#anywho those are just my initial thoughts having just finished the series

[toriaray]

I finally finished sanditon and I have feelings about it

[armysantiny]

HDD - CCH

P: Chanhee x reader,Changmin x reader (kinda)| G: angst, drabble| Inc: journalist!chanhee, victim!Changmin, sunwoo mention, Kevin mention, café, calling cards, references to murders, implied murder, Changmin bby I'm sorry, revelations ig, again no actual graphic scenes, character death | Wc: 814 | W: references to murder, character death, screaming| R: 15

Summary: HDD. Three letters. Three letters that leave Chanhee stumped. But y/n knows what it means. Why?

Minnie's notes: WELL DAMN I'M PROUD OF THIS. This was what I meant by a Happy Death Day inspired chanhee drabble, which might become a full series at some point. Seriously, listen to Happy Death Day and tell me I'm not inspired.

Sighing as he fiddled with the decorative card in his hand, Chanhee took another sip of his latte. He was letting it get to him; the frequent murders, the antsy news reports…the calling card in his hand. What did it mean? What did ‘HDD’ mean? Shaking his head as the thought began to swallow his subconscious whole, Chanhee let go of the card – as if with scorched fingers – and focused on finishing the rest of his drink, his mind already stressed enough as it were.

Chanhee did not, in fact, stop thinking about the calling card in his pocket.

Staring at the clouds while he waited for his bus, the young journalist nearly jumped out of his own skin at the calling of his name, relaxing when the voice registered familiar; it was y/n’s voice. An embarrassed smile donning his face as he waved at the incoming figure, Chanhee took several deep breaths. It was only y/n; there was nothing he needed to worry about. Nothing he knew about, at least.

“Chanhee, are you alright? You’re staring at me like I have two heads.” Snickering as she took a seat beside her long-term friend, y/n nudged his shoulder, raising a brow when Chanhee started choking on his own saliva for a moment. “Or~ did I distract you from daydreaming about someone?”

“I wasn’t daydreaming! About anyone!” Scandalised, Chanhee defended himself, sighing in defeat when y/n’s snickering turned into unrestricted laughter, leaving her to enjoy her mini victory at the bus stop. Turning his focus back to the public transport, the journalist stood up in a hurry, pulling a somewhat-calmed y/n into their bus.

Taking the card out of his pocket to examine as the bus travelled through the city, Chanhee tilted his head – and again, and again – in vain as he understood no more than what he did back in the café. He was stumped. Tapping y/n’s shoulder and pushing the calling card into her field of view, he brought up the question that had been plaguing his mind since Changmin had mentioned receiving the card.

“Do you know what ‘HDD’ means?” Furrowing her brows at the question, y/n took the card out of his hands, flipping it over repeatedly as she attempted to get a better look.

“Isn’t this the calling card from all those murders? Who gave this to you?”

“Not to me!”

“Who then?”

"To Changmin…Changmin’s next.” Lowering his voice, Chanhee let slip just who he suspected was likely next on the list of dead people. It was simple; receive the card, and you die within 72 hours. It had been like that for every victim, there was no reason for Changmin to be any different.

Changmin received the card 65 hours ago.

Looking outside as she recognised that her stop was nearing, y/n’s eyes lit up – an answer on her mind.

“Chanhee-yah. When it’s someone’s birthday, what acronym do you use?”

“H…B…D. Happy Birthday; so?” Confused, Chanhee read the impatience in y/n’s eyes and reread the initials on the card. HDD. Looking back to y/n, the journalist froze at her expression. Was there something y/n knew? Something she was hiding?

“Anywho, this is my stop! Before I forget, call Changmin tonight, tell him I said this.” leaning in to whisper the rest of her sentence, y/n chuckled. A chuckle that put all the pieces together. Staring at her retreating figure in horror, Chanhee could only wish he hadn’t decided to ride home with y/n that night.

Sat in his apartment as clammy hands fiddled with the phone, Chanhee couldn’t move. Staring at the screen as the minutes ticked away, the journalist jumped in his skin when Changmin just so happened to call. An almost perfect coincidence.

“C-Changmin? Why are you calling so late?”

“To talk to you, duh? I’m bored~ and Kevin’s coming home past midnight; who else do I have to talk to, hmm? My favourite journalist?” Chanhee couldn’t speak. Jaw shut tight in fear and the realisation of those three letters, Choi Chanhee couldn’t speak.

“…and as I said; “Sunwoo, I don’t need to be traumatised by your elementary ramen experience, thank you very much’—”

“Changmin, there’s something I need to tell you.” Breathing out the words as fast as his anxiety gave him the strength to speak, Chanhee cut his friend’s rambling off.

“Yes, yes, yes; I will – oh God – Changmin I’m so sorry…” all Chanhee could hear was panicked running and patient footsteps. Changmin was running. Running to hide. “I met y/n today and- and she told me to say this to you tonight…”

“Yeah? What is it?” Both men freezing as Changmin’s door unlocked, Chanhee shut his eyes, silent tears falling in the empty space. “…Chanhee, there’s someone in my house. So, whatever it is, can you hurry the hell up? Before I die?”

Screams. Horrifying, blood-curdling screams.

“Happy Death Day, Ji Changmin…”

© copyright work of armysantiny 2021-2022

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[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a G (Part 2)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Genshiken:

Genres: slice of life, comedy, parody 

Synopsis:  Kanji Sasahara is an introverted college freshman just looking for a place to fit in. One day, he happens to stumble upon the club known as the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture—otherwise known as Genshiken—that serves to bring the full spectrum of otaku culture together. His first visit to the club, however, does not end well as Sasahara's pride is crushed by his senior, Harunobu Madarame, and he leaves the meeting in full denial of his otaku nature. However, after befriending club member Makoto Kousaka, who turns out to be a hardcore otaku despite his looks, Sasahara becomes more involved with club activities which include obsessing over their favorite anime, reading doujinshi, and attending conventions. There, he meets other interesting people like Kousaka's vehemently non-otaku girlfriend Saki Kasukabe, who strives to turn her boyfriend into a "normal guy." While Saki struggles to understand otaku culture and her boyfriend's love for it, Sasahara finds himself enjoying his time at Genshiken, gradually shedding any denial he once had about being an otaku and immersing himself in an otaku lifestyle. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2004 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Slice of life featuring tons of nerdy goodness and a cast of interesting characters! I can’t really do this one justice with words but it’s something a bit different from most and is an enjoyable ride from beginning to end. 

Genshiken 2:

genres: comedy, parody, slice of life

Synopsis: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, otherwise known as Genshiken, is now under the charge of a more confident Sasahara. Things have changed in between semesters, and the otaku club now has a new otaku-hating member named Ogiue. Sasahara's initial goal of starting a doujin circle and selling those fan-made magazines at the next Comic Festival becomes a reality, but reality is a cruel master... who apparently crossplays. Afterward, the club is abuzz with talk about Tanaka and Ohno's relationship, which takes a hesitant step forward. (Source: Media Blasters)

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2007 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: A few new characters and some of the old. Otaku club life continues in this anime about anime/ manga fans. You loved the first season, you’ll love this one as well.... maybe even more! 

Genshiken Nidaime:

Genres: slice of life, comedy, parody 

Synopsis:  Another college semester begins and the returning members of Genshiken attempt to recruit new club members. Three new members join the club, attracted by Ogiue's BL drawings. She welcomes the new members but fears the club will become a "fujoshi" haven for yaoi fans and is getting a bit too far removed from its original purpose. (Source: ANN)

My Rating: 10/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 13 episodes. 

My Thoughts: The university/ college setting for this anime really is a breath of fresh air.... all those animes set in High School get rather tiresome after awhile.  Anywho, Genshiken is back! This time with a cast of mostly new characters. Yet somehow it still retains all that goodness from the first two seasons. Season three is actually even better in my opinion! I have the first omnibus of this manga... perhaps I should finally get around to reading it. If you checked out the first two seasons of this title then you’re sure to check out the last. Enjoy!

Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon):

Genres: comedy, school, shounen, slice of life

Synopsis: Yuugo Hachiken is studious, hard-working, and tired of trying to live up to expectations he just cannot meet. With the ushering in of a brand new school year, he decides to enrol in Ooezo Agricultural High School, a boarding school located in the Hokkaido countryside, as a means to escape from the stress brought upon by his parents. Initially convinced that he would do well at this institution, Hachiken is quickly proven wrong by his talented classmates, individuals who have been living on farms their entire lives and know just about everything when it comes to food, vegetables, and even the physiology of livestock! Whether it be waking up at five in the morning for strenuous labor or to take care of farm animals, Hachiken is a complete amateur when it comes to the harsh agricultural life. Gin no Saji follows the comedic story of a young student as he tries to fit into a completely new environment, meeting many unique people along the way. As he struggles to appreciate his surroundings, Hachiken hopes to discover his dreams, so that he may lead a fulfilling life on his own terms. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 11 episodes. 

My Thoughts: I sure do watch a few rather unique anime it would seem... Plenty of delicious looking animated food and a story that follows the lives of a handful of characters attending an agricultural high school. I know, I know we’re back in the high school setting but this one is rather unique, as are a number of the issues brought up and addressed in this series. A great show for if you’re looking for a slice of life series that’s a little off the norm. 

Gin no Saji 2nd Season (Silver Spoon 2nd Season):

Genres: comedy, school, shounen, slice of life

Synopsis: As the new semester begins at Ooezo Agricultural High School, Hachiken is now used to the tough lifestyle of a rural, agricultural high school. While Hachiken still wonders what he will do in the future, he continues to discover both the harsh and the beautiful realities of the countryside. (Source: ANN)

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2014 with 11 episodes. 

My Thoughts: A bit of charm from the first season seems to have been lost but still an enjoyable series overall. A must watch if you decided to give the first season a try! 

[kamino-ink]

Brawl | Lee Minho [Disney!au]

✧ Genre: Disney!au, fluff, cheesy as fuck Minho, suggestive bc its Minho how can I nOt-

✧ Summary: You’re not exactly the most interesting of people, at least not your eyes; but one of the biggest delinquents in town, the son of Ursula, insists on defending your honor no matter what.

✧ Word Count: 2.6k

✧ Want to read other parts of this series? Check out my masterlist!

                                         ✧

you weren’t the child of some important fairytale character, rather you were simply a normal citizen growing up as normally as anyone else

sure life was interesting enough watching the children of important figures in the land of fairytales and stories, but you preferred to mind your own business in the solitude of your home by the beach

you’d moved out from the main hub of town about a year ago, deciding that you didn't need to rely on the financial support of your parents after graduating

and even if you didn't say it, a lot of people who knew you personally were well aware that you were content with living in the town of magical or powerful beings; while others craved to leave the land in favor of exploring the rest of the world, it was essentially impossible

some of the founders of the land arranged a sort of plan to keep the coming generations safe from harm - if they were all trapped in one place, they couldn't harm innocent people outside of their realm or vice versa

so basically all of you were stuck on a single island, meant to inhabit it for generations to come

but none of you were allowed to ever leave the island, as doing so would alert normal humans of your existence; one could never trust their intentions

so while you were technically a child of a couple in the universe of Peter Pan, you didn't really care about your status

on the other hand, those who resided in the central part of town consisted mostly of the children of characters who played big roles in their stories; from Mulan to Merida, almost every character written down in the books had been cast into the real world so they could live in peace

so here you were, fresh out of the comfort of your parent’s home, sat sipping on some herbal tea to clear your sinuses by the beach

miniscule grains of sand snuck between your toes, but you didn't quite mind, choosing instead to let your body relax into the sand

you had come out here for a reason; to be free of the binds in town and live your own peaceful life of utter solitude

“Jisung you moron, I cannot believe that you got us kicked out again!”

“Listen Seungmin, its not my fault that they couldn't handle my bare-chested sexiness-”

“I am this close to hexing you, asshole. Just because your dad never wore a shirt in his goddamn life doesn't mean you need to be the same.”

it was mostly a life of solitude, not counting the occasional intruders who would freely walk down the shore of the beach just in front of your cozy hut

you recognized the pair arguing just feet away from yourself; they were the sons of Tarzan and Maleficent, respectively

oh my god if they're here, I bet that dickhead is here too-

“Morning, gorgeous. I was wondering when we’d pass by your... hut.” Lee Minho himself hummed with an amused smirk, his piercing gaze darting down to your more than exasperated expression

ah, Lee Minho was a peculiar case indeed. He was the only son of Ursula, having been born merely a month before the island founders transported everyone here

while most parents, good or evil, tried to make sure all of their children would get along with one another, it was as if Ursula had thrown that idea out the door and encouraged her son to do the things he did

he was enticing, owning a voice of gold that would make anyone’s heart to backflips if he spoke to them

he was also known to be one of the most cunning, strongest people on the island

Minho frequently picked fights on people of all shapes, sizes, and ancestry - he didn't give a flying fuck if you were the love-child of a famous prince and princess, he could and would initiate a brawl if he wanted to

while a good portion of the community looked at the man in distaste and fear, you knew he was a good man deep down

he only ever picked fights with people who really deserved it

for example, when a group of kids in high school had been making fun of Changbin’s parents since his dad was bisexual [in this day and age? wild] Minho was the first one to throw a punch, helping his friend beat the shit out of them

yeah they were suspended and nearly expelled, but from that day on you couldn't help but admire him in a sense

you’d grown up side by side, but since you weren’t too important, you weren’t really involved with anything the other big-leagues did

while Minho was captain of both the swim team and the dance team, you were usually found in the background, simply minding your own business

of course you felt an odd connection with the man, as well as other kids older than yourself and those born in the same year as you

all of you had been born before the transportation to the real world, and while the youngest included the likes of you and Minho both, just born months ahead of time - each of you wondered what life was like in the world of fairytales and fictional stories

but something inside your head convinced you to approach him all those years ago back in high school

you’d been watching him and the son of Cinderella since the start of their swim practice, admiring how easily he moved in the water

which was because he was practically made for it, considering his ancestry

“hey, Minho,” you’d called out to him, still leaning against one of the walls when he glanced over to you in surprise, “come here for a second.”

and he’d done just that, walking over to you in all his glory, water dripping down his bare chest and arms, his black hair wet but still somehow looking neat and presentable

“uh, hi?”

