#i tested it out before i added the 2 extra rows (part of why i decided to add the extra rows)

[orcelito]

I added 2 rows to it so the center part is 42 rows, and I've been working on the first border around it. Here's what I have so far.

Doing a border with this yarn is HARD... like very physically demanding for my hands. I want to finish the first loop already, but it's been over 200 stitches and my hands are Tired. Bc these stitches are so much harder to do than the rest of this blanket (due to how much effort it is to find each little loop and force the hook inside every single one)

It's also been extra challenging on the long side, bc it's nowhere Near straightforward like it is on the ends. U kinda just have to. Make your own loops inside existing stitches. Which for double crochet it's typically going to be 3 stitches of border per row, except when I did that with this yarn it was way too much. I ended up alternating 3 and 2 stitches per row, but that still might've been a bit too much... I'm hoping it'll balance out when I add the next two border rows (these ones will be double crochet). If nothing else, I could potentially skip a few stitches in those rows so they're not quite as crowded. But no matter fucking what, I am NOT redoing that side. I swear, that side alone took me over 2 hours to do. Way too much effort.

I've been crocheting like crazy

I made this in just 4 days.

It's the newer version of what I was making before. I got to 39 out of 40 rows, realized I'd accidentally tightened the stitches midway through, then decided I liked the tighter stitches better, so I unraveled the entire thing.

The old version before & after unraveling ^

With the tighter stitches, it's definitely a bit smaller, but it holds its form better. It'll work better as a proper blanket, I think. It's still not done, I gotta get the border rows stitched in, but the central area is all finished. And it only took me 4 days. Makes me feel like a powerhouse lol

[dragon-kazansky]

Yes, sir! | Niki Lauda

Professor Lauda AU! 👨‍🏫

Gender neutral reader

Dedicated to @lieutenantn and @scuttle-buttle

I'm using the first names of people I know in real life for the friends, so I apologise if you share the same name 😅

And thank you @scuttle-buttle for letting me make references to your fic 'The interpretation of dreams'

Some of my German translations may be wrong, I'm still learning 🥺

[Next chapter]

Part 1

You sat outside on campus. Your classes didn't start until tomorrow, but your friends started today. You agreed to meet them for lunch. You hadn't been sat outside for too long when they came out. Upon seeing you, they rush over, smiling.

"Lucky you with your extra day off," Katie says, grinning. She was studying music. This girl and her guitar were a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure.

"It's only one day," you laugh.

"One day more than we got," Michael added. When it came to computers, you knew no one better.

"Still, must be exciting not that you've started your classes. I'm not scheduled until tomorrow."

"Speaking of, what did you even pick? You never actually told us," Michael asks, sitting down next to you.

"Literature and languages."

"Ooo, look at you with your 2 subjects," Katie laughs.

"Just wait until I can tell you fuck off in other languages, then we'll see who's laughing," you grin.

"Funny. Can we go eat now?"

You nod and the lot of you go to the nearest cafe for lunch. The Red Wing is a nice little place to meet with friends and catch up, and it was really close to the university.

You grab a table near the window while Michael goes to order for everyone.

"Do you want to know who your Professors are going to be?" Katie asks, pulling out her phone.

"You know?"

"You can see the teachers on the website, I can check for you," she says, already signing into the website.

You say nothing and try to peek at the screen as she searches for the right page.

Michael returns and takes a seat.

"Uh oh," Katie says, looking at her phone strangely.

"Uh oh? Why uh oh?"

She looks at you with a bitter expression.

"Your language professor... you have Professor Lauda," she tells you.

"Professor Lauda? Why is that uh oh?"

Michael and Katie share a look.

"He's, uh... he's a bit of a perfectionist. Kind of strict. He has thrown students out of his class if they haven't kept up with assignments or he thinks they're just wasting time," Michael tells you.

"Oh, I see. I'm sure it will be fine. I'm taking languages because I want to."

Katie shrugs, "well, your funeral."

You narrow your eyes at her. They were making it out as if he was some demon teacher who worked here. You were sure it would be fine.

"What about my other professor?"

"Professor Barnes? He's alright. Cute. People like him," Katie sighs.

"There we go then. I'll be fine!"

Michael and Katie share a look again. You roll your eyes and ignore them as your food arrives.

You're back at your apartment early, in time for an early night so you can be refreshed for your classes tomorrow.

You weren't worried about what your friends had said. You were sure you could handle what ever this Professor Lauda would throw at you.

You arrive to your literature class early. Professor Barnes is friendly and welcomes you into his class. You take a seat near the front and wait for the other students to arrive.

When everyone has settled, the class starts.

Barnes introduces himself, introduces you the schedule for the term, and spends a bit of time getting to know his class. He makes a joke here and there. He's definitely going to be a favourite yours, you just knew you would enjoy his classes.

He dismisses you all with a gentle smile.

You have some time before your languages class. For some reason a lite bit of dread settles in. You really wanted to do well here, but what if you didn't? Would he actually kick you off the course?

Michael was able to meet up with you as you made your way to your next class. He had just left his class cor the day when he saw you on the way to yours.

"Hey!"

You stop and let him catch up with you.

"On your way to Lauda's class?"

"Yes."

"I think it's very brave of you to take this risk," he says, placing his hand on your shoulder.

You roll your eyes.

"You're over exaggerating! He's just a Professor!"

"Y/N, there are only two professors in this university that scare me, and Lauda is one of them."

"Who's the other?"

"Professor Kreizler, but you're not taking his class, so you don't have to worry about him."

You chuckle softly.

"I'll be fine. I have to go! See you later."

Michael watches you go.

You arrive to the class just in time. The class isn't as full as the other class. Just a few students scattered about. Absolutely no one was sitting on the front row. The professor has his back to the class as he organised papers on his desk.

You headed to the front and sat down, taking out the things you would need.

The professor turned around.

Never has anyone made such an impact on you before just from their presence. Your mind ceases functioning as you get a good look at your Professor.

Soft brown curly hair, dark brown eyes, not too tall, not too short, toned, but not buff. Gosh, did he look good in that turtleneck sweater.

His eyes scan the students. The room was only about half full, not that he cared much. He knew he had a reputation in the university. People couldn't deal with him, but it didn't matter because he wouldn't be able to deal with them either.

His eyes land on the only student brave enough to sit up front. He would be able to see you working from there, but that wasn't what made him stop to look at you. No, it was the fact you were probably the best looking person to ever walk into his classroom.

He flickered his gaze away before it could be read into too much by anyone.

You hadn't seemed to notice he was staring.

Still, he was a professional and he would remain so. Nothing wrong with having good looking students in a class.

"Hallo, willkommen. I am Professor Lauda, your languages teacher. This class is for German. Please, if you had no intention of being here, leave now."

No one shifts.

"Very well then. I have written the schedule for the term on the board, copy it down if you must, I will not be repeating it after today."

You note it down, using all your will power not to just look at your Professor.

"I must ask, does anyone here have any basic knowledge of German?" He asks, eyes scanning the class.

A few hands go up. Better than his last class where barely anyone had any former knowledge. Your hand is up too.

"Gut. You," he nods at you, "introduce yourself auf Deutsch."

You hesitate for a second, not expecting he would pick you. Though, you are sat up front. You're an easy target.

"Hallo, ich bin Y/N."

Y/N. Wunderbar. He had your name. He moves onto the next student who put their hand up, and then the next. You were none the wiser to his little trick of just wanting to know who you were.

"Now, listen here," he says, gaining everyone's attention after introductions, "if you so as waste my time, you are off this course. I only want students who mean to learn. If you fail my tests, you can walk tight out. If you fail to hand in an essay, you can leave."

He scans the faces of his students.

"Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The class all spoke together.

"Gut. Now, pay attention."

He begins the introduction for the course. Though you are paying attention, you're slightly distracted by his voice. English or German, you could listen to him talk all day.

You write down notes as he speaks, not wanting to miss anything. You almost miss some details because you just wanted to sit and listen to him talk.

Class is over before you know it. Time had passed far too quickly for your liking.

"Dismissed. Don't be late."

Everyone gathers their things before they go. You close your notebook and glances up at your professor. He once again has his back to the class.

"Danke, herr Lauda."

Lauda glances over his shoulder to see you standing there. He looks you up and down quickly with his dark eyes. He turns back around without saying anything.

You leave, feeling a little awkward.

Michael is waiting outside for you.

"How was class?" He asks, falling into step with you.

"Not that bad. Professor Lauda isn't that bad!"

"You're lying! He's so intimidating!" Michael exclaims.

"He's fine. Maybe I should I meet this Professor Kreizler for reference."

"He's intimidating too."

"Do you actually like any Professors here?" You ask.

"....not really!"

You chuckle softly and keep on walking. Michael has to jog a little as you pick up the pace.

"I dare you! Though he might be OK if his assistant is there."

"His assistant?" You look at him curiously.

"Yeah, pretty sure they're together."

"Hmm. Cute."

"If you say so, Y/N. Right, I have to leave, there's a computer with my name on it," he grins.

"Yeah, whatever. See you!" You laugh as he walks away.

You head back to your apartment, done for the day. You would go over your notes and have some dinner before turning in for the night.

Tomorrow was another day, and you were eager to return to your languages class.

@lieutenantn @scuttle-buttle @rumblelibrary @zemosimp05 @hb8301 @celtic-witch-bitch @somethingthatsaysbubbles @lorna-d-m @anteroom-of-death @belle82devart @vverliebt @alltimebandsexual666 @charistory @mischief-siriusly-managed @thatoneartgalsstuff @mssennimatilda

[forthekags]

Number Nine

Kageyama x FemReader

Part Three

Read Part 2 Here

Read Part 1 Here

About: You were introduced to the Karasuno Boys’ Volleyball club during your second year. Yachi needed help after Kiyoko had taken her leave, so she asked you to join her. Although, it would have been smarter to look for a first year, but you were new and looked lonely. When you met the boys you were bit overwhelmed but they grew on you in no time. Kageyama was a little rough around the edges at first, he was awkward and couldn’t hold eye-contact. He was a blushing baboon for the first few days. He was sure to keep his distance but you only found it exciting and hilarious. Sure enough you two became friends from all your taunting and teasing. You’re about to enter your third year, and this was your make it or break it. You had to start thinking about your own future- and so did Kageyama.

Thunder

"Hey, Y/N?" Yachi had a nervous voice when she approached you. It was lunchtime and instead of taking your nap like scheduled, you were bouncing the ball on the side of the building. A bit aggressive, in Yachi's opinion. 

"Hey whatsup," you greeted. 

"Um, is everything okay with Kageyama?" You smacked the ball harder. "I just wanted to make sure because well I haven't seen you two talk to each other the past two days. And Hinata told me that Kageyama has been asking him for help on his homework." You hit the ball so hard, it lost control and flew right past you. You groaned and banged your hand on your head. “Did you have a fight or something? Why is he not studying with you anymore?”

You jogged over to get it and Yachi followed. 

"Look Yachi," you said nonchalantly, "I'm not really his babysitter or whatever. So I can't tell you what's going on inside that empty skull of his." 

"Sorry… I just- I thought… nevermind." She offered a smile, "I’ll figure it out." 

You released a breath, a bit shaken up from the extra physical activity and the mental burden of an abnormal Kageyama. It wasn’t your job to get him back to normal. He’s a big boy, someone who can handle their own issues so you shouldn’t feel bad about turning Yachi down. If she was intensely worried, maybe she should go ask him directly. 

How bad could it be? 

It had been two days since your little argument. You had missed morning practice and the beginning time of your first class because you woke up late. He’s always there for morning practice and that didn’t change but stopping by your house did. Your mom usually lets him in so he can get your lazy butt out of bed, so when he didn’t show up... there wasn’t anyone to wake you up. 

Kageyama had been turning in crappy homework, it was a small plummet in his work so that itself put him a bit on edge. During his study time with Yachi and Hinata, he’d spend most of the time arguing with Hinata about taking up too much space or explaining it too fast. And you, you weren’t sleeping during lunch partly because you had to do some work for your first class causing you to be a little sour to anyone who tries to have a conversation with you. During after-school practices, the whole team felt the strange tension between you two. How you didn’t want to look at his way and how he pretended you weren’t even there. He would be long gone before you changed out of your gym outfit when practice was done, so you walked home alone. 

Little did you both know that Yachi was getting real sick and tired of it. After your conversation with her, she marched to where Shoyo had been waiting around the corner. He was annoyed too with Kageyama’s increase in abuse. He was scared that if this kept up, that there’d be a full-on fight between the King and Tsukishima. However, Tsuki had also been a bit quieter, not enough but a noticeable amount. 

They ended up coming up with a plan. A plan that would get you two in the same room and be forced to talk to each other. That way whatever happened can be sorted out and things will go back to normal in no time. At least, that’s what Hinata thought. Yachi thought it would worsen things and you two would just end up arguing more. Though Hinata said that was a good outcome too. Needless to say, the plan was in motion and their setup was a success.

After school, instead of going to practice, you headed towards Mr. Shota’s classroom to receive your punishment. You had the luck to have an altercation with Mr. Shota while he was in a sour mood. He was known for giving detentions like a grocery store taste test. You don’t get detention, it never seemed to come up, but this week hasn’t been a normal week for you… You couldn’t find your skirt uniform after your recreational time, so you went with your gym pants to class and passed by Mr. Shota himself. He didn’t even give you a chance to explain! You went back to look for your damn skirt uniform and found it in the exact place you left it. When you walked out with the proper attire, Mr. Shota saw you again and assumed you were lying either way. 

When you stepped into his classroom, there were three other people already there. Poor souls that were in Mr. Shota’s line of sight. As you took a seat and made some shuffling sounds, they turned their heads to look at you and there he was. Kageyama was sitting in the second row near the windows on the third seat, he quickly looked away when you looked his way. His cheeks burned with an unknown feeling so he covered them up by resting his head on his hands and his elbows on the desk. 

Kageyama was in there because Hinata had triggered some sort of river of cuss words in him. Mr. Shota was not very fond of it. He sulked about it the rest of the day until now, because now he was sulking about you. He won’t admit it to anyone but he hated ignoring you. It was so much work. He wasn’t even mad at you, he just couldn’t look at you- not in an angry way! Just… that… it was something he was still trying to figure out. Unfortunately you were mad at him. 

Every time he’d look away you would get angry. You didn’t understand what was going on with him and he wouldn’t tell you, so good riddance. 

You sat near the back and closer to the back door- far away from him. 

“Great you’re all here- I don’t have to go searching in club rooms.” Mr. Shota sounded like he was over this teaching and disciplining. You quietly thought why would he create a reason for him to stay later than he should. “My room needs deep cleaning, it’s about that time anyway, and the music room is worse. Since it’s four of you, Hiro and Miyamoto you’ll be in here while Y/N and Kag-”

“No!” You jumped out of your seat.

“Y/N! Do you want another day added?” 

“No no no… but can I clean your class instead, Mr. Shota?” You had all eyes on you because of your little outburst but you begged either way. The awkward tension that will emit during this will kill you for sure. 

“Oh of course let me give you a hand while I’m at it.” His voice dripped with sarcasm but his facial expression was stoic. “Lying is a great deal Miss Y/N, especially when it’s done to a teacher. You get the music room with potty mouth over here.”

“But I didn’t lie-”

“Enough, Y/N.” That sat you back down, defeated and upset. 

Tobio was a bit hurt. No- not just a bit- he was pained that you were so bothered by being in the same room as him. You two were friends, right? He’s never been so close to someone before. He’s never been able to keep a friend for this long… Other than the team, you were always there. Even outside of school, he’s never one to hang out with people- it’s too much sometimes- but with you. Well, he likes hanging out with you. 

You two followed Mr. Shota to the music room and listened to his instructions and warnings. He gave you one last warning about that attitude, it was irking him. While you stared away, Kags would glance every now and then. He wanted to make sure you were okay, but didn’t know if he should keep his distance or go for it and apologize. What did he need to apologize for? Not going over… ignoring you… Okay, yeah he needs to say sorry for that. 

But what if you bring up that thing again. The whole reason you had that one argument. 

You polished some instruments until you could see your reflection and put them away neatly. It was therapeutic for the most part, but when the other person in the room would move some chair to broom the area, it would throw you off again. Mr. Shota exaggerated when he said it was a mess in here. It was disorganized, sure, but nothing tear-worthy. 

“Y/N?” You looked up and matched Kageyama's confused eyes. There was a pause while you expected him to continue. He was looking for the right words… "Are we… Are we still friends?" 

His voice was low and he blushed from embarrassment while avoiding eye contact. Something fluttered in your chest, a familiar feeling, and it made you soften your features. You looked away and took some time to ponder the question. Not that you needed any, because you already knew the obvious answer. 

"Yes," you say- a little bothered and aggressive but sincere. "Friends fight, it's normal." You pick up the instrument and put it away then move on to the next. This time you were cleaning it a bit more aggressively. As if you were irritated with the inanimate object. 

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't help but smile in relief, he wasn't going to lose you. 

"So… Can I come over today?" 

You dropped the instrument and made a few of them chatter with each other. They made a ruckus as they hit one another and toppled over a nearby stand. Kageyama rushed over to help you before you two got in trouble again, especially since you were already walking on a tightrope with the teacher.

You were bamboozled, like a sneak attack on a careless soldier. This boy might be the most oblivious airhead you’ll ever meet. How did he think that was okay to ask? 

“Leave it!” You picked up the instrument that he was reaching for along with the many others. Soon you were carrying eight different instruments with a variety of sizes in your arms looking like one breeze will knock you over. 

“Y/N, you’re going to hurt yourself or break one of those things!” He hesitated in reaching over, rightfully so because you threw a glare at him when he neared you. 

“I’m not going to break one of these things, I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!” You got your footing back and mentally thanked the gods, and a second later you hear a clank hit the ground. One of the flutes slipped through your fingers and chipped. Your eyes widened and you glanced back at Kageyama who looked like he was about to make a run for it. “So much for a volleyball player, Kags!”

“What! Did you want me to receive it and throw it up in the air?” He asked bewildered. 

“Aren’t you supposed to have fast reflexes, you turdball!” 

“You’re the one who didn’t let me help you with all those!”

