from. Rosa was known for his meticous historical research and gorgeous art that he took his time drawing to get just perfect and showed on the page. The man has easily some of hte best and most detailed duck art around and I still haven’t found a duck artist that can match him.. and if you have or found one close i’d genuinely love to see that. He is a genuinely talented, spirited guy who was sadly mistreated by disney and that, coupled with tragically failing eyesight, eventually ended his career. He’s still around and I genuinely hope to meet him some day as he still does conventions.  The man is not without fault: I don’t get his hatred of superhero comics, as while I get them overshadowing funnybooks and that around the time of his career they were in decline, but it’s just as unfair to write off Superhero comics as mindless.  garbage as it is for people to write off the Duck Comics as “only for kids” and I genuinely wish he’d see that and see how the medium has evolved so much since then. I also grumble a bit as his refusal to allow anything besides barks into his bubble, and having to be forced to include fethry on the family tree, but that’s more personal preference. I like using as much material as you got. IT’s why i’ve wanted to, and hopefully will eventually get around to, write a sonic fanfic using bits of all the various universes that for legal, ken penders being an absolute waste of a human being, and sega being stupid reasons can’t be used anymore. I like taking everything in a franchise and putting it in a blender and it’s why I love the reboot. But there’s nothing wrong with taking things as is, not stepping on toes canon wise, but still being awesome. We’re just diffrent people and that’s okay.  And a lot of his fanboy showing actually lead to REALLY good things: Goldie O’Gilt was a one off character, and while used ocasoinally overseas, didn’t really pick up as a character again until a combination of Ducktales 87 and Rosa’s work with her, as he always loved the character, and fleshing her out lead to her being used more, and gaining a sizeable fandom. He also gained the Cablleros an even bigger fandom by giving them two stories of their own, and fleshing them out a bit more.  And this very comic is the peak of that, taking EVERY mention of scrooge’s past from various backstories to set up adventures, every tiny scrap, and to his credit going to both Barks Himself and various other Barks Experts Rosa was friends with to check his work, especially difficult given he likey had to find these stories in issue or pullt hem from disney archives, and complied it into one long epic that not only uses all this info effortlessly, but spins a compelling story that gives us a clear vision of what Scrooge should be, how he became the man he is, and how he lost himself only to find himself again with the help of three precocious boys and a cynical 30 something duck. So taint all bad is what i’m saying.  As for how this got started, thankfully rosa himself provided the origin story for this project in the back of the volume of his works that contained the first 7 chapters of life and times, as well as detailed notes for every chapter. At the time Rosa was working for Egmont, the big european publisher who handles Disney’s much larger european comics market, hence why most of his stories appeared years earlier in Europe before debuting here. The american publisher at the time , and an old friend of his, called Rosa with an idea: A 12 issue Maxi-Series focusing on Scrooge’s history, since at the time they were all the rage.. and really even today mini series are still a viable market and many indie titles just have several minis instead of an ongoing. So it wasn’t a bad idea, Rosa just simply offered a tweak: He’d tell his publisher at Egmont about the idea, and let her get a crack team of writers and artists to do this proper, and thus Disney could publish it for free once it was done and for no extra cost. Rosa gave his publisher a fax detaling both the idea and the fact that it needed to be done right, given to the best person possible, and done with the greatest care. She agreed.. and naturally handed it to him, as he admits he hoped. She made the right call, a legend was born and here we are.  One last bit before the read more and before I get to the first story itself at last: Since barks wrote a lot of side stories that fit into the canon, I COULD slot them in between chapters, but have instead chosen to review the original 12 part story as was, and do the various side stories and two epilogues, the utterly fantastic “Dream of a Life Time”, easiliy one of my faviorite comics ever, and the also really great “Letter From Home”, which will likely on some level be the basis for the upcoming at the time of this review “Battle for Castle McDuck!”, after completing the story. In other words i’m probably going to be at this for years. so join me under the read more won’t you as I begin the journey of a thousand miles with a single step as we look at the humble start of a legend. 

We begin, after a fun short teaser with present Day scrooge saying his past is no one’s buisness only to get hit with an oh yeah?,  with a scrap book title for the issue, something I want to bring up since while I got that’s what it was what I never got, and  must’ve glanced over when I first read rosa’s notes when I got this copy, was that it isn’t SCROOGE’S scrap book, but his sister Matilda’s who dutifully and happily catologued her brother’s adventures. It’s a really sweet moment.. and something that will hit VERY hard when we reach Chapter 11. If you haven’t read this story or heard of it.. .that’s this story’s equilvent of “Last Crash of the Sunchaser” and clearly Frank and Matt drew from that story a bit for it, but we can get more into the parallels when we get there. A smaller but fun note is that Rosa had specific coin drawing templates, for different indentions and what not he used, and used them for the coins in these intro bits. Yes he admitted he has a problem and yes that’s damn impressive anyway. 

