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hyperfixationtimego · 4 years ago

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IDK IF YOU MEANT JUNKO IS HER GF AND BEST FRIEND BUT!!! Celeste/Kyoto friendship, they’re both man haters 💜 /j

I remember a game night thing back then, Clue reinvigorates Celeste’s interest in murder mysteries and she honestly impresses Kyoto when she tricks Togami into revealing his cards (mainly questioning his truthfulness/credibility)

After that, Kyoto and Celeste try to find videos, games, and books of murder mysteries to solve, but with Celeste able to figure out who’s lying and Kyoto’s detecting ability, they’re unstoppable. Junko likes to nitpick the murder mysteries too, even though she likely has no idea who the murderer is.

After a while of their regular things being too easy, one day they walk into the kitchen area to find Chihiro and Sonia (again no idea if this is in character but her cosplayers are always cute) putting some fake blood on Ibuki. Makoto is upsetting the area, like knocking over the knife holder and such. They’re super confused, until Makoto says (very unconvincingly) “:O someone killed Ibuki!!! you guys gotta figure it out”

That becomes the new regular thing, like every other week they make a new murder mystery for the two and they have to solve it (including the fact that some stuff will be inaccurate, and just how the group thinks it would happen). Peko isn’t that fond of it, but she’ll do it if Chihiro gives her the 🥺 look, and both Miu and Leon absolutely love the chance to play characters (I forgot her name but if Peko does it, Tsumugi/blue hair will do it too, she just prefers to be the victim) - queer eye anon

HDBSBSBS NO U WERE RIGHT I MEANT IT LIKE JUNKO’S HER GF AND KYOKO’S HER BEST FRIEND HDBSBSBD DON’T WORRY!!

and yes yes they are 😌

and also !! legit 👀 like. it pisses Togami off to no end (seriously, how did she do that?? how could he be tricked so easily???) but Kyoko’s like “,,,,,oh my god,,,,,,,,such manipulation,,,,,,,such incredible deductive skills,,,,,”

long story short kirigiri develops a squish (platonic equivalent of a crush) on this weird mean goth bitch and just starts hanging around her more often until eventually Celeste is like,,,,,,,,,fine, if I simply MUST adopt you as a best friend, I suppose I will, seeing as I have ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICE in the matter :)

so they start spending more time together, and Kyoko’s usually the one who’s like “hey I found another murder mystery thing we could try-” to which Celeste’s response tends to be more lighthearted “oh, very well, if I absolutely must-”

It’s incredible - no piece of mystery media stands a chance against them <3

also a little off topic and might be a bit ooc, but I think we should all consider buzzfeed unsolved!kyoko and Celeste because that just seems goddamn hilarious to me ndndbdbdbddbd

and BDBSB YEAH THEY’RE SO SWEET?? Makoto came up with the idea, but Sonia and Chihiro are absolutely essential to the operation as a whole.

Sonia’s interest in serial killers provides a necessary take for the psychological perspective of real life cases, so they know for certain it’ll be stimulating for the detective of the two, meanwhile Chihiro’s brainpower allows for both creative and logical placement of clues, red herrings, and more!

Plus, all three of them are absolute sweethearts that most people have trouble saying no to <3 (they’ve even gotten Byakuya to participate once or twice! Celeste and Kirigiri were both delighted and bewildered!)

THEY ALSO GET OUMA INVOLVED BECAUSE HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT EVER GIVES CELESTE ANY TROUBLE IN DECIPHERING LIES FHSBSBDBSBS (she usually gets it right on account of her own luck, and if she gets it wrong, It tends to be either salvageable or ambiguous enough that she can pretend she was right and nobody can tell they were ever on the wrong track)

Miu pretends like she needs fujisaki, nevermind, and naegi to beg her for her participation, but she’s honestly more than willing because!!! She gets to yell and be loud and have fun and play weirdos!!!! And sometimes she even invents new things for practical effects, just ‘cause she can! And she knows it makes her friends happy!

Leon’s a pretty good actor until Celeste stares him down - then he immediately either loses his nerve or fucks something up ❤️

and dhsbsbdbsbdb Peko!!!! Peko and Fuyuhiko get involved because a) chihiro gave them both the 🥺 face, as you said, and b) fuyuhiko,,,,,,,thinks the concept,,,,,,,,is fun,,,,,,,👉👈 but shut up he’d never admit that!!!

Tsumugi makes costumes!!!! And totally loses herself in the roles!!! She gives the BEST performances, and Celeste and Kyoko are often left sitting there like “wow ok” because hdbdbdvdvdvdvdvddv????

They get Nagito involved a lot, both due to his luck and the fact that he’s very easy to convince (and often comes up with more cool ideas for the scene of the crime/evidence/general concepts!) though, if he’s involved, then Hajime needs to be as well, becauee everyone can only take maeda’s self-deprecating bullshit for so long until they need someone to shut him up hdbdbdbdb

Hiyoko acts like she thinks it’s dumb, but actually really wants to be included 🥺 👉👈 so mahiru takes it upon herself to “force” her into helping

Sakura and Hina love to help however they can! :D I don’t rlly have anything specific for them, I simply think they’re very cool and would be very eager to help because they love their friends <3

Sayaka is INCREDIBLE when it comes to thinking up “murder” plots! Motives, manipulation, the likelihood of certain actions being taken.....+ due to her high intuition, she’s able to discern what types of things kyoko and celeste prefer during their little games! She also provides insight into emotional response for the actors, which helps to make it a lot more immersive!

Mikan gets very very very nervous as a performer and is usually very unreliable in that aspect, but she gives pointers on whether or not certain wounds would be enough to kill a person! She also provides emphasis on vital organs and helps with anatomical accuracy!

Gundham adores being able to give monologues, and the three in charge of everything do their best to give him macabre, weird roles so he can speak and confuse the two girls to his heart’s content ❤️

if they ever need to talk to chiaki during an investigation, they usually need to wake her up, or get her to stop playing a video game (which she’s not supposed to be playing!!!!) in order to interrogate her (she also forgets a lot of the details and evidence she’s supposed to give them shdbsndbsnsb)

she also likes to give chihiro ideas for plots and things, though mostly uses her games as inspiration !

Shuichi and kyoko are friends so he’s like “yyyeah okay I’ll do it” and so by the same token, Kaede is automatically (and emphatically!) involved as well

Kirumi gets involved because if it’s a request, she’ll do it 💛 plus she kinda loves being involved with this stuff ngl jsnsbsn meanwhile ryoma is like this is dumb but if it’ll make u guys happy then I guess I have no choice

Maki’s pretty difficult to convince, ngl, but if kaito pesters her enough, she might drop by to give her two cents on some of the most plausible and effective methods of getting rid of evidence, as well as what she would do if she were in the position of the murderer (makoto and co. are like wow maki thank u very cool we are absolutely terrified)

shinguji makes it a point in the anthology to embarrass himself at the drop of a hat for his friends’ benefits regarding things like this, so they’re obviously in hbdbdbd plus they love being able to study kyoko and celeste’s behavior while working on each “case,” because without a doubt they are two of the most interesting specimens of human thought patterns and processes he’s ever SEEN <3

since it’s for the sake of two girls, Tenko’s very excited to do whatever Sonia or Chihiro asks of her (she’ll do things that Makoto asks, too, but it takes some convincing....) and Himiko.....isn’t a particularly convincing liar to begin with, but her experience with stage trickery comes in handy pretty often! (though they have to practically drag the information out of her shdbsndn)

Angie agrees to participate on the grounds that all of her characters get to bring up and endorse Atua. she gets picked for murder victim quite a lot bsbssbdb

also highkey 👀 the canon cases get re-enacted at some point (for the first game’s third case, they actually let Celeste be in on it as a little treat for Kyoko! it was absolutely bonkers and they both had literally so much fun!!!)

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idnek83 · 4 years ago

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Sonia gives the class 77 a vacation to this very sunny beachy place as a graduation present. Part of the class spends the entire day in the beach and the other half explored the city. Souda spends the day at the beach however gundham didn’t because he doesn’t really like beaches (he gets sunburned really easily) and he also can’t wear his goth getup there haha. So by the end of the day they all meet up for dinner at the hotel restaurant and gundham just looks up at souda and he’s (1/2)

All tan and with some freckles,,, so gundham is kinda having an aneurisma cause his boyfriend is shining more than the moon outside, while souda is just “???”, everyone goes back to their rooms but souda just grabs gundham by the hand and leads him to a calming walk on the beach, “I know u didn’t came earlier cuz the sun burns u and stuff so I wanted u to at least come at night and stuff”, they sit at the pier by the sea watching the waves (maybe they get into the water and make out a bit haha

Both of them are usually cool with spending the day apart, they both have very different fields of study after all, time apart is nothing new. But throughout the day Gundham keeps finding cool little gadgets that he thinks Soda would like around he city and starts to really wish they were together. He still enjoys his day, but he can’t help but miss his BF.

Meanwhile, Soda is living it up at the beach, running around and probably annoying the shit out of Hajime lol. But then he comes across some crabs doing weird crab shit and just out of habit he turns to ask Gundham what they’re doing before remembering he’s not there. He gets a little mopey and starts thinking about how he just want to spend his vacation with Gundham, but then Hajime like slaps him in the face with a beachball ““accidentally”” and he snaps out of it so he can focus on ““accidentally”” drowning Hajime in the ocean lol.

When they meet up for dinner they’re both a little more affectionate than they would usually be in front of their friends (nothing big lol, I just think they usually wouldn’t show a lot of PDA), and Soda is just so happy to see his boyfriend again, so he holds his hand through the meal and tells him about the weird crabs, and how he totally owned Hajime at beach volleyball, and whatever else happened. Gundham is listening and laughing along, but he’s also distracted by counting every one of the freckles that have shown up on Soda’s face and thinking about how tan he is now and how badly he wants to see his tan lines once they get back to their room lol.

After dinner, Gundham is actually a little disappointed when Soda starts pulling him outside instead of immediately heading to their room for said tan line inspection, but then Soda is admitting that he missed Gundham at the beach and he can’t complain anymore. Soda gets a little flustered and is like “Oh, but I’m not really upset or anything, I get that you burn easily and the beach isn’t really your thing, but I guess I still just want to spend some time here with you?” and Gundham stops his boyfriend so he can bend down and give him a little kiss and then they’re both just standing there blushing like idiots in the moonlight because again, PDA isn’t really their thing.

Eventually they find a kind of secluded spot on the beach to sit and Soda starts asking Gundham about the crabs he saw earlier. Gundham starts explaining what they were probably doing and dropping some mad crab knowledge (lol) and Soda is just watching him, and enjoying the way he looks in the moonlight and he is so in love.

He meant to just give Gundham a kiss on the cheek, but he turned his head as Soda got closer and oops, now they’re making out on the beach, PDA concers completely forgotten. Things are getting pretty heated and Gundham starts absentmindedly playing with the hem of Soda’s shorts. He gets his first look at just how dramatic of a tan line Soda has, and he doesn’t know why it turns him on so much, but suddenly he is pulling Soda up and telling him that they need to get back to their hotel room right now before they get arrested for doing all the ‘indecent acts’ Gundham is about to perform on him in public lol.

