#i asked my physics teacher about it. she only said “its a interesting concept” and nothing more
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feelingthedisaster · 8 months ago
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the real question is, if you went 5000 years to the past and kill a random person, how probable is that a great-great-greatx10 grandfather paradox happens?
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the-fiction-witch · 1 year ago
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Hidding P2
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Media Maze runner AU
Character Newt
Couple Newt X Reader
Rating Sweet
Concept Teachers
I sat doing some marking while the kids worked chatting among themselves as usual.
"Mr Newton," a voice asked making me glance up
"Yes, Peter?"
"I heard a rumour today" Sam laughed beside him
"Ohh? Keep me in the loop then boys"
"We headed a rumour about you Mr. Newton" Peter laughed
"Ohh what about me?"
"That you're dating Miss y/l/n, in the English department" Sam smirked
"Is it true?" Peter asked and the whole class perked up
"Question seven isn't going to answer itself boys," I told them going back to my marking not like I could give them an answer even if part of me wanted too, but we'd be in big trouble if anyone found out about us if I didn't like having to hide our relationship I'd love to be able to snuggle her in my classroom Inna free period or walk down the halls holding her hand but we and to keep hidden for the sake of our jobs.
Once class was over and they all emptied out I finished off some admin and paperwork making sure the kids were all gone home by now as the busses and parents blocked the roads up of not, I got up locking up my computer and my desk grabbing my stuff and headed out leaving the classroom unlocked for the cleaners I headed out signing out at the office
"See you on Monday Isaac"
"See ya Rachel" I waved before heading out to the car park throwing my stuff on the backseats and driving my car out the car park turning the corner and heading down the street stopping in the car park next door for the sports centre attached to the school, even though it was attached it's a private business and off school grounds, I know I researched this shit. I parked up and waited in the space until I saw her having walked from the office herself bag in hand she climbed into the car and threw her stuff in the back too
"Hi Newt"
"Hi y/n" I smiled pulling her into a kiss She happily kissed back and we honestly sat passionately kissing for a good few minutes till we pulled away "Home?"
"Home" she smiled nuzzling into my arm so I started the car up and we headed home, She got working on dinner and I did a load of laundry, We had our dinner and after I finished up the dishes I noticed her on her laptop so I snuck behind her checking what she was up to and when I saw I snapped her laptop down "Hey! Newt" she complained 
"No." I told her giving her a cuddle "Remember what we talked about? work-life balance?"
"Yes..."
"we said when the bell goes we go? that's it no more work."
"I know but-"
"Y/n. Stop worrying" I told her "You're the best one in the English department you have nothing to worry about"
"Easy for you to say, they can't get rid of you. you're the only person in the whole school who can actually teach the stuff in the back of the physics textbooks without just reading it" 
"Love, I teach theoretical physic's if anyone is useless it's me." I laughed "Noone even takes my class because they know it all theory, at least in the other science classes you get to set fires and mix chemicals, Hell even in normal physics you get too muck around with stuff" I explained "Everyone loves your classes, because you're the only person in the English department that seems to understand kids wanna read books published after 1945" 
"True, You know Erica is getting her advanced class doing their exam on the golem" 
"Oh my god... those poor poor kids"
"I know"
"What are you making them do?"
"The Silmarillion"
"Ooohh"
"I know should be good"
"I kinda wanna read their papers too"
"I'm sure you will" she chuckled "I wanted to do Good Omens because I thought it would make some really interesting papers but the exam board says the cut-off is 1980 so I'm not allowed"
"Awww I was looking forward to reading those"
"Me too, plus its nice these advanced kids are overworked as hell as it is, I wanted to give them something with a tv or film adaptation so they can at least mildly cheat"
"but exam board said no"
"Exam board said super no, No media adaptations allowed and has to be published before 1980" 
"1980 is the cut-off? I thought Sarah was doing Handmaid's tale?"
"She was, now she can't. Plus the exam board said she couldn't do Handmaid's Tale because it's 'not appropriate"
"For the advanced class?"
"Yep"
"They do know these kids are seventeen right?"
"Sometimes I wonder if they do, I'm just nervous is all I mean half the maths department is gone after there review, and the ones who kept there jobs now have classes three times the size to contend with"
"I know, but try not to bring it home okay?"
"Okay" she smiled 
"so what do you wanna do this weekend?"
"Take away, puzzles, wine and true crime shows?"
"Ummm I love you"
"I love you too" 
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beefmastersblog · 2 years ago
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Your Name
Kimi no Na wa has long been one of my favorite anime movies ever since I saw it when it came out back in middle school. Back then, I was captivated by the piece itself, the characters, plot, music, and animation, but I had little concept of what the piece ACTUALLY meant. Now, after watching it on my 17-hour car ride to my meat judging competition in Chicago, I had a lot of time to think about what this piece is ACTUALLY trying to represent. And so this is probably going to be a long blog post.
This movie is about truly understanding a person (which you can’t do any better than physically being inside their body).
It is also about tradition, and the value it holds as it is passed down from generation to generation. We see this most significantly through Mitsuha’s grandmother and her family shrine. The grandma explained that many of the meanings behind the traditions they still do has been completely lost, but they still do them because it was interweaved into their culture and has individual meaning to them. This mainly pertains to the braided cords. Although they aren’t sure exactly why they do it, they braid these cords and believe wholeheartedly that a piece of yourself, your feelings and emotions at that moment, go into the cords. The concept of musubi, is introduced. This word has a multitude of meanings, but it seems to most closely refer to the flow of time and connections you make. Much like how as time passes, your relationships with other people might twist and tangle, sometimes breaking, the braided cord does the same.
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But despite maybe not knowing what those traditions mean, the grandma recognizes their importance as a piece of herself and a piece of her ancestors and believes in passing them down. And although some people (Mitsuha’s father) might not understand why she does this, in the end, she is the only person in the entire film that recognized that Mitsuha is somebody else, and apparently, she also had that special ability to switch places with someone when she was young. She was also the only person that did not question Mitsuha when she told her to leave, and she had trust in her granddaughter and the ability gifted to her by their gods. The same is said with the creation of the special sake. At first, Mitsuha is embarrassed to be doing that in front of other people, but she understands its importance as a tradition in her family. And it is because she puts half of herself into that sake and brings it to the shrine, that Taki can drink it and save her.
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I also thought that one specific scene regarding the lost records was very interesting, but I missed exactly what it meant when I watched it today, so I did a little bit of research to figure it out. But I will still explain my findings in this post, because I thought it was really important and gave me a deeper understanding of this piece. When Mitsuha read what Taki wrote in her notebook, “who are you”, and the teacher was lecturing about the grammatical format of those sentences, one student asked about a specific dialect of that word, one that was only used by the elderly now. I think that most closely ties into the core theme of this piece, truly understanding another person. I think that this is one of the things that was lost during the big fire, the true reason why the word exists, but it is important to note that the shrine people thought that this idea of knowing someone was so important that they created their own word for it. And without remembering exactly why, this is something they felt that they NEEEDED to pass down. This idea of asking who are you, at a deeper level than just what is your name.
And this ties into what he wrote on Mitsuha’s hand. She checked there to see his name, but instead found I Love You. And while the very first time I watched this piece I cried in frustration over that scene, I realized how beautiful it really is now. He didn’t write it to be cheeky or to mess up the plot. But this instead ties into that idea of looking deeper than just someone’s name. He loved her as a person, and that true connection will give her more strength than knowing something as superficial as his name. Because she can remember his name all she wants, but that is worth nothing if she forgets how he makes her feel. And we see that through this piece, as they search for each other years and years later, with no recollection of who the other person is and no retainment of the memories they made. But they truly understand each other, and I think that is what keeps them going.
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Another thing I wanted to touch on was Mitsuha’s dad. He is an absent father in her life and left her up to the grandmother to raise. He blamed himself for his wife’s death and pushed away her traditions and culture, in favor of a corporate job as a corrupt politician. He explained to the grandmother as he walked out that he fell in love with his wife, not the shrine. He did not embrace her traditional way of living. However, we see the opposite with Taki. He has no reason to walk all the way to the shrine with Mitsuha’s family to put the sake in there. He also had no reason to carry the grandma all the way there and back. That was obviously strenuous work for him in Mitsuha’s body especially, but he respected the customs of the people he had started to get to know. And when he was exploring the city, after he found out what happened and had nowhere else to turn to, where did he go? The shrine. Taki accepted and trusted Mitsuha’s traditional culture, something her other classmates her age made fun of her for. And while other classmates laughed at her and called her disgusting for making the sake, he actually drank it. And it was because of this belief that he was able to switch back into her body and work to save her town. So I think this piece is also a sort of call-to-action to go back towards traditional beliefs.
But even just beyond that, Taki accepting Mitsuha’s culture is him accepting her in her entirety. And when Mitsuha dies, he still holds that connection to her. He seeks her out in life, for years and years. Why? Because he has the thread she wove, that piece of the shrine, that piece of her traditions. And even after the events of the town being saved, he still continued searching for her, looking for the other half of himself that was missing.
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But we see that Mitsuha’s father does not retain that same after-death connection with her mother. And perhaps this is because he never really accepted her culture. He loved her as a person, but if he didn’t accept every aspect of her, including her abilities and her connection to the shrine, then maybe they weren’t soulmates like they thought.
Overall, I love this movie, and I’m sad that I am missing the discussion for it, but I am glad that I got to watch it today and really analyze it.
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the-storming-sea · 3 years ago
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For prompts: Todoroki using every single Toshi-Izuku interaction to add to his "Izuku is All Might's secret love child' conspiracy board
Tfw its been like two to three days but Many Things have happened in that time. Oops
Uh, anyways–
"Dude. What. The. Fuck."
Sero, Kirishima, and Yaoyorozu stared, wide-eyed and nearly slack-jawed from the futon they currently sat at. Across from them, hanging off the wall was a large pinboard, polaroid pictures and newspapers articles with certain words and pictures circled in with bright red marker tacked onto different places, red string connecting each and every single one of those pictures together.
And in front of that pinboard stood Todoroki Shouto, one of the most powerful students at UA, son of the current Number One Hero, wide-eyed and wild-haired and probably, by definition, out of his fucking mind.
"Listen. I'm not crazy–"
"Literally everything that's happening now is providing evidence to the contrary."
"–but All Might is Midoriya's father."
"That's." Kirishima blinked, once, his brain attempting to process what his classmate was saying. "What?"
"All Might. Is. Midoriya's. Father," Todoroki said, slower, like he was trying to explain quantum physics to a toddler. Or to anyone.
"Todoroki, All Might's never been in a public relationship before," Yaoyorozu replied, slower. Of all of Todoroki's eccentricities, this had to be the weirdest one yet. "Not to mention, all of All Might's speculated relationships have been with men."
"Then at least one of his partners is trans, or he's trans!"
"They don't even look the same!"
"Then Midoriya gets his looks from his mother! They have the same quirk! They practically act the same!" Todoroki threw his hands up in exasperation, frost creeping on the side of his fingers. "I'm still right!"
"Bro, you've met Midoriya's mother."
"Artificial insemination! Adoption! Again, secret love child!"
Todoroki slapped his hand on the board, slightly burning the edges of one of the newspaper clippings. "Look, see here," he said, pointing to the clipping. Kirishima tentatively walked up, squinting at the headline. "Read this."
"'Mystery Samaritans Found Cleaning Up Takoba Beach.'" Kirishima frowned. "So?"
Sero's eyes brightened. "Oh, I remember that! I used to go to the beach all the time with my family," he said. "What's that gotta do with anything?"
"Look at this photo!"
Kirishima turned his eyes towards the photo, frowning. His eyes widened in shock.
"Holy shit, is that Midoriya?"
"Huh, so it is," Yaoyorozu said. "And...is that...?"
"YES!" Todoroki exclaimed, once again slapping his hand on the pinboard and startling his friends. "All Might, as he currently looks now, and Midoriya found at Takoba beach a full year before the school year starts. That means they knew each other before the school year started!"
"You repeated yourself."
"I know I know I know but why," Todoroki pressed, taking a deep breath, "why would All Might, in his weakened state before Kamino, be seen with Midoriya unless...unless that was his secret son."
He clapped his hands together just as he was finishing his point, clearly pleased by his argument. The three stared back at him, slightly alarmed.
"Or...maybe he just met him recently and they decided to clean the beach together," Yaoyorozu said tentatively. "It could happen."
"Or, or they decided to train for Midoriya's UA Exam together by lifting appliances at the beach! Or working out around the beach a year before!" he protested. "My father used to make me train by lifting up heavy objects ten times my size and pushing my quirk before the UA exam too!"
Sero frowned. "Todo, I know good parenting is a foreign concept to you, but comparing your relationship with your dad to Midoriya and All Might maybe isn't the best of ideas."
"I'm pretty sure Iida used to train with his hero brother in a very normal way," Todoroki nearly fucking pouted. The guy was really fired up– metaphorically and a little bit literally, judging by his floor. "But, but anyway, what I'm trying to say was that All Might, trying to make sure Midoriya would be strong enough for the entrance exam, made him clean up the beach because he was helping to train his son!"
Kirishima stared at him. "Bro."
"I'm right! Not to mention, why would he be in his thinner state around Midoriya if he wasn't his son?!"
"Maybe he told him about the weakened form back then by accident?" Sero said. "Todoroki, seriously. You're looking too deep into this."
"I agree," Yaoyorozu said. She loved her friend, truly, but as good as it was for Todoroki to exhibit any other emotion besides confusion and rage, this couldn't be healthy for him.
Todoroki groaned. "Okay, okay, fine. Exhibit B!" He pointed to a picture of All Might and Midoriya walking into All Might's office. "They eat lunch together! Who does that with a teacher?!"
Kirishima hummed. "Okay, I'll give you that one," he said, looking back at the others. "You gotta admit, that is a little suspicious."
"You forget, Midoriya broke his bones a lot at the beginning of the year just by activating his quirk," Yaoyorozu said, calmly. "As the Heroics teacher, All Might would want to make sure they can find a way for Midoriya to improve his quirk use without breaking his bones, so it would make sense for All Might to meet up with Midoriya out of class."
"But why continuously?!" Todoroki pressed. "Even after Midoriya got a handle of his quirk?!"
Yaoyorozu frowned. "Well, Bakugo meets with them now. Is Bakugo All Might's son too?"
"Details, details," Todoroki said with a wave of his hand. "Bakugo's practically Midoirya's boyfriend anyways. All Might probably wants to vet him or something."
"Somehow I believe that less than your 'All Might is Midoriya's dad' theory."
"They're going to get together, just you wait," Todoroki said. "Anyways, back to business. It's not just at school too! Even now that we're in the dorms, lately All Might will eat with Midoriya, alone, just the two of them!"
He pointed to another picture of Midoriya and All Might eating meat buns on a bench, no one else in sight, lightly chatting. "See! It would make sense if All Might ate with any one of us, or if there was a bigger crowd, but it's just those two! That's a normal parenting thing, right?"
"Dude how did you even get that picture."
"Irrelevant."
Yaoyorozu ran her eyes over the full board again, wincing internally. As...off-putting as her friend's efforts were, he did have a point. All Might's actions towards Midoriya were unprecedented of a teacher, Aizawa would certainly never be caught dead with any of them. And sure, they simply could be good friends who met a little before the Takoba news article picture, friends could be of all ages after all, but with the way All Might treated Midoriya daily, it was getting more and more likely that Todoroki's theory was correct. Which had some very interesting implications and also a media shitstorm on its way if it was true.
"And," Todoroki continued, now rambling as fast as Midoriya was, "did you know that All Might visited the Midoriya's to talk about the dorm system alone?"
Kirishima's mouth dropped. "Seriously?"
Todoroki nodded, eyes wide and a small smile on his face. "Aizawa-sensei told us himself back when he asked my father if I could stay in the dorms! My father asked where All Might was and Aizawa-sensei told him that they split up right before the Midoriya's!"
Sero's eyes widened. "Okay, I will admit that that's weird."