It’s Scrooge’s 10th birthday, and his father Fergus has taken him up to see the family land, Dismal Downs to tell him of the mighty Clan McDuck and show him the ancestral lands, graveyards and Castle. He admits to having taken this long because the Clan McDuck currently lives in Glasgow so it’s kind of a long trip just to show your son “Hey look at the decay and rot that’s our ancestral homeland”. The Clan is on hard times, as a bad shipping deal, the backbone of a rather good barks story and I wont’ be interjecting for every barks reference as it’d get rather tiring though for what it’s worth Rosa provided tons of detailed footnotes in the back of each Fantagraphics collection, so good on him. Speaking of which though they do include 10 pages of Mc Duck family history that was supposed to open this story.. until Rosa’s editor wisely pointed out the story isn’t about them but scrooge and having read his roug draft, yeah.. there’s a good gag here and there, as well as “Dirty” Dingus McDuck, scrooge’s Grandpa and the reason Dewey is cursed with that middle name. Why anyone thought Dingus was a good name is beyond me, nor why Donald thought that was a good middle name back in 2009 is again, beyond me. Good on Don though for getting that past the censors.  But yeah with no money they can’t buy the land back and they were scared off it years ago by a mystical ghost dog, the hound of the whiskervilles. There is treasure in the castle, Sir Quackly’s gold, but he accidently sealed himself into a wall while sealing his treasure in there. Their interrupted by the town assholes, the Whiskervilles who have been grazing sheep on the land and are naturally behind the hound, using the sound of it to scare off Fergus once they realize he’s a McDuck. Because apparently you can keep a Scooby Doo style hoax up for Centuries if you don’t have meddling kids around. Who knew.  Back in Glasgow, we meet the rest of Scrooge’s family: His Uncle Jake, his sisters Matilda and Hortense, and his mother Downy. Jake hasn’t really been mentioned at all in Ducktales and I know next to nothing about him, which given I share a name with the guy you’d THINK I would. I mean I know a decent amount about this Jake. 

But nothing about who the hell Jake McDuck is or why he lives with his brother and his family. Here, you guys watch the dancing Jake, i’m going to probably do that for hours after this review is done, i’m going to go sort this out.  Okay one google and finding the Scrooge Mcduck wiki page on him, Jake shows up here likely because he was referenced in the story “A Christmas For Shacktown” and apparently borrowed from Scrooge and never paid it back. Otherwise.. there’s not a lot about him and unlike the rest of Scrooge’s family he really dosen’t do much that I can remember. Except like 2017 Scrooge, he apparently has become extremely long lived, as Scrooge and Donald STILL think he’s alive in the 1950′s.. and likely is STILL alive in some form in the Don Rosa stories, given his take place after Barks and thus in the 40′s and 50′s where Barks stories were set. Hence why unlike the Reboot, Scrooge isn’t inexpecilbly over 210. But Jake McDuck sure as heck is. Maybe this highlander is a highlander.. you know the movie and tv show type. Maybe someone cut off his head. That’s what i’m going with.

This does bring me to another point about this story: While Barks gave all of scrooge’s family their names, it’s where Rosa got them after all, it’s Rosa who really made them into characters. Fergus as a loving father ashamed his family legacy has fallen and wanting his son to do better than him, Downy as an equally loving wife and mother, Matilda as his sweet and caring sister and later her brother’s moral center, and Hortense.. well here she’s just a babbling baby but her character will become clear and glorious as we go. She is adorable here though and we do get some great bits with her.  Getting back to the plot now i’ve made my points, Jake is riled up wanting to understandably kick the Whiskerville’s asses with Scrooge, who even as a sweet innocent ten year old still has the family temper already, agreeing.. but Downy gently shoots them out pointing that two middle aged-ish men and a 10-year old just aren’t enough to fight an army of them and while she doesn’t mention it the fight would just tire them out for work and accomplish nothing as while it is the McDuck’s land the combination of the hound and the lack of money to move back means it’s pointless. She also mentions their younger brother Pothole, who went to America. This will be important later. 

Scrooge storms off and Fergus laments, in a scene that’s more painful the more I think about it, how his clan has fallen, with he and his brother lamenting their chances at glory are long gone.. but Fergus has hope his son can do better, and for his son’s birthday makes him a shoeshine kit in the hopes of inspiring him to greatness. This scene still resonates since many of us are poor, struggling and not doing so good money wise. I’m sure many parents have doubts and regrets about not being able to do more for their kid.

 Not only that but the story carefully avoids the trap of Fergus accidently being abusive by you know, pinning his family’s future on one 10 year old. While yes he is asking a lot of Scrooge, to restore their family name.. it’s very clear he mostly just wants his son to do better than him. Even if Scrooge was just slightly more successful, Fergus would likely be happy with that. He’s not using the legacy as a “This what you must be” like say the Gems in steven universe did for Steven with Rose’s Legacy, the kind where it sort of suffocates you till youc an make it your own. He’s just saying “this is what you can be” He believes his child can be great and simply once him to reach his full potetial and is simply giving him a means to hopefully do so, a simple home made shoe shine kit. While Jake scoffs, the narration notes the idea isn’t worth a dime.. it’s worth THE dime. The dime that would set Scrooge’s destiny in motion. 

The next morning, Fergus goes to check up on his son and his new buisness but Scroogey’s having no luck and about ready to just quit, the poor child. Also Matilda is dragging her baby sister around like a doll and it’s entirely precious as it is funny. 

