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quentyl · 5 years ago

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“You can’t treat me like Zuko!” - Azula, Sozin's Comet Part 1: The Phoenix King

This quote is so important for her character: it tells us that she suffered from her father’s abuse of her brother too, though indirectly. That every time Ozai hurt his son, he was demonstrating what could happen to her should she ever fall from grace, that this became a deep-entrenched fear in the back of her mind.

(Pic: Azula and kid!Zuko, both upset and confused, asking for answers from their father, who has his back turned toward them.)

I want to delve into it a little bit: what it means, for Azula, to be treated like Zuko. Long post under the cut, as usual!

Here’s the full exchange:

Azula: Sorry I’m late, Father. Good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure? Ozai: There has been a change of plans, Azula. Azula: What? Ozai: I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation. Azula: But… I thought we were going to do this together. Ozai: My decision is final. Azula: You... you can't treat me like this. You can't treat me like Zuko! Ozai: Azula, silence yourself. Azula: But it was my idea to burn everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side! Ozai: Azula! Listen to me. I need you here to watch over the homeland. It's a very important job that I can only entrust to you. Azula: Really? Ozai: And for your loyalty, I've decided to declare you the new Fire Lord. Azula: Fire Lord Azula? It does seem appropriate. But... what about you? Ozai: Fire Lord Ozai is no more. Just as the world will be reborn in fire, I shall be reborn as the supreme ruler of the world. From this moment on, I will be known as... the Phoenix King!

So what’s interesting to me here is that Ozai isn’t actually treating her like he would Zuko under the same circumstances (not according to what we’ve seen of their previous interactions?). For one thing, it’s clear she wasn’t punished for lying to him about who killed the Avatar, nor for keeping her suspicions that Aang wasn’t truly dead to herself. Azula’s tone is light upon first catching up to him and she attempts to make casual conversation. Sure, she’s actually nervous underneath, but that’s because she can see things aren’t going according to plan and she doesn’t know why - she doesn’t know she’s supposed to be in trouble. He’s not ignoring her either, like he simply ignored kid!Zuko asking about his mother in the parallel scene in the above screenshot. She’s also not punished for her outburst, for raising her voice to him at a formal and public event, even after he ordered her to “silence herself” (how’s that for speaking out of turn? No Agni Kai, Ozai?). Instead Ozai is... surprisingly gentle? He placates her, reassures her of her importance and of his trust in her. And then he rewards her with the title of Fire Lord.

When we think of the way Ozai treated Zuko, we think of a history of open disdain, emotional and verbal abuse that culminated with setting his son’s face on fire. He’s doing none of these things to Azula here. So what it is exactly in this scene that Azula assimilated with the way he would behave toward her older brother?

Here’s my understanding: for Azula “being treated like Zuko” doesn’t start with disappointed looks, insults or scornful comments. It doesn’t need to go that far. Instead it starts with exclusion. And that’s a dimension of Ozai’s abuse and their family dynamic that I feel isn’t explored enough, despite being just as harmful.

Let’s go back to the flashbacks in “Zuko Alone”. Even without seeing them interact alone, we get the sense that there is an odd complicity between Ozai and his eight or nine-years-old daughter:

She shows him her new firebending moves - and what makes this significant isn’t that a father would keep tabs on his daughter’s progress, it’s that her mother and brother weren’t apparently in on it. Ozai speaks of the moves she showed to him not them (her parents), and Zuko’s amazement at Azula’s forms implies he hadn’t seen them before. So it’s time that Ozai and Azula spent alone together.

She supports his ambitions: “If Uncle doesn’t make it back from war, then Dad will be next in line to become Fire Lord, wouldn’t he?” and “I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal tea-loving kookiness”. More than that, she seems aware of his plots (might even have a hand to play in them, but that’s not confirmed either way): “‘Fire Lord Azulon’... Can’t you just call him Grandfather? He’s not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon.” - Azula obviously knew that her father had plans to get rid of her grandfather. Here again, what I want to focus on is the fact that Zuko and her mother were completely unaware about all of it (“What is wrong with that child?”).

Ozai calls her “my dear” and asks her specifically to demonstrate before the Fire Lord. He doesn’t address Zuko once throughout the flashbacks.

So even as a child, Azula was allowed into her father’s confidence. He trusted her, while her brother was left in the dark. And I think this was likely the biggest difference in how Ozai treated his children before he became Fire Lord. In these flashbacks, Zuko didn’t seem scared of his father yet. He wasn’t afraid to perform before him, to cry and lament his failures before him, or to be comforted by Ursa before him. He didn’t seem overly worried to have embarrassed him in front of Azulon himself. He wasn’t afraid to demand answers of him after Ursa’s disappearance. So I tend to think that whatever abuse he was subjected to at this point, before Ursa’s banishment, was limited. What is clear is that Ozai and Azula shared a special relationship that Zuko wasn’t a part of.

Of course, this puts Azula in a privileged position compared to her brother. Their father is the one with all the power in their family, the one they are both constantly trying to please, but only Azula is allowed to know his mind. Note that throughout the different scenes in the flashbacks, there’s a pattern of Azula using information Zuko doesn’t have to mess with him: “Uncle is coming home” “Dad’s going to kill you” “No one knows where Mom is” “Grandpa passed away”. She’s the bearer of news, and as such always ahead of him. Knowledge is power, and knowledge is something Ozai constantly denied his son.

This disconnect between Zuko and his father reached its climax, imo, when Ozai challenged him to an Agni Kai and Zuko… misunderstood (more likely, he was deliberately misled). Zuko just never understood his father, because his father never spoke to him. Zuko was never allowed to know his thoughts - and for three years afterward, he wasn’t even allowed to see his face. He wasn’t allowed to know who his father was, unlike Azula, who was privy to his ambitions since they were children. This is why she can successfully manipulate him using the promise of their father’s love (in both the first and last episode of Book 2).

All of this is still true when Zuko comes back from his exile. Ozai doesn’t welcome both his children at the same time. Instead he sees Azula first. She reports to him, and only afterward (after they had the time to talk about him and make decisions behind his back) does he finally see Zuko.

He welcomes him back with honors as the crown prince, but Zuko still isn’t truly allowed to know what’s going on. He’s sent on a forced vacation to Ember Island while Ozai meets with his generals. He’s not invited to war meetings, until suddenly he is and people just… forgot to inform him. He has no important part to play during the counter-invasion plan. In short, Zuko is still excluded. Azula uses him as a shield one moment, says she’s looking out for him the next. His father calls him a hero, but doesn’t try to get to know him or spend any meaningful time with him (not even to try and make up for... everything). I don’t believe either of them truly intended for Zuko to ever succeed Ozai. So the whole time he’s in the Fire Nation, back in his “rightful place”, Zuko is fidgety because he can’t trust them. He doesn’t know if he’s being paranoid or too naive. He doesn’t know if they’re honest or just playing with him.

(Truth is Zuko was emotionally banished long before he was legally banished, and him killing the Avatar couldn’t change that.)

And this is what Ozai did to Azula in their final scene together before abandoning her. When her father’s palanquin left early, it was her turn to be fidgety and paranoid, wondering what’s going on. Ozai blindsided her, left her in the dark, excluded her without telling her why. When she was a kid, her father talked to her about his plans to become Fire Lord. Now not only did he not tell her about his plans to become Phoenix King, he didn’t even talk to her about her own promotion. She was no longer his confidant, but just another pawn, like Zuko.

#azula #zuko #ozai #atla #avatar #mp #the fire nation royals #don't mind me i'm really into their fucked up dynamic at the moment #my commentary

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blazinbeautywrites · 4 years ago

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Varsity Blues

Note: Due to the rampant uprising of plagiarism on this site and others I am stating once and once only that this is my ORIGINAL work. If I find out that you have stolen/taken any part of my work I will handle you and the situation the way I see fit.

None of the pics of gifs I use belong to me so full credit goes to the originators of said gifs and pics.

Summary: Zoie gets dragged to frat party by her best friends Maddie and Rae where she meets Zabdiel and they hit it off, in more ways than one.

A/N: This waaayy longer than I wanted it to be and I’m not even sure I even like it but imma post it anyways cuz I’ve had it for almost 2 weeks lol.

Length: 2,169 words

Genre: Smut

Zoie hated football, especially college football. Yet here she was in the stands as her two best friends Maddie and Rae cheered on their school’s team. Apparently they just scored a touchdown but Zoie didn’t care at all. She noticed the guys behind them were exceptionally loud too, specifically whenever they spotted the quarterback on the field. She recognized one of the guys, Erick. He was a freshman but he took her Psychology class. Zoie was relieved when she saw they were in the last quarter of the game. All she wanted to do was go back to her apartment and finish her research paper and sleep.

“Ya know you can at least pretend you’re interested in the game.” Maddie said as she and Rae finally sat down.

“Yall know damn well I don’t like football but yall dragged me to this game anyways.” Zoie said.

“Girl whatever. Oh wait I see somebody I know at the concession stand. Yall want anything?” Maddie asked.

“Yeah I’ll take a hotdog and bring miss grumpy here a coffee.” Rae said. Maddie leaves and returns no more than 5 minutes later with a handsome guy along with Rae’s food and Zoie’s coffee.

“Guys this is Joel. He’s one of the sophomores I’m tutoring. He’s also in a frat and he invited us to their party after the game.” Maddie said.

“Ummm I’ll pass. I have a paper due Monday so that’s what I’m spending my weekend doing.” Zoie said.

“So you rather stay at home and do homework than take a night off and enjoy yourself? You sound like my boy Erick here.” Joel said as he nodded towards Erick. Zoie turned around and looked at Erick, along with a guy with red hair, and another with shaggy hair.

“Anyways let’s just watch the game.” Zoie said as everyone settled back in their seats, Joel taking a seat right between her and Maddie. The game went on and on and when it was finally over, their school’s team had won the game.

“YES! What an amazing game! Zabdiel was so fucking good tonight.” Rae said.

“Yeah woohoo, can we go now?” Zoie asks in the most unenthusiastic way.

“Wait, aren’t you coming to the party?” Erick asked.

“Nope. I have a paper due, ya know the same exact paper you have due.” Zoie said.

“We have ppl for that. And I’m not taking no for an answer. Joel said.

“Plus you look way too good to go straight home.” The redhead said as he checked her out. She was wearing a form fitting yellow plaid skirt with a white halter with a butterfly on it, a pair of black platform boots and she topped off her look with a black leather jacket.

“I’m sorry and you are….?” Rae asked.

“Richard. And this is Christopher. We’re the ones who plan all our frat’s events, including tonight’s festivities.” He said.

“Okay fine if I say yes will you shut up and stop eye fucking me?” Zoie asked.

“I make no promises but yes I’ll stop so can we please go? I had one of the pledges order me a special pizza and I’m starving.” Richard said. Everyone made their way out of the stadium and towards the parking lot. The girls made their way to Zoie’s car and once they were inside, Joel texted Maddie their address and they were on their way.

________________

The party was in full swing when the girls pulled up. Joel, Erick, Chris, and Richard were just walking into the house when Zoie parked. She sighed then got out of the car. As they walked up the path to the front door Zoie noticed a guy passed out on the lawn and shook her head.

“The party literally just started.” Zoie mumbled. Once they made it to the front door a burly guy in the most obnoxious, stereotypical frat attire stopped them at the door.

“Password?” He said, as he let out a long, loud burp.

“Oh my fucking god he’s a caveman. I’m going home.” Zoie said as she turned to leave, but Rae and Maddie grabbed her.

“Password? Hmm let’s see. How about move or I’ll rip your fucking dick off!” Rae yelled, catching the attention of many bystanders.

“Rory, dude they’re with me and the boys. I told you, you don’t have to guard the door all night.” Joel said as he came to the rescue. He ushered the girls inside and they’re immediately hit with the smell of barbeque and alcohol.

“How are there so many people already? This shit JUST started.” Maddie asked.

“Oh we’ve been spreading the word since Monday so everyone knew where to be after the game. Can I get you all something to drink?” Joel asked.

“I’ll take some Hennesy, straight and Rae likes Patron. And…..Zo?” Maddie asked, looking at Zoie.

“Well I’m driving so I’ll take a coke.” Zoie said. Joel led them to the drinks table where they saw all the guys mixing their own drinks. However a new person joined. The school’s quarterback Zabdiel de Jesus.

“Ladies this Zabdiel, our star quarterback but yall already knew that. Zab this is Rae, Maddie, and Zoie.” Joel spoke as he introduced the girls.

“Zoie? Wait, you’re in Erick’s class right? He talks about you alot.” Zabdiel said.

“Bro what the fuck?” Erick said as he looked wide eyed at Zoie?.

“What? I mean you definitely didn’t lie, she’s absolutely gorgeous.” Zabdiel said. He and Zoie made eye contact and Zoie felt a little tingle and quickly averted her eyes. Fuck, she thought to herself.

________________

It was well into the night and everyone was TRASHED. Zoie, on her 3rd coke of the night, was posted up on a nearby wall watching her friends with the guys. Maddie was dancing and making out with Joel while Rae was sandwiched between Richard and Chris. Erick was off in the corner with a petite blonde in his lap. Lost in her own little world of people watching, Zoie didn’t notice Zabdiel sidle up to her and when she finally did she nearly bumped into him.

“FUUUCK ME! Bruh what the hell?!” She yelled, shocked.

“I mean I usually don’t fuck when I first meet a girl but for you, I’ll make an exception for you.” Zabdiel said. He gave her a little smirk, almost making her fall to her knees but she kept it together. She looked at him and laughed.

“Does this whole sensible giant thing you got going on ever work for you?” Zoie asked as she chugged the rest of her drink.

“You tell me. Is it working on you?” He asked. He took a sip of his drink and eyed her intensely.

“N-No. Ummmm where’s the bathroom?” She asked.

“Through the kitchen to the left.” He replied as he chuckled at her nervousness. Once Zabdiel told her where to go she hauled ass but when she arrived the door was locked and she heard moans coming from the other side.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She said to herself. She searched around and still couldn’t find a bathroom. She decided to check upstairs and was delighted when she finally found a bathroom. It was communal and she was slightly disgusted but she put that aside as she looked at herself in the mirror. She took off her jacket and examined herself in the mirror. She looked tired so she splashed some water on her face to refresh herself. As she’s drying her face she hears the door open. She looks up and sees Zabdiel and smiles.

“Erick said he saw you run up here. You good?” Zabdiel asked as he leaned against the sink.

“Yeah just needed some fresh air. We should get back to the party though.” Zoie moved to leave but he gently grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. He backed her into the sink and got as close to her face as he could without touching her.

“What if I said I wanted you? You think I didn’t notice the effect I have on you.” Zabdiel ran a finger along the side of her neck. Zoie tried to fight it but couldn’t deny the way she was feeling or the puddle slowly forming in her underwear. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back. Zabdiel kissed the exposed part of her neck, causing her to let out a soft moan. She pulled his head back and kissed him. The kiss became intense and Zabdiel let out a low grunt as Zoie pulled on his hair. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto the sink. Zoie opened her legs and pulled him closer to her. She deepened the kiss as she slipped her tongue in his mouth and grinded against him. He gifted her skirt so it bunched around her hips. He used his index finger to trace along her clothed slit. He felt the wetness through her underwear and laughed. “God your so fucking wet.” He said as he moved her underwear to the side. He used his finger to spread her wetness over her clit. He heard her moan and moved his finger in short circles over her. “Tell me what you want.” He said as he continued his assault on her sensitive bud.

“I w-want your fingers inside of me.” Zoie sighed. Zabdiel was more than happy to oblige and slid his index finger inside of her. Zoie was taken aback as his long finger massaged her walls.

“You feel so fucking good. Think you can take another one?” Zabdiel asked. Zoie nodded and moaned as he slid another finger inside of her. He was moving at a slow pace and it drove her crazy.

“Can you move faster? You’re killing me.” She managed to say. Without a word he moved his finger faster and Zoie matched his pace as she grinded on his fingers. Zabdiel used his thumb to rub her clit and Zoie all but lost it. She was a whimpering mess as he pleasured her. He kissed her again and they made out as his fingers moved at an incredible pace inside of her. Zoie felt some of her juices drip onto the sink.

“You’re making a mess. Now let’s see if I can make that pretty little pussy squirt.” Zabdiel whispered against her lips. He continued to finger fuck her as Zoie struggled to stay on the sink. She gripped his arm to steady herself as she saw stars. The feeling was overwhelming and he felt like she was about to pass out.

“Shit! I’mcomingI’mcomingI’mcoming…..SHIIIIIIIIITTTTTT.” Zoie screamed. She felt like the life was sucked out of her as she arched into Zabdiel. He felt her wetness gushing out of her and smirked as her wetness soaked the sink, floor, and the bottom of his shirt.

“Hmmm. You look so fucking hot right now.” He said as he planted another deep kiss on her lips. He could still feel her body shaking when he withdrew his fingers from her.

“That was…..fuck that was amazing.” Zoie slumped against the mirror and eyed Zabdiel. He motioned for her to come to him and then tapped his cum soaked fingers against her lips. She immediately obeyed and took his fingers into her mouth and sucked them clean. Tasting herself somehow aroused her even more and she removed his fingers with a loud, wet pop. She looked him dead in the eyes the entire time, making him hard.

“You are incredible, you know that? Now let’s go before our friends wonder where we are.” He said. He helped her clean up then they headed back downstairs where the party was still raging. Zoie saw Rae and Maddie outside stuffing their faces with burgers. She and Zabdiel made their way outside and saw the rest of the boys also scarfing down various foods.

“Where the hell did you two disappear to? We’ve been looking everywhere for yall.” Rae said as she finished off a beer.

“We….ummmm-”

“I was fingering her upstairs in the bathroom. She made a mess so we had to clean up.” Zabdiel said in a nonchalant manner as he took a seat neck to Richard.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD.” Zoie squealed. She was so embarrassed and sat down next to Maddie who was laughing her ass off.

“Awww babe don’t be embarrassed. Joel only lasted 5 minutes and I didn’t even cum so...” Maddie said.

“Hold the fuck up, not my fault. It’s the alcohol.” Joel pleaded.

“Yeah okay, blame the liquor.” Richard laughed. The rest of the night was a hot ass mess but they all had fun and enjoyed themselves until most of them passed out. Zoie was still wide awake and as she got up to leave she felt that same gentle tug on her hand.

“Can you stay a bit longer?” Zabdiel asked. She smiled at him then took a seat next to him. She snuggled up against him then felt herself drift off to sleep.

#cnco #zabdiel de jesus #cnco scenarios #zabdiel de jesus scenarios #cnco imagines #zabdiel de jesus imagines

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recentanimenews · 4 years ago

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FEATURE: Looking For Romance? Check Out These Top Anime Meet-Cutes

Part of what defines a good romance is the build-up to the big confession and the character's journeys to get there. Along that journey, you may find yourself stressing over all those near kiss moments and love triangles. Maybe you find yourself coming to appreciate the couple's support for each other, their playful banter, and even their opposite personalities. All of this is great, but you know what no one really talks about? The meet-cute! You know, the moment two characters meet for the first time, sparking the development of their epic love story. It's one of the most important aspects of the relationship, because, without it, there wouldn't be a couple to ship or a romance to pursue! Whether they were short and sweet, or dramatic and electric, the meet-cute is the significant moment where we are introduced to our leading love interests and shows us what we can look forward to. Here are some of the best meet-cutes in romance anime!

Mitsuha and Taki

Your Name is a remarkable film for many reasons. One of them being how its protagonists Mitsuha and Taki's paths continuously cross in various ways, resulting in the ultimate meet-cute! The first time Mitsuha and Taki "meet," it's not exactly face-to-face. The two come to learn about each other when, for reasons unknown to them at the time, they were switching bodies. The two have no way to communicate with each other other than to leave reports on their phones about the day's events so the other isn't completely oblivious to what happened. Because there's not much Mitsuha or Taki can do about the switching, the two decide to do their best navigating the situation and this whole encounter becomes very entertaining to watch.

Image via FUNimation

Wanting answers to this strange phenomenon, Mitsuha and Taki's search leads them to an unexpected run-in and our second meet-cute. This meet-cute is equal parts romantic with Mitsuha and Taki breaking the boundaries of time to see one another and gut-wrenching as we've learned the truth behind Mitsuha's fate. Because of all the switching, Mitsuha and Taki became well acquainted with each other, and that's apparent in the teaseful banter between the two as they take in the fact they finally found each other. With its accompanying music and animation, this scene is beautiful and all the missed opportunities throughout the film don't even matter anymore.