They spend the next day together in the city, to spare their friends a whole day of staring at all the fresh hickeys and scratch marks Gundham left all over Soda’s body lol.

#Soudam #replies #anon #Soudam ramblings

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artgurusauce · 5 years ago

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So, how was Pokemon Shield?

Before I start, this is going to cover the main game, not post-game. Sorry, no talk about Dickhead Swordward and Shieldbert. Also, if it wasn’t obvious already, massive spoilers ahead.

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ THIS POST

I’m not going to ramble for hours about this, because to be honest, my thoughts about this are much briefer than they are for gen 7/Alola. Not to say there’s not much going on in this game, just that if you were expecting a super professional and profound review of the game from me, you may or may not be disappointed.

I will do my best to be articulate, though.

I’ll start with the rivals, the most obvious choice the begin with being: Hop.

Hop is definitely not like Hau like so many people were desperate to make me believe pre-release. In fact, while their arcs are similar, there’s a biiig difference. That difference, to me, is their changes in character. Hau had a big ass crash, yes, but his character change was pretty damn gradual. With Hop, after Bede puts him down, well, you can pretty much tell he’s not the same guy right off the bat the next time you talk to him. I absolutely adore Hope and I’m glad he got as much screen time and focus as he did. His arc was fantastically written and beautifully handled all the way to the end. All I can say is, another cinnamon roll for the collection.

Then there’s...Marnie.

Now, I don’t hate her, far from it. I adore her very much as well. The problem is that it seems she doesn’t get much time to flesh out like Hop did. A problem that goes both ways between her and Bede. Of course when I got to the seventh gym and met big brother Piers I actually did like the dynamic they were going for. Buuut I really wish they had given Marnie just a little more time to herself before that. I just didn’t feel like they did enough with her and...that’s a damn shame considering how popular she was upon her first reveal. Of course, again, this isn’t to say I don’t think she’s still just the cutest little punk goth button ever.

Sigh...and now it’s time for me to talk about Bede.

Look, from what I could tell, half the fandom was nuts for him, the other half was sick to death of a generic douchebag rival that adds no flavor to the table. But I’m a little torn on this one. Like I said, him and Marnie share an awful side effect of Hop’s arc being the most prominent...they don’t get enough time or everything that happens in their arcs feels...rushed, by comparison, at least in my opinion. So the thing is, when Bede gets disowned by Chairman Rose, of course my first reaction is “You had it coming, you were being a shit.” But then Opal...takes him in? And...acts as though Oleana manipulated him? I guess I could perhaps see what they were going for here, and, I’ll admit it, I kind of adored their dynamic, albeit a short interaction between them. And I did find it rather cute at the League when he was all flustered about being trained by Opal, having to continue training because everyone was cheering for him. But the thing is...his arc is kind of...broken? Like, I want to feel bad for him, and I want to feel invested in Opal taking him in and showing him the ropes of the Fairy Gym but...it just doesn’t work like it should. Which is odd considering Bede gets considerably more time to flesh his arc than Marnie, at least, that’s how it seemed to me. I do think the general story and Hop’s own arc really just forced the writing’s hand in sweeping Bede’s arc by as fast as possible. He could’ve been an interesting diversion of expectation, but...oh well.

Speaking of gyms, how do I feel about the gym leaders?

Well, Milo is a fucking cinnamon roll, and I do think I’ve settled on shipping him with Nessa because...I mean...c’mon now. Short bean boy, toll ocean gal? Perfect for each other ♥

I don’t really...feel anything towards Kabu. His design is bland, his personality didn’t stick out to me at all, but I guess they can’t all be iconic gems when you think about it.

Then...there’s my baby boy Allister. And lawd, my dudes, if Hop ain’t my new son well then Allister sure as fuck is. I did HC that he was mute like Red before the game came out and, well, his personality and dialogue are pretty good despite not being what I was hoping. I mean, c’mon, how can you not love that adorable little face? Or that he’s so socially introverted he keeps a collection of masks to make absolute sure his face is hidden? I am going to be quoting “Crumbs, that’s aces” forever now.

Opal was an interesting woman, I definitely think there could’ve been more to her relationship with Bede but I already discussed that. My dad thought she was kinda scary and creepy but she reminds me of that old lady from Spirited Away so I ain’t bothered all that much lol. She was nice enough, I do like her humbleness and that she’s willing to admit it’s definitely time for her to call it quits. And yes, I have seen that official art of her when she was younger. She is a fucking QUEEN ♥ ♥ ♥

Then comes Melony...hoooo boy my lesbian ass is fallin’ so hard it physically hurts me in ways you will never imagine in your life. Wicke wishes she was this thicc. In all seriousness though, I am pretty curious about that son of hers. I heard you can meet him in Sword but I’ll have to wait and see that for myself. Aside from being the newest love of my life, she’s absolutely adorable and wholesome. I know her card reveres her as strict, but, she just looks like a cinnamon roll.

Piers...oh Piers, where do I even begin? His design is fucking on point, for one thing. And his relationship with his sister Marnie is just so cute and so much fun to watch. As unfortunately left field as it was for me, I did like his arc about not being a good Gym Leader and wanting his sister to take over for him. It was sweet and kinda sad but I just love him so much. For the first Dark Type Gym Leader, not bad guys, not bad at all. Also omg Piers slay me with your metal, king plsssss

Finally, there’s Raihan and...omg he’s so great. This mother fucker not only takes selfies in the middle of a match, not only bombards you with weather effects therefore making him a fun and challenging opponent, but this dude is also beefin’ with our head champ? SIGN ME UP, FAM. For real though, like, I loved battling with Raihan the most out of anybody that I fought. I definitely haven’t felt this much fun battling a Gym Leader in years. And I will forever be torn as to whether or not I want to ship him with Leon >3>

Speaking of the chadster, I ain’t talked about ‘im yet. Or Sonia, for that matter. Honestly, they’re both pretty great.

But Leon is the fuckin’ MVP this gen, I’ll tell you what. He’s such a bro he tells Rose his “Day of Destiny” bullshit can fuck off til our match is over. Of course, I do like his ditzy and dorky sides too. Like his snapback collection or how easily he gets lost seriously Leon it’s just a straight fucking line to your house how do you fuck that up. But he ain’t just a bro to the main character, naw, he a bro to his actual bro, Hop. And I fuckin’ love it. Their interactions are so investing and entertaining and wonderful to watch. It’s almost kind of magical, in a way. I think he is without a doubt my number one favorite Champion of all time now.

But as for Sonia, well, I dunno...maybe I’m nitpicky or remembering things wrong but she seemed to drop her disdain for researching the legend of the “Darkest Day” like a hat at some point. Granted, I still think her character arc while it wasn’t even needed was very well done. I loved listening to her dork out about the legends, her research, all of it. It was spectacular. And ever since I first found out she was childhood friends with Leon before the game even came out, ladies and gents, these two have dun been my OTP. The only one still challenging that notion is Raihan at this point, lol.

And now...we get to Oleana and Chairman Rose.

Oleana is just...kind of a nothing character for me, personally. Even after knowing about her Garbardor and all that, sorry fam, she ain’t doin’ it for me. She was a red herring so overblown and obvious it has since been laughable that anybody thought she was gonna be this gen’s Lusamine. She is just...some really crazy lady who happens to be passionate about her job. Ok.

Rose, however, is an absolute bastard. And I love it. However, I do have a problem with this, as it sort of connects to my earlier point with Bede. His relationship with Bede is...I don’t even know if I could call it a father-son relationship. I mean, yeah, he basically adopted him, but he disowns him at the drop of a hat. Granted, what Bede did was wrong, but...really? I guess that’s just how much of a dick he is, but, there’s no closure to that. Even after finding out what a horrible, deplorable man Rose is, Bede never talks to him after he’s disowned. Maybe this was meant to be a “Well it’s better he moves on to the next chapter of his life as soon as possible” sort of thing. But his sudden taking under Opal’s wing did not accomplish that feeling with me. So it feels sort of...hollow, to me. There’s no conclusion, follow-up, it’s almost as if Bede didn’t even know who Rose was anymore after Opal scooped him up. And yeah, Bede says “Everything has gone wrong since I met you” but...here’s the problem; That’s as much as he goes into being affected by Rose. It’s not too important, I guess, but it’s something that bothered me, personally. Rose’s motivations seem...ok, I guess. It’s about what I was expecting. Seriously though, his battle theme has no business being that good.

Those are all my thoughts on the characters, at least any that were all that worth talking about. Without further ado: Allow me to introduce y’all to my babies...

As I mentioned on Monday, my team consists of an Appletun, Centiskorch, Greedent, Hatterene, Inteleon, and an Eiscue. And I only just now realize like 5 out of 6 of them have names that start with a “C” lmao.

First up, we have my very first darling: Chastity

There’s a few things one should know about this slick little bitch:

Big shock, she was a huuuge cry baby as a Sobble. Like, mortified of pretty much everybody. Total mama’s girl. But as a Drizzile she was just a total grump goth binch. The only one of my Pokemon in my camp she would give the time of day is her dear friend Chariot, who at the time was a Hattrem. They pretty much grew up together and they’re besties now.

But now that Chastity is fully grown, well...she’s a little...flirtatious. Oh, no, not with the boys on her team. No no no. Every camp we step onto she’s just flirtin’ like a mad woman. She even managed to seduce my dad’s Cinderace who was already a huge playboy

Still, I can’t stay mad at this cute little brat. She’s still a total mama’s girl at heart and I love her to death. Btw, her Snipe Shot is ridiculously strong, though that’s probably because she’s still holding a Mystic Water haha

Up next is our resident lady in waiting: Chariot

I found Chariot in the Motostoke Outskirts and she has always been a picky snob even as a Hattena. She only ate small portions unless it was Whipped Cream Curry. Though nowadays I’m sure she only eats in such small portions to maintain her figure...

As I said before, she and Chastity have pretty much always been best friends. I definitely love to imagine her always hassling Chastity for her less than lady-like behavior though, haha. Chariot was weirdly sleepy as a Hattrem, though. Like...she dozed off a lot. She must’ve been getting plenty of beauty sleep for her evolution lol.

I used to have a Toxtricity on my team named Ripper before I found an Eiscue for the League, and she seemed quite enamored with him. At least for the long period he was with us, she talked to him 50% of the time when I stopped for a little break. It was incredibly adorable, though I fear what might happen if I leave them alone at a daycare for too long... <(⚆_⚆;)>

As a grown Hatterene, she’s rather dainty and conversative. I’m actually surprised, lately she’s starting to talk to some of her other fellow team mates lately. I suppose she’s not as stuck-up as she pretends to be, haha.

Up next we have our looonnnggg boy: Mushu

I picked up Mushu at Kabu’s gym. He was pretty shy as a tiny Sizzlipede and often avoided talking to most of his team mates. He was pretty spooked by a lot of them, actually, particularly Ripper for reasons I never quite understood. I guess when Ripper was still a baby, Mushu didn’t understand why he cried so much and was terrified of the loud noises he made lol.