But as for those Dorty Boots, Matilda wonders why her dad dosen’t just tell Scrooge that Burt the Ditch Digger is coming. Fergus tells her to quite and then explains his plan: he’s sending Burt to scrooge, with an American dime Fergus and Matilda found, to teach his son a lesson: By giving him a hard days work, he’ll teach him what hard work truly means.. and by having Burt “cheat” him with the American dime, it’ll give him the motivation to keep going and to nto be as wide eyed and trusting. It’s a well meaning if harsh lesson, and the kind you’d expect from 1900′s parenting and fits the origin well: Scrooge still earned his first money square, as he still did work.. but his getting cheated being a lesson dosen’t diminish what it taught scrooge, and helps flesh out what I talked about above, Fergus knowing his son has great potential he just needs inspiration to reach it. And instead of just telling him that he does a con job but it’s the 1900′s. This orign, and Fergus’ part in it would be entirely untouched in Ducktales 2017, the first scrooge based adaptation since this comic came out, and I bless them for it. Frank even said this comic was used as a bible by the writers and while theirs clear deviations, and we’ll get to that, they were mainly done for good reason, and it’s very clear that while scrooge’s history is very VERY diffrent in the reboot, the core of his past is still there. 

So the plan is on and young scrooge spends half an hour killing himself to get Burt’s shoes clean before getting his dime.. and realizing he’s been had, makes this proud decleration that will be the bedrock of his entire life and character. 

Scrooge being naturally stubborn as you can see takes his cheats a leson: There will always be hard honest work, and he will be there to do it and he’ll be tougher and sharper than anyone trying to cheat him out of his pay. Fergus’ plan has the intended effect, and Scrooge having learned a hard lesson now has the drive and determination we know him for. As for why it gives it to him.. I had to think on it a bit but it makes sense: For some a setback like this would make them quit.. for Scrooge it’s just proof he CAN find customers, he CAN do this job, or any at his hardest and instead takes this as a lesson to be prepared ot out think and outfight anyone who dares cheat him again, and to not earn his money by being the kind of guy who cheats a kid out of an honest days pay, but as a good honest duck like his father and his father before him. =He will make his money square so he can be the kind of person this seeming stranger SHOULD have been. Granted we’ll see Scrooge doesn’t end up as the best person at times but .. we’ll get there.  So with the fire inside turned from a spark into the flame Scrooge soon got to work, and by the next panel we see he’s eventually worked his stand up from a small box given to him by his dad, to a three seater shoeshining bench, who he wipes all at once by stretching one of his mother’s girldes over a light pole, a detail I didn’t get the first time around but now love. Naturally being a good kind boy much like his Nephews, Scrooge always gave his proud father a portion of his earnings, if with a full receipt for tax purposes. Because he’s still scrooge after all. His dad wonders he did too good a job while Hortense glxbit’s in agreement. 

As the years go on, a now tween Scrooge is eventually able to save up for a horse cart, and starts selling Fire Wood up in the city. He eventually realizes Peat, an earthy subtance found in bogs I only know about because I had to look it up for this review, is more profitable and with some snappy marketing moves into selling Peat for the rich instead, also showing the young lad already has a grasp of how to sell to obnoxious rich people. 

But while his business is booming, our young hero can’t resist visiting his family’s ancestral home and longing for it, hoping one day to have it for himself and in a nice show of how despite his temper and tenacity forged over the last few years he’s still at hear the kind, sweet optimistic lad he was just a few pages ago, he decides to tidy up the Clan’s Cemetary while he’s here. 

Unfortunately as proof that Donald and Della’s terrible luck comes from both sides of the family the Whiskervilles are sub-glomgold levels of human beings.. or Dogfaces in this case, and are digging up the McDuck Clan’s graves to hunt for treasure. Scrooge tries to simply do the smart thing and flee, but the asshole brigade catch sight of him and mistkaing him for a peat burgalar chase after him.. and spend WAY too much time and energy chasing a teenage boy over some fucking bog grass you clearly aren’t selling yourselves. I mean spare a thought for how dumb this is: They could easily sell of of that peat to put up a fence or chop down some trees to get the material if their really that concerned about someone getting in the bog. Then again this isn the 1800 and 1900′s where the child death toll was simply “Yes”, so they likely thought whose gonna notice one more dead child on our property?

Scrooge heads toward the castle and is gestured in by a friendly mystery duck who gladly shows him around and can tell he’s a McDuck just by look, showing the castle is still in glorious condition as the whiskervilles are too spooked to go in, hence why they didn’t chase Scrooge inside. I’d say being afraid of ghosts but not murdering a child is weird but these are the same guys who thought murdering a child was plan A. We’re not dealing with a brain trust is what i’m saying.  So the mystery duck shows Scroogey around, showing off some colorful stories about his ancestors recycled from that scrapped prologue I mentioned. THe mystery man, who brushes off Scrooge thinking he’s a McDuck asks Scrooge what he’s doing to restore the family glory and while Scrooge points out he’s already working on it, Mystery Duck points out he’s still missing something: He has the drive and the dream, but peat and shoeshining, while getting him good money for his family, aren’t the thing you can build a fortune or a future off of. He then points out where Scrooge’s dime comes from: America.. and that gives the boy the idea to head to the states. As for what he could possibly DO there to start, the mystery guy mentions his uncle pothole. So Scrooge has the dream, the drive.. and now a plan: Go to america, work for his uncle on the riverboats, and work his way up from there till he finds his fortune and restores his family name.  But while his future is settled, the present is still an issue and Scrooge wants to teach the child murder club a lesson and thus borrows, though MM wisely points out it’s all his property a horse and some armor, and stuffs the armor with peat. As for what his plan is.. welllll