Image via FUNimation

After the events of the climax of the movie, it seems that Mitsuha and Taki's memories have faded, and they're living their lives normally. As adults, Mitsuha and Taki spot each other on a train one day and despite not remembering the journey they shared, it's clear to each other that all this time they knew they were searching for someone. Motivated by that feeling, Mitsuha and Taki immediately look for each other, and in that one final moment by the stairs, that last meet cute, they'll finally remember their names.

Image via FUNimation

Rika and Yuta

I could write novels about how amazingly adorable Love Chunibyo & Other Delusions is as a series, and the relationship between Rika and Yuta is just too cute for words … but here I go!

Yuta is hungry for a fresh start at a new school where no one knows about his past and his embarrassing chunibyo (a term in the Japanese language used to describe a person who manifests delusional behavior, particularly thinking that one has special powers that no other person has) ways, but then he has a chance encounter with his upstairs neighbor, a girl with a wicked eye. Yuta is moving some boxes onto his balcony when he sees a girl scaling down the side of the building. She’s having some trouble finding her footing, so Yuta helps to catch her feet. The foot catching actually becomes a really cute aspect of their relationship later on in the series.

Rika and Yuta’s very first encounter is short and sweet, but then comes the first day of school and their official introduction becomes comically chaotic. At first, Yuta is impressed seeing Rika “open” the automatic train doors with one swish of her hand, but that intriguing first impression turns to fear and some playful taunting when Rika expresses to Yuta she knows about his past chunibyo delusions. From here on out, Rika and Yuta often find themselves together, growing closer as the series goes on, partly because they’re neighbors and classmates, but also because whether Yuta wants to admit it or not, once a chunibyo, always a chunibyo!

Kaori and Kousei

Your Lie in April is an emotional series, but it does a great job of blending its sincerity with comedy, and that's abundantly clear when Kaori and Kousei meet for the first time. Kousei agrees to accompany his friend Tsubaki who is setting up their mutual friend Watori with a classmate, Kaori Miyazono. When Kousei arrives early at the meet-up spot, he meets Kaori who's putting on a performance. Although he attempts to take a picture capturing the musical moment, Kaori thinks he's trying to sneak a sexy pic and Kousei soon becomes well-versed in Kaori's dueling personalities. One minute she's beating up on Kousei and the next she is loving up on Watari. At first, Kousei just assumes Kaori is this free spirit, but then he hears her play the violin. Much of Kousei and Kaori's first introduction centers around Kaori's music, and it's the music that makes their first meeting more than just cute and comical, it also makes it influential. Kousei was captivated by Koari's unstructured style of music, a style in which he had no experience. Their first day was precious and the characters are precious in how they inspire each other.

Nagisa and Tomoya

Ah yes ... Clannad! Anyone who has seen Clannad knows exactly what I mean when I say how ridiculously cute and heartbreakingly sad this anime is a big part of that has to do with Nagisa and Tomoya, whose first encounter is genuine, encouraging and wastes no time introducing the lovable relationship between the two. Tomoya has a pessimistic attitude about the way his life is going, but it's sweet how on the way to school, Tomoya shares some motivating words to Nagisa, a girl he just met. Tomoya ends up offering some good advice about an issue that's bothering her. This moment immediately sets up the sweet dynamic between the two, and while this instance appears simple on the surface, knowing what I know now from watching the entire series, this moment is powerful. It truly gives insight into their relationship, supporting and uplifting one another throughout their journeys.

Image via VRV

Rinko and Takeo

My Love Story!! is a unique series that is caring, tender, and overall filled with sweetness, and the relationship that blossoms between Rinko Yamato and Takeo Gouda are just too pure for this world! Unlike some of the other meet-cutes where the first encounter may be awkward, comical, or playful in demeanor, Takeo literally swoops in like a knight in shining armor the first time he sees Rinko. While riding the train, Rinko is being bothered by a scummy individual. Takeo notices the despicable behavior and immediately intervenes. Rinko is not only grateful for Takeo intervening but for also not allowing the perpetrator to talk ill of her. Takeo is someone who is introduced as having no luck with girls, and although the event leading up to how Rinko and Takeo meet is awful, what's special about their first encounter is that for the first time, someone appreciates and respects Takeo's kind heart instead of just taking advantage of his caring personality. As I said, Rinko and Takeo's relationship is pure and innocent and their first meeting is all about heart and compassion.

Tsukasa and Nasa

I'll admit, Tsukasa and Nasa's actual first meeting is incredibly wacky, seeing as the first time they acknowledge each other's existence in TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You, was by Tsukasa lessening the blow Nasa took when getting hit by a car and then Nasa running on pure adrenaline to find Tsukasa even though he was on the edge of passing out from blood loss. Yeah, it's pretty kooky but oddly adorable? Okay, it's just all kooky but what IS adorable is when Tsukasa and Nasa meet again a few years later and Nasa tries his best to make his new wife happy.

Nasa's never had a girl over to his apartment, let alone a girl who is now his wife. The first night they spend together, Nasa follows Tsukasa's lead, doing what he can to make the new nuptials and living arrangement more welcoming and comfortable for his adoring wife. Nasa also has no problems expressing his emotions and his feelings toward Tsukasa, and even the smallest gesture like holding hands sends him "over the moon." Tsukasa and Nasa's relationship moves pretty quickly, but it's charming to watch them fully embrace the relationship.

Usagi and Mamoru

Usagi and Mamoru have one of the most iconic relationships among romance anime. While the two fight side by side for love and justice in Sailor Moon, they didn't always see eye to eye, and their first meet up is the perfect example of that playful, teasing relationship we come to see and adore. Usagi is pretty down in the dumps after performing poorly on an exam and tosses the disappointing test to the side. Instead of hitting the ground, it hits this oh so charming guy in the head. Depending on which version of the series you watch, you'll witness their love-at-first-sight, butterflies-in-your-stomach moment, or Usagi taking shots at Mamoru's iconic purple pleated pants, and of course the birth of the meatball head/bunhead nickname!

Image via Hulu

What are some of your favorite anime meet-cutes? Let us know in the comments!

Pro hero Veronica Valencia is an anime-loving hot sauce enthusiast! You can follow more of her work as a host, writer, and producer on Twitter and Instagram.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Veronica Valencia

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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shmisolo · 5 years ago

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For Anyone Looking for Not-Super-Angsty-Stuff

I’m compiling mine (or at least the less-angsty stuff) into one list for ya.

Seen ✔️✔️

His lock screen has three texts from Rey on it:

Rey Wife: Babe I know you’re probably busy right now, but you sent that pic to the wrong chat. Rey Wife: Bennnnnnn Rey Wife: Call me when you’re done processing your trauma.

And then about ninety chats from the Skywalker Ranch WhatsApp thread.

In which Ben sends a picture to the wrong chat.

The Sweater Curse

She’s never made a sweater before, but she saw the pattern on Ravelry and who cares if she’s only made (lumpy) hats before—she has to try it. She has to make it. She has to make it for Ben.

“You realize that Hannukah isn’t an important holiday, right?” Ben asks as she makes eye contact with him. His eyes are big and brown and—at this moment—mildly annoyed.

“Really? Is it a giant conspiracy theory? Part of the war on Christmas?”

“More than you realize,” Ben says and for the life of her she can’t tell if he’s joking. He does this thing sometimes that’s confusing—where he’ll say something that sounds mopey but is actually snarky and it disarms her every damn time. “In any event, ugly Hanukkah sweaters definitely aren’t a thing the way ugly Christmas sweaters are.”

“Well, they are now,” Rey says firmly. “I’m making you an ugly Hanukkah sweater. Deal with it. And stop moving.”

it's you and me (i know it's our destiny)

It’s just a kid’s game, he thinks when jealousy pangs in his heart. But it’s more than just a kid’s game.

It’s Pokémon.

It’s the only good thing in his life.

Shalom Rav!

In which Rey comes to terms realizing that she is attracted to the rabbi.

Apples and Honey

When Ben catches wind that his mother is planning to foist a potential girlfriend on him when he comes home for Rosh Hashanah, he takes matters into his own hands: specifically, he runs to Rey and asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend.

atlanta > all atlanta > community > missed connections

In which Rey meets a cosplayer at DragonCon.

Two to Tango

Rey: I need to ask you something awkward. Ben: What’s up? Rey: Can I give you a blowjob? Please?

Bang for your Buck

“We ready?” he asks her, sounding huffy.

“Nice to meet you Ben, I’m just familiarizing myself with your training,” she replies.

“Ok, well I don’t have all day.”

“No, you have,” she checks her watch, “another hour.” Because of course he’d booked an extra long session. Bless that sweet, sweet overtime pay.

“And you’re sure you know what you’re doing?” he asks her and she glances up at him, sure that her eyes are flashing because that’s fucking rude. She’s a professional. Amilyn wouldn’t have hired her if she didn’t know what she’s doing, and just because he apparently thinks he’s the center of the universe doesn’t change that fact.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your bang for your buck,” she tells him icily.

A Picture's Worth

reyjay: hiya your art is amazing

reyjay: it’s a big ask but could you draw me for my art final tomorrow? i’m shit at drawing people and i can’t fail this. can you help?

He stares.

And stares.

kyloren: is this some kind of a joke?

reyjay: no?? why??

kyloren: you’re asking me to help you cheat your exam, but you’re not even offering me money?

Forged

There are several reasons that Ben would never have dreamed he’d ever receive this text. The first is that he’d be invited to a Halloween party. The second is that he’d never in his life expected to be in a serious relationship, much less the sort of serious relationship where his partner would suggest matching Halloween costumes. And the last is that he is dating someone who’s show only and they’ve only almost murdered one another twice. Because he’s an A Song of Ice and Fire fan. He hates Game of Thrones.

(Not) Interested

We're bringing Speed Dating back to Space Battles Bonanza! Register online for one of our special Bonanza sessions of 15 three-minute dates so you’ll no longer have to look for love in a galaxy far far away. Choose from one of seven speed dating sessions, two of which are queer focused. If the Insurgents can blow up the Doom Moon in 11 minutes, let’s see if you can make a love connection in only three.

There’s a history of successful Speed Dating at Space Battles Bonanzas, with long-term couples, engagements and marriages now among the alumni.

In which Rey & Kylo meet at their fancon's speed dating.

do or do not (do the do)

In which Ben, in an effort to improve his stamina (look he's making progress, ok?) after reading some articles that he'll never be able to unread, receives some coaching (that he very much did not ask for).

(Very much did not ask for.)

A for...

Rey’s seeing double by the time there’s food on her plate. Oh. There’s food on her plate. That’s good. That’s unexpected at this point. “Eat,” Ben tells her.

So she does. It tastes good. Very good. She likes this food a lot.

“I’ll make sure she knows,” Ben says.

Oh she’s at that point of drunk where she’s just saying things out loud instead of keeping them in her internal monologue.

“You are,” Ben says, looking very amused.

She hopes she doesn’t say anything embarrassing.

“I promise, you haven’t yet, but oh boy, I’m looking forward to this.”

She shoves food into her mouth to keep herself from thinking out loud about his dick in her ass at his mother’s Passover seder.

The Love Committee

In which Rey, tired of her bad luck with dating apps and failed relationships, enlists her friends' help in determining who she should date next.

They take it a little too seriously.

💦💦💦💦

In which Ben accidentally implies that he gets his cardio from having sex on national television.

You, Me, and He

When they say that Kylo's brain is in his groin, they're not far from the truth.

Alternatively,

In which Kylo Ren is his own penis.

and beyond

“Please?”

For a moment, he thinks it will be like the first time, him begging, her crying and saying no and him not knowing how to protect his crushed heart.

But she doesn’t cry, she doesn’t say, “Please don’t go this way,” she doesn’t look horrified or disgusted. She just grabs him by the front of his shirt and tugs his lips down to hers before reaching down to cup his cock.

we decided not to kill the wolves (we wanted to be wolves)

A pack of wolves lives in the woods to the north of Raddus and as winter looms, they have their eyes set on Leia Organa’s stronghold. Rey may be new to Raddus, but she’s not about to do nothing while it may be in danger. And besides, Poe must be exaggerating about wolves the size of bears. She’s not afraid of monsters.

myosotis

Ben picked the flowers for their wedding.

The Kitchen

Rey and Ben, hunting for their first house.

Investiture

In which Ben goes to daven for his father’s yahrtzeit and manages to prove to himself once again that he is both a terrible person and a terrible Jew.

Oh and he sort of falls in love.

The Sweetest Thing

A post-coital trip to Waffle House.

with you i shall play

And when it's dry and ready, then Ben's dick Rey shall play.

Everything to Prove

“The show,” he says. “It’s probably best if they don’t—if we don’t—”

And Rey follows his line of thought at once. For all the program is one that doesn’t seem melodramatic—the height of drama in previous seasons came from someone’s cake falling over and that was about it—she does not doubt that the producers and cameramen would leap at the opportunity to make there be something out of nothing in their relationship—especially if there was something out of something.

“Yeah,” she agrees. “Yeah, probably. We can pick baking stations that are…” but she doesn’t want to complete the thought. She likes baking next to Ben.

“Or we can just be careful?” he suggests, sounding quite as pained by the prospect as Rey feels.

“Yeah, careful. I can do careful,” Rey says at once and her lips are on his again and he’s laughing now, and she’s laughing, and she didn’t think laughter would be part of all this. She didn’t think it could be. But here she is, laughing and kissing and holding a man who, at some point, she’s going to want to beat.

She does her best not to think of that now.

It’s a friendly competition, after all.

It’s not life and death.

It’s baking.

Brightblades

In which Rey learns about a startling kink of her new boyfriend, and in which, much later, they roleplay it.

The Knotting Shop

Ben realizes upon entering the shop that he had gotten the complete wrong impression from the name of it.

What the fuck sort of shop calls itself The Knotting Shop if it’s not about, well, knotting?

The answer, apparently, is a knitter with a sense of humor. An Omega, by the scent that seems to have landed in every colorful ball of yarn in the shop and which hits him right in the groin.

Let Go (Never Let Me Go)

In which Rey swipes right on Ben, 35. Probably too much of an asshole for you, but my therapist is trying to convince me that assholes deserve love too, so here’s me on Tinder, and it does not proceed as she expects.

crossfade (cursed and blessed)

The Talmud states that on Purim one is to drink to the point of not knowing the difference between “cursed is Haman” and “blessed is Mordechai.” In other words, you’re supposed to get so blitzed you can’t tell your friends from your enemies. Rey and Ben might be taking this a little too literally at Leia’s annual Purim Party.

Kind Stranger

Ben stares at the text for a minute before opening up his computer and typing “+7793 area code” into his web search. Jakku. Of course he wouldn’t have recognized it. He confessed himself surprised to know that Jakku even had an area code. Did people still live in Jakku?

#kylothekiller

It’s not the first time that Rey has seen Kylo pop up in her Fido stream, but it is the first time she’s clicked on him fast enough to be scheduled for a meet and greet with dog and owner on Saturday.

All Bets Are Off

“Fake girlfriend. What does that even mean?” Ben asks her.

Rey rests a hand on his arm, feeling the muscles underneath his sleeve. “Babe,” she says, leaning close to him. “It means we pretend we’re madly in love. Think you can pull that off for your office pool?” Ben’s eyes flicker softly between each of hers and he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.

#reylo #reylo fanfic #reylo fic

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diyunho · 5 years ago

Text

The Joker x Reader - “John Wick” Part 3

Y/N left The Organization 3 years ago for the one reason strong enough to make her settle down: love. But after tragedy crushed her to pieces, she decided to leave The Joker and seek refuge with an old friend and mentor - John Wick. Needless to say The King of Gotham can’t accept his wife running away without a word, especially since he didn’t have a chance to tell her things she might want to hear.

Part 1 Part 2

The Joker listens at the bedroom’s door, impatient to have a conversation with you. It seems you are engaged into a fervent phone call with Winston and figured he shouldn’t interrupt.

“Please, anything you can discover would be a great help! U-hum… U-hum… Thank you,” and you hang up, which queues your husband to walk into the room.

You completely ignore him, scrolling through the numerous text messages you sent to your connections; several are already answering back and hopefully you can get some news soon. The more people are involved into the project, the more chances to find Kase and untangle the mystery of what happened to him after he was removed from the car.

“You left me there,” The Joker sneaks in and closes the door behind him. “Luckily we had Wick with us so he gave me a ride.”

No reaction. He takes a deep breath, trying to get your awareness.

“I didn’t sleep with Evelyn; sex wasn’t the reason why I kept visiting her. I know how that asshole made it sound and he was totally out of line!”

You quickly glance at him, busy replying to Ares since you feel you’re going to explode soon.

“The only skill I was interested in is the fact that she is an excellent painter and a popular art smuggler, OK?” J raises his voice, sort of annoyed you neglect to participate into his monologue. “I did not cheat, alright?” he approaches his wife. “First of all: I’m VERY picky! Second of all: why would I want a woman everyone else had?! I don’t like used toys. Third: nobody’s been polishing my gun as you tastefully addressed the issue! I have one Queen and I married her!!”

A little bit of doubt in your eyes and he utilizes the opportunity.

“You said you saw me going to her house? I did! The Bowery King asked if it was for the last 6 months? Yeah, I did! You know why?!”

At least now The Joker got your attention: you play it cool but he guesses you’re torn apart by his confession.

Many unfortunate events crammed in lately and hating the man you love made life infinitely more unbearable.

“Why…?” you barely muster the strength to inquire and he sees it as a possibility to mend a few broken pieces; although you can hide your emotions well, J can still read between the lines.

Maybe that’s why he answers with another question:

“Do you realize there are just three Monet paintings in circulation on the black market in the entire world? You admire his work and it took a lot of effort and a substantial fortune to acquire The Water Lily Pond painting. Evelyn Black helped with the transaction, then I had her make some modifications to the original masterpiece.”

You keep staring at The King of Gotham, uncertain about the stuff being tossed your way: is he lying or telling the truth?... In your line of work translating feelings is a huge part of the job; ultimately you had the best mentor to teach you the ropes when you started with the organization: none other than the legendary Baba Yaga. Despite his reputation and to your own amazement, John was one of the few hitmen with integrity and perfectly mastered the aptitude of not being a jerk. Such a rare gem… And blissfully unaware of it himself.

On the opposite end, The Joker is a jerk and flawlessly acquainted with his own “captivating” personality that made you fall in love with him anyway.

Also, doesn’t appear to be deceitful for the moment.

And you despise yourself even more for wanting to believe him.

“What… modifications?...” you throw him a bone and J is definitely not going to pass on the alternative of explaining his actions.

“I wanted to surprise you so I took advantage of Miss Black’s capabilities in the art field; I had her add small images to the authentic canvas: an evolution of you being pregnant, the nine frames culminating with a tenth: the new mother holding our son. Similar to a timeline,” he emphasize and you look intrigued, which might be a positive sign. “Needless to say it was tedious, difficult work, especially because she had to apply special pigments you can’t find at every corner of the street. Apparently you can’t mix old paint with contemporary shades, thus I had to order aged, special colors from Italy, Spain and France. That’s why I went to her place so often: I had to supervise the long process and make sure it turns out astonishing. Then…” and The Joker pauses,”…Kase was gone and I didn’t know what to do with my gift: bring it home or not? Would you have loved it? Would it make you sadder? I continued to drive to Evelyn’s and glare at the stupid painting for hours, undecided on what to do…”

J watches you bite on your cheek, then straightens his shoulders as you utter the words:

“… … … You ruined a genuine Monet?”

Your spouse might be a smooth talker when needed, yet he’s not wasting his versatility on this statement:

“I didn’t ruin it; I made it better!”

Silence from both parties. A good or bad omen? Hard to decipher the riddle with two individuals tangled into a relationship that somehow worked despite countless peculiarities meant to keep them apart.

“I have to talk to Jonathan,” you finally mutter and The Joker steps in front of you.

“Talk to me!”

“Unless you know the exact location of the suitcase full of gold coins he’s been safekeeping for me, I really have to speak to him. Or do you want to hammer the whole basement searching for it?”

Y/N walks out of the bedroom and J lingers inside, evesdropping on the conversation happening downstairs. He can’t understand the chat, but you are probably notifying John about the details your husband left out.