“could you - could you teach me how to fight?” you’d stuttered out to him in sheer panic, his own eyes twinkling in curiosity at your request

“I um - you see, well, I have to walk home alone after work most nights and it isn’t exactly... safe, I guess.” which isn't a lie, in all honesty

in the late hours of the night, you worked at a measly grocery store to get some easy cash, but having to walk home alone was incredibly scary

even though all of you had been, for the most part, raised in the human world, there were still low-life's and downright villainous people residing on the island

knowing that you could possibly run into someone like that alone with no way of defending yourself was a daunting thought

“yea, sure, why not.” Minho had agreed almost immediately, much to your surprise

ever since then, after school, the boy would drive you to the gym and train with you

whenever you got off of work he was right outside the front door where you would walk out, waiting so he could walk you home each night

you were a bit confused, since you had been training with him so you wouldn't feel defenseless by yourself - but he insisted on making sure you got home safely no matter what

over the years the two of you grew to be quite close, so much so that you'd been nominated prom king and queen

you still had the picture of you two dancing in celebration, red solo cups in hand as he had been in the middle of twirling you on the heels of your feet when the candid photograph had been taken

“What? Too distracted by my dashing good looks to talk?” He pressed on smugly, snapping his fingers just inches in front of your face to snap you out of your daydream

“In your dreams, Minho,” you retort with a roll of your eyes, accepting his hand lent out to help you stand from the sand you’d been sitting in, “I was just... thinking.”

“Ouch, that must hurt.”

“Shut it, octopus.” You hiss, flicking his forehead while Jisung and Seungmin made their way towards the two of you.

“Anywho, Chan is throwing some huge party tonight and invited you to come.” He informed you with a bit of bitterness to his tone, much to your amusement

it was painfully obvious how Minho had a... thing, for you, to say the least. while you didn’t know if it was a short-lived infatuation or genuine feelings, it was hilarious to witness him become jealous over the smallest things

like one time where Felix, the son of Belle, had been helping you with schoolwork in the library

his head was close to yours, bent down so he could quietly explain how to work out the difficult problems [what? he is a genius, so you didn't mind the younger boy helping you out at all]

then Minho had sauntered in, almost immediately spotting two of his closest friends so close together with the smart Felix whispering something to you

despite your protests, Minho had insisted that he help you instead, sending Felix away by reminding him that they had a dance competition in just a few days - the freckled boy had gasped and rushed out quickly to the studio just for some extra practice, trusting the older boy to help

needless to say, you had failed that assignment horribly

“aww, is little Minho jealous?” You asked him in a teasing tone, wiping off the remnants of sand from your sundress, making Jisung and Seungmin snicker behind you

the black haired man glared at you playfully, though his lips were curled into a pout

“Y/N, I am not jealous - oh, forget it, I was wondering if you wanted to come to town with us while we picked up some food and shit for the party.”

you shrugged, knowing full well that you didn't have anything else to do for the rest of the afternoon besides sitting in the sand or wading in the water

“Sure, just let me put on some shoes- Minho!” You squeaked in surprise when he doesn't even give you the chance to finish, as he’s easily picked you up and thrown you onto his back

you huffed and puffed at him, gently smacking his head as he lead your small group off the beach and up the path towards the main part of town, ignoring your squeals of protest the entire time

about an hour had passed and you were still stuck on Minho’s back, even after all that shopping and going through shops to find food

Jisung and Seungmin were walking just a few feet ahead of you two, carrying the light bags of food for the party in their hands while Minho lagged a bit behind them, his hands supporting your legs still wrapped around his waist

“Goddamn, look at that ass!”

“You think her boyfriend will get pissed if we snap a pic?”

you gawked in disbelief at what you were hearing, turning your head to see two younger boys cheekily winking at you

you had completely forgotten you were still wearing a sundress, and while your backside was protected by shorts, it still left little to the imagination

you felt Minho pause abruptly in his tracks just so he could slowly turn around and face your disgusting catcallers

“Say another word about my girl and I swear to god I’ll snap your limbs like twigs.” He threatens the mischievous boys lowly, his voice dead serious and intimidating

as if they were wanting a death wish, the pair of boys rolled their eyes and sent not-so-discreate winks to you, completely ignoring the boiling man carrying you

“Hey lady, if this weirdo isn’t giving you what you need, we can solve that problem for you.”

with a deep breath Minho gently slid you off of his back, pushing you behind him while Jisung and Seungmin made their way back to you two, clearly wondering what had happened to make their friend so eerily pissed

“You two shitheads need to learn some fucking respect,” the tall man growled in a growing fury, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, “or would you like me to knock some common fucking sense into those empty brains of yours?”

“Alright alright, we’ll back off man.” One of them gave in with a roll of his eyes, holding his hands up in surrender as he started to lead his partner past you and the two boys still staring in curiosity

then, as they made their way past you, one of them reached out and squeezed your ass invasively, smirking at your gasp of shock and disgust

he didn't have time to even blink before Minho had swung at him so hard that he’d been knocked out

his friend looked back quickly, his eyes wide in fear at what just happened

if he decided to fight back, you were sure that Minho would turn the confrontation into an all out brawl

“Take him away before I decide to make the bastard bleed.” Minho growled, now standing in front of you protectively while the boy nodded comically fast, picking his friend up with one arm and waddling away

that night you decided not to go to the party - the confrontation from the shopping trip still had you a bit zoned out, and you knew that if you had gone you would've been too anxious with so many drunk, hormonal people crowded into one space

“Minho, you didn't have to stay with me.” You sigh to the man, glancing over to him and watching as he clenches his jaw, still clearly upset at the event earlier that day

you could tell that he blamed himself for whatever reason; he probably thought he could’ve prevented the sick guy from touching you, but none of you could’ve predicted that he would have acted so rashly anyway

“Too bad, princess, you're stuck with me.” He huffed back, not sparing you one look in fear that he might lose it and freak out about the incident again

you let out a deep, resounding sigh before you scoot closer to him on the stairs of your porch, resting your head on his shoulders comfortingly

you could feel one of his hands trailing up your bare thigh, his fingertips lazily tracing your skin as you both watched the ocean waves lap at the sandy shore of the beach

“Let me... let me be the only man who can touch you, Y/N.” Minho blurts out suddenly, though his voice is oddly serious and quiet

your cheeks heat up quickly at his blunt statement, though you can’t seem to comprehend exactly what he’s suggesting

“When that sicko touched you today, I was so close to ripping his head off. You didn't give him permission so that’s why -” he breaks off with a gulp, his fingers now squeezing your thigh, as if he was testing his boundaries, “that’s why I’m asking for your permission. Please, princess, let me touch you.”

you find yourself letting out a soft, nearly inaudible ‘okay,’ and within milliseconds the man has tilted your chin up with the pads of his fingers and thumb, his serious gaze boring into yours

“Are you sure?”

“I - yes, I’m sure, Minho. You were my hero today, and shouldn't heroes get a proper reward?”

you watch with red cheeks as his tongue darts out to wet his lips, now parted as he leans in closer and closer, until your noses are touching and his pink lips are grazing yours

“Princess, you are going to regret those words when I’m done with you tonight.”

                                         ✧

[amisbro]

Let’s answer this

If someone asked me RIGHT NOW “Where are you in terms of UtaPri and the fandom?” That is arguably the most complicated question I would ever have to answer...and I took World Culture in High School!