That.. is fucking awesome. And far from the last fucking awesome moment in this thing. It also shows off even as not quite a teen yet, Scrooge is still a badass already, and while he doesn’t have his trademark strength or fighting skills quite yet, his ingenuity is already there.. and that will always trump both. The Whiskervilles run away and into some quicksand and Scrooge vows to return one day as laird and reclaim his family land. But that’s a story for a few chapters down the line. As for who the mystery duck is, he’s naturally Sir Quackely himself, or rather his ghost, who was simply guiding Scrooge and didn’t give him the treasure as simply handing him the money wouldnn’t restore their family’s good name or continue their bloodline now would it? 

For now Scrooge returns to work for a bit before finding his way to America: A cattleboat to New Orleans looking for a Cabin Boy. And so Scrooge bids farewell to his family. His Dad, feeling bad he can’t even give his boy shilling, gives him the family pocketwatch with jake pitching in with the family gold dentures. While Scrooge naturally refuses to sell the watch, he does plan to sell the teeth as soon as possible for good reason. We then get some sweet goodbyes with him, his sisters (With hortense uttering her first words to everyone’s astonishment) and loving mother as he wonders just what awaits him in America. 

And there he stands on the bow of a ship, heading for a new land, in New Orleans he can be a new man. And we’ll see just what kind of man he becomes as this series continues. For now this is the end of a chapter but the beginning of a lifetime. 

Final Thoughts on Last of the Clan McDuck:

This story is excellent. While there are even better chapters to come, this one is still one of the most memorable and most joyous, showing just how Scrooge became what he is, where some of his values come from, others will be instilled along the way , and beginning to flesh out his family. We see Scrooge’s love of wealth comes from starting from the bottom, growing up with a family that barely had anything and badly needed everything, but was loving and instilled fine morals in him. We also see a Scrooge far removed from the bitter old man he is in present day, an optimistic naïve young lad who only wants best for his family. It’s a nice stark contrast to who he’ll become, good and bad, and a nice way to both compare him to Huey Dewey and Louie and break your heart as his own hardens before briefly turning black later on.  The art, as is standard for this series and Rosa, is breathtaking, and the story isn’t lacking in good jokes, their just downplayed so the story itself can take center stage. There’s nothing really more to say: it’s an excellent start to an even more excellent tale and stands proud among an already stellar story as one of it’s finest outings. 

NEXT RAINBOW: Scrooge goes down to the mighty Missipi to work on the riverboats and meets one of his signature Rogue’s for the first time in their first form, as well as Gyro’s dad.. or grandpa.. or possibly both I don’t know his family tree. Point is, tune in next time for some riverboat hyjinks.  Until then if you’d like to comission an episode of any animated show, especially ducktales and the various other duck related disney shows, or another Duck Comics story you really like from Rosa, Barks or whoever you want really, I take commissions for 5 dollars a review, with 5 dollars off your full order when you put in for more than one episode or issue. You can also follow me on patreon.com/popculturebuffet and for just two bucks a month get access to polls (which i’ll start once we have at least three patreons), and my exclusive discord server. And if you liked this review be sure to reblog it to show off. My self promotion done until next time: There’s always another rainbow. 

[sapphirewolf1122]

Daydreams

Summary: Deku starts lusting after you and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

Word Count: 2,519

Izuku has had a huge crush on you.

At first, you were just a coworker. The two of you had started together at Nighteye’s agency after graduating high school; though it had been taken over by Centipeder after Nighteye passed, it was hard for Deku to think of it as anybody else’s. 

While Deku had started off as a sidekick, you were an intern combat trainer; you were a master martial artist and wanted to learn to help train heroes. 

Though Izuku hadn’t had much interaction with you at first, soon you both bonded over the difficulty of meeting the demands of a new job. He soon found out that you had ulterior motives for being here. You wanted to move your way up in the agency and eventually try to get a hero's permit.

Your quirk was Daydreams; you had the ability to catch glimpses of another person’s desires. 

It worked best if you were touching them or if they were daydreaming at the moment but otherwise, you could still get enough information to use it against them through illusions. You could cause the daydreamer to see what they desire right in front of them, distracting them.

But your parents hadn’t believed that it was something that would be any good for hero work and therefore hadn’t let you apply to a hero course. Still, you kept at it, figuring out how to best utilize your quirk in a fight while also exploring multiple fighting styles.

You actually reminded Izuku a lot of Shinsou, perhaps with a more upbeat personality. But the fact that you’d had to persevere with less of a flashy quirk was something that Deku found really admirable. And he found talking to you strangely easy, something he’d never experienced when speaking to a girl. Perhaps hanging out with the girls from his class had really helped him!