However, he grew into a long boi rather quickly and he’s pulled us through some pretty tough spots in the gym challenges so I like to spoil him with lots of play time. He’s got a Jolly nature and honestly, it shows a lot more now that he’s all grown up. He loves to play and races with his team mates pretty much all the time. Rip Caramel, your utter annihilation will not be forgotten. He’s a very sweet and almost gentle boy and I honestly feel bad for all the battering he’s had to take before because I was a little too eager to take on opponents way out of my league.

A couple of fun facts about him before we move on:

His favorite curry in the curry dex is Smoked Tail Curry, which he always eats in gigantic portions. He freaking loves camping on Route 6 or in Stow-On-Side, I guess he really loves the heat.

Up next is my precious dumpling baby: Caramel

I first caught Caramel on Route 5, and I love love looove my baby apple pie. He’s such a chill and adorkable little dragon and I’m not one to pick favorites but...oh, who am I kidding? He’s totally my favorite.

As an Applin he was just too cute. He was a little slow and none of his team mates seemed to understand him so they tended to leave him by himself. So I ended up having to give him lots of attention so he wasn’t too lonely. And gosh was he just the cutest little baby apple. Of course, he wasn’t an Applin for very long, so there’s not much to speak of regarding his early stages.

However, once he evolved, he became a fucking tank. Caramel can take hits like a freaking champ and since I gave him Draco Meteor he’s practically an unstoppable beast. Of course, by heart, he’s a Lax boyo and enjoys the littlest things in life: Like the nice breezes in the Wild Area, or his Apple Curry, even if it’s snowing something fierce outside he’s all about it. And I just- argh he’s so fuckin’ cute! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Up next we’ve got the chunky cheeked baby: Peter Griffin Conker

Conker is a Gentle boy who’s been with me since the very beginning at Route 1, and it fits since objectively he’s probably the weakest Pokemon I’ve got on my team. But that’s ok, because he’s definitely scored us a couple of hard gym challenges just like Mushu has. He was definitely useful for buying some time when I needed it, that’s for sure.

He was pretty chattery as a Skwovet, even if some of his team mates weren’t all that talkative looking at you, Chastity. This probably comes as no surprise, but he’s always had a bottomless stomach. Seriously, he’s eaten large portions even as a baby Skwovet and it baffles me. Guess he’s just a really hungy boy, lol.

As a fully grown, chunky Greedent, he’s pretty slow. Like, really slow. Even when he runs it’s like a snail tracking through peanut butter and molasses. And it’s too cute to watch. I really wish I could give him belly rubs tbh, he looks like the type that’d enjoy those, haha. These days he’s best friends with my Eiscue, Cubert. They usually race each other after they have lunch.

And finally, one of my greatest MVP’s: Cubert

Cubert joined us very late in the game on Route 10. And while unfortunately he ended up taking Ripper’s place, I knew he’d be a good addition to the team. I’ve given him Hail and Aurora Veil, which is super useful for battle prep. It’s pretty lucky I was able to find this little guy waddlin’ around up there on my way to Wyndon.

As I said before, he was pretty anti-social with everybody at first. Though I’m sure that’s because he was so new by the time we got to the League. Thankfully, Conker got him out of his shell and they’re best friends. He still seems a little shy around the others, and even myself, but I’m just glad he’s got somebody to talk to. Not much to say about him unfortunately, since he’s so reserved and tends to keep to himself, but I’m sure that’ll change eventually with time.

Now that’s everyone that’s on my current team, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my boy Ripper at all, so, allow me to introduce an old friend who’s been livin’ in retirement for the past few days:

I first picked up Ripper at a Nursery while I was omw over to Hulburry, I believe. So Ripper was with us for a damn long time until I picked up Cubert. Initially I had hoped he’d be a High Key Toxtricity, but I’ll take what I get. Besides, he was more than helpful with quite a lot of battles, especially Opal’s gym.

He was pretty loud as a Toxel, which should come as no surprise. Always throwing tantrums and never really seemed to eat anything bigger than a small portion of whatever curry I cooked, so he was picky just like Chariot was. All around a bastard baby, really. He didn’t really start getting onto the battle field until he evolved, in all honesty.

But once he did, hoo boy, he was killin’ the competition like a pro. I feel pretty bad I didn’t take him into the League with me, but I felt like Cubert would’ve been more useful so I swapped ‘im out. I’ve been pulling him back out of the PC box for some more training lately to help him catch up to make up for it, though. And he seems pretty happy about it, so bygones are bygones I suppose.

And it seems he’s still very much taken with Chariot. Sigh, young love, so adorable. Anyways, respects to the OG madhouse that got me through some toughies, you did good out there buddy. ;w;

Alright, well, that’s just about all I have to discuss, for now. I hope this wasn’t too droning of a post or anything. But before you head out, I’ve got a little surprise. Since this was such an interesting experience, I’m opening a new Tumblr based on my journey that will follow my Trainer OC Luna and her adventures through Galar. If you’re curious to check it out, click here. I don’t really have an upload schedule, so just keep your eye out for any posts in the future. Hope you guys enjoy it!

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #discussion board #appletun #inteleon #hatterene #eiscue #greedent #centiskorch #toxtricity #god this is long #I'm so tired #maybe I'll talk about the post game soon idk #prolly not

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komahinasecretexchange · 5 years ago

Text

Title: Don’t Make Me Fall in Love

Author: @reindeer-games2011

For: @sunduvhar

Rating/Warnings: kissing, swearing (once),

Prompt: dancing in the rain

Author’s notes: This is my first time writing fanfiction to post online! I went with dancing in the rain because I could 100% see them doing that. I set it somewhere after the third trial, just an FYI. I hope you enjoy!

Hajime glanced around nervously for the Ultimate Lucky Student. Especially after last time they class had decided to throw a ‘party’, he had wordlessly committed to keeping a watchful eye on the other boy. Lights flashed inside Titty Typhoon as Ibuki gave another performance. Twenty minutes and he hasn’t shown up? I wonder what kind of trouble he’s off causing. He could be anywhere, doing anything, and we’d all be oblivious- again. With that thought, Hajime set his glass of orange juice on the table. As he stood up, he caught the eye of Gundam.

“Seeking the devil child, are we?” the goth-esque male inquired, twisting the rings around his fingers.

“You haven’t seen him lately, have you?” Hajime replied, shifting his weight onto his other foot.

Gundam eyed the nervous gesture, leaning back in the chair. His gaze was cold and calculating, sending chills down Hajime’s spine.

“I have yet to have been… graced by his presence, but I would imagine he will not be attending tonight. It would be in all of our best interests if we found him. If it were solely up to me, I would’ve banished him to Gehenna already.” came the dry response.

Difficult as always… and confusing.

Hajime nodded curtly before slipping from the party. There were few places on the island he could picture Nagito being at in a time like this. Ergo, he headed off to the library. He recalled Nagito saying something about how the library acted like a shield to his luck cycle. He had compared it to heaven, saying it was his escape from the world around them.

__________________________________

“Nagito?” he called, both relieved and slightly unnerved to find the other sitting on the stairs of the library.

It all seemed too nonchalant for someone of Nagito’s nature. Said boy was perched on the steps stairs to the library, earbuds in, book in hand, and legs crossed elegantly. Too elegantly for someone who attempted to murder his classmate. His ghostly white hair swayed parallel to the wind, creating an unruly halo of white waves around his head. His eyes, green or gray, (no matter how many times Hajime found himself lost in them, he’d yet to decipher their colour) were focused on the book in his lap. Hajime held his hand against his forehead in an effort to block the rain from his eyes. He noted the music blaring through the sound of the rain and caught sight of the of the mp3 player sitting to Nagito’s right.

“Nagito?” he yelled as he approached.

Nagito startled, nearly dropping the book as he looked up to Hajime. His pale hands clasped the obnoxiously pink mp3 player, turning off the music. Hajime drowned in the sudden silence.

“Hajime, what have I done to earn a minute of your time?” he asked joyfully, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind his ear.

The action drew Hajime’s eyes like a moth to a flame. Nevertheless, he forced himself to look away.

“Why are you just sitting on here in the rain? Everyone’s at a party right now, you know.” Hajime

Questioned.

Nagito clicked his tongue, setting the book aside.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me Hajime. Clearly, I’m not cut out to attend a party of the Ultimates. Besides that, I have two left feet. It’d just be an insult to show my face there.” Nagito rambled, giggling at the end.

Hajime worked his jaw, torn between telling Nagito he was a crazy bastard (thanks Fuyuhiko) and telling him he couldn’t possibly be that bad.

“I guess there’s no point in telling you it wouldn’t make a difference. I would’ve prefered you had come, but you always seem to have a way of causing problems.” Hajime sighed, sitting beside Nagito on the library stairs.

“What were you listening to?” Hajme wondered, turning towards the lucky student.

“It’s nothing really, just some old songs.” Nagito laughed, eyelashes fanning over his cheeks as he narrowed his eyes and smirked.

Hajime was shocked into silence, mentally playing back the moment. Was that an attempt at the ‘flirty eyes’ Soda gives Sonia?

“I know quite a few old songs actually. My mom used to play them a lot when I was younger.” Hajime explained.

Nagito’s lips formed a small smile as he passed the mp3 player over to Hajime. He glanced down at the screen, eyes catching the title. Carrie by Europe.

“Man, this really is a classic. This is what, the 80’s? I learned to slow dance to this song.” Hajime chuckled, turning towards the other boy.

“Really? That’s amazing. My mother never cared much for me; she’d never teach me how to dance. I was too much of a dissapointment for her to handle sometimes, I think.” he trailed off, staring down at his hands.

“Don’t say that stuff, Nagito. It’s annoying when you go all unhinged. I could teach you, if you want.” Hajime offered, surprising both himself and Nagito.

What have I gotten myself into? Do I regret it?

“The Hajime Hinata would teach me how to dance? Who knows, maybe ballroom dancing could be your talent!” Nagito giggled.

He giggled.

Hajime felt his face flush a light pink as he offered his hand to the other boy. Nagito looked at him nervously through thick eyelashes before gently placing his petite hand in his. Hajime picked up the mp3 player at set it under the cover of the roof’s overhang,unpausing the music along the way. He led Nagito down the stairs, back into rain. The other looked up, smiling as the raindrops collected on his cheeks.

“Put your left hand here, on my shoulder, and I’ve got your left.” Hajime instructed.

Nagito hesitated before tentatively placing his palm on Hajime’s shoulder. Hajime smirked upon seeing Nagito’s pale skin flush a bright crimson. He laced their fingers together and settled his other hand on Nagito’s hip. He pulled the lucky student closer as he stepped back.

“You kind of move in a box shape, ok? Just do what I do.” he advised, stepping to the left.

Nagito followed a beat later, eyes glancing everywhere but Hajime’s own. They continued until Hajime had deemed them ready, releasing his hand from Nagito’s waist and spinning him outward. The other’s smile widened as he twirled back.

“There you go. Just follow my lead.” Hajime chuckled, pulling Nagito back to his chest.