Might as well join the party, therefore The Clown pops up in the living room with a plea impossible to refuse:

“Hey Wick, can I stay here? I don’t care if you say no, I’m not going to leave.”

Your friend crosses his arms on his chest, focusing on the random topic:

“How could I deny such a polite request? Of course you can stay Mister Joker; my house is your house.”

You’re watching the free show unamused; usually it would make you smile…now you lack the depth for such connotations.

“Don’t get smart with me, Wick!” J growls and Jonathan pushes for a tiny, unnecessary quarrel.

“I’m not; although generally speaking, I fancy considering myself a smart guy.”

The Joker opens his mouth and you’re not in the mood for whatever the heck they’re initiating:

“I’m going to pump, then after you dig out the suitcase I’ll take half to the Bowery King,” you announce your plans to them.

“You can do that and rest; I’ll deliver the coins,” John immediately offers. “I can stop by Aurelio’s car shop and ask for his collaboration: he has a lot of associates, doesn’t hurt to get him involved. You have plenty of gold.”

“I have two more suitcases in the Continental’s safe and two more at The Penthouse. It doesn’t matter if it’s all gone as long as I can find my son.”

“I know gold coins are preferred; don’t forget we have a lot of money too,” J reckons with spite.

Is he reminding you or Jonathan?...

*************

Your husband spent the last hour in the garden, talking and texting with a lot of people; needless to mention he’s capitalizing on his network also. Winston disclosed Stonneberg’s contract is still opened, meaning the son of a bitch is out there; you have to scoop him before anybody else does.

“Y/N…” The Joker tiptoes in your quarters. “I thought you were taking a nap,” he huffs when he sees you at the edge of the bed.

You glare at the vial on the nightstand, sharing your idea for a future you wish will come true:

“I didn’t have my medicine in two days; I won’t take it anymore because if we get Kase back… I will nurse him. It all goes in the milk and I want to be able to feed my baby… Do you think his little heart is still beating?...” you sniffle and J is currently debating on a clever response since his mind is blank; one could deduce messing up is encoded in his DNA, but on such a huge scale… well, it gives new interpretations to the term even for him.

The grieving woman seeking reassurance for their loss is trying to make sense of the pointless occurrences that lead to Kase being an innocent victim and The Joker can’t render clarification: he has no clue why he asked her to marry him and why she said yes, it’s not that he’s husband material or a family man. Perhaps Y/N thought he could be… just enough to get by, that’s why she accepted his proposal.

Most women would have cringed at the concept. Most women. Not Y/N.

Most women would have flinched at the notion of having his baby. Most women. Not his wife.

Above all, she trusted J with their son and he treated the three weeks old like a trinket: didn’t drive him home because he had an important meeting, didn’t bother to assign escorting cars nor extra security. The King of Gotham took his child’s safety lightly and it definitely had severe consequences. Too late now to fix past mistakes... but he can attempt.

“You’ll be able to nurse him, OK?” he sits by you and hands over his cell. “Can you enter your phone number in here? Or am I not allowed to have the present digits?”

You’re hesitant and he slides the screen while you hold the gadget.

“Lemme help you,” The Joker sarcastically mumbles. “It should be the first on my list, right where the old number you canceled was.”

You exhale and fulfill his demand out of pure frustration when he squeezes in a second innocent petition.

“Chose my avatar.”

You grunt at his rubbish, scrolling through his folders for a picture anyway; J hopes the largest file will get your attention and that’s the point. How could Y/N miss it?!

Entitled “Baby”, the humongous cluster of pics contains 5,723 items. You open it quite absorbed by its size; what’s more puzzling is the collection depicting Kase’s ultrasounds, hundreds of frames with you being pregnant taken without you knowing: there’s a few when your ankles were so swollen you had to sleep with your feet up on 4 pillows, others with you munching on strange food you craved, more with you in the shower focused on your bump, a decent amount of couple selfies when you were sleeping and J had to immortalize the moment without waking you up and approximately 1,500 images of the newborn.

“You didn’t gross me out when you were pregnant,” The Joker reminds a teary Y/N. “Not sure why you would believe such aberration...” he pulls you on his knees and yanks the phone away, tossing it on the nightstand. “I would also like to underline I didn’t have an affair with Miss Black, alright?”

J lifts your chin up, forcing to look at him.

“Let’s put it this way: why would I fuck around with another woman when I have a wife at home that wants to kill me on a regular basis, hm? Where would the fun be? I mean, she didn’t pull the trigger yet but it’s exciting to hope she might. You know me: I’m a sucker for thrills!”

“Do I?”

“Huh?” J steals a kiss and you frown at his sleekness.

“Know you?”

“Yeah,” the green haired Clown acts composed while in fact his feathers are ruffled. Before you catch onto it he has to ultimately admit: “I’m sorry I didn’t drive the car… I should have…”

The Joker holds in his breath when your arms go around his neck very tight.

“I’m suffocating…” he grumbles. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to hug me or choke me to death,” J keeps on caressing your hair, prepared to block your attack in case you’re actually in killing mode.

This is the excitement he was speaking about: with you, one could never know until it’s a done deal.

“I bumped into Magnus at the Continental,” you give him a bit of space to inhale much needed air and The Joker is surprised at your revelation. “I had no idea about his scheme, otherwise I would have skinned him alive right on the hotel grounds! I wouldn’t have cared about the consequences!”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” J cuts you off and he can tell you’re getting mad; maybe you think he doesn’t give a damn but the reason is simple. “You would’ve been declared excommunicado for murder on neutral ground and I don’t want my wife to be the target of such punishment from the company she so proudly retired from. I need my partner!”

The King of Gotham touches your forehead with his as you whisper:

“I hate you!”

“Mmm, regarding this true love affirmation, I’m gonna need you to take a break from detesting me until we have Kase, then you can despise me full throttle again. Deal?” he extends the palm of his hand and you reluctantly shake it, not realizing you’re reacting to his nonsense. “Is that a smile?” J returns the favor with one of his creepy silver grins.

“No.”

“Liar,” he pecks your lips and can’t explain the weird feeling in his heart when you kiss him back.

*************

Jonathan enters the house and becomes suspicious after a few minutes: too much silence.

Omg! Did you and The Joker engaged into a brawling that ended up badly? Did you end each other?!

John frantically runs to the garage, nervous to see your car and J’s are still parked inside. Shit!

“Y/N?” he shouts, concerned about your fate; The Joker’s… irrelevant. Nobody in the garden, patio is empty also. Downstairs is deserted thus he rushes upstairs to your room. The door is not completely shut and he slowly pushes it, knocking.

“Y/N? Can I come in?”

The first thing he notices are clothes scattered on the floor, then he halts his movement at the sight of Y/N and her husband dozing off on the bed sideways: the naked bodies are covered with a blanket, but he can tell you’re snuggled in J’s arms.

Jonathan steps backwards, guilty of invading his guests’ privacy; he certainly didn’t expect to intrude in such a manner and softly closes the door, grateful it’s not what he feared.

You and The Joker are so worn out the sound of your phones vibrating on the nightstand doesn’t wake you from the deep sleep. Your numerous contacts keep replying back to the text messages, the most important one showing up on his cell: one of the people J reached to is Evelyn Black and the two sentence conversation lights up the screen.

“Let me know if you see Stonnenberg.”

“He’s here.”

Also read: MASTERLIST

You can follow me on Ao3 and Wattpad under the same blog name: DiYunho.

#the joker x reader #the joker fanfiction #the joker imagine #john wick imagine #john wick x reader #the joker jared leto #the joker suicide squad #the joker #joker #joker fanfiction #joker jared leto #mister j #Mistah J #Mr.J #dc #dcu

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vkelleyart · 6 years ago

Photo

Happy Valentine’s Day, loves! My candy heart comes to you in the form of this fluffy illustrated one-shot (a.k.a. fic-with-a-pic). I hope you enjoy it!

TITLE: “Merlin, May I?” (7466 words)

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: When Simon Snow gets roped into a game of ‘Merlin May I’ against Baz Pitch, what starts off as a competition between mages for the most dangerous request ends up precipitating an unexpected collision of hearts.

READ ON AO3 | Fic + art close-ups are under the cut

Special thanks to @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @penpanoply, and especially Mr. VKelleyArt (Merlin May I kiss you?) for beta reading this fic. ❤️

SIMON

Ah, Spring!

With the sun on my face, the promise of a warm roast beef sandwich in my pocket, and an outdoor luncheon with Penny to look forward to, I’m living in the present moment for a while. The rains have finally given way to clear skies and a crisp breeze. Green has returned to the Great Lawn. And, in a pleasant turn of events, Agatha’s started talking to me again since we broke up last winter. (Okay, maybe not actually talking, but she’s not scurrying off in the opposite direction when she sees me approaching in the hallway anymore. Progress.)

My faith in humanity momentarily restored, and death-by-dark-creature and other variations of my imminent doom seemingly far away, few things on earth could spoil a day like today.

“Oi, Snow!”

Except maybe that.

I turn my gaze downhill to see the voice hailing me belongs to Dev Grimm. Beside him, sneering at me from below a perfect wave of black hair is Baz Pitch.

They are both standing on the inner edge of a circle chockablock with eighth-years. It looks like some sort of spectator event is happening, because standing in the center of the circle are Gareth and Niall, the expression on Gareth’s face bleak and dazed, like he’s just misplaced his dignity and doesn’t know where to look for it.

Dev calls me again. “Fancy joining in, Simon?”

“Not likely,” I say, watching Gareth drag his feet up toward the drawbridge like a man condemned. “What happened to him?”

Baz turns toward me and runs a hand through his hair, moving it out of his eyes. “Gareth was just defeated in Merlin May I,” he answers, prompting the spread of a pompous grin across Niall’s face. “And now Niall here will reap the benefits of Gareth’s… concessions.” A rumble of laughter moves through the crowd.

I frown.

“‘Merlin May I’? What in the name of magic is that?”

“You don’t want to know, Simon. It’s a rotten game,” says Penny, traipsing down behind me. “And shame on all of you for enabling this ridiculousness!” she scolds the crowd, instigating a sea of eye-rolls.

“Come now, Bunce,” says Baz, stepping through an opening in the crowd toward us. “You don’t mean to say you’ve never played Merlin May I. I figured you a braver magician than that.”

Penny’s eyes turn into slits behind her glasses. “Refusing to play that nightmare of a game has no bearing on my bravery. It just means I’m not a glutton for punishment. Or a thundering idiot.”

Baz’s eyes move away from Penny and fix on me. I feel my cheeks flush, and suddenly the sun’s warmth overhead is bordering on oppressively hot.

“That’s perfect. Snow is both. I bet he’d love to play.”

BAZ

Aleister Crowley, I can’t believe my luck. Fate has delivered Simon Snow to my Merlin May I tournament, and though his plucky sidekick is trying to tug him away, he’s still rooted to the spot, which tells me he’s a few carefully timed insults away from playing a round of it himself.

“Simon, don’t you dare,” warns Bunce.

“Don’t worry, Penny. I don’t even know what Merlin May I is.”

“I’d be delighted to bring you up to speed,” I say. “Merlin May I is the mage’s hawk-dove game. We take turns making requests—to do things, take things, and generally force our opponent’s hand—until someone makes a request the other person can’t comply with. Dev, care to brief Snow on the rules?”

“Gladly,” he replies. “The rules are simple…”

You must say “Merlin May I” at the start of every request.

You may not repeat any requests already made.

No requests that will result in shagging, death, or other potentially fatal calamities are allowed either.

To accept a request, you must say “Yes, you may.” Otherwise, say: “You may not.”

The first person to say “You may not” loses the game, and the game is over.

When the game ends, every request the loser agrees to during the game, the winner gets to carry out.

“In other words, say ‘yes, you may’ at your peril,” I finish.

“So it’s ‘chicken’?” Simon sums up. “You just ask questions to see how much the other person will tolerate before they decide they don’t want you to completely fuck them over?”

“No. Chicken is prosaic and dull. Merlin May I is a game of risk and trust. A test of free will,” I reply grandly. “Your opponent may or may not throw you to the merewolves depending on what you request, so you’ll need to weigh just how much harm you want to inflict against how much you’re willing to take. Which is also to say that you should only ask questions you already know the answer to if you want to stay in the game, and that is the last tip I’m giving you.”

“It sounds terrible. I’ll pass.”

“What’s the matter?” I say. “Worried I’ll ask to move your bed to the bottom of the moat?”

“You probably would,” Simon mutters. “Why would anyone play this game? Seems like an easy way to lose friends and make enemies.”

He isn’t wrong. Watford played host to one of the most epic Merlin May I games of all time, and it brought a dramatic end to the school’s then-power couple, Gemma Harrington and Claus Beuchner. They were eight hours into the game when Gemma asked to fly Beuchner’s parents’ Lamborghini into a maelstrom and Claus agreed. He was out of his depth, of course, lost spectacularly, and got into so much trouble for agreeing to Gemma’s requests that his parents made him volunteer to scoop dragon dung at the Swedish Speartail Sanctuary for the rest of term. When he returned, the aroma of smoke and putrescence followed him around the halls for several months.

“Precisely,” I say. “I’m already your enemy. You have nothing to lose.”

“No, thanks. Come on, Penny.” Snow takes a bite from his sandwich, adjusts his rucksack over his shoulder, and turns like he’s about to leave.

I never want him to leave.

“Come, Snow. I’ll make sure your defeat is quick and painless.”

At this, Simon fixes me with an icy glare. “Who says you’d defeat me?”

“I do.”

“You won’t be feeling so jammy in a minute,” he snaps.

I smirk. “Then you’re in?”

Simon drops his rucksack, takes another bite of sandwich, and straightens his jacket. “I’m in.”

“Splendid,” I say.

“Simon!” exclaims Bunce.

“It’ll be fine, Pen,” Simon mutters. “There’s hardly anything terrible this prat can do to me that he hasn’t already done.”

“Apart from kill you!”

I roll my eyes. “As much as it’s in everyone’s best interest for Snow to die, Bunce, requesting his death is against the rules.”

Bunce glares at me, then at Simon. “I’m not playing witness to this. Go ahead and have at it. I’m going to lunch.”

“Oh, come on, it’ll just be a moment,” Simon calls after her, but she’s already storming away. He turns back to face me and sighs. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Yes. Let’s.”

Dev steps forward. “Hands up,” he says and pulls his wand out of his pocket. I extend my right hand toward Simon.

Snow is instantly suspicious. “What’s this about?”

“Insurance,” I answer, “to ward against cheating and ensure we carry out what we agree to. Go on.”

Hesitantly, he takes it. Dev lays the tip of his wand against our joined hands and says, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Dev’s magic sinks blue and cold into our skin.

The game has begun.

“You can start,” I say.

“Fine,” Simon huffs, then takes a massive bite of sandwich as he thinks of something to ask for. After a solid minute of chewing, which I can only assume takes so long because it is directly fueling his capacity for thought, Snow finally says, “Merlin May I pass your essay for Magical Words class off as my own?”

“Yes, you may,” I snigger. “Though I should warn you that Miss Possibelf isn’t a complete moron and will know who really wrote it by the time she gets three words in.”

“I didn’t ask for commentary. Your turn.”

“Merlin May I keep our window closed at night for the rest of term?”

Simon rolls his eyes. “Is this why you wanted me to play? So you could magically strongarm me into complying with your petty wishes?”

“I’m just taking advantage of a rare opportunity to get what I want without throwing curses at you,” I reply. “Your answer?”

“Yes, you may,” he grumbles. “But then… Merlin May I practice my swordplay on your side of the room?”

I frown at him. “I’m assuming you can resist shredding my bedsheets. And clothes. And all my bloody furniture. Yes, you may.”

Simon smiles, satisfied at having sufficiently lowered my upper hand and disturbed my good mood.

We go on for several rounds, and Snow impresses me with his creativity. He manages to rope me into trading soap with him (which pained me deeply to accept, but I suppose even Simon would prefer not to smell like a hospital once in a while) and confiscating my stash of salt and vinegar crisps because apparently the crumbs get stuck to his bare feet. I told him he wouldn’t have to fuss about it if he’d stop being a Neanderthal and get a set of slippers. (At which point, he Merlin-May-I’ed mine away from me.)

But it’s all relatively harmless. Nothing he’s asked for has legitimately threatened me, and as a result, I’ve had a decently challenging time trying to match Snow’s list of requests. I’ve obstructed Bunce’s secret visits to Mummer’s House, and I’ve forced him to let me Clean As a Whistle his side of the room whenever it starts to look like a numpty nest, but I don’t know how much further to go.

Our spectators look bored. Snow has so little to his name, there’s barely anything worth taking from him without leaving him naked and joyless, the latter of which doesn’t suit my interests at all. I just want to needle him, not destroy his will to live.

“All right,” I pick back up, deciding to raise the stakes. “Merlin May I eat all your scones at tea tomorrow?”

Simon blanches. (Adorably.) “All of them? I’ve never seen you eat one, let alone as many as I can put away.”

“What does that matter so long as it means you don’t get to eat them?” I retort.

He folds his arms across his chest. “Fine. I hope you choke on them.”

I tip an ear toward him. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Yes. You. May,” says Simon through clenched teeth. He looks justifiably forlorn until something wicked occurs to him and his smile returns.

“Merlin May I… play your violin?”

The crowd around us “Ohs” like this is a football game and Snow’s just fouled me.

Because he has. My violin is nearly 300 years old. It’s practically a museum piece. If my parents ever found out Simon so much as touched it, they’d cancel my classes and confiscate the instrument along with my entire sheet music collection.

It’s also my most treasured possession next to my wand. Crowley knows what this hamfisted idiot might do to it.

Well, fuck all, it’s a risk I’ll have to take.

“Yes. You may,” I hiss. “You’ll pay for that one, Snow.”

“Yeah? Let’s hear it then.”

His whole body is tilted in my direction. His jaw is pushed out, his eyes flinty. This is my favourite of Simon’s expressions (he only has about three), which is why I provoke it as often as I do. It often precedes him roughing me up, which is the only physical contact with Snow I’m allowed to have, but I’ll take it.

No one would know it by looking at me—least of all Snow—but my heart is practically beating its way out of my rib cage with anticipation.

I know the answer to my next request. It’s the one I ask him in my mind all the time. But I’ll finally get to say it out loud.

I make sure everyone can hear me.

“Merlin May I kiss you?”

Simon drops his sandwich.

SIMON

“Kiss me?” I repeat. “What are you playing at?”

Baz cackles at me. “Well, it’s a classic trap, isn’t it? If you say ‘yes,’ you’ll finally be called out for spreading lies because no one in their right mind would let a vampire’s mouth anywhere near them. Back down, and you’ll not only lose the game, you’ll be branded a coward,” he explains. His head is tilted slightly upward so he can look down on me.

“So which is it, Snow?” he asks, his eyes bright, triumphant. “Are you a liar, or are you a weakling? Either way, I win.”

“I’m neither. You are a manipulative arsehole,” I growl.

He shrugs. “In the present circumstances, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I clench my jaw and shove my elbows against my sides to keep from reaching up and creating a more dramatic bend in his nose with my fist.

“Well?” he drawls, his voice saccharine sweet. “May I?”

Fuck it all, there’s nothing else I can say, is there?

“You may… not.”

Baz’s lips curl into a vicious smile. Applause for his cunning victory permeates the crowd of students around us, and I can feel my magic, red and burning, prickle up my spine like the mercury in a thermometer.

No.

I’ll be damned if this actual bloodsucking wanker walks off thinking he’s won.

He’s turning away from me when I seize him by the sleeve. I yank him back and shove my face into his, catching his mouth in a kiss that nearly cuts my lip on my own teeth. Everyone around us gasps in unison, then goes instantly silent.

There. I’m not a coward or a liar if kissing a vampire in the presence of at least three dozen witnesses ensures I won’t get bitten.

I didn’t plan this out very well, though.

My mouth is pinched shut and crammed uncomfortably against Baz’s, and he’s completely frozen on the spot. (Literally, I think. His lips feel like ice.) I’m tempted to open my eyes just to see if his are closed. He doesn’t even pull his sleeve out of my fingers.

I also think I’ve bruised my lip. I don’t know if I’m motivated by discomfort or habit, but I soften against him the way I would if he were Agatha. And for the briefest moment—less than a few seconds—I kiss him properly. I suppose I don’t know any other way to kiss.