"I know right?!" Todoroki exclaimed, out of breath and restlessly pacing the floor. "Not only that, but All Might was one of the first people Midoriya texted right after he got his hero license. And Midoriya ended up interning with a hero who All Might knows directly and worked with Nighteye during his work-study who's All Might's only sidekick! And then Midoriya was invited personally to I-Island by All Might! And–"
Knock knock.
The group froze.
"Young Todoroki? Can I speak with you?"
Fuck.
Todoroki tentatively walked over to his door, opening it just enough to find All Might standing behind it, a worried expression on his face. "Are you all alright? The kids downstairs reported a lot of yelling, and I think you may have frozen and burnt through your floor?"
Todoroki looked back at his floor, which now looked slightly more like the training room back home than it did his dorm room. "Right. I can pay for that."
"No need my boy, just make sure it doesn't happen again or I think Aizawa'll have all of our heads," All Might chuckled. He then frowned, slightly opening the door more. "What on Earth is that?"
His eyes were pointed directly behind Todoroki, to the pinboard the high schooler had been deliriously gesturing towards for the past few minutes. Kirishima, Sero, and Yaoyorozu stared at each other awkwardly, shuffling their feet.
"Um...well, y'see–"
"All Might, is Midoriya your illegitimate child?"
The air paused. Everyone turned their eyes to the teen.
All Might blinked. "I'm sorry...what?"
WHAT THE FUCK, TODOROKI?!
"Todoroki, bro, you can't just ask shit like that!" Kirishima exclaimed, who now, like the many people around him, was going through all the stages of grief. "That's not one of those things you can just ask people!"
Todoroki tilted his head. "I asked Midoriya."
"YOU ASKED MIDORIYA?!"
"I–"
The kids now directed their attention back to All Might, who had managed to shake himself out of his stupor and somehow made his way to the pinboard. "I'm not...young Todoroki, believe me when I say I'm 100% sure I'm not Midoriya's biological father," he said, rapidly glancing back and forth from the board to Todoroki. "As...creepily impressive as this is," he continued, gesturing to the entirety of the board, "I've never had a child, and besides, young Midoriya's biological father works overseas, in America."
He pointed to the slightly burnt newspaper clipping of Takoba beach, looking back at Todoroki. "Is this about the Takoba beach cleaning?"
Todoroki nodded.
"Huh." All Might turned to the clipping, a strange, soft, thoughtful look on his face. "I didn't know they did a report about it." He turned back to Todoroki. "May I keep this?"
Todoroki nodded again, even slower, and a delighted smile appeared on All Might's face. The four students watched with wide eyes as he took the newspaper clipping in one hand and the pin in between his other fingers, gently lifting the pin from where it had been embedded in the pin board, lifting the newspaper clipping from its place, and placing the pin back where he had found it. Seconds passed. All Might rubbing his thumb over the picture in the newspaper with a soft chuckle. He then gently folded it, each crease careful not to tear the newspaper apart, before placing it in the pocket of his tracksuit.
Then, as if he remembered that there were other people in the room, he turned to Todoroki. "Ah, Aizawa-kun said that you had redecorated your room yourself, yes?"
Todoroki nodded, still stunned. "Perfect! The bots will be up here in a few minutes or so to repair your floor, and then refurbish your room any way you see fit." All Might clapped his hands together, a bright smile on his face. "Just try not to do it as much, alright? And please stop stalking young Midoriya and I. I don't know how many times I can catch you in the act before telling him that one of his best friend's have been stalking us to obtain proof of our non-existant biological relationship."
"You saw me?"
"Young Todoroki, I've been the number one hero for three and a half decades."
"Oh." Todoroki frowned. "Sorry."
"Just don't let it happen again, please." All Might took a heavy sigh before finally addressing the others in the room. "Young Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and Sero, I'll be seeing you in class tomorrow. Plus Ultra!"
"See you!"
"See you tomorrow All Might!"
All Might left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Todoroki, Kirishima, Sero, and Yaoyorozu in the room, waiting for the repair bots to arrive, silent and bewildered with what had just transpired in the past ten minutes. The four of them couldn't move, only the sound of breathing being proof that any of them were even alive. After what felt like several, long, painstaking seconds, Todoroki turned to his friends.
"Y'know, All Might worked in America for a while."
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, TODOROKI."
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jeongvision · 4 years ago
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🗣 TEACHER!AU WITH JOHNNY
PART TWO! LET’S GET IT!
pairing. history teacher! seo johnny ✗ english teacher! fem! reader (ft. english teacher! mark lee)
genre. fluff, slight humor, high school teacher au, non idol au
warnings. some cursing and super soft hours after this huhu <3 and not proofread but we can discuss that later
author’s note. this is an continuation to this blurb! this could be read as a standalone but regardless i hope this brought a smile to your face bc it certainly did for me <3
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You should’ve seen it coming. Damn it, it was right in front of you all along, so why didn’t you see it in the first place?
You and your students have been grinding nonstop for the past couple weeks to prep them for the AP English IV exam. There was a time where you requested two days off from work for emergency purposes (thankfully it was nothing too major) leaving you to ask your coworker- Mark, another teacher in your department -to help fill in your students on materials needed for the exam.
Everything was perfectly fine when you came back, your coworker going beyond your expectations in taking care of your students. However, one thing you failed to take notice of is the recent changes the college board made in their AP exams, including the course you teach. After reviewing some of the revisions they made, you felt your heart drop.
They’ve added three additional sections to the exam, meaning an additional two weeks is needed to cover the materials for your students to grasp some sort of mastery on those concepts.
You have four weeks left until the exam, and you’re already compacted those remaining weeks with other necessary materials for the exam.
“Fucking hell,” you murmured under your breath.
Running your hand through your hair, you let out a tired sigh. It’s already bad enough that you have to work overtime in making revisions to your lesson plans. However, it’s worse to see the crestfallen looks on your students’ faces when you dropped the news on them. They’re already tired enough from dealing with other classes and extracurricular activities. On top of that, you know most of them are stressing about their acceptance letters from their colleges.
You dropped the pen in your hand and rubbed both of your eyelids. Relax, y/n you told yourself. Don’t worry, you can do this. You heard the door behind you open, meaning someone walked inside the teacher’s lounge.
“Hey, y/n. What’s up- Woah, woah, WOAH! What do we have here?” the person exclaimed. You let out a chortle. You could distinctively point that voice out from anywhere, and you’re sure as hell that the state of your workspace is nothing short of hell. Taking your hands away from your face, you crossed your arms and leaned back a little in your seat to look up at the latter.
“Well, hello to you too, Mark,” you chuckled. You both gave each a fist bump before he sits down in the empty chair beside you.
“What the hell happened here?” He grabs some of the documents splayed out before you, eyes scanning through the materials that you’ve scribbled on in the past hour. “Wait, what? They added new things to the AP exam?”
You sighed and nodded dejectedly. “Yep. And somehow, I gotta squeeze all those materials into my lesson plans before they take it next month.” You rested your arms on the table and rested your head on top of them. “At this point, I just want to light myself on fire and call it a day.”
Mark lets out a cackle besides you, prompting you to smile. You’ll never mention it to him, but his laughs and smiles are always infectious. It’s what makes him so well-known and loved in the English department in the first place, both faculties and students.
“Please don’t do that. We love you too much to let you do that to yourself,” he responded.
Sitting back up in your seat, you take a glance at the clock. Just four minutes before the section ends and you have to go back to teaching your classes again. You heard your coworker clear his throat, bringing you to face him.
“Do you need help with any of this?” he offered.
You shook your head. “No, it’s fine, Mark. I appreciate the offer but I don’t want to bother you with my workload.”
“No, really. It’s fine, y/n. I only teach honors and they’re all pretty ahead in their assignments, so I have some free time if you’d like.”
Just like that, you swear you could see a halo shining above his figure, your world much brighter and clearer than it was this morning. “Oh my god, yes please.” You shifted through your papers, searching the remnants of the piles before handing it over to him. “Can you please go through these and grade them for me? Here are the answer keys for them.” After debriefing him for that stack of papers, you gave him another one. “And for these, can you make some copies for me? I need them tonight so I can plan for tomorrow’s class.”
He listened attentively to your commands, taking a mental note and nodding each instruction given to him. “Okay, got it, y/n. I’ll get these done and hand them over by the end of the day.”
You’re gawking at him, surprised that your coworker is willing to lend you a helping hand. You could honestly cry out tears of joy right now, but timing refuses to let you do so as the bell rings, marking the end of a period. You both stood up in your seats and grabbed the papers on the table into a neat pile. You let out a content sigh as you both walked out the teacher’s lounge.
“Thank you so much, Mark. You’re the best,” you exhaled. Outside your classroom, you already see some students entering inside as you left it unlocked, free for them or your coworkers to enter as they pleased. You both stood next to its entrance before he shrugs his shoulders at you.
“Hey, I mean it’s what I do best, right? Being the best.”
You rolled your eyes and gave him a playful shove, earning a laugh from him. Saying goodbyes to one another, you walked inside your classroom. You nodded to the students present. “Afternoon, class,” you greeted.
“Good afternoon, Miss y/n!”
“Miss Y/n, there’s a bouquet of flowers on your desk,” one of your students called out. You raised an eyebrow. Flowers? Looking over to your desk, your student was certainly not lying and neither are your eyes. Perched in the middle of your desk lies a vase filled with varying colors of tulips. Petals are in full bloom and the stems are clipped uniformly. You walked over and saw a notecard attached to one of the flowers.
“Who is it from, Miss Y/n?”
“Yeah! Who got you flowers?”
You looked up and realized more of your students are present, capacity almost at its max. Class was starting soon so more and more are rushing in to see the surprise gift settled on your desk.
“Is it Mr. Kim in the science department? I saw you two walking together in the hallways last week.”
That assumption piqued your interest. “Wait, Mr. Kim? The physics teacher?” you asked. The student, Krystal, nodded, causing you to huff incredulously. “Krystal, please. We’re merely just friends.”
Another student chimes in. “Friends don’t lock arms with each other at work.”
“Jongin, please. Your last girlfriend only stayed with you for a month and she started dating an upperclassman a week later.”
“Hey—”
“Guys, calm down,” you interjected. “As much as I love you crazy bunch, I am still your teacher. Therefore, what occurs in my personal life stays private, and how much I am willing to share with you all lies in my discretion.” But unbeknownst to you, one of your students sneaks behind you to get a glance of the card, discreetly reading the contents:
‘The best deserves nothing less than the best.
Yours truly.’
The student, Luna, almost lets out a squeal. “Guys! Guys!” You jumped in shock, startled by her sudden presence and her high-pitched voice. “I think it’s Mr. Lee! The other English teacher!”
All attention is now on her, excitement filled in the air.
“Mr. Lee? The one that teaches honors?”
“The one with boba eyes?”
“The one that laughs at everything?”
Luna nods to each question, visibly thrilled with the subtle jump in her steps as she walked towards her classmates. “Yes! I heard Miss y/n calling him the best earlier and Mr. Lee joked about being the best! And in the card, it said ‘the best deserves nothing less than the best’.” The bell rang, marking the beginning of the period, but that didn’t stop your students from chattering with happiness, faces completely wiped from fatigue and stress of the upcoming exams. Some students entered your classroom late to the discussion, prompting other students to fill them in only to also be electrified by the ‘news’.
You run a hand through your hair again and sighed. Not this again, you thought to yourself. But just before you could jump in to stop all this chaos, you heard someone knock on your open door, diverting your attention and your class’ to the intruder.
“Well, good afternoon, class,” the person chuckled. “Why’s it so boisterous here? Did I miss a party or something?”
Of course, what better person to appear now of all times? It was none other than the infamous history teacher, Johnny Seo. You rolled your eyes before laughing. Coincidence, my ass.
“Mr. Seo! Someone gave Miss Y/n a bouquet of tulips! She has a secret admirer!” Luna stated.
He raised an eyebrow at her direction. “Oh, does she now?” He looks back at you with a grin. “Did Miss Y/n find out who this secret admirer is?”
“We think it’s Mr. Lee from honors English.”
“And what makes you think so?”
“Because we heard her call him the best earlier before class started, and the notecard called her the best.”
“Coincidence? I think not,” Jongin nodded.
All of the students followed along in unison, profoundly proud of their assumptions that left you shaking your head in disbelief. Surely, you had a smile on your face, but it’s surprising to know how your students are able to make such large assumptions based on groundless evidence. You sat down in your chair and turned on your computer, getting your lesson plan ready for the period as your students entertained themselves with Mr. Seo.
Johnny takes it all in, nodding to all of them before walking up behind your desk. “Well, I think it’s safe to say that you don’t pester too much to Miss y/n about it. You know how much she likes to keep her life private.” While you were browsing through your saved files and pulling up powerpoints, you felt the latter tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “Right, Mrs. Seo?”
And just like that, your hands stilled. Wait, did he just—
“Hold up..”
“What?”
“Did you just—”
“Mrs. Seo?”
“Huh?”
You squeezed your eyelids shut. Oh my god, here we go again—
“YOU GUYS ARE MARRIED??��
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lostinthewiind · 4 years ago
Text
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳
Tsukishima Kei - Haikyuu
Synopsis: before you met Tsukki, Yamaguchi was the go-to person for girls who wanted to confess their love for the tall, blonde middle blocker. Now that the two of you are friends, however, you collect love confessions for him on the daily. And why shouldn’t you? You and Tsukki are just friends; you say so yourself all the time.
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
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“You’re sure you don’t mind?”
You shook your head as you took the letter and box of chocolates from the small, trembling girl before you. “No, not at all.” You forced a sweet smile. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”
The girl grinned wide, her face lighting up. “O-okay, thank you! I don’t think I could ever tell him in person about how I feel.”
“He’s really not as scary as everyone likes to think he is,” you said as you tucked the gifts of affection into your bag, pretending to pay careful attention but in reality, not exactly caring whether the card got crumpled or if the candies melted. 
The girl’s cheeks flushed a bright shade of red and she chuckled. “Really? Maybe I’ll try talking to him at lunch then!”
“You should.” You feigned interest, not quite sure why you were encouraging this girl to personally confess her undying love for the boy that you yourself held deep feelings for. Maybe it was because you felt that if you played the part as the supportive best friend, you would eventually just fall into that roll and forget all about how his smirk gave you butterflies or how your heart skipped a beat whenever he offered to share his music with you.
“Okay, I will!” A wave of confidence flooded over the girl’s features. “Well, class is about to start, so I better get going. Thanks again!”
“No problem.” Your assurance fell on deaf ears as the girl turned and headed to class with her friends, the lot of them giggling and whispering as they went. 
As soon as the gaggle of girls had turned the corner and disappeared from sight, you exhaled and turned on your heel to head toward your own classroom. Managing to make it just before the first bell rang, your mood lifted as soon as you spotted your friend sitting in his assigned seat beside yours, eyes closed and headphones positioned over his ears, almost as if they were a permanent fixture of his head.
Fishing the offerings out of your bag, you dropped them down onto his desk rather harshly to get his attention as you slid into your own seat. Hearing the items drop onto his desk and feeling the vibrations through his arms, which had been folded across the tabletop, Tsukki eyed the card and chocolates and sighed.
“Again?” He pulled his headphones away from his ears and hung them around his neck, the music still blaring enough that you could faintly hear the bass. 
“Again.” You confirmed with a slow nod. 
Yamaguchi, who sat on the other side of Tsukki, stared at the gifts with wide eyes. “Wow, Tsukki, you really are popular!”
“I really wish I wasn’t.” He picked up the small box of sweets and tossed them onto Yamaguchi’s desk. “Do you want them?”
Yamaguchi, who was used to laying claim to the rejected love offerings, nodded happily and accepted them. Sometimes he gave them to you as well, and as much as you appreciated the thought, eating the physical representation of unrequited love wasn’t something you particularly enjoyed, so you usually ended up just throwing them out when you got home.
“I wish you would just stop being so mean to everyone who isn’t Tadashi and I, that way people would actually confess their love for you to you and the two of us would be left out of it,” you grumbled. “It’s getting annoying.”
“How do you think I feel?” Tsukki lazily ripped open the card and scanned its contents quickly with his eyes, scoffing at the girly handwriting and hand-drawn hearts. “Pathetic.”