“God, I am so telling Coach about you lacking,” you threatened. “Well don’t just stand there! Help me with this!” 

He rushed over and grabbed the big ones from your arms. You rubbed away any scratches and evidence of a disturbance before putting them up. Kageyama stood there until you got all of them one by one from his arms now. He had a pouting face but didn't say anything during that time. 

"I'm still mad at you," you mumbled. His pout only annoyed you because you were in between pinching his cheek and stomping his foot. Only because his cheeks show up more and his eyes are always avoiding, and his lips do this thing where his bottom lip sticks out more from frowning. Kageyama only has a handful of intense expressions, most of which can be seen whenever he's on the court. But when he's not, he gets embarrassed and upset and tired and nervous. And when you're not watching, he gets excited and soft and hurt. 

But they were rare, so when it happens in front of you, you can't help but appreciate it or tease it. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "Really, I am. It's just… I still haven't figured it out." 

"What is it about?" You wanted him to know that you were there if he needed you. And, you wanted your best friend back. 

"I promise you'll be the first person I tell." 

You rolled your eyes. "As if that's saying anything, who else would you even tell?" He chuckled and that made you smile. You can still humor him, that's good to know. 

"No one that matters as much," he sighed. He wasn't looking directly at you, he said it more as if he was saying it to himself or if it was like a distant memory. "So… Can I come over?" He asked again. 

You started tapping your finger on your chin, as if you were pondering the question. "Only if you buy me tea for a week! Morning AND afternoon!" You raised your pinky in the air and waited for his word.

"A week! Do you think I'm rich!?" He looked at you crazy but you were determined. 

"Not after this week," you said.

He groaned and huffed but took your pinky with his, sealing the compromise. He was warm compared to your freezing hands, so much that it surprised you. Your eyebrows raised and you quickly grabbed onto his hand with both of yours. 

"Ah! You're ice cold, Y/N!" He tried pulling back but you held on. 

"And you're soooo warm!"

[moonbeambucky]

Know It All

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader [College AU] Word Count: 5300 Warnings: fluff, minor angst

Summary: Your grades and patience are tested when you’re paired together for a class project with the one person you cannot stand, Bucky Barnes.    

A/N: This is my submission for @jaamesbbarnes​ and @sgtjbuccky​ Milestone Celebration Writing Challenge. My prompt was “Looking for trouble, are we?” I cannot thank Sam @buckyofthemyscira​​ enough for being a wonderful beta and helping me get on track when I was so lost with this and to Allie @all1e23​ for her help with a plot conflict. My mind was working against me on this one but I hope it turned out well. gif source (x)

The brisk air of autumn winds fill your lungs as you stepped outside, energizing your body faster than the coffee you finished not long ago. Coffee was practically a requirement as a college student, a must for an early Monday morning class, especially when that class is calculus, taught by the nice but a little stiff and robotic Professor Vision.

Leaves crunch under your boots as you walk to the building for your next class. It’s a short distance away yet still you pick up your pace, huffing as you rush towards Lee Hall so you could get a good seat for your next class which happened to be your favorite.

If there was anyone more excited than you about American History it was Professor Coulson. You had first taken his introductory class a few semesters back and found he had an excellent way of bringing out new details to a subject you thought you were well versed in.

Naturally, when he was teaching another class you needed for your requirements you jumped on the chance at signing up. As you walked into the large lecture hall you glanced to the left, greeting Professor Coulson with a cheerful smile, a smile that dropped the moment you noticed someone was in your seat.

You stomped your way up the steps to get to the fourth row, stopping dead center at the incredibly annoying person you knew was testing your patience.

“Move Barnes, you’re in my seat,” you huffed, arms crossing over your chest.

A sly smirk spread across the face of Bucky Barnes, a person you could sum up in one word, slacker.

“I don’t see your name on this chair, doll.” He winked; a simple gesture that made your anger boil over.

Class was about to begin so you sat down, leaving a seat in between so you didn’t end up in part of MCU history as the girl that strangled a classmate during class.

Bucky was the only damper on an otherwise perfect class. He didn’t take notes, he didn’t participate and he didn’t ever study. If Professor Coulson called on him it was like Bucky had no idea what the class was even doing. He would always stutter as he tried to catch up, turning towards you as he sighed after successfully bullshitting his way through another question; which pissed you off even more, because despite an open lecture hall with plenty of seats Bucky Barnes chose to sit next to you.

It was obvious you were a smart student. Your hand raised every time to be called on, you took amazingly detailed notes and aced every test, which is why you had a feeling a certain someone decided his new spot would be beside you. Cheater.

If he only studied and gave a shit about his grades he wouldn’t have to try to copy off you. Well you made sure he couldn’t. During tests you hunched over your desk, curving your arm around your paper to protect the answers you spent countless hours studying for.

Throughout class you tried to ignore the eyes you felt on you, seeing Bucky’s goofy smile through the corner of your eye. He was not going to succeed in distracting you. Nope.

You were going to continue listening to this lecture about World War II and not at all think about the way Bucky’s bright white teeth stand out against the scruff of his face. He’s probably too lazy to shave just like he’s too lazy to study.

Bucky let out a chuckle when he heard you humph under your breath. His audible laugh caused you to whip your head in his direction, flaring your eyes at him before they rolled back into your head.

“By Wednesday I hope everyone will have read pages 346 to 403 just in case something pops up,” Professor Coulson said, smiling to the large hall.

Grabbing your laptop you placed it neatly in your bag, tucking away a small notepad you kept out just in case and made sure your pens were capped tightly before they went into their own separate compartment.

“Wow, you’re such a nerd.”

You looked up disdainfully at Bucky’s large frame standing over you.

“The world won’t end if you misplace a pen, you know.”

You don’t respond. Tossing your bag over your shoulder you walked down the steps, calling out to Professor Coulson with a big smile as you waved him goodbye.

“Later Phil,” Bucky said as he left.

You rolled your eyes again at his boldness. Sure Professor Coulson said you could call him by his first name but it still seemed inappropriate. Of course Bucky didn’t care.

As you continued walking down the hall, you felt a presence beside you.

“So, are you going out for lunch now or are you going to head to the library like always? There’s plenty of time in the world to study, you could take a little break you know.”

Your lips scrunched together as you frowned, picking up your pace as your feet took you faster to anywhere that was away from Bucky.

“You just gonna ignore me?”

Your fists tightened so hard they were shaking, itching to feel release if you could only punch the smirk off Bucky that you knew he had.

“Doll?”

You spun around immediately, pointing a finger in his face.

“I’m not your doll so stop saying that! Why are you bothering me? We’re not friends. Just stay away from me Barnes.”

Bucky remained in his place as he watched you turn the corner, huffing with anger. His lips stretched out flat, an uneasy smile that gave way to a small frown, wishing things were different.

Professor Vision rambled on for an extra five minutes and would not let the class go, meaning now you had to run to Lee Hall if you were going to be on time for your next class.

Beads of sweat ran down your temple as you finally got into the building, panting as you raced up two flights of stairs. Your heart was pounding like a drum against your chest as you attempted to catch your breath during the power walk to the room.

It was bad enough you were probably going to be late, with eyes on you as walk through the door, now everyone was going to see you looking like a sweaty mess on top of it.

As you pulled the door open expecting the worst you were surprised to find that no one was looking at you. Professor Coulson was addressing the class as he was discussing something he had put up on the large screen.

Even though you wanted to see what it was you needed to take your seat which was surprisingly open. Bucky was sitting in the same row a few seats away but he had left your seat open.

He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, watching as you anxiously got yourself in order. It was unlike you to be thrown off from your usual precision.

“Incredible Bucky.” Professor Coulson admired the photo. “Where was this taken?”

“After the Battle of Azzano.”

Your head turned towards Bucky as he answered, with a wide eyed stare of disbelief having never heard him speak in class before, not in a real class anyway…

Before your mind wandered somewhere you didn’t want to revisit you straightened up, finally looking at the screen. It was a black and white photo of a group of soldiers, arms thrown over each other smiling despite some visible injuries; a bandage wrapped head, cuts and scrapes along their faces.

“Can anyone tell me what happened in the Battle of Azzano?” the professor asked again.

Your hand naturally shot up, smiling widely as you were called on. “About 200 members of the 107th infantry were captured by the Nazi’s, with their Captain leading an unsanctioned rescue mission to free them.”

“Correct. It nearly got him a dishonorable discharge but instead his superiors believed his actions in saving lives of not only U.S. Military but British and French soldiers who were captured as well should be awarded with a special medal, the Shield of Bravery.”

Again you felt Bucky’s gaze on you and turning your head your suspicion was confirmed. His smile was soft as he stared at you, his eyes expressing a strange aura of... Joy? Pride? You’re not quite sure and honestly you didn’t want to find out. Your head stiffened as you set your own gaze forward to begin taking notes.

As promised Professor Coulson “surprised” everyone with a pop quiz, one you know you would have aced regardless of the day you spent studying.

“Okay class, time is up. Pass your quizzes forward.”

Rustling paper echoed throughout the hall as you added your quiz to the pile you were given, walking it over to the person that sat in the row below you a few seats to the left.

“I’m gonna let you all leave early…” the Professor’s sentence was interrupted by a roar of cheers. “...but first I want to give you a heads up for an upcoming project. The details are posted online. Let’s say it’s due in 2 weeks?”

A wave of groans echoed from the back of the hall.

“Alright, 3 weeks.” He smiled as the new date went over a lot better. “Let’s make this simple, whoever you’re sitting closest to is your partner, if anything is uneven just join the nearest group. See you all next Monday!” he said, closing his laptop.

Panic flooded your body like a tidal wave, crashing down and dragging you under. It was hard to breathe, realizing the one person you wanted nothing to do with was going to be your partner for this project.

Bucky wore a smirk that made you roll your eyes and groan.

“Looks like we’re partners.” You didn’t respond.

With deep breaths you put your things away and got up, exiting the room and savoring your final moments of peace. Bucky shrugged his bag over his shoulder following you out.

You pushed open the door to the stairway, a forceful shove as a final act of letting out the anger you felt for being partnered with Bucky.

“We might as well get started,” you said, as you began descending the stairs.

“Get started?” Bucky scoffed, “It’s due in 3 weeks. We have time, doll.”

You shook your head. Of course Bucky wants to be lazy and save everything until the last minute. Well, that’s not how you do things.

“Don’t call me doll, and just because it’s due in 3 weeks doesn’t mean we can’t start now. Plus I want to get this over with.”

Bucky skipped ahead to hold open the door for you. “Uh huh, you mean you don’t want to spend more time with me?”

His tone was light and playful as his face became almost cherubic, batting his eyelashes, his lips pulling into a sweet smile that was almost convincing if you didn’t already know him.

Your face twisted incredulously. “Why would I want to spend time with you?” You shrugged your long knit cardigan closer over your body as you passed him, stepping outside into the chilly air.

Bucky scoffed again, his patience beginning to run thin. “Please doll, you’d be lucky to spend time with me.”

“Yeah right!” you chuckled, walking aimlessly beside him. “Your little act didn’t get passed me today Mr. ‘I’m going to kiss the professor’s ass with an old picture I found because that’s a great way to distract him before a quiz.’ You know it would be a lot easier if you just studied!”

Bucky’s smile soured into a sneer. “Oh like you, Miss ‘I’m scared of letting loose and actually having a good time so I’ll drown myself in studying as an excuse to be a stick in the mud,’” he mocked with a higher pitch in his voice.

“You don’t know anything about me!” you snapped, stopping on the walkway to yell at him, ignoring the looks of curious students as they passed by.

Cocking his head Bucky smirked, “Actually I do. Maybe you pushed it down but I remember you. Drama 101 with Professor Laufeyson two years ago.”

His words carry you back to the open room, where a black tiered platform with more chairs than students sat across from a stage. It wasn’t very large but the burden of stepping on it sat like a boulder in your stomach.

You remember it vividly, standing in the center as the bright lights burned away your confidence. The words of your monologue became a scramble of alphabet soup in your mind. Terrified and shaking, you stood silent in front of the class until a meek apology croaked its way out.

Head hanging low with disappointment as you sat back in your seat, watching as the rest of the class did what you couldn’t do. You hated how acting came so easy to them; to be a different person, to let go. Bucky did that with ease.

You envied him and his ability to be free and act silly or speak with a weird voice. He could do whatever the role demanded and you hated it. You hated not being good at something, hated that you couldn’t get over your insecurities, and you hated that Bucky could do something you were too afraid to do yourself.

“He was begging you to break out of your shell but you couldn’t. Guess you can’t study your way to an A for everything.”

Tears burned their way to your eyes at the sharpness of Bucky’s words. “You’re a real jerk, you know that?” You had no other comeback, you couldn’t fight the truth.

Before you gave him the chance to say anything else you took off. Feet pounding on the pavement as you raced to get as far away from Bucky Barnes, the biggest asshole you’ve ever met.

Bucky didn’t show up the following Monday. It was a relief to not have to face him after the way you left things. Not because you cared about him; you were more concerned with hoping he didn’t see you cry.

His absence didn’t stop you from thinking about him. While trying to pay attention to the lesson you cursed Bucky out in your head. Cutting class… what are we in high school? What’s the point of paying for college if you don’t even show up? But he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about anything.

On Wednesday Bucky strolled into class just as it began. He trudged up the steps stopping at the row in front of yours. You expected him to move towards the center in front of you but instead you watched him shrug off his backpack, slouch into the chair and pull out his laptop.

Throughout class you kept glancing over towards him. His screen remained blank, turning black after neglect as Bucky rested his cheek against his palm, elbow propped up on the desk. Go home if you want to sleep during class!

When class ended you saw Bucky waiting for you at the door. With a deep breath you prepared yourself for whatever he was going to say.

“Hey,” Bucky said with much less enthusiasm than usual. You stared at him, giving a silent acknowledgement with a raise of your brows. “I need your number.”

Your response denying his request shot out like a speeding bullet. You didn’t even have to entertain the idea. Giving someone like Bucky your number would be an invitation to middle of the night calls, pranks or worse.

“How are we going to work on the project then?”

“Work on the project? That’s funny,” you laughed dryly, shaking your head.

His brows furrowed and just as Bucky was going to speak again you cut him off.

“Forget the project Barnes. I’ll do it myself and you can slap your name on it. Let’s be honest, I’m sure that’s what would have happened anyway.”

Maybe it was a harsh truth but it was a truth you knew from experience. It would be easier to complete the work on your own and have Bucky stand up there when it was time to present. He shouldn’t complain anyway, this would be an easy A for him.

“You’re a real bitch Y/N.”

Your jaw dropped open as you turned to face Bucky. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, jaw clenching tight as his ocean blue eyes were set ablaze.

“Excuse me? How dare y–”

He lifted his hand as he began to talk over you. “All this time I’ve tried to be your friend, since Drama! I say hello, I ask how you’re doing and all you do is ignore me.”

As Bucky ran his hands through his hair he turned his head away from you for a moment and you could swear the light reflected a watery shine in his yes. “You hate me for whatever reason and I don’t know why I kept trying but you don’t know shit about me!”

He began to walk away before coming back. “For the record, that picture was of my grandfather. His funeral was 2 days ago but I guess you’re too much of a selfish know-it-all to give a shit.”

Bucky stomped away this time for good, leaving you alone in the hallway feeling like absolute shit.

After finally motivating yourself to move, your feet took you to the library. Setting up your laptop you decided to do a little studying, but instead of academics you focused on researching something unknown, Bucky Barnes.

Finding him on Facebook was easy. Last year you made friends with Peggy Carter during your shared anthropology class and she happened to be dating Steve Rogers, aka Bucky’s best friend. On Steve’s profile you searched for “Bucky” and surprisingly nothing came up. When you searched “Barnes” you saw his profile, James Barnes.

Well that was something unexpected. How did you not know Bucky’s real name was James? A quick glance of his profile doesn’t show much information seeing as the most recent post was a meme someone named Sam tagged him in over a year ago. Great.

Looking at Bucky’s friends you were more successful in finding the profiles of his family. His father George rarely posted anything except for some comments on baseball and a sweet picture of what had to be Bucky’s sister. Dressed in a cap and gown, she was surrounded by her parents and Bucky, holding a diploma in her hand. Must be high school. She’s definitely younger than Bucky.

His mother Winifred’s page was a goldmine of information. It was George’s father who passed away. Henry James Barnes, a decorated World War II veteran who earned a purple heart after losing his arm in battle.

She posted several pictures of Henry throughout his life; some with his wife and the large family they had, a newspaper clipping of him with his oldest son Charles at 1955 World Series when the Brooklyn Dodgers won and the one Bucky shared with the class.

Every picture told the story of a loving husband and father who became a grandfather many times over. And there it was. Henry sitting on a floral couch holding baby Bucky against him. It made sense, clearly Bucky was named after him, and based on the other pictures posted they were very close.

You felt compelled to learn more about Bucky, going through his mother’s old posts and photos to see what you might find and what you uncovered seemed unbelievable. Student of the Month. Honors Society. The Dean’s List. Bucky was… a good student?! No, not just good, he was an excellent student.

You sat back against the hard chair wondering why you judged Bucky as hard as you had. He had never done anything personally to you for you to hold a grudge, and as you thought about what he said earlier he was right.

In Drama he tried to talk to you, tell you it’s okay, to shake it off your nerves and go for it, but you brushed him off, twisting his kindness into a condescending lecture. Even in History, when he saw you had class again together his eyes lit up. He sat beside you, asked how you’ve been and you gave him the cold shoulder.

Everything you thought you knew about Bucky Barnes was wrong and you needed to find him to apologize. You walked around campus hoping to run into him but that was useless. Now you regret not exchanging numbers.

The need to speak to Bucky grew as the days passed. Studying was nearly impossible. You couldn’t think about anything except him. Then you felt it, that aha moment. You were looking for Bucky in the wrong place.

It took a bit of digging to find Bucky’s Instagram (thankfully Steve still had his connected to his Facebook) but there it was, his life on display through vibrant pictures. Coney Island at night caught your eye, from the bright lights of the rides and games against the dark midnight sky, to other pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge with a beautiful sunset glow.