Okay let’s be serious UtaPri is legit one of the few franchises that tests me mentally in the sense of Figuring out Broccoli’s next move with Merch What they could do gamewise What is going to happen with the Anime Information on other projects (Shining Masterpiece/Theater ,DVDs ,Stage shows etc.) What the next step in the universe would be as a whole with the different units and COULD THEY CREATE MORE...I never discussed this one but its something I had been thinking about Its also one of the few that has allowed me to mess with the Canon and treat groups that might not have been treated fairly and write them in ways that I enjoy...matter of fact SPOILER TIME but one of the next fic works coming this month is my yearly Birthday concert but with a twist that you’ll see for the first time when the birthday comes up. It HAS also been one of the more frustrating fandoms lately that I have been in/dealt with and I’m not going to bullshit it anymore. History Lesson So back in 2013 (and more specifically near the end of it I discovered a gif of one of the characters from the series...at the time I had no idea who it was and ,if you remember, Tumblr made an update that hid the tags unless you went in the post on a person’s blog (generally the OP) and found out what it was.  In this case it was Ren Jingugji of STARISH whom I found out was voiced by Junichi Suwabe.  That name sounded familiar and I discovered he was in BroCon as the brother Kaname whom was a Monk (and also a womanizer...there’s a comho) (Also if I got the occupation for Kaname wrong I apologize.  I could have sworn that was his occupation but its been a while since I watched the series so forgive me on the mistake if there was one) Well after this discovery about UtaPri I went and looked it up on my favorite website (okay second...ANN is first anymore) in Wikipedia and I discovered it was a Otome/Visual Novel game and that intrigued me...what intrigued me more was researching some of the characters and at the time legit five intrigued me Natsuki Shinomiya of STARISH and the whole of QN QN was interesting because ,since I was just discovering UtaPri at this point, I knew jack about them...but I wanted to see what I could learn about them from observation/  Legit the ONLY SPOILER I retained at the time was that Ai was programmed with the memory of Aine or something of that effect...again its been a good while. Season 1 I watched through DVD and if you go through this blog you will see that I did two different blogs on that and Season 2.  When I did Season 2 that was through the site crunchyroll and I remember at the time I was talking with someone using the “Fan Mail” option (hey tumblr staff bring that back will ya...I actually liked that option) and before I got to Season 2 someone had told me about Camus.  The reason for this was because I mentioned (at the time) I despised Ren’s character for being a womanizing playboy that didn’t give a s**t about being an idol.  Now yes that was actually wrong but it was the thing I remembered from my first watch through (which was when the conversation with the tumblr user occurred). Before we discuss Season 2 you have to know this.  Because I knew at the time info would be readily available on the “initial 6″ (Cecil wasn’t in STARISH yet) legit the only one I remembered reading about was Natsuki and originally I thought I was going to enjoy his character...matter of fact for anyone that wants to know that doesn’t from S1 the “Best Boy” spot was something like this Tokiya (before Cecil has {BEEEEP]) Cecil And once the Season was rewatched it was Ren after realizing the crap he not only went through in Season 1 but then later in Season 2 HOWEVER Once Season 2 came about and QN was introduced anyone that knows me knows that my faves showed up in Ai and Camus (and also Ran)...Reiji I never could really embrace and I have TRIED!  Something about him I just can’t get with. (I know I know...I can’t deal with him but I have no issue with Myu right?  Yeah I’ve been working on that one for over 4 years and it ain’t easy) So Season 2 was ON FIRE! Legit all of the songs I could kind of embrace (I legit replayed Crystal Time all day for like 3 weeks straight if I remember...might have been shorter but it was a murderous loop trust me) and the story (for the most part) was a very light and funny tone from what I remembered.  Yeah there were the “heavy” moments but you didn’t want to have a nervous breakdown after the episodes ended...that was me in Season 4 when Episode 11 happened BUT ANYWAYS Season 2 was ALSO the introduction of the “Renegade Princes” in HEAVENS and around this time they were just a trio (June 6th would be the airdate and the “official” birthday of HEAVENS I guess?  I think some use the 27th of June so its funny) and I was like most people.  I wanted them to fall on their ass and never be seen again so we could get to the STARISH/QN part of the story (cos I legit watched the SSX OVA like 50 times and can damn near recite that fucker word for word if I remember scenes hard enough...I think it was the first time I saw Myu with glasses too!) Now here was the thing about HEAVENS AT FIRST I was like the fandom like “Look at these jackasses.  All they want to do is start shit and cause problems for STARISH so they need their ass beat” and well they did lose and I think I remember the first time being REALLY HAPPY about it but I think around the second time I THINK (and I would have to go back through my notes) I was less harsh on them.  I know by the time I got to their debut episode (and I finished it) a THIRD TIME I had no issues with them left...then again this might have been during the space between Season 3 and 4. Actually...yeah the third watch was between Season 3 and 4 cos I wanted to see how the “Original Trio” acted and then I would compare that with the “new boys” later.  If I remember right (cos I am trying to NOT rewrite history) when I first saw the “Fully Powered” HEAVENS The one I probably took the most issue with was Van (sorry @baku5ds) but it was because he reminded me of Ren from Season 1 and I wanted to deck his ass...still kind of want to punch him then for acting like a knob but he’s aight now! Season 4 was going to be an interesting time for me See before Season 4 started I remember asking people how they thought the season was going to go and they thought it would go like this HEAVENS would lose (well they were initially DQ’d so kind of right) and then it would be down to STARISH and QN with HEAVENS as background characters (which is what they were in Season 3 cos we didn’t see them again till the new 7 showed up). When we found out it was going to be duets between STARISH and HEAVENS it became interesting for me because remember this:  Because I watched legit the initial debut for the Trio (and their subsequent loss) twice a part of me wanted to see what Broc would do FOR THEM because I personally had kind of “been there/done that” with STARISH and I learned as much as I could for three seasons and dealing with their personalities...nothing wrong with that but after a while you need to interject new characters to freshen up a series. One thing I remember being asked was basically this “How can you like HEAVENS when you don’t know about them?” (That’s not the question verbatim but considering this question was on skype legit now over 2 years old I dunno if I can find it again) We have to remember that around the time of Season 2 (when I watched it) I legit only remembered Ai’s part of the wikipedia entry so...why should I have liked QN? I really DIDN’T read the STARISH part of the wikipedia entry so why have liked them? See the way I work as a fan is through observation and I see what I see and then make my judgements based on that.  I STILL think that the School staff was borderline antagonistic (all of them and that includes Shining) and when STARISH officially got to debut with Nanami as the composer I smiled cos in the end the “bad guys” (even if they really weren’t) “got theirs” What I got legit curious about was this during Season 4 Even if my opinion and a STARISH fan’s opinion on HEAVENS never matched up could we have that civil discussion to say “okay you don’t like them that’s cool but please respect that I do” We all know about the “3 weeks of hell” and I won’t relive those but those were the WORST 3 weeks of my life.  I legit think I damn near had a headache that lasted that entire stretch I was that annoyed cos I could legit see the story in front of me but everyone else was like “Nah fam...that ain’t true” then HEAVENS lost in the Triple S after their perseverance of dealing with “Daddy’s bulls**t” and I don’t know if I was more annoyed about that or the prior weeks with the “EiiOto Mess” and the rest of the duet project cos in my head I knew one part of the fandom would be THRILLED while the other would be annoyed...I think anyone that knows me knows where i was to the point someone made a stalk account on twitter to try and get on me...didn’t work cos I know how to block people! ANYWHO! I’m going to try and keep the rest of this brief af...I say try so we won’t go over 6th stage (and how I thought that was a trainwrck...maybe I was too harsh back then to be honest) but I do want to discuss this Whenever I hear (and others I know) that “HEAVENS’ role is only to make STARISH better” I half ass chuckle because if we are talking about groups to make STARISH BETTER well...there was QN and then STARISH was again kind of like “Nah fam” and we know what happened. I dunno that I am annoyed with the fanbase...matter of fact I can almost tell you flat out I’m not but if I had a gripe with the “Western/International” base it felt more like at times y’all didn’t want there TO BE fans of the “Renegade Princes” because I know a friend of mine made a VERY INNOCENT post when it came to Shining Live and HEAVENS and they asked “What would the HEAVENS fans want in Shining Live for them” and I remember the Anons and how they were kind of rude...not a good way to grow a fanbase kids. Let’s be clear on this and I’m going to try and make this brief I don’t hate STARISH nor their fans I don’t hate QN or their fans (obviously I am one) I’m more frustrated because you see when you are someone like me who IRL dealt with a lot of s**t and was an underdog his whole life I always root for them...I want to see that upset! I think I would have enjoyed STARISH’s story a bit more IF they showed that they could “take it on the chin” one time and then go “Okay we lost that round...let’s give it hell next time!” I know they technically COULDN’T do that with the story they were telling but don’t you think that Suwabe right?  He worked on KnB and he could have said “Well look...in this series my school beat the main school (Seirin) and then they came back eventually and beat us...couldn’t we do something like that?” Irony before anyone says anything is he ,SuzuKen ,Kishow ,OnoD ,to a lesser extent Shimono and Tatsun (might have been more...I think Toriumi was on Suwabe’s team) all knew what happened but I think because of certain issues they HAD to write UtaPri where STARISH was basically unstoppable...best guess It gets frustrating sometimes to be a fan of the series (less so for me now that I play on the JP account more full-time now) and you want...really all of the groups to do well but you know you really want your group to do well.  It also somewhat gets upsetting when you ask people “Would you watch a season that was just HEAVENS?” and then they tell you they would skip it...never mind that you watched effectively 2 full seasons of the “main group” but EYYY I dunno I think I get agitated and I know there are others that do too.  I would NEVER just turn my back on the franchise because I love it but I think I just wish that HEAVENS got repped well on this site and even facebook better than I feel like they do.  I think sometimes they will never get this “stigma” of being an “antagonist” off of them and that sucks...but for some people the “first impression is the one that lasts” so I can’t fault that anymore I guess In closing I don’t think I could ever leave UtaPri behind but all I want is what is best for my boys and hopefully their day is coming very soon Au Revoir!

[protectjugheadjonesiii]

Ever Since New York

Check the Ever Since New York Masterlist for series updates!

Pairing: Jughead x Reader

Description: After his junior year, Jughead goes to New York for a writing internship.  

Warnings: some swearing, you might cry

Word count: 4,574

A/N: umm first of all thank you for 7000 followers?? holy crap. anywho wowowow this is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written. It’s based off of the song “Ever Since New York” from Harry Styles’s album (which I love btw).  This is probably my favorite thing I’ve ever written tbh. Hope you all enjoy!

Tell me something, tell me something You don’t know nothing, just pretend you do

After years of saving the money he earned at the Twilight Drive-In and other odd jobs, Jughead finally had enough to buy a plane ticket to New York.  He had discovered a writing internship there that he knew he had to do. It didn’t take much effort to convince his dad to allow him to go; in fact, FP even offered to pitch in some money. Jughead refused, claiming that he wanted to do this all on his own.  He wanted to deserve this internship as much as possible.

He started talking to Veronica frequently, asking her about her time in New York.  She, of course, gladly answered all of Jughead’s questions.  She was glad to finally bond with her boyfriend’s best friend.  

Jughead also pestered Betty with questions, seeing as she had done an internship similar to his two summers ago.  It was a bit awkward at first, since the two of them used to date.  However, they both got over their awkwardness for the sake of preparing Jughead for his internship.

“It’s really amazing,” Betty told him.  “It’s a great experience, and you’ll learn so much.”

“What are other people like?” Jughead inquired.  “Are they pricks?”

“Sometimes,” Betty laughed. “It depends.  Do you know how many other people are participating in the internship?”

“Just one,” he answered, shrugging.  “I don’t know who it is though.”

“Well, if they’re a jerk then that’s gonna suck,” she offered.  “But if they’re nice, they may become one of the closest friends you’ll ever have.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Betty replied and nodded.  “You’re gonna spend all summer with this other person.  They’re either gonna drive you up the wall or become your new best friend.”

I need something, tell me something new Choose your words, ‘cause there’s no antidote For this curse, oh, what’s it waiting for? Must this hurt you just before you go?

“Have fun in New York, Jug.” FP patted his son on the back as they stood at the airport gate.  Betty, Veronica, Archie, Fred Andrews, and Kevin stood behind FP, all wearing supportive smiles.  Jughead glanced around at the group who followed him to the airport, filled with admiration of his friends and family.

“Thank you guys,” he said, fighting back a giant grin.  “You didn’t all have to come, though.”

“Of course we did,” Fred Andrews argued.  “We’re not gonna see you all summer, Jughead.  We have to give you a proper send-off.”

“Well, proper send-off achieved,” Jughead laughed.  He watched as others in the line began to move.  “I guess I should go now.  Thanks for this.  See you all in August.”  As he turned on his heel and walked away, the group of six gleefully waved at Jughead’s retreating figure.

“You aren’t worried about Jughead all alone in a giant city?” Fred asked FP as they exited the airport.

“Nah,” FP responded, waving his hand.  “He’s a smart kid, he’ll find his way.”

Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know

“Hi, I’m Jughead Jones,” he introduced himself at the front desk.  “I’m here for the writing internship.”

The lady sitting behind the desk glanced up at Jughead.  “Ah, yes! We’ve been expecting you, Mr. Jones!” she exclaimed, standing from her chair.

“Oh, am I late?” Jughead inquired.  

The lady shook her head. “Oh no, not at all.  Your counterpart just got here early, so we’ve been waiting for you to start.”

“My counterpart?”

“Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” she gestured to a girl sitting on a chair against the wall, flipping through a magazine.  The girl perked up when she heard her name, and saw Jughead and the receptionist staring at her.

“Is this him?” (Y/N) questioned, standing up and setting the magazine down.  Jughead noticed it was a TIME magazine.  

“Yes,” the receptionist answered.  “(Y/N), this is Jughead Jones.”  Jughead stuck his hand out to shake, and (Y/N) firmly shook his hand.

“I hope you’re not an asshole,” she blatantly said as they released hands, “because we’re gonna be stuck with each other all summer.”

“I was thinking the same thing about you,” he quipped.  

(Y/N) raised her eyebrow in interest.  “Quick-witted,” she noted with a smirk forming on her face.  “I like it.”

“You better,” Jughead fired back, biting back a grin.  “Like you said, we’ll be around each other all summer.”

“If we were together any longer, I’d worry about you falling in love with me,” she jokingly warned. “So be careful.”

Brooklyn saw me, empty at the news There’s no water inside this swimming pool

“When’d you get here?” (Y/N) asked as she and Jughead exited the building, their first day of the internship finished.

“Two days ago,” Jughead answered with his hands in his pockets.  “What about you?”

“Last week.”  Her pace was quick, and she seemed determined to get somewhere.  “Are you hungry?  Because I’m starving.”

“I would love some food,” Jughead almost moaned at the thought of food.  He was only able to scarf down a small lunch in the midst of the business.

“I know this great burger place,” (Y/N) explained as she led the way to the restaurant.  “It’ll make every other burger you’ve ever eaten seem like a pile of shit on a bun.”

“I doubt that,” Jughead scoffed.  “There’s a diner where I’m from that makes the best burgers you’ll ever eat.”

“Where are you from?”

“Riverdale,” he said. “Pop’s diner, that’s what it’s called. If you ever find yourself in Riverdale, stop by Pop’s.  Trust me, you’ll thank me.”

“Well we’re not in Riverdale right now, Jughead Jones,” (Y/N) reminded him.  “So you should thank your lucky stars that I am your counterpart, because I’ve been here for the past week. You know what I’ve been doing for that week?  Exploring, Jones.  I have tried and evaluated twenty-one restaurants, and I know where to go for whatever you’re craving.”

“What if I’m craving Korean food?” he quizzed.

“32nd street, there’s a great Korean grill,” she immediately responded.

“Ethiopian?”

“There’s a quaint little place on 135th street.”

“What if I want to get wasted?” Jughead smirked.

“There’s a club a couple of blocks away with shitty security,” (Y/N) answered with a smirk equally as wide.  “Or maybe I was just an exception, seeing as how attractive I am.”

“I think you overestimate yourself,” he scoffed, playfully rolling his eyes.  

(Y/N) lightly slapped him on the arm.  “I do not!” she retaliated.  

“Whatever, keep lying to yourself.”  Jughead quickened his pace, leaving (Y/N) behind him.

“Hey!” she called out, rushing to catch up to him.  “You better not leave me!  You don’t even know where you’re going.”

“You’re still here,” he noted, casually wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  “Lead the way, (Y/N).”

Almost over, had enough from you And I’ve been praying, I never did before

“God, this food sucks,” (Y/N) whispered, gesturing towards the plates of Japanese food sitting in front of her and Jughead.  “That place we ate at last week was so much better.”

“True,” Jughead agreed with a mouthful of food.  “But this place is cheaper.”

“Rightfully so!” she exclaimed, jabbing at her tofu with a chopstick.  Jughead silently laughed and shook his head, continuing to eat his fried rice.  He watched as (Y/N) picked at her dish, examining each aspect of the meal.  

It had been three weeks since their internship had begun, and Jughead and (Y/N) quickly became close friends.  They bonded over the overwhelming amount of work at their internship and their food-discovering adventures.  Jughead didn’t know how he would’ve survived an entire summer in New York without (Y/N) by his side.  They even stayed at the same hotel, so during a sleepless night, one would wake the other and stay up all night talking.  On those nights, they would drink hot chocolate.

“I’ve got the check tonight, Jug,” (Y/N) said, snapping Jughead out of his thoughts as she took the bill from the waitress.  Jughead furiously shook his head.

“No, (Y/N), you got dinner yesterday,” he protested, reaching out towards the bill.  “I’ll cover it tonight.”

“You got lunch!” she exasperatedly exclaimed.  “I can handle it.  Dinner wasn’t even expensive last night or tonight.”  

Jughead huffed as the waitress returned and took (Y/N)’s money.  “Fine,” he pouted, “but we’re gonna go out for desert, and I’m paying for it.”

“Fine.”

“Ice cream?” Jughead offered, standing from his chair.  (Y/N) followed suit, and they exited the diner.  She slowly grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers.