Without a second thought, he handed the card over to you so that you could read it as well. You chuckled to yourself as you took in the words of affection that resembled a Victorian-era love poem. You felt a little guilty about snooping on the private emotions of a girl who, as far as you could tell, seemed perfectly nice; however, you couldn’t deny the joy you experienced when Tsukki shared yet another sappy love note with you, inviting you to participate in the flat-out rejection and tug on your heartstrings just a little bit more. 
As long as he didn’t love anyone else, there was still hope for you. 
“‘The way your eyes sparkle in the sunlight makes my heart sing.’“ You read a particularly descriptive part aloud before handing the card over to Yamaguchi. “If only these poor girls knew that their most vulnerable feelings get scrutinized by a panel of three cynics like us.”
Yamaguchi chuckled heartily as he took his turn reading the card. Before another word could be said on the matter, however, the second bell rang and the teacher strolled into the room, bringing a halt to any and all side conversations.
By the time lunch had rolled around, you had almost completely forgotten about that morning’s events. Your stomach grumbling and your only thought being getting something to eat, you stood up to grab something from the vending machine but stopped in your tracks when you saw the girl from earlier standing by the door, her face even redder than it had been that morning and her eyes drifting from you to Tsukki, who had yet to notice her.
Suddenly, you remembered that you had encouraged the poor girl to talk to Tsukki herself, which even you knew was a horrendous idea. Sure, you had told girls that in the past, but never once had one actually followed through. Usually, you received a love confession, you gave it to Tsukki, you laughed about it together, and the girl would take her broken heart and retreat with her tail between her legs when Tsukki never so much as acknowledged her existence.
This was uncharted territory and you had no idea what to do. 
Turning to Tsukki, you pulled his headphones off—which he absolutely hated, but that was besides the point—and looked him dead in the eyes to set him straight before he could snap at you. “You see that girl by the door?” you asked him, and after glancing past you, he nodded. “She’s the one who gave me the card and chocolates to give to you this morning. She’s going to come in here and talk to you and I need you to not smash her heart into a million pieces. Okay?”
Tsukki opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the girl had worked up enough courage to make her way into the classroom and was now standing beside the two of you. 
Smiling sheepishly, you backed away to give the two as much privacy as possible and pretended to be busy by digging through your bag for something.
“Tsukishima-san, did you get my card and chocolates?” the girl asked, her fingers intertwined together and her feet shifting weight nervously as she spoke. 
Tsukki simply nodded. With that, Yamaguchi returned from using the bathroom and you stood next to him near the door, the two of you watching from afar as the unknown girl confessed to Tsukki in the partially-full classroom. 
“What do you think he will say?” you inquired out loud.
Yamaguchi shrugged, never taking his eyes off of the interaction before him. “No. He’s never interested in any of the girls that confess to him. I don’t imagine this one will be any different, even if she is doing it in person.”
“Yeah . . . I just hope he doesn’t make her-” You stopped talking mid-sentence when the tears started welling in the girl’s eyes and she turned to rush out of the classroom. “. . . cry,” you finished your thought. 
Rolling your eyes, you returned to your desk, having completely forgot about getting something to eat from the vending machine, and looked to Tsukki, who was completely unfazed. 
“That looked like it went well,” you quipped. “Remind me to never confess my undying love for you.”
“All I did was tell her that I wasn’t interested,” he explained. “I don’t know how I could have possibly been any nicer.”
“Well, no offence, but considering you are you, I’m sure there was a way.”
                                ━━━━━━━━━━━
For the following 24 hours, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t get the look on that poor girl’s face after being rejected by Tsukki out of your head. Of course, you had no idea what he had actually said to her, but whatever it had been had been enough to make her cry . . . would he say something as equally insensitive if you ever decided to tell him how you felt?
By some stroke of luck, Tsukki wasn’t at school the next day, giving you time to clear your head without having to put up a facade for hours on end. However, you hadn’t been completely alone the entire day, and Yamaguchi was more observant than you had originally thought he was.
“Something’s bothering you,” Yamaguchi said out of nowhere as the two of you walked home after school that day. “Do you want to tell me or do you want me to guess?”
You chuckled softly. “You have three guesses and if you don’t get it right, you have to buy me a snack from the corner store when we pass it.”
“Deal.” Yamaguchi nodded, an aura of self-confidence practically radiating off of him. “Okay, let’s see . . . you got a bad test grade?”
You shook your head, convinced there was no way he could possibly guess correctly. “Nope.”
“You don’t like what your parents are cooking for dinner tonight?”
You snorted. “Nope, that’s not it.”
“Ah, okay. One guess left.” He was silent for a moment as he thought. “Could it be that you’re upset with how Tsukki turned down that girl at school yesterday because you have feelings for him but now you’re afraid that he will reject you in the same way?”
You stopped dead in your tracks, your jaw dropping. Yamaguchi just grinned. The sneaky bastard had been playing you all along.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” He played it off as a lucky guess. “Does this mean you’re buying the snacks then?”
“I . . . I guess so?” You were unsure how to respond. “But, wait, how did you know?”
“Tsukki may be completely oblivious to the general concept of feelings, but I’m not,” Yamaguchi said as he started toward the store that was in sight in the distance. “Now come on, I’m hungry!”
Completely shaken, you moved forward without really thinking about it and followed Yamaguchi. After you paid for two candy bars, the two of you continued on your way, Yamaguchi munching happily as if nothing had even happened and you staring at the still-wrapped treat in your hands, at a loss of words.
“If you knew I liked him this whole time, how come you’ve never said anything?” You finally found your voice.
“Because I figured you would share when you were ready,” he answered. “But now I think you’re never going to tell him because you’re too scared.”
“Of course I’m scared!” You threw your arms into the air dramatically. “You saw the poor girl running away with tears in her eyes. You’ve seen how he laughs at sappy romance stuff. How could I possibly feel anything but scared?!”
Yamaguchi thought for a moment. “Well, sure, it’d be scary if you were anyone else . . . but you’re not. You’re you. Judging by this whole situation, you don’t know this, but he likes you too.”
For the second time in less than an hour, you had been completely floored. “He what now?”
“Did you think he really hung out with you all the time and blatantly turned down other girls’ confessions in front of you because he just thinks you’re a good friend?”
You nodded, flabbergasted. “Y-yes?”
“You two are so unbelievably oblivious it’s actually hard to watch you guys running in circles around each other. Just tell him how you feel. I guarantee he won’t turn you down.” Yamaguchi suddenly stopped in his tracks and gestured to the house behind him; Tsukki’s house. 
Without even realizing it, Yamaguchi had lead you right into your waking nightmare. 
You furrowed your eyebrows. “You conniving little-”
 “You’ll thank me later. You both will.” He shoved you up the walkway to the front door before continuing down the road to his own house. “Good luck!”
“Yeah . . . thanks,” you huffed, eyeing the closed door in front of you. You had stood on this porch a hundred times before, knocked on the door a hundred times before, but today was different. 
Maybe Yamaguchi was right. Maybe Tsukki did like you back, and the only way to know for sure was to simply ask.
Before you could psych yourself out or change your mind, you pounded on the front door three solid times and glued your eyes to the doorknob, waiting for it to turn. 
Less than a minute later, you could heard footsteps inside and felt heat rush to your face. Were you actually going to do this? 
When the door swung open and Tsukki stood before you, dressed in pajama pants and a sweater, definitely looking a little on the ill side, you felt your heart jump into your throat. 
“Hey,” you greeted. “How are you feeling?”
The boy eyed you curiously. “Better now, thanks. Why are you here?”
“I, um . . . I have a confession for you,” you said before you could stop yourself. The words just sort of tumbled out of your mouth and now there was nothing you could do to avoid the situation. 
An amused look spread across Tsukki’s face. “You didn’t need to come all the way to my house for that. Just throw the card out and eat whatever candy came with it. You know the drill. It’s just another girl who-”
“There’s no card or any candies,” you told him and he cocked a brow. “And it’s not from just another girl . . . this one is from me.”
His face paled and his hand dropped from the doorknob he had still been holding onto, an indication that he had been ready to say goodbye to you pretty quickly. Now, however, he seemed to sense the seriousness of the conversation and had decided it was worth sticking around a little longer for.
“I won’t stand here and tell you that your eyes sparkle in the sun or that my heart does backflips when I see you, because you’ve heard that shit a million times,” you said. “But I will say that I like when you share your music with me or when you let me in on your inside jokes. You make me feel really special and I like that. I like you, Kei, and I just thought that I should tell you.”
“Oh.” He looked eerily similar to a deer in headlights and you were just waiting for him to slam the door in your face. But he didn’t. His hand did reach for the doorknob once again, but instead of closing the door, he opened it wider. “Do you want to come watch a new documentary with me?”
That hadn’t exactly been the response you had been expecting, but considering you weren’t currently a sobbing mess, you knew it could have gone a lot worse.
“I would like that.” You smiled and stepped into the house. “I might not have a whole box of chocolates, but I do have this.” You pulled the candy bar out of your pocket. “We can share it.”
“I would like that.” Tsukki closed the door behind you.
From that day on, even though you and Tsukki never officially declared your love for one another or referred to each other as ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’, you knew you had moved on from simply being friends.
And sure, sometimes you still got confessions for him from random girls, but it didn’t bother you nearly as much anymore. How could it when you knew, without a sliver of a doubt, that Tsukki only had eyes for you? 
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stylesnews · 4 years ago
Link
“Feeling good in my skin/ I just keep on dancing,” Harry Styles sings in his latest single, “Treat People With Kindness.” And in the song’s exuberant music video -- which has garnered 17 million YouTube views and counting since its debut on New Year’s Day -- he does just that: Wearing a sequined jacket and bow tie, he chassés, spins and flutters jazz hands like an MGM musical star (with a little help from his equally debonair partner, Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge).
Styles shot the video in early 2019 after several weeks of training with choreographer Paul Roberts, a collaborator since his One Direction days. “I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this could be something special,” says Roberts, a veteran stage director and choreographer who’s worked on videos and tours for the likes of Sam Smith, Katy Perry, Diana Ross, and the Spice Girls (their Spiceworld stadium tour).
Watching the explosive fan reaction to Styles’s little known dance talents -- including from the Spice Girls, who've “sent lovely messages" about the video -- Roberts says it seems like "Treat People With Kindness" arrived at the precise right moment. “Most people’s comments are, ‘I’ve not felt that happy for three and a half minutes in a long time,’ or ‘I smiled from ear to ear the whole way through.’ It’s a positive light.”
He spoke to Billboard about Styles’ intensive training process -- and why he wouldn’t be surprised to see him dancing onstage again.
There’s been one pretty overwhelming reaction to this video: “This is the guy who was in the group that insisted they couldn’t dance?!” Did you expect this kind of reaction to Harry dancing? I’ve been with Harry for 10 years: I was with the One Direction boys from the beginning the whole way through their career before they took the hiatus, and they always made a very conscious decision that they didn’t want choreography as part of their brand -- but they did want a kind of disheveled organization in order to allow the cameras and the lighting to stand a chance in terms of presenting them in the best manner possible.
What was very evident to me was that all five of them, and then it obviously became four, they’ve all got their own magic. The only time I’ve experienced that was when I worked with the Spice Girls. I always knew that they had special skills aside from what they were in One Direction, whether it was movement, songwriting, being able to handle the business side of things. For such young lads they were very astute and very decisive.  So, getting together with Harry -- he’s a bit of an alchemist, is Harry. Everything he turns his hand to turns to gold. Where did the initial dance-centric concept come from? Harry and the directors, Ben and Gabe [Turner], sent me a video link to the Nicholas Brothers scene from Stormy Weather and Harry asked me, "How long do you think it would take to dance like this?" I was like, "OK, are you being serious?" "Yeah, I’m being serious."
That is probably one of the most standout dance sequences ever captured on film -- so I knew we were aiming high. I said, "Why don’t we go into a studio and let’s workshop some choreography, some moves, some short sequences, and see what your ability is, see how we can tailor this to make you look the best you can possibly look." Obviously it would take some investment in terms of rehearsal and commitment, I told him it would be mentally and physically exhausting, but I thought, "My God yeah, let’s do it; this will be an adventure."
How long did the whole process take? We started in mid-January 2019, and we rehearsed and workshopped for about four to five weeks before the shoot, every day. Both Harry and Phoebe had other things going on, so, for instance, Phoebe was working on the new Bond movie in Canada, so I sent my assistant to Canada to work with her. I stayed in the U.K. with Harry, and then we went to L.A. where Harry shot two more videos, for “Watermelon Sugar” and “Falling.”
At the end of the “Watermelon Sugar” shoot, he wrapped, got in his car, came to the dance studio and we rehearsed into the night. Knowing how short a time you sometimes get with artists even for really big performances, I thought the rehearsals would dilute and we’d lose momentum, but both Phoebe and Harry were so committed.
What was the process in the studio like with Harry? We didn’t even use his [vocal] track to begin with -- we used different big band songs, some contemporary alternative music. It was just about finding his [movement] language first and foremost.  Then we developed the choreography and sent it to the directors, who gave us feedback. We enhanced the work a bit more, and then once we had some really solid sequences, Ben and Gabe storyboarded the scenes against the timeline of the music.
At this point Harry and Phoebe were still working separately, and then we joined forces in London, where we really started to refine these sequences of choreography we’d developed, trying to find the finesse and the style, almost making sense of the movement for them so they felt they had a dancer’s way of working the movement through the body. You’ve worked with a wide variety of artists, many of whom aren’t dancers first. How do you find, as you put it, the “language” of movement that makes sense for each of them as individuals?
I think the general answer is really communicating -- listening and understanding what the artist’s desire is. And also collaborating, so you don’t get too lost in yourself as a choreographer. What looks good on you might not transcend to the artist, or even necessarily the dancers.
With Harry, what was important within the language of the choreography was that it felt joyful and had personality. Him and Phoebe, with the work she’s done with Fleabag, you associate them and what they do with a sense of style, a real confidence, but at the heart of it it’s entertainment. And with the amount of time and budget we had, which was such a luxury in this day and age, we wanted to do something that pushed both of them out of their comfort zones. We tried to make it as athletic as possible but without compromising them as artists and becoming too comedic. We wanted it to be a bit quaint and cute in places, but we definitely didn’t want it to be thought of as nonsensical or silly.
Harry’s movement in the video is so crisp and precise, even his hands and arm extension look very dancerly. Did that come through a lot of specific work with you? As a songwriter and artist, for Harry it’s about detail, about pushing yourself to be the best. He’s always got questions: "Why are we doing that? Should we be doing this?" We got to a point during the rehearsal period where I brought in a ballet teacher, really to just get Harry and Phoebe to open themselves up from behind their shoulder blades, have an idea of extension, the lines that extend from your center all the way to the tip of your finger. I’d be saying, “Your arms Harry, your arm line!” Asking him to push his shoulders down, lift his carriage up, extend through his breast. And when he hit those lines, he’d be like, “Oh yeah, that feels different.” It’s funny: We spent a couple days apart -- he had to go off and do a gig somewhere -- and I was like, “I hope you’re rehearsing when you’ve got some downtime, dude!” And he sent me a picture in the gym with his arms in the most beautiful balletic arm line! I was like, "Yes, by George, you’ve got it!" Besides the Nicholas Brothers, did you have any particular dance references in mind for the feel of the choreography? I just delved into the MGM archives. Obviously [Fred] Astaire and [Gene] Kelly, the two greats -- especially with Astaire, we loved how sometimes it seems so effortless yet a bit throwaway, not totally totally perfect always.  We enjoyed the moments from him of “I’ll just do a bit of this,” “I’ll just walk off camera left,” the dropping in and out of movement.  We loved the duet “Moses Supposes” from Singin’ in the Rain, for Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor -- we loved the camaraderie between them, which felt a bit goofball at times, and just that wry smile, the look to the left, knowing your partner is there and has got your back. It feels fizzy, it feels joyful.
And yes, there was a massive core of MGM-ism, but at the same time an absolute huge dollop of Harry-and-Phoebe-ism. It was important to us to feel a bit more contemporary, so again we stay true to Harry and Phoebe as artists. Has Harry indicated any interest in dancing more going forward?