Astonishingly, Baz’s breath smells like cinnamon tea. I don’t know what I was expecting (blood, maybe?) and I also don’t know why this observation feels so important, but it instantly wedges itself in my long-term memory.

Because… he’s kissing me back.

I flinch and pull away.

When I open my eyes, Baz looks like he’s been visited by Merlin‘s ghost. His lips are still parted. His eyes are wide and glittering at me.

I clear my throat.

“Reckon it’s lunchtime,” I say above a chorus of hoots and howls of laughter. I feel lightheaded and embarrassed, so I try to channel Baz’s arrogance, smirking as I reach down for my rucksack and sandwich (the latter of which thankfully fell onto the former when I dropped it).

When I stand back upright, he’s striding down toward the Wavering Wood away from me, his coal-black hair dancing in the wind behind him.

BAZ

I’m sitting on a large rock—fuming—when I hear Snow’s footsteps crunching loudly behind me. His foot must slip on some wet leaves because I hear him yelp so loudly, it sends the dryads back into their huts. He has the grace of a hippopotamus.

“Hunting, are we?” he calls after me.

“Fuck off,” I say.

“Funny. That’s usually my line.”

I ignore him.

“I don’t know why you’re sulking,” he grumbles. “You’re the one who made me play.”

“A decision I wholeheartedly regret. Come to gloat now that you’ve humiliated me?”

“Humiliated you? You were trying to humiliate me!” Snow bothers his curls with one hand and makes a gnarled mess of them. “I actually came here to apologize, but seeing as you’re still intent on being a git, I’ll just head back to lunch with Penny and be satisfied that you’ll have all my scones tomorrow as a consolation prize.”

“Consolation prize indeed. You cheated,” I snap, and I hate how petulant I sound.

“I didn’t cheat.”

“Yes, you did. The game was over. And then you decided to make up your own rules.”

“What else was I supposed to do? You cornered me!”

I spring to my feet and spin around to face him. “Of course I cornered you! Entrapment is how you win! I’d demand a rematch if I didn’t think you’d just find a new way to cock it up!”

Snow flings down his rucksack. “Come on, then. A rematch.”

“Here? In the Wavering Wood, where no one can witness your defeat? That’s convenient.”

“Yes, here. Where no one can wipe you off the floor if you call a chimera on me and it goes after you instead,” he snarls. “Which, by the way: you’re welcome.”

“I’m not thanking you for that. If not for me, it would have obliterated us both. You don’t even know how to trigger your own nuclear meltdowns without my help.”

“Get on with it, arsehole.”

“On one condition,” I hiss. “This time, we play the sudden death version of the game. That means every request gets fulfilled on the spot—no hesitation, no excuses.” I fold my arms. “Then we’ll see who is the hawk and who is the dove.”

Simon nods.

“You’re on.”

SIMON

“You start this time,” I say, squaring my shoulders.

Baz is leering at me through narrowed eyes. “Merlin May I have your sandwich?”

It takes everything in me not to throw it at him.

“Yes, you may,” I reply. He reaches me in two steps, stopping less than an arm-length away. (Trying to intimidate me already, the prick.) Then, he grabs my sandwich and flings it into the brush.

One does not simply take away my sandwich and my scones without a fight.

I go straight for the jugular.

“Merlin May I have your wand,” I say in as even a voice as I can muster.

Baz’s nostrils flare. “That depends. Do you plan to use it to blow yourself up?”

“Answer the question.”

He pauses, then he reaches into his sleeve and draws out his wand. “Yes. You may,” he says, like the words are being dragged out of him against his will, his eyes locked on mine as he drops it into my palm.

Shit. I never thought in a million years he’d ever let me take his wand. It seems impossible—counterintuitive even—but he must trust me at least a little if he’d relinquish it. I set it down on the rock.

“Merlin May I have your sword?” he asks.

I feel myself pale. “Shouldn’t you be asking for my wand?”

“No repeats. And what would be the point? You’re practically useless with one.”

“Fuck you, Baz.”

This isn’t going well at all. I can’t bloody think with Baz this close to me. After a brief pause in which I struggle to come up with ways this could backfire, I come up dry and finally say, “Yes, you may.”

He extends both hands. I call the Sword of Mages and hold it up between us by the hilt. Baz doesn’t so much as flinch, but I can see his brain working behind his eyes.

He didn’t expect me to give up my sword anymore than I expected him to give up his wand.

I lay the blade gently across his palms, but he doesn’t put it down. “Why are you still holding it?” I ask.

“There’s nothing in the rules that say I have to put it down. Consider it a deterrent—in case you’re thinking of asking for permission to hit me.”

“Is that right? Well then: Merlin May I take your hands?” I ask.

“You… may.”

Baz looks irritated and bends to put my sword on the ground behind him. Where I can’t reach it.

When he stands again, I hold out my hands. For a moment he just stares at them, and my mind races for a way he might twist my request to harm me. He’s a vampire; I wonder if he would use super strength to crush my fingers in his grip.

But then he slides both his palms over mine. Gently. His hands are rougher than I expected (from a lifetime lighting flames in his palms, no doubt) and cold.

So cold.

The shock of it makes me involuntarily close my fingers around his, like it’s my own hands that are freezing and I need to warm them.

Unnerved, I look up at Baz’s face.

He’s staring right at my throat.

BAZ

Fucking Snow.

He’s better at this than I thought he’d be. I need a way to get his hands off my own and end this before I forget we’re playing “Merlin May I” altogether and trap him with a kiss instead of a question.

I see something glitter near the button of his collar. “Merlin May I take your cross necklace?” I say.

His eyes widen. “It’ll burn you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. You’re a vampire.”

“Yeah? Prove it. Give me the necklace.”

Snow lets go of my hands, and I let out the breath I had no idea I was holding. I watch as he reaches behind his neck, unclasps the chain, and dangles the cross between us.

I don’t let him drop it in my hand. I simply close my fingers around the chain, making sure not to make contact with the cross itself, and cup my other hand around the pendant as I would protecting a flame from the wind. He can’t see that it’s not touching my skin. Quickly, I drop it onto the rock beside my discarded wand.

Snow frowns. “Let me see your palm,” he demands.

I shake my head. “Not if that’s how you’re asking.”

He growls. “Merlin May I see your palm?”

I hold my hand up, but he snatches it out of the air and squints so he can get a better look. With his other hand, he runs a finger down the centerline of my palm to see if I’m burned, and it’s everything I can do to keep my breath from hitching at the sensation of it. His touch is so soft, it feels like dragonflies lighting in my hand.

It’s as if he doesn’t want to inflict more pain, in case the cross had burned me after all.

Snow looks up at me, disappointed. Hurt. Because he knows I’ve tricked him and he can’t prove it. I ought to be used to that expression. I lie to him daily. This shouldn’t be any different than any other trick, but here, alone in the Wavering Wood together with my hand in his, standing on the receiving end of that glare feels like he’s slapped me.

Surely, he knows. He must know; when I cornered him on the great lawn and threatened to out him as a dishonest weakling, I wasn’t talking about him. How could I be? Simon Snow is the most powerful mage ever to walk the earth (and trample my heart in the process).

I am the liar. I am the coward.

I am… losing my nerve.

My constitution won’t let me concede defeat yet—I am a Pitch, after all—but I also can’t help entertaining an outcome where I just cave, hand him his victory, and come clean. Crowley, what would that feel like? What disasters might occur if I confessed it all right here, with the Chosen One burning lines into my palms with his fingertips?

Maybe then, I’d be freed from the other game we play. The one where I pretend I’m not a love-sick vampire with a brass neck and too many secrets. I could just let it all go—my better judgment, my family’s wishes, my hardwired instinct for self-preservation—and say it…

I asked to kiss you, Simon Snow, because I knew you’d never let me. Because I punish myself for loving you by conjuring scenarios where I can come close enough to your fire without being burned.

Of course, he went and kissed me anyway, and now I’m incinerating.

If only.

I wish I could believe that, if he trusts me enough to hand over the only two things in the world that could protect him from someone like me, perhaps I could trust him, too.

I’d tell him no one asked for my permission to make me what I am. There was no “Merlin May I?” when the vampires bit me. There wasn’t one when the Crucible shackled me to Snow, either, and I sure as fuck didn’t ask to fall in love. The whole concept of free will as it applies to my life is a sick joke.

Simon was right. This game is terrible.

I don’t want to play anymore.

SIMON

When I look up at Baz’s face, I see him staring straight at me, his grey eyes boring holes into my pupils. They’re like mirrors in this light, casting back the greens and browns of the forest around us. I catch myself looking for my reflection in them before I clear my throat and say, “It’s your turn.”

I have no idea what he could possibly ask for now. We’ve disarmed each other, except for my wand, but he’s right. Ever since he asked to kiss me, my magic has been volatile and flaring just under my skin. I’d avoid using it against him. (Too risky.) And, rules or no rules, he’s still close enough to bite me if he wanted. No one else is here. Looking at his face now, tense and concentrating, I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing.

Would being bitten feel different than kissing him felt?

I think, in either case, my heart stops.

He’s got a strange look on his face. When Baz finally speaks, it’s unlike any sound I’ve ever heard come from his mouth. His voice is soft and low, all its sharp edges gone. Like music.

“Merlin May I touch you,” he says, “here.”

His fingers hover over my neck, just below my jaw.

My heart is racing now. Maybe he’s putting me in a thrall (vampires can do that, can’t they?), or else it’s a challenge. Maybe he wants me to think he’s actually going to bite me so I’ll concede defeat. But neither of these theories seems compatible with the sound of Baz’s voice, and the next moment, the breeze sends a whiff of cinnamon in my direction, turning all my thoughts to mud.

I say, “Yes, you may,” and Baz’s face is unreadable. I feel his fingers first, then his palm. His thumb trails against my cheek. I expect it to feel uncomfortable, but it doesn’t. My skin is always too warm and his feels like cool water against it.

I can’t help it. I think of Baz’s lips parting against mine.

The breeze picks up then, sending his raven hair flying. He turns his face into the wind, but his hand is on my neck, and I don’t want him to let go.

“Merlin May I touch your hair?” I ask.

He looks confused. It’s an expression Baz doesn’t usually wear unless I’ve done something uncharacteristically civil, like thanking him for leaving the bathroom door open, or waiting for him to finish his homework to turn off the light. It usually precedes a sneer or an eyeroll, but instead, I see Baz’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallows.

Is Baz… nervous?

“Why?” he asks.

“It’s getting in my eyes,” I say. Maybe he was right about me being a liar.

Nevertheless, Baz nods slowly. “Yes,” he says. “You may.”

Hesitantly, I reach up and move several wayward strands of his hair off his forehead, tucking them behind his ear.

My arm stays raised of its own volition. Instead of pulling away, I thread my hand further into Baz’s hair until my fingers are full of it. I’ve always wondered what this would feel like, so I run my hand through it again, and it slips softly through my fingers. I don’t encounter a single knot.

I can’t believe he’s letting me do this.

As I do, Baz tips his head into my touch and closes his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was enjoying it. But then he sighs, and I revise my assessment. He’s definitely enjoying it.

What the hell am I doing?

What the hell are we doing?

“Merlin May I…” Baz whispers, his eyes still closed.

Cross that, I’m definitely in his thrall. I must be. Gravity or some other kind of magic is pulling me closer to him, and I’m staring at his mouth when I feel his hand—the one that isn’t on my neck—slip gently over my waist.

I’m unarmed. No one is here to save me. But I’m not afraid of him.

I wonder if his lips are always so cold…

“Yes?” I whisper back.

His eyes open just then. He’s so close to my face, and where once he looked serene, he now looks stricken.

“Baz?”

He yanks his hands back and shakes his head, like he’s stirring from a bad dream.

“I forfeit.”

I must not have heard him correctly. “What?”

“You win. I’m out.”

“You’re out? You can’t just quit the game,” I say, but he ignores me, scoops up his jacket and wand and heads hurriedly back up the hill toward Mummer’s House. Grabbing my things, I rush after him, but his head start and long legs mean I’m utterly outpaced.

I’m halfway up the hill running at full speed after Baz before I realise I have to turn back around.

I’ve left my sword and cross behind.

BAZ

I’m back in our room, pacing.

More accurately, I’m trapped in the torture chamber between my ears.

I keep reliving the moment on the Great Lawn when Simon’s mouth softened against mine, and when I’m not doing that, I’m obsessing over all the moments that followed. Snow’s fingers in my hair. My hand on his waist. The sticky, smoky smell of his magic pouring off of him as he leaned in… It’s all cycling over and over in my mind like I’m looping through television channels and every network is broadcasting the same slow motion instant replay.

I’m not nearly as devastated over Simon calling my bluff and embarrassing me in front of everyone in our year as I am that he kissed me and didn’t mean it. But then… why did he linger? Why did he run his hand through my hair? Did I imagine him moving in to kiss me again or was that… real?

Nothing makes any bleeding sense.

I should leave. Head to the catacombs. He’ll be here any moment, and I need to get out of this godforsaken room. I would torch it to a cinder if it meant not having to share it with Simon Snow anymore.

My hand is on the doorknob when Snow pushes it open and nearly knocks me down.

“Baz,” he says, panting. We stand there for an endless moment gaping at each other like a pair of idiots before Simon finally notices my rucksack. “Where are you going?”

“Library. I have homework,” I mutter, and I try to push past him, but he blocks my path.

“Why did you forfeit?”

“I couldn’t come up with anything else to ask, obviously.”

“That wasn’t in the rules.”

“It’s implied.”

Simon sets his jaw and pushes me further into the room. “Well, I don’t accept your forfeiture.”

“It doesn’t matter if you accept. It’s my choice,” I retort. “And honestly, what’s wrong with you? No one in their right mind passes up the opportunity to win Merlin May I.”

“That’s not how I want to win!”

I wish there was a rule prohibiting the victor of Merlin May I from talking about it ever again.

“Please, Simon,” I say, lowering my voice, and he starts at the sound of his first name. “I don’t want to play anymore. You won, fair and square. Crowley, even when you lose, you fucking win…”

I shove past him and make it through the doorway when I hear him call out behind me. “Why did you ask to kiss me?”

I spin around to the sound of neighboring doors clicking and creaking open. “Aleister almighty, are you a bloody air raid siren? Keep your voice down!” With a huff, I rush back to our room, push him back inside by the shoulders and close the door behind me. “Haven’t you wrecked my reputation enough for one day?”

“Why did you ask to kiss me?” he repeats, ignoring me. He looks pained.

“Like I said. You should only ask questions you know the answer to. I asked because I knew you wouldn’t allow it,” I whisper loudly. I almost stop myself before curiosity commandeers my voice and I say, “Why did you touch my hair?”

“You touched me first.”

“Because I was trying to intimidate you!”

He shakes his head, furious. “I know what it looks like when you’re trying to intimidate me, Baz. You do it every fucking day,” he growls. “Tell me the truth.”

“I have nothing more to say to you,” I snap. “You’re the one withholding infor-”

“Because I wanted to!” he shouts over me. And then, silence.

I’ve lost the ability to speak.

Or think.

Simon’s face is dragon red.

I think actual sudden death would be preferable to standing awkwardly across from Simon with no feeling in my extremities and no hope of escape. The Humdrum could materialize right here in this room to vanquish us, and it would be a mercy.

Snow looks fit to go off right now.

“I thought maybe you’d put me in a thrall,” he murmurs finally and laughs bitterly at himself. “I thought kissing you was about winning that stupid fucking game. But you kissed me back, and now it’s all I can bloody think about and… Baz, why did you kiss me back?”

My mind is reeling, scouring for excuses, but for once, I’m unprepared. Everything I could say right now would only hurt me on its way out of my mouth.

He steps toward me. “Don’t tell me I imagined it.”

Entrapment is how you win.

I don’t have to lie to him, do I? He just said he wanted his hand in my hair. I’m getting dizzy thinking about what else might he want from me. Aleister Crowley, I want him to have it, whatever it is. Simon has opened a door. I just need to walk through it.

Out with it, Basilton…

Instead—out of habit, sheer stupidity, cowardice, or all of the above—every muscle in me clenches like locks in a fortified wall, bracing me for my usual self-immolation. I hate myself with every word as I monotone, “You imagined it.”

Snow’s eyes darken, and he nods.

“Right,” he says quietly. “Don’t bother going to the library if you’d rather stay. I’m leaving.”

He picks up his belongings.

Oh, Simon.

I never want you to leave.

SIMON

“Snow, wait.”

I pause with my hand on the doorknob. Not a second later, I feel Baz’s hand on my shoulder.

“Merlin May I… tell you a secret?” he whispers, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He feels close.

Glancing over my shoulder, I answer: “Yes, you may.”

“Crowley, don’t turn around,” he says. “You’ll just make this worse.”

I’m at a loss for words, so I just nod.

“You’re right about me. About what I am,” he says, his voice low from behind. “I don’t want to be a vampire anymore than you probably want to share a room with one, but I didn’t really get a say in the matter.” Dropping his hand from my shoulder, he adds, “I’ve never bitten a person. And I never will—unless you tell anyone what I’m saying to you, in which case I’ll have no choice but to tear out your larynx with my teeth.”

I can’t help myself. I turn to face him. Baz’s face is ashen, his eyes fixed to the floor. He’s holding himself by the arms, like he might come apart if he lets go.

“I was a child when the vampires attacked Watford,” he continues softly. “They bit me. And they killed my mother.”

It takes all my mental faculties, but I finally find my voice—only I don’t know what to do with it except whisper, “Jesus Christ,” which is both an inadequate and utterly useless thing to say. Though I can’t see Baz’s eyes behind the veil of his dark lashes, at least my reaction doesn’t seem to offend him because he keeps talking.

“I didn’t lie when I said that I asked to kiss you because I knew you wouldn’t allow it. But then you kissed me , and…,” he says, his voice so quiet, I can barely hear it. “You didn’t imagine it. I kissed you back.”

He finally lifts his eyes to look at me.

“Because I wanted to,” he whispers.

My heart is thundering in my chest. I don’t know what to say. This is too much to process and I’m clearly shit with words anyway. I have so many questions, but none of them are appropriate, and Baz is just standing there with his hair in his eyes, waiting for my cue—to fight, flee, or die on the spot, probably.

But I don’t want him to do any of those things. He told me the truth for once, and it was the biggest, most terrible truth I could have imagined.

And he trusted me with it.

I step around him and toss my jacket and rucksack on my bed. “My turn.”

“What?” Baz looks properly surprised.

“Merlin May I sit beside you?”

He closes his eyes and sighs. “Snow, I didn’t mean to imply that I still want to play this infernal game.”

“I know,” I say, moving toward him. “Consider this the world’s first single-player game of Merlin May I. Your answer?”

He furrows his brow and says warily, “Yes, you may. Aren’t you at all concerned that I’m—“

“Still my turn,” I cut him off, pulling him by the wrist toward his bed and taking a seat next to him. With one hand, I smooth his hair away from his eyes and fix him with a soft gaze. “Merlin May I hold your face?” I say.

Baz is looking at me like I’ve sprouted an extra head. He doesn’t say “yes, you may.” He simply nods. As both my hands reach up and rest against his cheeks, I decide to let the infraction go.

Because he’s trembling.

I’m weightless with shock. This Baz isn’t a threat or a villain or a monster. He’s just… a boy.

He leans into my palm and closes his eyes. His eyelashes look wet.

“Merlin May I tell you something?” I say.

“Yes,” he breathes, “you may.”

I stroke his cheek with my thumb. “I want to kiss you again,” I whisper.

His eyes spring open. “No repeats,” he replies, breathless.

“That was a different game.”

“Same opponents. Same day. Same game. It’s illegal.”

“I don’t think you mind.”

I weave my fingers through Baz’s hair without asking, my hand coming to rest on the back of his neck. He lets me.

“You’re not worried I’ll bite you?” he asks.

Smiling, I touch my forehead to his. “‘Merlin May I is a game of risk and trust.’ Isn’t that what you said?”

“You don’t trust me.”

I shrug. “I trust you not to make supper out of me.”

He shakes his head against mine, and laughs. “I don’t understand your strategy.”

“I don’t have one,” I say, and I’m so close to his mouth that I’m breathing in the scent of cinnamon and cedar. “What’s your answer?”