He didn’t even really know he liked you until one day, he was talking to you and he started wondering what it would be like to kiss you. He had a very vivid image of just leaning in and doing so right then and there. Maybe he would start off slow, and then build it up as he—

Izuku shook his head vehemently as he tried to shake the image. You looked at him with confusion.

“Are you okay, Deku?” you asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Y-yeah, of course! Why wouldn’t I be okay? Totally fine!” he tried to laugh it off but stopped when he saw that you didn’t seem convinced. “Uuuh...are you okay?”

That caused you to laugh, making him sigh in relief. “I’m fine, Broccoli Head. Let’s go, you have to get ready for that mission and I have some training to do.”

You got up and started walking towards the locker rooms. Izuku trailed behind you, watching as you walked. His eyes traveled up your legs, landing on your butt. It was rather nice to watch you walk, to observe how your butt moved, how the curve of your cheek....what the hell was wrong with him?

He should consider himself lucky that you didn’t make a habit of using your quirk needlessly, otherwise you would surely never let him hear the end of. It could even mean the end of your friendship!

~~~~

You were sparring with one of the pros at the agency, working mainly on hand-to-hand combat. With how dedicated you’d been to your martial arts studies, even some of the long-time pros had some difficulty keeping up with you.

Right now, you had the upper hand. Your opponent was a large man who focused too much on brute strength than actual technique. You decided to practice using your quirk while fighting and mentally reached out to your opponent. However, you couldn’t get much off of him; he was too focused on the fight. In order to get a proper reading, you’ll need to make contact for a few moments.

However, before you could move in to do so, you were caught off guard by a sudden image flashing in your mind. This caused you to hesitate and you just barely managed to dodge out of the way of a wide blow by your opponent.

What was that?

It reminded you of when you were still getting the hang of your quirk. You’d tended to get random flashes from the people around you, especially during class when daydreaming was usually at its peak. But nowadays, it normally caused a very vivid daydream for it to just pop into your head like that; yes, you’d activated your quirk but you’d had a specific focus. 

Before you could shake it off, however, the image flashed again. This time, you caught sight of a set of hands holding onto a waist, seemingly lifting the person up. 

This time, you had to perform a roll in order to get out of the way and called a time out. Your opponent asked if you were okay, clearly having noticed that you’d been distracted.

You nodded, saying that you just needed a break. 

Going to grab your water bottle, you looked around the workout room. There were several people, so the vision could’ve come from anybody. As you scanned the room, you caught sight of Deku at the entrance, still in his hero costume. Did he come straight here from a mission? Did the man never rest? 

You noticed that his face was slightly flushed, likey from the mission. Smiling at him, you waved; you looked forward to talking to him about the mission. You’d enjoyed getting to know him over the last few months. He was kind of awkward but in a cute, sweet way. He sheepishly waved back and something about his scarred hand made you hesitate before moving on. But you just shook it off and took a swig of your water. 

You didn’t notice as Izuku turned from you in shame, his already flushed face becoming even redder until he resembled a strawberry. He really needed to do something about those daydreams. 

~~~~

“Hey, Deku! There you are!”

At the sound of his name, Izuku turned to see you running towards him. It took all the willpower he possessed not to let his jaw drop. You were only wearing a sports bra and shorts, clearly fresh from a workout.

He could see as drops of sweat slid down several parts of your very toned body. All he wanted to do was wrap his hands around your waist and pull you close. Maybe even push you up against the wall as he kissed you up your whole body, licking the sweat as he did—

“Uuuh… Deku?”

He jumped as you said his hero name again. “Aaaah, s-sorry, guess I just kind of spaced out for a bit! I have a big mission coming up and you know how I can get, haha…”

You blinked at him. “Yeeaah...anyway, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever, not even in the workout room. You doing okay?”

“Oh, y-yeah. You know how it gets; I haven’t really had a lot of free time.”

You nodded at that, knowing that this was common among all heroes, especially sidekicks. “Well, do you have any free time now? I’d love to talk about what you’ve been up to! Plus, I got to tell you this thought I had for my quirk!” 

Izuku backed away slightly. “Ah, not really. Like I said, big mission and I have to study up on some files…”

“Oh, okay. Of course, sorry.” He noted the slightly dejected look on your face, even a flash of hurt. Oh no, had he done that? He couldn’t bear the thought that he could have hurt your feelings.

“But I’d love it if you came with me on Saturday!” he found himself saying. You perked up at that.

“What’s on Saturday?”

“I’m meeting up with some of my classmates from UA. I don’t know if you’d be interested in going to a gathering with a bunch of strangers—”

You leaned in, grabbing his hands. “Are you kidding? I’d love to meet some of your classmates! I bet you all have so many cool stories!”

Izuku stared down at your joined hands, his face once again resembling a strawberry. “R-right. Well anyway, I should get going.” He quickly pulled his hands from yours. “I’ll see you soon.” And with that, Deku practically sprinted away. 

You watched him go and then looked down at your hand. You’d caught another flash when you’d grabbed hold of him. Since your quirk was more sensitive to touch, strong daydreams could make their way in even if you weren’t actively using your quirk.