We had a conversation back at the end of the summer about how much we enjoyed the process, and I know he was doing another project where choreography was involved, so we were just talking about it and how he felt. Coming from where he came from to what he was about to do, he felt he could be pushed even further. I don’t know if he got the bug, or if it’s just the way he is as a person, very inquisitive and wanting to keep elevating himself. There’s now been some talk on social media that it can’t be long before Harry does Broadway. What do you think?
I mean, I think with Harry Styles, anything is possible, is it not? I mean, I’m sure because he’s tasted the dance, he’ll inject that along the line in his career. It won’t necessarily be out-and-out dancing, but I guess it’s a bit like Bowie used to do, isn’t it? It’s the showmanship and presentation of the performance. Who knows? He’s just so open-minded and open-hearted — and because he’s so open it allows the universe to come back at him and he’s able to do anything he sets his mind to.  
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hlupdate · 4 years ago
Link
“Feeling good in my skin/ I just keep on dancing,” Harry Styles sings in his latest single, “Treat People With Kindness.” And in the song’s exuberant music video -- which has garnered 17 million YouTube views and counting since its debut on New Year’s Day -- he does just that: Wearing a sequined jacket and bow tie, he chassés, spins and flutters jazz hands like an MGM musical star (with a little help from his equally debonair partner, Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge).
Styles shot the video in early 2019 after several weeks of training with choreographer Paul Roberts, a collaborator since his One Direction days. “I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this could be something special,” says Roberts, a veteran stage director and choreographer who’s worked on videos and tours for the likes of Sam Smith, Katy Perry, Diana Ross, and the Spice Girls (their Spiceworld stadium tour).
Watching the explosive fan reaction to Styles’s little known dance talents -- including from the Spice Girls, who've “sent lovely messages" about the video -- Roberts says it seems like "Treat People With Kindness" arrived at the precise right moment. “Most people’s comments are, ‘I’ve not felt that happy for three and a half minutes in a long time,’ or ‘I smiled from ear to ear the whole way through.’ It’s a positive light.”
He spoke to Billboard about Styles’ intensive training process -- and why he wouldn’t be surprised to see him dancing onstage again.
There’s been one pretty overwhelming reaction to this video: “This is the guy who was in the group that insisted they couldn’t dance?!” Did you expect this kind of reaction to Harry dancing?
I’ve been with Harry for 10 years: I was with the One Direction boys from the beginning the whole way through their career before they took the hiatus, and they always made a very conscious decision that they didn’t want choreography as part of their brand -- but they did want a kind of disheveled organization in order to allow the cameras and the lighting to stand a chance in terms of presenting them in the best manner possible.
What was very evident to me was that all five of them, and then it obviously became four, they’ve all got their own magic. The only time I’ve experienced that was when I worked with the Spice Girls. I always knew that they had special skills aside from what they were in One Direction, whether it was movement, songwriting, being able to handle the business side of things. For such young lads they were very astute and very decisive.  So, getting together with Harry -- he’s a bit of an alchemist, is Harry. Everything he turns his hand to turns to gold.
Where did the initial dance-centric concept come from?
Harry and the directors, Ben and Gabe [Turner], sent me a video link to the Nicholas Brothers scene from Stormy Weather and Harry asked me, "How long do you think it would take to dance like this?" I was like, "OK, are you being serious?" "Yeah, I’m being serious."
That is probably one of the most standout dance sequences ever captured on film -- so I knew we were aiming high. I said, "Why don’t we go into a studio and let’s workshop some choreography, some moves, some short sequences, and see what your ability is, see how we can tailor this to make you look the best you can possibly look." Obviously it would take some investment in terms of rehearsal and commitment, I told him it would be mentally and physically exhausting, but I thought, "My God yeah, let’s do it; this will be an adventure."
How long did the whole process take?
We started in mid-January 2019, and we rehearsed and workshopped for about four to five weeks before the shoot, every day. Both Harry and Phoebe had other things going on, so, for instance, Phoebe was working on the new Bond movie in Canada, so I sent my assistant to Canada to work with her. I stayed in the U.K. with Harry, and then we went to L.A. where Harry shot two more videos, for “Watermelon Sugar” and “Falling.”
At the end of the “Watermelon Sugar” shoot, he wrapped, got in his car, came to the dance studio and we rehearsed into the night. Knowing how short a time you sometimes get with artists even for really big performances, I thought the rehearsals would dilute and we’d lose momentum, but both Phoebe and Harry were so committed.
What was the process in the studio like with Harry? We didn’t even use his [vocal] track to begin with -- we used different big band songs, some contemporary alternative music. It was just about finding his [movement] language first and foremost.  Then we developed the choreography and sent it to the directors, who gave us feedback. We enhanced the work a bit more, and then once we had some really solid sequences, Ben and Gabe storyboarded the scenes against the timeline of the music.
At this point Harry and Phoebe were still working separately, and then we joined forces in London, where we really started to refine these sequences of choreography we’d developed, trying to find the finesse and the style, almost making sense of the movement for them so they felt they had a dancer’s way of working the movement through the body. You’ve worked with a wide variety of artists, many of whom aren’t dancers first. How do you find, as you put it, the “language” of movement that makes sense for each of them as individuals?
I think the general answer is really communicating -- listening and understanding what the artist’s desire is. And also collaborating, so you don’t get too lost in yourself as a choreographer. What looks good on you might not transcend to the artist, or even necessarily the dancers.
With Harry, what was important within the language of the choreography was that it felt joyful and had personality. Him and Phoebe, with the work she’s done with Fleabag, you associate them and what they do with a sense of style, a real confidence, but at the heart of it it’s entertainment. And with the amount of time and budget we had, which was such a luxury in this day and age, we wanted to do something that pushed both of them out of their comfort zones. We tried to make it as athletic as possible but without compromising them as artists and becoming too comedic. We wanted it to be a bit quaint and cute in places, but we definitely didn’t want it to be thought of as nonsensical or silly.
Harry’s movement in the video is so crisp and precise, even his hands and arm extension look very dancerly. Did that come through a lot of specific work with you? As a songwriter and artist, for Harry it’s about detail, about pushing yourself to be the best. He’s always got questions: "Why are we doing that? Should we be doing this?" We got to a point during the rehearsal period where I brought in a ballet teacher, really to just get Harry and Phoebe to open themselves up from behind their shoulder blades, have an idea of extension, the lines that extend from your center all the way to the tip of your finger. I’d be saying, “Your arms Harry, your arm line!” Asking him to push his shoulders down, lift his carriage up, extend through his breast. And when he hit those lines, he’d be like, “Oh yeah, that feels different.” It’s funny: We spent a couple days apart -- he had to go off and do a gig somewhere -- and I was like, “I hope you’re rehearsing when you’ve got some downtime, dude!” And he sent me a picture in the gym with his arms in the most beautiful balletic arm line! I was like, "Yes, by George, you’ve got it!" Besides the Nicholas Brothers, did you have any particular dance references in mind for the feel of the choreography? I just delved into the MGM archives. Obviously [Fred] Astaire and [Gene] Kelly, the two greats -- especially with Astaire, we loved how sometimes it seems so effortless yet a bit throwaway, not totally totally perfect always.  We enjoyed the moments from him of “I’ll just do a bit of this,” “I’ll just walk off camera left,” the dropping in and out of movement.  We loved the duet “Moses Supposes” from Singin’ in the Rain, for Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor -- we loved the camaraderie between them, which felt a bit goofball at times, and just that wry smile, the look to the left, knowing your partner is there and has got your back. It feels fizzy, it feels joyful.
And yes, there was a massive core of MGM-ism, but at the same time an absolute huge dollop of Harry-and-Phoebe-ism. It was important to us to feel a bit more contemporary, so again we stay true to Harry and Phoebe as artists. Has Harry indicated any interest in dancing more going forward?
We had a conversation back at the end of the summer about how much we enjoyed the process, and I know he was doing another project where choreography was involved, so we were just talking about it and how he felt. Coming from where he came from to what he was about to do, he felt he could be pushed even further. I don’t know if he got the bug, or if it’s just the way he is as a person, very inquisitive and wanting to keep elevating himself. There’s now been some talk on social media that it can’t be long before Harry does Broadway. What do you think?
I mean, I think with Harry Styles, anything is possible, is it not? I mean, I’m sure because he’s tasted the dance, he’ll inject that along the line in his career. It won’t necessarily be out-and-out dancing, but I guess it’s a bit like Bowie used to do, isn’t it? It’s the showmanship and presentation of the performance. Who knows? He’s just so open-minded and open-hearted — and because he’s so open it allows the universe to come back at him and he’s able to do anything he sets his mind to.  
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skinner17 · 4 years ago
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Dissecting Red Spider Arc-The arc that non shipper find it disturbingly (For those who mind) Shippy
I’ve been watching gintama for the past couple of weeks. And since lately I encounter sleeping problem, lets turn this energy to talk about one of my favorite arc. The controversial arc that invite polarized opinion among Gintama fans.
For  Tsukuyo fans, Red spider is a certain favorite together with Yoshiwara in flame and Courtesan of the nation.  This arc fleshed her background and deepen her bond with yorozuya, especially Gintoki
For casual fans, this arc is the first time they see a glimpse of gintoki past, The first time  gintoki in a berserk mode, the first time he act by his own volition. And somehow he appeared like a true shonen hero saving the heroine.
By then tsukuyo was far from heroine status. She just recently introduced a couple episodes back. Yoshiwara in flame focused more on Hinowa and seita story. But Tsukuyo already  rose in ranking because her unique character design (in sacchan word, she has a lot of ‘hooks’) aside being badass in general.
For naysayers, Red spider arc is that arc that destroy Tsukuyo character. Reduced her into damsel in distress, mere love interest and what not. Of course its people’s right to interpret a work however they see fit. People enjoying entertainment in a different way afterall. Maybe they are a strict feminist type who wanted a true xena like character?  disappointed when a strong female charachter ended up saved by the male hero? (Tho I wonder why they don’t care with preceeding events where Tsukuyo saved gintoki a couple of time)  
The other would say this arc is such a big jump from previous arcs. A sudden transition they would say. And heck they’re right. Red spider arc  Is different compared to other serious arc before it.  Its lustrously dark, whispery,  not much emphasis on family nor comedy, not much explosion nor machismo.
And more importantly, its uncharacteristically Intimate.  
What do you expect? It took placein Yoshiwara-The Red light District- afterall.
The curtain raised with Jiraiya, the ex teacher of Tsukuyo, the main villain of this arc, On his post coital glow pondering about his object of creation. After enjoying the service of yoshiwara, He looked at the moon and probably feeling another rush of excitement reminiscing his dear beautiful student and the plan he’d set for her.
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Not long after, Tsukuyo feel someone dangerous infiltrating her city. She and her Hyakka squad has been working hard to push down the crime that on the rise after the city lost its night king. Nearing their limit, she turned to Yorozuya, wondering if they can help with the drug problem.
Somehow, Tsukuyo and Gintoki teamed up just the two of them investigating the shady group with spider tattoo trademark. The result was assortment of classic romantic comedy skit : To-Love-Ru type of ‘accident’ and pretend couple.
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Ok at this point its just natural that people start to see the two as potential couple. When they bicker they’d scream their heart silly, forgetting  whatever  adult persona they had in mind. Yet when the time come, they play along really well with the others bullshit act. They are on the same frequency already.
Back to the story, Later, they found out the drug lord is Jiraiya who apparently the long dead master (teacher who take care of  protegee under their wing) of Tsukuyo. With his unique ability he nearly killed Gintoki and captured Tsukuyo.
Some Naysayers disappointed at this point because Tsukuyo who supposedly a good fighter became useless in front of jiraiya. Ok let me use this opportunity to explain the technicality of how that’s possible.
She was shocked.
It was a surprise attack
Jiraiya, knew his student fighting ability the best and knew how to immobilize her.
Even Gintoki Almost killed because of his weird technique
She used the last of her strength to saved gintoki from jiraiya’s final blow.
“Huh? But gintoki didn’t turned into a useless mess when he met his long dead master alive?”
Lol what are you smoking? The old master  would split gintoki’s head from his body if not because Kagura’s help.  Also Utsuro/Shouyo goal was to crushed the rebels and nothing to do with Gintoki. While Jiraiya’s goal was to capture Tsukuyo. Understand the difference?  
Ok now that its out of my system lets continue.
Later Gintoki learned about the nature of Jiraiya and what this student-master relationship actually are from Zenzou. She-who believed every word of him and followed his foot step- was his creation and his prey at the same time. This method is sickening for Gintoki who loved his master to death.
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For Gintoki a master should be more or less like shoyo. Strong, kind, wise and selfless. The kind of sage who gave his life for his student. Its infuriating to learn that a good women like tsukuyo has a psychotic monster as a master.
“see..Its not because of Tsukuyo that gintoki willingly revert to his shiroyasa self. Its because the master-student thingie that made him mad af”
Was the stuff I read from naysayers.  And for this one, I kinda agree. The main thing that infuriate gintoki about Jiraiya was that he used  master student relationship for some psychotic goal. As we know later, whenever topic about his own master brought on, Gintoki turned into a different beast.
Even I can see this arc’s intent beside telling tsukuyo’s past and cementing her as one of the recurrent character was also to foreshadow  Shoyo related arcs in the future.
However among all of that baggage brought by this arc, theres this one dialogue that caught my attention.
G : "give up already, theres nothing in your web. This entire time there was only a pathetic little spider spinning thread into sky while gazing at distant moon"
J : "What are you babbling about?I already knew that long ago"
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The ones who ascociate Tsukuyo with the moon are the one who cherish her like hinowa and the hyakka squad  or the bastard who obsessed at her like Jiraiya. It’s a secret nickname people gave to her beside Shinigami Tayuu / courtesan of death. Wt  
At that  moment, Gintoki  speak about what Tsukuyo is to Jiraiya existence : A moon to a little insignificant spider. This confirm that Gintoki understand Tsukuyo’s epithet-wich means at that point of story he is familiar toward  Tsukuyo more than the viewers aware of.
To add, This is probably just me but the way he said that stuff about Jiraiya, whispering  while gazing at the sky, as if its applied to him aswell.  
Well, I just think that because throughout the fight he keep rambling about being on the same level as Jiraiya.
G: Do you know how to survive the spider nest? By eating the spider.
G : She is stronger than you ever be. A coward like me is enough for a coward like you
To Fight Jiraiya, Gintoki  drew parrarel between himself and Jiraiya. And its not impossible that parrarel extended until that moment.    
I  came to the conclusion At that moment Gintoki  already  admire Tsukuyo. Wether  her virtue, her  face, her quirk  or her phisycal attractiveness, it could be anything. The fact is Tsukuyo basically embodies everything gintoki like in a women.   
However because of his mindset and his self sabotaging lifestyle, he understood Jiraiya’s point of view of admiring an existence that is too good for them.
The episode ended with Tsukuyo learning his master’s past  and accepting his flaw after killing him. The moment when Gintoki implied that he would never be a good student to their master as tsukuyo is pretty touching too.
The last episode of this arc is a short one with majorly comedic skits. Another To Love Ru accident. And  a classic wingman setup to force a couple to be alone together.
Lol too much couply stuff happening in this arc.
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Later after the crazy terminator drunken stupor, Tsukuyo asked gintoki if she didn’t has this scar, would her life be any different?
At this point I realize the pain endured by her, even though she said she was fine, physically and mentally, she actually struggling with the realization that all her past was something different than she perceived to be, that rather than genuine student master relationship, its an elaborate plan by her master to kill himself.
Its like realizing that we are adopted after all this time living in a loving family. From the surface it might not changed anything because its all in the past, But it changed everything within. It changed the foundation  of what we stood upon all these time.
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Gintoki then assured her that her life is one that she choose, No one make her choose that. wether it’s  driven by a psychotic manipulation or a trust in a teacher who wanted make her strong. The life is still hers to behold and cherish
Gintoki further assured that her face Is not ugly, Its pretty face carrying clean soul. Or something to that effect (since translation vary)
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As you see “Soul” is the overarching concept on Gintama. Its like “Adventure” on One piece and “Hard Work” On Naruto. It’s the Idea that the shounen protagonist holds dear.  