“You know, you’re not bad when you’re not trying to murder someone.” Hajime admitted, continuing the box step.

“I was also trying to encourage hope, Hajime. I would give anything if it meant you could all return safely- anything.” Nagito emphasized, eyes seemingly staring into Hajime’s soul.

Hajime’s breath caught in his throat. He’s so close. If I leaned forward, I could kiss him. Despite his vain efforts attempts at pushing the thought away, it resurfaced like a bottle in the ocean.

“I know, Nagito. I know.” Hajime whispered, leaning in before he knew what he was doing.

Nagito’s eyes widened comically as Hajime’s met his. He allowed his eyes to flutter closed, continuing to follow Hajime’s lead as the rain poured and they kissed. Hajime broke away first, swallowing hard.

“I-I’m sorry, I-” he stuttered.

Nagito just shook his head, wet curls bouncing as he did. His face was a bright crimson as he rested his head against Hajime’s shoulder. The simple moment like that were few and far between. It was times like those when they didn’t find themselves fretting over who was going to die next, or if they were ever going to get off this hellish island.

You’re going to make me fall in love with you.

#fanfiction #komahina #komahina secret exchange

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veryangryhedgehog · 6 years ago

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“The Part Where Shit Hits the Fan,” An Ede Valley story by Hedgehog.

The crowd outside the gates of St. Adelaide’s was enormous. They clamored to get closer, and muttered amongst themselves. The police tried desperately to maintain order, but this crowd consisted of parents forcefully separated from their children. Nothing was going to contain this crowd.

By the time Cindy, Niko, Lila, and Servus had walked up the hill, the crowd was already so big that they couldn’t even see the gate. Marcell and Aurum had stayed behind to monitor them, and Cowell had fucked off to who-knew-where, but Tommy had insisted on coming, even if he wouldn’t be able to get inside. He stood directly behind Cindy and the others, watching for trouble.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered, clutching her shoulder.

“I’m pretty sure that you’re more scared than I am,” she chuckled. “It will be okay. Whatever happens happens.”

He shook his head. “If you had any perspective you would be scared. So I have to be terrified for both of us.”

“I might not be scared, but I am worried about Mike,” she frowned. “I don’t think he’s dead. I’m pretty sure we would both feel it if that was the case, but something is very strange about this whole situation.”

Tommy nodded, once “I agree.”

Just then, there was movement towards the front of the crowd. People were backing up as the gate slowly opened. Cindy strained, but she was too short to see anything.

“Here, get on my shoulders,” Tommy instructed.

“Can you carry me?” Cindy asked, incredulous.

He raised a single eyebrow. “I’ve carried more than you before.”

Cindy wondered just what he meant by that as, with a little strain, he managed to lift her over the crowd, and as soon as she got her bearings, Cindy gasped.

“What’s going on up there?” Niko turned to her.

“It’s…” Cindy almost couldn’t describe it. “There’s… six kids, the one with the crazy-colored hair seems to be the leader, but… one of them has some kind of remote control. There’s… I guess drones. They’ve… they’ve got guns.”

“Where the hell did they get those from?” Lila cursed, gripping her sword tighter.

“They’re pointing them at… oh god, the students are hostages.” Cindy gasped. All of the others, even Servus, stared up at her in rapt attention. “Okay, it looks like they’re keeping their word, the students are stepping forward. No, wait.”

Just then a loud voice rang over the hillside, scratchy from what sounded like a megaphone. “People of Ede Valley,” the voice was young, female. “We of St. Adelaide’s have come to parlay with you.

The volume of the crowd increased by another notch. There was nothing on the news about that.

“Who will speak for you?” The girl with the multi-colored hair asked. That must have been Jilli Nakajima, the one the news maintained was responsible for this whole mess.

There was hesitation for a moment. “What’s happening…” Niko reminded as Cindy had fallen silent.

“Oh, sorry,” she blinked. “Um… the police chief’s stepping forward.”

He was a large man with an even larger mustache. “I will,” he offered gruffly.

“We mean your children, and you, no harm. And we will give them back to you. All we want is to live here in peace. So our demands are as follows: No adults will attempt to enter St. Adelaide’s or contact us in any way, no other action will be taken against us, and a supply of food and other necessities will be provided for us once a week.”

Only silence met her for a moment as the police chief considered. “I’ll make sure it happens. Now give us the students.”

“Half of them will go now,” she said, “and the other half will follow after our first supply.”

The crowd’s voices rose, half in rage and half in relief, as a group of the students stepped through the gates and into their parents’ arms, while the other half were held back, the drones flying in front of the gate, the massive machine guns glittering menacingly.

“What about my daughter?” A woman towards the front asked. “I don’t even see her!” she seemed near panicked.

“If she’s not here,” Jilli replied, “then she has elected to remain at this school and is under our protection.”

The noise from the crowd was deafening. They clamored forward as the gates began to close.

“It’s time,” Niko nodded, cupping a hand around his mouth, the same hand upon which Cindy had drawn a sigil made from honey and lemon seeds. “What about Mike Miller?”

The crowd quieted as his voice boomed over the hill, amplified even more than Jilli’s had been.

Cindy watched Jilli turn in her direction, vague recognition on her face. She knew Mike. She knew something.

“Who are you?” she asked. “Step forward.”

Tommy let Cindy down and the crowd parted to let the five of them through. Now that they were closer, Cindy could see the other kids around Jilli more clearly. There were three boys: the one with the remote control, tall and broad-shouldered but extremely awkward; a goth kid with pale skin and a long coat; and a guy with inexplicably mussed, white hair. Between them were two more girls, a small, dark-haired girl with glasses and a blonde girl with a slightly absent look on her face.

“My name is Cindy Miller, and this is Tommy. Mike is our brother.”

The white-haired boy’s eyes widened. “You’re Mike’s sister?”

“Yes!” she said. “Do you know him?”

The boy opened his mouth, but Jilli shot him a look. “Later, Doug.” He closed it again. The other kids looked around nervously, all except the blonde girl, who seemed to be staring at Niko.

“And who are the others with you?” Jilli asked.

Cindy hesitated for a second. “These are our friends: Servus, Lila, and Niko.”

The blonde girl’s eyes widened. “Niko?” she asked. “Nikolai Borozov?”

He tilted his head in recognition. “Sonia?”

“You know her?” Cindy blinked.

“She’s my cousin.”

“The truth about Mike is—” Jilli hesitated, looking at the crowd behind them. “You’d better come in.”

All five began to step forward, but Jilli held up her hand.

“Wait,” she pointed at Tommy. “Not you.”

“What?” Tommy asked. “Why?” Even though he already knew the answer.

“Because you’re clearly an adult,” Jilli said simply. “If we let one adult in, then we risk destroying the peace we’ve created. The rest of you are under eighteen, right?”

They nodded hastily.

“But he’s my brother!”

“I’ve never heard him mention you,” Jilli shrugged. “Sorry.”

Tommy slumped, but of course she was right. Mike had been not much older than a baby when he’d run away. There was no way he’d remember him other than what Cindy or their mother had mentioned in passing. He stepped back as the others hurried through the gate, which nearly closed on them.

“Cindy!” he called. “Be careful!”

She waved. “I will.”

Beyond the gate, the grounds of St. Adelaide’s were pure white from snow, and the buildings seemed to loom out of the fog like old monuments. Cindy shuddered. An air of gloom and paranoia seemed to hang over this place, like it was holding its breath, just waiting.

Niko talked quietly with Sonia near the back, while Cindy followed the others, Servus trailing behind her. She knew that Aurum was no doubt watching her through him, and that Lucius was right next to her. That made her feel a little better.

She had to admit now that she was walking directly behind Jilli Nakajima, she’d expected her to be taller. Not that she was short by any means, she stood a little taller than Cindy herself, though her hair could have made up for that discrepancy. But she seemed so commanding, so larger than life that it was a little disconcerting to not be looking up at her.

After a minute, they came to a large, looming building with the word “Bloch” on a plaque besides the door, and Jilli and the others entered. Niko glanced over to Cindy. She nodded, and they followed them inside.

“We’ll go to the cafeteria,” Jilli said, looking around nervously.

Cindy wondered what all the secrecy was about.

The other girl that Cindy didn’t know approached Jilli. “You’ve got this pretty much in hand, right?”

Immediately, Cindy developed a bad taste in her mouth. There was something about this girl that made her skin crawl. She seemed a little too happy for this situation.

After Jilli nodded, the girl skulked off in another direction. “I’ll be heading back to the library then. Pleasure to meet you all.”

Cindy and the others continued onto the cafeteria. But Servus stopped walking suddenly. No one seemed to notice.

~~ o ~~

Less than a mile away, Marcell and Aurum sat in the library, the atmosphere tense, quiet. Aurum spoke in a clipped, melodic manner, informing Marcell of everything that was happening. “They’re going to the cafeteria now. Wait, one of them’s splitting off, to go to the library.”

“And Cind—”

“For the fifth time, yes Lucius, Cindy is perfectly fine.” There was another moment of silence. But then Aurum suddenly froze, and straightened. Her hand shot out and gripped Marcell’s arm. “Lucius—” Her voice came out strained.

“Wha—?”

“It’s here,” she said simply.

Marcell leaned forward. “Where? What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head. “But I can feel it. Servus, follow the girl with the glasses.”

“One of the students?” Marcell asked. “How do you know she has anything to do with this?”

“A hunch…”

Her voice echoed, and she was still. The only movement was Marcell’s leg bouncing with impatience. Until Aurum opened her mouth again.

“I don’t think she’s going to the library.”

“Well, where is she going?”

“She’s in an office, turning off the lightswit—oh my. There’s… an elevator, behind the bookcase. It’s down there, wherever she’s going, Lucius, I know it!”

“Follow her!”

“You heard him, Servus. Take the next elevator after her.”

More waiting, more silence. This time a good few minutes passed before Aurum spoke again. “What is this?”

“I won’t know until you tell me,” Marcell was at the edge of his seat.

“It’s… this is… there’s been suffering here.”

“What?”

“Cells. All in a line down here. On both sides of the hallway. Most of them look empty. There’s… blood in some. A lot of blood.”

“Where’s the girl?”

“I don’t know—wait. She just left a cell. I think it’s bigger than the others, at the end of the hallway. She didn’t even bother locking the door. How odd. Servus, have a look ins—no.”

For a minute, all she did was shake her head back and forth.

“Aurum?” Marcell asked finally.

“I’ve found him,” she replied.

“Who?”

“The younger Miller. But he’s… oh no… I—”

“Aurum…”

“He’s… broken. So, so broken, Lucius. And empty. What has she done to this child? He’s… he’s staring at me. Oh god there’s… there’s nothing there I—wait. He’s looking past Servus, over his shoulder…”

She nearly screamed.

“What’s going on?” Marcell stood. “Aurum?”

Aurum fell out of her chair onto the floor, shaking.

….

“It’s here.”

~~ o ~~

The cafeteria of St. Adelaide’s was rather looming, to say the least. Metal girders stretched above their heads, and all of the many tables seemed angled towards the stage on the far end of the room.