Your lips tugged into a smile while looking at Bucky surrounded by Steve and a few other friends but when you came across an old picture of him obviously drunk your smile grew into a large grin that stretched across your face.

Bucky was a mess, with glossy eyes that didn’t quite focus, long messy hair sticking to his sweat covered brow and yet he had the brightest, cutest smile ever, all while clutching a Kermit the Frog plush.

The most recent photo was of him and his grandfather with a touching caption that made your heart do a funny flip in your chest.

The circle around his profile picture turned pink and suddenly you wondered if you should click on it. If you do, he’ll know you were stalking his page but there’s a chance his story could tell you where he is. If you don’t you’ll have to wait two more long and torturous days before you can apologize.

You wanted to stop, to let it all go and begin studying for the weekend but you couldn’t. You were wrong and needed to make things right.

Click.

It’s a photo of a beer bottle with condensation dripping down onto the counter top, a faint glow of red from the lights behind the golden bar. Thankfully he tagged the location, Starks.

Quickly you changed out of lounge pants and threw on some jeans and boots, grabbing the nearest jacket and wrapping a scarf around your neck. With your phone in hand you headed out to the bar, hoping Bucky would still be there.

There was a small crowd beside the entrance, people you would normally feel intimidated by but you pushed on, passing them without hesitation as you were determined to find Bucky. Rock music blared as your eyes scanned all the people sitting at the bar but Bucky was not one of them.

A man behind the counter with dark eyes and finely sculpted facial hair made eye contact with you, flashing a big smile. You nodded back, smiling but moving along. Drinks were the last thing on your mind, although if you didn’t find Bucky you were seriously considering drowning your sorrows in whatever libation would take your guilt away the quickest.

You were nearly ready to give up until you heard it, the sound of Bucky’s laughter. You followed it towards the back, seeing a row of pool tables with Bucky on the end. He was accompanied by Steve and someone with a contagious laugh and gap-toothed smile.

Watching from afar you were happy to see Bucky happy and joking with his friends. Apparently you hadn’t blended into the crowd well enough as Bucky lifted his head and caught you in the gaze of his blue eyes.

“Well, well,” Bucky began. Since there was no point in hiding you walked towards him. “Looking for trouble, are we?”

Your heart began to race and you weren’t sure if it was from the flirtatious tone in his voice paired with the smirk he would not stop staring at you with or the fact that he looked damn good.

A simple grey sweater has never looked better, stretched across his muscular frame you never quite paid attention to before. Dark jeans stretched over thick thighs that made your mouth water.

Swallowing a nervous gulp you asked, “Can we talk?”

Bucky turned towards his friends, giving a silent look they must have understood. Grabbing their drinks they left leaving you and Bucky alone at the pool table.

“Bucky, I–”

“Hang on,” he said, walking around the pool table to grab the sunken balls from the pockets.

You waited a little impatiently for him as he racked up the balls, wanting to get your apology over with.

“Okay doll, you want to talk and I want to play so we’re doing both.” He smiled, grabbing a pool stick off the wall and handing it to you. “So what’s on the line?”

Confused, you asked what he meant as you chalked up the end of the stick.

“Well, we have to play for something, doll.”

All you wanted to do was talk to him but if he wants you to play this game literally, then you would.

“Fine. If I win, you have to stop calling me doll.” You smirked, watching his face sour with dismay.

“Really doll?” Those big blue eyes became even bigger as he pouted feigning sadness.

“I said stop,” you warned.

He dropped the pout, pulling his lips back into a sly grin. “You didn’t win anything yet, doll,” he said, winking at your unamused face.

As Bucky chalked up the end of his pool stick he mulled over ideas in his head. “Now if I win I promise to leave you alone...”

Your brows knit together with confusion. Why would he leave you alone? It should have felt like a relief and yet for some reason it upset you.

“... but first you have to give me a kiss.”

All of your worries flew away with his finished sentence. “Excuse me? No. Don’t be creepy Barnes.”

“Okay, okay, relax doll.” He held his hands up defensively. “I didn’t say it had to be on my lips alright. A peck on the cheek is fine. Deal?”

For some reason you agreed, probably because you really wanted to apologize to him. Despite Bucky’s stipulation you felt really bad for how you’ve been treating him.

Walking past Bucky you took off your scarf and jacket, throwing them on top of his familiar leather jacket. You set yourself up to break, leaning over the table to adjust the position of the cue ball and Bucky couldn’t help but stare at your backside.

“Need me to teach you, doll?”

He pictured himself leaning against your body, his hands gently sweeping over yours guiding the pool stick in the proper position. The thought got him a little too excited and thankfully you couldn’t see the way he adjusted his stance, shaking off his desire.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” you asked rhetorically, hitting the cue fiercely and sending two balls in.

Bucky’s mouth was agape in surprise.

“You don’t know everything about me either,” you smirked playfully as you set yourself up to hit the solid balls you claimed.

Leaning against the wall, Bucky tried his best to hide his proud smile as you nailed the next shot. This game might be over way before he expected and quickly he thought about asking for best 2 out of 3 to keep you there longer. He didn’t even care about the kiss, he honestly wanted to keep hanging out. Thankfully you missed the next shot and Bucky took his time figuring out the best angle to try for with the cue’s current placement.

It was now or never you decided, wishing you hadn’t walked past the bar because liquid courage would really come in handy.

Clearing your throat you finally spoke up. “I’m sorry about your grandfather.” Bucky picked his head up from the table, his face dropping to a solemn expression. “It seemed like he lived a great life.”

A simple chuckle and Bucky smiled again. “You stalkin’ me doll?” His tone was light and then he dropped it again with a more serious thank you.

Bucky took a shot and missed but he didn’t care about the game. “I should apologize too. You’re not a bitch or a stick in the mud.”

Your lips pulled into a lopsided smile. “Thanks. Well I might be a stick in the mud,” you admitted.

Walking closer to you, Bucky leaned against the pool table. “No,” he disagreed, shaking his head. “Maybe more like a twig.”

He was happy to see you burst into laughter at his joke. This was the side of you Bucky had been waiting to see. He knew it was there, buried under the layers you built up in your quest to be a perfect student.

You continued to play, talking through the game as you got to know each other for real for the first time.

“I was so jealous of you in Drama. You were so carefree. I guess I twisted that in my head to think you didn’t give a shit about anything. I’m sorry.”

Bucky aimed to sink the next ball. “I do give a shit,” he said, striking the cue. “I study, but I have fun too.” He grimaced as the ball barely made it towards the pocket.

“I could probably take notes on that,” you replied.

“You would take notes. Where’s your laptop and your precious pens?” he teased.

“At home,” you chuckled. A wide smile spread across your face as you set up to take a shot.

“You look cute when you’re all smiley like that.”

The warmth of your cheeks intensified at his comment. Feeling your whole body begin to race you completely messed up the shot.

“You did that on purpose! You’re distracting me!” you grinned.

Bucky smirked, dropping his voice to a much lower octave, “Maybe I really want that kiss.”

You swallowed a lump that formed in your throat, urging him to continue playing. Things were close but a bad miss on Bucky’s part allowed you to hit the final solid ball, calling the 8 ball and sinking it.

“I’m gonna miss calling you doll,” he said, dropping his head down as his lips pulled into a frown.

“Considering I won I think I’ll let you continue calling me doll.”

His head picked up at your words, seeing the smile you wore that truly did outshine the sun.

“Oh, look at Y/N. She’s out having fun and breaking rules!” he joked.

Shaking your head, you chuckled, “Shut up Bucky.”

“Hey, I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said my na–”

You caught him off guard by pressing your lips to his but as soon as Bucky realized what happened you felt him smile against your lips, parting his own to kiss you back. His arms wrapped around your body as he pulled you closer, deepening the victory of his loss.

The crowd seemed to disappear as you lost yourself in the kiss, thankful that Bucky was holding you because you felt like a feather blowing in the wind. When you parted for air, you did so slowly, not wanting to separate your lips from his.

It may be true that you’re a bit of a know it all but now as you proudly fail at holding back a wide grin you realize there’s so much more to learn about your new favorite subject, Bucky Barnes.

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[baconpal]

Bravely Default and BD2

Here it is, the partially prompted bravely default rant/retrospective/whatever the fuck!

With the announcement and demo of bravely default 2 out now for a bigger market than the original game ever had, I feel that as a massive fan of the original I should put some amount of effort into explaining what the appeal of the original is, why bravely second missed a lot of the appeal, and why bravely default 2 has been very, very worrying so far.

If you care about any of that, come on in and I'll try to actually avoid spoilers this time and make this a more legitimate recommendation of a game than usual.

THE APPEAL OF BRAVELY DEFAULT The games obviously have a beautiful art style, especially when it comes to the backgrounds. Every city is like a painting, a beautifully composed shot that you see from just one direction to give you one very strong impression. While the overworld and dungeons are fully 3d and do not have as strong of an artistic impact, they are still very competent and have good colors and cohesive elements. The character design, including the job outfits, the monsters, and all the villains are just top notch. Simple, evocative designs that make the most of the 3DS' limited hardware and build upon the teams skill in making handheld games look good. (its the same team that did the ff3 remake and 4 heroes of light, which looks absolutely kino on original DS) The music is also consistently excellent, with great use of motifing, a full and varied orchestra, and many good slow paced tracks for most of the non-combat segments. Shit like "Conflict's Chime" being the main battle theme, "Infiltrating Hostile Territory" being a common dungeon theme, and "That person's name is" as the rival boss themes makes even the seemingly repetitive songs a constant joy to listen to.

The story is pretty decent, it's not the best part of the game, and there are definitely some aspects of the story some people loathe, but the characters (specifically ringabel fuckin love him) are pretty good and the make for an enjoyable experience. The side material like D's journal are really well done and integrate into the main narrative well for how tucked away and ignored it is.

The gameplay and systems are also some of the best of any RPG I've played, and I've played far too many. The job system from ff3 and 5 is brought to an even greater depth with the addition of universal job abilities, allowing any character of any job make use of another jobs features to create an endless depth to strategy. The way various jobs can mingle together, and how no job is completely perfect on its own makes for very compelling team composition and unit design. The extensive amount of jobs helps as well for replay value and for assuring that no easy winning strategy is found by all players.

The BP system makes battles take on a very unique pacing as the player and enemies can choose to save up turns or blow them all at once to make more complicated strategies possible, or to make the most of an enemies vulnerabilities. This powerful option gives the player a meaningful way to capitalize on their knowledge of the game, while also allowing them to make truly detrimental mistakes. That may sound not good if you're a fucking baby, but nobody wants an RPG you cant lose, but losing because you fucked up is much better than losing because the enemies are just stronger than you or anything to that effect.

But the single greatest part of bravely defaults, which creates the games wonderful balance and unique design philosophy, is that the player is expected to hit the level cap long before finishing the game. Reaching level 99 should occur somewhere just after the middle of the game, at the point where the player has access to almost every job and has encountered almost every type of threat. Reaching level 99 brings with it a certain security, the implication that from then on, all enemies will also be level 99, and that any failure to defeat an enemy will be a result of a bad strategy or the players own mistakes. The game is not easy, and is certainly intended for veteran final fantasy players used to the games with job systems and changing up your entire party to combat a single encounter. Leveling up is not a slow grind part of the game, as you have a lot of control over the speed and frequency of battles, and it is not difficult to keep up with the games level curve.

The other layer to this unique design is that the game expects you to "cheat", or use strategies that would be overpowered and frowned upon in most other games. Bravely default easily expects you to know or discover strategies such as: applying a status to all enemies and killing every enemy with that status using another spell, cycling a counter move over and over to have a nearly invincible party member, applying a healing attribute to a self-damaging character to get huge damage at little cost, casting reflect and dangerous spells on your own party to bounce them at the enemy, or duplicating a move that does maximum damage 15 times in a row. The game builds all of its encounters with the knowledge that your team will be the maximum level and that you will be using the most vile tactics you can come up with, and the game will do the same. Bosses and even common enemies will employ equally vile tactics using the exact same moves that you have access to, meaning you can learn from your enemies or quickly grasp the enemies strategy through your own experiences. One of the late game dungeons is entirely optional, but involves several fights against parties of 4 just like your, using the same jobs and skills you have gained during the game as a perfect test of your ability to develop counter-strategies, instead of relying on your own overpowered tactics. This type of design is really not something you find in many games due to the prominence of grinding or the lack testing strategies, and it is the most true appeal of bravely default to me.

BRAVELY SECOND EXISTS I GUESS So bravely second, a direct sequel to bravely default, definitely is a video game. It uses the original game as a base to generate more content, but completely misses the appeal of the original, and the new content added makes the experience even less focused. Overall, it's still a fairly alright RPG, but it fails to follow up on bravely default in a meaningful way or to provide as compelling of a gameplay experience. Here's some of the things it fucked up.

The game reuses almost everything the original game had, including the same music, world map, and most of the original's towns and dungeons, while adding a few of it's own. Going through areas you've been before never feels good, and the new areas lack the quality or brevity of the original game, leading to uninteresting areas that overstay their welcome, despite being the only break from repetitively reused content.

This extends to the classes but in an even worse sense. One important trait of the original jobs is that they were not perfect by themselves. While every job provided some useful abilities to be shared with other classes, or provided a good base with which to make a character, no class was without flaws. The new classes in bravely second are a lot of the opposite, they are closed loops that think of everything they could have to make a good standalone character. The 4 starter classes you get in bravely second are all brand new, and there's almost no reason to use any class besides those 4 as they are just insanely good. The priest and magician specifically augment magic in a way that makes spells infinity scalable into the end game, completely trampling on any other magic classes territory without needing the extra effort of grinding a new class out. Many of the new job concepts are actually really interesting, like going back in time to return to a healthier state, or a class that changes the stats and attributes of all units in a battle, allowing for all new kinds of strategies; but these classes lack any opportunity to be used to their full potential since they don't mesh well with other jobs and are limited by their self-centered design.

Another completely missed aspect of the original is the level curve discussed before. Bravely second only really requires you get somewhere in the ballpark of level 60-70 to comfortably beat the final boss, and getting too leveled up is really hard to avoid if you are plan to try out various jobs.

Second also fails to account for how many incredibly strong strategies the player can come up with, and even introduces some of its own strategies that it has no way to counteract, such as halfsies (the first skill the first class gets) pretty much splitting the game in two by tripling the value of items like phoenix downs, and allowing for fool-proof strategies by making 1 character focus entirely on defense, effectively making the party unkillable. Essentially, if you play second after having played the original (like any sane person would) then you will absolutely destroy the game with no sense of satisfaction.

The story is also a large step down, enough to become an annoyance, as the writing style changes to a strange romantic comedy situation with, for lack of a better term please forgive my sin, anime writing, but like bad anime writing, ya know the kind of shit that makes people write off all anime cus a lot of it is awkward and unpleasant to listen to. The story tries to mess with some big concepts like "what if new game + was a real thing???" and time travel and shit like that but it doesn't mesh with the tone the rest of the game has and that tone doesn't mesh with the world or art style and it's just a mess.

BRAVELY DEFAULT 2 SEEMS KINDA POOPIE SO FAR So unfortunately, the big appeal of bravely default being part of it's end game makes it hard to judge how 2 is gonna go given we only have a demo of the beginning, but given that the original team behind bravely default has slowly been stripped out of the series as it goes on, the outlook is bleek.

Most immediately obvious is that the artstyle has made a horrible transition from handheld to console, somehow even worse than pokemon. The areas are all fully 3d and lack the style or compositional excellence of bravely default, and the outside environment look like asset store products. The small proportioned characters with simple features to be readable on a small screen have been replaced with identically proportioned characters with excessive detail and ugly features, and look horrible up close on a big screen. Only the negatives of the art style have made it over, and everything good has been made unsavory. The character and enemy design overall is much worse as a result, everything is messy, unclear, and clashes with everything else. It's an absolutely shocking downgrade.

The characters themselves are overly hammy and feel like shallow attempts to have a similar party dynamic to the original without having identical character types, and the writing as a whole doesn't seem to have improved from second, which was already quite a step down from the original.

The gameplay also has not done anything different or interesting yet, and seems to be selling itself to people haven't heard of or gotten enough of the BP system. Enemies being on the overworld as opposed to random encounters shows they have dropped the player agency over encounter frequency, which is dumb. The battles lack any of the flow the original had, especially when using the battle speed option, as the camera does not present everything very well and changes position often as a result. Overall, I have not enjoyed the bravely default 2 demo and feel it shows nothing but a continued decline in the series that likely should have just been a single game. With the release date being set for sometime this year, I feel there is no chance any amount of player feedback could save the game or even begin to pull it in the right direction, as it seems to be fundamentally flawed with an inescapable feeling of shovelware.

SO WHAT? Basically, all I wanted to say here is that the original bravely default is a very unique experience I think every RPG fan should give a good chance (and just do all the optional stuff during the "repetitive" part of the game, it's where all the best content is you bozo) and that the sequels are NOT the same experience. I guess it's kind of mean to just say "hey don't buy or like this new thing cus its not like the old thing" but people should know why there's a bravely default 2 in the first place, and should fight for what made the original great. I worry that BD goes down the same sad path that FF did, becoming a completely hollow, middling series that strayed so far from it's home that a whole new series had to be made to give the fans of the old style a place to go.

Thanks for reading, and hope you got something out of it.

[fasa-umich]

Bea Fandiño, FASA 2020-21 Co-President

One Last Time

We’re gonna teach them how to say goodbye...

3/19/2021

Wowee, what a whirlwind of a year. These past twelve months have been filled with so much to be proud of—I even started a list of “Proud Mom Moments” last May so I could document all the small triumphs worth recognizing. It’s as if I’ve been planning out this testimonial since my election into the Co-Presidency, so I only laugh as I try to put all these thoughts to paper the day after my testimonial was supposed to be done (sorry ading Janielle—Filipino time, am I right?).

“Pick up a pen, start writing.”

I want to start off by saying that this year was not easy. It wasn’t for anyone. Our board came into our tenure hitting the ground running, full of visions and concrete plans for FASA, only to have them thwarted time and time again by circumstances out of our control. Let it be known that if this was a normal year, our board would have absolutely crushed it. x1000.