His answer doesn’t come in words. He just shuts up and closes his eyes. His hand finds my wrist, like he’s afraid of me, but I won’t hurt him. As I close the gap between us, a thought enters my mind.

This is so much better than fighting.

BAZ

I’m certain I don’t know what I’m doing. My first kiss only happened an hour ago in front of God and everyone, lasted mere seconds, and precipitated the most senseless and backwards game of Merlin May I in the history of Magic.

I’m not sure if we’re still playing.

I don’t care. Fuck this ridiculous game.

Simon Snow is kissing me.

On. My. Bed.

Thank Crowley he’s done this before. His hands are still on my face and in my hair, and whatever blood is in me is singing in my ears. He’s blessedly warm which is helping my trembling, and his lips are so strong with intention—to devour me whole, it seems—that mine move in his rhythm, like we’re dancing and he’s leading.

And he’s humming. Like I’m something to savor. I can hear the whisper of his breath, its warmth skimming gently over my face. As his lips move against mine, it sounds like the tail end of a rainstorm. I would give up all my possessions to Merlin May I if he asked for them, just to keep him attached to my mouth.

I feel light. Like I’ve been exorcised of something toxic and terrible.

When he pulls away, we both look stunned.

“So…” he rasps, “this is not how I envisioned finishing out my day.”

“Someone should make sure hell hasn’t frozen over,” I murmur, grinning in spite of myself.

Snow’s eyes brighten. “Merlin’s tooth, I’ve never seen you smile like this before.” He sounds awed. “I mean, you’re fit whether or not you’re smiling at me, but you’re gorgeous when you do.”

“You think I’m fit?” I ask incredulously. “Are you possessed?”

“Don’t let it go to your head. You’re still a git,” he laughs.

“A git, it appears, you’re willing to kiss,” I say, and I can’t help the disbelief that sneaks into my voice. “I didn’t think kissing blokes fell into the realm of things you do for fun.”

He shrugs. “I’m not sure it does,” he murmurs. “You’re the only bloke I’ve ever wanted to kiss.”

I smile. “Crowley, Snow, you have no idea how strange it is to hear those words come out of your mouth.”

“Can’t be much stranger than hearing you admit you’re a vampire,” he says. “I promise to properly shut up about that from now on, by the way.”

“What happens now?” I ask, staring at his lips.

“I haven’t thought much farther ahead than snogging you until Penny has to send a search party here to find us.”

He barely finishes his sentence before something courageous comes over me and I take him by the shoulders. I don’t need to say “Merlin May I” for permission to kiss him this time, so I just do it. I just want to dwell a little longer in this impossible reality where I’ve confessed all my secrets to Simon Snow and he somehow still wants me—in spite of what I am, what I’ve done to him, and what we were to each other before I conned him into playing a game designed to drive mages apart.

Leave it to Snow to completely subvert the point of Merlin May I by sheer accident.

A long moment later, Simon pulls away from me, frowning. “Are you still eating my scones tomorrow?”

I raise an eyebrow. “If all this is just an elaborate scheme to salvage your scones—”

Snow knocks my arm in retaliation. “No, I mean, is Dev’s spell still active?”

“I’m not sure,” I admit. “Are we still playing?”

He shrugs and reaches for my hand. “Dunno. We sort of got sidetracked…”

And now he’s lacing his fingers in mine.

Simon Snow wants to kiss me and hold my hand, and any moment now I’m going to wake up.

“I suppose we both lose, then,” I say. “And that way you can keep your precious scones.”

“We’ll share them,” he whispers, bringing our joined hands to his heart. “I’d say we both won.”

❤️❤️ HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, LOVELIES! ❤️❤️

#fic with a pic #fanart #fanfic #carry on #simon snow #baz pitch #penelope bunce #and they were roommates #alternate first kiss #vkelleyart gallery

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currentfandomkick · 5 years ago

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Team Miraculous and Batboys - Friday Fun

hey, so thank you for your patience, i finally got time to write and was not too dead to!

For those looking for it in order, see the ao3 link HERE

Tally: Separate exposure (END GABRIEL first, kids got enough to deal with—let them have a break):IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (unless we get a tired, pissed off Marinette otherwise) I ((I would fear her wrath too much to do that)) Screw it, Everyone Knows All At Once: III (BONUS: Team Puts it Together + get Ladybug Defense) I Separate Exposures PLUS ladybug speech later: IIIII (Honestly, I just see Ladybug being Like That while the batboys know he’s chat and are all for her tearing people a new one the way they wish they were allowed to in Gotham when asked questions by the press or police that Cross Lines)

Adrien puffed up his chest as he grabbed Damian during lunch. Jason said he couldn’t make it but that there can be more than one shovel talk, so he’ll handle the next one. Adrien has Dibs on the first.

“Damian, can we talk?”

Damian raised an eyebrow before saying, “Aren’t we talking now?”

Adrien almost panicked. Almost! He practiced okay! “I—in private!” he crossed his arms for good measure.

Damian furrowed his brows before nodding. “Very well.”

Adrien… slipped. He beamed like usual. “Great, follow me!”

The ended up in one of the more abandoned classrooms, a bit further from where people liked to go for lunch, just like Jason told him to. Something about the lack of people being unsettling and making it clearer that you hold the power.

“So,” Adrien subconsciously rocked back and forth, “you know why we’re here, right?”

Damian was watching him carefully. Why did he feel like he was the one being interrogated now?

“You are moving far too much. Stand firm.”

Adrien forced himself to do that. He need to be taken Seriously for this to work. “Oh, uh,” he rubbed his neck, “my bad.”

Damian nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Well, we both know you like Marinette.”

“She is an interesting character,” Damian agreed(?). “Why do you bring her up?” (Damian knew why, but he supposed this was good practice for Adrien to learn how to be more imposing.)

“I, you like-like her.” Adrien was… annoyed he was denying it. “And if you hurt her then you’ll have to deal with me.”

Damian almost sighed, almost. “You need to be more specific for consequences. Financial or social ruin, “make disappear” or explicit bodily harm often work.”

Adrien furrowed his brow at that. “I. Well—now you know! And I’m only the first one you have to deal with! Wait until the others hear about this!”

“I am not going to romantically pursue Marinette,” Damian stated calmly. “It would not be wise as I am leaving after the semester.”

Adrien frowned at that. “But you like her.”

“She is someone I admire, yes, but it is not logical to being a relationship when you know it will end badly for both parties,” Damian explained carefully. “I am no threat.”

Adrien kind of wanted him to go after Marinette now. She likes him! And he won’t even when he does and—why does it feel like he’s in a soap opera?

Damian put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “That was a good first try. Perhaps look up other discussions like the one you wanted to have and model your next attempt after them?”

Adrien nodded dumbly, still reeling from the other ignoring his crush for such a stupid reason. There are long distance relationships! And even then, you get to be with someone you love for a bit is better than not at all. He just… can’t get Damian’s thinking as the other left him alone.

He got an akuma alter then.

“Plagg, Claws Out!”

Marinette was beaming around lunch when Nino and Sabrina took off. The event was live and she as streaming it with Chloe.

She laughed as she took a screenshot of the board’s expressions. They were Perfect.

Chloe shook her head before giving off her own ‘evil Chloe grin’ “They deserve it, but remember Marinette---”

“I will only use my powers to defend from Superemely Bad and otherwise work to fix the Bad.”

“And?”

“… I will consult with you first.”

“Good. Your first plan was a mess.”

“Legal exposure of the various systematic abuses wasn’t bad.”

“Sweetie, have you seen how the world works?”

“… fair.”

“We’re firing That Bitch right?”

Marinette shot Chloe one look.

“Good. Restraining order?”

“Hm, once Adrien’s emancipation goes through we can work on that legal battle. Think Sabrina can help? I still have pics from when her claws left bruises and broke skin before and after shoots. Dated too.”

“She will. Her dad too—he loves Adrikins.”

Marinette hummed at that, glad to know it might be a bit easier. Officer Raincomprix had one of the best records in his precinct and refused a promotion offer since it would take time away from his daughter and make it harder to do ground level work. Any one with him vouching usually got what they wanted, and it was an open secret he used for special cases only.

A few minutes after the announcement, the pair sending a quick ‘on our way back’ as they had dodged a question stream, and the ground shook.

Chloe and her locked eyes.

“I need to check on my parents!”

“Daddy needs help with the press storm!”

With that the pair ran off in their respective direction, only to change course at the last moment, altering where Ladybug would be seen coming from.

Marinette managed to find a manhole off-camera that she marked ages ago as a ‘safe’ transformation spot.

“Tikki, Spots on!”

Marinette suddenly felt bad. Maybe she should have been focusing on the Hawkmoth part of the equation more, as now she had a Mass Akumatazation on her hands.

“M’lady, I got four objects en route!”

“Ladybug I managed to nab two objects and am on route!”

And of course….

“Ladybug, I know your team should have this but, uh, I don’t think even Nightwing can stop them at this point. Its find the object and get it to you to purify right?” Red Robin asked, cowl up.

She sighed. Yes, just don’t let them break it until i can catch the akuma. Scarlet spawns faster and turn anyone they touch into an akuma.”

“Understood.”

This… this was going to be a long fight.

Marinette groaned as “Who’s got Dark Cupid?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Please tell me someone found him—he’s a key part of stopping this.”

“Black wings right?” Red Hood said into the comms.

“yes.”

“I’ll get him!”

Marinette wanted to scream when she heard Red Hood start cursing as—“No Fair! I called dibs!”

“You were far too slow.”

“Will someone give me his location?”

She blinked as an address appeared on her yoyo. “Thank you. Just, keep his brooch off from breaking until I get there.”

“Sure thing buggie.”

“Affirmative Ladybug.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and debated once more how bad it would be to send the group back to Gotham. Especially when she heard what sounded like one of Dark Knight’s knights taking a possibly lethal hit.

From Robin.

She hit him upside the head for that.

“None of them even got brainwashed agreement this time.”

“They were attacking you!”

“And I had it handled.” Using them as a distraction while she worked out whatever her Lucky Charm would turn out to be once they found Hawkmoth was her working plan. Dark Knight minions were fantastic at attacking everything that wasn’t Dark Knight. And the other akuma victims? Not Dark Knight.

She only needed one to lure the rest but now?

“Not from where I stand.” Robin was cross his arms. At. Her.

“Its called knowing my victims and how their powers work. One knight needed to get the rest, who attack all other akuma on sight. More time to find Scarletmoth and clear areas of him if we have Knight markers.”

Robin open and shut his mouth before saying, “I was not informed of this plan.”

“Because Scarlet checks up on victims at random and him knowing the plan ruins it.”

“Then why—“

“He can’t talk to unconscious minions. First victim needs them awake to know where they are.”

Marinette sighed when Nightwing got the bright idea to swing in with a kick to Scarlet’s chest.

Red Robin patted her shoulder.

“Three. Two. One.”

“Ladybug I’m so sorry I didn’t think Mayura was there to catch him!”

Marinette was very tired now.

“Queenie?”

“On it!”

They almost had the pair. Almost.

“Why didn’t you tell us the plan?”

Marinette wanted to bash her head against something. Scarlet Moth battles were rare. And right now? Marinette just wanted a Nap.

Red Robin seemed sensible enough to point out the obvious.

“Guys, we weren’t invited and her team knows her tells. They don’t say the plan in any of their battles, just follow any direction Ladybug gives them.”

There was a beep on her earrings.

“I have to go.”

“Buggie, hey, what’s the ru—“

Marinette ran off into a portal this time.

“I. Can she just.”

“Because M’lady’s the best Lady.”

“Chat,” Queen Bee reminded him.

“You too then!”

Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day.

Marinette got a message from Chloe that she’d be there later that night to take her and the other for a movie marathon, this time with Adrien and the rest of team End Gabriel Agreste in celebration.

Felix would be there.

Apparently Tim knew? She didn’t know how, but he did. And he was asking how she handled the last akuma battle.

“Got Knighted. Head hurts. Maman thinks I’m from the group that got killed by Syren again.”

She was not expecting that to mean Gina invaded while she was passed out.

“My leetle Fairy died again!”

“Gina, it can’t be helped with attacks like that.”

“She doesn’t remember for sure, just, most likely what happened.”

“And what if Ladybug failed!”

Marinette felt something cold in her then.

She came down then, not seeing the other guests (apparently Tim visited and Jason came along? And Adrien was there.)

“Ladybug can’t fail.” Marinette and Adrien said together.

“If Chat fails, we always have Ladybug to fix it. She can get allies,” Adrien began.

“And she can cast the cure at any point in a battle and reverse the damage from any particular chain of events,” Marinette let slip. “She doesn’t do it until after the Akuma is caught because if she doesn’t then it will only happen again but worse.”

“And you just, what, live like this!” Gina was pissed.

Marinette held her ground. “If Gotham gets to depend on a bunch of furries and Metropolis an actual alien that chills in the arctic, why can’t you get that Paris trust Ladybug to handle the miraculous?”

She missed the choking from Tim and Jason.

Adrien didn’t. He snorted. “Gotham’s furrious protectors.”

He missed the look of betrayal on Jason’s face. “Red Hood is not a furry.”

“I thought he was a Robin? Ex-furry?”

Jason didn’t know how to respond to that.

Gina was glaring back at her granddaughter the entire time. She wasn’t giving in.

“You can stay with a friend of mine in—”

“I’m good. My family, friends and life are all here. I’m not leaving my home because of some crazy butterfly man.”

Adrien couldn’t stop himself from agreeing. “Plus, you just feel off the whole time. I mean, I’m used to Paris now but I grew up with Felix in London and we’re still trying to work out what happened since Father took me away.”

Marinette was about to say something when Chloe barreled in. “Ah, both of you are here. Mme. Cheng—“

“Its Sabine dear, and yes, I know you and Marinette and your friends have something planned for the night.” Sabine smiled easily, gesturing for Marinette and Adrien to follow. “Now go and try to have some fun, okay?”

“I get to pick the movie!”

“As long as it’s not that ridiculous ‘is my love interest my sister’ one.”

“Don’t bash Ghibli Chloe!”

“I’m with Chloe on this one, that plot line was weird. Maybe Pokemon or an Avengers movie.”

“…Mewtwo.”

“Chloe, please tell me—”

“I live in a hotel, of course there’s tissues!”

Sorry its short, i still suck at fight scenes but that was what i could work out without it reading as Horrendous.

hopefully i can update my other fics soon, but puppy needs cuddles

@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @littleredrobinhoodlum @northernbluetongue @kceedraws @pirats-pizzacanninibles @theatreandcomicfreak @daminett4life @catthhay @weird-pale-blonde-person @amayakans @chocolatecatstheron @tired-butterfly @multplelifes @yin-390 @area51qt @toodaloo-kangaroo @bzz75 @ilovefluffbutsmutisalsogreat @freshbark @soup-served-chilling @daminett4life @smolplantmum @karategirl119 @goblinwhoships @melicmusicmagic @maribat-is-lifeblood @spartanxhunterx @maribat-is-lifeblood @toodaloo-kangaroo

#maribat #daminette idea au #miraculous team and batboys #my writing #my writings #Gabriel Agreste Ended #long post

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helihi · 5 years ago

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The Good, The Bad, and the Dirty: RWBY Vol 7 Ep 4

Thank you for renewing your Punch Jacques Club Membership, I cannot confirm or deny that you’ll accomplish your goal this season, but we’re family.

Overall rating of the chapter: 7.5/10

*Spoilers Ahead*

The Good

To start off this chapter, we learn more about the true dynamics of the Ace Ops and, more importantly, about Atlas Academy. At Beacon, teams are chosen by interactions and collaborative efforts during a recorded test. Ozpin chose teams based on trust, leadership skills, and bonds. In Atlas, teams are chosen based on effectiveness. The students are not viewed as people or individuals, they are viewed as numbers.

In the previous episodes, there were a couple of things that didn’t quite sit well with me: Harriet’s original comment to Ruby regarding her Semblance felt more mean than playful, and the fact that Marrow was everyone’s punching bag. At first, you might think that this is just playful banter between friends, like Yang and Ruby referring to Jaune as Vomit Boy from time to time, however, that’s not true. Since Harriet declares that they are not friends, you may realize that they are not “picking on Marrow”, they are actively bullying him. There’s no complements thrown his way, there are no mutual laughter or apologies, it’s just drag after drag after drag.

I have the slight feeling that Marrow might consider them his friends, and that’s why he’s letting the comments slide. We should also consider that he is the only Faunus in the team, and although I believe their comments don’t come from a source of casual racism, but rather at pointing out the fact that he’s the most childish of them all, we should pin that for now.

I get Harriet, there’s a difference between co-workers and friends. Though some times you may befriend your co-workers, playful banter and after office outings don’t translate to friendship. I say this as someone who has worked for a big company. There were coworkers I genuinely befriended, and other who I was friendly after office hours, but never hung out with outside work parties or outings.

That being said, I find it hard that you wouldn’t bond with those whose life you’ve saved before, the same who’ve saved yours. Interestingly, when Yang inquires about this and gets dismissed by Harriet, you can see the way Blake reacts in the background. Have we bonded over trauma? Is that all that this is?

Let me be clear: people can bond over trauma, but at the same time, going through a lot of things with a person can show you sides of them you never noticed before, you see them in a different light. That being said, Team RWBY’s enemies haven’t been random people: Cinder killed Pyrrha, their friend; Emerald was someone they trusted; Mercury framed Yang in front of Remnant; Adam was Blake’s abusive ex and his goal to destroy Blake and Yang was personal. During the arcs these characters have gone through, they have grown as people as they faced death, obviously they are going to bond.

This may have been pure coincidence, but it’s interesting that an anti-bee section of the FNDM posed the idea that Yang and Blake’s relationship is based on mutual trauma. This claim is ridiculous because both of them cared about each other before the Fall of Beacon. The traumatic event made their relationship take a turn, and realize some things that they didn’t notice before or made things clearer for them. (On a side note, Asami realized she had feelings for Korra when she thought the avatar was going to die at the end of book 3). Sometimes certain situations change your perspective about things and people.

I want to note that Nora’s comedic relief landed perfectly, and Jaune’s sass was on point. Once again James is presented as someone trouble seeking the best outcome through the wrong means. That being said, Tyrian and Watts plan seem to be to overthrow him and generate chaos through political manipulation, and as someone who comes from a country with high levels of corruptions and suspicious murders, this is true real. Also, don’t think James is a good poor guy trying to be his best. He’s actively choosing one portion of the kingdom over the other and dooming certain populations.

Next stop is Jacques “Scumbag” Schnee making his first appearance in the volume. TBH it was about time. Given how the opening frames him, he had to show up soon. Just like I expected the moment he started bickering with Ironwood, he turned around and will now help Watts. At first, Jacques might have had power over Ironwood, but now he doesn’t, at least until he get his seat at “The Council”, which I’m expecting him to win.

As someone with an abusive parent, Jacques’s mannerisms make sense. The shift from his violent approach to a more manipulative one are common abusive tactics of an abusive person when in public or when their victim stands up to them. My parent used to be more physically abusive when I was a child, but when I grew taller and stronger, they switched to a psychological one since I could defend myself. In this case, Jacques was super close to striking Weiss again, but stopped the moment one of her true dads stepped in (Ironwood).

Jacques using Willow to guilt trip Weiss was dirty and awful, and once again adds on to my theory that she might be the Winter maiden. Thankfully, like Ruby promised, Team RBY is right beside her.

Blake is ready to kill him, and Yang is processing how awful the man is. Ruby is utterly confused at his attitude. Following this, we find that Winter was siting for him to leave before showing up. She looks around to confirm that he’s no longer there, and Weiss points out “Winter, it’s nice for you to finally show up”. Just like I've talked about before, while Weiss got out of the abusive environment and found a real family (Team RWBY), Winter escaped Jacques by joining the military. James Ironwood is only missing one Schnee child to adopt, and we’ll get to that soon enough.

All our kids are now huntsmen! Congrats! Just like they say, the licenses feel hollow after all they’ve been through, and TBH I agree. It also shows progress for the characters, specially Yang who had the most superficial goal out of the 4 Team RWBY members. Regardless of that, it’s nice to see the goof around, take pics, and eat cake. Something I thought it was adorable is how Winter interacts with Penny: she’s so caring and nice. I love them.

We got a really good moment between Ruby and Qrow, and some background on Summer. The DC comics have helped us understand Summer a little bit ore, but this confirms that she was a brat (hell ye). Apparently, her last mission was a “Summer mission”. I really need those Team STRQ flashbacks. I bet Raven know more than we think.