Lila looked twitchy and nervous in such a large space, and Cindy and Niko couldn’t help feeling the same. They’d been led into the belly of the beast now. If things went south, escape would prove difficult, maybe even deadly.

“Alright, we’re here,” Niko began.

“So where’s Mike?” Cindy added.

Jilli and the white-haired boy glanced at each other. “Mike is…”

“Mike is missing,” he finished for her.

“Doug!” she hissed. “You don’t know who could be watching.”

“Well, clearly whoever took him knows he’s missing,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like it’s a big fucking secret.”

“Yes, but we don’t want her to know we’re…” she leaned in, “worried.”

Niko raised an eyebrow. “Her?” he asked.

All of the students looked uneasy, but Jilli nearly jumped at the word. “The Director,” she whispered. “She used to run the school, before we took it over. That’s when Mike went missing, the night we took back control. She got him, I know it. We never found her, you know. Her office was empty. She’s still around here somewhere, watching us. Anyone could be working for her.”

Cindy, Niko, and Lila glanced at each other. Jilli seemed to be a little…

“Jilli…” Doug frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“She’s the one who took Mike, I’m sure of it. Well, it’s the only thing that makes sense, right? I was talking to Abby about this, and clearly if Mike isn’t with you and he isn’t with us, then he’s probably still somewhere in the school.”

Everyone was looking at her, and leaning away. She didn’t seem to notice.

Niko turned to Sonia. “Is she… okay?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head. “Ever since she had a session with the Director, she’s been becoming more, um…”

“Unstable?” came a voice from behind them, which turned out belonged to the tall boy with the strange eyes. “Paranoid?”

“I maybe wouldn’t say that, Gil,” she cringed.

“It is, however, the truth.”

Meanwhile, Cindy was getting antsy. “Alright,” she said to Jilli. “If you think he’s somewhere in the school, then why don’t we all go look for him? A fresh set of eyes might be just what you need—”

“No!” Jilli said, a little too quickly. “That’s not a good idea.”

Doug shook his head. “Why not, Jil? She’s right, you know.”

“Because, Doug, we don’t want anyone else to go missing. Abby said—”

“Oh, you and Abigail!” He threw up his hands. “You should really stop talking to her, you know. I think she’s starting to fuck with your head.”

“You only say that because you don’t like her! You’ve never liked her!”

“And you can’t see why that might be? How she’s manipulating you?”

“How do I know you’re not manipulating me?”

Cindy, Niko, and Lila were beginning to back away. What kind of situation had they gotten themselves into? But just then, behind them, the doors to the cafeteria burst victoriously open, and Abigail rushed through, followed by a group of curious students. Behind her, she drug Servus in by the hair. He almost seemed a little dazed.

Cindy and Niko stared at each other in horror. Why had neither of them watched Servus? How had he even gone off on his own? Aurum?

“Guess what, Jilli?” Abigail grinned broadly. “It looks like your hunch was right. I found this one snooping around the Director’s office.”

“Spies,” Jilli’s face twisted in anger. “You’re here to take out freedom, aren’t you?”

“What?” Niko frowned. “Why the hell would we wanna do that?”

But already a muttering mob of students were beginning to form around them. These were not the scared, cowed students waiting by the gate. There were the ones that stayed.

“Alright everyone!” Jilli called to the crowd. “What do you think we should do with the spies?” The two drones that had been humming quietly in the background buzzed over their heads.

“Wait!” someone said, and a second later Sonia pushed her way through the crowd. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would Niko, or Cindy, come to hurt their own families?”

“Sonia…” Gil asked quietly. “What are you doing?” But was ignored.

“Well…” Jilli said, grasping for an answer. “Maybe they’re… not actually who they say they are!”

Sonia looked up at her in disbelief. She almost seemed to have some sort of halo around her in that moment, and she paused, as if listening to something. “That is most ridiculous excuse!” she said finally. “I know what my own cousin looks like, and do not tell me you cannot see resemblance between Cindy and Mike. And boy from outside, for that matter.”

“That’s…” Jilli blinked, the other students following suit.

But then Abigail cut in. “How do we know you’re not working with them? You could say whatever you like but you could just be lying.”

“Of course!” Jilli’s eyes widened. “A man on the inside. An agent of the Director disguised as one of us. Watching me, reporting back to Her. It makes perfect sense!”

“What?” Sonia exclaimed in disbelief. “Jilli, you can hear yourself, da?”

“Jilli, what are you doing?” Doug asked. Yet even as he put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him, they could see that there would be no consoling her. She was now shaking violently, and pulled away from him. “A-anyone could be working for her!”

“Now hold on a second, we’re jumping to an awful lot of conclusions here.” Niko held up his hands. “Why don’t we all just calm down and talk this—”

“Don’t tell me to be calm!” Jilli shrieked. “You’re just trying to confuse me!” She looked around at all of them, trying to find a face she could trust. Finally, her gaze fell on Abigail. “Abby, do something!”

The next few seconds happened so suddenly that there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Abigail simply snapped her fingers. “Gil,” she commanded, pointing at the group in the middle, and then, when he hesitated: “Remember our deal. Disable him.”

Lila made to step between them, and Sonia cried out: “Gil, wait!” But before anyone could do anything, Gil seemed to flashstep directly in front of Niko, and put his palm directly against his right eye.

Niko screamed.

He doubled over, clutching his eye. They couldn’t stay here. If they did, they were going to be killed. Or worse. Niko might have been able to plan, but Cindy could react.

Taking care to avoid singeing any of the students, she cast a blast of fire into the air. The students scattered at the sight, and one of the drones that had gotten caught in the flame sparked and fell.

“Run!” Cindy yelled.

With a flash, Lila’s katana was out. “Grab Niko,” she told Sonia, “I’ll cover you.”

The girl did what she was told, hoisting one of Niko’s arms over her shoulders.

“Victor!” Abigail shouted, and with a loud click the air suddenly became filled with buzzing machines of all sorts.

Holding her hands out to threaten another blast, Cindy led the five of them out of the cafeteria. Behind them was the vicious scrape of metal on metal as Lila slashed at the various machines intent on killing them.

They hesitated very briefly in the hallway as it split down three paths . Cindy turned to Sonia, still supporting a groaning Niko. “Is there any way out of here that doesn’t involve us scaling an electric fence?”

“Ahhh…”

“Soon, please.”

“Oh! But is very stinky.”

Lila grunted as a saw blade barely missed her shoulder. “We’re not picky.”

“It’s garbage! This way!” She shot down the hall, nearly dragging Niko behind her, who this whole time had been cursing profusely under his breath. Cindy, Servus, and Lila followed behind.

Every few yards Cindy sent another gout of flame behind them, to prevent the machine army from getting too close. But she knew the amulet, even though made of much better material than the last one, wouldn’t last much longer. The stone was growing hot against her collar.

“Nearly there!” Sonia called, only to turn a corner and be cut off by a converted kitchen mixer, several sharp blades spinning where the mixer part should be with a deafening whirr.

Jumping forward, Lila found the place where the blades had been hastily soldered on and sliced. They flew clean off the base, rendering the contraption useless. They pushed past it, and to a large set of metal doors, barred shut by a metal chain.

Cindy stepped forward, placing her hand against the padlock in the center. She focused all the remaining power from the amulet on the metal and a moment later, the heat melted the metal just enough to disengage the lock. Violently, she kicked the chain away and shoved the doors open.

The five stumbled inside, and slammed the doors shut behind them.

“Servus, hold the door,” Cindy commanded, while Sonia and Lila laid Niko out on a metal table. For a minute, Servus did nothing, just stood there and blinked, almost confused. What was wrong with him? “Servus!” she shouted again, and the automaton blinked and seemed to shake himself before running over to the doors and holding them closed.

The room smelled like rotting food, but they couldn’t be picky. “Garbage shute is there,” Sonia pointed to a small hatch in the wall just barely big enough for a person.

But Lila shook her head. “We won’t get very far with Niko like this.”

He had begun writhing now, nearly off the table, clawing desperately at his eye. The pain seemed to be getting worse.

“Niko…” Lila mumbled, brushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. “Let me see.” He allowed her to move his hand away, and the three girls gasped. His eye itself was pulsing, bulging out of its socket. Blood poured out of the open veins, dying the whole eye bright red.

“That guy’s gotta have magic of some kind.” Cindy shook her head. “This shouldn’t be possible.”

“I don’t understand why Gil would do this, or how.” Sonia grimaced, her own eyes wet with tears. “It makes no sense.”

“You heard the crazy owl-eye bitch,” Cindy replied immediately. “Clearly she’s got something he wants badly enough to do her dirty work.”

The door rattled then, Servus’ mechanical arms straining. Lila took a deep breath and jumped up on the table, holding Niko in place between her legs. “None of that matters. Cindy, is there any likely cure for this?”

“I don’t even know what it is, let alone a cure.”

Nodding grimly, Lila gripped her katana. Niko glanced up at her, and something silent passed between them. “Do it, Lila,” he coughed out. “Do it or leave me.”

“Wait!” Sonia’s eyes widened. “What are you—?”

But she broke off as, without hesitation, Lila raised the katana above Niko’s head and brought it down directly on his eye with a horrifying squelch. He screamed, and the sound itself nearly caused the sword to slip from Lila’s hand. But she steadied herself and pulled it out again, taking what remained of his eye with it.

“Fuck!” Niko shouted. “Fuuuuccckkk!”

Yet after a second he quieted. The pain seemed to have left with the eye. He gasped and lie back again on the table, face soaked with sweat and blood.

There would be no moment of calm, however, for just then, the door burst off its hinges and an army of cold, shining metal descended upon them with a tremendous buzz.

“Down the chute!” Cindy shouted over the cacophony. She and Sonia grabbed Niko, who was still far too shaky to walk on his own.

Sonia disappeared into the darkness, followed by Servus close behind. But before Cindy could shove Niko down after them, the machines were upon them. Swarming, cutting, Cindy couldn’t see what was in front of her face. And with the remaining power of the amulet gone, she was next to useless. They would never get out like this.

Until with a great sweeping motion Lila momentarily cleared a path with her sword towards them. She screamed, destroying machine limbs and carapaces in a hail of sparks. But there were still too many. They could see where they were trying to go and made to block the entrance. But Lila couldn’t see too well, blood from the gash on her forehead began to trickle into her eyes.

And it was with a sinking feeling, as she saw Cindy attempt to swat the machines away, Niko under one arm, that she realized that there was no way all of them were going to make it out alive. At this rate, none of them were. But if she could draw them away rom the chute, if only for just a moment, then, maybe…

Niko cried out as a saw blade cut through the front of his shirt. “No!” Lila screamed, diving forward. Even if they did somehow get past them, the machines would no doubt just follow them down. “Get him out of here!” she shouted to Cindy over the hum of the machines. “I’ll buy you some time.”

“Lila, no!” Niko’s eye widened.

“Please.”

Cindy hesitated, then nodded solemnly.

Lila ran her hand along Niko’s cheek. “Goodbye young mas—no. Goodbye, Niko.”

“Lila! No, don’t go! Please!”