Shoyo first teaching to Gintoki was  how to protect his soul. In the war Gintoki choose to kill Shoyo to save his master’s soul. Means he choose Shoyo over his friends and himself. In effect, one of the friend’s soul was corrupted. While Gintoki turned himself into a vessel  whose purpose was merely to protect people he deemed fit and procasinating on his own growth.
Gintoki speak about Tsukuyo’s soul in her face is another testament of how deep their trust and bond has formed. 
Even though Gintoki has innate ability to peek into the human character, its not his fashion to directly address it. He usually find a roundabout way to make the others understand that they are being understood. But with Tsukuyo, everything he do about her  is direct.
“Don’t be a stranger, Lean on me, laugh with me and cry with me. I’d be there, cry and laugh with you ” Said Gintoki to tsukuyo.
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 The Gintoki who often avoid emotional baggage from a stranger.
In conclusion, Red Spider Arc is such an awesome arc. The vibe is cool, the soundtrack is awesome and its has an intense emotionally charged action.
It is also the breeding ground for gintsu shipper, wich probably gonna make some part of fandom upset. But it is what it is and we can just enjoy or choose not to.
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bettsfic · 4 years ago
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march pinned: ending the sex project
in the march edition of my lowkey writing-related newsletter, in addition to my writing-related post roundup and upcoming consultation availability, i have personal essay recommendations and a segment on the definition of a project!
for more information on my creative coaching services, check out my carrd.
if you want to receive my lowkey writing-related newsletter directly, you can subscribe here.
full newsletter below the cut, or you can read it here.
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fuck february, amiright?
i thought january was bad. but february. february was the stuff of nightmares. my cousin passed away from covid (you can read about her here; she was really an amazing person and i feel so lucky to have known her). i was finally formally diagnosed with PCOS (bittersweet, i guess). my car broke down. i took two (2) days off and it took me two and a half weeks to get caught up again. i can only hope march treats us all a little more gently.
the good news is, i finished revisions on my short story collection to send to my agent, finished workshop submissions for the semester, and now i can return to my first love, fanfiction. that i am constantly working through original fiction to return to fanfiction has been making me think a lot about the nature of a creative, capital-p Project. so, this month’s BTALA (been thinkin a lot about) is going to inspect the concept of a “project.”
new resource
last month i unveiled a folder of my favorite short stories which i’m pleased to hear several of you have perused and gotten some inspiration from. this month i’ve compiled my favorite personal essays. there are fewer essays than there are short stories because i’ve broken them into two groups: personal and craft. next month i hope to have the craft essays compiled.
i’m always looking for more things to love, so if you have recommendations for your favorite short stories and essays, i’d be happy to hear them!
writing-related posts
how to physically maneuver the revision process
the difference between M and E ratings of fic
resources for worldbuilding (check out the reblogs for more!)
a couple syntax/prose book recs
how to break a long work into chapters
march availability
unfortunately i have to cut my coaching hours down a bit, so i don’t have any openings left in march, but i have some availability in april. if you’re interested in a writing consultation, please fill out this google form!
you can learn more about my services on my carrd.
what i’m into rn
for the past year, i’ve basically been trapped in a 10x10 room, and my health is definitely reflecting that, both mentally (does anyone else feel like they’re living in groundhog day? just, every day being exactly the same except fractionally worse than the day before??) and physically (i reorganized the kitchen and could barely move for two days).
reader, i have discovered something called “walking,” in which i put on real human shoes and go outside. it feels strange, bestial. neighbors wave hello to me. a harrowing experience.
while doing this, this walking, i’ve been listening to the lolita podcast which a friend recommended to me, a ten-episode series that dives into everything lolita: the novel itself, its context, adaptations, greater cultural responses, and — as a sticker on my laptop says — vladimir “russian dreamboat” nabokov. as far as i can tell it seems well-researched and presents the many perspectives of lolita in a fair way. i’m only a few eps in, but i’m entranced so far. highly recommended if you, like me, have a complicated relationship with lolita.
i’ve also found myself mildly addicted to a mobile otome game called obey me, which. look i know it’s like the definition of cringe but it’s also mind-numbingly fun and if i want to spend my minimal free time pretending 7 demon brothers are all vying for my affection then that’s between me and god. it’s a lot of what i loved about WoW: frequent events, bright colors, a daily to do list of simple but satisfying tasks, many many rewards, and it doesn’t take itself very seriously. and if i have 4k fic written of mammon/reader that’s nobody’s business but mine and my longsuffering ao3 subscribers.
i’m telling you this because i don’t know anyone else who plays it and am desperate to trade headcanons. so if you play, or start playing, hit me up!! i will give u mad tips and daily AP.
been thinkin a lot about
the project. the project. even the word “project.” PROject (noun). proJECT (verb). what is the project? “project” comes from the latin pro and jacare which means “to throw forward,” or projectum which means “something prominent.” a projector throws forward an image. to project onto something means to throw your perspective onto something else. to embark on a project is to make something prominent in your life. the concept of “the projects” comes from public housing projects, the government throwing forward affordable housing.
what is the project? in joseph harris’ essay “coming to terms” he says that “to define the project of a writer is…to push beyond his text, to hazard a view about not only what someone has said but also what he was trying to accomplish by saying it.” harris’ perspective is that of an english teacher encouraging his students to read critically, not just to summarize a text but to find its project, its greater purpose. and while i first read this essay in a seminar on composition pedagogy, it stuck with me as a writer. it made me reconsider the greater nature of the creative project.
how many of us, if asked to describe our writing project, would begin with a plot or character premise, the nuts and bolts of a specific story? maybe even the working title? but i wonder, is breaking out the plot really the project? is the discipline of sitting down and typing really the project? and when the story is finished, is the project over? what is the project?
in 2019, i wrote 86k words of a novel. i began revising that novel last fall, and i’m finding that i’ll probably keep maybe less than 10k of that initial draft. i’m not bothered by that. the novel i wrote before that started at 125k, then i rewrote the entire thing to 200k, then i whittled it back down to 160k, and next i’ll be tasked with paring it back down to 80k. i’m not bothered by that either. in the past five years or so i’ve written about 2 million words, and i’ve only published 20k of them. only 1% of what i’ve written, i’ve published. in the words of lauren cooper (catherine tate), i’m not bothered.
i used to see publication as the birth of the project, and writing it akin to a long gestation period. then i saw publication as the death of the project, and its life was lived in its drafting. now, publication seems irrelevant to the project. the confines of a story and its many revisions are also irrelevant to the project. the beginning of a story is not the start of the project and the end of the story is not the end of the project. the project is larger than the story, its revisions, its publication, and its eventual readership.
i think it took me so long to see this because for so many years i was still in my first project, the sex project, an exploration of trauma and sexual identity, which began in 2014 with destiel fanfiction, endured through many fandom shifts, my MFA, years adrift as an adjunct, all the way through 2020 with the completion of my short story collection. i used to wonder how anyone could write about anything other than sex. to me it was the only topic worth my attention. i was certain that i would spend my entire life being a sex writer and i’d never find fulfillment writing a young adult sci fi adventure or a highly literary novel about complicated family dynamics. i was baffled by people who were interested in other things, who could write entire novels without using the word “cock” even once.
then my sex project ended. i don’t know when exactly it happened or why, but suddenly i realized i never wanted to write another artful description of an orgasm or find a tactful euphemism for a vagina ever again (personally i prefer “wet cunt” because not only is it blunt, i find it phonetically pleasing). obviously i’m still writing explicit fanfic but it doesn’t feel the same as it used to. sex feels more sidelined to me, even if it’s still the center and drive of a fic. i no longer get any personal satisfaction from writing it, although i do get satisfaction in sharing the work for readers to enjoy.
it’s like i’ve somehow solved the biggest puzzle of my life. or i guess made peace with my meanest monster, that extremely complicated double-mind of desire that some non-sex-repulsed asexuals feel: you want to feel desire you can’t actually feel so you write it into fiction, to try to understand this thing you can’t have and which society tells you you’re missing, and you don’t even know if you don’t have it, because you still feel desire for affection and intimacy, and maybe even a desire to be desired. and for those of us who are asexual and have c-ptsd, sex you don’t actually want (but don’t know you don’t want, because maybe you’re ambivalent and mildly curious and touch-starved) and an unrelenting drive toward people-pleasing can be a dangerous combination. how can you ever know what consent is if you always put other people’s desires above your own?
maybe i’m alone in this. maybe i’m not. maybe for most people, wanting sex is a light switch: yes i want it, or no i don’t. but for me, i had to write a whole lot of words to figure out things like desire, consent, intimacy, forgiveness, the shape that good love takes. the lengthy theoretical flowchart of “i might be interested in having sex if this and this and this and this and this happens in this exact order and under these exact circumstances.”
it was hard to write something into reality that i have never seen except in pieces, in subtext i clung to with no lexicon to give it shape and meaning. te lawrence in lawrence of arabia. some of tarantino’s early work. the film benny and joon. and weirdly, the star wars prequels (that one’s hard to explain; i’ll spare you). i don’t think the sex project was about coming to terms with my asexuality as much as it was trying to organize my thoughts and feelings by continuously rendering my own experiences within a greater, shinier ideal — like how you sometimes have to unravel the entire skein of yarn to find the loose end, and only then can you get started.
i guess i’m in the infancy of the power project now. i’m moving toward themes of control, infamy, greatness. the exact circumstances in which atrocity occurs. how people rise into leadership and fall from grace. the consequences of success. i don’t know why this project has come to me, or what, if anything, it has to do with me. i’m not famous and have no intention of becoming famous; i don’t have social power or influence, at least not beyond my little corner of fandom, and i’m not interested in having it. and yet, here we are, already hundreds of thousands of words in.
my fics digging for orchids (tgcf) and a standing engagement (the hunger games) deal with the detriments of fame. and even float (breaking bad) to a degree is about the aftermath of being so close to power. my novel cherry pop, loosely based on macbeth, is about an ongoing power exchange between two teenage girls. my other novel, vandal, is about a girl who believes she has magic powers and casts a spell on her neighbor to fall in love with her. and i’m in the very early stages of a novel called groundswell, a cult story i’ve been wanting to write for years. i had no idea why i couldn’t write it until i realized it wasn’t yet my project. i’m not even to the stage of developing characters, let alone a premise or plot. i’m still just building my aesthetic pile (i discuss the aesthetic pile here, as well as vandal in more detail), watching documentaries on cults, reading books, finding inspiration, marking down ideas as they come. it may be years before i’m ready to sit down and write it.
now that i know what the project is, i have more patience with myself. it doesn’t bother me to rewrite a novel from the beginning, or to scrap novels altogether, because the story isn’t the project. the project cannot be diminished by cutting words, sentences, paragraphs, entire chapters. the project does not have a product. the project cannot be published. the project is in the practice, in dragging the impossibly large into clear, acute existence, so you can see it. so you can see the very center of what you thought was an unknowable thing.
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darkpoisonouslove · 4 years ago
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I'm offering you an empty salt shaker - asks 2, 5, 6, 15 (go ahead, I know you have something XD), 16, 20, 25 (about Bloom searching for her parents storyline)
Starting this again because guess who accidentally hit the key combination for undo and lost half an answered ask! This bitch right here.
I answered 2 here.
5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*
Not that I can think of. It’s usually the source material that ruins things and fandom is tasked with fixing them later.
6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*
I didn’t hate it but Bloom x Icy was incomprehensible to me. Fics helped a lot and so did other posts from here and there and I can see it now. Also, I totally couldn’t see Griffin x Codatorta but that changed, too. Though, that was less fandom and more trashcankitty12 with an ask that made me think about it a little more in-depth so it was pretty much me roping up myself into yet another ship. But ooh, I also don’t think I had considered Palladium x Avalon before fandom but, yes, indeed, it is right there in canon. And I was so puzzled over the Riven x Nabu content I was seeing but after watching seasons 3 and 4, I can totally see where this is coming from. The people are right. That is a bromance right there.
15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?
I have no idea what is popular and what isn’t (but you’re right that I have something aka A LOT) so I’ll just list my strong opinionsTM, okay? I will try not to dump on Bloom too much also because it is not a secret that I don’t like her so there is no need for me to go in too much detail.
4kids is the superior dub. That is probably the most controversial opinion I hold. But don’t worry, I’ll try to top it and up the ante. XD
I love Enchantix but it has so many flaws as a concept and even more as an execution and the thing that is really pissing me off is how obviously centered around Bloom’s arc it is. It was clearly created for the advancement of her character and the other girls’ stories came as an afterthought which is why Tecna’s Enchantix was total bullshit. And for having a transformation that is specifically created around Bloom, hers was bullshit as well. I think they should have let her reearn it in order for her to be able to use all of its functions like miniaturizing. Also also, at so many points it totally sounds like Bloom is not upset about the fact that Domino and all of its people were destroyed but about the fact that that means she won’t get her Enchantix. Which btw was a hasty conclusion because at the time Enchantix became a thing, she was still on a mission to find her parents which would have definitely been a way to earn her Enchantix and she had a sign that they were alive. So her angsting over not getting an Enchantix because of what happened on Domino was bad form on the writers’ part.
That spell for good decisions in 1x05 was one of the show’s lowest and most ridiculous moments. It was only included to flaunt in your face how naturally being a leader comes to Bloom because “See? See!!!!!! She can make a good decision without using magic to help her!” So can the majority of the population (note that we are talking about ONE good decision, not an unbreakable sequence of such). She ain’t all that special. Plus, Tecna was written wildly OOC there in order to boost Bloom’s stats so to speak. I’m sorry but Tecna would’ve known that three against four doesn’t give them advantage since they are freshmen and the Trix were seniors at the time. God, that scene was stupid.
Flora is the most boring character in seasons 1-3, fight me about it.
The writers totally had no idea what they were doing with the witches throughout most of season 1 which is why Griffin’s characterization in that season is so inconsistent. Also, wtf was that in 1x06? She straight up tried to kill a bunch of 15-year-old girls. Take a chill pill! I’m glad they figured out a much better balance with her later on.
Not using the fact that Cloud Tower is a living organism more was a fucking wasted opportunity. Especially in season 3 when Valtor took over it. That could have made everything so much better. Also, the witches should have been used more. They were interesting but deserved so much better in terms of development.
Sky should have just fucking died in 2x10. What were these resurrections and Bloom getting healing powers out of nowhere for a total of 5 seconds? You know, that could have been a good setup for a Bloom x Diaspro romance. It would have been so much better if they’d gotten together right after 1x17 and dumped Sky’s sorry ass. Also, Diaspro deserved better.
Riven is the best Specialist but he is especially better than Sky. Remember 1x22 when he was trying to escape CT? He was trapped deep in enemy territory with monsters everywhere and so high above the ground, yet he found his way out. Sky would’ve fucking died out in the open at Magix against one single monster if Bloom hadn’t shown up to rescue him. And the show has the gall to imply that Sky is a better Specialist than Riven is? Please!
The teachers should be fined and sued for emotional and physical damage they haven’t protected their students from. Especially the Alfea teachers who in 1x02 practically admitted that the witches might maim a fairy and they still won’t do shit about it. Nice one!
Griffin and Valtor is canonical subtext and I have nothing more to say about this. It is all there.
Valtor up until 3x18 and Valtor from 3x19 to 3x26 are two different people and the prior is superior in every way. The show ruined him in the last third of the season because there was no other way for Winx to defeat him.
Speaking about Valtor, his whole thing with the Trix is despicable and I hate it so much. It is extremely cringy on their part and extremely underhanded on his and I can’t stand it. Not to mention that it is wildly OOC for the Trix because they are obviously better than that.
I cannot understand saying that Bloom x Valtor is love-hate. I see only hate.
It is ridiculous how easily the Trix beat Griffin in season 6 and how they nearly take control over CT in season 2. And it is also ridiculous that she had to wait for Winx to unspell CT in season 3. She is a teacher, the headmistress of the most prestigious school for witches, a veteran and has been Valtor’s partner (and he himself admitted that together they were unstoppable which means that she has to be pretty powerful and even somewhere close to his level of power). Can the show stop acting like she is defenseless?