“I’m feeling frozen yogurt tonight,” she countered his offer, grinning up at him.

“What’s the difference?” Jughead playfully scoffed, trying not to blush at their hand-holding.  They had started doing it last week after he almost lost (Y/N) in a giant mass of people.

“I swear to God, Jug, you said the same thing last week, and I explicitly explained it to you.”  (Y/N) rolled her eyes.  “Ice cream is-”

“Made with cream, whereas frozen yogurt is a yogurt-based treat,” Jughead quoted what (Y/N) had told him last week.

“I knew you paid attention to me.”

Understand I’m talking to the walls I’ve been praying ever since New York

In the middle of the night, the phone started ringing.  Jughead, still half-asleep, answered it with his eyes remaining shut.  

“You can come over,” he said, not waiting for the caller to initiate the conversation.

“Okay,” (Y/N)’s quiet voice responded, and she hung up.  A few moments later, a soft knock resonated through Jughead’s hotel room.  He rolled off of his bed, throwing on a t-shirt, and opened the door.  (Y/N) stood in the doorway, slightly shaking.  

“You cold?” Jughead murmured.  (Y/N) wordlessly nodded.  He gently grabbed her arm and led her inside, shutting the door behind them.  He stripped the blanket off from his bed and draped it over her shoulders, wrapping (Y/N) in the soft white material.  (Y/N) smiled up at him.

“Why do you put up with me?” she asked, sitting on his bed.  Jughead mimicked her actions and sat next to her.

“What do you mean?” he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

“How are you not sick of me?” she elaborated.  “I mean, we’ve been constantly hanging out for, what, a month and a half now?  You know if I’m annoying you, you can just tell me. I’ll back off.”

“Why would you annoy me?” he asked, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. “You’re the best part about this internship.”

“You’re full of shit.”

“I’m not,” Jughead lightly laughed, slightly nudging her.  “I’m serious, (Y/N).  Before I came, I was asking my friend Betty about internships.  She did one two years ago, so she knew what she was talking about. She told me that the people I’ll meet during this internship will either drive me up the wall or become one of my closest friends.”

“So I haven’t driven you up the wall?” (Y/N) inquired with a tentative smile.

“Of course not,” Jughead laughed loudly this time.  A moment of silence ensued, both (Y/N) and Jughead overwhelmed by sleepiness.

“Is Betty your girlfriend?” (Y/N) broke the silence, staring up at Jughead.

“No,” he muttered, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.  “She was,” he admitted, “but not anymore.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing bad,” he shrugged. “Sometimes things just don’t work out, you know?”

“Yeah,” (Y/N) muttered. “I had a boyfriend.”

“Really?  That’s shocking.”

“Shut up!” she whined, elbowing him.  “Yes, I had a boyfriend.  He was actually a total dickhead.”

“How?” Jughead asked, growing concerned.  

(Y/N) looked up at him and giggled.  “Oh, you’re worried,” she cooed, placing a hand on his chin.  Jughead swatted it away.

“Sue me,” he retorted, but then grew serious.  “But really, what happened?”

“Nothing bad,” she replied, facing away from Jughead.  “We were dating for a while, and… I don’t know.  He never really supported me in anything.  He wasn’t nice to any of my friends, and I didn’t notice for so long because I was so fucking smitten.  Eventually it hit me one day, and I realized that he was horrible.  So, naturally, I dumped him.”

“As one does,” Jughead nodded, nonchalantly tracing patterns on (Y/N)’s right arm with his thumb.  

(Y/N) slumped and sighed. “What time is it?”

Jughead glanced at the clock with its blaring, bright red numbers.  “Three o’clock.”

“Jesus,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes.  “I should… I should get back to my room.”  She jumped off the bed and trekked towards the door, her bare feet dragging on the carpet.

“Wait,” Jughead commanded, grabbing her arm.  “Don’t go, it’s too late.”

“You say that as if I have to walk across New York City,” (Y/N) joked.  “It’s fine, Jug, my room is down the hall.  I’m not gonna get mugged.”

“No, but you may fall over before you reach your room,” he countered with a lighthearted smirk. “Just stay here tonight, okay?” (Y/N), too tired to argue, needed no more convincing as she turned around and climbed into Jughead’s bed. He laid down, patting the space next to him.  (Y/N) tentatively settled next to him, slowly resting her head on the neighboring pillow. “You can get closer than that, you know,” he told her, amused by her unusually timid nature.  She hesitantly scooted closer to him, until she was near enough for Jughead to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her against his chest.  “That’s better,” he whispered into her hair.  She draped one arm around his torso, the other arm tucked under their now-shared pillow.

“Night, Jug,” she murmured, eyes already closed.  He smiled at her.

“Goodnight, (Y/N).”

Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know

“Oh, Jughead, how is it?” Betty eagerly asked, her face displayed on his laptop screen.  

“It’s been great,” Jughead answered.  

“What restaurants have you tried?” Veronica questioned from her spot next to Betty.

“A bunch,” he vaguely replied.  “(Y/N) is attempting to try every restaurant in New York City.  I think it’s impossible, but she’s determined.”

“Who is (Y/N)?” Archie inquired, popping his head into the camera’s view.  

Jughead laughed, “Where do I begin?  She’s my ‘counterpart’ for the internship.  We’ve become very close.”

“I told you,” Betty grinned. Jughead nodded.

“You were right,” he admitted.  “Right when I met her, I… I don’t know, it just felt like something clicked between us. We’re inseparable.”  Betty’s expression slightly darkened, but Jughead waved it off as a bit off jealousy.

“Ah, you’ve got it bad, bro,” Archie laughed at his best friend.  Jughead rolled his eyes.

“It’s not like that, Arch,” he explained.  “It’s like Betty said, you grow really close to people when you spend so much time together.”

“But you don’t blush when you talk about them,” Veronica noted, pointing out Jughead’s dusty pink cheeks.

“You’re imagining things,” Jughead scoffed.  Betty, Archie, and Veronica shared a knowing glance.

“If you say so,” Veronica sing-songed.  Before Jughead could respond, there was a knock on his door.  A smile subconsciously grew on his face.

“Speaking of (Y/N),” he said, standing up and walking towards the door.  He opened it, and, as expected, (Y/N) stood there.

“Are we going or not, Jug?” she pressed, grabbing his hand.  “I told you the line for the rainbow bagels is super long.  I don’t want to spend all of Saturday waiting for one, even though they’re so fucking pretty.”

“I’m video chatting with my friends right now,” Jughead told her, gesturing towards his open laptop. “Can you wait like five more minutes?”

“Fine,” (Y/N) huffed, crossing her arms.  She stepped into his room, allowing him to close the door behind her.  She followed him as he sat back down in front of his laptop, resting her chin on his shoulder as she peered at the screen. “These are your friends?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “That’s Archie,” he gestured towards the redhead, “the blonde one is Betty, and that one is Veronica.”  (Y/N) smiled at Jughead’s Riverdale friends.

“You must be (Y/N),” Betty smiled.  “Jughead was just talking about you.”

“Of course he was,” (Y/N) joked, nudging his arm.  Jughead playfully shoved her back.

“So how’s it been? Three months with the infamous Jughead Jones?” Veronica inquired with a smirk dancing on her lips.  

“Well it hasn’t been three months quite yet,” (Y/N) corrected her.  “I’ve only gotta deal with this guy for two more weeks.” Jughead’s face slightly deflated as this realization hit him.  “Let me tell you, he’s quite the handful.”

“We know,” Archie laughed. Jughead opened his mouth to say something, but (Y/N) interrupted him.

“Shit, I left my phone in my room!” she exclaimed, standing up.  “I’ll be right back, Jug.”  She turned and faced the laptop.  “It was great talking to you guys.  I hope we can meet sometime!”  She quickly exited Jughead’s room.  Immediately, Veronica, Archie, and Betty bombarded him about (Y/N)

“She’s perfect,” Veronica cooed.  “She’s actually flawless, Jughead.”

“You lucked out, bro,” Archie told him.  “She’s a keeper.”

“She’s absolutely amazing, Jughead,” Betty smiled.  Jughead grinned and shook his head.

“You guys, I told you-”

“Don’t even go there,” Veronica interrupted him.  “That girl is absolutely perfect for you.  The way you two look at each other is… it seems like it’s from a fairytale. You two are soulmates, Jughead.

“She does seem great, Jug,” Archie agreed with her.  “I mean, I’ve never seen you like that with anyone.  No offense, Betty.”

“None taken, Archie,” she waved his comment off.  “They’re right though, Jug.  You never looked at me the way you look at (Y/N).”  Jughead couldn’t think of a clever retort.  “But be careful, Jughead.  Like (Y/N) said earlier, you two only have two more weeks together. If you haven’t done anything up to this point, you might want to consider whether or not it’s worth it to start something now.  Just ask yourself, is it worth the heartbreak that’ll happen when you have to leave her?” She pursed her lips as she watched Jughead’s face darken on her screen.

“Thanks guys,” he said halfheartedly.  “Really, thank you.  I’ll see you all in two weeks.”

Tell me something, tell me something You don’t know nothing, just pretend you do Tell me something just before you go

“Our last day!” (Y/N) exclaimed, prancing into Jughead’s hotel room.  After the video call he had two weeks ago ended, he decided to give her a key to his room.  “Our internship is over, and we have one last night to spend together, Jug.  Out of every place in all of New York City, where do you want to go, Jughead Jones?” she asked seductively, a coy smirk growing on her face.

“I’m feeling burgers tonight,” Jughead answered, trying to stop his expression from deflating.  “And then maybe we can get some cupcakes?”

“I like it!” she grinned. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room, beginning the trek to their favorite restaurant.  “Jesus, I can’t believe it’s been three months already.”

“I know,” he agreed.  “It seems like my plane landed just yesterday.”

“Yeah,” (Y/N) breathed. They spent the rest of their walk in silence, choosing to listen to the bustling New York traffic.  

The waitresses at the restaurant, at this point, knew Jughead and (Y/N) as regulars.  They didn’t even bother giving them menus, knowing exactly what each of them would order.

“You two are my favorites,” the waitress whispered as she set their burgers in front of them.

“Thank you,” (Y/N) grinned. “I’m sorry to say, but it’s our last day here.”

“Oh,” the waitress sighed. “Well, you two better visit.  I don’t know what I’ll do without my favorite regulars.”  She walked away, leaving (Y/N) and Jughead to enjoy their burgers.

“You know,” Jughead noted through a mouth full of burger, “I don’t know how you’ve tried almost every restaurant in New York City while becoming a regular here.”

“Talent, Jug,” she told him, wiping her mouth on a napkin.  “It takes a hell of a lot of talent.”

They finished dinner and went to their favorite bakery to get cupcakes.  On their walk back to the hotel, they fell into silence once again. It wasn’t broken until they entered Jughead’s hotel room.  By now, almost all of (Y/N)’s stuff ended up in here.  They found it easier, rather than constantly having to switch back and forth between rooms to grab their stuff.

“So that was our last day,” (Y/N) claimed, flopping onto the bed.  Jughead stood by the bedside, crossing his arms with an amused smile.

“Unfortunately, it was,” he nodded.  He jumped next to her on the bed, earning a shriek from (Y/N).  He swallowed as he stared at her, knowing what he had to tell her. “Do you remember what you said to me on the first day we met?”

“That I know where to go for whatever you’re craving,” she answered with a grin.  Jughead laughed and shook his head.

“No, the other thing.”

“I hope you’re not an asshole because we’re gonna be stuck together all summer?” she offered.  He shook his head again.

“Nope.”

“I called you quick-witted?”

“No!”

“What is it?” (Y/N) demanded, sitting up so that she was hovering over Jughead as he remained laying down.

“You told me that if we were together any longer than just the summer, I might fall in love with you,” he explained, sitting up so that they were face-to-face.  (Y/N)’s grin slightly faded.

“Oh,” she murmured.  “Yeah, I did say that.”

“You were wrong,” Jughead said, trying to keep his voice steady.  He slowly grabbed her right hand.

“Really?” she asked as her eyes followed Jughead’s hand.

“Betty told me to be careful,” he explained, “because we’re not gonna be together that long.  And she was right.  I mean, why would we risk an immense amount of heartbreak just for the sake of a blissful few weeks together?”  When (Y/N) said nothing, he continued.  “So I figured I could just suck it up and get through the rest of our time together and not say anything.  It was a good plan, but you… you ruined it.”

“Sorry,” she quipped with a small smirk.  Jughead lovingly rolled his eyes.

“No you’re not,” he laughed. “You’re not sorry, and you shouldn’t be. Within the three months we’ve spent together, I’ve grown closer to you than I ever have with anyone else.  Hell, my ex-girlfriend said that we were great together.”

“She did?”

“Yeah,” he responded, grabbing her hands.  “Jesus, (Y/N), I’m in love with you.  I’m fucking in love with you, and it sucks.  It sucks because I don’t know if I’m ever gonna see you again.  And this is gonna cause so much heartbreak, for me at least, and maybe you too.  I just… I can’t keep it from you anymore.  But I also think, deep down, you already knew how I felt.”  Tears clouded (Y/N)’s eyes, and her lips quivered as she quickly enveloped Jughead in a hug.