She turned away. If she looked at him a moment longer it would all be over.

“Lila!!!!!!”

Her sword flashed in the rays of the machines’ blinking lights. Without a word, she jumped into the heart of the swarm, slashing and twisting. The world shrunk to just her and her blade. She needed to last as long as she could. For Niko.

She bit her lip as she mistepped and a drill screwed into her arm. Back and forth, keep moving, keep going. But all the while they were hitting back. Face, arms, legs, the ground ran red. She coughed, and her mouth tasted of iron. Just a little longer, almost there.

She screamed into the mass, a violent, last war cry. And then, finally, she let the swarm consume her.

#Ede Valley #writing #story #cindy miller #tommy miller #niko borozov #lila finn #servus #lucius marcell #aurum #jilli nakajima #doug bailey #sonia borozovna #gil trenton #abigail hodge #mike miller

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stanathieluris · 7 years ago

Text

Just What I Needed

or, as i’ve been referring to it in my head, The Concert Fic

summary: Eddie has been studying abroad one year in France. When he gets back, he’s greeted by his beloved friends and some unfinished business.

pairings: reddie, side stenbrough

warnings: characters are aged up (19), underage drinking.

notes: i know i say this in all my fics but english is not my first language so yea, please be nice. likes/reblogs/comments/feedback is very much apreciated! also, this is my first time attempting to write a multichaptered fic so idk how this is gonna turn out

spotify playlist w some songs i guess that inspired me to write this??

“Remind me again why am I here”.

The music is loud, the air thick with the smell of sweat, there are way too many people breaking into his personal space, and worst of all, the floor is extremely sticky. Eddie can’t help to bounce on the balls of his feet nervously, afraid that, if he stays still, his nikes will get stuck on the spot forever. The place is called The Sewers and honestly, Eddie couldn’t have come up with a better fitting name.

Stan smirks at him “I told you, to catch up and stuff!” he exclaims, putting his arm over Eddie’s shoulders.

“We could’ve done this in a nice cafe” the short boy huffs “where everything is quiet and nice and, you know, fucking clean”.

“Hey, don’t diss the bar” his friend laughs. Eddie wants to do more than diss the bar. He wants to bring all the disinfectant he owns, bleach and clean the place from floor to ceiling. But he has to restrain himself.

“Anyway, why did we come here? It doesn’t look like your kind of scene” Eddie asks, eyeing the sea of punks, mods and goths that surrounded them. Eddie stares at their creative outfits and hairstyles, and compares them with Stan’s turtle neck, pressed pants and polished shoes. He looks like an outsider to the place.

“Eh, I’m kind of a regular here now” he shrugs. “Plus, there’s a free concert and the band is kind of good”.

Eddie hasn’t seen Stan in over a year, and while it’s true that they messaged from time to time and exchanged emails monthly, he sure feels like they’ve fallen out of touch. Although he still has the same mop of curly hair (just a bit longer) and keeps making those deadpan serious comments that leave you double guessing if he is joking or not, there’s no way to deny that Stan has changed. Is not only the way he dresses, more elegantly and fashionable (finally ditching the khakis and pressed shirts), but also on the way he puts himself out, more relaxed and laid back, less tense, as if in the past year he had dropped a huge weight off his shoulders that he had been carrying around for his whole life. Eddie knew he was going to miss a lot from his friends lives while he was away, but he is starting to realize just how much ‘a lot’ can be.

“When is Bill getting here?” Eddie asks.

“Give it, ten minutes? Fifteen max” Stan answers while checking his wristwatch “Do you want to order something while we wait on him?”.

The sole thought of touching anything of this bar with his hands, much less with his mouth, nauseates Eddie, but it’s either that or being sober and hyper aware of all the stains and nasty smells that surround him, and suddenly being at least tipsy doesn’t sound that bad.

“Lead the way Uris”.

They make their way to the bar, swimming between the tight pack of people around them. When they reach it, Stan calls a very big and menacing bartender that greets him with a smile and wonders if he will have the usual. He also asks him where did he leave his boy, and Stan blushes.

“What did he mean by ‘your boy’?” Eddie asks when the bartender is gone.

“Well…” the blush on Stan’s cheeks deepens, reaching his ears and he gets this sheepish smile that makes Eddie connect the dots.

“Oh my god. Oh my god!” he gasps “Don’t tell me that it finally happened”.

Before Stan can answer, someone ruffles his hair.

“Would you look at that! Eddie Kaspbrak in the flesh!”.

Eddie turns around to see not only Bill, but Bev with him.

“Guys!” he exclaims, hugging both of them at the same time, sloppily and almost tripping. He can’t help it. He has missed his friends.

“Holy shit I’d forgotten how tiny you were Eddie.” Bev laughs, drawing her arms around his shoulders “Your hugs were always the best”.

“You’ve gotten soft Marsh” Eddie laughs.

“W-We missed you a luh-lot” Bill says, smiling wide.

“I’ve missed you guys too” he holds them a bit tighter.

“Okay guys, cut it out, we are going to get too emotional” Stanley jokes.

They let got of the group hug and Eddie gets a better look at them. Bill is looking at him with a spark on his eyes that he hadn’t seen before, and a wide smile on his face. He seems more confident, more grounded, and Eddie can tell that from his stance to the reassured smirk on his face.

“What the fuck Denborough? You pierced your ears?” he exclaims when he notices the two small hoops on his left ear.

Bill laughs out loud “Damn, you should s-see Bev’s collection”.

Like on cue, the girl shows off not only her wide collection of piercings in various places of her ears and face (that septum nose ring suits her like hell), but sticks her tongue at Eddie, almost making him faint.

��Oooh my goood Bev, do you know what could happen to you if that shit would get infected?” he babbles while giving a pointed look to the small silver ball that pierces Bev’s tongue, earning a good laughter from his friends.

“Man I really missed your nagging Eddie” she hugs him again and even though the small boy wants to lecture her a bit more, he smiles.

“I’ve missed you all too” he whispers, pretty sure that Bev is the only one able to hear him.

“So, how was France?” Stan asks, a sly smile on his face.

“Amazing holy shit” Eddie blabbers, letting go of Bev “like, Europe? On a whole other level, I’m not kidding you guys”.

“Wuh-Well, it’s very different from D-Derry” Bill smiles at his best friend’s energy.

“Did you had escargots?” Bev asked.

Eddie shivers “No, no, no, no, no, no. We don’t mention escargots” his friends laugh at his disgusted face.

“Are boys as pretty as they look in movies?” Stan then interjects, winking at Bill, who just smiles back. Eddie makes a mental note to interrogate his best friend about whatever thing is happening between him and Stan.

“Like straight out of a dream” he sighs dreamily “They were all full lips, soft skin, sharp jaws and perfectly combed curls”.

“What the fuck happened to you and when did you become such a poet!” Bev exclaims, ruffling once again his hair. He has missed the affectionate gesture “And you say I have turned soft”.

“Hey! I’ve always been soft” he complains.

Stan scoffed “Yeah right, because I was the one who put Greta and her asshole friends in their place back in sixth grade”.

“Or when yuh-you r-ranted like a ruh-rabid dog to th-those mean kids that made fun of my stutter in f-freshman year” Bill added.

“Or when you almost got into that fight with the cheer squad for making fun of Ben” Bev smiled.

“Or when-”

“Okay, okay! I get it!” he exclaims, feeling himself turn red.

“Admit it Kaspbrak, you’ve always been a feisty little punk” Stan teases him. Eddie rolls his eyes and takes another sip from his drink.

“Talking about Ben, where is he?” Eddie asks turning to Bev.

“He should be joining us any second” she answers, checking her phone “Yup, he just texted me he’s almost here! And Mike is coming with him too”.

“Awesome!” Stan exclaims “The losers back together, this is amazing”.

“S-softie”.

“Shut up Bill”.

Eddie wants to jump into the comfortable banter his friends have fallen into, but he can’t help but think about Stan has said

The losers back together

Yeah, almost all of them.

One year ago

He checks his luggage for the hundredth time, making sure that he has his passport, plane ticket and student visa with him. His hands are shaking, and he can feel his whole body vibrate. Bill helps him taking all his suitcases down to the dorm’s driveway, where Mike is waiting for them. In silence, they all pack Eddie’s belongings into the car’s trunk.

The trip to the airport is awkward and silent. Eddie doesn’t stop looking out the window, taking in all the sights of Derry (and Maine), the ones he’s gonna miss for a whole year. Bill puts his hand on his shoulder and squeezes it reassuringly. He smiles at his friend, lifting the gaze from the landscape. There’s nothing left to say, they have spilled all the unsaid things the night before, the only night ever Sonia Kaspbrak has let his son invite over his best friend for a sleep over.

When they arrive to the airport, it’s like everything hits Eddie all of a sudden. He steps out of the car and starts crying, tripping and almost falling if it wasn’t for Mike, ready to catch him. They stay a couple of minutes like that, the muscular boy holding the sobbing mess Eddie has turned into while Bill picks all the bags by himself. When Eddie seems to calm down (and takes a puff of his inhaler) they go inside.

Bev has really outdone herself this time. The banner reads “GOODBYE EDDIE” with pastel colours and glitter and stars surrounding them. The paper looks cheap and the letters are crooked, but Eddie thinks it’s the most beautiful thing his friend has ever painted. Next to her are the rest of the losers, smiling widely and on the verge of tears.

The first one to break from the group is Ben, who tells him how much he is going to miss him, how biology is going to stink without him to make fun of Mr King’s crooked glasses, and that he should check the Sorbonne library because the place is straight out of a dream. Eddie promises him to do so, that he will check every single book and sneak him some pictures, choking back the tears, thanking him for being such an amazing friend.

The next one is Stan, who hugs him so tightly, Eddie is scared he might lose his breath. He feels his friend tremble and it just hits him so hard, because he has never seen Stan cry, let alone so intensely. He tells Eddie to enjoy France, and Eddie whispers back that he is going to miss his late night text conversations about boys and films and what are they going to do with their lives when they leave together this godforsaken town. When he pulls back, Stan smiles down on him, red-cheeked and bright-eyed.

Bev comes crashing on him, and there are a lot of “i love you”s, snarky comments between tears, hair ruffling and the moment Eddie tells her to “make sure none of them get into trouble or whatever fuck up”, she just places a hand on his cheek, tears rolling down her eyes and nods, muttering a simple, yet full of feeling, bye.

And finally, Richie.

The boy is shaking and it shows, all color drained from his face. Eddie is scared that he might throw up. He can feel all the losers shuffling away from them, which only makes the situation even more awkward. He tries to make eye contact with the trashmouth, but the boy has his eyes locked on the floor. Eddie’s debating whether or not say something, but before he opens his mouth, Richie pulls him into a soft embrace. Eddie pactrically buries his head on the other boys chest and he can feel Richie dropping his face onto his hair, soft lips against chocolate curls.

“Don’t forget about me. About us” he mutters in a raspy voice, quickly adding the last part. Eddie feels himself sob, tears staining Richies shirt.

“I won't” he manages “I promise I won't”.