Looking back up at Deku, your eyes narrowed in his direction, not really believing it. Did Deku…? But he was Deku, he didn’t think like that. Did he?

~~~~

Izuku was lying in his bed, staring up at his ceiling. As he did, he imagined what it would be like to have you there with him. How he would hug you close and then begin to kiss you. He could imagine the arch of your body, the feel of your skin as he made his way down your legs, gently coaxing the hem of your pants down…

With a slight sense of shame, he grabbed at the lotion next to his bed, his mind continuing to wonder at all the ways he could show you how much he wanted you. 

Of all the ways he would try to please you. 

His fingers intertwined with yours, holding onto to you tightly and never letting you go.

~~~~

You were at the bar with Deku, laughing with his friends as they told you stories of all the trouble he’d gotten into over the years. 

“How often did he fight with Bakugo?” you exclaimed. 

Iida sighed in exasperation as Ururaka giggled. “At one point, it seemed at least once a week. It became more intense after Midoryia actually beat him for the first time.”

“Tsk. I didn’t fucking let him get away with it either! I made sure to beat him next time!” yelled Bakugo.

“Didn’t he beat you last time the two of you sparred, kero,” interjected Tsu, who you found to be absolutely adorable.

Bakugo slammed his hand down on the table, causing a few small explosions to go off. “I’ll fucking go right now!”

“Not here, Kacchan. This is no place to be sparring,” said Deku quietly. You glanced over at the green-haired man; he’d been pretty quiet the whole time. His face was flushed from alcohol.

You could feel yourself getting pretty tipsy as well. You could especially tell because images were starting to filter into your mind as your control of your quirk slipped. Maybe you should drink a few glasses of water...ooh, perhaps something greasy to eat as well!

Standing up to look for the bartender, you lost your balance slightly and reached out to steady yourself. At the same time, Deku reached out to you, grabbing your hand. At that moment, several images flew through your mind. 

You saw Deku. He was holding someone, in what looked like the exact bar that you were in now, except it was empty. As you watched, he hoisted the person up, kissing them as he laid them down on the table. Once he had them down, he started trailing his lips down the length of their body until he was at the hem of their pants. 

“Deku, what are you doing?” you heard the person ask. The voice sounded familiar. 

“I’m showing you how much I want you.” The young hero’s voice was huskier than normal.

Was...was that you? And him? What were you doing?

Suddenly, the scene changed so that you were now watching them in bed. 

Deku was kissing your body again, caressing your breasts as he buried his face in your neck, biting it softly. Yet again bringing himself down, he slipped off your underwear and started kissing your inner thighs. He grazed his teeth lightly as he got closer to you.

Finally, he went down on you. Kissing your folds gently, he used his fingers first before using his tongue to—whooooaaa!

You snatched your hand away, your alcohol-infused mind trying to process what you’d just seen. So your suspicion had been right...Deku liked you! A lot apparently…

“Are you okay, ___?” You turned to the hero, blinking at him slightly. Deku liked you...and thought of you in a very different type of way that you hadn’t been expecting. How long? How often? 

It took you a moment before you realized that you really didn’t mind. You liked that he thought of you like that. Hm...you wondered if you could use this to your advantage....you smiled evilly.

“I’m perfectly fine, Deku,” you said, leaning into him, your hand on his arm. “I’m going to get something to eat, you want anything?” You met his eyes.

He looked down at your hand. “Uh...n-no, I’m good.”

“Okay,” you replied sweetly, trailing your finger up his arm as you walked to the bar.

The rest of the night, you did everything you could think of to mess with the bumbling hero. You’d lean on him, flirt with him, trail your fingers along his hands, tracing the scars….you found you rather liked being close to him like this. You were actually starting to get annoyed that he wasn’t picking up what you were putting down.

Later that night, he was walking you home. You were walking pretty close to him, your arm brushing against his. You were considering grabbing onto his hand when the two of you reached your apartment.

After a few moments of silence, he awkwardly waved at you. “Well...good night.”

Ugh, you couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed at his hand, stopping him from walking away. “Seriously, that’s all you’re gonna say to me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been flirting with you all night. Just kiss me already, I know you want to!”

“Whaaaat? When did I—”

You rolled your eyes. “I saw it.”

Deku blinked at you for several moments before he finally seemed to get it and he immediately started panicking, bowing to you fiercely. “I’m so sorry, I know I shouldn’t be having those thoughts, I’ve tried to stop them, I swear, I would never do anything like that, I pro—”

You suddenly pushed him against the wall, effectively shutting him up as you got in very close. “You better not finish that sentence. I wouldn’t want you to become somebody who has to break his word.”

Before Deku could ask what you meant, you kissed him, deeply. Though he was clearly shocked, he hesitated for only a moment before kissing you back. Backing away for a moment, you whispered breathlessly, “Now how about you show me what you’ve been wanting to do to me.”

His green eyes widened and then became set with a fierce determination. You squealed as he hoisted you up and spun so that it was your back against the wall. 

“Finally.”

[gg-astrology]

what do u think of sag venus in 10H? how do they love, how would u describe them generally? I appreciate ur feedback❣

Hey there!! 💕💕💕 sorry for getting back so late aaahjdbj 💕💕💕💕 love this placement tbh?? 💕💕💕 but heres why!!