“Fuck,” she whispered into his neck.  “Fuck, of course I love you, Jughead.”  He pulled himself out of her grip and stared at her, stroking his hand across her cheek. They both leaned in, pressing their foreheads against each other.  Their lips ghosted over each other, only millimeters apart.

“If I kiss you-”

“If you kiss me, everything is gonna go to shit, Jug,” she interrupted him.  He nodded but didn’t pull away.  They sat there like that on his bed on a minute, (Y/N) sitting on Jughead’s lap with her arms around his neck, foreheads touching and lips barely brushing.

The tension grew unbearable, so (Y/N) closed the gap and pressed her lips against his, trying to express what she had been feeling for the past three months.  

Jughead, too, attempted to convey every pent up confession he had, wishing that kisses could speak. He wanted his hands, which were encircling her waist, to tell her how she charmed him with her wit.  He wanted his eyes, which were closed with pleasure, to tell her how beautiful she was, especially when she trudged into his hotel room at three in the morning.  He wanted his lips, which were pressed against hers, to tell her how much he loved her.  He loved her, he loved her, and he wanted to keep saying it for the rest of his life.

For the sake of oxygen, the two pulled apart.  They kept their foreheads resting against each other.  

“Everything’s gone to shit,” (Y/N) whispered, and Jughead burst out into laughter.  (Y/N) followed suit by giggling, and their still-entangled limbs caused them to fall onto the bed so that (Y/N) was laying on top of Jughead. This only caused the pair to laugh harder.  

When their chuckles finally died down, (Y/N) climbed off from on top of Jughead and laid next to him, resting her head on his chest.  She combed her hand through his raven locks.

“I’m sorry that I fell in love with you,” Jughead apologized, kissing the top of her head. They were slowly falling asleep.

“Thank you for falling in love with me,” (Y/N) whispered, eyes fluttering shut.  “It may have all gone to shit, but it was worth it.”

Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know Oh, tell me something I don’t already know

Jughead stepped off the plane and saw his dad and friends standing at the gate, excitedly waiting for him.  He didn’t say anything, he didn’t even bother smiling.  Immediately, everyone understood.  

While they were awaiting Jughead’s plane’s arrival, Betty, Veronica, and Archie explained to the rest of the group about (Y/N).  They told them about how Jughead spent three months falling in love with this girl, and they explained that they had never seen Jughead look so smitten before.  

“How was New York, Jug?” FP asked, taking Jughead’s suitcase from him.  Jughead shrugged.

“It was nice.”

“Good food?” he questioned, trying to get his son to open up.  Jughead nodded tiredly.

“Yeah, food was great,” he replied monotonously.

“And the internship?”

“Helpful,” Jughead responded.  “I think it’ll help me improve as a writer.”

“That’s good,” FP said, raking a hand through his hair.  “You had another person with you, right?”  FP noticed Jughead tense up at this.

“Yeah,” he answered quietly. “Yeah, I had a counterpart.”

“What was she like?” Jughead looked up at his dad.

“You already know who it is,” he replied, shaking his head.  “Who told you, Betty?”  FP pursed his lips.

“Yeah, her and Archie and Veronica.  But listen, Jug, you’re going to have your heart broken countless other times.  You’ll get over this girl,” he attempted to comfort Jughead.

“Dad, she wasn’t just a girl,” he protested.  “She was amazing and quick-witted, and I fell in love with her and then everything went to shit.  But the worst part is that it’s okay, because she loved me too.  She fucking loved me, and I kissed her, and now I may never see her again.”

“Well if you loved her that much, you may see her again,” FP shrugged.  “Fate is a tricky thing, son, but the universe seems to cooperate better if you love someone.”

Tag list: @isis278 @lost-in-wonderland-x @spam-to-follow @thatspidernamedmeagan @isabellarose5150 @mariadrinaa @amyyleblanc1999 @sweetvengeancee@latenightbooknerd @sweetthoughts-of-insanity @icouldntcomeupwithausername123 @britishfancyturtlebraindead @sxazzaxs @fragilefrances @opiate-this-hazy-head @onceuponagladerhead @sarahvaliquette @deanskitten @vibes09 @rainbows-and-glitter-bitch @pharaohkiller @platonicasever @littlemisscaptainfandom @becausefuckkyouthatswhy @poorsop @klf1999 @cass-v-95 @eliza-hamilton-helpless @bugheadedarchie  @emmacoffey13

[inexchangeforyoursoul]

... look. There’s no guarantee that I’ll ever finish the next chapter, which is... about halfway done, maybe. As for the whole thing? It will never survive till the end. I just know it- my attention span is shit, as soon as I hyperfocus on another thing it’s adios, amigos. Also, I don’t write a lot and my style is rather convoluted, sorry about the consequences- you are already experiencing them. Anyway, I’ve never jotted down any of... these types of ideas, ever. So there’s that, too.

Either way, here lay the specifics: series is One Piece; the basic setup is an unfortunate body swap; this is a self insert fic with an insert that borders an OC- little is specified about the female insert’s looks, but a lot about her personality. This might change, but let’s stick to the topic. If -and let me emphasize IF- I get into this far enough, it will be, like, OCxCanon, with Law as a target.  But since I have logorrhea and such, we’ll never get there.

I also like to stick to Gen, sfw, and also canon while randomly entering other territories on a whim. I also have really dumb jokes.

If I get as far as 2 chapters, I’ll scrape together a title for an AO3 upload and put a link here (which is now a thing... here’s the link), until then you’ll have to tolerate my blog’s looks. The combination of Ctrl and +/- are your friend. Anywho, without further ado...

„I imagine... this is pretty high on your list of 'worst decisions ever made'.” is all she can muster in a voice that has an unfamiliar tinge of a higher pitch while looking down at an extended arm that is definitely not hers. As in, things she wasn't born with.

“I...” he starts, trying to rationalize the situation, but cuts the sentence off right there. The face, which used to be her playing field, looks just as stern and vaguely embarrassed as his would, and is quickly losing color, then gaining more than usual. A slim hand halfheartedly twitches into motion to reverse the mistake, to no avail- another digs into now longer hair in disbelief.

His devil fruit was, naturally, left with his body- a body which now she resides in. So if they want to regain their... privacy should be the word, well...

She looks back at her “new” hands- this doesn't feel all that different. Apart from her head not hurting from hitting it into a shelf yesterday, that is- instead, there is an easy to ignore stinging in her left wrist and side which might as well be from straining or a fall. As far as powers are concerned, though... she has no idea where to even begin if she wanted to give them a try. She's not even sure how Law ended up swapping them in the first place; after the first few hours of acquaintance it's clear that it takes little talent to push the man's thinly veiled buttons; playing dumb is beyond effective, even if it's sarcasm, -to which he is no stranger to in the first place, so what even is his deal?- but no matter what happened, he always kept his head straight. At least he did in this almost-week of acquaintance. He didn't drink as far as she knows, either, nor had an especially bad day, so... what was it that pushed him over the brink?

The handful of eye witnesses are also frozen in shock.

“Holy shit,” is all that Usopp breathes as the 'yes, that just happened' sinks in. Chopper keeps slurping from his straw, even though his cup of milkshake has been empty for the past ten seconds. If the legends are to be trusted, they've experienced the consequences firsthand, and are also connecting the one, big, problematic dot in the picture based on it. Shachi and Penguin, who have presumably witnessed the effects more often, seem to be taking it better. Seem to.

“Well... thiiis is awkward,” states the latter.

“And will remain so until it's... fixed,” adds Shachi, scratching his nose. “... does this mean we have, like, two captains now?” he asks a second later, wondering.

“Well... I ain't no captain of yours.” The statement in the de facto voice of their actual captain ups the awkwardness by multiple levels.

Grimacing, Penguin looks at Law, who has been staring at a nondescript wood grain on deck and is holding his head as he's likely trying to figure out something to deal with the problem; then shifts his attention to his captain's body and her in it, where he's greeted with a shrug. “As nice as it would be to have a cute captain, I guess we better hurry and do something as soon as possible.” He summarizes. Shachi hums.

„Shucks, thanks~” The uncharacteristic tone makes the boys rather squeamish  at this point while Law is reconsidering his life choices. The girl continues unfazed, though: “As for the fix, it's not that I couldn't... try. What's the worst that could happen, right?” Unsettling visions of many kind flash in front of everyone's eyes; before the occupant of her body could say anything, she states her own conclusion: “Ripping out some vital organ and killing us both in an instant is what it is.” She scratches her beard- this is a thing she has now. Which is actually pretty cool, because sometimes she muses over growing one, just for the hell of it- but then keep shaving for the rest of her life whenever she doesn't want it around? No, thank you. Now she gets to experience it free of charge, if this can be said about the situation.

Also, she's so... tall. She could get used to this, yes... feeling it. A lot.

“Is what it is,” he speaks up finally, ignoring the amused half-smile that's slowly spreading over the girl called Kat's new face; “You'll need to go through some training before we even attempt this, or anything else, on a living target. Until that...” he takes a hard-to-identify look at himself, “we'll... have to get by as we can.”

“No need to overthink it, alright. Should be fine.” she assures him. “The longer I think about it, the more enjoyable this adventure seems, actually.” She couldn't hide her grin if she wanted to. And even if she could... that glint in her eye? Whatever she's thinking of, it's a No and earns a suspicious look on Law's part.

“No funny business with my body.” As the imagination if the boys is taking an obvious and immediate turn towards uncharted, wild, wild territories, he feels the need to clarify. Really now, if these hooligans had popcorn lying around, they'd be munching on it as if watching some especially exciting play unfold. “You will stay put; as in, right here. On board of one of the ships. Meanwhile I will stay put as best as I can while managing my crew, too, got it?”

“Yes, yes, geez,” she says, rolling her eyes. Her place is right over there, down the coast past the docks, within plain sight, but whatever. He's lucky that right after the weekend there's a holiday, so she's free to play along for roughly six days despite having had other plans.

He doesn't look convinced. Well then.

“I will not promise to stick to your diet, training plan, music taste, or... whatever your daily routine is, okay?” she continues, counting out the items on her hands- those tattooed to hell-and-back hands. Steering her attention back on topic, she straightens herself to pledge in as official of a manner as possible, even forcing herself to keep eye contact for more than one second: “But I hereby also declare to do my best not to get your body maimed by marines, headhunters, or any of the people you've pissed off with your attitude in the past twenty-something years.” She closes her left hand, save one finger. “Pinky promise.” After a moment of consideration, she adds 'you better give me a list, though'. He is a man of many secrets and twenty locks on his mouth, after all. Also, she doesn't actually know shit about him past being as much of a wallflower as her, possibly having a degree and also a Reputation- keeping up with the news in general is not Kat's forte.

Law pulls his mouth to the side, but seems more relaxed upon hearing that. Then he turns around, leaving the expectant audience somewhat disappointed. “I'm... going back to my room. Come down tomorrow at 8. And do not fool around with the devil fruit powers until then.”

“... should I just tell people who come to me that you fucked up?” she shouts after him before the door of the submarine could close. It stops halfway and stays ajar for a while. A harder pill to swallow than expected, huh.

He needs a minute to consider how to answer- the initial thought was to groan an exasperated “no, pretend everything's normal”, but... getting his body back may take anything from a few days' time to... straight-up months, depending on her skills and outside forces. The option also leaves way too much room for shenanigans, which, based on the past two days, this woman here appears to indulge in. The harmless ones, yes... but she didn't appear to be one for Strawhat-brand tomfoolery at first, either, and what did he know. All in all, he's better off being safe than sorry. “Don't advertise it outside the alliance for both of our sakes, if you please. Also, they should look for me--- I mean, you, if my skills are needed. The remaining ones, that is.”

“Aye aye, captain~” he can hear from not too far away, with sarcastic tinge still intact. Law closes the door, staying still for a few seconds before making his way down to his chamber- does he really sound like that? He really needs to sleep on this if he can. Also, he has a rather big bump on his head and it stings.

The cool winds of the early night dissolve Kat's excitement from a mere minute ago, and she can feel her inner clock hitting one before bedtime. As she's about to turn around and get her stuff, it occurs to her that she's not supposed to go home- which gives her another rush of blood, and a slight sense of alarm.

“Wait... where will I sleep?” she snaps back, expecting the answer from the four silent judges still idling by.

Chopper stops slurping.

[ofconsequence]

Rewatching A&E’s BATES MOTEL

1x01 (First You Dream, Then You Die)

Wow. Okay, so I am 48 seconds into the episode, and I already have thoughts. Oops. Something tells me it’ll take me awhile to get through every episode if I actually seriously take the time to write everything down... 

Anywho -- obviously, the audience is meant to note the dialogue going on in the background as we pan into Norman’s face. A conversation’s being had on an old movie about a guy who’s gonna move in and live with his mother.

I also find it interesting how many photos are crammed onto the walls, even in such narrow hallways; it must be part of how Norma likes to illustrate this beautiful (but non-existent) life story of hers, a way to play the part of that girl who grew up with a kind, smiling father and a mother who always smelled like cookies. I wonder if playing this part is a way that she copes, too. We know she’s obviously willfully blind to things that cause her pain, or at least refocuses and forces that pain onto somebody else sort’ve deal (say... her eldest baby boy.)

Also -- baseball is on in the background, so we can gather that Sam Bates was a fan of baseball.