They pull apart just a couple of inches, and with a swift movement, Richie lifts gently Eddie’s face by the chin, locking eyes with him. They stay like that for a long moment, faces close, eyes locked, tears falling silently. If they wanted, they could kiss.

But they just linger close, no contact whatsoever.

Eddie’s mind always wanders back to that day, especially to that moment in particular. He can’t help it. It’s one of the biggest what ifs of his life. And for the looks of it, it’s going to stay a mystery forever if the trashmouth was going to kiss him or not.

He really doesn’t want to acknowledge the elephant in the room, but he needs to know .

“What about Richie?” the question slips his lips before he can shut his mouth.

“What about him?” Bev asks, arching a brow at him.

“Is he coming with Ben and Mike too?” he shoots back, trying to sound as non-chalant as possible. Oh god, could his stomach, please tone it down with the nerves?

“Kind o-” to this day, Eddie doesn’t know what Bev was going to say, because she gets interrupted by a wolf-whistle and a high-pitched noise of static coming from the stage.

“Okay, okay people” a voice booms through the mic, and Eddie spots the big guy from the bar in the stage “now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Live tonight at The Sewers for another iconic night, please welcome Trashmouth and the Losers!”.

The noise from the audience is deafening, as three figures rush onto the stage. Eddie stares wide eyed from his spot, and he can’t help but feel that he is going to pass out. Because, right there, in the flesh, in all his beautiful glory, followed by Mike and Ben, is Richie Tozier.

He turns his eyes from the stage to his friends, who try to fight the laughter cause by his mortified expression.

“Surprise” Stan laughs, winking at him.

taglist: @turtleneckrichie @richietoaster @mikexelevenfluff @thecastlebyers @kleinmansbathbombs

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #richie x eddie #eddie x richie #trashmouth tozier #it 2017 #it eddie #it richie #it 2017 fanfic #it 2017 writing #mine

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mastcomm · 5 years ago

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When Dressing for Work is Part of the Job

Barneys New York and Opening Ceremony may be closing, but fashion e-tailers are doing just fine. Last fall, Moda Operandi, the luxury site where customers can order clothes directly off the runways of fashion week, opened a 30,000-square-foot office in Industry City in Brooklyn.

It serves as the company’s creative hub, and scores of Moda Operandi’s 350 employees can be found there arranging shoots, styling clothes and writing code. Here’s what some wore to work on a recent Friday.

Lauren Santo Domingo

Age: “43? I’m guessing.”

Occupation: co-founder and chief brand officer

So you’re the Gwyneth to this Goop?

That’s a nice analogy. Sure.

What’s the skirt?

It’s the Row. Great American tailoring. We launched it on Moda a couple seasons ago. I love their point of view.

What have you matched it with?

My top is also the Row.

Do you get a discount or something?

Yes. My shoes are also the Row.

Your work boots?

They’ve got a practical heel, wouldn’t you say? When I started working at Vogue, we wore stiletto heels every day. Compared to those days this is quite evolved.

Tyler Sparling

Age: 23

Occupation: fashion editor

Nice camo.

These are my favorite vintage RRL camouflage cargoes, given to me by the fashion director here, Josh Peskowitz.

He’s giving you his old clothes?

I get his hand-me-downs. They have a great story: They’re from the first or second RRL collection. He wore them to death and passed them on to me.

That’s kind, I guess.

I’m wearing them with a cashmere sweater from the Row.

The Row? They must pay you very well here.

They do not. But I got to go to the friends-and-family sale and it was 90 percent off.

That must be the hottest ticket in fashion.

It got violent at times. This is actually women’s.

Nissa Booker

Age: 46

Occupation: head of talent

How do you dress for work?

I think about comfort first.

Really? Even at Moda Operandi?

Well, comfort and style are not mutually exclusive. I have on classic Prada pumps, which are surprising very comfortable.

Why does every woman say that their heels are comfortable, when they’re clearly not?

They’re not telling the truth. But there are some heels that are comfortable. It can come down to fit and quality. I’m a sneakers girl. I wore sneakers on my commute today.

Lisa Aiken

Age: 34

Occupation: buying director of women’s wear

A leather coat topped with a sweater. I’m not sure I’ve seen that look before.

It’s a vegan leather blazer by Nanushka. It’s got a lot of attitude.

What about your jeans?

My jeans are Slvrlake. Their fits are exceptional.

What makes a good blouse for you?

I’m quite European in that you can generally see a flash of lingerie. I’ve got the Khaite knitted bra underneath.

Is that what Europeans do?

We generally have a hint of bra.

What do Americans do? A hint of J. Crew sweater?

It’s very different here.

Ganesh Srivats

Age: 43

Occupation: chief executive officer

You’re the C.E.O. and you’re rolling around here in a sweatsuit.

Separates, though. It’s not a onesie.

What if you had a big meeting?

Same deal: investors, board meeting, doesn’t matter.

Does that put people off kilter?

There’s a way to dress down and still dress smart.

Is this your uniform?

It’s pretty much in the hot zone of my look.

Hot zone? Where are your shoes from?

This is a very limited-edition Converse with Schott NYC. I’m a sneakerhead, but who isn’t these days?

Amber Schiffer

Age: “Age is a construct”

Occupation: director of innovation

I like your fuzzy beret.

Vintage Sonia Rykiel, R.I.P. I have over 100 eBay alerts for different vintage things: clothing, décor, all kinds of stuff.

Is that what you do all day here?

No, but when you want to shop vintage you have to be super-prepared.

Your dress looks like something worn by a Victorian girl who was murdered by her nurse.

One hundred percent! Stacey Nishomoto. She’s the creative genius behind this line that’s well known in arty-girl circles called the Corner Store.

What’s on your feet?

The shoes are Chanel. Classic. And the anklets my boyfriend had made for me at New Top in Chinatown.

Fanyi Zhang

Age: 27

Occupation: senior data scientist

You’re dressed very cool for a data scientist.

Well, I work in fashion and tech.

What did you like first: data or fashion?

Don’t tell my boss, but fashion.

Tell me about your jacket.

It’s from Nanushka. It’s vegan leather, it’s so soft. I love the laid-back style. The skirt is vegan leather from Nanushka as well.

What about your turtleneck underneath?

It’s from & Other Stories. The color is warm for winter.

Cortne Bonilla

Age: 26

Occupation: product writer

That’s a very chunky turtleneck.

Turtlenecks are mainly what makes up my wardrobe: gray, cream, white and black.

Why?

I’m always cold, and I love having my neck covered and being able to tuck in my hair. I love the Norwegian, minimalistic way of dressing. They call it hygge.

Do you feel any pressure to dress a certain way here?

Sometimes, maybe like 20 percent pressure. But mostly, we enjoy it.

Those are chunky shoes.

These are the new Pradas. They’re basically my children. They’re a little bit goth, which is kind of what I’m into.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Metal.

Jake Oliver

Age: 35

Occupation: private client adviser

I like your Raf Simons Calvin Klein turtleneck.

I have it in every color possible. I don’t like to wear coats, so I wore just this.

Don’t you get overheated in the office?

I’ll step out from time to time. My colleagues will ask, “Are you ready for a stroll?” And I’ll say “God, yes.”

And you’re wearing a denim tunic by Jacquemus.

It’s a little difficult to get on. I don’t know if you wear a lot of tunics.

I do not. I see you’ve rolled up your pants.

I tell my clients: If you show your wrists and you show your ankles, you look taller.

I can’t tell if your shoes are a tasseled loafer or chunky sneaker.

They’re Margiela. It’s when sportswear meets office wear meets alien wear.

And your two-tone socks?

They’re Jacquemus as well. Overpriced. They were like $45. But as I always say, “If it fits, it ships.”

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years ago

Video

youtube

TAYLOR SWIFT - ...READY FOR IT? [5.79] After the last one, sure!

Katherine St Asaph: The old Taylor's not quite dead -- that pre-chorus is pure Nashville melody, from melody to bowdlerization ("you should see the things we do" is about as explicit as someone marveling over a particularly large pumpkin harvest.) Like her former/current/who knows anymore rival, "Ready For It" pumps up Swift's numbers by sounding like interstitial music for Big Sports -- premiered for the NFL, currently being stripped for instrumental parts by NBA promos -- but also like blood sports. The track's a bombed-out, post-apocalyptic version of 1989, the Yeezus to "LWYMTD"'s 808s. Or possibly approaching NIN: the pretty date machine of "Blank Space" gone rogue, locking onto someone arbitrary (the gossip algorithms still cross-referencing it against increasingly nonentity dudes) because "I see nothing better." It's romance only in the literal sense -- the jailer/thief scenario is even pulpier than "Bad Romance" managed -- and otherwise love reduced to plan and execution. The verses are alternatively tryhard, artificial and vaguely offensive, as if it isn't Taylor on the mic but Microsoft Tay. But the all-consuming, heat-seeking mania of a certain inadvisable sort of crush is palpable as adrenaline, and stokes the all-consuming, heat-seeking maximalism of Max Martin and team throwing every resource and songwriting trick into ensuring this is a hit. Petty points for Swift saying the word "island" this many times in a track with no trop-house whatsoever, and given that she's enough of an in-joker to come up with "Nils Sjoberg," I bet it's on purpose. [9]

Ramzi Awn: The most commendable thing about "...Ready For It?" is that it completely erases any memory of the single that preceded it. A confusing, feverish dash for relevance, the song makes Katy Perry's "Swish Swish" sound even more fun, an accomplishment not to be taken lightly. [3]

Alex Clifton: The rapping is an atrocity. The production is a slicker version of Sleigh Bells with half the heart. Taylor's enunciation is bizarre: "no one has to know" is such an awkward line delivery, second only to the nasally "he can be my jailor" and "let the games begin." Her vocals are a piss-poor imitation of Rihanna; at first listen, it's hard to find a shred of the Taylor I've known and loved. It's a travesty. And yet. It's 100% a Taylor production, overdramatic, narcissistic, full of easter egg references to old songs like "Haunted" and "Wildest Dreams". It's obsessive dark love writ large: "I keep him forever / like a vendetta" marries romance and vengeance perfectly. And the sheer force of that chorus makes me want to scream "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIIIIIGHT" in public. I love the idea of sexy, dirty Taylor, less concerned with perfection and more with ghosts and robbers and gritty feeling, but the haphazard execution of the verses is so frustrating. Par for the course with all Max Martin creations, though, that chorus is a melodic masterpiece. I've got this on repeat and I'm upset about it. [6]

Eleanor Graham: Who would have guessed that the legacy of Taylor Swift's fifth album "reputation" would be to have production so DIABOLICAL that it makes "Welcome To New York" sound like "Heroes"? No one on pop's A, B or C list should come within 100 feet of something that sounds like this. I've seen comparisons to Yeezus, which is fair because they are comparable in terms of sheer nerve, but on tracks like "New Slaves" or "I'm In It", Kanye's sleaze is a feasible sparring partner for electro-roar. Taylor's Pennsylvania-goth-Bratz-doll-masochism-adjacent-revenge-core is not. You'd think that would be obvious! To, you know, anyone! I don't even know what's happening anymore. The 2 points are mainly for the way she says "go", which does something to me; no, I don't want to talk about it. [2]