I also think it’s important that Qrow pointed out how Ruby is not Oz since she doesn’t keep the secret to herself. I think certain conditions should be met to be open about Salems existence, especially considering current circumstances.

Jaune offering to protect little children is the most Jaune thing ever, never change boy.

Lastly, Watts finds an ally: the douchbag who married into the Schnee name. That small interaction with Whitley and Jacques might be a small sign of foreshadowing him having a reception arc. His father doesn’t trust him to invite his heir into the meeting, and he treats his son rudely. Whitley looks genuinely dejected.

Watts faked his death, that might be an indication why Ironwood doesn’t have a clear suspect yet. Now, he’s part of the Asshole Mustache club.

Anyways, next episode it looks like we’re going to meet Robyn. The sheep faunus and the tattooed guy next to her might have been part of her team.

The Bad

Those quick animations for cheap comedic effect have started getting kinda annoying. I wish they didn’t overuse them ass much.

The Dirty

Where’s Klein.

Final Rating: 7.5/10. Good, but not above expectations.

A.N.: Alost 18 mins, keeping up with the consistent episode length, congrats!

#RWBY #the good the bad and the dirty #Me #Review #RWBY7 #Rwby spoilers

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punkscowardschampions · 5 years ago

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Savannah & Jac

Savannah: [sends her like a voice memo of a scottish lad talking because she said she likes the accent] Savannah: I found one! Jac: You must've 👀 high and low Jac: I swear I've only met the poshest English kids tonight Savannah: they're like 🦄✨ Savannah: aren't you happy? 😊 I want you to be happy Jac: I'm happy Jac: hungry though, there was not enough food Jac: are you happy? Savannah: if you are, of course I am Jac: I want you to be too Jac: I don't know if I said it Jac: but I'm sorry, for all the time you weren't Savannah: you don't need to, I can tell you're sorry Savannah: even if that makes me feel sad Jac: You don't have to be sad Jac: I'm only sorry about things I should be Savannah: you shouldn't have to feel bad about it any more Savannah: that's not what I want Jac: What do you want? Jac: 🦄✨ allowed Savannah: 🌷 🌹 🌺 🌸 🌼 🌻 Savannah: happy you, like when we first met Savannah: 🌞💛 Jac: Okay Jac: I'll try really hard Jac: I think I can be that here Jac: 🤞 Savannah: I hope so Savannah: I almost didn't come Jac: 👢👗? Jac: Why? Savannah: no, here Savannah: like I almost took a gap year Jac: I'm glad you're here Jac: really glad Savannah: I thought you'd be really upset Savannah: you blocked me Jac: I know Jac: I had to, at the time Jac: it was a solid 70% for myself but I was kinda a mess in that time Jac: I didn't need the opportunity to drunk text you or, god knows what Savannah: would that have been the worst thing ever? Jac: I probably wouldn't have been very nice Jac: upset, like you said Jac: it didn't seem fair, to take that out on you Savannah: I wasn't very nice to you when we last spoke, so I think it's fair Jac: You had some valid points Jac: it was bad timing Jac: you leaving, made it seem more hurtful, you know Savannah: did I? I don't know Savannah: but there's a lot of reasons I shouldn't have left Savannah: I'm sorry for them all Jac: It was so long ago, not to say I don't remember, that would be a pointless lie Jac: this will sound weird and I don't wanna upset you Jac: but when I was talking to my brother about meeting you again, he said, about your mum Jac: I'm really, really sorry, that I didn't know Jac: that I didn't check in on her, or on you and Jac: yeah Savannah: of course he knows Savannah: literally nothing escapes the coffee shop gossip grapevine Jac: it's how he writes such #relatable lyrics, I guess Savannah: there does need to be more songs about divorce, I guess Jac: no one talks enough about how rough it can be, on the kids and the people going through it Jac: nothing after the happily ever after Savannah: she did, I just wasn't listening Jac: when you aren't meant to take sides, but you also are Jac: that's Jac: you were in a really impossible position Jac: they were still your parents, both of them, no matter what went down Savannah: I thought it was all her, being so impossible, so EXTRA, until I lived with him too Jac: Have you been talking more now? Jac: It's never too late Jac: she clearly loves you and Sienna like mad Savannah: It almost was too late Savannah: but we're trying Jac: That must've been so scary Savannah: even when it was happening I was awful to her Savannah: like anyone would go that far for attention Savannah: I didn't learn anything from Isabelle, clearly Jac: You seem like you have Jac: give yourself some credit Jac: you deserve it Savannah: I can't ever make up for what I did to my mum or you or Is Jac: Well, you can forgive yourself for me, seriously Jac: I can't give you that for them Jac: but I know you being a better person and putting your energy into that as opposed to guilt, will not hurt either of them, anyone Jac: and it'll make you feel much better too, in the long run Savannah: you're so nice Savannah: the best person Jac: I'm really not Jac: but you should know that Jac: and I mean it Savannah: well, you are to me Jac: Sav Savannah: you don't believe that I mean it, do you? Jac: I believe you're that nice too Savannah: you're so important Jac: You're special Jac: you know Savannah: I know that you're too special to lose for a second time Jac: That doesn't have to happen Jac: I still want to go on this adventure with you Savannah: me too Jac: Then that's settled Savannah: that makes me feel so happy Savannah: I've really missed you Jac: That's what I'd write on your cast Savannah: would you? 🥰 Jac: Yeah Jac: now you don't have to break any bones to hear it though Savannah: That's probably for the best Jac: You've already got a top rep Savannah: Do you think so? Jac: Yes Jac: you're the prettiest fresher Savannah: No way! You're here Jac: 😊 Jac: I'll happily take 🥈 Savannah: but you seriously deserve 🥇 & you have to take that Jac: You can be my champion and I'll be yours Jac: how's that? Savannah: 😊 okay Jac: what did you think Jac: our first social event Savannah: I didn't meet any 🤴🏾🤴🏼🤴🏿🤴🏻 I think that means I'm supposed to be utterly devastated Jac: just distant relatives with no chin Savannah: 😄 Jac: there were some American girls 😭 in the bathroom over the same thing Savannah: of course there were Jac: neighbours? 😏 Savannah: I swear to god, every girl in my halls is Jac: they had the 🍾🥂 flowing at least, so that's one perk Savannah: 🙌 Savannah: but tomorrow it might not feel like one Jac: the 🥪 are apparently a decent hangover cure Savannah: oh good Savannah: because I don't have anyone to take care of me 😢 Jac: do you miss him? Savannah: no Jac: just having someone ready with the aspirin and OJ? Savannah: I wish someone was there to hold me, but it's fine, because my bed is SO small anyway Jac: I think we'll feel less alone when we settle Jac: I almost did a room share but Jac: casual bit of ptsd Savannah: Oh my god! you do not need to put yourself through that again, baby girl Jac: I'm glad I didn't Jac: could get a total Delia roommate Savannah: 😬 Savannah: how do you think her orientation week is going? Jac: I hope she's found her own group of show-offy tryhards Jac: I told you, so changed, so 👼 Jac: 😂 Savannah: you were always an 👼🏻 Savannah: but that's one of the things I hope doesn't change so I'm glad you're embracing it Jac: The only thing Jac: or Savannah: I said one of Jac: don't mind me, that time of the night where I desperately need validation or something 🥳 🥴 Savannah: I want to be someone who gives you what you need Jac: You just really like 💗 🌷 🌺 🌸 💗 Savannah: yes, but you look good in any colour Savannah: being BEYOND beautiful has it's advantages Jac: says you Jac: you look so knockout tonight Savannah: oh you've unblocked me 🥰 Jac: Imagine the absolute rudeness if I hadn't Savannah: I did say whatever you need Jac: I wanna see you Savannah: [a pic that's probably blurry af because she drunk but hello] Jac: [sends a 👋 one back 'cos adorable nerd] Savannah: 🥺 Jac: Your eyes are like that constantly Jac: it's like a superpower Savannah: You have way more power than I do Savannah: making me get 🦋🧡🦋🧡🦋🧡🦋🧡🦋🧡🦋🧡 Jac: If I had real power, it'd be tomorrow night so I can see you again Savannah: If I did, you'd be my roommate so I could always see you Jac: 🥺 Savannah: I totally took for granted how often I used to wake up next to you Jac: and double beds Jac: we can still have sleepovers now Jac: I can deal with the floor Savannah: if you're sleeping on the floor, I am too Jac: ❤ Jac: we can pool ALL our blankets, it'll be cosy Savannah: 🤗 Savannah: You have to stay over tomorrow! Jac: That'd be perfect, after our psych night Savannah: ^^^ because I have to share you with them all Jac: So far, you're definitely my favourite 😉 Savannah: everyone already LOVES you though & I have to tell myself Savannah 🚦 ⛔️ 🚫 ‼️ so I'm not like I loved her first Jac: you're going to be campus 👸🏾 though Jac: no 🤴🏾 necessary Jac: you're ✨ Savannah: 👸🏾✨👸🏻 me & you together Jac: Deal Savannah: Do you like anyone though? Jac: Like like wanna be friends or like like 😍? Savannah: well, I obviously meant as friends but of course you have to tell me if you're falling harder than that Savannah: I believe in the power of first impressions & love at first sight Jac: I'm not 😍 over anyone new Jac: not just 'cos my eyes are 🥴 rn Jac: I wanna get along with the people on our course, and I'm hopeful about it though Savannah: Awh baby, you need someone to take care of you too Savannah: at least wellies are easy to take off, unlike our 👗 Jac: like any man knows how to take off a bra Savannah: 😄 SO true Savannah: I always have to do it myself Jac: Me too Jac: but by choice, I guess Savannah: I'd allow it if they offered to take my makeup off instead, especially tonight Savannah: it's going to take forever Jac: being BEYOND beautiful has it's disadvantages too Savannah: 😴 Jac: Honey Savannah: Sligo's nightlife has done nothing to prepare me for St Andrews, HUGE shock, I know Jac: You're adorable Jac: and you'll still glow even if you wake up in last night's mascara Savannah: aren't you sleepy? Jac: I'm pure adrenaline and caffeine still Savannah: Oh okay, I remember now Savannah: how you are Jac: Haven't kicked those bad habits quite yet, soz Savannah: It's another reason why he reminded me of you Savannah: there's so many actually Jac: Is that as bad a thing as it sounds? Savannah: You're perfect, how could it be bad if he's even slightly like you? Jac: I guess because he's your ex, so if I'm even slightly like him Jac: I don't wanna be a painful reminder, like Savannah: I'm over it & even if I wasn't, he's my ex because of all the ways he's different to you Jac: Good Jac: I don't want you to want someone who doesn't want you as much as you deserve Savannah: this is exactly what I mean Savannah: you're so much kinder than him Savannah: or anyone Jac: I just care about you Savannah: I love you Jac: It's been forever since you said that Savannah: 😢 I hate that Savannah: I don't want it to feel like forever Jac: now you've resaid it, so it doesn't Savannah: I thought about you every day Jac: I thought about you so much Jac: what you were doing, how you were Jac: if you missed me too Savannah: ^^^ Savannah: literally ALWAYS during school I'd be wondering how my JJ was, especially during exams because, of course, you'd have the answers Savannah: but there'd be something I wanted to tell you or show you most of the time Savannah: it was definitely my most painful break up so far Jac: I should've been braver Jac: stayed in touch Jac: for both of us Savannah: No, you had to protect yourself because I was being a bad friend & I didn't protect you Jac: We were both bad friends, to Is Jac: I think it was our karma Jac: instant Savannah: you're right Savannah: it already wasn't fair to her that I just wanted you to myself, I should've been kinder about it Jac: it's what I wanted too Jac: it felt like just one too many ways to split my attention Jac: if I didn't want to, I should've at least been honest with her about it Savannah: but honesty is hard with someone like Isabelle Savannah: particularly if you know it'll hurt her Jac: exactly Jac: and even if it made sense to me, was what we wanted Jac: to actually have to explain it to someone else Jac: it seemed impossible, no excuse but Savannah: ^^^ Savannah: It was kind of a relief to have so many other things going wrong in Sligo, so I didn't have to explain what being without you felt like Savannah: Milo would NOT have understood any of it Jac: Tyler didn't, either Jac: I talked to him, like one time after Jac: disastrously drunk, obviously but I remember Savannah: oh no Savannah: I tried to ignore the fact that you'd still have to see him Savannah: it's still funny to me though, you're the only person who calls him that Jac: I'm the only one allowed a monosyllabic name, Tyler 🤷 Jac: it was shit, for a while, long while Jac: seeing them all Jac: but I was alright Savannah: 😄 your name is cuter anyway Savannah: but I'm so sorry Jac: No offense, but your exes names REALLY suit them Jac: 🤓 Savannah: 🤭 Jac: was the new one smart? Jac: Tyler wasn't, really Savannah: academically, yes Savannah: I avoided basketball players like Ty for obvious reasons Jac: no point repeating mistakes Jac: more fun to make new, better ones, every time Savannah: but I did keep checking on him, literally until he got that new girlfriend, please don't judge me Jac: he was your first love Jac: that's to be expected Savannah: are they still together? Jac: I honestly have no idea Jac: I was so focused on school by the end Jac: they were for ages though, like you guys Savannah: I hope he's really happy, with her or not Jac: I'll look for you, when I'm not at risk of a double-tap Jac: doesn't deserve my ❤ Savannah: no boy does Jac: it's unlikely Savannah: you and Cillian did look perfect together though 👼🏻 Jac: It wasn't a real thing Savannah: he wasn't so impressive up close? 😔 Jac: just not for me Savannah: was there anyone else for you? Jac: Nah Savannah: 😢 Jac: Don't be Jac: I wasn't Savannah: of course, you never were Savannah: they're just boys Jac: I don't like boys Savannah: I wish I didn't Savannah: they can be so disappointing Jac: my condolences Savannah: 😄 Savannah: maybe it's me, I am a high maintenance girl Savannah: it can be a lot to ask of them Jac: it's not you Jac: you're a good girlfriend Savannah: you always used to tell me that Savannah: more than they EVER did Jac: See Jac: it's them, not you Savannah: Or it's you Jac: Maybe Jac: it can be both of us Savannah: 😊 Jac: you want to get brunch tomorrow Jac: to plan and stuff Savannah: Yes! Savannah: I'll be 🥱 though so you have to promise to still love me Jac: Of course Jac: how could I not Savannah: can I tell you something? a secret Jac: go on Jac: 👀👂 Savannah: okay, I'm nervous Jac: I'm never going to judge you Jac: or tell anyone Savannah: I just want tomorrow to go well, you know? Jac: I feel the same Jac: first impressions, proper impressions Jac: but I know everyone is going to love you, so I'm not worried for you Savannah: don't be worried for you Jac: it's the only fresh start I've had Jac: I don't wanna fuck that up Savannah: you couldn't Savannah: I told you, everyone already loves you so much that I'm jealous Jac: You're just protective Jac: I love that about you Savannah: I love you & I don't ever want you to get hurt again Jac: You're very sweet and very drunk Jac: not to mention 🥱 Jac: are you ready for bed yet? Savannah: 🥺 I 🥺 still 🥺 need 🥺 to 🥺 take 🥺 my 🥺 makeup 🥺 off 🥺 Jac: Hold on then Savannah: are you sending me the energy? Jac: No, but I'm coming to do it Savannah: oh my god Savannah: seriously? Jac: I told you your 🥺 are your superpower Jac: I'll be about, 15, I think? Savannah: you're a superhero Savannah: & actually saving my life Jac: saving your pores, anyway Savannah: I won't get royal attention otherwise Savannah: my glow is very important Jac: You don't need to convince me Jac: wellies are back on Savannah: you do make them look good somehow Jac: can't take the country out of the girl Savannah: that's not true of like half of Sligo though Savannah: Milo had a posher voice than me Jac: You can see it Jac: in their faces Savannah: You don't think he was pretty? Jac: Not really Jac: not ugly, obviously Savannah: 😄 he'd be BEYOND offended Jac: as was Tyler 🤷 Savannah: is that what you talked about? Jac: it came up Jac: it was more of an argument than a chat though Savannah: he better NOT have been mean to you because I will break the mutual silence between he & I Jac: nah, it was all fair Jac: and I was drunk enough it was mutual Savannah: I still don't like it Savannah: how dare he Jac: I definitely started it Jac: another not my finest hour moment Savannah: he didn't have to retaliate Jac: it was really soon after you left Jac: we were all a mess, right Savannah: 😔😢 Savannah: I think I'm still a mess Jac: Not for long Jac: cleanser incoming Savannah: ✨ Jac: we're going to make this fresh start work Savannah: of course Savannah: I can do it with you Jac: ❤ Savannah: we can make anything work now Jac: I believe that Jac: I believe you Savannah: my nerves are gone Jac: Good Savannah: will you stay? Jac: I could Jac: if you don't mind Savannah: I'll mind more if you don't Savannah: please 🥺 please 🥺 please 🥺 Jac: You're going to kill me Savannah: I would never Jac: Not on purpose Savannah: I just don't want to miss you any more Jac: I know Jac: I want what you want Savannah: I need you back Savannah: forever this time Jac: [I better let you get there before you say anything more] Savannah: [when you're BUZZING to see your bae like it's been a thousand years] Jac: [so blushy] Savannah: [that's adorable and she'd be making it known how cute she looks and is] Jac: [just trying to busy finding the relevant skin care like oh hush you but not mad, obvs] Savannah: [good luck babe because she is too drunk and distracted to help you] Jac: [just like what is life/is this happening still lowkey] Savannah: [I dread to think how much gay and extra this is gonna get, god bless] Jac: [just like sit down babe] Savannah: [for this moment of intimacy and ridiculous closeness] Jac: [try (and fail) not to swoon with how hard you have to look at her rn] Savannah: [thank god her eyes are closed for some of the time to get all that mascara etc off] Jac: [have a secret moment] Savannah: [you need it cos she's gonna be smiling at you the whole time because happy and because it obviously feels nice] Jac: [just boop her nose when you're done 'cos don't even know what to say] Savannah: [a cute lol to kill you more gal] Jac: [when you left before she said sleepover so I hope you've changed into something you can sleep in but you might've not yet lmao] Savannah: [you can wear her clothes lbr you're that coupley already] Jac: [we all know it, just have a debrief of your nights in detail ladies] Savannah: [slag off all those posh lads] Jac: [it would've been such a culture shock Savannah: [yeah exactly and a reason for Savannah to be as drunk as she is because who do you know girl] Jac: [everyone is terrified freshers, that's the tea] Savannah: [mhmmm stick together ladies] Jac: [and you shall we all see it lol] Savannah: [the levels of gay are so strong in you both] Jac: [and will have all your classes together it's not even a different course moment] Savannah: [literally and all the same clubs etc we know you're into all the same things] Jac: [like you're forgiven for thinking you're fated 'cos well] Savannah: [it's hilarious that you weren't intense besties before you were tbh] Jac: [truly how] Savannah: [the world was not ready] Jac: [speaking of, did marianne ever have friends, she lived there her whole life, hmm] Savannah: [I think it was supposed to be no but like surely when she was younger she would've] Jac: [been alone forever, that's so sad] Savannah: [I think that was meant to be the vibe cos like her fam, you wouldn't want to have friends over, honey I relate] Jac: [mhmm, there are those kids I suppose but no wonder she was so fucked up, also this has nothing to do with this lol] Savannah: [it's so sad] Jac: [but also y'all don't have enough blankets for the floor so enjoy that single bed life] Savannah: [your parents would be proud babe] Jac: [is there anything we wanna say or do or have we covered the vibe?] Savannah: [I think we're probably good because the vibe clearly is that she falls asleep and Jac is left to die because not tired just like when your parents were fake dating except they were both suffering] Jac: [👍]

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kmp78 · 5 years ago

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The story.

The story behind the hotel piccies, I mean!