Fellow sag venus i lov u, treat urself well ok

If someone/something lovs u they gotta show it so it matters y know? Being private and intimate is nice n all that, but it’s Something Else when someone lovs u and doesn’t hide it, is proud of u and confident in their words/proclaimations

Don’t take anything less than that, even if u think u can compromise for the other person. U deserve the best, so Get That Good PDA Juice even if it’s not like-- typical pda, just the kind that’s like ‘yeah we’re tgt what about it’ 

Don’t let anyone shame you for liking who you like or loving/receiving love from others 💕 I mean it sounds kinda ridiculous to NOT do that, but sometimes our other placements might want something so much we compromise ourselves until it’s less than what we need

Anyways this venus wants an abundance of love, appreciation, respect. So respect ya self too. If you feel like you’re more of the self-made workaholic type then maybe it’s time to be more open to accepting/receiving love from others as well 

At the same time, every time you likey someone other people might try to make it their business, speculate and all that. Don’t mind them, be who you are love who you love. 

Embody some of that fire no-care attitude sometimes, make sure your confidence isn’t faked tho. Inside vulnerabilities and shit and stir up but that’s not bc of venus its just how humans are when context are y know, like that.   

Build up that Sag nature ya know, you work in exuberant and self-expressive, you want big and more and a lot (expansive) -- so make sure you keep that in mind 💕

Everyone has different types of needs ‘n stuff, there’s no shame in having a big stomach and eating lots. So make sure you don’t hold that love back and ask for what u need too.

There’s an area of sag venus that’s just aware of how they appear in public, sometimes it can be hyper-awareness that limit/restricts you from doing/accepting something bc you keep thinking about the other factors--- people and public and all the other things

Stop over-thinking urself, if you’re doing that. You’re careless with some things (probably work/hobbies/non-relationship related stuff) but not so much with others. There’s a part of you that is scared to move or grasps the things you want/need. But don’t shy away from it but rather, try to start communicating or talk about it.

Short words are fine, don’t worry too much. Abrupt conversations are fine too, just as long as you’re voicing it out. As long as you’re voicing your real desires out, it gets easier for you to manifest/see it clearly and navigate from there.

Trust on this, it helps for me so it might help for you too. It’s good to have like, a solid grasps on something right? So start talking, just put it out there so you can start breathing clearly around it. 

(Tbh facing ur fears like this feels exhilarating and if you’re also a low-key adrenaline junkie like me it feels so so so self-empowering to talk about something you fear/want/romanticize about but has never spoken to a living person before. Trust me it’s scary but its so good.)

I hope this is helpful? 💕💕💕 Thank u for the great ask!! 💕💕

[netunleashed-blog]

Helen Lederer: 'One of the best things about being older is that nothing is surprising any more'