And here for the first time they use an empty/unattended kitchen to show Norma’s blatant absence (to be used later in the series when Dylan goes to find her in 4x07, There’s No Place Like Home). (I’ll also pointlessly note the writers seem to use spaghetti as a staple meal for the family, since in only 50 episodes with minimal normal domestic scenes, Dylan was also shown cooking spaghetti in 5x05, Dreams Die First).

And... only 55 seconds in, I’ve paused it again. Dang! Check out Sam Bates’ workshop. The dude must have been handy -- y’know, before he became a total drunk and completely useless. There’s a motorbike in there, too. Looks like it might be stripped? (It’s definitely not the bike we see Dylan driving later, though; totally different build.)

... Heh. I’m five minutes in, now -- just smirking a bit at Norman thinking his room was up in what eventually becomes Dylan’s room. It’s strange, though. There’s a door there left ajar; but I’m fairly certain we don’t ever see that door again later? Either that house was built really weirdly, too, or the folks who designed the sets just weren’t thinking totally straight, becauuuuse...

I can’t for the life of me get the freakin’ layout of this house, man. I know the back end comes out a little more, so it’s more shaped like 

than I think it is but still... Oy... 

Anyways. I love Norma and Norman so much and just want the world for them. My heart aches knowing their chance to start over was thwarted and ended in tragedy. :( I just want to protect them skjdhgs.

Forever amused that Norman Bates was listening to classical music on his iPod. Also amused at how Bradley and her friends sort’ve ambush Norman, haha. You can tell it’s a small town with not a lot of turn around -- they were really curious about him, but I also think it was very kind of them to immediately initiate communication instead of sort’ve shunning him and not welcoming him at all, y’know? Even though we all know how this ends, still. I think it was nice of them to reach out, at least at first, and even if it was ultimately for their own curiousity’s sake. Idk.

Also, straight off the bat in the small glimpse that we saw, I like Miss Watson -- and it’s only because I’m rewatching and know how her relationship with Norman develops that I find her line “You look like a runner” kind’ve a tip off, I’m sure. But I liked how she worded the students’ homework, the tiny glimpse we saw of her teaching style, and I like how she speaks to Norman non accusingly when she laments his grades and seems so genuinely invested in helping him. 

(I also wanna note that even though Norman said they moved a lot, I always pictured they moved around a lot in terms of homes, but always remained in the Scottsdale or more specifically Southern Scottsdale area. It’s a large city after all. No other home besides Norma’s childhood in Ohio and then Arizona was ever mentioned, so that’s just what I’m inferring.) 

Ahh.... this scene where Norman comes home to Norma always makes me cringe so bad. I love Norma, I truly do, but for me, this was one of her worse scenes in terms of me not really liking her so much. But I really appreciate how the writers handled it because it really sums up her parenting style (especially in regards to Norman) super swiftly and very clearly. Random sidenote? I never understood people burning candles at dinner. After dinner, sure, but I’d be scared to knock it over while we’re eating and reaching across the table for things. Like... idk, candles are more a thing you put on a coffee table, mantle or side table rather than a dinner table, imo. 

Keith Summers... I liked you for a fraction of one second, when you walked up those steps and asked Norman how he liked living there so far. Maybe I’m naive, but for that fraction of a second, I remember thinking you were only there to welcome them. Ugh...  Part of me wonders if Keith would have reacted as strongly as he did if Norma hadn’t spoken to him that way (threatening to shoot him), but either way, he did, and we know what he did to god knows how many other girls, too. He deserved a slower death than what he got.

The scene where Norma answers the door and tells Bradley Norman can’t go out reminds me a bit of the dinner scene, but less cringe-worthy; Norma could have known Bradley didn’t intend on bringing her son to the library and wanted to protect him from that, which is more understandable to me than preventing him from joining the track team at school, especially after Keith’s threats about not knowing anything about the town, etc. She doesn’t know what the local kids are like, y’know? And Norman is different, not exactly a partying teen. However, if she didn’t see through Bradley’s fib, well... that’s a little different, and again, referring more back to Norma-esque clingyness rather than a mom just being protective. And if she genuinely believed her excuse (unpacking, stuff to do, blah de blah,) that’s manipulative, too, because they were just sitting there, and you know the writers must’ve included that brief scene for that very reason (to illustrate that Norma was definitely exaggerating.)

I really like the way they showed Norma hesitating and turning around with narrowed eyes during their confrontation after Bradley and her friends left; now that we know Norma does have a reason to be as protective as she is, this was really good foreshadowing. She was scrambling to keep a lid on Norman’s temper, but her own flared up too. The bit that Norman said was another good bit of insight into Norma’s parenting, too. It makes me sad because Dylan would have grown up jealous over that, was jealous over it, even though he knew it wasn’t right (because at least it was something.) I think Dylan realizes just how badly Norma’s smothering affected Norman for the first time when he comes home in the next episode; because it has been three years since they’ve lived together and possibly seen and spoken to one another (at least from what I’m inferring.) He sees Norman and he thinks, “This is no normal teenage dude,” and gets angry with Norma and uses that to put up a front for that jealousy that’s eaten away at him since forever.

Anyway. Back to the current show. lmao I love Norma’s parting words ( “Well maybe you better just stay there the rest of the night, then!” )  It was so realistic, bahah. And Norman throwing his stuffed dog hahah (also LOL stuffed dog, I see wat u did there, writers and / or props department). 

I’ll never get over how “grown up” that party was that Bradley and her buddies took Norman to. But at the same time, I feel like I’m lacking in real world experience -- I literally never went to a party when I was in high school, let alone one full of teenagers with rich parents. I loved how they specifically showed the weed, too. Just little things like that, tiny little hints and foreshadowing -- it just shows that the writers actually wrote at least one season all in one go, not just episode by episode. I wonder whose house that was at, too? It’s a weird setting, can’t really tell if it’s a public building or a home.

And I am literally just realizing for the first time ever that Bradley was drunk in the scene with her and Norman (and then Richard)....... oops.   I kinda hope that Bradley must’ve  done or said something to make Richard so jealous and rude to Norman right off the bat, though. Or maybe he’s just so into Bradley and insecure he’s just douchey like that? I dunno. I mean, at least later in the season he has more of a reason, but their first meeting there, he’s kind’ve a dick for no apparent reason... unless maybe he saw Bradley walking up close to Norman from afar or something, idk. 

... Uuuugh. This next scene. I’m cringing in advance. It’s really hard to watch.  Part of me had to smirk a bit at how Norma was just finishing up cleaning up for the night before everything ends up covered in blood spatter though, even though my gut’s twisting at how all that blood ends up there at all.  Ohhh, sidenote: I mean, we know Norma loves making things beautiful and we often see her clean, but maybe cleaning is cathartic for her? Like maybe the reason she likes cleaning so much is part of her delusion thing (like with all the family photos I mentioned before) or maybe it’s more just cathartic in the sense that it gives her some semblance of control? Random thing that just occurred to me. I’d always kind’ve assumed she liked cleaning just because, but maybe it’s a little deeper, I dunno.

I also love the little realistic shot of Norma smiling to herself, waving off her worries. I think we’ve all done that, haha. (Can you tell I just love all the realistic little tid bits of this show? It all feels so real. Much wow, such quality. :’D)  And I love that  the music tells you just as much as Norma’s suddenly stiffening posture that something in her gut just twisted at that next noise. I’ve felt that “flight” instinct before, and it’s like something wrenches and rips on your insides and all of a sudden you feel like everything is on some strangely extreme level, like your body goes into hyper drive while holding a breath all at once. It’s horrible and makes your heart stop (or beat so fast you can’t feel it anymore.) I really sympathize with her right there, and I can appreciate that she doesn’t step right up to the glass, because when you feel that train wreck in slow motion feeling, you would be much too scared to face the source of your fear that closely. 

Uuugh... god... can anybody watch this scene without grimacing and hugging themselves....? I don’t have anything more to say.... I was watching this scene in a tank top and actually had to put a sweater on because it just makes me feel so uncomfortable... 

It’s too bad Norma or Norman didn’t think to handcuff Keith with his hands behind his back -- but maybe the murder would seem less gruesome this way?? Tho lbr it was pretty gruesome anyways. The sound effects... bah.

Norma’s reaction to everything makes so much more sense and seems less crazy somehow, knowing her back story, understanding where she’s coming from. I mean, it still sucks that she chose to hide the body instead of call it in, yadda yadda, but -- she stabbed him so many times, and then part of it must have been fear, too... she didn’t want people to know she’d been raped, to have that reminder. 

-- How did Jiao get her notebook under the carpet? And why did she leave it there?

Alex is such a dick this episode lmao. Ultimate stoic sheriff. haha.  Maybe he just senses she’s lying or something idk. Which... I guess he probably does, since he asks to look inside. I’ll never understand why neither he nor Shelby smells the body / blood in the bathroom. I mean, unless Romero was rocking a seriously bad UTI and couldn’t smell it over his own piss... >.>  Or maybe the pipes or plumbing already smelled coppery? Or the place is so musty that it muffled out the smell? Idk, idk. To me, this was one of the show’s biggest plot holes right here. Blood reeks. 

Ahhh, dat school cafeteria tho. I kind’ve wonder if Norman hallucinated the spot of blood on his shoe. It was very bright -- dried blood isn’t that red. Maybe this was his first on screen hallucination... And hooray for the introduction of Emma! Man, I can’t get over how much she grew up during the course of this show. She seems so young here.

Okay, honestly, this got rushed about halfway through the episode because my mom came home and I felt awkward pausing it every two minutes like I was to jot something down, and I don’t even feel like writing stuff about the rest of the episode anymore, lmao. But, hey -- this is casual, at my leisure... I doubt anybody else will read this anyways, so I’m basically talking to myself over  here. 

  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

On the off chance that anybody else does end up reading this, please let me know so I can be less lazy about this in the future if something similar happens.

[goldenscript]

basketball player!jungkook

author’s note: this is part of a sports series with my girl @wangpuppo (: and a request from one of my cute anonies that i miss. also, the bit with meeting a cute boy in philosophy happened irl and inspired this so heh enjoy!

meet jeon jungkook, power forward of seoul university and computer science major extraordinaire

you would think from the size of his thighs and his arms that he was a hockey player but he assures anyone that it’s really just a hobby for him and that basketball actually has his heart

his mom is actually the reason how he got acquainted with the sport bc a little before he was born, she was actually a college player with a semi-pro spot ready for her until she met his dad who was actually the waterboy

they shyly flirted with one another until some of her teammates locked them in a supply room closet together bc it was so unbearable for everyone else to deal with their feelings (lol) so by the time they were out of the closet they were together and happily so

however, come around their final year in college when things go kinda wrong and she ends up pregnant with baby jeon and of course they’re ecstatic but holy shit they haven’t even graduated yet and they’re gonna have a baby and well…. she didn’t go onto the semi-pro team and jeon’s dad did his best to work hard for them while she finished getting her degree WHILE nursing jungkook for 9 months

to say the least mama and papa jeon managed to get through the whole ordeal with degrees

by the time they graduated, baby jungkook was born and he became the light of their lives and despite their initial struggles they did their best to provide the family and make it as comfortable as they could for him because dammit they brought him into this world, they wanted to make him live well too

the comfort of their lives came the moment papa jeon scored a position as a nutritionist and mama jeon became a physical therapist so that’s how jungkook got acquainted with the world of fitness and finding interest in the way his parents could take care of people

however, the moment he fell in love with basketball was when he saw his mom’s basketball tapes. all the glorious videos of her scoring that winning shot and zooming around the court with such swiftness and agility he damn near got whiplash from trying to keep up

and from that moment on, he wanted to play too

of course, his parents were very ecstatic about that and enrolled him in a community team and he excelled so damn quickly

for the next nineteen years of his life, he played basketball and loved every damn second of it and along the way he found an interest in computers too. (let’s just say he read a few books that his high school computer teacher gave him and he was determined to take apart a computer and put it back together - he succeeded) and so that is why he has a full ride to SU with a basketball scholarship as a compsci major

 anywho, seeing jungkook on the court is honestly a sight because you would expect him to be stomping around, too slow for the muscle all over his body, but jfc no he is so goddamn quick and agile. he could be on one side of the court and somehow end up right in front of the opposing member to block for his teammate to make that shot

he’s a great team player really, not much for the glory and usually to himself, but on a handful of occasions he’ll surprise even his members with a half-court shot

he doesn’t care much for the glory of the winning shot, just the feeling that basketball gives him when he’s on the court, gaining callouses from the ball, and running around until he can’t seem to feel his calves and god the happiness on his parents’ face always gets to him

so yeah, that’s jungkook as a basketball player - a really sweet and hardworking boy who loves to make his parents happy and to make his teammates happy too

remember how i mentioned how he’s a compsci major?