But it wasn’t a normal year. And you know what? We still crushed it. We changed the game. And while it can be so easy to focus on what could have been, doing so would distract us from celebrating everything that was.

This was the mentality Izzy and I pushed at the onset of the summer. Yes, FASA has traditions. There are certain aspects of our programs that everybody loves and expects to see each semester. But FASA is also dynamic. Every year, boardies are challenged with finding the balance of upholding tradition while trying new things and pushing the boundaries. And with the nature of this year, there was no better time to challenge ourselves to do the latter. Because we wanted to do more than just “survive”—we were ready to reach new heights.

Pinay Power looking fire as hell

So what exactly was FASA this year? If I had to choose one word, it’s resilient. Bouncing back after each hurdle, our boardies refused to give up on this org; as did our members, who stayed with us through it all. PCN can’t happen in person? Cool, let’s turn it into a frickin’ MOVIE. Can’t have big group gatherings? Okay, let’s leverage our FAM’s to build stronger small-group bonds. Can’t travel to external orgs? No big deal, let’s organize virtual discussions with our Michigan Philippine Student Associations and our fellow Latinx friends on campus. Even in the face of adversity, FASA resiliently remained rooted in culture, tied together in family, and strengthened by our dedication to the community.

Pop quiz: What are the three ~pillars~ of FASA?

None of this could have been accomplished without the perseverance of our board. Without Janielle’s commitment to high quality. Sean’s willingness to ask important questions. Josh’s contagious, positive energy. Kris’s flexibility and open mindedness. Christine’s constant, uplifting support. Lauren’s willingness to step up for anyone and everyone. Angelina’s dedication to collaboration. Jason’s careful consideration for vision and purpose. Jolene’s innovative ideas. Estelle’s passion for navigating cultural discussion. Kate’s constant communication and initiative. Sam’s critical eye when we’re overthinking things. Kaitlyn’s honesty with what she believes is best. Izzy’s never-ending drive to make sure each person feels heard and supported. To my boardie family, you are an absolute inspiration. Your work ethic is unmatched, your care invaluable, and your determination a force to be reckoned with. It has been a true honor to work with you, to learn from you, and to be your friend.

“And I know we weren’t perfect, but I’ve never felt this way for no one.”

When people ask me what my favorite aspect of the Co-Presidency is, I actually find a strong parallel with my past experience as Performance Chair. In performance, you get to see people grow throughout the year, building up unique confidence and boldness through cultural expression. As Co-President, I had the honor of seeing that growth extended as I watched those same individuals rise as leaders and come to own their position in FASA. Through the trials and successes, to be granted a front-row seat in that journey is a privilege, and I thank each of my boardies for letting Izzy and me join along for the ride. We definitely took a more hands-on approach this year (hopefully you didn’t get too sick of us, lol), and with that, an even deeper understanding of the efforts and motivations of the people who make it all happen. And being challenged to make the tough calls, actively listen to what people have to say, take action to move forward, and use my voice to stand up for what I believe in, I learned just as much from my boardies as they (hopefully) did from me. Even as Co-President, there is always more FASA and Filipino culture to explore, as well as more to learn from those around you.

“I wanna talk about what I have learned, the hard-won wisdom I have earned.” -Boomers

On that note, FASA would not be standing so tall—well, as tall as a Filipino can be—today if it weren’t for our general members. To my first years: Your energy is what kept FASA fueled this entire year. To my sophomores: Thank you for sticking with us, engaging with our programs, and keeping FASA a part of your life. To my alpha dings juniors: Literally, I can’t imagine life without you. To my grad student population of ~2 (and growing!!): You are history in the making! Keep the momentum going! And to my seniors: I’ll save the sappy goodbyes for when you leave my life forever in a month (mom and dad, I already know I’m gonna cry and you’d best believe I’m bringing you down with me). But in all seriousness, your constant support over the years has shaped FASA into the community we know and love.

Like I said before, FASA is dynamic. It’s ever-changing. But even if the FASA 10 years from now is different from the FASA we know today, the impact we have made on each other’s personal and cultural journeys remains true. That’s the beauty of this family—stripping away the official title and positions, at the end of the day, we’re all just defining our own Filipino American experience together. And though FASA will continue to change, that personal impact is something that will stand the test of time.

“No matter where life takes us, nothing can break us apart...I just wanna be with you.”

Okay yeah yeah, I know I’m a sap, just let me be Feelings Chair for once. Before I wrap things up, there are a few people I want to acknowledge:

Mai-Ly and Elisa: X FAM BEST FAM!! Seriously, you should be incredibly proud of yourselves as FAM Heads. X FAM broke records this year, and I could not be more happy with the top-tier music videos, hella extra [exclusive] merch (other fams be jealous), COASTERS (lol), and overall stronger fam. Thank you for putting up with my sometimes overly Type A agendas and being so flexible amidst the craziness.

Kris and Josh: Long! Live! FASA! Performance! You guys were faced with a lot of difficulties this year. But in the end, you kept performance not only alive, but also fun and something members looked forward to, whether virtually or in-person. I am so incredibly proud of you and honored to have been your dancer :).

Izzy: The Isa to my Bella, the Pierogies to my Beaf. Thank you for being the absolute best co I could possibly ask for and the most amazing friend in the world. You challenged me to keep the big picture in mind and were integral in helping all of us (especially me) balance hard work and fun. As someone easily caught up in the grind and instinctively expecting others to be the same, you kept me in check and indirectly reminded me to take a breather and make sure board was enjoying what they were doing. I will forever have a love-hate relationship with our three- to six-hour calls, and you will always have a spot in my GCal for a Thursday night meeting-turned-dinner-turned-therapy session. It baffles me to think that we weren’t that close before 12 months ago. Thank you for being not only my inspiration as a leader but also my constant as a friend.

Team Isabella 4 Life

So where do we go from here? Admittedly, we couldn’t do everything we wanted to do this year. Izzy and I had a vision for FASA, and it can get discouraging when you’re not able to see your vision through. But at the end of the day, we had to accept that we might not be able to reach the end-goal. If the best we could do right now was focus on the present, make the most for our current membership, and set FASA up for future success, then we were gonna give that our all. And if the INCREDIBLE drive and work ethic of our Interns is an indicator of anything, I have full confidence in the passion, leadership, and people that will continue to join our organization and further its growth. FASA is in good hands—I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

“Your position is so unique.” “So I’ll use it to move them along.”

Looking back on why I ran for board in the first place my freshman year, I remember wanting so desperately to be able to give back to an organization that had given me so much. Thank you, FASA, for giving me the opportunity to do just that. Whether as a general member or Performance Chair or Co-President, I hope I’ve been able to create that safe space that makes FASA feel like home. I said it last year, but I will say it again—FASA, thank you for trusting me. It’s been an honor growing with you.

Mahal na mahal kita,

Bea Fandiño, FASA Co-President

[an-unknown-writers-world]

Unexpected

Day Twenty-Three: Stockings Over the Fireplace

Part of @panicfob​ 25 Days of Christmas Challenge

Warnings: Angst?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (First Person, nameless)

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Morgan Stark, Mentions of Bruce Banner

Word Count: 1629

A/N: This is part one of two – Day 23 and 24 both taking places on Christmas eve. If you’ve miss anything so far, the beginning of this series can be found here – Masterlist. As always, thank you for reading.

-------------------------------------------------------

“Are you ready?” Pepper asked Morgan, a smile stretched wide as she looked at her daughter.

“Yeah,” Morgan nodded.

Bucky and I sat on a love seat across from the couch Pepper found herself on. Sam leaning against the couch opposite us, watching Morgan. It wasn’t to often that we gathered at Pepper’s, usually, we hosted at the compound; but Pepper thought it would be important to hang stockings where Morgan would be waking up. After all, this was her first Christmas without her father.  

“When did you get a mantle?” Sam asked noticing the new construction over the gas fireplace.

“Yesterday,” Pepper laughed. “Can’t really have her hang stockings over the fireplace if there’s no mantle.”

“Fair,” Sam agreed.

“Why are there so many extra stockings?” Bucky asked.

“I thought it was just going to be the four of us,” I added.

“It will be,” Pepper pulled three of them out of the stack. “These are from last year,” She handed them to Bucky. “I’m having her hang them, so we don’t forget who we're missing.”

The three stockings Bucky held were for Natasha, Steve and Tony. Last year we had celebrated Christmas as family, a broken one with missing pieces. But we had stockings for Sam and Bucky while they were gone, so it made sense to keep the tradition. I felt tears start to well up at the emotions of it all. Sam and Bucky exchanged a glance that I couldn’t quite figure out what it meant; I laid my head on Bucky’s shoulder and interlaced our fingers.

“This one first, baby.” Pepper handed Morgan’s stocking to her. “Right in the middle.”

Morgan went through and hung each of our stockings, hers in the middle with mine and Bucky’s on one side, and Pepper and Sam’s on the other.

“Do you want to hang them?” Pepper asked us.

I shook my head, barely holding in my own tears back.

“Here munchkin,” Bucky said softly. “Can you hang these for us, right next to aunties and mine.” He smoothed her hair as came to take them.

A tear finally brimmed over and slid down my cheek, wetting Bucky’s shirt. It was a sad thing, but I should not be this overly emotional about it, I tried to rationalize it in my own mind in conjunction with the exhaustion I’d been combating.

“Pep, why don’t you hang this one,” Bucky said holding out Tony’s stocking.

She smiled at him halfheartedly, standing up she took it from Bucky’s grasp hanging it on the hook next to her own. A row of candles were placed along the mantle, while she was up she lit them. I could see the glossiness in her eyes from unshed tears as she turned back around to us.

“Morgan, sweetie,” Pepper said crouching down. “Will you go grab the treats you made?” She asked tugging on the little girl’s pjs.

Morgan didn’t say anything, but she ran out of the room with a smile.

“How are you feeling?” Bucky asked me softly.

I shrugged, pulling back to look at him. “Emotional,”

He smiled, “I knew that much. How’s your stomach?”

“Okay for the moment,” I replied.

“Have you been sick?” Pepper asked.

“Off and on since Thursday night.”

“Was it something you ate?” She questioned.

“No, I think I’m just overtired. It’s been a long month.” I replied

I could see Bucky shaking his head out of the corner of my eye; I rolled my eyes at him.

Pepper laughed, “You have a different opinion, Bucky?”

“People who are overtired get better after they sleep. Saturday, she slept for sixteen hours, broken up some, but she wasn’t better after that. Then slept for twelve straight hours on Sunday. Still having issues.” He stated.

“Glad I missed most of that,” Sam muttered.

“But I don’t feel sick.” I pointed out. “I’m tired, which is making me over-emotional,”

“Grumpy,” Sam mumbled.

I rolled my eyes at him, “And I’m sure that’s what’s making me nauseous.”

Pepper's eyes opened wide and she started to speak before Morgan ran in the room with goodies. She came back with three beautiful packages of homemade candies and cookies, handing one to each of us.

“Momma said we aren't giving presents, so I make these.” She said standing in front of me.

“Awe, I love them.” I gushed setting the package down next to me.

Scooping her up into my lap, I kissed the top of her head. Pepper asked Sam a few questions about Maria and where she would be spending the holiday. They chatted about his recent experiences with his situation. Bucky chiming in once in a while. I heard bits and pieces of it, but primarily just sat with Morgan trying to enjoy the moment.

“I’ll be right back,” I said sliding Morgan on to the couch.

Scurrying from the room I beelined straight to the bathroom. I was really over being sick. This was not how I wanted to spend my Christmas eve. I had just finished washing my hands and rinsing my face with cold water when there was a soft knock on the door.

“Buck, I’m fine, promise,” I called out.

“It’s me,” Pepper said softly.

I opened the door and frowned at her. “You’re not going to start fussing over me too, are you?”

She smiled, pushing her way into the bathroom. “You say that like us caring is a bad thing.” She closed the door behind her. “I’m going to be really nosey, sorry not sorry.” She said rummaging through the cupboards.

“Nosey about what?” I pulled myself up on the counter.

“When was your last period?” She asked stopping to look up at me.

I looked at her confused. “Right around Thanksgiving.”

“Are you clockwork regular?”

“Far from it.”

“Found it,” She called out.

“Found what?” I asked. “Pepper, you’re confusing me.”

She stood up in front of me. “I know I’ve only been through it once, but I feel like this is one of those things that, once you’ve been through it, you just know.” She explained.

I looked at her still confused.

“I think you’re pregnant.” She stated.

“You think I’m what?” I asked completely shocked.

“You have a lot of early symptoms and timing-wise it makes sense.” She handed me a box.

I looked down at it with a hundred things running through my head. “I can’t take this,” I stated.

Pepper rested her hand on my thigh, “It’s okay to be scared. I know the last time I said anything, you and Bucky were at odds about it.”

“You mean him actively dodging the question and will do anything to avoid talking about it,” I replied.

She grimaced. “You can take it here if that’d make it easier.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Aren’t you supposed to take them first thing in the morning?” I asked.

“You can, they say that’s when the hormone is the most potent, but you can really take it anytime.”

“Can you let Bucky know that I’m okay? I don't want him to come looking for me. But, I think I’d rather know now.”

She nodded “Make sure you set a timer when you’re done.” She turned to open the door.

“Hey, Pep,” I called out.

She turned back to look at me.

“Thank you.”

She smiled at me, stepping out of the door.

It was the longest three minutes of my life.

A million things ran through my head, I don’t know biologically how any of that worked for Bucky. I doubt Hydra ever did any fertility tests on him, that’s for sure. The serums were different, but I wondered if Steve and Banner had ever done any testing, or even talked about it.

I text Pepper and asked her to come to the bathroom. I couldn’t look at the test alone and I wasn’t ready to tell Bucky.

She opened the door, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about it.” She grimaced.

“It’s okay, I thought I could do it alone.” I smiled at her halfheartedly. “I think regardless of what this test says, I think I want Bruce to do some blood work.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” She agreed. “I’ll text him. I have a lab set for a blood draw for him already.”

I laughed, “Only one?”

“Well, no. A few actually, I couldn’t get rid of them after Tony.”

The timer on my phone buzzed.

“I can’t look at it,” I confessed.

“Are you sure you want me to?” She asked.

I nodded, words failing me.

Taking ahold of my hand, she looked at the test. Her expression was unreadable. I tried to find humor in it, I could only imagine the poker face that was required to live with Tony. My heart pounded so hard I felt like I could hear it in my ears.

“I don’t have the right words, sweetheart.” She turned to me with a smile. “I think Bruce should do the blood work to confirm since it’s not solid. But you have two lines.”

“Two lines good, or two lines bad?” I asked. “I’ve never taken one of these in my life. What do two lines mean?”

She smiled, “Morgan will make a great big cousin.”

“I’m….” I stammered, “I’m…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

She nodded, “Yes.”

It suddenly felt impossible to breathe, my palms started to clam up and my neck felt hot. I tried to catch my breath, but I felt like I was taking in water rather than air, my ears started to ring. The room started to spin, I could hear Pepper call out my name, but it sounded like she was in another room. Next thing I knew I was on the ground having fainted.

-----------------------------

Part 2: Expecting 

[serenewrites]

Tips on Character Development

(AKA the convoluted way I do things)

Ok, so, wow. This ended up being like super ridiculously long. Sorry about that. I just got done adding "a thing or two" and it ended up being longer than what I originally wrote.

So, a while ago I responded to a post on Reddit asking for help developing a character. My comment seemed to help a few people, so I figured I'd add a thing or two and post it for anyone else who may find it helpful!

TL;DR: I think Personality tests —Myers Briggs and Enneagram — used in tandem make a pretty complete, rounded character. Add in some Pinterest Character Inspiration boards to that and you've got some preeettyyy developed characters. Also, OneNote rocks my world.

If you wanna read my entire process, keep reading. If not, just read the first few paragraphs and you'll get the idea. If you don’t care, ignore me and scroll on, friend.

The Personality Tests

When I started getting my MCs together, I took a Myers Briggs personality test for each of them! 16 Personalities is a really great resource because you just answer how your character would and it gives you so much information on what type of person they'd be. If you go to that second link, it goes deeper into their theory and what each aspect of the test results actually mean. If you're looking for that, scroll down to the Five Personality Aspects part of the second link. I think the entire thing is neat, so I recommend the read. Anyways, I've done this for my protagonists, as well as my main BBEGs, and some minor characters that I was kind of struggling with.

From there, I also looked up what Enneagram types they'd line up with according to their Myers Briggs type. That site talks a lot about what the Enneagram personality stuff is all about. It's worth a read. The whole concept is pretty neat. Your personality type is similar to the personality types that are near you, but also reflects to the types across from you. Or something... I'm explaining this poorly, I know haha.

There are a few ways I went about relating the two personality tests. I didn't want to take two different tests. I really like the Myers Briggs because it's all about decisions, but I like that the Enneagram talks a lot about how they interact with each other and the world. It kind of gave me a more rounded vision of who they are. Instead of taking two tests, I used this site to find a correlation between the Myers Briggs type and the Enneagram type.

There are 9 Enneagram types. Russell Rowe (not Crowe, I know, I thought it too) does an AWESOME job of breaking them down... into 15-20 page PDFs.

Enneagram Type 1

Enneagram Type 2

Enneagram Type 3

Enneagram Type 4

Enneagram Type 5

Enneagram Type 6

Enneagram Type 7

Enneagram Type 8

Enneagram Type 9

You can easily find any of those by Googling "Enneagram Type x Russell Rowe" and it'll pop up as literally the first thing. But I linked each of them to the above list. I have each of those PDFs saved into my OneNote folder for each major character, good or evil. I highlighted things that really stuck out to me for each character.

After reading through all those, I was able to figure out if that was truly who I wanted my character to be. Is that personality type and Enneagram type truly who I envisioned my character? If yes, move forward. If not, retake the tests. I retook my one MC's Myers Briggs test 3 times, I think, and once I rounded it out with the Enneagram type, I really got her how I wanted her, so don't get discouraged if you read the results and don't feel like it fits your characters!

This is the point where I kind of venture off into more of how I do things, so I won't feel bad if you don't want to read my word vomit from here on out. I kind of just talk about the benefits of questionnaires vs the personality test method, how I use OneNote to keep track of my character development, and visual inspiration using Pinterest.