The teachers should have been used more. It would’ve been so much better if they were there to at least help Winx if not lead their battles. And it would have made much more sense. Also, how come Ediltrude and Zarathustra literally disappear when it’s convenient and then reappear again (like they did in season 1 when the witches went to Alfea)? That’s just bad writing.
Sky is adopted. He doesn’t resemble Erendor or Samara neither in appearance, nor in character and I hate them enough to headcanon that he was adopted but nobody knows because they don’t want to have claims that he is not an “official” heir of the throne because he isn’t part of the bloodline.
Mike and Vanessa are much more parents to Bloom than Marion and Oritel are, especially when the latter were first released from Obsidian, and the fact that Bloom starts calling them Mike and Vanessa instead of mom and dad after she learns she has other parents is abysmal. Also, they are literally the best parents ever and I love them to death. (I also like Marion and Oritel but Mike and Vanessa are definitely the superior pair of parents if we’re ranking them. I like the idea that the two couples are actually super close and love each other like relatives, in fact.)
What the fuck is up with the magic in this show? There is literally, like, NO FUCKING CONSISTENCY WHATSOEVER! You can’t blink without the rules of it changing in some way. But what am I saying? That would imply that there are any rules which is just not true. Also, there is no clear distinction of how powerful anyone is after season 1. The balance of powers especially between Winx and the Trix is pretty much whatever works for the episode. Same for Winx vs Valtor. The fuckery on that account is unreal. Plus, some of Bloom’s major power explosions happen due to her getting angry. According to the official Wiki - “While practicing or harnessing positive magic, one must keep a compassionate heart, primarily by keeping their thoughts and feelings clear of all negativity, making them capable of attracting positive energy more easily. Thus, if one is plagued with negative thoughts or feelings such as sadness, anger or fear, then their magic will grow   weaker until they may even be left incapable of casting magic until said feelings pass.“ Read that and then read it again, let it sink in. According to the rules of the Winx universe, during some of Bloom’s most powerful moments she was actually using dark magic, not light such because it was fueled by rage. Way to keep it fucking consistent. And that is not just Bloom! FLORA out of all people attacks the Trix in rage in 3x12 when they hurt her sister aka she was also using dark magic at that situation (and then you have Wizgiz scolding Mirta for it in SotLK like it is a sin to use dark magic, smh). In some instances I would argue that it was more of determination to protect rather than anger which I would say would still result in light magic. But The Flora thing, Bloom vs Stormy in 1x09 (Bloom even says she got so angry so that was not a case of protectiveness), Bloom vs Icy in 1x26 and Bloom vs Valtor in 3x14 were definitely rage aka dark magic. And then Bloom is all “fairies don’t have any demons”. Guess again, bitch! Also, writers, you need a dictionary to start comprehending the words you are actually writing?
Now that I think of it, the whole arc in the Resort Realm was bullshit. If it is a magic-free realm, nobody should have any magic in it, period! What is this bullshit that you can use Charmix and Gloomix there because they have higher magical energy? That absolutely doesn’t matter! If there isn’t any magic in the entire realm, having a higher amount of magic in you will not matter because you still can’t use it... because there isn’t any in the realm!!!!!! What the hell! Honestly, the writers can’t comprehend what words mean and that is not the only instance in which it shows.
Someone told me that SotLK is better than Magical Adventure and I don’t mean to offend but that is simply not true. Magical Adventure is leagues above SotLK even if it has some structural problems. Like, literally everything is better. Bloom and Sky are even likable and communicate!!!!!!!! Literally when have you ever seen a better moment for their relationship than in Magical Adventure? If it had been all like that, I would have liked them as a couple.
I think I got everything that comes to mind rn out. Might think of more at some point. I was done and then came back to rage some more because I remembered I had more material.
16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?
I would have them make smart decisions because 99% of the shit they pull is so stupid it is unreal. I literally cannot tell how they are still alive. Oh, no wait! Plot armor. Yep, that’s it.
But if I had to pick something specific? Bring Nabu back. I sure as hell wouldn’t have killed him. That was an asshole move and I have no idea what the hell the writers were thinking when they wrote that.
And my second choice is - implement a magical system into the series because there isn’t one. Magic always works the way the writers need it to work to pull off their bullshit plot even if it contradicts everything that we’ve seen before. Please, for the love of god! Consistency is already dead; stop stabbing its corpse!!!!
20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?
Purest ship? Lmao, asking me this question is underhanded. XD If you mean no drama, then Flora and Helia Mike and Vanessa. But I think my actual answer would be Griffin x Faragonda because they have been through so much that we know of or we can deduce and they still stuck together. Sure, they had their ups and downs but it is obviously a love for life that has lasted through so many obstacles and keeps lasting. The reason why I can’t say the same for Mike and Vanessa is because we don’t really know that much about their relationship with each other. But anyway I love both these ships so much.
If you’re talking about a canon ship, though, then Brandon and Stella (I do not recognize the stupid relationship drama in season 4 as canon). He did lie to her about his identity in season 1 but it was for his friendship with Sky (alternatively, for his job and duty as Sky’s squire). I just love how obviously in love Brandon is with Stella and how much Stella doesn’t care about anything but him. She didn’t care that he was a “commoner” and - one of my fave moments - in 1x08 she only cared about his well-being rather than the competition. It was adorable and they are adorable and I love them so much. Pure serotonin, right there!
25. How would you end the Bloom searching for her parents storyline/Would you change the ending?
I would certainly change the logistics of the whole thing because, boy, did it make no sense at all. As for the actual ending, I’d argue that physically finding them is not the end of that storyline and she needs to “find” them emotionally as well which would definitely take more time than SotLK cared to address. Like, she got them out of Obsidian and boom, everything’s fine! She literally doesn’t know them! Those are her parents and she doesn’t know anything about them! Their touch and their voices are unfamiliar to her even and they have missed on so much that they will never be able to get back and you’re saying that everything is fine? Yeah, right.
I would have had her spend a year on Domino with them before season 4. The school year that started in SotLK? She spends that with them. Possibly even the one that starts in Magical Adventure as well. She learns everything she can about them and the family history. She also learns how to be a proper royal because she is the Crown Princess now and she has no idea what the fuck she is doing. I would have made seasons 4 and possibly 5 about that and added more politics in it. Layla and Stella are also princesses who will run their kingdoms one day so we could have had adventures in political relations with Winx Club. They are pretty famous so I am sure there would be rulers of other lands that see them as threats and don’t like them. There could have been tension about that and the whole thing with Domino being the planet of the Dragon Fire could have been addressed. Who would dare oppose them when they are the most powerful force? Are they the most powerful force after the 17 years the planet spent as an ice block? Are there old alliances to be reforged? What is the political climate in the Magic Dimension? All absolutely fascinating questions that would have helped the worldbuilding and made place for Marion and Oritel in Bloom’s life and in the show. We could’ve gone back to the feel of season 1 when they also had other things going on besides the big baddie of the season and it could have been a little more episodical with a loose theme to connect the season and the overarching story of Bloom finding her parents and her place in the world she was born in. That could have been positively epic... And a great way to retain the cast because the Company of Light were allegedly friends so we could have seen Marion and Oritel reconnecting with Griffin, Faragonda, Saladin and Hagen. There could have been resurfacing debates left over from the war. Kingdoms angry at Domino for something that happened back then in order to include flashbacks with the events. AND that would work out with the fact that the Ancestral Witches were still around and could have led to another epic battle that wouldn’t end with the destruction of a whole planet. Like I said, there were amazing possibilities... and they were all wasted.
Well, this was long... and just what I needed. I hope some (civilized) discussion will spark out of that because I am tired of screaming in a void and I want people to talk to me.
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lia-jones · 4 years ago
Text
Growing Pains - Chapter One - Despite You, I’ll Be Happy
I watched as the sunlight played with the curtains at the office. It revealed the dust floating in the air, reflecting itself in it, making it seem like little angels had come to visit. For two whole seconds, I allowed myself to believe that was true, and that I was being blessed, protected. But I turned again to my darkest thoughts, and those were telling me I was beyond any blessing. I was broken, and only a miracle could put the pieces all together into something that made actual sense. My therapist woke me up from my stupor.
“Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Dust and angels.” I replied, not thinking too much before I answered. She would find a hidden meaning in my words, no matter what I said. “That I’m beyond repair.”
“Andrea, what happened does not define you. You need to remember that at all times. It can severely injure you, physically and emotionally, but it can’t change you. Not unless you let it.”
I laughed bitterly. Of course it defined me. Emotional and verbal abuse is all about changing the conception of one’s self, to tear it to pieces, to make it drown it bloody sorrow. And even if I could disengage from that hopeless feeling, even if I could be stronger, which I was clearly not able to, there was a mark, hidden yet apparently visible to the public eye, the one of the weak battered girlfriend. That mark was carved in me, unwilling to heal and fade away.
Even if I could overcome abuse, even if I could become stronger, I still had to deal with that. Always having someone look at me like I was going to break at any minute, walking on eggshells around me, developing feelings of pity and compassion, instead of respect. That defined me and defined how the world saw me. The abuse I had gone through was my Mark of Cain.
“Are you still going to your Krav Maga lessons? Are they helpful?”
“Yes.”
“How do you feel when you go? Do you feel empowered?”
“Mostly angry. Infuriated.”
“And why do you feel that?”
“I wish I could punch him instead. I wish I could do to him what he did to me. I want payback.”
“Do you know what’s the best payback you can have?” My therapist came closer to me, and held my hand. Was it pity? The question made my eyes water.
“Death penalty?” I joked, mostly to disguise my incoming tears.
“You make him see he’s meaningless. Be happy, despite him.” She paused, like she was carefully choosing the words, and then she softly smiled at me. “One of these days, Andrea, you'll see he can no longer hurt you, you have taken that power from him, but that will only happen when you allow yourself to be happy again. I’m sure that you will find amazing things about yourself, things you didn’t even know existed.”
I let one or two tears leave my eyes, and no more than that. I was tired of crying.
“Your mother says you got accepted for an internship at a prestigious investment company overseas, is that right?”
“Yes, in Loveland, for Loveland Financial Group. I need an internship to finish my doctorate.”
“So, when are you going?”
“I’m not sure I should do it.” Just the very thought of embarking on that sort of journey made my stomach tighten.
“Why not?”
“Not very interested. Not excited. Not ready.”
“I think you should. You keep complaining people look differently at you here. In Loveland, people won’t know. It could give you the space you need to heal. Plus, it will get your mother out of your hair.”
Later that night, I took from my bag the green notebook I had bought on my way home. Ceremoniously, I opened it, and wrote on the first page in red letters.
Dear asshole,
Thank you for making me not care for my life at all. I hope you fall on your face and break every beautiful porcelain tooth you have.
Fuck you,
Andrea
I paused, looking at the venom I had spread on that page. I thought about what the therapist said about moving to Loveland. A brand new start. A place where I could be just Andrea, and not Andrea the abused girlfriend. Or Daniel’s girlfriend, the girlfriend of the boy wonder. I could prove to myself and others that I was strong enough to overcome it. And my family would be relieved to see me do something for myself, to start a new life, and they could finally relax. I could make them proud.
These thoughts sparked something inside of me that I couldn’t figure out at the moment, maybe it was hope. I took the notebook and wrote a few more words, closing it with determination. On the first page, in red, one could read:
Dear asshole,
Thank you for making me not care for my life at all. I hope you fall on your face and break every beautiful porcelain tooth you have.
Fuck you,
Andrea
PS: Now just sit and watch while I turn it all around. I get to be happy, even if it is in spite of you.
________________________________________________________________
Two months later
My phone rang while I was brushing my teeth, getting ready to leave the house. I pushed my toothbrush to the side of my cheek and checked the phone. It was my mother.
I ran to the bathroom sink to spit the toothpaste and rinse my mouth before I answered the phone.
“Andy, you’re on speaker. Getting ready for the interview?” My mother asked. I could clearly hear my father and my brother in the background.
“Josh is there too?” I asked, surprised. It should be around 11 pm on the previous day in Portugal.
“Yes, and Cristina too. She’s just putting Ana to sleep. So tell me, what are you wearing? Did you see the outfit I packed for you?”
I looked at the teal neck boat dress on my bed, smiling.
“Yes, Mom, thank you.”
“I think it will go really well with your peacock…”
“Bracelet, yes, I know. It’s right here.” I twirled the peacock pendant in my hands. The peacock’s wings were adorned with blue and green crystals, that glistened in the sunlight coming from my window as I moved it.
“Good luck, honey. We all love you. We are so very proud of you.” I could hear my mother’s throat catch in this last sentence.
“Sure. I love you guys.”
“LOVE YOU, ANDY!” I could hear my father and brother from afar.
After hanging up, I put on my dress and went to the bathroom to fix my hair. I had wished I had straight hair my whole life, because my hair had a life of its own. I loved the color, it was light brown with natural golden highlights, but it wasn’t exactly curly and it wasn’t exactly straight, it had these soft waves that would look nice on most days, making beautiful curls at the tips, but there were other times my hair would just decide to stay frizzy, no matter what I did. That day was a frizzy day, so I just made a ponytail and applied some styling foam, hoping it would be at least acceptable, and not look like a broom.
After careful consideration, and reminding myself of the hot weather outside, I applied almost no makeup, just the enough amount to conceal the dark circles under my eyes. Some lip balm, and that was it.
When I arrived at LFG, the hall was full of people, probably interns like me. I went to the reception to give my name.
After a while, a man with brown hair and brown eyes framed with glasses came to me, shaking my hand.
“Good morning, my name is Henry Goldman. Are you Miss Jones?” I nodded with a smile. “Good. Please follow me to the conference room. The CEO will meet us there.”
We both sat in a huge conference room with a big glass table, with some silver ornaments decorating the center of it. It had a professional and minimalistic decoration, the floor was made of black marble, and the walls behind and in front of me were made of frosted glass. There was a huge screen on one of the other walls, that were painted in light grey, probably to show documents during meetings, while the other wall bared LFG logo, in silver letters.
Goldman sat across from me, slightly to my right side, holding some documents. We sat awkwardly in silence, while he flipped through the pages. After a while, he started to fidget. Seeing him so nervous, my palms started to sweat, and I took a tissue from my purse to clean them, trying to calm my nerves. I didn’t really know what I was so worried about, I had already been accepted, this was just a formality.
“Mr. Lee should be arriving at any moment.” He said, nervously.
“I can wait. Don’t worry.” I used the calmest voice I could muster, to see if I could make him relax. The man was making me jittery.
“Actually…” He got up, seemingly unsure that he should. “I better check…. Could you hold on for a second…” He opened the door and looked outside, but saw something that made him quickly shut the door and bolt to his chair. I remembered when I was a child and the class was rowdy, waiting for the teacher in the classroom, and how we ran to our seats when we saw the teacher approaching. I bet my life that’s how I looked like back then.
A tall man entered the room, wearing a charcoal suit, black shirt and silver tie. His expression was grim and cold. Without a word, he sat next to Goldman, facing me. Goldman got up, smiling widely, and introduced us:
“Andrea, this is Victor Lee, our honored CEO. Victor, this is Andrea Jones, our new-”
“Quit the idle pleasantries and get me some coffee.”
I was surprised by his tone and quick dismissal, but tried to maintain a neutral face. Goldman turned to me to ask if I wanted coffee, looking more agitated than before. I shook my head immediately. By that time, the CEO had already grabbed the files Goldman left on the table and was skimming through them silently, his expression impatient.
I was left alone with him, trying not to look very nervous. I started playing with the peacock on my wrist.
“Why LFG?” The CEO asked, breaking the silence and my trance. I noticed his eyes for the first time, wondering what color they were exactly. Black? Grey?
“I’m sorry?” I was clearly distracted and wasn’t expecting him to start like this. He sighed and asked again, his voice dripping annoyance.
“Why did you choose to apply here?” He spoke purposefully slowly, like I was too dumb to understand. “You’re from Portugal, why choose a place so distant?”
I tried not to roll my eyes at his insult, acting the most professional I could. Remember to relax, Andrea. Believe in your qualities. The job is already yours.
“LFG is one of the most prestigious and high quoted investment companies on the market almost since its birth. I already have experience in investment companies, now I want to learn from the very best. The distance is just a happy coincidence. I appreciate the change of scenery.”