well, you’re actually a compsci minor because you find computers really fascinating and cool and unfortunately quite a few others do too so it leaves you two at a disadvantage as first years compared to the upperclassmen so you’re both resorted to taking these random General Education (GE) classes i.e intro to philosophy

it’s hard not to notice jungkook that’s for sure, especially when he’s lugging around his sports bag and when he’s cute as all hell in your honest opinion

you once told this to your friends and they never let you down about it either. honestly they’d tell you when he’d walk in or try and get you to sit by him but the closest you’ve ever gotten was probably sitting one person away and that was on the final exam day

on a few occasions you two would actually inadvertently glance at one another during your discussion (dear god none of your friends let you live, best believe that) but you were always too shy to approach him and he was actually quite shy himself because let’s face it baby boy is a shy nugget who only knows basketball and comp sci and some philosophy (barely tho lol but it’s okay cuz you knew the bare minimum too)

anyway, that quarter you didn’t get to know him as you wished and both of you ended up regretting that because damn y’all thought each other was cute. for him it was especially seeing you laugh with your friends and for you it was that little perplexed expression on his face when the professor would mention soundness and the theories about the concepts and dshgjds yeah you really wished you had taken that chance to tell him he was cute on the last day like you initially planned but was too chicken to do

but guess what?

the next quarter you see him in your intro to computers class and somehow you two end up seated by one another and although there’s no seating chart, it just becomes a thing that this is that person’s seat the moment they sit there more than twice and so you both are seated not too far from one another

your hair is a slight mess and your eyes are puffy while you sip your coffee and he looks fairly content albeit sleepy with his hood drawn up and you both don’t even realize it’s each other until hour two of the lab goes by

you’re both starting to wake up and looking around at each other cuz people are shuffling around and some are moving closer toward one another and then it strikes you that the kid with slightly ruffled hair is very familiar and then it hits you and you’re just like “wow ok holy shit cute person from that philosophy class!!!!”

but this isn’t enough to get you two to start talking to each other

that self-established seating chart has already set in notion and so there’s no honest chance in getting to know him from that and so you kinda give up because you’re very sure he probably doesn’t remember you and dammit your TA is standing over your shoulder staring at your codes with narrowed eyes (rip you but he was just playin’ cuz he liked what you had)

this whole exchange isn’t to say you both never talk because on this chance encounter of finding out why he lugs that damn nike bag around all the time comes full circle

so you do work at the infirmary, usually filing papers and the like since it’s sort of the track for your major and on a particular day comes in jungkook!

he looks like he’s in a lot of pain clutching his shoulder and the nurse gets him to do the necessary papers and shovels him off to the doctor who tells him that he has a pretty bad fracture and he won’t be able to play for the rest of the season (at least that’s what they think)

reason: some asshole from one of the other teams hit him a little too hard after one too many unnecessary roughness calls and on this blow jungkook fell a little too hard and too awkward for it to just be another minor bruise and yeah :(

he’s pretty devastated about this and he has to go through a bunch of testing and whatnot and as an assistant you usually run around making copies until you have to hand off some paperwork for him to fill out

prior to this, you noticed how most of his appointments took up his time during the labs and the lectures so you nicely set a copy of your notes with his, adding in things you figured he might need to know from the lecture since he was unable to attend and the moment he receives the large stack his eyes grow wide

and you’re like “oh so i remember you from my comp sci class and i figured you might these notes… -oh and those are just basic info that the doctor wanted you to sign off on and the like”

he blinks at you, still pretty surprised at your kindness (and totally not freaking out that such a cute person is chatting from him aka the same one he’s wanted to talk to for a while) but he flashes you a small smile (and omg you love it so much) and thanks you

coincidentally most of your volunteer shifts are during his appointments and whatnot so you talk every now and then, usually about the notes and eventually about your majors

the doctors and the nurses think it’s absolutely adorable so sometimes they let you two chat a little longer than usual just for young love to bloom <3

this exchange goes on from some time until he finds the guts to ask for your number when you hand him the large stack of notes in this rushed blurting of words i.e. “soumiwaswonderingificould-maybe-getyournumber??”

you: “wait what”

he looks down, cheeks quite pink, “can i -um- get your number? since y’know we have comp sci together so it’d be easier to like study for exams and talk about it and stuff…. yeah….”

you grin and nod, scribbling it onto one of the notes and the two of you can’t deny the butterflies and erratically beating hearts y’all have going on

you both see each other during his check-ups but he’s healing quite quickly thanks to having such strong bones so he may not be out for the rest of the season like they thought thankfully and so when he’s fine and his check-ups are less and less

so along the way, you two end up talking day by day even sitting by one another in your comp lecture because you’re semi-friends now and it’s just nice to have someone you know in that class since none of your other friends were interested in comp sci like you so nowadays you’ll text one another about the class and how your days are and those little butterflies emerge whenever you wait for his text or receive a response and you’re just like “dsjghsdjgshdgs”

little do you know he’s honestly the same exact way and his roommates jimin and taehyung are always like “???? WHO DAT? :D” and jungkook’s like “lol gtfo bye”

anyway, one day you text him about the upcoming final bc you’ll be damned if you miss out on your chance to actually ask his kid out and studying together and he agrees but it’d have to be after his practice and you ask him about his shoulder and if he’ll be good to play at championships

and he’s like “oh yah!”

and you’re like “o: woah, can i come watch? i haven’t gone to a game and i wanna see you play. prolly treat ya out if you win”

and ok, at first he’s a lil’ shy but he says “ok sure, just say you’re with me at the door” and you do and jin (the RA)’s at the entrance like “O: WHAT MY FLOOR CHILD HAS A GIRLFRIEND, THAT PUNK KSJHFJS” but before he can say anything else one of jungkook’s buds urges you to sit by the front and you do until you see jungkook and he looks so nervous, glancing around until his eyes settle on you and he just flashes you a grin and wave which you return as well

the game is going by swimmingly and you can’t help but watch jungkook especially because even though he’s the power forward he’s also very conscious of his shoulder which you were extremely worried about until you feel like you can finally breathe when your school wins and you stand with the crowd cheering like crazy

out of everyone tho he actually approaches you first with a grin and you’re congratulating him and he feels so elated he really just wants to take you up in his arms and kiss you tbh but he has self control and mercy bc he’s sweating like crazy

ngl tho he looks crazy attractive in your opinion

anywayy, as you two are talking since you did tell him that you’d buy him food on his win, the rest of the team’s like “yooo kook! party at jackson’s!!!! you in??”

and although you’re disappointed you tell him you won’t mind if he goes but he turns to you and says with a grin “nah i got plans already” and jsdkghsjgh the team goes “oOOOOoooooOoooo” but y’all ignore them and he goes “i’ll be back ok? gonna get cleaned up and we can get food?”

so you’re content to wait by the locker room for him, grinning af bc holy shit the cute boy you really wanted to get to know last quarter is going to dinner with you!!!!!

meanwhile jungkook’s so nervous and stuff cuz he plans on confessing and stuff since it just seems right and his teammates clap him on the back like “yo you got this bro!!!!!!! goood luck tho jin definitely sent him some salty messages and warnings to be safe ahahaha

and ok so y’all go to dinner at this nice ramen shop and it’s really great! and you two are laughing your asses off about how this one time oneo f his roomates taehyung got stuck in between the washing machines because he was so certain he could fit and how they had to call the fire department to get the boy loose and yeah ahaha

and he’s just in awe with how damn beautiful you look when your laughing and he just blurts out “you have a really nice laugh” when you ask him why he’s staring and you’re like “o: oh thank you…. you do too”

and he says “i wanna hear you laugh more and be the reason why you do….” he lets out a deep sigh, appearing a lot more nervous than before, “i like you a lot. i think you’re incredibly cute and i love that you love compsci as much as i do and talking to you these past few weeks have made me happy and god i really wanted to kiss you after the game but i didn’t want to scare you and i feel like this is a lot less eloquent than in my head so i’m sorry”

and you’re just in awe because damn you really planned on confessing first but you can’t deny the smile spreading on your face and you tell him “kook, i like you too. and i’d really like it if you kissed me, by the way”

and he’s all wide eyed but he grins and after y’all eat and you’re strolling around the city with his arm draped over your shoulders, you guys stop at the top where it overlooks the city lights and on a particular moment when you both are still and quiet and glancing at one another you lean in and do it

and it leads to a shocked expression on his face but he lets go of your shoulders and puts his hands on either side of your face and kisses you again

and ahh it’s just so damn sweet and neither of you can stop grinning because damn it really worked out as you both hoped

dating jungkook entails a lot of visits to his practices after you’re done with volunteering where you’ll come by with ice packs and water and snacks and usually you’ll bring enough snacks for the others who absolutely adore you for that

you also have a tendency to fuss over him whenever he overexerts himself because he’s a very big overachiever in sports and academics and sometimes you gotta threaten to withdraw your kisses and affections just to get him to settle down honestly

his roommates were so happy to hear how things turned out for you two and they go out of their way to tease him whenever you’re around and dear god Jin

well when he found out you two got together, he saw y’all holding hands and he literally sat you both in the lounge, brought out some snacks and just chatted with you

to jungkook, this was horrendous but you loved chatting with jin because he’d lay out a bunch of things about kook like how he isn’t the cleanliest and you shouldn’t be surprised to find anything and everything under his bed and how there was one time when jungkook spent an hour googling how to work the washer and dryer were right by the bulletin board in the room and that’s when kook lost it and dragged you away

it was then decided that jin approved of you tho

bc after the season when everyone is still training after, jungkook’s shoulder was bothering him and he refused to admit that he might’ve overexerted it and you stormed over to the dorm and scolded him for not taking proper care of himself before running around just to grab some ice packs and just a mini kit of dealing with this brat and jin just knew that you’d take care of this kid so he leaves y’all be and even closes the door to the dorm tho you pay no attention as kook starts opening up to you

even on days when he feels his worst like he feels like everyone depends on him and he’s not sure if his abilities are good enough since his shoulder’s constantly bothering him and all you think to do is give him words of advice and kissing him to let him know that he isn’t alone

because although you count on him, you want to be there to support him and well…. jimin and taehyung aren’t in the room and with the ice pack on his shoulder, you climb atop the bed, sitting on his lap and kissing him with more and more fervor that he reciprocates

you convince him to let you take care of him and you do indeed~

the one day he actually loses a game (bc hey no ones perfect) and you’re there doing your best to comfort him he just tells you how much he loves you and is grateful for you being there

and holy shit this is the first he’s told you this, you tell him you love him too and god he looks significantly happier

on days when you’re at your worst, he tries his best to get your mind of it, taking you on walks to your favorite places and carrying you when you’re too tired

other days he’ll even forgo practice, finding the frog leaps on the stairs worth it, when he can pick you up after your volunteer shift just to surprise you with snacks and a semi-well made bento box and boba and it’s just so damn sweet ok

you and jungkook manage to complement one another in the best way possible and when you’re both overexerting yourselves you’re there for one another to tell each other to chill

to say the least, both of y’all have never been more grateful for a philosophy class even if you both suffered incessantly in that damn class

[astyle-alex]

It's a beautiful example of how YA based in a non-Western cultural background should be constructed, and there are definitely aspects of it that I deeply enjoyed, but I had a hard time truly falling under its spell. I think that is mostly a product of the environment where I was reading it, and the fact that I was required to read it in order to facilitate a book club event at work...

And that secondary fact worked against it two-fold, being that it's the first required reading of a novel I've had in almost a decade, and second that I disagree strongly with the concept of a national book club that categorically must be supported by all levels of employee as dictated by Corporate... I think it boosts sales for this title in a way that is unfair and rather undue, considering that I'd way rather Promote something like Wicked Fox, which I enjoyed more and feel is not getting enough attention...

Anywho:

The main thing I want to draw attention to regarding this story is how the 'foreign' words were naturalized. The characters using the words don't see them as foreign so they are treated as standard language, with the translation provided for those in the audience who may not be familiar with the terms being secondary thoughts and italicized as existing partly outside the narrative. Wicked Fox did this too, but We Hunt the Flame had a lot more Arabic base words than any other story I can think off off the top of my head-- and, to make it even better, it didn't translate all of them; it simply let us gain an understanding of their usage via context. It even commented briefly on the variations in certain terms due to the abundance of truly distinct dialects.

So, linguistically, I think this is one of the best books I've read in a while. It's certainly the most reasonable argument for #OwnVoices fiction. I've disliked the #OwnVoices trend for a while now, not because I don't agree with the concept, but because the concept didn't include what legitimately felt like #OwnVoices material. The stories that came out, pitched to picky and pretentious teens as being #OwnVoices didn't feel any more culturally rooted than the white-author-in-a-new-cultural-playground did. And I was pissed at how bad #OwnVoices stories were getting published, and how they were getting picked up by publishers over good stories with Totally-Unrelated-But-Still-Respectful-Voices.

Yes, it's the age old race issue of forced integration. It's overall going to be a good thing, but it started off poorly and I am allowed to be irked by that.

On the other hand, the story itself was interesting. I dunno... I just didn't love it... It was a good old road trip story, and a fun little camp out of interesting folk who didn't initially get along... but it just felt a little meh to me.

I also didn't wholly understand the setting... And the impetus of needing the five Caliphates to be under one sultan... Because that map is inverted, from what I was thinking as I read. The world is arranged around the island of Sharr, and the Arz blocks the people off from the Barrensea around the Sharr... So other than the fact that the Arz is eating away at the land, it doesn't seem like getting to the Barrensea is really necessary. Espcially as it looks like the map extends outward in every other direction in a way that makes the joining of the five Caliphates... largely useless. And the five mini-kingdoms are arranged oddly, considering they're all part of the same super-nation... and the arrangement makes the sultan's palace exist at an exceptionally awkward point for it to rule over the five relevant Caliphates... It really just doesn't seem sensible.