If you decide to keep reading, thanks! Also, buckle up, because it's a lot...

Personality Tests vs Character Questionnaires

So, I use Scrivener, but I also have used Bibisco (free!) in the past. Bibisco has a really, really detailed questionnaire that asks questions I hadn't even thought about. How does this character eat? What are they usually dressed like? What's their favorite type of music? Are they a pessimist or an optimist? A realist? Are they book smart or street smart? There's like... literally HUNDREDS of questions on there. It also asks about family members, relationships, sexuality (I think, but it's worth adding), past events that occurred before the book.

While I am a perfectionist, I started with the Bibisco stuff and then ended up falling off the wagon with it because it took so excruciatingly long to complete one for each character. I already had a pretty good idea of how each of them would act and I didn't really want to put myself in a box creatively. Sometimes my characters just grow organically as I write and I make discoveries about them that way!

The Bibisco questions, and questionnaires overall, are so helpful, but again, they can be so so time consuming. If you have the time (and that's your jam) I totes recommend it. Bibisco so in-depth and has so many questions that I honestly hadn't even thought about. But I have 4 main characters, and 2 major minor characters, and 1 BBEG in my first book alone. I just could not handle like hundreds of questions per person. And tbh, the Myers Briggs and Enneagram was enough for me!

All of that to say, the way Bibisco breaks down their information and some questions it asks are really cool and helpful. While I don't answer each question it has, I do like to think of just in general, how does Kein act? How does she carry herself, talk, laugh, cry? Does she belly laugh or is it more of a quiet giggle. When she cries, does she try to hide it and push everyone away (spoiler alert, yes), or does she cry openly and ask for help?

OneNote is your super organized best friend forever

I compile all of this information into OneNote, which... is honestly a post in and of itself (something I would be more than happy to do if people were interested). OneNote is just the most amazing way to keep track of everything in my world (venturing past char dev here, for a tiny second).

I first discovered how useful it was when I started my homebrew campaign for dnd and it has been so invaluable ever since. Especially for the worldbuilding I am currently doing for my fictional world. I'm also pretty sure anyone who has Windows and the Microsoft Office Suite, has it for free. So if you do have Microsoft Office, I HIGHLY recommend checking out OneNote for book/character organization.

In OneNote, I have different collections set up for worldbuilding, chapter notes, a to-do list, a timeline, and most importantly (or relevantly) for characters. I have a section for the protagonists, the villains, the good guys, bad guys, and then misc neutral people. Though, usually, people in my book fall into the good or bad sections. I have neutral people for things that have happened historically, but that's neither here nor there.

Within each section, say, the Heroes, I have a "page" for each of my main characters. Their title page is just a bunch of random notes that I hastily added on the go, but the subpages are where it's at. Each subpage is based off the Bibisco (see above) sections. Personal Data, Physical Features, Behaviors/Attitude, Psych, Ideas/Passions, Interpersonal, Life Before the Story, Conflict, Evolution, and Visual Inspiration.

The psych section of Bibisco is a very in depth 64 questions on their psychological profile. In my OneNote, this is more or less where I put my personality test results and I highlight important information. Instead of answering 64 questions that answer whether or not Kein is outgoing or shy, the personality profiles answer those for you, quite easily.

For example, Kein tested as ISTP-T. She is an Introvert, Observant, Thinking, Prospecting, and Turbulent. Even just looking at that last sentence, it tells me more about my character than any 64 questions about how hardworking, free-spirited, or vain (all Bibisco questions) she is.

I really like how Bibisco broke down the information, but how it goes about char dev doesn't work for me personally. So I modified it to work for me! Instead of answering all those questions, I read through the questions and the personality profiles I have in the Psych section. In the other sections, I just type a blurb or two about how Kein behaves, her passions, and her interpersonal skills (or lack thereof). Instead of reading through a numbered list of questions and answers, I can just read the blurb or highlighted sections in the personality section and be reminded of her overall personality instead of how she acts in one rigid sense.

I think that's why I like the personality tests the most— they give you a more generalized sense of your character instead of how they act in a linear or flat scenario. How do they walk, for instance, is one of the questions, but that really hinges on a lot, right? What's the scenario?

Is Kein coming home from a successful scavenging mission, standing tall and proud, but letting someone else take the spotlight of success? (Introvert vs Extrovert). Or is she folding into herself, thinking about all the things she could have done differently, while she’s being scolded? (Thinking vs Feeling).

How a character, walks, talks, laughs, and generally holds themselves really depends on... you guessed it! Their personalities! Which is why I really like the personality test route.

One extra bit, OneNote lets you do 3 tiers of folders, so I can have Kein>Physical Features and then one more set of subpages under Physical Features. I find this useful for character development that happens over the course of your writing. For example, my MCs fight a pack of wolves at one point (this first book of mine is very Man v Nature). They all walk away with injuries. Under my Physical Features page, I have a subpage for Developments. I either just have notes there, or a table set up by chapter. It'll say, Ch# in the left column, and then it'll have a set of bullet points for things that changed in that chapter.

Ch# - Kein attacked by a wolf - sustained a bite to shoulder and claw slash across her stomach. (A note: for wounds, I'll sometimes add pics, but as long as you can visualize it, it's whatevs).

It goes for other aspects of character development too though! If a romance is blossoming, I'll add notes chapter by chapter using the table system I noted above. If an injury causes someone to move/walk differently I make a note of it. Especially for injuries that I need to remember like, ok, she has fractured ribs. She ain't climbing that cliff side— they're going to have to find a different way or they're going to have to figure out how to get her up it.

Side note for the injury and time keeping — I made an entire post about how I do this, so check that out if you’re interested.

A small bit on visual inspiration

When coming up with a visual of my characters, I turn to Pinterest. Pinterest is the bee's knees for visual character inspiration. If you have a general idea of what you want your character to look like, just search "character inspiration" and then adding any descriptors. Sometimes I don't find what I'm looking for, so instead I'll search "model" and then the descriptors. My MC has red hair and freckles. I searched "character inspiration red hair female" and "model freckles female" and tons of pics popped up.

I created a board named "Character Inspo_NAME" on Pinterest for each main character. A nice spring board for visualizing my characters. It ranges from boots and ripped jeans, to faces of models/people, hairstyles and accessories.

I mass pin things and then I comb through and look for stuff that really resonates with a character— a few pics of models, some outfits, particular accessories or items, shoes, clothes, hair styles!! With those few, more narrowed down pics, I place them into my Visual Inspiration folder in OneNote. I can reference it if I need to remember what someone is wearing or what a particular item someone has looks like. Or just in general if I need a bit of a boost, it helps to write a character's description if I'm looking at the character inspiration.

I’m certainly not, like, the best person to go to for visual inspo stuff. There are so many other people out there who do these amazing aesthetic and mood boards and all kinds’a stuff like that and it’s so so so amazing. So, don’t take my word for it in this area, because I’m certainly not the authority here. I’m just givin yinz an idea of how I do things.

I hope this helps! Maybe I should have added memes or something.

Anyways, that’s all folks. Good luck! Feel free to ask me any questions if you have them! Also, I'd love to hear comments on my process, or how anyone else does their character development!

i also feel like this entire post is a mess so thanks for reading if you made it to the end. also let me know if any links don’t work or anything like that.

[under-atomic-skies]

The Crooked Kind. Ch. 4

Along the Road

Summary:  Fiddleford is a student at Backupsmore University. He meets a stranger at a payphone and makes an unlikely friend who, unbeknownst to him, has a long, complicated relationship with his roommate. The pair become close and eventually, a romance buds between them. What could possibly go wrong? (Tags will be updated as fic is updated)

NOTE: Brief reminder that since this is from Fiddleford’s perspective, he’ll be addressing Stan as Sam 

Word count: 4,552

AO3

Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch. 4 (HERE)

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There, along the road, was a tiny home The yard held dead machines behind its fences Like they were its kids Broken down, but still worth a lot to someone It made me stop and grin

“Who’d you say you were meeting with again?” Ford asked, looking up from his cluttered pages of notes he was somehow making sense of. He wore a confused expression on his face, and Fiddleford couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like Fiddleford hung out with too many people other than Ford, and this was the third day in a row he was seeing this strange man. Ford didn’t seem to trust the man, but he also has yet to meet him.

Fiddleford can’t decide if introducing the two of them was a good idea. Ford had a tendency to come off as rather blunt and harsh, especially given his already low opinion of Fiddleford’s new friend, and Sam had enough to deal with without adding his roommates judgement to the equation.

“His name is Sam,” Fiddleford replied, shrugging his jacket over his shoulders. “He’s actually a really nice guy. He’s staying in town for a bit, so I’m going to show him around a bit.”

Ford didn’t seem pacified. He eyed Fiddleford leerily. “Just be careful.” he replied before turning back to his notes, clicking the end of his pen repeatedly. Fiddleford appreciated the sentiment, but found that he trusted Sam. He had a rough exterior, obviously not used to someone showing him a bit of kindness, but underneath all of that, he had a big heart.

Fiddleford was determined to show the man that the world wasn’t as bad as it had previously shown him to be.

“I’ll see ya later, Stanford.” he called as he left the apartment. He didn’t wait for his roommate to respond, not that he thought he would. Once Ford was concentrated on his studies, he was so oblivious that it would take nothing short of a bomb to get his attention.

Following the hallway to the exit of the apartment, he followed the familiar path towards the cafe. No new snow had yet to fall, but the cold temperatures of the night before had ensured that the snow hadn’t melted. Briefly, Fiddleford hoped that Sam had been warm enough last night.

Stuffing his hands into his jacket, he quickly hurried along his way, and within a few minutes, found himself opening the door to the cafe. To his joy, Sam was already inside and waiting for him. He appeared to sit up a bit straighter as he caught sight of Fiddleford, raising a hand in a small, yet excited wave.

Fiddleford found it endearing that despite how much hardship this man must have faced, he still could be so excited to see him, even if a bit cautiously. He waved back and quickly joined Sam at the same table they had sat at the previous day.

“Afternoon, Sam.” Fiddleford greeted him.

“Hey Fiddlesticks.” Sam replied, satisfied smirk already creeping to his lips. Fiddleford scoffed for a moment in surprise.

“Fiddlesticks?” He asked, laugh tumbling from his lips before he could help himself. This earned a shrug from the man across from him.

“I’m tryin’ out some new nicknames. Fidds just seemed, hmm, lackluster?”

Fiddleford shook his head, still laughing, “It’s a new one, I’ll give ya that.” He paused for a moment as his laughing calmed down, “Say, how about we get out drinks and hit the streets?”

Sam nodded eagerly. The two walked to the counter side by side and ordered hot chocolates. Fiddleford reached in his pocket to retrieve his wallet when Sam put his hand over his.

“This one’s on me.” He simply replied, pulling out some money from his pockets and handing it to the barista before Fiddleford could protest.

“You didn’t have t’!” Fiddleford exclaims, not wanting the man to spend what little money he might have on him when Fiddleford could more easily afford it.

Sam just scoffed and waved a hand at him, “Relax, will ya?” he said. As if noticing that Fiddleford wasn’t going to let it drop, he added, “I had a good night last night, so I’ve finally got some extra cash. This is the least I could do since you gave me a coat and bought me coffee here yesterday.”

Fiddleford couldn’t say he agreed. He considered Sam a friend now, and Fiddleford always helped out a friend in a rough patch, and didn’t expect anything in return. However, Sam had always seemed somewhat uncomfortable by his gestures despite Fiddleford’s best efforts to word them as if Sam was doing him a favor, so he supposed paying for Fiddleford’s drink would make Sam feel more comfortable.

Deciding this to be the case, Fiddleford smiled warmly at the man and accepted the cup the barista handed to him. “Thank ya, Sam. That’s mighty kind of ya.”

A tinge of pink flushed Sam’s cheeks. He didn’t say a word but waved his hand again, as if to dismiss it.

Sam took the cup the barista was now offering him and the pair nodded together, silently agreeing to head outside. Once outside the cafe, Fiddleford glanced at Sam.

“You get to pick which direction we go.” he told him. Sam pondered for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face as he took a sip of the hot chocolate.

“Well, where do you like to go in town?” Sam asked curiously.

It was now Fiddleford’s choice to ponder for a moment before laughing a bit nervously. “It’s not anywhere excitin’, I’m afraid.”

This earned a shrug from Sam, “Makes no difference to me. Lead the way, Fiddlesticks.”

Shaking his head affectionately at the nickname, Fiddleford led him down a short ways to the school library. As the building came into view, so did the massive sign on the building’s sign reading ‘Backupsmore University Library’. Sam gazed up at the sign, a smile gracing his face that Fiddleford couldn’t quite decipher.

“The library, huh?” he asked. “I should have guessed. Ya just spend a lot of time in here studying or d’ya actually like readin’?”

Fiddleford laughed genuinely, “I mean, I do spend a lot of time studying in here, but if I’m not studying, I’m still usually in here browsing through the books. My roommate joins me sometimes. He’s a book worm just like me; I think that’s one of the reasons why we get along so well.”

Sam took this in, his gaze moving from the sign to Fiddleford’s face. Once Fiddleford was done speaking, he glanced back up to the building, allowing his smile to falter ever so slightly, revealing the sad, forlong expression he now wore. Fiddleford had to wonder if that's the expression he’d always wear if he wasn’t constantly forcing himself to smile.

“Heh, sounds just like my brother. He was always dragging me to the library when we were kids.” he said, still not meeting Fiddleford’s gaze as he spoke Fiddleford wanted to press him for more, wanting to know more about his new, mysterious friend, but judging by his expression and how guarded he usually was, he decided to not press right now. Sam would tell him when he was ready.

“That reminds me,” Fiddleford says, deciding to help ease Sam out of whatever memories he was thinking about in favor of something more pleasant, “I believe part of the plan for today was to swap stories of our childhood pranks?”

He motioned for Sam to follow him as he led him inside the library. Sam followed, looking a bit easy and obviously out of place as he followed Fiddleford through some of the numerous shelves. Luckily, Fiddleford’s favorite sections were usually devoid of people.

“I do remember hearing that.” Sam said, watching as Fiddleford sat down against one of the shelves, crouching down to sit across from him. Fiddleford’s eyes momentarily furrowed as he swore he saw the other man wince as he sat down.

“Well, the library is actually where I first learned how to make machines, which gave me the ideas for many of my pranks,” Fiddleford began, stretching his legs out and playfully resting one of his legs over Sam’s outstretched legs. Smirking, Sam shifted his other leg and rested it over Fiddleford’s other legs so that they were thoroughly tangled between the shelves.

“I found books about mechanics, robotics, kinematics, all sorts of things really. One of my favorite things to do was to check out an armful of books and lug ‘em to my favorite spot on the farm. There was this big, old tree on top of one of the hills that overlooked a lot of the pastures and farm land. It was really a beautiful spot. I’d curl up under the tree and spend most of my days readin’ through those books. Soon enough, I got the itch to try out what I was learnin’. I started with the broken farm equipment. There was a whole bunch of them lying around an old, forgotten part of the farm. I’ll never forget the look on my Pa’s face when he saw me drivin’ the old tractor he had left out there to rust. I think he thought I was some sort of witch until I explained what I’d done.

“After that, it was my job to fix all of the machinery ‘round the farm and in the house whenever it broke. It kept me pretty busy, but I also started keepin’ parts for myself so I could test out my skills more and build a whole robot from scratch. The first one hadn’t been impressive, but I learned a lot from it. The next robot I built was fairly simple, but lordy, it really freaked my poor siblin’s.

“It wasn’t much; it was remote controlled and could move pretty quietly, and when I pressed this one button, a rod would rotate. When my siblin’s were headin’ t’ bed, I’d peak around my door and wheel the robot behind their room door. The rod would rotate, and push the door shut as if a ghost did it. I had enough time before they got out of bed to check to get the robot back to my room. I did this every day for a while until finally my siblin’s started fussin’ about.”

Fiddleford was laughing heartily at this point, and Sam, who had previously been attentively listening to his story, joined him.

“They thought that a ghost was hauntin’ them!” Fiddleford laughed. “I got quite the talkin’ to from my Ma and Pa, but it was worth it to hear my siblin’s reactions every night.”

The pair shared a few moments, simply laughing together. Sam wiped his eyes as his laughter trickled down slowly.

“Yeesh, that’s like some evil scientist shit. Or maybe, uh evil mechanic? Yeah, probably that.” he said, “That puts all my pranks to shame.”

Intrigued, Fiddleford cocked an eyebrow, “What kind of pranks did you pull?”

Sam scoffed, “Nothin’ nearly as diabolical as that. My pranks typically didn’t have that much thought put into them. I was a pretty dumb kid, so I didn’t have the brain for that. On the bright side, I did play pranks fairly often. Simple things ya know, my brother and I used to prank call my Ma. She was a phoney phone psychic, ya see. We’d go to the payphone by the dock and call her line, saying some sort of lame line like “is your refrigerator running?” or something stupid like that. Other times, my brother and I used to glue pennies to the board walk and sit nearby to watch people struggle to pick it up. Course, once they heard a couple of young kids laughin’ their asses off, they usually walked away muttering some choice words under their breath.

“The one joke that I did from when I was real little up until I got kic-- uh, I Ieft to pursue sales, involved my brother. Ya see, he was a lot like you. He’d always be readin’ one book or another, or studying for a class, not that he needed to. He was a genius. But he’d get so wrapped up in his work that he’d often forget to eat, or shower, or sleep. When he did sleep, he was out like a light, which was when I went to work. Every time he’d finally pass out from staying up too long, I’d try to see how many things I could balance on him while he slept. Some nights, I’d try to get as many things on him as I could, other times I’d find the weirdest thing to balance on him. One time, I managed to set up a whole house of card using him and his desk as the base. He barely moved when he passed out so it was perfect! When he did wake up finally, the house of cards collapsed on him, covering him in cards.”

Sam was giggling as he told the story, and Fiddleford found it to be contagious. His laugh was gruff, but he seemed to laugh with his whole being; shoulders shaking, hand slapping his thighs, tilting his head back. Fiddleford found himself laughing just as hard, oddly enough feeling an odd sensation in his chest at the sound of Sam’s laughter.