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=15215 Helen Lederer: 'One of the best things about being older is that nothing is surprising any more' - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=15215 Helen Lederer is treating us like an old pal, even though we only met three minutes ago, regaling us with the nitty gritty of the trip to a ‘Spanish naturist cottage’ she just came back from. "It was nestled in a mountain up a treacherous road. I’ve got a thing about heights ever since I did Splash, I go a bit mad like an old lady and have to take someone’s arm, it’s pathetic, so thank God I wasn’t driving. Anyway, we realised we weren’t overlooked, so I thought, “Why bother with that swimming costume I’m bulging out of?” Just to lie by the pool with a glass of wine and your clothes off, that never happens in life. I took a rucksack of clothes but didn’t wear any of my knickers." Let’s just say the 63-year-old comedian likes a chat. And an over-share with strangers. Which is just as well, as she’s about to do her first stand-up show in decades at the Edinburgh Festival. "I did it for five years in the 80s, then I stopped because I got other jobs that made me less frightened. Maybe there’s part of me that thinks, “Why did I stop, could I have done more?” It’s unfinished business. It’s now or never, I’m not going to do it again because of what it does to me. On my desk, among a load of sh*t, is a thing that says “Fear is OK”. Doing this show is kind of instead of HRT, it’s an adrenalin hit." Helen is one of those familiar faces who’s been knocking around forever, despite her never being centre stage. "I’m like the supply teacher of comedy," she says, and that sums her career up pretty well. Helen in Ab Fab (Image: BBC) Probably most famous for her turn as Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous, she emerged from the alternative comedy scene of the 80s and has appeared in everything from Bottom to French & Saunders, as well as dipping her toes into the reality world on Splash! and Celebrity Big Brother . And it’s probably down to her distinctive look and those piercing light blue eyes that she is so recognisable. "I’ve got a strange face. People do double-takes. They often think I’m their dentist. I clearly look like a hygienist on some level," she laughs, sipping her gin and tonic. One of life’s eccentrics and ‘frighteningly honest’, we reckon she’d be a proper riot on a night out. "I’m looking for a student to be my carer when I go to Edinburgh. I’ll pay them and they can pretend to be interested in me and make me go home and put my pyjamas on at 8.30pm, then I’ll be safe. I’ll be out all night otherwise." Helen says she checked the brochure and, other than someone performing burlesque cabaret, she is the oldest person on the Edinburgh bill. But this does have its advantages. "Ambition and drive is different when you’re 30 to when you’re 63. I had a huge urge, which sounds disgusting, and now I don’t. One of the best things about being older is that nothing is surprising any more because I’ve probably experienced most variations of most things. "If it’s awful now it won’t be as awful as it would have been then. I’m alive," she says, although on the downside, "I keep forgetting bits of my set and I don’t think that will be at all endearing to the audience." Helen on Celebrity Big Brother (Image: Supplied by WENN) Helen says age has made her happy with her lot. "What is the aim game? Is it going to make me happier to have a big part? When I was in my 40s I wanted my own show, but it was never my path. And if you don’t get something you thought you wanted, you actually stop wanting it. "The pragmatist in me goes, 'Well, that’s just not happened.' And it’s quite liberating not to want these things any more. That comes with age, it’s like a blood supply that gets cut off," she says. "Plus, there’s less pressure as the supply teacher. I’d leap at it if a wonderful comedy part came up. But if it doesn’t happen, there are other things I can do." She says she’s kept in touch with her contemporaries from the 80s, who are all in their 60s now too. "I saw Dawn French for scrambled eggs recently, which was very joyous. She likes Big Brother, so I had interesting content for her," she says. "It’d be a bit sad if we all went to Switzerland together and shared a chalet on communal holidays. We’re all in our middle years now, doing our own thing." One of those things has been dabbling in the world of reality telly. We tell her we read an old interview with her claiming how she would absolutely never take part in Celebrity Big Brother . "Oh my God, that’s appalling!" she exclaims. "I was dreading it for a long time, but I knew I had to do it. I just tried to be myself, because I wasn’t a reality person, I didn’t have those tools. And I learnt a lot. Mostly, never again." Helen on Splash (Image: Rex) What made her do those shows then? "Money. There’s always pause when I say that. But why would I, as a large middle-aged woman in a swimsuit, elect to dive in public if it wasn’t paid for? Why would anyone do that?" she says, before adding (watch this space), "I wouldn’t do the jungle, because I’d hate to have my arms showing." Never mind kangaroo willies when there’s bingo wing anxiety to be contending with… Helen admits she flashes the cash at fighting the ageing process. "I do Botox, but the hypocritical thing is we’re all doing it, so we look like we’re not doing it – it’s like, “Can you do it but make me look natural?” My mother went for a perm every three weeks, it’s just the modern way. "I don’t look like a model, I look a bit weird, I know what I have and haven’t got, but there’s a basic line of presentation. My skin is good. Take the make-up off every night. And Creme de la Mer. That’s bl**dy expensive, but I have a system." Helen’s lives in south London with GP husband Chris (who gets exasperated with her spending) and she has a 28-year-old daughter Hannah with her ex, the journalist Roger Alton. And after a brief career as an actress – she starred in Echo Beach with Jason Donovan aged 17 – Hannah has now moved away from showbiz, much to Helen’s relief. Helen and daughter Hannah (Image: WireImage) "She was scouted as a model outside Topshop and I thought, 'Oh f*ck!' But I knew I couldn’t say no. Then she got a job on Echo Beach. I wasn’t thrilled. But she went to university and now she has chosen another path, nothing to do with either me or her father, who are both quite extreme characters. That makes me very proud. I don’t know too much about her world," she says, describing Hannah’s ventures as 'doing important things with the planet, and chef-ing, and pickling interesting things’. It’s no wonder she’s happy Hannah hasn’t chosen showbiz, given her own self-doubt. "It’d be lovely if I didn’t play to 90 empty seats," she says, thoughts returning to her stand-up show. "It’s best to prepare. Expect the worst and then it’s manageable. But I’m 63, and I just go, for God’s sake, I may as well say what I think. There’s nowhere to hide any more." How does Helen spend her Sunday? Lie-in or up with the larks? Alas, I like a lie-in. My other half wakes up very early. I like sleeping late, but not too late. I like the thought that the rest of the universe should also be horizontal at that moment, so I’m not missing out. Then I’d get up and go and see some art and watch a French film, something arty. Sunday papers or catching up on TV? Newspapers in bed with coffee, flicking through, not reading intently. Then a bit of TV for the paper reviews. I used to do that for Sky until I got sacked. I wasn’t political enough and didn’t want to offend anyone, so I just talked about animal stories and lookey-likeys. Sunday roast or pub lunch? I wouldn’t know what to do with a roast. You get a piece of animal, shove it in the oven, and take it out again – to me, that’s not cooking. I’d do a nice tagine with couscous, apricots and raisins and a spice I’ve just discovered that everyone else already knows called sumac. Lazy day or gym day? Exercise would be sensible, but that’s when everyone else does it. The best thing is to go when you miss the intense people. Hungover or fresh as a daisy? I love to stay in on a Saturday, so I’m not often hungover on a Sunday. I don’t do anything in conventional time. I don’t drink every day but I am a drinker. Helen Lederer: I Might As Well Say It is at Underbelly, Bristo Square: Jersey during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, from 3-26 August. For tickets and info go to underbellyedinburgh.co.uk Source link