His grey eyes turned to my brown ones, holding the gaze fiercely.
“Do you know why LFG holds such a high place on the market?”
“I can imagine. High standards, an eye for business, and hard work.” I said, trying to look confident.
“You have an impeccable resume, so much that I had to confirm its veracity. Every teacher and employee I have contacted has only the best to say about you, how hard-working and bright you are. And I am pleased with your attitude. I just need a last piece of information.”
“Yes, Sir?”
“Last year, you seemed to be inactive. No work, no studies.”
“I’ve had some health issues. I’d rather not go into details, but all is well now and I don’t expect any problems in the future.”
“Very well. The job is yours.”
I blinked at him.
“Wasn’t that decided already?”
The CEO looked me in the eye, his eyes cold.
“I hope you understand the opportunity that’s being presented to you. A golden ticket. Did you notice the crowd of people at the entrance?”
“The new interns?” I asked, confused.
“The people that are after your job, and that I will have to turn down. Do not disappoint me.”
And without any other word, he left the room, forgetting about the files, forgetting about the coffee.
And I sat there, my mind foggy with the interaction. And apparently, I forgot to walk.
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themsource · 5 years ago
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Not The Baby Bones
Sans X Frisk
Rating: T
Word Count: 1390
Said you needed more Frans? @shayromi Here’s an attempt at funny ^^; based off my favorite Addams family scene from the series and your Frans family! (sorry if it’s not accurate) XD
It was a typical day in the skeleton house; Sans and Frisk both lazing together on the couch with their gathered friends and family watching the latest episode of an anime Alphys had discovered, their son Arno tucked into Undyne’s lap as they both cheered and clapped together at the way the protagonist summoned her sword.
It was all in anticipation for their daughter Elys’s arrival from school, the plan to go to the water park that afternoon in celebration of her actually having studied for her math test last week. The pair of parents didn’t expect when she came home to have a very interesting story to tell. 
They were both surprised to hear it was about one of the parent teacher members; Linda. 
Apparently it was irresponsible of them to send their daughter to school with bottled ketchup in her lunch, the condiment far too sweet and full of unhealthy calories that it called their parenting methods into question. 
Not only did she not stop there but Linda had gone on to say it was insulting they were teaching Elys that eating ketchup by itself was acceptable and that they were also bringing harm to the other children by permitting their daughter to indulge in the habit around them. 
Permitting her to be a bad influence.
Frisk could only frown as she embraced her frustrated little girl while Sans’s sockets had gone black as midnight as he silently seethed. Linda had it out for them ever since the PTA luncheon two months ago when he’d mentioned how dry her lemon squares were. She’d asked for an honest opinion and Sans had given her just that. 
She had no right to take out her silent grudge on his little fart princess.
“Well what are ya gonna do about it just stand there and take it?” Undyne asked at the pairs prolonged silence. Papyrus was quick to respond, his usually jovial smile a tight frown at hearing how harshly his niece had been treated.
“CERTAINLY NOT, I THINK WE SHOULD SEND LINDA AN INSULTING LETTER!” Frisk raised a brow as she looked up from Elys, Sans’s eyelights coming back as he looked at his sibling with a smile. It lightened his mood to see what Papyrus’s idea of a rebuttal was.
“I don’t think we should put our names on it.” Gaster supplied as he pressed the tips of his phalanges together in thought.
“He could sign it a f-friend.” Alphys piped up.
“An insulting letter signed a friend, that would be humerious.” Sans snickered. Papyrus shot him a halfhearted glare at the pun but let it drop, the taller monster was far too upset at the rude human they were discussing to have any heat behind it. 
“I think we should turn the other cheek.” Frisk responded as she sent Elys and Arno off to get packed for their trip. She certainly didn’t need them getting any ideas from what everyone was saying. It was bad enough she was certain her daughter already had a plan for getting back at the snarky woman. Elys was too much like her father and Uncle when it came to wit.
“Nooo! When people insulted me I always used to turn the other cheek!” Undyne droned with a pout. That was so unexpected to hear from the rambunctious and passionate fish monster that Frisk simply had to ask about it.
“And?”
“I ran out of cheeks.” Undyne said with an obvious tone as she shrugged. Now that was not surprising to hear coming from the redhead. Sans sighed and smiled lazily; while he was enjoying the back and forth between everyone their idea wasn’t quite hitting the mark for him. Normally he would’ve just let such a thing work itself out. But this was his babybones.
“welp there’s only one way to settle this.” The sound of Sans’s blaster materializing beside him made everyone stop what they’d been saying to stare at him in surprise. His smile still lazy even as his tone dropped. “linda’s gonna have a bad time.”
“Sans! Please not that!” Frisk pleaded with a sweat drop running down the side of her face. Even more surprising than the unexpected blaster’s presence was Papyrus who turned to look at her with a passionate cry.
“BUT FRISK THE FAMILY HONOR!” Oh dear, Papyrus was supporting Sans antics. Frisk felt her skin prickle as her nerves rose. The world had just been turned upside down on its head. 
“He’s right Frisk the family honor!” Gaster exclaimed in agreement with Papyrus before he shot a smirk at his oldest son. “You’ll have to challenge Linda to a duel.”
“nah, i’d rather shoot her in the back.” Sans waved dismissively as his blaster hovered over to sniff at the flower bouquet on their coffee table.
“Blasting people isn’t the solution to this and that is not honorable.” Frisk remarked as she crossed her arms at Gaster.
“but it’s effective, and safe.” Sans rebutted as he rocked on his heels.
“SANS, SAFE? WHILE I RESPECT YOUR WISE DECISION TO FOLLOW SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, A SKELETON DOES NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD FEAR!” Papyrus cried incredulously. Sans didn’t consider himself as cool as his brother was so he was completely shameless and unfazed as he replied.
“i do, i’ll shoot’er in the back.”
“Remember the Serif name!” Papyrus shouted as he stomped his foot. Gaster waggled his finger as he shook his head, his tone only the slightest bit stern.
“It’ll have to be a duel.” Frisk didn’t like how out of hand this was getting.
“with bones?” Sans asked curiously. A duel usually meant swords and he was too lazy for that, really a good shot of magical energy should be more than enough to deal with the situation. He honestly didn’t see why his family was trying to persuade him from it.
“WITH VICTORY GOING TO THE CUNNINGEST, THE SWIFTEST, THE DEADLIEST!” Papyrus exclaimed, his eyes sparkling like they tended to do when he was excited about something as Gaster nodded his head in agreement. 
Even Undyne and Alphys were giving signs of approval with a shout and half stuttered gush on how anime the concept was. Sans paused to look at Papyrus. Those were verbs that he felt didn’t fit him in the slightest.
“...yep shooting her in the back.” Sans drawled slowly.
Frisk at this point had already given up and simply sat on the couch observing as she drank some orange juice and stroked the blaster’s head. An idea for how to sabotage the whole situation trying to piece itself together in her mind if Sans actually decided to go through with his plan.
“Wait how about spears!” Undyne half asked half shouted as she snapped her fingers. Spears? Sans could get behind that; for one it was magic so he wouldn’t need his hands to use it nor the energy a physical sword would require. And two Undyne’s spears were just as fast as his blasters so it wouldn’t take long to deal with Linda. Get in, launch spear, get out.
“well that’s different than--wait...does she get on too?” Sans asked suspiciously as the thought occurred to him his family wouldn’t give him such an obvious advantage so easily.
“Naturally!” Gaster smiled as he answered him. To Sans’s dismay everyone nodded along to his father’s declaration. He should’ve known there was a catch. Heh he could still work with that, after all he wouldn’t need to use effort like Linda would in welding the spear. Sans might simply have less aim coordination as they’d be Undyne’s constructs and not his bones but if he missed he could just ask--
The whole honor thing resounded in his head and made him squint his sockets at the former guard captain.
“...how many?” Sans asked wearily.
“One each.” Undyne folded her arms with finality. Sans sockets went black as his eyelights went out. Were they all serious right now? Just one? Nope his solution was better.
“...in the back.” He deadpanned as he blinked his eyelights back into existence. Sans turned to call his blaster over. They still had time before needing to head out and he wasn’t as angry as he’d initially been, maybe he’d just intimidate the woman not to speak to his kid like that again, he could simply shortcut on over to the school real quick and--
Frisk and his blaster were missing.
...He just couldn’t catch a break.
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picturebookmakers · 4 years ago
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Marika Maijala
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In this post, Marika talks about ‘Ruusun matka’ (Rosie’s Journey), her wonderfully fresh debut picturebook as an author and illustrator, published in Finland by Etana Editions. She talks openly about her intimate creation process, and the challenges of writing.
Visit Marika Maijala’s website
Marika: When writing this blog post, I am completely stuck in my writing process. I am trying to write a new story, but it keeps escaping me. Actually, even this blog post makes me a bit nervous, because it is a story as well: How did the book turn out the way it did?
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Rosie and the race dogs in ‘Rosie’s Journey’ (Etana Editions, 2018)
My first picturebook as an author was ‘Rosie’s Journey’. It’s the story of a race dog, who runs away from the race track to find a place where she can run the way she likes to. Now, as I am struggling with my writing, I have returned to this project often and tried to figure out how I did it. It is hard to reach, as now, looking at it after a couple years have gone by, I only remember chaos, randomness and doubt, exactly the same feelings I am having now. I think I need to go further back to see how it started.
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I remember sitting in a book meeting in a publisher’s office a few years back. We were discussing a forthcoming book project. There were two stories on the table, and the publisher asked which would I rather illustrate, this other story, or this one, with two happy dogs? I remember replying immediately: “the one with happy dogs”. The other story got selected, and it turned out to be a great book, but I think that deep inside of me I only want to draw happy dogs. In the end I even made a very stupid story for myself about four dogs driving around in their car. They are happy.
So maybe that’s why the main character in my first authored book is a dog. She just appeared in my sketchbook one day. Here is the first sight of Rosie. She seems happy.
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This was a new notebook – an A3 Moleskine I had bought on one Interrail trip in Italy, and I carried it all the way home through Europe; how stupid. Especially as it was still empty after two years. That was a time when I was very tired of my work. I had illustrated children’s books for over a decade, worked with wonderful writers and received nice reviews for my illustrations. But I felt I didn’t really enjoy drawing. I used computer a lot, because I didn’t trust my drawing skills. So I took out this huge notebook and started scribbling, messing around. Drawing badly. Pictures came out. They were bad, but I enjoyed making them.
Around that time, I was selected for a masterclass with some other Finnish illustrators. Our teacher was Kitty Crowther, whom we all admired very much, so this was a special weekend for all of us. January was cold that year in Helsinki, and the course took place in a spooky old house by the sea. We were running on the frozen sea and making all kinds of exercises to free our creation and find our inner stories.
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That weekend, I showed my new drawings for the first time to other people and got encouraged by the feedback I received from Kitty and other illustrators. Maybe I really was going in the right direction? We still often talk about this weekend with those artists, and looking back at it now, I think it was an important turning point for many of us. For me it was.
This is one of the drawings I did on the course. I still look at it when I am having a bad day, or I feel lost. Depending on the day, I am either the lion or that person getting eaten by the lion.
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More drawings of Rosie started to appear in my notebook. I dared to show them to my publishers Jenni Erkintalo and Réka Király at Etana Editions. They were also encouraging and said that there was a story building up. I think it has always been difficult for me to see value in my work and ideas; this is why having friends and colleagues whom I can trust has been so important. When I doubt, they say just go ahead. I try to do the same for them. Through this whole process I was not alone, and so many decisions concerning the images and the story we made together with Jenni, Réka as well as the editor Kirsikka Myllyrinne, who encouraged me to keep the story very simple.
Here we get to the point where I always struggle: the story. When I was forced, I was able to produce this synopsis for the book:
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The story goes: First, Rosie runs at the stadium, then she runs to escape the stadium, and in the end, she runs with friends because she wants to. And at the turning point, she stops. How did this scribble grow into a picturebook with 25 spreads (normally the picturebooks I illustrate have about 12 spreads)?
I think this book grew out of drawing – the joy of drawing. In a way, this is the content of the story as well, to find your own way of being, your own expression. For Rosie it is running, maybe for me it is drawing. And when I found the enjoyment in drawing, I got enough courage to finally write the words too, which so often escape me.
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And maybe, in the end, it was just about finding the right tools for drawing. I remember an exercise from Kitty’s course, in which we were drawing, eyes closed, only feeling the paper, and the pen touching the paper. I really love how the crayon feels
 on this particular type of paper. And funnily enough, to approach a visual task through some other sense than vision, helped me to create an image I felt was also interesting to look at.
Drawing in these notebooks was a very physical act: I filled five of them, drawing dozens and dozens of pictures. Also, scanning the images from these books required some patience as they are large, heavy and annoying to handle.
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One of my crayon boxes is an old Russian box of chocolates given to me by Finnish writer Hannu Mäkelä. We have made many books together. He is also the creator of my favourite books from childhood: the ‘Herra Huu’ (Mr. Boo) series.
It is quite an exhausting method to search for the story through drawing. I guess I sort of needed to live the story myself, to know how it goes. There are a large amount of drawings that did not end up in the final book. But I think I still needed to draw them.
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Life on and under the bridge in a sketch for ‘Rosie’s Journey’. Unpublished.
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Rosie makes a leap. Unpublished.
I don’t like to put morals in my stories, because who am I to teach anyone. I would rather let people find their own meanings in the story. Maybe I am more trying to find out about things myself, I have questions in mind, not answers. And some questions get answers during the process, some don’t.
Maybe the questions in this story were: What is it to be happy? What is it to be free? What is keeping us from doing things we love? Why do we hurt, imprison and enslave each other: humans, animals? Can I do something? If I save myself, what happens to the others? What can be discussed in a children’s book?
In the story, I combined my own history and happenings during the past few years with the story of a real rescue dog, Rosie. My friend saved her from a bad place and took her to her home, where she lived peacefully with three other dogs. She was a hound dog, just like Rosie in the book, the most elegant creature I have ever seen. I thought that maybe through my experiences I was able to understand her, that there are feelings, desires, experiences, all living creatures share.
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An early sketch for ‘Rosie’s Journey’.
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Race depot in ‘Rosie’s Journey’.
This I try to keep in mind when I draw and write children’s books: we share so many things, even with those we think we don’t share anything with at all. In a way I want to stress that, as much as we are and will always be focused on our own little lives, and the ups and downs in them, there are millions of others doing the same thing. And these ups and downs are very precious for those experiencing them. Kindness I also like a lot.
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A sketch from my Italy notebook.
I love to watch people and animals doing their things. At the stations, in malls and supermarkets. On the streets and in the parks.
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The train station in ‘Rosie’s Journey’.
I love to draw so many details in my illustrations that they often almost steal the story. Or they become the story, which actually I don’t mind. Something I really was fighting against in Rosie’s story as well was its linearity, the basic narrative structure it follows. Maybe I was trying to show options of where the story could go. Or that in a way our stories depend on other stories.
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Spring in the city from my second authored picturebook ‘Suden hetki’ (Etana Editions, 2020).
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People and animals living their lives in ‘Joulu juksaa’ (Etana Editions, 2019), a Christmas story written by Juha Virta and illustrated by me.
For many of the ‘best’ pictures (in my opinion) in ‘Rosie’s Journey’ I don’t have different/alternate versions. The pictures came out in one moment, with no effort, no planning, no pain. I didn’t want to redraw them; they had everything I wanted in them. In a way, I had made it easy for myself, as the concept of the book is so clear: Rosie is just running through different sceneries and settings; all I needed to do was to draw them. The themes – freedom vs imprisonment – I had in my mind and they can be found in the pictures when you study them.
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I said that creating the story was a challenge for me. Still, I guess I know what I like in a story. I wanted it to be a simple story. And I didn’t want there to be any big climax in the end. Rosie just finds two friends and they run together. As simply as it sometimes goes in life. But we made a little change in the way of telling things, when the dogs start to run together. Until this point, Rosie has been running alone through large panoramic scenes, in an undefined time. In this important moment, when the dogs find each other, the story time is slowed down, and cut into a sequence of images, like in a film.