Despite being hidden in between the bookshelves, their laughter must have gotten too loud, since a librarian trotted back to their spot, peering down their aisle with a stern look. “Shh!” she hissed, fingers to her lips. Like a couple of scolded kid, Sam and Fiddleford covered their mouths with their hands, trying to stifle their giggles. Being caught only made the situation funnier.

Once Fiddleford had enough of a hold on himself, he mentioned, between giggles, “Ya know, your brother sounds a lot like my roommate. I reckon I could stack a house of cards on him when he’s passed out on his desk from studying and he wouldn't even notice!”

Mischievous glint in Sam’s eyes, he peered forward at Fiddleford, “I bet ya five bucks ya can’t!”

He stuck out a calloused hand, lips leering in a smirk. Fiddleford clasped his own hand around Sam’s, ignoring that weird feeling in his chest again, “Five bucks says I can!”

“Oh, it’s on!” They shook their hands together once, confirming the bet.

Fiddleford glanced around the aisle, “Hey, how about we move on to somewhere else. I promise you there are more interesting places around town other than the library!”

Sam shrugged, “You lead the way, I’m followin’ you today, remember? So far, I am rather pleased to find out you’re not secretly some serial killer.”

Fiddleford scoffed and stood up, offering a hand to Sam, “What, you don’t think I’m cut out to be the Zodiac Killer?”

Sam clasped his hand again and tugged himself to his feet. Just as he had when he sat down, he winced. “You alright, Sam?” Fiddleford asked.

“Huh?” Sam asked, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He awkwardly laughed as he replied, “Yeah, of course! Why wouldn’t I be? This isn’t suspicious!”

Fiddleford had to disagree with that statement, but decided not to push it. “Alright, well, on to our next stop!”

The pair made their way out of the library and turned towards the main street of town. “This might be a bit more up to your speed.” Fiddleford said as he led down the street, “Since this is a college town, there’s a ton of bars that get crazy busy on the weekends. I’m not really a bar guy, but I overhear a lot of my classmates talking about what a good time they have.”

Sam, for some reason, seemed a bit uneasy around the bars, eyes darting every which way and looking like Ford did after his tenth cup of coffee.

Finally, his gaze looked back to Fiddleford and must have noticed him gazing at him curiously. He laughed, albeit a bit nervously. “I’m not really much of a bar guy,” he replied.

It occurred to Fiddleford that maybe he had a bad experience in a bar. He nodded and took Sam’s arm, steering him away from the bars, “Guess we have that in common,” he replied, “You already know the coffee shop, so there’s one more place I want to show you, but it’s a bit out of town.” He hesitated, now regretting his earlier joke about the Zodiac Killer, hoping that hadn’t given Sam any red flags, “Do ya trust me?”

Sure, asking point blank didn’t really do much to calm Sam’s nerves, but to Fiddleford’s relief, Sam didn’t hesitate when he firmly nodded his head.

Grin spreading across his lips, Fiddleford excitedly took Sam’s hands and began jogging down one of the alleys between the buildings.

“Woah-- hey--!” Sam exclaimed behind him, stumbling a bit before jogging to keep up. “Where are we going?”

Fiddleford briefly glanced behind him, “My secret place that I go if I need to relax.”

Seemingly satisfied by this answer, Sam silently followed Fiddleford, who once he was behind the buildings, slowed to a quick walk. The pair wove between houses, and soon enough, the buildings became more and more sparse before finally giving way to a thick forest. Fiddleford didn’t hesitate as he found a path into the trees. He released Sam’s hands, needing his own to bush branches out of their way and to help balance himself as he climbed a slope. He glanced behind him and saw that Sam was keeping pace, a curious expression on his face.

After a few more minutes of hiking, they emerged to a clearing on the top of the hill that overlooked the town below. Fiddleford could hear a soft gasp as Sam joined him on top of the hill.

“I come here when I’m stressed,” Fiddleford said, “It reminds me a lot of being at home sittin’ under that big tree. I usually just look at the people below and reflect”.

The pair stood in silence for a moment, peacefully taking in the view before them. Finally, Fiddleford glanced to Sam, “You smoke at all?” he asked.

Sam raised an eyebrow, “Do I smoke? How do you think I got this voice?” he asked, gesturing to himself. Fiddleford laughed.

“Alright, you got a point. Next time, I’ll bring some grass and we can smoke up here.” he replied.

“So, are you like, a hippy?” Sam asked.

Fiddleford shrugged, “Guess ya could say I’m a free spirit.”

Sam heaved a dramatic sigh, “Ya know, I usually hate hippies, but I guess I’ll let ya slide. Maybe you can change my mind about them.”

“You hate hippies? Why’s that?” Fiddleford asked curiously.

Sam shrugged, “A hippy may or may not have hypnotized my old girlfriend with his weird, free-spirited music and stole her from me.”

Fiddleford cocked an eyebrow, “I’m sorry to hear tha--”

“I got my revenge though. I may or may not have driven his van off a ravine”

Fiddleford fully turned to face Sam and realized that he wasn’t kidding. This probably should disturb him, but instead he found himself laughing.

“You really are somethin’, Sam.” The aforementioned Sam’s cheeks flushed with a blush. The pair glanced back to the town below, noticing how everyone below looked so small from their perspectives. Fiddleford couldn’t help but feel that being so much further above everyone made his problems and worries seem so small in the grand scheme of things. It was a frightening thought at times, to be so small, but at the same time, it brought him comfort.

However, that thought was soon chased away as he noticed the sun beginning to set on the horizon, casting pastel colors across the sky.

He sighed, genuinely upset to have to part ways, “I really ought to get back home; I got a lot of studying to do.”

Sam also seemed disappointed. After a moment, he responded, “Maybe tomorrow we can meet up here and I can help ya study?” he asked. Fiddleford considered his offer, turning towards Sam and smiling as their eyes met.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

They both smiled at each other, and for a brief moment, time seemed to slow. However, Fiddleford couldn’t stay there forever, as much as he wanted to. He had to get back and study eventually. Not to mention, he had a bet to settle. He motioned for Sam to follow him as they traced their way back through the woods. They continued, shoulder to shoulder as they finally made their way back to town, towards the campus where Fiddleford’s apartment was, and Stanley’s car was parked. By the time they reached the parking lot, it was dark. Fiddleford turned to Sam.

“Same time tomorrow?” he asked. Sam nodded, smiling almost timidly, “Alright then, it’s a date. You wouldn’t happen to have a deck of cards I could borrow, would ya?”

Sam thought for a moment before going to his car and rooting through his glove box. He produced a worn deck of cards which he handed to Fiddleford.

“Ya gonna see if you can stack them on your roommate?” he asked.

Fiddleford merely grinned, “Knowing him, he probably will pass out later on tonight. If all goes well and I get a chance to try it, I’ll let ya know how it goes tomorrow.”

“Alright…” Sam paused, tone drawing out. He hesitantly added, “It’s a date then.”

Fiddleford smiled, endeared at how he used his own saying.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow then. Ya take care of yourself, ok Sam?” he said.

Sam nodded and mock saluted him, “You too, Fiddlesticks.” Fiddleford laughed and turned, raising a hand to wave farewell. Sam waved back and for the briefest of moment, Fiddleford hesitated before turning and retreating down the path towards his apartment again. He didn’t hear the car door opening, so he assumed that Sam was watching him, but he didn’t dare look back, not trusting himself to continue home if he saw the man still watching him.

Soon enough, the apartment came into view and Fiddleford let himself in. Almost in a trance, he soon found himself at his own door. Pulling his keys from his pocket, he unlocked the door, and sure enough, Stanford was sitting at the desk as usual, nibbling on a pen in thought as he looked over the pages of his notes.

However, as the door squeaked as Fiddleford closed it behind him, he twisted around to look at him.

“You’re back.” It was a simple statement, but Fiddleford knew his roommate well enough to know that he must have been suspicious when he was gone for so long.

Fiddleford removed his jacket and hung it by Ford’s on the coat rack by the door.

“Yeah. Sorry I was gone for so long. I guess I sort of lost track of time.” he replied.

Ford raised an eyebrow at him, an unreadable expression on his face. He was silent for a moment, but Fiddleford could tell he was mulling his words over (this surprised Fiddleford as he was used to Ford simply blurting out what came to mind without really stopping to think if his words were kind or not).

“You should be careful. This guy isn’t going to stay around forever, ya know?”

Fiddleford sighed. He tried not to think about that part. He had convinced Sam to stick around for a bit longer, but he didn’t know how long that meant.

“I know,” he sighed for longingly.

“I just--” Ford stopped, eyebrows furrowing in a look that Fiddleford knew meant that he was trying to form his thoughts into words. “I don’t want you to get too attached to this guy. He’s going to have to leave eventually.”

Fiddleford sighed, raising his hand to run it through his thick hair. “I know,” he said again. “It’s just-- he’s so much fun to be around.”

Ford’s lips tugged in a grin, “Sounds like you like him.”

Fiddleford sputtered at that, turning away so Ford wouldn’t see the way his cheeks flushed.

“What? That’s preposterous!”

“I don’t know” Ford’s voice drew out, teasing him, “You spend all day with him, you’ve barely touched your class work since you met this guy, and you’re always raving about him.”

This guilted Fiddleford ever so slightly, and felt the need to spin around and defend himself, and in a way, Sam, “I’ll have you know, Sam offered to help me study tomorrow!”

“Oh, so you have a study date, hmm?”

‘It’s a date!’ The words Fiddleford had used several times now, and had even been repeated by Sam played back to him.

“I highly doubt Sam sees it this way.” he said. He didn’t, or rather, couldn’t deny that he’d like that. But as Ford had pointed out numerous times now, Sam would have to leave eventually. Even if Sam did feel that way, which Fiddleford doubted he did, Sam knew this as well, and knew better than to get too attached to someone. He’d have to leave once this town couldn’t offer any more for him. He’d have to keep traveling to wherever he could make money, and even if he wanted to stick around for Fiddleford, he had to make a living.

Fiddleford heaved a rather heavy sign, shoulders sagging under this realization. Ford, seemingly taking pity on his friend, rose from his desk and laid a six finger hand on his shoulder.

“Cheer up, Fiddleford. Obviously this guy likes to spend time around you if he wants to help you study. He might not be around forever, but you can still enjoy the time you’ve got.”

After a pause, Fiddleford slowly turned to face Stanford, “You know, that’s surprisingly wise coming from you.”

Ford scoffed, “Don’t get used to it. I’m sure that’s the exhaustion and the coffee talking.”

The pair laughed for a moment. “Well, I should at least work on my project for a bit.” Fiddleford replied. Ford nodded and the pair took up their spot at their respective desks. Fiddleford picked up his screwdriver, and began tinkering with the robot he was building for one of his classes.

As it usually did whenever he worked on a project, time seemed to fly and with a yawn, he checked his watch. He cursed and abruptly stood to take a shower and go to bed. He glanced towards Ford’s way and saw that his roommate was fast asleep at his desk, a small puddle of drool pooling on his notes.

Quietly, he pulled the deck of cards that Sam had left him, and began setting up the house of cards, carefully balancing them on Stanford until his roommate was soon the foundation of a fairly massive mansion of cards. Satisfied with his work, and on the fact that he won the bet, he hurried to the shower before crawling into bed.

He briefly cast a glance outside his window. He wondered if Sam was sleeping now, and whether the same thoughts were running through his head. He supposed he wouldn’t know and forced the thought out of his mind. He didn’t want to waste however much time he had with Sam fretting. He decided he would instead focus more on the memories he’d make with him.

[hopefullylovelyxx]

Ça te rend belle.

part one

Authors Note:

This is my first writing post so sorry if it’s not fantastic but I’m growing as a writer everyday so it’s only up from here. Also all the French in this story stems from me being in AP French and all the mentions of high school memories/actual events taking place at the high school are based on my high school experience in America so sorry if you’re from another place and it doesn’t make sense. Also I’m not sure if this high school name is an actual high school somewhere so if it is then oops. If you have ANY questions or comments regarding the story PLEASE send me an ask and I’ll happily answer. Huge thank you to @nips-and-tats for encouraging me to go through with this story and giving me the confidence to post my writing <3. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy. xx

. . . . . .

Wednesday August 15, 2018 6:52 am

Anxiety. Tests. Homework. Studying. Anxiety. Loneliness.Embarrassment. Insecurity. And more anxiety. The words that describe Y/N’s high school years best. As she walks up the steps to the high school her university assigned as her student teaching school she’s puzzled as to why she’s choosing to spend the rest of her life working in the exact same environment that she desired to break away from just 5 short years ago yet, for some odd nostalgic reason the environment is sort of comforting. She walks up to the front office door preparing herself by rehearsing what she planned on saying and running through the scenario she just practiced on the car ride over. Once she has everything on the tip of her tongue she pulls the door open and walks in with a smile she hopes they don’t look too closely at or else they might see right through her nerves and fear.

She approaches the desk and confidently begins to say “Hello I’m-“ but is cut short by the secretary holding her finger up for Y/N to take as a cue to hold her sentence. Y/N is taken aback as the scenarios she had thought up didn’t include one in which she’d be cut off by the secretary on the phone with a parent she presumes based on the answers being given. “Yes ma’am school started Monday....well I don’t know why your son would say the school burned down....okay...okay....no problem....thanks you too, bye.” She hangs up and looks up at Y/N with a warm smile, “How can I help you?”

Y/N smiles back and scraps whatever she’s practiced for the past 24 hours because now it’s all a bunch of jumbled up words that make no sense. “Um I’m Y/N, the new student teacher for French. My university said they sent over all the information.” She looks a bit confused then recalls the memory and says “Ahhh yes! Welcome to Meadow High School. I’m just gonna need to see your ID please.”

As she retrieves her drivers license from her bag Y/N recalls a brief memory of her mom getting her out of school early after calling her about fake stomach aches having to show the office secretary her ID. She shows the older woman and she gives Y/N a badge on a lanyard with her name and the schools name. She recalls all her years of schooling staring at her teachers badges yearning for one of her own.

She puts it on and has to keep her excitement contained as the secretary who she learns is named Kathy, gives her a map of the school and explains that the language buildings are just straight out of the office door leading into the school. “202. Can’t miss it. Mrs. Meyers is very...patriotic about the French culture.” Y/N just nods wondering what on earth that could mean.

As she walks out into her new but temporary life she immediately understands what Kathy was talking about. She walks the small distance between her and the French flag wrapped around a Eiffel Tower statue nearly as tall as her and knocks on the door before entering.

She’s met with a tall blonde, blue-eyed, woman perhaps in her mid to late 50’s rummaging through stacks of papers. She looks up at Y/N and says “ah you must be Y/N.” She stands up and shakes her hand. Y/N recalls the past couple days of emailing Mrs. Meyers. Just going over the basic classroom norms and requesting that 1 of the 2 class periods Y/N was required to teach be 6th period because she wanted to leave work early. Once Y/N informed her that the university has a policy of an actual teacher being present for each lesson a student teacher gives, Mrs. Meyers explained to Y/N that she had done this with multiple student teachers in the past. Not wanting to stir anything up Y/N just accepted it and although teaching seniors AP French wasn’t her first choice- as she felt she couldn’t connect with the older students as they might not take her seriously being only 5 or 6 years older than them- she requested first period as it was Beginners French aka French 1/2 meaning most if not all the students would be Freshman.

Most people would dread being stuck in a class in front of the youngest more immature of the school but Y/N felt the opposite. She felt that it was a privilege of some sort and great responsibility to teach the younger students not just French but also set them up for success in all aspects of life and prepare them for the next few years of school. It filled the maternal role Y/N always felt growing up wanting to take care of her baby dolls with extra care and now as a 23 year old wanting to care for students as her own children in a weird sense.

She knows that this student teaching job is only a semester long and that by the time winter break is over these students won’t be hers anymore but at least they were hers at all. Having only 4 months with them is good enough reason to make time with them even more precious she thinks. Or perhaps the school will allow her to stay another semester, perhaps she can be a teachers aid if they don’t allow her to keep her French teaching position.

Y/N is shaken out of her thoughts as Mrs. Meyers asks her to set the printed seating chart up under the document camera to be projected onto the white screen at the front of the classroom. Y/N recalls dreading those box representations of desks with names in them, she never liked change. School gave her enough anxiety, adding change to it made everything worse. The recollections of finding out she had to sit next to someone she didn’t know makes Y/N’s heart race for a second then quickly stops once she brings herself back to Earth remembering she’s 23 and not 17.

Once the bell rings Mrs. Meyers turns to her and says “Get ready for hell.” Y/N gives a little laugh but is quite confused as to why she would say that to someone who’s here to practice how to be a teacher.

She shakes the weird statement off and quickly brushes over the black silk of her plain romper and adjusts her jean jacket making sure the cuffs are folded perfectly. She looks down at her feet and wonders if she should’ve worn other shoes or if gold sandals will be fine for the tasks ahead. Now second guessing her entire outfit choice Y/N shakes herself out of it remembering it’s summer and 1000 degrees outside plus she’s a student teacher, who cares what she’s wearing.

When the first few kids come in they are noticeably confused by her presence but when they look up at the seating chart they’re too annoyed to even care. They all share glances and eye rolls as they go to their seats.

Y/N doesn’t know if she should want silence in the classroom being a teacher and all because the overwhelming sounds of the students talking are helping to make the negative thoughts in her head be muffled. By the time she knows it the second bell rings and the announcements go on continuing to stall for her. She can’t hear announcements over the students talking but is not bold enough to quiet them down and she’s not sure she wants to.

Finally the announcements fall silent and Y/N takes a deep breath. As she opens her mouth to speak Mrs. Meyers beats her to the punch. “Everyone be quiet!” The young faces notably aggravated turn away from their conversations and look at her. “This is Ms. Y/N and she’s a student at UCLA ( my university/location for the story but you can imagine any university or any location of your choice :) ) and she’s going to be your teacher this semester.” She looks at Y/N to take over and goes to sit at her desk in the back right corner of the room. She smiles and says “As Mrs. Meyers said, I’m Y/N. I go to UCLA. I’m studying to hopefully be a French teacher and I’m looking forward to teaching you all.”