Originally I had no clue where they might even be staying, since Oulu has exactly zero 5* hotels so I was kinda skeptical about JL/SL staying there overnight at all - in fact, I still think they might have only flown into town on Saturday just prior to the gig, but let´s get to that a little later! 😜

Anyway, as I stepped off the train I didn´t really have a plan in place which would have maximized my odds of running into the Letos, so I just bounced around town for a few hours - until I saw that Stevie had posted a snapshot of their hotel´s courtyard and BOOM! I recognized it as one of the central business hotel-type establishments. Not a 5* hotel by any means, but good enough for the crew obviously! 😆

So I chose to swing by the hotel as it was right around the corner, and indeed I was able to spot that errand girl Jackie and some other roadie dude goofing on bikes on the courtyard - and pretty soon SA also swerved in. I didn´t approach any of them because... why would I? Meh. Who cares. 😴

Nothing more seemed to be happening at the hotel tho so I split and went on with my day until a few hours later as I was making my way towards the marina again and I realized that the hotel was once again just around the corner, so I decided to do a little “drive-by inspection”, if you will! 🤭

And whaddya know! Who do I spot approaching the hotel? 😳

Only one of the most fervent...well, let´s just call her a “megasuperduper fangirl”. You know, the type who tours the globe after Mars and does 93 M&Gs per tour etc... 🙄

I´m not naming names here but you all know her and she has been discussed here many times. 😉

Anyway, I see she just waltzes into the hotel like no biggie (I know she didn´t stay at that hotel because she had posted from another hotel a day earlier), which got me thinking that... well, if SHE can just go into a hotel she´s not staying in, then why can´t I? 🤷🏼‍♀️

And thus I boldly followed her in - aaaaaaand almost had a stroke when I glanced at the gaggle of triad shirt-wearing females sitting around on sofas in the corner because among them was ANOTHER “megasuperduper fangirl” who is also very famous in our circles. Again, not naming names but you all know her too... 🙊

Well, “FOR REASONS” I was not about to go over there or hang around anywhere near their little sofa circle so I went and took a seat in the lobby´s kiddie play section which not only offered a power outlet for my phone but also a direct view to the elevators and main lobby. 🤟

After maybe 15 minutes or so, the echie group was suddenly summoned by SMG and led to one of the conference rooms to the side of the lobby.

Yes I am a bit slow, but only then it clicked why that group was here. The M&G was taking place at the hotel! DOH! 🤦🏼‍♀️

For some reason I had assumed it would be at the festival backstage area like mine was in Getafe, but nope! It was at the hotel - which naturally meant that if the fans were lead to the room via the main lobby, the “band” would be too... 😯

Side note: the M&G group was TIIIIIINY! Maybe 15-18 people tops...

After the group left, mars crew activity in the lobby intensified: Matty Vogel was coming in and out with huge trunks and bags and and and some random roadie was telling him how amazing the sunset had been in Oulu the night before - confirming my suspicions that Matty had not spent the night in Oulu...

And if Matty only arrived earlier that day, I´m pretty sure so did the Letos! 🤷🏼‍♀️

SMG also popped out to the lobby and looked around all confused, obviously looking for someone but failing in it so she went back in.

Then Kenny came down to the lobby reception to ask about the wifi not working (uh oh...), and then asked them for an extension cord and scissors (ooookay...) and MAAAAAAYBE HAPPENED TO DROP THE NUMBER OF THE ROOM WHERE A CERTAIN SOMEONE WAS STAYING...😳

Oh Kennyyyyyy... Maybe keep that information a little more hush-hush...? 🤨🙉

Well, I chose not to climb up and go kick down the door for room 62X because I had already secured a nifty spot on the lobby couches so Messiah was quite safe, I assure you! 🤭

Then Kenny headed to the M&G room right past me - and let me tell you, that tiny lady looked exhausted as hell... Yawning wiiiiidely and looking slightly disheveled while constantly checking her phone. 😣

Soon she returned from the M&G room and headed up, and then in turn that new chick Jackie came down and sat down right next to me (I kept my headphones on and fiddled with my phone but I could still hear her audibly sighing (one of those annoyed-stressed sighs... Gee wonder who might be the cause of such deeeeeeeep sighs...🤔)

Only a few moments later the elevator doors pinged and...

They walked SOOOOOOO close to me, SL legit could have tripped on my foot (that´s my leg/knee you can see at the bottom...) 😂

When the door to the M&G room was opened, I could hear the group SINGING (I think it was WoW but can´t be sure) which is EXACTLY what Reni asked us to do in Stockholm as well, because apparently that would make the band arrive faster...

Childish much? 🙄

Also... THAT PESKY CHARLES MANSON THING JUST KEEPS CREEPING BACK INTO MIND... 😶

Anyway, I decided to double my odds of Letospotting and stayed put for the duration of the M&G, and soon I was joined by 2 Finnish drivers waiting for the band/crew to take them to the festival.

They kept chatting about how the band had ordered food to be brought backstage, but wanted it IN THE MIDDLE of their set, which made no sense to them... 🤔

And me either! 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh except if the food items were also meant for the band´s... special guests waiting in the backstage area...

Hmmm.

Suddenly I heard noises coming from the M&G room´s direction, and I realized the event was over and got ready to get my pap on again...

JL was being EXTRA animated and lecturing Jackie about who knows what...

He def was into it, whatever “it” happened to be. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Interestingly enough, the hotel also housed a girl´s soccer team as well as other randoms, and NO ONE was allowed to use the lifts when the band was on the move!

Can´t risk those germs from normals, obviously! 🤢

MAJORLY IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE!!!!!!

It felt like a really short time that the Letos spent in that room, so I checked time stamps on my pics.

The pics of them walking in were taken at 20:25, and the pics of them walking out at 20:50, which means that THE M&G IN ITS ENTIRETY AKA THE Q&A SESSION AS WELL AS THE PICS TOOK ONLY 25 MINUTES!!!

I shit you not, folks. 😶

TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES.

Granted there were less than 20 people in attendance, but that´s no excuse! In fact, had it lasted the standard 45-50 minutes, the people who had paid $300-700 for that event could have gotten an extremely cool and personal experience with plenty of time for everyone´s questions, general chat and perhaps most importantly: the pic session would not have felt like a rushed cattle drive!

But... there it is. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Twenty-five minutes is all you get for a shit ton of money, guys!

Thank the friggin´ lords above I didn´t buy a M&G because HOLY SHIT.

HOOOOOOOOOLY SHIT!!!!!

Ugh. 😑💸

After the Letos disappeared upstairs, I chose to abandon my post and finally head out to the festival grounds (all the M&G folks left too so I figured if they dared to leave their Messiah, I might as well...)

Cut to an hour later, at 22:31 (only 1 minute after scheduled kick-off time whaaaaaaaaat...?!?! 😱), Monolith started booming from the speakers and show got underway.

Nothing much to add about the concert that wasn´t already mentioned in that review I posted earlier... You can still check the recording from the show on my IG for a few more hours! 😉

It really was exactly as lazy and re-re-re-re-re-re-reheated as we all suspected it to be - even down to the inbetween-song quips. 😴

“Has anyone ever heard of a song called The Kill?”

Has anyone NOT heard that sentence before?! 😒

Doubtful. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The only memorable differences I could notice were that against all odds, SL's singing wasn't as bad as it has been previously, and that JL has graduated from shirts to hats:

Oh and of course that little outburst at Shayla was a nice touch. 👍

All in all, concert-wise I can't say I would have missed anything had I not gone to this one.

But the side events and whatnot...

Well, they were kinda amusing, not gonna lie! 😂😜

#concert review #sort of 🤷🏼‍♀️

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duhragonball · 6 years ago

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Dragon Ball Z Movie 5: Cooler’s Revenge

Movie time again. This time it’s Cooler’s Revenge, which premiered on July 20, 1991, between the airdates of Episodes 99 and 100. The original title was “Dragon Ball Z: The Incredible Mightiest vs. Mightiest“

I found the timing of this movie very strange, because the whole plot is direct sequel to the events of the Frieza Saga, which didn’t end until Episode 107. In Episode 99, Frieza is still fighting Goku on Namek, and he feels pretty confident about his chances. A few days after that episode airs, you go to the theater and see this movie, where Frieza’s already dead and his brother goes after Goku to take revenge.

On the other hand, the manga had already moved on to the next arc by this time. Chapter 333 was published on July 16, 1991, and it features Goku meeting Future Trunks, right after he finished killing Mecha-Frieza. So this movie apparently presumes you read the comics. Or, if you’re anime-only, maybe it assumes you kind of know which way this Frieza thing is going to turn out.

The movie opens with the destruction of Planet Vegeta. You know, they really got their money’s worth out of that Bardock TV Special, didn’t they. I think this is the fourth of fifth time they used this footage for flashbacks, and it was less than a year old at this point.

From a distance, a second spaceship observes Frieza destroying the planet. They apparently have really great cameras if they could get such a good close up of Frieza’s face.

The crew also notices a single spacecraft escaping the planet’s destruction. I guess they patched into some camera inside the ship? Their leader orders them to destroy it, but then their boss belays that order. He sees this Saiyan baby as an oversight on Frieza’s part, and he refuses to clean up Frieza’s mess for him. As Cooler puts it, Frieza planted this seed, so he can reap the harvest, whatever that might be.

And there’s the title card. We’re underway.

On Earth, Goku’s parting the ocean outside Roshi’s house, and Roshi thinks about how much stronger Goku is since he returned from Namek.

Back at Goku’s house, Chi-Chi brings Gohan some Tang and tries to chase Icarus away, but then Goku does that last one for her. He’s all “Hey, don’t bother Gohan, Icarus. He’s gotta do his homework!” Chi-Chi assumes this means Goku has a fever.

She’s so worried about this that she drinks Gohan’s Tang. Rude.

Turns out Goku does have a fever, and the only prescription for that fever is camping. He want Gohan to hurry up and do his homework so they can goof off in the woods somewhere. I guess the TWO camping trips from Movie 3 didn’t scratch that itch.

Meanwhile, on some other planet, Cooler’s men report that Frieza was killed by a Saiyan named Son Goku. Cooler is astonished and outraged, and he resolves to go to Earth and kill Goku as soon as possible. Not because he cares about Frieza, but because he insists on restoring his family’s honor.

Flash ahead to the camping trip, where Krillin is making curry over a campfire. He sends Gohan to get some more firewood and.... does Gohan have his tail? Huh.

Elsewhere, Goku catches a big-ass fish that Krillin’s gonna fry up to go with the curry. This does sound like a fun time, actually.

But then the bad guys show up. The big green one, Dore, grabs him by the tail, and questions how this kid could have killed Frieza, since his power level is 50. Salza, the blue one, notes that his reading it probably low because of his tail being grabbed, but that’s still pretty weak.

Then Goku shows up, and they introduce themselves as Cooler’s Armored Squad. The brown one is named Neiz, by the way.

Goku fights all three of them at once, and does pretty well, but then their boss shows up and he mistakes him for Frieza.

Then Cooler tries to shoot down Gohan, who’s flying nearby, so Goku has to go save him...

... only to take a ki blast to his back.

Despite this, he manages to fire back at Cooler, who deflects it. Then Goku nd Gohan fall in the river and get lost in the water. Cooler’s men are satisfied that they must be dead, but Cooler isn’t convinced. Goku survived his attack, and had enough power to strike back, which means he’s tougher than most Saiyans. He orders his men to find Goku no matter what.

Gohan manages to get Goku into a cave, but he’s still in rough shape.

Making matters worse, Cooler’s men decide to carpet bomb the whole forest to flush Goku out. All the end up doing is sealing off the cave Goku’s hiding in.

Later, Cooler’s goons report that they must have vaporized Goku by now, but Cooler won’t be satisfied until they bring him a body. He notes that he could have just blown up the whole Earth and killed Goku that way, but he wants to kill Goku in person, as he feels this would be the only way to satisfy his family’s honor.

That night, Krillin, Oolong and Icarus search for Goku, and Icarus manages to sniff out Gohan’s hiding place. Krillin digs them out, being careful to suppress his ki so the bad guys’ scouters won’t pic them up. Goku insists that he should take care of the animals first.

But Krillin has already delegated that task to Oolong and Icarus. Only trouble is that Oolong starts a rockslide while he’s freeng that bunny rabbit, so Krillin has to use a ki blast to save him.

Fortunately, Neiz nearly collides with a pterodactyl as he chases down the scouter blip, and he decides the pterodactly must have been the source of the disturbance.

So Krillin sends Gohan and Icarus to Korin’s Tower to get some senzu beans. Meanwhile, Goku sleeps on a deer while a bunch of otehr animals gather ‘round him to make him look cuter, I guess.

Gohan makes the trip via Icarus, because if he flew on his own power it would tip off Cooler’s guys. But when he makes it to Korin, Korin chews him out for not climbing the tower like everyone else i supposed to do. Gohan started about halfway, because he was riding Icarus. This scene is kind of weird, because Gohan’s never even been here before, and Korin seems pretty content to mess around while Goku’s life is at stake. Does he not sense Cooler’s presence on the planet? This is an emergency.

So Gohan agrees to go back down and climb the tower from the ground, but then Yajirobe tosses him a whole bag of senzu beans. He and Korin argue about it, and eventually Korin admits that he was just going to give Gohan the beans for being honest, so Yajirobe just stole his thunder.

On the way back, Icarus is pretty worn out, so Gohan gives him a senzu bean to rejuvenate him. But it works a little too well, because Icarus ends up flying so fast that he creates a signal on the bad guys’ scouters.

Gohan tries to fight the Armored Squad by himself, and he doesn’t too badly, but there’s three of them and one of him, and soon the numbers game catches up with him. It’s a really well-animated scene, though.

Then Piccolo shows up to help, because by now it’s become a DBZ Movie tradition.

Piccolo sends Gohan on ahead, but the squad sends Dore after him, so Piccolo shoots a ki blast at Neiz. Neiz can suck his entire head into his chest, though, so the blast misses him...

Only Piccolo wasn’t aiming at him in the first place. The blast locked onto Dore and followed him until it killed him. Piccolo, you magnificent bastard.

Neiz manages to catch Piccolo in some sort of paralysis field, so Salza heads after Gohan, leavng Neiz to finish Piccolo off.

That turns out to be a huge mistake, because Piccolo somehow manages to turn the attack back on Neiz, killing him instantly.

Then Piccolo chases after Salza in the forest. You know, this movie’s really good. Even this middle part has plenty of cool visuals and action sequences.

Piccolo does some stretchy arm stuff, and Salza makes a ki blade on his arm that can cut through trees, but ultimately Salza only survives thanks to a timely assist from Cooler, who zaps Piccolo with ki beam.

Later, Gohan returns to his dad with the senzu beans... but then Salza shows up and zaps them into ash before they can use them. Whoops.

While Krillin fights Salza, Gohan remembers that he still had one more bean in his belt, so he digs it out and feeds it to Goku.

Salza makes short work of Krillin and Gohan, and then he checks for Goku... when his scouter explodes.

Goku’s back and he’s pissed.

Then Cooler shows up and sets off an explosion under Piccolo. What a jerk.

Salza tries to punch Goku while he’s distracted, but it does absolutely nothing. Welcome to Goku Town, jackass.

Salza gets knocked into some rocks when Goku powers up, and then Goku and Cooler fight. It’s mostly even, though it looks like Cooler is holding back somewhat. Once he’s satisfied that Goku really is strong enough to have beaten Frieza, he decides to step things up a bit.

He reveals that while Frieza had four forms, Cooler has a fifth, which means he can become even stronger.

I mean, I get the idea of having your new villain one-up the last villain, but this sort of goes against the notion of Frieza’s transformations. The “final form” he used was his natural state, and the weaker forms were ones he devised to help suppress the bulk of his immense power. Cooler is starting out in his “final form”, and he claims to have a transform that will make him stronger instead of weaker. I think Toei might have gotten it backwards.

Still, the fifth form looks pretty cool.

Cooler just beats the shit out of Goku at this point. Goku can barely do anything against the guy. At one point he tries the 20x Kaio-ken Kamehameha he used against Frieza, but Cooler just leaps into the blast, swims through it, and comes out the other side to punch Goku in the face. Wicked.

Satisfied that he’s beaten Goku, Cooler decides to go ahead and blow up the planet.

Goku collapses onto the ground, and then he spots a bird that must have been hurt during Cooler’s invasion.

Then Goku gets up and heals the bird. How the hell did Goku do that, you may ask.

Because he’s the Legendary Super Saiyan, that’s how.

Cooler tries to fire a blast down at him, but before he can even bring down his arm, Goku’s already floating next to him and grabs him by the wrist. “Bitch, you thought--?”

Then he tries to punch Goku, and that does absolutely nothing. Welcome to Super Goku Town, you grape-flavored dumbass.

Goku only hits Cooler a few times before he gets the picture. This was the power Goku used to defeat Frieza, and Goku is about to use it on him.

So Cooler fires a huge blast at Goku. It doesn’t hurt him at all, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to use it as a diversion...

... so Cooler could make a big energy ball to destroy the whole planet. Baically, Cooler is a lot like Frieza, only he’s much more direct. He doesn’t waste nearly as much time on this stuff, although he could have done this half an hour ago and saved himself some trouble.

Instead, Goku stops the attack before it hits the ground, and then he mucles it up and launches it back on Cooler with a Kamehameha. If you’re watching the dub version, “Revelation” by American Pearl plays over this, and it’s petty awesome.

Cooler ends up getting launched into space, and eventually he realizes he’s headed for the Sun. That’s what you get for hurting innocent birds in Super Goku Town, you lowlife. Also, Piccolo and so forth. Mostly birds.

As Cooler dies in just about the most awesomest way possible, he realizes that he made the same mistake Frieza did. Frieza failed to intercept Goku’s spaceship when he was a baby, but Cooler let it go too. And now Goku’s defeated them both. So their whole family is a bunch of losers.

I really dig this. It’d be good enough to see the bad guy blasted into the sun like this, but on top of that, we see him realize the extent of his folly. Cooler believed he was even more cruel and ruthless than Frieza, but in the end he was brought down by he same sloppiness that plagued Frieza. He insisted on searching for Goku and giving him a chance to recover when he could have just blown up the planet from the start. And look where it got him.

Somehow, the explosion causes the whole sky to light up and then go dark before everything goes back to normal.

Everyone congratulates Goku on his victory, but they wonder what happened to Piccolo. Then they hear someone digging out of the rubble...

But it’s Salza. He’s like “I lived, bitch.” Then a Special Beam Cannon comes out of nowhere and kills him.

Elsewhere, Piccolo takes a drink of water and goes “No you didn’t.”

How did Piccolo recover from his injuries? He didn’t get a senzu bean, and Cooler worked him over pretty badly. Oh well.

And that’s the end.

Just to touch on continuity a bit, this one almost fits into the canon, because you could set it right after Future Trunks warns Goku about the Androids. It doesn’t seem too unlikely that Goku would take a camping trip as a break from training for the Android menace.

The only real continuity problems that arise are things like Gohan still having his Namek-era bowl cut, and growing his tail back. It’s not impossible, but it seems rather unlikely.

More importantly, it doesn’t add up that Goku seemed to wait until the very end of the movie to turn into a Super Saiyan. In the Future Trunks episodes, he revealed that he could transform at will. In this movie, it feels like he couldn’t transform until the situation became desperate enough. Also, it seems odd that Frieza’s brother invaded Earth and Tien, Yamcha, and Vegeta didn’t get involved at all. When Mecha-Frieza came to Earth, everyone sensed it immediately.

Nevertheless, this is one of the better entries in the movie series. The animation is really excellent, the visuals are pleasing and colorful, and the plot is satisfying enough to compensate for the somewhat unoriginal villain. Frieza has an older brother who’s stronger than he is? And where was he until this movie happened? Why doesn’t he rule the universe instead of Frieza? It’s the sort of thing a fan would make up as a gag, like El Hermano, Jiren’s evil brother from the Latin American DBZ fanbase. Only Cooler really hapened, and he got to be in a movie. Two movies.

Still, Cooler does have a certain charm to him as a guy who wants to be a better version of Frieza. My only complaint about him is that he’s voiced by Ryusei Nakao, the same voice actor who played Freza. That makes sense, sure, but it’s also pretty dumb, becaue the character was already a Frieza clone to start with. Giving him the same voice just makes things worse. Funimation got it right by casting a completely different person to play the part, and punching up Cooler’s self-esteem issues. Also, the dub had the cool soundtrack. If you want my advice, watch the dub version, but the original Japanese is still a good experience.