If the country were an island and the five Caliphates were crammed onto it, with the Barrensea stretching out all around them, for basically ever with no other land being reachable by any of the presumably thousands of search parties that have gone out looking, then maybe the organization of the culture would make sense... the Arz could still have popped up in the middle of the continent, and Sharr could still be an island, possibly a magical moving island, and everything else could stay exactly the same... It could make the story a lot easier to swallow. Because I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons I had trouble getting into it, I just couldn't figure out why any of this was at all necessary.

There was also a lot of deus ex machina involvement, literally, with the Silver Witch being the primary reason anything really got successfully accomplished. And beyond that, I've never really been one to support a plot that hinged on the 'Great and Inevitable Darkness' as the only real bad guy... Like people are awful on their own, thank you very much, they aren't all innocents being poisoned by the great deceiver.... If you wanna make me feel bad for a villain, I'm just gonna need more than blatant demonic possession to be convinced to care at all.

So yeah, I have a lot of issues with this story. But it IS a good read. And it's got very entertaining characters, even if the way their stories unfold feels rather mechanical at times. And we don't really learn Kifah's story at all... Presumably, it'll be more relevant in Book 2, and therefore will come up more directly and unavoidably, but still, it felt odd to learn SO MUCH that didn't seem to matter about the others and nothing about her...

Again, though, it's a good read. Not great, but fun, and the linguistics are lovely.

I'd only really recommend it if you're dying for another Arabian tale after finishing the Rebel of the Sands series. It's appropriate for ages 14 & up, though honestly you could go lower, there's nothing too gruesome or too raunchy or at all druggie or anything. It's just kinda boring for the 10 - 14 year old crew.

[kellyinboston]

WHAT Wednesday

Let’s see if I can get this blog post up today! Fingers crossed I will have time!

How is everyone? Can you believe it is the end of April already, I feel like this month just flew by! Work is busy (per usual), we have 4 people starting in the next 2 weeks. And then 4 expats coming over and salary review and…okay I won’t bore you but I am trying to get everything in order before I leave and I fear I am running out of time!

Anywho. Let’s get started.

WHAT am I reading?

I finished Pachinko the other day, I very much enjoyed it. I am not very familiar with the relational history between Korea and Japan and while this book was fiction I think that aspect of the book was, more or less, an accurate portrayal of how those countries interacted with each historically (or maybe still today). I like books that follow a family/person through decades of their life (you know that already though!) and this book fit the bill. I started listening to Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell. It is a thriller and although I am not a huge fan of thrillers (they have less character development and follow similar plot structures) the audio book options were limited. I am maybe 1/3rd of the way through and it is fine so far. I am physically reading The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, this is the 5th book in that murder/mystery series I am reading. I am only 15% of the way through. I am liking it, per usual.

I am curious to see how my reading life will change with a baby. I remember when we brought Snoop home and I was super sleep deprived I could only ready a few pages a night. I suspect it will be similar with a baby (a baby and a puppy, essentially the same thing, right?). However, I am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to churn out 3 books a month.  Right now I am reading about 4/5 books a month, so 3 seems realistic. And I think the first few months will have to be lighter reads, I have a couple big history books I really want to get to this year and I think those will have to wait until things “settle down” with the baby (I know I know…things will never settle down, but maybe feel more manageable) and I have more brain capacity. We’ll see…

WHAT are we watching?

I actually have something for this category today. First off – a lot of NBA basketball. The first round of playoffs are happening which means 4 games on the weekends and like 2 games at night during the week. Boston won last night which was exciting. They still have to win one more game to advance.

I started watching The Handmaid’s Tale, I read the book a couple years ago, here is a description of the series:

Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. One of these women, Offred, is determined to survive the terrifying world she lives in, and find the daughter that was taken from her.

I have watch 5 episodes (I think there are maybe 11/12 episodes) and it is really good, very dark, depressing and disturbing, but good. My friend/coworker doesn’t think now is a good time to be watching this show (b/c of impending arrival of baby) but I am all in now. The 2nd season was released today (I think).

WHAT is going on with the family?

Family is good. Neil has been working better hours lately, it is nice to have him around more! I enjoy his company – which I suppose is a good thing since we are married. I have been extra sensitive to sound lately which puts a damper on Neil doing anything after I go to bed. We live in a loft space and so when I go to bed it is in the same room (just up the stairs) so Neil will continue to watch TV, work, etc. and usually the sound doesn’t bother me too much (Neil may disagree with this statement) but lately it has. Especially his keyboard, it is REALLY loud. Even he will admit that. And he got a Nintendo switch (hand-held video game device) and the noises that his game makes…sounds like water droplets – it is not loud but once I hear it I cannot unhear it so I may freak out and complain. He has been patient with me. He has been having headaches lately, which worries me, so he is going to make a doctor’s appointment soon, just to make sure everything is okay.

Snoop is good, funny as usual. She ran into a pole the other day, it was my fault, I threw the ball too close to it and she ran right into it. She got a little scratch under her eye but it is healing just fine. She also got into something else because her nose is all scratched, so she looks a bit beat up but she doesn’t miss a beat. I really hope her and the baby grow to be best friends.

Baby is good. 10 days out from due date and while I initially thought it would come early, now I am not so sure. He/she seems pretty comfortable in there. I have been having heartburn lately, which is no fun. The baby moves A LOT. Neil is freaked out when he feels the baby move so I made him keep his hand on my stomach last night for a full basketball minute and he was sufficiently creeped out because the baby is super active at night.  

WHAT is making me happy?

Does anyone else go through days where you are overwhelmed with feelings of extreme gratitude one minute and then 2 minutes later you feel completely and utterly hopeless/stressed/sad/lonely? No…just me? Well okay…this is awkward. The last few days I have felt a bit overwhelmed, lonely, happy, irritable, grateful…just all the feelings. I would like to blame it on pregnancy and the uncertainty that is about to become the norm of my life…but to be honest this type of emotional roller-coaster isn’t out of the ordinary for me, pregnant or not, so I wanted to end this post on a happy note.

Neil makes me happy. He drives me nuts too, but most of the time he makes me happy. I am excited to take this next step with him and to see him be a father.

My work makes me happy. Stressed…but happy. I have learned so much in the past 1.5 years than I ever thought possible and yes, I feel like I am drowning 75% of the time but at the end of the day I like it and I like my coworkers. Do I love going into work everyday? No, but I sure as heck don’t dread it…and maybe sometimes I do look forward to it…just sometimes!

Snoop makes me happy. She brings a lot of laughter to our lives. She has one heck of a personality. The other night she had her head on my stomach and was just so cuddly.

Karen (friend from the condo) will be back in town tomorrow, she has been in Kentucky since late last year and I have only seen her once (in January)…she is coming back for the summer! And supposedly bringing a lot of baby stuff that he daughter no longer needs!

To be done being pregnant (I am almost there!). I have nothing to compare it to but I suspect I have had a very easy pregnancy (although I shouldn’t speak too soon as I still have 10 days left). That being said, I am done with having this belly. I want some wine. I want to be able to sit closer to the table when I eat (belly is in the way). I want to be able to flip and flop when I sleep and not have to make a conscious effort to switch sleeping positions. I haven’t hated being pregnant, I haven’t loved being pregnant either. I have just been pregnant and while I know that we are very blessed to have been able to get pregnant so easily, it wasn’t a magical experience for me. I don’t feel super connected to the baby (although the movement is cool…most of the time), I haven’t had a glow, I have just been pregnant. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, because I understand what a blessing this is, I just haven’t thought too much about being pregnant while pregnant. Both Neil and I agree that the pregnancy went pretty fast and we think that is because we have been busy and I have been fortunate in that I have not really had any issues (yet…don’t want to jinx it). But to be honest, like I said, it hasn’t been this magical experience either. I am just ready to meet the little one and to see how we navigate parenthood.

Thanks for reading!

(PS - Amanda, I am going to give you a call this week and I totally remember “watch out for fanny” literally laughed out loud when I read your comment!)

[roxannarambles]

Top 5 Favorite Characters - Fire Emblem Fates

Been a while since I’ve done a top five list, and I just finished off the Fates series (well, Birthright and Revelation, anyway), so I thought that would be good for a list.

Spoilers ahead! Lots of them! Big ones! And also, lots of personal opinions that may or may not be popular! You’ve been warned.

5.) Silas

This doof with the cowlick hair was probably my most versitile unit of both Birthright and Revelation. If you upgrade to paladin his incredibly balanced stats and good movement mean he’s reliable and dependable as heck. When I was first thrown into Birthright with all those scary, unfamiliar classes, it was nice to have a familiar cavalier to fall back on. Even once I adjusted to the Hoshidan classes, he was a vital bedrock for the team. 

It’s also hard to hate Silas-- he’s a prototypical knightly character, devoted to doing good and utterly loyal to the Avatar. While his character is a bit on the bland side, he nevertheless came off as pretty sincere to me, so I was sympathetic to him.

4.) Kaze

Lacking a traditional thief class, Hoshido instead features a ninja class. You’re offered up three of them pretty fast in Birthright-- Kaze, his brother Saizo, and Kagero. From the very start, it was clear Kaze was the only ninja for me. Saizo looked utterly ridiculous to me, and Kagero appeared to suffer from the just-a-walking-pair-of-boobs syndrome that so many female characters do in the Fates games. So, Kaze it was.

While part of his character is pretty tropey and over-used-- handsome guy has no clue why the ladies devote so much attention to him-- it’s not all like that. I actually quite like his calmness, which contrasts nicely with the relatively grim line of work he’s engaged in, stealthy assasinations and such. It gives a nice sort of style to some of his crit quotes especially (“I’ll make this quick” “The pain will pass”) that’s said in a fairly quiet voice but carries a lot of weight. A calm, compassionate killer, I suppose, doing what he must because he must.

There’s relatively a lot of depth to his character too when compared to other Fates characters, and he has a pretty large role in the stories. His quiet strength and tireless devotion are nice, and his character does a lot of work to embody the proto-typicalness of this new class. When he offered to become my retainer in the story, I was genuinely engaged with the story; I was moved by his tale, happy to have him as a retainer and quite fond of him.

Then Birthright killed him randomly because I hadn’t A-ranked yet and I had to restart the game from scratch to get him back. So that was fun.

3.) Hinata

I love this dork, okay? He’s just so frickin’ cheerful and optimistic and goofy and lovely. You gotta admire his enthusiasum and joy. It’s refreshing, especially in a game that’s supposed to be all grim and depressing and crap. He’s also a kick-ass Swordmaster who gets crazy Astra-crits and tears through people. Not much else to say; he’s just pure joy. I dig his attitude, and it’s something the world needs more of.

2.) Laslow

Okay, so. I was first exposed to the Fates characters through FEH. (I haven’t played Awakening yet, either, although I have a decent familiarity with the game. Not enough to know who Inigo was, though, apparantly.) Two of my favorite characters in FEH had always been Laslow and, once I saw the new banner, this dancer guy named Inigo. Just ‘cos the character design was cool and he seemed to have neat quotes and he had a lot of style and flare and etc. Hahaha and then I realized Laslow and Inigo were the same character. (’Wow, no wonder they look so similar....’)

Anyway, I finally met him properly in Revelation. And admittedly, it’s a bit of a disappointment to learn he falls into the philanderer trope. That said, there’s a lot of good stuff about his character as well. His interactions with his daughter in the paralogue and with the Avatar help show that more mature, thoughtful, caring side to him. He pairs very nicely with Azura, too. There’s enough depth there to see that once he stops running about chasing girls, he’s actually quite a lovely person.

1.) Subaki

My perfect sky knight. <3 Err, I mean, ahem. Like the other Fates characters, I first caught glimpse of Subaki in FEH and got really excited that a really cool-looking MALE Pegasus unit existed, because this was news to me. Always thought he seemed real neat in FEH, and finally found him in Fates. He’s not what I expected at first-- didn’t expect him to be so cocksure and obssesed with perfection-- but I gradually learned there was a lot more range to his character than the initial impressions. 

There’s a massive bundle of anxious energy driving him in his workaholic maddness and a powerful sense of self-doubt plaguing him. Despite working under such intense self-doubts he manages to pluck along and buoy his spirits with his personal mantra of striving for perfection, which never quite works and exhausts him but ekes him along life for a while. Even though he seems to value perfection so highly, he also tosses around the word rather easily-- calling various things perfect-- so he actually finds a lot of joy in many things rather than feel like life experiences are falling short of the mark. When he feels open enough to admit to his shortcomings to other characters, he actually comes off as a rather gentle soul.

I’ve no doubt made it fairly obvious I married this character in the game. In addition to liking the character, it helps that I’ve always had a very strong affinity for pegasus units in general. And yes, his stat spread is unusual for pegasus units, but once you learn how to use him, he’s a completely capable and useful unit. (If you drop a speedwing or two on him, that’s certainly welcome as well) 

Amusingly, I was going to marry Laslow in Revelation since I’d already paired off with Subaki in Birthright . . . but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Apparently I feel guilty about cheating on virtual husbands. Also, I missed him. XD

(Shhh, don’t judge me.)

Anywho, that about wraps it up. Next on my docket definitely should be Awakening, when I get around to buying it.