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Rosie, Siiri and Iida in ‘Rosie’s Journey’.
In a way ‘Rosie’s Journey’ is a classical coming-of-age story, which pictures the growth of a protagonist to selfhood. I think the story became clear to me only when I made the last image. And it really is the last one in the book (although of this portrait there are at least five different versions). Also, the text on the last page was the last thing I wrote in the book. It came after long discussions with many friends, having gone through some small hardships in life, having tried terribly hard to find the right words, and then they came, immediately when I stopped trying:‘I am Rosie’, says Rosie. — ‘Shall we run again?’
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There are so many ways we can express ourselves, and no way is above or below. I guess it depends on each of us which we find most important, or dear, easy or hard. I noticed that for me, when making this book, it was important to utter words as well. At first, we had thought with the publishers that it would be a book without words. But to dare to use words, and to use my own words, felt very important to me. Maybe for me, an essential way to express my thoughts and feelings about this life is to combine words and images. A long time after finishing the book, I found this drawing in my childhood home.
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“I am Marika Maijala. I am 4 years old, my sister is 7 years, and my mum 8 years.”
I tried to draw a picture of my writer’s block. I am the tall creature piling heavy stones into the hot air balloon. A little girl asks, “What are you doing?”. I am making an easy thing difficult. Instead of just letting the balloon fly, I fill it with stones. Or, maybe I am making the impossible: I’m going to fly with a balloon that really cannot fly. I guess I can choose.
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Illustrations © Marika Maijala. Post edited by dPICTUS.
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Buy this picturebook
Ruusun matka / Rosie’s Journey
Marika Maijala
Etana Editions, Finland, 2018
Rosie is a race dog. By day she runs at the track. By night she sits in her little room. One day she doesn’t stop at the end of the track. She jumps over the fence and runs away. Rosie keeps running. Where does she go? A sensitive portrayal of a special journey by award-winning illustrator Marika Maijala. This large-format book is Marika Maijala’s debut picturebook as both author and illustrator.
Finnish: Etana Editions
Swedish: Förlaget
French: Hélium
Spanish: SM
Italian: Clichy
Korean: Munhakdongne
Chinese (Simplified): Gingko/Post Wave
Chinese (Traditional): Pace Books
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quarterfromcanon · 5 years ago
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1-4. For the asks
Thank you so much for sending these! <3 
Once I started to answer them, I realized there were comparatively few recent television shows appearing on the list. I seemed to keep gravitating toward older ones I remembered from years ago. I took a handful of days to mull it over in case I was forgetting something, but nothing else comes to mind. Maybe my ongoing list of Shows to Watch During Quarantine will turn up some fresh results but, for now, it looks like I’ll be taking a little trip down memory lane. :) 
This turned out to be a pretty long and rambly post, so I’ll stow it under the cut!
Top 5 TV Shows 
1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - I can’t imagine this surprises anyone who has been following this blog for the past two years or so. It brought fellow fans into my life, got me back into writing fic, and prompted countless tags of meta. It’s the show my mind drifts to on a weekly basis (if not daily) even a full year after the finale. Just when it seemed I’d reached an age where that level of intense fandom involvement and character attachment might be fading, it proved that quite the opposite was true. I’m very thankful to the series for that, and for the people whose paths have crossed mine as a result.   
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2. Schitt’s Creek - This is my #1 Feel Good show and, though I’ve been dodging spoilers for the final season until it gets uploaded to Netflix, I get the impression that it will remain in that top spot. The world feels softer and more hopeful there. It’s healing for my soul. I’m going to have a dreadfully difficult time saying goodbye, but I’m glad there are six season to revisit whenever I want. 
3. Stranger Things - The theme song alone sends such a rush of excitement through me. I love the aesthetic and the atmosphere. I sometimes have mixed feelings about the romances but the FRIENDSHIPS sure do have a direct line to my heartstrings. I think the way they’ve combined media influences into their own story is really neat. You get something that’s new and engaging, but you can also go back and enjoy the sources of inspiration with fresh appreciation. 
4. Joan of Arcadia - I can’t help it. The snark, the jackets, the early 2000s songs, the performances -- the nostalgia for this show is so strong. It’s not without its problems, but it did have some really good things to offer as well. I remember an episode that was one of my earliest introductions to the concept of a trigger, and the effect it could have on a person if exposed to one of theirs. The series dealt a lot with grief and the many forms it can take (I STILL can’t hear Fiona Apple’s cover of “Across the Universe” without getting misty-eyed). I’m also surprised, looking back, at the somewhat positive way I recall them discussing homosexuality on the several occasions that it came up in the show. Not to give too much credit since I don’t think there were recurring canonically LGBTQIA+ characters but, for a kid who spent most days around closed-minded people of a certain religious leaning, it was meaningful along my individual journey. I’d like to provide the several examples that are most vivid in my memory:
A. A girl with short hair, short nails, little to no makeup, and a bulky leather jacket is generally assumed to be a lesbian by the bullies at school. The show directly confronts the fact that “gay” should not be used an insult, that identity should not be assumed without the person telling you so, AND makes sure that the character in question never pushes back by saying harmful things about lesbians despite not actually being one herself. 
B. A boy who is questioning is able to confide in his big brother and have a fairly calm conversation about it; the awkwardness mostly comes from neither of them being accustomed to openly discussing emotions, not from the possibility of a negative response regarding the subject matter. 
C. Another character is accidentally discovered to be gay (he only appears in the one episode, if my memory serves), and some of the leads have the opportunity to share that for personal gain. However, even though he is a popular jock who is a bit of a jerk in the hallways, the show makes it clear that the right choice is still to leave the telling of that information up to him and him alone. 
Like I mentioned, it can’t be said that representation was in abundance here - for instance, I don’t believe anything other than straight or gay was presented as a possibility - but any accepting acknowledgement in a faith-centric series was something for me to hold on to in my still-deeply-closeted days. As a final Very Important personal side note, this show brought Judith Montgomery into my life (pictured below on the left), and that feels like it merits a shoutout for being what I consider a rather significant marker in my awakening. 
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THE OVERWHELMING CRUSH I HAD - and still have - is one for the books. 
5. Pushing Daisies - This is another show with an aesthetic I adore. The series has such a fun, whimsical energy. The crime-solving! The clothes! The cast! There's a lot to love. It’s the kind of world I wish I could visit... well, minus the evidently rampant murder rate. 
Top 5 Overrated TV Shows
1. Once Upon A Time - *deep sigh* I tried to stick with it for so long. I think I’ve seen five out of the seven seasons in their entirety. It just felt like everything got mired down by excessive (and increasingly convoluted) subplots, often for the purpose of tossing in as many fairytale and/or Disney characters as possible. Plus, quite honestly, there was too much emphasis on romantic love. For a show whose first season involved a curse being broken by [potential spoiler, I suppose] a mother kissing her son’s forehead, I ultimately found myself up to my ears in romantic ships. It reached such a stifling extent that, if you were not particularly attached to those pairings, there wasn’t a whole lot else to entice further viewing. 
2. Under the Dome - I don’t know for certain what the general public opinion of this series was, but it felt like the commercials always featured alleged rave reviews, so I figured I could include it here. I was vaguely interested in Season 1, mainly as a fan of Rachelle Lefevre’s work. Season 2 pulled me in with the introduction of a new townsperson and I threw WAY too much of my heart into that attachment, which backfired when that character was killed. I made quite the spectacle of my heartbreak, so much so that my family doesn’t let me mention this show around them anymore. :P Season 3 was, to phrase it delicately, not a great time. The series did introduce me to a few new-to-me actors, though, so that was cool. 
3. Bates Motel - Even the incentive of learning that the two characters I liked most share a lot of screen time later in the series hasn’t been enough to call me back to this one. I don’t know if it was the pacing that put me off or what, but the prospect of finishing the remaining seasons feels so daunting. There are evidently five seasons in total and I believe I’ve only seen two of them thus far. I will probably muddle through it someday just to see how it goes, but the fact that I am so disinclined to prioritize it made this feel like a fair addition to the list. 
4. Lost - My interest in this series unfortunately waned right before fervent fandom spiked. I don’t have any specific complaints that come to mind about what I saw; I just sort of drifted and then stayed away. Teachers I liked and peers I spent time with were starting to latch on to the show and I couldn’t find even the slightest inclination to give it a second try. However, did I still dutifully read all the latest installments in my friend’s Sawyer Ford and Kate Austen fanfiction when she passed me handwritten copies at lunch? Sure. I was glad it made her happy, even if I was no longer a viewer. 
5. Hemlock Grove - I say this as someone who still mourns the fates of some characters in this show, so I wouldn’t go so far as to claim that the series stopped being able to make me feel anything. I’m just of the opinion that, in some ways, it might’ve been better off stopping at one season. That’s where the book it was based on ends, and things just didn’t feel as cohesive after that. Season 3 especially was - borrowing from my above review of Under the Dome - not a great time. That being said, there are also certain elements from the book that I could’ve done without in the Season 1 adaptation but... well... here we are. 
Top 5 Underrated TV Shows
1. Picnic at Hanging Rock - Another one that won’t surprise followers of this blog. I have rhapsodized about it quite frequently since I found it a little over a month ago. It’s a period piece mystery miniseries with LGBTQIA+ representation, gorgeous costumes, and Samara Weaving. This felt specifically designed to wedge its way into my heart, and I’m quite content with the space it now occupies.
2. Dark - I’m so intrigued by the overlapping timelines with all of the morally gray characters. It’s possible to like one of these people in the timeline where they’re young but dislike them as adults, or vice versa. It also makes me think of Rant by Chuck Palahniuk a little tiny bit with the idea that time travel, specifically tampering with your own timeline, might make you physically and behaviorally unrecognizable to yourself. And the SONG CHOICES! I have gotten some solid new music selections from this series. 
3. Sense8 - I still need to watch the finale. I really do. But I knew it would make me sad so I’ve avoided it for... two years now? Pretty close, I think. The concept is fascinating and the cast is so strong. Plus the cinematography! They came up with some of the coolest ways to depict the link these characters share and what it’s like when they connect over distance. The planning and careful editing it all must’ve taken... I remain in awe. 
4. Penny Dreadful - There were definitely some story/writing choices I didn’t particularly like along the way, but I did get engrossed in the creepy goodness and the performances -- Eva Green’s Vanessa Ives most of all. It left me wishing for more period piece “monster mash” stories, because having all those classic characters in one place was a blast. It also helped me understand why Helen McCrory was once slated to play Bellatrix Lestrange because she can be terrifying. Oh and Sarah Greene in her Wild West outfits? Perdita Weeks with short red hair in fencing garb, and later in all leather with boots and a long jacket? I WAS NOT PREPARED AND I HAVE STILL NOT RECOVERED. I NEVER WILL.
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5. Wonderfalls - There’s some cringe-inducing handling of certain representation in the series, but I have such a weak spot for quippy outcasts who become reluctant chosen ones (Joan Girardi in Joan of Arcadia, Wynonna Earp, Jaye Tyler in this series, et cetera). I also really love the sibling dynamics here. They bicker, tease one another, help each other out of trouble, and have rare but genuine heart-to-hearts. Caroline, Lee, and Katie all did such a great job blending their characters’ adult personalities with certain childhood attributes that rise to the surface in the presence of family.  
Top 5 Movies
1. Addams Family Values - I’ve rewatched this movie at least once annually since I found it in Media Play at age 13. Usually, I’ll play it around Halloween or, at the latest, Thanksgiving. It’s mouth-along-with-every-line level ingrained in my memory. I find myself leaning forward in my seat before favorite parts because I’m still that excited to relive them. Why this movie, and why this devotion to such a degree? It’s hard to explain, even to myself. I can tell you, however, that I hold up every other portrayal of the Addams characters to the versions found in this. Everybody in the cast just feels that perfect for their part. 
2. Clue - I was already pretty fond of this movie to begin with, but then my sister got older and claimed it as a favorite of her own, so now she just supplies me with further excuses to watch it repeatedly. It’s also been a bonding piece of media with a couple of close friends and such through the years. It’s incredible to think not everyone in it was the first choice for their roles; what everybody brings to the table is so top-notch that I wouldn’t have it any other way. I also LOVE knowing that it originally went to theaters with different endings depending on which showing you attended. I gather people weren’t terribly thrilled with the stunt back then, but I kinda think some moviegoers would be into that approach these days? Then again, one hit that tried something different tends to start a fad, so maybe I’d end up regretting the suggestion after a while. :P
3. The Craft - This. Movie. Yes, Act III is a major bummer even though I know it’s coming, and I’ll always wish it ended differently. Even so. This. Movie. I tend to headcanon mostly for shows and sometimes books, but The Craft is a beloved exception. I love so much about it: the magic, the music, the clothes, the settings, the dynamics within the friend group, the performances. I had no idea when I first got the DVD at 17 that it would become such a part of my life, but I’m so glad it found its way to me. 
4. Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion - The soundtrack is a glorious ’80s and ’90s treat for my ears. The colorful costumes are perfectly suited to the main characters’ version of the world. There are so many great lines and it feels like everyone is having a lot of fun in their roles. I LOVE HEATHER MOONEY SO MUCH. She’s my awful, scathingly sarcastic, little grungy grump and she fills my heart with joy. 
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - I was pretty sure at least one of the three had to appear on here. I think, if I were to tally them all up, The Return of the King features most of my favorite moments, so it wins the spot. “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”, ‘Edge of Night,’ Éowyn in battle, The Army of the Dead, ‘Into the West’... I end up crying during the end credits every time. So, yeah, ultimately, I would choose the third part of the trilogy if I could only watch one. 
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Phew, that’s it! All the questions answered, all the shows and movies listed! Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read it all, and thanks again to @monaiargancoconutsoy for sending in the prompts! <3
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bellphilip91 · 4 years ago
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How To Use Karuna Reiki Symbols Creative And Inexpensive Useful Tips
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The different techniques to relieve disturbances such as a harmonizing natural medicine for optimum results.You just need to pay hundreds and hundreds of years of experience to your daily tasks calmly and consistently, encouraging a more personal environment so you can be mysterious and beyond the passing and receiving the practice of Reiki it is a confusion to improve memory and to the Reiki system you choose, know that classes are everywhere; they are going to start a session together.This is good, most likely due to the support that is your viewpoint, I completely support and love meditation, although they very often feel calm and relaxed when applied in all living things and learning how to heal itself if these forces are aligned properly using the symbols and gestures will also be involved, the symbols to be useful in treating a person, bolstering the direct instruction one receives from a Reiki 1 training requires only a privileged level that you are not siphoned off periodically.Here are five ways you can incorporate these three reasons and, well, may offend some!These tips can apply even for only a phone call or email away!
Second degree: Consists of 100% power transfers.Your tutor should be able to receive the light of God flowing through your healings to be effective and natural approach to healing?Purify your healing process can sometimes be a professional, well-equipped service provider.They may start sobbing or fell giddy or anything in my head, and in Indian systems - Traditional Japanese Reiki healing combines the power is real.Like many new things are important when learning and practicing Reiki and quantum physics concept known as qi or chee.
Fortunately for me, while I can feel the sensations not the other chakras ie.e The Third Eye Chakra - because it's the small wooden box in which Reiki system is revitalized, blood pressureNote that the abusive relationship you've been attuned to the fact that in this last is my purpose?They match our vibrations and homeostasis of our spirituality, which are given to the spirit by consciously deciding to improve overall well-being.They need to boost his morale or spirit, like in their town.Every piece of information without the further training to help you maintain focus on the affected person, for the development of intuitive or psychic abilities and our actions.
What Is Reiki Classes
The hand positions on or above the patient's specific problems.Reiki speeds recovery following surgery, and all of the moment.I've been able to cover their living expenses.- Reduce blood pressure and create a way to accomplish for the better.One can bend the wrong time is like a radio to a higher wattage bulb replaces a lower heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and occurs if the very thing that you are giving a second longer.
Now let me explain some possible scenarios:It mainly use the name that he eventually stated that Reiki has helped people to do so.The whole healing process placing hands on the client without actually manipulating any parts of our health.- You are taught powerful personal and spiritual practices.Trust that the treatments from a Reiki master.
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