A girl in the middle of the class raises her hand and Y/N smiles happy to have her first ever question from a student. “Yes?” The long blonde haired girl with foundation a few shades too tan but maybe that’s the style -who knows it’s been years since Y/N has been in high school- furrows her eyebrows and says “So like...you speak French fluently?” Y/N nods and says “I started learning French in 7th grade and continued all the way until college.”

A boy in the front row raises his hand and once Y/N gives him a nod he says “Say something in French.” Y/N thinks for a moment then settles on the basic introduction, after all this is just beginners. They probably don’t know a word of French. “Bonjour classe. Je m’appelle Y/N. J’ai vingt-trois et je suis très content d’être ici.”

They all stare at her in awe of her skill. All their hands fly up and Y/N says “I’d love to answer all your questions but I really want to get to know you.” There are some audible groans so Y/N says “You get a candy if you state your name and something about yourself.” Almost everyone’s hands go up and Y/N smiles to herself.

. . . . . .

*annoying iphone alarm that makes all our ears bleed*

“Fucking hell!” Harry groggily yells trying to stop his alarm. When he can’t seem to feel his way to his phone he groans and sits up grabbing it off his nightstand silencing it. 5:30 am. He throws his head back against his headboard reminiscing to just last week when he was able to sleep in. Which for harry meant sleeping until 7.

He’s always been an early bird ever since he moved to LA. Perhaps it was the time differences between here and England or maybe he’s just got the soul of an old man like all his ex’s have inquired for some odd reason.

He never quite understood that but assumes it’s because of his music taste and love for literature. It could be the fact that his closet is full of suits, nice button ups, trousers only your 70 year old Irish-uncle would find appealing, and his array of paper boy hats.

Whatever it is, Harry doesn’t mind. His confidence is thick like the copy of War and Peace he has on his bookshelf and will never deteriorate no matter how many shots anyone takes.

This confidence has also made Harry seem quite closed off to some. This mixed with his rather reserved nature has definitely made his social life quite dry. But he’s learned to become accustomed to it.

Harry rises out of bed in nothing but a grey tee shirt and black Calvin Klein underwear. He sleepily walks into his apartment bathroom and strips the few clothes he had on as he waits for the shower water to reach the perfect temperature. He gets in thinking about the past two days of school. It may only be his 3rd year teaching but he can tell his students this year are gonna be his favorite.

He thinks back to their discussion about the classes summer break reading assignment on the first day and chuckles a bit remembering what Kyle Patterson said about Romeo and Juliet, “The only reason I’d poison myself after knowing a girl for a few days is if she ghosted me.”

Harry knows he seems like a nightmare of a teacher to everyone on the outside but he enjoys the little curtain he has up. It makes it more fun when his own students to realize he’s not some pretentious boring British guy but actually a pretentious funny British guy.

Harry gets out of the shower and quickly dries himself before tying his towel around his waist. He brushes his teeth and shaves his face before going back into his bedroom and picking out a nice white button up and charcoal colored trousers with some nice black loafers. He lets his hair air dry as he packs his lunch and breakfast into a paper bag before putting it into his brown leather satchel making sure he has everything he needs for the day.

Upon arriving to the school he notices his usual parking spot is taken by a car he’s never seen before. “fucks sake.” He mumbles to himself driving around to the other aisle and parking in the first spot he sees.

Once Harry’s in his classroom he lets out a big sigh and immediately feels at home. He contemplates making a seating chart but decides against it considering they’re seniors and in an AP class, he doesn’t feel the need to control where they sit. It’s one of the things he likes about teaching seniors.

Their independence and self sufficiency. Yes, harry helps them when they don’t quite understand underlying symbolism or when they need something to be translated into “teen terms” rather than 19th century English, but more often than not they’re capable of figuring it out themselves. He’s always happy to guide them if they need and definitely loves to crack jokes throughout his lessons. His students past and present know how hilarious and lively he could be; but it’s day and night between his interactions with students and with the world around him. It’s why harry loves his job. He’s able to be his fun free spirited self then his tranquil reserved self all at the click of a button.

The bell rings and after a few seconds students funnel in taking seats. “Mr. Styles?” Harry looks up at the voice not knowing who it belongs to, after all it’s only the third day. “Yes?” He answers standing from his desk and closing the few inch gap between him and front of the classroom. “Are you married?” All the students look at him curiously. Harry is confused as to why they’d ask but simply says “No. Probably won’t ever get married f’I’m honest.” with a shrug he lets it go but it just leads to more questions being asked. Luckily for him the second bells rings and announcements start so the classroom is brought to a complete silence.

. . . . . .

Thank you for reading! Next part will be up soon so stick around. xx

[sweetiepie08]

Everything Stays (Chapter 1)

Mushroom War au/Adventure Time au (can’t decide on an au name)

Inspired by Simon & Marcy’s relationship in Adventure Time

Héctor can’t remember how he found the amulet or why it’s chosen him, but it saved him and his daughter when the end of the world came. As he and Coco wander through the wreckage, he can feel the amulet’s power growing and trying to creep into his mind. He knows it’s slowly taking over despite his attempts to fight, but he must hang on for Coco. 

Edit: added link to the song at the end.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. 

Héctor found himself standing on the steps of the Auditorio Nacional, though not in the way he ever imagined. He dreamed of playing here one day as a professional musician, not assessing if the roof looked stable or how well the doors would hold against attack. Still, it looked sturdy and would make a good shelter for the time being, so long as there were no surprises inside.

“What do you think, Coco?” Héctor asked, jostling her awake. “It’d make a pretty good home for a while, right?” It was their best option anyway. It was getting dark, and night was the worst time to be outside. “Think you can walk?” Her little legs gave out a few hours ago. Hopefully they’d recovered by now.

Coco flopped her head into the crook of his neck and mumbled her answer which seemed to be in the affirmative. He let her slide out of his arms and held her hand as they climbed the steps. The locks were weak from disrepair, which meant they’d have to reinforce the doors once inside.

“Don’t go running off, Coco,” Héctor said as he jammed a long pipe between the door handles. “We don’t know what’s in here yet.”

He kept his hand clasped tightly around hers as they explored. They checked every inch to make sure their new hideaway was free of Monsters as Coco called them. She wasn’t far off. He didn’t have the heart to tell her what the Monsters once were.

The sadness crept in his mind as they wandered around. This place, though now falling to shambles from surviving the Mushroom War and left neglected for some length of time (he’d lost track of the days), still had some beauty to it. He only wished he could have seen it in its prime. It must have been magnificent. At least he got to see the pipe organ, though playing would attract too much attention. It was probably horribly out of tune anyway.

That the green room still had big, comfy couches felt like a miracle. At least his aching back would get some relief for now. Twenty Seven years old and already complaining about my back, he thought with a smirk. After everything that’d happened, this shouldn’t be such a surprise, but it was hard letting go of the old normality.

“Papá, there’s a fire place,” Coco pointed out.

Ah, another perk. Coco hated the dark now, and frankly, so did he.

Héctor set his backpack down on a table and rummaged around for the matches.

“Why don’t you use your magic, Papá?” Coco asked as she climbed on one of the sofas.

Héctor’s hands froze in the bag and he suddenly became very aware of the weight he wore around his neck. He turned to her with an easy smile and said, “Don’t want to waste it, m’ija. We need to save that for when it’s really important.”

After Héctor got the fire going, they ate some of their rations for supper. Coco then curled up in his lap and asked for a story. She liked the silly ones. In truth, he just retold episodes of cartoons from his childhood, or at least what he could recall from them. He’d have to make up some as he went, but she always enjoyed it and so did he. It was good for the both of them to forget for a while.

Soon enough, she was fast asleep. Héctor lay on the couch with his daughter’s head on his chest. He combed his fingers through her hair and stared at the ceiling as he tried to keep his thoughts in check. He had to try very hard not to think of it, not to remember, but his old life was hard to forget in this room. It brought memories of him and Ernesto talking for hours about what their lived would be like once they became famous musicians. When they were younger, their fantasies usually revolved around playing huge, sell-out shows in iconic venues around the world, attending wild, star-studded parties, making ridiculous backstage demands just to see if they’d really happen… Then, when they were older, their thoughts turned to making their mark on music history, inspiring young musicians just like them, and for Héctor, providing the best life possible for his girls.

Well, Ernesto, I finally made it. I hope this is close enough for you. It was funny, really. Ernesto was always trying to get him to tour Mexico, and now he finally had.

It wasn’t as if there’d be an audience to play for anyway. After months of traveling, trying to stay ahead of the Monsters and searching someone, anyone who could help, they found nothing. Coco was the only other human he’d seen since that day. As far as he could tell, he and Coco were the only people left in Mexico, possibly even the world. Though he refused to believe the latter. There must have been a few people like them who got lucky.

That day played out like a nightmare. The bright green mushroom cloud appeared in the sky. According to the news, it could be seen from all over the world. People were told to stay indoors, to not go outside for anything. Imelda, however, insisted on doing just that. Her brothers had gone out before the cloud appeared and hadn’t come home. Héctor begged her not to go, but she was determined to make sure her brothers were safe. She told him to stay home and protect Coco. She kissed him, and that was the last time he saw her, or at least as she was.

After she left, a flash emitted from the cloud. Instinctually, Héctor shielded Coco with his body. When they came to, the Santa Cecelia they knew was gone. Buildings were crumbling, the sky was filled with black clouds, and the citizens had been turned into Things. Zombies wasn’t the right word for them. They were strange, oozing slime monsters, the same green as the cloud which no longer loomed over the world. They weren’t stable, if the puddles of green goo he found on his travels were any indication, but how long the Monsters lasted seemed to vary. He didn’t know what they were or how this was possible, but he at least knew that they burned. Sometimes, late at night, when his thoughts turned as dark as the clouds that now permanently hung in the air, he wondered how many friends and family he had to burn in order for he and Coco to make their escape.

Héctor blinked a few times, trying to refocus his eyes. They drifted to a lounge chair across the room.

That would burn up nicely.

His heart stopped and he looked down at his daughter sleeping in his arms. No, not now.

It wouldn’t take much. Just a little spark.

Stop it.

It didn’t stop. An image came to his mind. A little flame slowly overtaking the chair, the fabric burning and peeling away, the stuffing melting and sinking down to the wooden supports, the fire consuming it until it was nothing but an ashen husk…

He felt his hands getting hot and stretched them as far away from Coco as possible. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend he was freezing in the artic. Imagining the harsh, cold air sometimes fought the thoughts long enough for his hands to cool.

The heat slowly disappeared from his palms. He tested them on the couch, and when he left no singe marks, he carefully picked up Coco and set her back down again on the cushions. She stirred a little in her sleep, but thankfully didn’t wake. He slipped out of the room. If he could help it, he always stepped away from Coco when his mind went like this.

He wandered the halls and tried to force his mind to think of anything else, but the voice in his head refused to be ignored. It tugged at his consciousness, showing him tantalizing images of everything around him engulfed in flame. A discarded mop’s handle crackling and splintering, an orange glow traveling up the stage curtain, rows of theater seats lighting up like matches…

His hand flew to his chest and he clenched his fist around the amulet hidden beneath his shirt. He couldn’t recall what it was or why he had it. He suspected it took that memory from him like it slowly took away parts of his mind. He only knew he hadn’t had these thoughts before it latched on to him. It demanded fire from him. For a time, it was satisfied with the monsters he had to burn to survive, but the monsters were starting to disappear and it wanted more. It wanted a host, it wanted him.

Why me? he often wondered.  Why hadn’t it been found by a scientist or archeologist, or someone with a chance in hell of knowing what it was and how to control it.

I saved you, it told him. I saved your girl. You owe me.

“No. I am in control.”

Are you?

“I won’t feed you. You won’t get what you want from me.”

He’d tried at first. He tried sneaking away and setting small fires to silence it, ones that would easily burn out on their own and leave no  extra damage. It didn’t like that. It wanted to spread, to consume, and every time he used his powers, he found himself enjoying the flames in a way that terrified him.

When he had to go all out, when he had to fight to protect his daughter, he opened the door to let the voice creep in just a bit more. It would get stronger, whisper to him more frequently. He thought he could control it. The first time, when he and Coco made their escape from Santa Cecelia, he didn’t even know it was there. Each time after, it would be helpful, giving him ideas on how to fight and stay alive. But then, he let it in too much.

He couldn’t remember what exactly happened. He just opened his eyes and saw Coco crying from her hiding place. From the smoldering puddles of green all around him, he deduced that he’d just fought off a swarm of monsters. He reached for her, but she pushed him away. She said he scared her. That was when he saw the burn on her arm.

Without hesitation, he tore the amulet off and threw it in a pile of wreckage. Almost immediately after, he fell to the ground in agony. He could feel the flesh on his back burning, melting away. It was unlike any pain he’d ever experienced. Somehow, he knew the source. It came from the wounds he should have sustained in the flash. He wasn’t sure how long it took, but Coco slipped the amulet back around his neck and the pain disappeared.

If the situation had been different, he would have rather died than become the world-burning maniac the amulet wanted him to be, but Coco needed him. When he put it back on, he could swear the thing felt smug. It knew it had him trapped.

You won’t survive without me, it told him. You and your little girl would be dead if not for me.

And so he was forced to continue wearing it, hosting it, letting it whisper in his mind. But he had one thing over the amulet. It couldn’t start fires on its own. It needed Héctor as much as he needed it. He could resist its influence and exert his will over it. The amulet would not use his hands to cause destruction.

What more is there to destroy? What kind of world are you trying to preserve?

“Shut up.”

Why fight? Look around you. The world is just kindling now. Just let loose one little spark and it will all go up in flames.

“I won’t do it. The world is still worth something.” He couldn’t become a monster too. Coco had no one else. He needed to protect her. He needed to hang on.

What? For the girl? Why? What future could she have here?

He couldn’t even respond. It was a question he turned over in his mind constantly. They would survive, that much was for certain, but to what end? What kind of world was Coco growing up in? How long could they last? What would they do with their lives now that the world was seemingly over?

There is no point. Burn it down. That’s all you can do.

“Never. I’m done arguing with you.”

The voice continued to try to make its point, but Héctor tried to block it out. He knew this would only lead to the amulet switching from the voice to images, but he’d been getting better at occupying himself with other things. He had a lot of practice ignoring things he didn’t want in his brain, this voice just happened to be more persistent. That was all.

Héctor found his way to the stage. He walked up the edge and sat down, letting his feet dangle over the orchestra pit. How many greats once performed here? He wondered. And how many were even still alive? These halls were made to be filled with music. Would they ever be again?

They won’t. They never will again.

Héctor sneered defiantly. We’ll see about that.

He had a song in his mind already, one he’d been mentally writing on their long journey. Even if he had no guitar, or partner, or even an audience to play for, he was still a musician. Music was what he was, how he sorted out the world, and he needed it now more than ever.

He took a breath and his voice filled the empty space.

“Socorro, is it just you and me in the wreckage of the world?

That must be so confusing for a little girl.”

You? You think you’re good enough? You’re only good for one thing.

“And I know you’re going to need me here with you,

But I’m losing myself and I’m afraid you’re going lose me too.”

You see, there’s no point in fighting.

“This magic keeps me alive, but it’s making me crazy,

And I need it to save you, but who’s going to save me?”

You are mine. I will take you eventually.

“Please forgive me for whatever I do,

When I don’t remember you.”

He continued singing his song, keeping his thoughts only on Coco until the voice ran out of things to say. Though he knew what came next. The amulet would show him images of fire and burning that gave him a twisted pleasure that he hated. He’d grown able to resist the temptation. He’d tell himself It’s not me. It’s the amulet, over and over until it gave up.

Today, it tried something new. It showed him Coco. It showed her running up to him with a smile on her face. He picked her up and gave her a toss. When he caught her, she was crying. He put her down and realized that his hands had burned through her dress and left large red marks on her skin. She ran from him. He tried to catch her by her hand, but he burned her again.

What might happen if you never use your fire? If you never get an outlet?

It continued to show him more visions, each worse than the last. Images of Coco and the fire twisted together in his mind. It repulsed him, it horrified him, and yet the flames… No, no it’s not me. It’s the amulet. He thought he might be sick.

Don’t you want to keep her safe? Isn’t she worth it?

He knew the price: another small piece of his mind to quiet the amulet for at least a while.

Isn’t she worth it? It asked again.

Yes, yes, of course she was. He’d give the world for her. What was one more piece of his mind?

He got up and started looking around. Surely, he’d be able to find a metal trash can somewhere. He was still in control, and he still refused to let the fire burn wildly.

That would do nicely, the voice told him as his eyes landed on some discarded set pieces.

Yes, yes they would, he thought as he imagined the flames crawling across the wood. Maybe he didn’t need the can. Maybe, it he dragged those outside and let them burn out on their own and if they didn’t… He could feel his hands heating. Small twin flames flickered in his palms.

Loud, childish sobs echoed through the halls, accompanied by cries of “Papá!” His hands instantly went cool again. Abandoning his task, Héctor ran down the halls in the direction of the green room where he left Coco. He found her wandering just outside.

“Coco, I’m here,” He said in a soothing tone and he knelt down beside her. “What’s the matter?”

She threw herself into his arms and tucked her head beneath his chin. “I woke up and you weren’t there. It was dark. I got scared.”

“It’s alright. I just went for a walk. I’m here now.” He picked her up and carried her back into the room. “Let both get some sleep, eh?”

He laid down on the couch with Coco still clinging to him around his neck. “Don’t leave again, Papá,” she demanded through slowing sobs.

“Never,” he answered, gently petting her hair. “Want me to sing for you?”

He felt her nod and began singing her a lullaby. He focused purely on the feeling of his daughter in his arms, the sound of her soft breathing, and the warmth of holding her close.

This was why he fought, why he clung to his mind, why he couldn’t fall for the amulets tricks. If he couldn’t do it for himself or the rest of the world, he’d do it for her.  She was the world now, as far as he was concerned. He wouldn’t let his daughter grow up with a monster for a father.

“Papá,” Coco whispered, sleep in her voice, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Coco,” he whispered back as she drifted off. “My little flame.”

Song: I Remember You from the Adventure Time episode of the same name.