Stephen Eisermann: Taylor's thrown caution to the wind and no longer gives any fucks. The provocative chorus and the weird, rapid-fire, off-putting rap/sing hybrid verses are the most prominent examples of her willingness to toss out all consistencies previously found in her music. None of this feels like Taylor and that's fun, but I'm not sure everything works. The verses especially, though lyrically fun, are delivered so oddly that the parts that should be "cool," instead make me cringe - the "Burton" line, specifically. I mean, I'm not sure what I was expecting based on the first single, but it certainly wasn't this, for better or worse. [6]

Ryo Miyauchi: Taylor writes her tried-and-true narrative of love as tragedy into self-parody. The bare-bones beat and the anti-chorus structure of "...Ready For It?" laughs at the many hits of 1989. Her self-satisfaction is maddening, truly: the snicker to "the Burton to my Taylor" is designed to drive everyone nuts. But I should remind: the real target is not exactly you but, as always, her exes, who she destroys without lifting her voice: "every love I've known in comparison is a failure" doesn't so much rip apart the journal pages where they're enshrined than it sets her entire bookshelf into flames like some great purge. [6]

Claire Biddles: Speculating who the 'real' Taylor Swift is is reductive and boring, but my favourite Taylor Swift is the wide-eyed, extra, romantic, saying-too-much-too-soon Taylor Swift that we get a glimpse of in the bridge, swallowed up before she even gets started by that sub-Kanye womp-womp in place of a chorus. There's a mutated version of her in the verses ("We'll move to an island/and he can be my jailer" -- I'm imagining she's just met the guy for full effect) but the self-conscious, sub-Lana Del Rey delivery dampens it. Perhaps I'm just being selfish, wanting for the Taylor who most relates to (and thus excuses) my embarrassing romantic tendencies, but Cool Girl Taylor's attempts at aloofness are unconvincing. [5]

Alfred Soto: A bad single, an uninteresting bad single. Mouthing "are you ready for it?" over synth bass farts comes off like preparing listeners for the punch line: Taylor Swift rapping with as little regard for cadence as Lou Reed in 1986. At least "The Original Wrapper" had the performer's rage as its subject, affected or not; Swift is writing bad bumper music. [3]

Will Adams: It's standard practice now for Taylor Swift to drop an incendiary lead single that gets the discourse a-churnin', only to reel in the masses for the more palatable, less batshit follow-up (and she's not the only one to do this). But for "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Blank Space," there was still a distortion of who we thought Taylor Swift was (dubstep; dissection of public image). The distortion in "...Ready For It?" is... distortion. But it's hard to care about whether Swift is stoking more controversy when the song is so bracing. There's nowhere to run as blocks of drums stack atop the opening pounds and warped roars, all culminating in, finally, an actual chorus. Where "Look What You Made Me Do" was a firebomb kindled by thinkpieces, the fire in "...Ready For It?" comes from the song itself. [8]

Iain Mew: Like "Wildest Dreams" with the wild dreams added in. [8]

Joshua Copperman: A couple of years ago, I actually co-wrote a song where we used that phantom/ransom rhyme. Until that song actually comes out, here's Taylor being the ransom phantom instead of someone else haunting her. I wish that the opening line was "Loki was a killer/first time that I saw him," because that would be hilarious for her to bypass the "tilted stage" subtweets altogether and talk about how Hiddleston's now pining over her. These lyrics are also as good as anything she's even written, so a "Loki" joke would work better than whatever she was on about last time. What bugs me, though, is the empty space in the chorus. Taylor's best melodies are stream-of-consciousness, but "in the middle of the night/in my dreams.................... you should see the things we do" feels like something got cut out last-minute. I do love the idea though, the way it flips the narrative of Wildest Dreams in a really interesting way - now, she's seeing him in her wildest dreams. That's the kind of self-referencing and subversion I'd rather see Taylor do. [6]

Edward Okulicz: So many of the ingredients of Good Taylor Pop Songs are in this one -- dreamy and melodic chorus, don't care attitude, groan-inducing but quotable lyrics -- but the production feels really dated (to around the time of Red, in fact), stalling the track when it tries to accelerate. [6]

Sonia Yang: On one hand, this is generic pop I would have brushed off had it been any other artist. On the other, it's refreshing to see Swift step out of the zone of what I've come to expect from her in particular. I love the ominous synths and how the entire track has a spy thriller vibe. The best part is that breathy prechorus, you can really feel the "island breeze" as Swift delivers that line. The chorus, unfortunately, is a wisp of a thing that doesn't have any impact. The melody neither compels nor is purposefully anticlimactic. The lyrics, while not quite Love Story levels of awkward, are not great; the Taylor-Burton reference is campy at best and cringe at worst. [5]

Jonathan Bradley: Taylor Swift has rolled out singles from Reputation like trailers for the next release from a blockbuster film franchise: not only songs, "Look What You Made Me Do" and now "...Ready For It" (next: "Gorgeous"?) have acted as teasers for a new product launch. Unveiled during a college football broadcast, "...Ready For It" sounds like sports, like a pre-game huddle, like a highlights reel from last season building excitement to see how the new line-up will perform. "Welcome to New York" did the same for 1989 and was fine, but "...Ready For It" is better because it crams more into its pop overload: a rap that traces the "Empire State of Mind" flow, K-pop synth blasts, a gleefully audacious pun on Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and a chorus about "dreams" and doing things in the night that throws it all in for the romanticism Swift has always been so resolved to earnestly commit herself. If Reputation should turn out to be her New Jersey album, and if all the stage-setting should ultimately overshadow the show itself, I hope we'll one day rediscover how good the songs themselves were. [8]

#Taylor Swift #...Ready for It?

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mastcomm · 5 years ago

Text

When Dressing for Work is Part of the Job

Lauren Santo Domingo

Age: “43? I’m guessing.”

Occupation: co-founder and chief brand officer

So you’re the Gwyneth to this Goop?

That’s a nice analogy. Sure.

What’s the skirt?

It’s the Row. Great American tailoring. We launched it on Moda a couple seasons ago. I love their point of view.

What have you matched it with?

My top is also the Row.

Do you get a discount or something?

Yes. My shoes are also the Row.

Your work boots?

They’ve got a practical heel, wouldn’t you say? When I started working at Vogue, we wore stiletto heels every day. Compared to those days this is quite evolved.

Tyler Sparling

Age: 23

Occupation: fashion editor

Nice camo.

These are my favorite vintage RRL camouflage cargoes, given to me by the fashion director here, Josh Peskowitz.

He’s giving you his old clothes?

I get his hand-me-downs. They have a great story: They’re from the first or second RRL collection. He wore them to death and passed them on to me.

That’s kind, I guess.

I’m wearing them with a cashmere sweater from the Row.

The Row? They must pay you very well here.

They do not. But I got to go to the friends-and-family sale and it was 90 percent off.

That must be the hottest ticket in fashion.

It got violent at times. This is actually women’s.

Nissa Booker

Age: 46

Occupation: head of talent

How do you dress for work?

I think about comfort first.

Really? Even at Moda Operandi?

Well, comfort and style are not mutually exclusive. I have on classic Prada pumps, which are surprising very comfortable.

Why does every woman say that their heels are comfortable, when they’re clearly not?

They’re not telling the truth. But there are some heels that are comfortable. It can come down to fit and quality. I’m a sneakers girl. I wore sneakers on my commute today.

Lisa Aiken

Age: 34

Occupation: buying director of women’s wear

A leather coat topped with a sweater. I’m not sure I’ve seen that look before.

It’s a vegan leather blazer by Nanushka. It’s got a lot of attitude.

What about your jeans?

My jeans are Slvrlake. Their fits are exceptional.

What makes a good blouse for you?

I’m quite European in that you can generally see a flash of lingerie. I’ve got the Khaite knitted bra underneath.

Is that what Europeans do?

We generally have a hint of bra.

What do Americans do? A hint of J. Crew sweater?

It’s very different here.

Ganesh Srivats

Age: 43

Occupation: chief executive officer

You’re the C.E.O. and you’re rolling around here in a sweatsuit.

Separates, though. It’s not a onesie.

What if you had a big meeting?

Same deal: investors, board meeting, doesn’t matter.

Does that put people off kilter?

There’s a way to dress down and still dress smart.

Is this your uniform?

It’s pretty much in the hot zone of my look.

Hot zone? Where are your shoes from?

This is a very limited-edition Converse with Schott NYC. I’m a sneakerhead, but who isn’t these days?

Amber Schiffer

Age: “Age is a construct”

Occupation: director of innovation

I like your fuzzy beret.

Vintage Sonia Rykiel, R.I.P. I have over 100 eBay alerts for different vintage things: clothing, décor, all kinds of stuff.

Is that what you do all day here?

No, but when you want to shop vintage you have to be super-prepared.

Your dress looks like something worn by a Victorian girl who was murdered by her nurse.

One hundred percent! Stacey Nishomoto. She’s the creative genius behind this line that’s well known in arty-girl circles called the Corner Store.

What’s on your feet?

The shoes are Chanel. Classic. And the anklets my boyfriend had made for me at New Top in Chinatown.

Fanyi Zhang

Age: 27

Occupation: senior data scientist

You’re dressed very cool for a data scientist.

Well, I work in fashion and tech.

What did you like first: data or fashion?

Don’t tell my boss, but fashion.

Tell me about your jacket.

It’s from Nanushka. It’s vegan leather, it’s so soft. I love the laid-back style. The skirt is vegan leather from Nanushka as well.

What about your turtleneck underneath?

It’s from & Other Stories. The color is warm for winter.

Cortne Bonilla

Age: 26

Occupation: product writer

That’s a very chunky turtleneck.

Turtlenecks are mainly what makes up my wardrobe: gray, cream, white and black.

Why?

I’m always cold, and I love having my neck covered and being able to tuck in my hair. I love the Norwegian, minimalistic way of dressing. They call it hygge.

Do you feel any pressure to dress a certain way here?

Sometimes, maybe like 20 percent pressure. But mostly, we enjoy it.

Those are chunky shoes.

These are the new Pradas. They’re basically my children. They’re a little bit goth, which is kind of what I’m into.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Metal.

Jake Oliver

Age: 35

Occupation: private client adviser

I like your Raf Simons Calvin Klein turtleneck.

I have it in every color possible. I don’t like to wear coats, so I wore just this.

Don’t you get overheated in the office?

I’ll step out from time to time. My colleagues will ask, “Are you ready for a stroll?” And I’ll say “God, yes.”

And you’re wearing a denim tunic by Jacquemus.

It’s a little difficult to get on. I don’t know if you wear a lot of tunics.

I do not. I see you’ve rolled up your pants.

I tell my clients: If you show your wrists and you show your ankles, you look taller.

I can’t tell if your shoes are a tasseled loafer or chunky sneaker.

They’re Margiela. It’s when sportswear meets office wear meets alien wear.

And your two-tone socks?

They’re Jacquemus as well. Overpriced. They were like $45. But as I always say, “If it fits, it ships.”

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#Life style

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