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #dbmovieliveblog #movie 5 #cooler's revenge #cooler #goku #oolong #krillin #gohan #yajirobe #piccolo #korin #chi chi #icarus #neiz #salza #dore #bardock #frieza

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tsuminiochiiru · 7 years ago

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Granrodeo FC OkinaWA trip, bullet points

I’m wiped out after a few days of playing tourist and Rodeo Girl on the main island of Okinawa, so a full report with pics will have to wait, but here’s some tidbits.

I smartly came in a day early, so was able to sightsee before the tour started -- fit in Shuri castle and the aquarium. And so when the tour went to the aquarium (on what had to be a super-crowded Saturday morning), we went sea kayaking instead (and my friend snorkled). We had amazing weather the day everyone else flew in, so we spent the morning/early afternoon beach combing on the beach behind the hotel. The water was so pretty and clear as to be unreal.

This time attendees were split between two hotels, one in the city, and one up north on the beach (I was at this hotel). So the party was done in two parts, with my group being first.

They came into the restaurant banquet room with the troupe above, dressed just like that -- they did both shows that way, and apparently at the 2nd party at the end, Kiiyan took the robe half off (he had long, pale blue shorts on underneath from what I saw at our event) showing off his shoulders and chest; e-zuka was showing off leg and accidentally flashed the party-goers with black pantsu. XD

We did our 3-shot photos with them dressed as you see in the pic above. Kyaaaaaa! So handsome.

They were steadily drinking through the two parties, and Kiiyan said at the sunset live the following afternoon that he was a bit hung over.

Alcohol probably explains the partial disrobing ... and Kiiyan’s moment of lovely fan service that he gave our party. The last prizes in the giveaway section were like last year’s Prince corner. 4 winners got to draw a card with a scenario on it and Kiiyan/e-zuka had to act on it. e-zuka drew two RG, but Kiiyan’s second draw was a cute, young RB. He looked at the name, squinted over at the seat and was all sorts of “Nooooooo.” And when the RB drew his card, we all knew it was a good one, because he was dying up there on stage. They made him wait til last, and it turned out to be “agokui,” or lifting someone’s chin in a surprising, kind of domineering romantic way. So ... Kiiyan delivered, and how. He not only lifted the RB’s chin ... he made as if to go in for the kiss. Multiple times. From multiple angles. And I don’t mean from a distance. He was close! The audience was HOWLING. It was so much better than if an RG had drawn that card.

At the second party, he had to “woo” one lucky RG, which involved him hugging her from behind. e-zuka had told the audience to close their eyes and imagine Kiiyan was speaking to them. So they missed the hug. To make up for it, Kiiyan had to hug e-zuka from behind, but the latter had to make himself shorter, since he’s taller than Kiiyan. XD

The girl next to me won one of Kiiyan’s jackets. She was so surprised when he called her seat number that she dropped her phone. Lucky girl! I got to touch it ... as close as I’ll get to winning something at the giveaways, ever. Kiiyan put the jacket on her ... but not before faking her out and putting it on himself first.

The sunset live was wonderful, even if it was too cloudy to see the sunset. At least there wasn’t any rain. Endless Summer was AMAZING acoustic. Kiiyan’s sweet voice, e-zuka’s mad guitar skillz. Shounen no hate and Happy Life moved me to tears. And the fireworks going off as they were wrapping up Bararai were just a perfect ending.

After the sunset live, we had an hour to kill, then got back on the bus to receive our G7 tickets from Kiiyan and e-zuka. They both got on each bus, Kiiyan high fiving everyone on his way in AND out (lucky me for being on the aisle, and getting to touch those warm, soft hands twice). Kiiyan gave out the tickets in the back of the bus, so it was e-zuka who gave us ours (we were row 2). He did the first four names no problem, then got handed the envelope with my tickets and my name in both romaji and katakana. He stopped in his tracks and went “Oh!?!” and then pondered a good long while before saying it perfectly. We applauded and I told him “subarashii!” I consider this his punishment for teasing me about his English skills at the G11 DVD event! My friend’s name was easy, but then a girl in the row behind us had an unusual kanji reading and e-zuka had to be corrected. Heh. A Japanese-Filipina friend on another bus, whose name is Hispanic like mine, ended up with Kiiyan going “Oh!?!” when handed her envelope.

G7 ... I still can’t believe they played Shinka to daraku no ningenron. Other songs may dominate my heart for a while, but for some reason I always come back to Shinka to daraku as my fave. And I didn’t know it well enough at G6 to appreciate it, or to know that it wouldn’t get played again (other than the excerpt in the Funky melody at G10). So, so happy to hear it. Most of the audience didn’t seem to really get into it, but two RG near me seemed quite happy to hear it too.

They joked that next up would be G8, with Kiiyan (I think) going "time slip!”

e-zuka declared that the acoustic set was “G Rock Show Quiz time” and made Kiiyan try to guess the acoustic songs at G5 and G6 (Ride on the Edge / Smile & Koi Oto). He only remembered Smile, and a sang a bit wordlessly. I could’ve cried buckets hearing him and remembering what it felt like to hear that at G6.

This year was less intimate than the previous years, since the group was split, and we didn’t have either hotel to ourselves, but 4 Sight and Lantis did a really good job. The 4 Sight staff were very friendly (always saying hi even outside of event times) and helpful. And it turned out one of them speaks really good English (where were you the first bus trip!?). There were also lots of freebies -- Okinawan cookies, a coaster, a nice cushion for sitting on at the sunset live (it will see use in goods lines next year oh yes), a really nice ticket holder, a commemorative ticket, the usual pamphlet with space for the 3-shot photo/ticket/special dvd. (I need to remember to watch the DVD before I pass out).

Hoping like mad I can get into the FC trip to Taiwan for the shows with FLOW!

#granrodeo #taniyama kishou #iizuka masaaki #kishow #kiiyan #谷山紀章 #e-zuka

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recentanimenews · 4 years ago

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FEATURE: Looking For Romance? Check Out These Top Anime Meet-Cutes

Mitsuha and Taki

Your Name is a remarkable film for many reasons. One of them being how its protagonists Mitsuha and Taki's paths continuously cross in various ways, resulting in the ultimate meet-cute! The first time Mitsuha and Taki "meet," it's not exactly face to face. The two come to learn about each other when, for reasons unknown to them at the time, they were switching bodies. The two have no way to communicate with each other other than to leave reports on their phones about the day's events so the other isn't completely oblivious to what happened. Because there's not much Mitsuha or Taki can do about the switching, the two decide to do their best navigating the situation and this whole encounter becomes very entertaining to watch.

via FUNimation

Rika and Yuta

I could write novels about how amazingly adorable Love Chunibyo & Other Delusions is as a series, and the relationship between Rika and Yuta is just too cute for words … but here I go!

Sakura and Syaoran

Okay, I'm going to cheat a little on this one because Sakura and Syaoran's first introduction is a little more tense than endearing, and it's actually when they reunite in Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card that gives you all the warm fuzzies. Sakura Kinomoto just started middle school and her first day is going pretty well. As she's walking home with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, Sakura sees Syaoran waiting with the Sakura bear in hand. Sakura and Syaoran didn't really get their happy ending at the end of the Sakura Card Arc because Syaoran had to go back to Hong Kong, so this meetup is filled with sweet emotions as they finally get to be together in person. Of course, what makes the moment even more lovable is the fact that Tomoyo is close by capturing the enchanting meet-cute on video. This moment also shows just how much Sakura and Syaoron have grown.

When Syaoron is introduced as a transfer student, he couldn't take his eyes off of Sakura, although, the encounter was less goo-goo eyes and more of a menacing stare down. They had never met, but there was so much tension. Over time, both Sakura and Syaoran better understood their feelings, and their second "introduction," if you will, is a complete 180 from where they started.

Kaori and Kousei

At first, Kousei just assumes Kaori is this free spirit, but then he hears her play the violin. Much of Kousei and Kaori's first introduction centers around Kaori's music, and it's the music that makes their first meeting more than just cute and comical, it also makes it influential. Kousei was captivated by Koari's unstructured style of music, a style in which he had no experience. Their first day was precious and the characters are precious in how they inspire each other.

Nagisa and Tomoya

Ah yes ... Clannad! Anyone who has seen Clannad knows exactly what I mean when I say how ridiculously cute and heartbreakingly sad this anime is. A big part of that has to do with Nagisa and Tomoya, whose first encounter is genuine, encouraging and wastes no time introducing the lovable relationship between the two. Tomoya has a pessimistic attitude about the way his life is going, but it's sweet how on the way to school, Tomoya shares some motivating words to Nagisa, a girl he just met. Tomoya ends up offering some good advice about an issue that's been bothering her. This moment immediately sets up the sweet dynamic between the two, and while this instance appears simple on the surface, knowing what I know now from watching the entire series, this moment is powerful. It truly gives insight into their relationship, supporting and uplifting one another throughout their journeys.

Rinko and Takeo

My Love Story!! is a unique series that is caring, tender, and overall filled with sweetness, and I'm not just talking desserts. The relationship that blossoms between Rinko Yamato and Takeo Gouda is just too pure for this world! Unlike some of the other meet-cutes where the first encounter may be awkward, comical, or playful in demeanor, Takeo literally swoops in like a knight in shining armor the first time he sees Rinko. While riding the train, Rinko is being bothered by a scummy individual. Takeo notices the despicable behavior and immediately intervenes. Rinko is not only grateful for Takeo intervening but for also not allowing the perpetrator to talk ill of her. Takeo is someone who is introduced as having no luck with girls, and although the event leading up to how Rinko and Takeo meet is wrong, what's special about their first encounter is for the first time, someone appreciates and respects Takeo's kind heart instead of just taking advantage of his caring personality. As I said, Rinko and Takeo's relationship is pure and innocent and their first meeting is all about heart and compassion.

Tsukasa and Nasa

Nasa's never had a girl over to his apartment, let alone a girl who is now his wife. The first night they spend together, Nasa follows Tsukasa's lead, doing what he can to make the new nuptials and living arrangement more welcoming and comfortable for his adoring wife. Nasa also has no problems expressing his emotions and his feelings toward Tsukasa, and even the smallest gesture like holding hands sends him 'over the moon.' Tsukasa and Nasa's relationship moves pretty quickly, but it's charming to watch them fully embrace the relationship.

Usagi and Mamoru

via Hulu

What are some of your favorite anime meet-cutes? Let us know in the comments!

Pro hero Veronica Valencia is an anime-loving hot sauce enthusiast! You can follow more of her work as a host, writer, and producer on Twitter and Instagram.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Veronica Valencia

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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arplis · 5 years ago

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Arplis - News: Hi guys, Brian here

I’m writing this post because we found out yesterday that Emily is allergic to pollen. Like, suuuuper allergic. Like, looking at her you’d think she’d watched “The Notebook” and the opening sequence from “Up” back to back. Her poor little lash-less eyes are so red and watery that she can barely see. Also she’s been so congested at night that she can’t sleep. So last night she took something to knock herself out, and she’s still out as I write this, which is 7:39 am on Friday. That’s crazy for Emily, she’s usually up at 5:30 writing posts for the blog. So now I’m up early writing for the blog. I’ll keep you posted on when she wakes up… Hopefully, she goes for a while, she needs it. Let’s start with a video so you can get the full scale and get Emily right before the pollen fully attacked (just wait for the ad to play). OK. I’m back. The garage. This has a special significance for me because there’s something innate in men to have a squared away garage. I think it’s because the garage is the one room in the house (or out of the house I guess) where function matters more than form. It’s kind of the only place where I can win some design battles. In a garage, you’re not trying to figure out which pouf would offset the muted tones of a chaise lounge, you’re trying to figure out how many rakes can we fit on that wall. And that’s my kind of design. The problem is, I’m lacking motivation to do things right now, which I think is a symptom of the whole quarantine thing. After home-schooling the kids in the morning, I find myself acting like an old British man, mumbling incoherently and stumbling around the house in a daze until cocktail hour. But Emily, pre-allergies, is ever-motivated and kept threatened to do the garage herself until I acquiesced. So off to the garage we went! Our garage here at the Mountain House is pretty small and has not been organized in about a year. Plus it was the storage site for the reader event we threw and photoshoots we did last year, so there’s a lot that needs to be sorted and donated or driven back to LA. Here’s Emily showing off the space before her face got attacked by pollen. As you can see, we never spent a lot of time thinking about the organization of this space. Emily and I are both kind of “I’ll just put this here and deal with it later” people, which isn’t a good combination when it comes to garages. We’ve got a shelving unit up, but it’s not being used very well. And we’ve got lots of random stuff near the shelves, but we just didn’t make it to the final step of putting them on the shelves, which is hilarious. Plus we have a bunch of stuff we need to find new homes for (not in our home) like the rugs, and some chairs, and some lampshades. We have a LOT of random lampshades. Anyone else have that problem? BTW, it’s 8:01 am, and still no Emily. It’s getting to that point where I might go check to see if she’s still breathing. So after Emily got the old British drunk to focus on the garage, we figured out some specific things that we needed: storage for our tools and yard stuff, space for our bikes, an area that we can rotate for seasonal things like beach stuff in summer and sled stuff in winter, a redesign of the shelving, and of course space enough to park my 6 seat “Ferrari” golf cart, which I will still defend as one of the best craigslist finds any human has ever made. I mean the best, right?? Ok moving along… It should be noted that there originally wasn’t access to the garage from inside the house so we put in that little stairway (it has to be that big for code, but we could certainly reduce its footprint). We love the access and we use it all the time but it does mean that we will never be able to put an actual car in here. But honestly, it’s so small that we don’t know if we would have been able to fit our big cars anyway. So yes, we need to be able to put the Ferrari in there, but that’s about it. Here are more pics of the whole original mess: We have a lot of Christmas stuff in those bins, which takes up a lot of space. We need to find a new spot for it though because it’s silly that something we only use for two months is dictating so much space for the whole year. First Round of Organization After everything was removed and cleaned it was much easier to see what might be possible in there. We gave some stuff to some neighbors up here, we drove some stuff back to LA, we relocated some stuff, and we learned that we had a lot of broken things that had to go in the trash. Emily just came out of the bedroom, it’s 8:11 am. I don’t think she’s slept in that late since college. She says she’s feeling better today. So here are some decisions we still need to make: We need shelving, but could certainly make it nicer than that. And while we love that staircase do we want to make it nicer than that? Paint the janky railing? Like I said, we could have made it just three steps down without the railing but not legally, so we put in this big guy. We aren’t terribly motivated to demo it out and likely will just work with it for now. The big black fridge came out of the kitchen during the remodel, and we were using it for secondary food storage, until someone accidentally unplugged it before we left for a few months. When we came back and made the mistake of cracking the door open, we were slapped with the most gag-inducing putrid smell and discovered a moldy sludge that had covered all the surfaces. We closed it back up and there it sits like the arc of the covenant, waiting to melt someone else’s face off. We tried disinfecting it, but it may be a lost cause. We need to make a call on this one. Like how much do we REALLY need a garage fridge?? Emily doesn’t think we need a garage fridge, because apparently she’s ok with pulling out 12 pounds of food to access the thing she wants in the back of our kitchen fridge. She says we’re doing fine without it now, but I’m less optimistic. Maybe things will change in a bit, but right now we are doing huge grocery shops to lessen the frequency of shopping, which means that every time we open the fridge it’s like that cliché scene in every comedy movie where the guy opens the closet full of stuff and everything falls on top of him, capped by a late bowling ball to the head. That’s our fridge, but it’s a jar of bread and butter pickles that rolls out last. I also think a garage fridge is a perfect pace for beverages, which take up a bunch of room. And our kids aren’t old enough yet to try to steal adult beverages out of the garage fridge, so we’re good right? I mean, once they turn 13, I’ll put a lock on it, like my friend Alan’s dad should have. But for now, we’re good. What do you guys think? Fridge or no fridge? I got a big-brimmed hat at the hardware store and I’m now super into yard work. I bagged 17 contractor bags of oak leaves last week and still have more to do, so I obviously need some space for my tools. We have this little nook that is a covered space for storage if need be (and another entrance into the garage), we may put the bikes in here if we can figure out how to get them in there and still have space to get into the garage from the side yard. It took hours for us to clean and it wasn’t pretty. It was full of so much extra tile, leaves, random paint cans, our friend’s kayaks we just inherited, and empty gross Pepsi bottles left over from the construction crew (from two years ago). We feel very accomplished that it looks like this now: We actually found some unused space up in the attic that we stuffed all the Christmas and winter stuff in, which was super helpful. The attic entrance is across from the kids’ play area, and the other storage space we have is behind a hidden door that goes to the guts of the house. What’s Now? We still have to figure out things like the shelving and the fridge. We also are going to find a way to hang the bikes because they take up an abnormal amount of space. Also, the ceilings are nice and high, so we’re trying to figure out if there’s a way to hang some stuff up there for storage. The Solutions We need some tool storage but I don’t know if we really need anything fancy. It seems like at least considering something like this (below) would be nice and may make me feel more manly. Like whenever I have to replace a battery in a kid’s toy I can make a big deal out of folding out my workbench and feel like a handy guy. image source I’m also worried that I would leave all my tools on the table instead of hanging them up in their right place. I think I may need a big box to throw them in. I know, I’m lazy, but it’s folly to think that I’m going to change. This person’s garage is dreamy. design and photo by simply organized I feel like this is good inspo for storage. The only problem for us is that the space between the wall and that big staircase is pretty narrow so I don’t think we could hang bikes and pull the golf cart in…. a sentence I never imagined that I would ever write. Sorry, I know these are all champagne “problems” but hey, we’re writing what we’re actually going through up here. But I really like how there’s two rows of storage happening, the shelf for bins and underneath for hanging things that get used often. These are some good broom and rake storage options that could work: 1. LETMY Broom Holder Wall Mounted | 2. Corner Double Tool Rack | 3. Koova Wall Mount Garden and Garage Tool Organizer | 4. Deluxe Tool Tower | 5. Goowin Broom Holder | 6. Stalwart Rolling Garden We thought about getting a small outdoor shed to house things like rakes and such, but I think it makes more sense to keep everything contained to the garage. Plus it’s been impossible to find a shed that has gotten Emily’s approval. image source We got into mountain biking up here, and Charlie is finally up and running on a peddle bike, so we definitely will be using them a lot. Right now, I think mine is laying in a pile of leaves on one side of the house while Emily’s and Charlie’s are sprawled out around a tree on the other side. That can’t keep happening, our neighbors must think that we’ve been raptured mid-bike-ride. So we will try one of these. Have you guys used any that you recommend? 1. TORACK Bike Rack Garage | 2. 6-Bike Storage Rack 2.0 | 3. Elfa Utility Vertical Bike Hook | 4. Copenhagen Wall Mount Bike Rack | 5. Delta Cycle Leonardo Da Vinci Single Bike Storage| 6. Bike Wall Mount And while we’ve found a way to clear out most of our bins, I’m sure we’ll accumulate more, so we’ll need a good vertical storage system. I’d love to say I could build one, but I’d also love to say that I can do a standing jump over a car or that I can run faster than a gazelle. I’m just not that handy y’all. design and photo by simply organized | design and photo by modern builds Here are some solutions we are considering… 1. Platinum Elfa Utility Basement Storage | 2. Bror | 3. Matias the Heavy Duty Storage System Ceiling Mounted Rack | 4. Shelf Steel Freestanding Storage Cabinet | 5. Chrome-Finished Tower Shelving | 6. LEXIMOUNTS WR24B Storage Rack Lord knows we go through a lot of storage here in Emily Hendersonland, and we’ve used lots of types of bins. Here are my tips – they can’t be hard plastic because they break, they have to have a good seal, preferably not the clip handle because those break, they should have good grips for when you move them a hundred times, and they should be stackable. 1. Tough Storage Bin | 2. Brute Tote Storage Container | 3. Heavy Duty 54 Gal. Storage Bin So that’s where we are with the garage so far. We’ve got a long way to go, but it’s looking much better in there, plus we’ve kept it pretty clean since the organizing day. We’ll see how long that lasts. But at least for now, the garage is no longer a place to just dump stuff and go, it’s clean and organized and we can see the potential. Or at least I can see the potential, Emily may not be able to see much until spring is over. Stupid pollen. The post We Tackled Our Non-Functional Garage and These Are Our Ideas To Maximize It appeared first on Emily Henderson. #Design101 #MountainHouse #Design101

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/hi-guys-brian-here

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agilenano · 5 years ago

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Agilenano - News: Hi guys, Brian here

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) https://agilenano.com/blogs/news/hi-guys-brian-here

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