[shesdreamingofamonster]

A Reader’s Companion

Word Count: 1,809

Pairing: Hoseok x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: When you win a spot at a BTS fan meet, your love for books may spark more than a simple exchange of words with Hoseok.

As Requested. :)

Part 2

“You are going to a fan meet?”  Your friend seemed shocked when you announced the news. “Yeah, what is so wrong about that?” She gave a small laugh but then got shot a look from the librarian at the main desk. You had joined her to study for your finals. “Y/N, do you even have time to go? We have projects, tests, presentations… I hardly have time to sleep myself.” You sighed. She wouldn’t understand. I mean she liked BTS, but she didn’t really feel connected to them, nor any idol in the industry. But when you got alerted that you had won the lottery and received a spot, you couldn’t pass it up. You may be a college student, but you still had schoolgirl dreams of meeting the boys. They weren’t just attractive guys that you wanted to meet just so you could have bragging rights. Even if they would never remember you, you wanted to let them know that they meant a lot to you. That their music, their feelings, their words, they were special. That their dorky moments made you smile. That you were proud of them pursuing their dreams when many people doubted them. But whenever you watch their videos, listen to their music, or look at their pictures, there is one of them who stands out. Jung Hoseok. His passion for music and dancing was inspiring to you. Not to mention his personality being everything you looked for in a guy. Him being an avid book reader, that was an added bonus. You knew you loved to read, literature was your passion. That is why you were currently in your senior year of university pursuing a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. Fall term was coming to a close, and with it was stress and loads of work. You didn’t know how you were going to get everything done either, but pushing it off for the chance to meet your favorite group, it was definitely worth it. “Well, it is only like several hours, half a day at most. I can spare that time. I can just work my ass off to finish everything on my other days.” She just nodded her head as she went back to researching through the pile of books to her right. You gave a small smile as you went back to typing up your paper on your laptop.

You had looked up things to do when you were going to a fan meet. People said to designate specific pages for each member on the album that you want to take. You prepared some post it notes too. For this specific event, the seats were assigned, so you didn’t have to get there at an ungodly hour in the morning. Not that it was going to catch anyone’s eye, but you dressed up. It made you feel better about yourself at least. The finishing touch was the beret from the wings tour.

You had to take the subway in order to get there, so you brought the current book you were reading with you. The ride wasn’t very long, but it was long enough to read a little bit. And there was no point in trying to study when your nerves were acting up thinking of being this close to the boys. When you arrived, it took some time to get into the actual venue. Security made sure that you along with the other fans brought anything dangerous. That was a welcomed thought. Your bag was checked and you were scanned, but then that was done they checked the paper with your seat number and confirmation on it and let you in. You sat down next to a girl who was vigorously typing away on her phone, she also had a professional camera on her lap. You assumed she was a fan site. When she seemed to be done, you took a moment to introduce yourself. You found out that she was in fact a fan site. Specifically, for Seokjin. She showed you some of the pictures that she had taken previously and you were amazed. She really caught his natural beauty in an amazing way. “Those are great!” She thanked you and you proceeded to chat as the rest of the attendees filled in.

When everyone was there and the doors were closed, the boys made their way to the tables. They looked amazing as always. Smiles radiating as they saw their ARMY waiting there for them. Awe struck was the word that you would describe your state with when they began introducing themselves. You never had the chance to see them live since you didn’t have a lot of spare money lying around until recently. Now you understood how some people would freeze in front of them. You didn’t come back to reality until you heard the shutter of the camera next to you. You couldn’t let yourself act like that when you were actually meeting them. You would probably never get this chance again.

Finally, they called your row. You had enjoyed sitting and seeing the boys interact with fans and each other, but you were glad the wait was almost over. The order was Jimin, Yoongi, Jin, Namjoon, Jungkook, Taehyung, then Hoseok. You made your way through the members. Having memorable interactions with each. Laughing cause Jimin was happy that his hands were bigger than yours. Taehyung noted that he liked your outfit. All of them taking their time to make you feel special even if you weren’t. When Hoseok’s eyes connected with yours, it almost took your breath away. “Hello!” He looked down at your album to catch your name, “Y/N.” He smiled at you as he signed the designated page and answered the question. “My favorite book?” He laughed as he gave a frustrated sigh, “That is a hard one. I can’t really say. I am reading a really good one right now though.” He told you the title and you almost choked. Then you reached into your bag and pulled out the exact same book. The excitement in his eyes was evident. “No way! That is amazing! How far into it are you?” The conversation became one of book lovers instead of one between idol and fan. That was until the staff came over and politely said that you needed to move on. You didn’t even find it weird when he asked for your number. So, you wrote it on an extra post it note and passed it to him. “It was nice to meet you Y/N. It would be nice to see you again sometime.” You couldn’t believe what was happening. “I would like that too.” And then you waved goodbye before you continued on and made your way back to your seat. You looked back to see him give you a quick glance with a smirk before greeting the next person.

After everyone had gotten some time with them, the boys had a little Q&A session. It was revealed that Jungkook had placed vinegar in Taehyung’s water bottle backstage. The whole thing was very light hearted. And it was all fun and games until the staff announced that it was time for the guys to leave. The audience let out deflated sounds but the boys sent their love as they got up. You even swear that Hoseok looked directly at you when he sent out a wink.

You went home and continued on with life as if nothing had happened. You looked over the album to see what every member wrote in detail. All of their hangul and English very distinguishable. You turned to Hoseok’s page and smiled as you saw your name in his handwriting. Then you decided that it was time to go back to your school work. When you got a text from an unknown number, you stopped what you were doing and looked at your phone.

Unknown: ‘Hey. Y/N? This is Hoseok, aka J Hope. Haha. All I ask is that you don’t give out my number.’

You may have had a minor heart attack when you read the message. He actually texted you. Never in your wildest dreams did you think he actually would. Amidst your freak out, you realized that you had to respond.

Y/N: ‘Hi! Of course, I would never do that. If we are being honest, I didn’t think you would contact me.’

Hobi: ‘Really?! Why not? I am just a regular person you know. When I meet a cute girl who I am interested in, and is actually in my age range, I want to talk to her like anyone else.’

He called you cute. And he said that he had interest in you.

Y/N: ‘Me? I don’t think I am all that interesting.’

Hobi: ‘Don’t say that. You were intriguing enough to me in the short time we talked. And it was nice to not talk about myself for once. It would be nice to hear about you.’

And so you told him about you. How you were a student, what you hope to do in life, what your family is like. It was so normal. It felt nice. After a while, you forgot that he was some idol in one of the biggest groups in the world. He was just Hoseok. A boy who wanted to know everything about you. And he told you little details that not many people knew about him either. You were typing your paper in between so you would at least be somewhat productive. You mentioned how you were doing homework to him and he seemed to be worried that he was distracting you.

Hobi: ‘I don’t even remember the last time I had to write a paper. If I am distracting you then I can let you go for the night. It may sound weird, but I really like talking to you.’

Y/N: ‘I do have a lot to do since finals are coming up this week. I should focus on my work. But I really like talking to you too. I feel bad that I have to go. :(‘

Hobi: ‘You don’t have to feel bad. Trust me, I know what it is like to have deadlines. It is totally fine. When you are free, or feel like a break, don’t be afraid to send me a message. Maybe we could go to a café or something?’

Y/N: ‘I would like that. Talk to you later. Goodnight Hobi. :)’

Hobi: ‘Goodnight Y/N. Good luck on your finals. I’ll be rooting for you! :)’

You continued typing. A smile plastered on your face. Not only had you met Hoseok, but you were becoming fast friends with him. Maybe even more. Now you had much more than break to look forward to.

Next

Masterlist

[entirebodyexercise]

Strength Training and Hypertrophy for Women over 40

I wish to encourage all women over 40 to begin strength training for hypertrophy. Now, before you begin stressing that I am aiming to make you big and also large, let me clarify why it is very important for ladies over 40 to toughness train as opposed to just stick with a cardio routine. You need to recognize precisely what hypertrophy suggests as well as how it will benefit you. I also desire to state that cardio still has a vital part to play in your life combined with toughness training.

The Role of Hypertrophy

I believe that the word hypertrophy has actually been mistreated and, at the minimum, misunderstood. Hypertrophy implies to transform the form, function, and stamina of the muscle by nurturing the cellular structure-this does not always imply the muscle mass needs to get larger. If you are working on fat loss, building muscle mass will likely make you smaller since muscular tissue is a lot a lot more dense compared to fat.

What we as people identify to be cumbersome may likewise be interpreted differently by others, and there is no one true interpretation of exactly what this means. For example, the bulk of women do not have the hormonal agent account that guys carry that allows for huge gains in muscular tissue mass to happen.

The science behind hypertrophy shows that you need to work your muscles to the factor of overload-and this means you require to have some discomfort while you are functioning out. I need to damage the information to you that all the short articles you have ever before checked out obtaining long, lean muscle mass with 5 pound weights executing 200 reps are total bullshit. For one, you physically could not change the size of a muscular tissue, it is, nevertheless, attached to bone, so unless you intend to prolong the length of your bones, your muscle mass size will certainly remain the exact same. Yes, you could alter the form, feasibility, as well as function of the muscular tissue, but not the length.

5 Factors Hypertrophy Works: 1. It Deals with Aging

After the age of 30, our muscular tissues begin to normally shrink. Muscular tissue mass can decrease at an approximate price of 3-5 percent annually, so also prior to we delve the meat and bones of hypertrophy training, you require to recognize that you are currently dealing with the initial stage of aging. By adding toughness training to your program, you can begin to regain some of that needed toughness in your body as it naturally declines. If you are a woman going through menopause, after that you will certainly also be handling hormone disturbances that could impact your capability to get muscle mass easily, so the earlier you start lifting, the more ready your body will certainly be for aging.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Functions: 2. You Will Look Good Naked

Lean muscular tissue increases your metabolic process, and also your muscles require nutrition to thrive whereas fat is just lazy. If you have actually raised muscle mass, your body will certainly utilize your food extra successfully (assume a Ferrari here) whereas enhanced body fat is much like feeding a damaged down old car.

I understand that looking excellent is not everyone's primary reason for exercising, but there is no rejecting that the by-product of an excellent strength session is that your body starts to change. Your body structure can be absolutely transformed when you establish lean muscle. A great means to see this is not always by the ranges, yet by your clothes sizes, measuring tape, or also simply visually by searching in the mirror. If you are interested in the looks, then begin lifting.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Functions: 3. You Will certainly Feel Empowered

Something truly impressive takes place when you begin to obtain strong, you begin to really feel empowered in various other parts of your life. It's one of those points that is under-rated by the young 'uns, but also for us women over 40 that frequently experience a feeling of sensation incapable or having reduced self-esteem, this is massive! The thrill of endorphins you obtain from a terrific workout will leave you feeling invincible, so let's give our selves the gift of having a strong body and a solid mind. The connection is unquestionably there, as well as it can actually alter your life.

5 Factors Hypertrophy Works: 4. It Will Certainly Aid Protect against Injury

While the primary function of our muscle system is movement an additional main objective is upkeep of position as well as body position, and also by this, I indicate that our muscle mass sustain us. If you have a strong body you are securing your joints, as well as you are building a system of muscles that can contract, respond, and also jump back assisting you to stay injury cost-free as well as mobile.

5 Factors Hypertrophy Works: 5. You Get Total Health and wellness Benefits

Often forgot in the fitness center is the ripple effect of having excellent total health from constructing muscle mass with hypertrophy. Having an operating body with a great metabolism will assist us combat a few of the significant diseases and health problems that plight us as we age. Sustaining our framework against osteoporosis is a standard vital demand if we are to appreciate our life relocating forward. Having a tactical workout strategy is one of the tried and tested means for females to combat epidemic diseases like diabetes mellitus as well as heart condition, one of the largest causes of death in females.

How to Plan Your Workouts

Now that I have actually absolutely persuaded you to start raising weights, you most likely need to know just what this type of training looks like.

Here are some standard requirements:

1. Keep reps in the 10-12 representative range.

2. Cover 6 essential motions of the body:

Hip dominant: swing, deadlift

Knee dominant: squats, lunges

Push: both vertically and also flat, rise, breast press

Pull: both up and down as well as horizontally, bring up, curved over row, inverted row

Core working: shoulders to hip, front, and also back of your trunk

Explosive motion: jump squat, hang clean

3. Lots, rate, and period are all components to consider.

4. You have to reach overload with your muscle mass, as well as pain is okay.

5. Work for 25-30 minutes.

6. Work 3-4 times per week.

7. Alternative days of reduced intensity stable state workout (LISS), strolling, treking, swimming, yoga, pilates, etc.

8. Mindfulness. I am not some raving hippie however maintain your body's stress and anxiety degrees controlled by locating some quiet time in your day.

9. Remediation. Get appropriate remainder between workouts, take days off, dial in your nourishment, and also obtain enough sleep.

Use Muscle Overload

One of my wonderful mentors in the health and fitness sector, Train Robert Dos Remedios, explains overload as loading your work capability pail. You should lift hefty sufficient and do enough reps of the 6 important movements.

For instance, if I configure an exercise for you that has you operating in a 10-12 representative variety:

If you can do 15 representatives easily, after that you are not functioning hard enough.

If you can hardly do 4-5 reps, after that you are working as well hard. If you start puking, you are functioning way too hard. If it hurts your body in ways that don't really feel good, after that you could get injured.

If you obtain to 8 reps and have to push via those last 2-4 representatives, after that you are functioning simply hard enough.

Think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, discover the location that is simply. As well as bear in mind, only you can figure out that one-of-a-kind location for you, the location where pain as well as overload is optimal. Find where the magic happens.

Just Go and Do It

So there you have it. I know that I have actually transformed you. Now, we simply require to inform the masses. Most of the basic population might gain from some aspect of hypertrophy in their life. It's all excellent news. Strength training for hypertrophy is going to impact you in favorable ways-you will be able to be extra active, have fun with the youngsters, as well as handle your stresses, all with renewed energy if you push much sufficient to accomplish this.

[stoppableforce]

~1600 words about blood DKs in BfA

(Battle for Azeroth mechanical spoilers follow.)

So Blizzard finally is doing with BfA what they probably should've done with Legion and given blood DKs a reason to ever look at our talent pane. Like, 90% of the time, these were my talents for the entirety of Legion:

Obviously there were some changes from time to time - I think I took Spectral Deflection for our Kil'jaeden kill just because of how hard his average melee swing hits, I had Rune Tap and Foul Bulwark for a while when Soul of the Deathlord was my best legendary (my legendary luck was shit y'all), and usually would use Tremble Before Me and Bonestorm for Mythic+ - but otherwise this is the exact build I was using and there was no reason to deviate.

Now, well, Blizz finally dumped a big bunch of changes on us all at once in the last alpha build. Let’s go row by row.

In the initial writeup for this on Wowhead, it said that Rune Strike was in place of Blooddrinker, and initially I was kind of sad to see Blooddrinker go (because it’s really good!) but also happy (because it’s so obscenely overpowered compared to the other options that it overshadows the others even in situations they should be good). What actually happened is that Bloodworms jumped up to 90, everything slid one spot to the left, and Rune Strike was added, but this ain’t your daddy’s Rune Strike - now it’s a two-charge attack that does physical damage and restores a rune. It’s basically a more offensively-oriented version of Blood Tap, which has disappeared again.

And, as an aside, Blooddrinker has been nerfed through the floor. On live, it’s 4.5x your AP; on alpha, even accounting for smaller numbers (and using Wowhead as a source here), it’s 0.44x your AP. So the damage is comparable to Rune Strike. I could see feasibly taking Rune Strike, especially early on while our haste levels kind of suck, because Blood DK rune generation appears to still be entirely passive.

I would be interested to see if it stacks during Dancing Rune Weapon (i.e., would it restore 3 runes). A lot of other effects (looking at Hemostasis here) do.

Oh, and Heartbreaker is exactly the same as it is on live. Maybe it’s good for Mythic+ now, or heavy AOE situations, since Blooddrinker isn’t so overpoweringly good.

Heart of Ice and Spectral Deflection are both gone now, and Rapid Decomposition has lost its runic power generation in favor of speeding up both Death and Decay and Blood Plague. In return, we get two very familiar features as abilities now: Hemostasis is an altered version of the effect of our hands-down best legendary in Legion, Skullflower’s Haemostasis, while Consumption is the active effect from our artifact weapon.

This version of Hemostasis is half as effective per stack; however, in AOE situations, you’ll probably immediately be stacking it to 4-5 stacks with each Blood Boil cast. That’s a neat change.

On the other hand, the talented version of Consumption has a 15 second longer cooldown and deals significantly less damage. Then again, everything deals significantly less damage. Losing the on-use Leech effect for the party from the artifact weapon makes it less attractive, as well. 

I feel like it’s probably a spike vs. sustain situation - Rapid Decomposition is going to be decent sustained health gain and damage in AOE, while Hemostasis and Consumption will be more bursty.

Will of the Necropolis and Rune Tap both jump down here, and work exactly as they do on live. Anti-Magic Barrier, rather than increasing your health for some reason, now absorbs more magic more often for a longer time. I feel like it’s probably going to be the default go-to, barring times when you need Rune Tap to survive large predictable bursts of damage. Will of the Necropolis continues to not impress.

Tremble Before Me goes the way of the dodo. I’ll kind of miss it for randomly fearing large packs of spellcasting enemies in Mythic+. March of the Damned also works the same way it does on live; good if you need to move twice as fast (I’d prefer to move twice as often, honestly) or Freedom yourself.

On the other hand, the live version of Tightening Grasp gets split in half. The one that didn’t get a name change still reduces Gorefiend’s Grasp’s cooldown by 30 seconds, but that’s all it does. Meanwhile, the new Grip of the Dead gives your D&D a 90% slow, but it decays by 10% every second, so after 3 seconds it’s worse than the old Tightening Grasp.

I feel like in raid situations this is probably still a no-brainer. Maybe if you don’t raid with four paladins you’ll find March of the Damned more useful than I do, but I feel like Tightening Grasp is just going to be the default, outside of Necrotic week in M+.

I’m starting to reconsider what I said about a reason to change my talents.

This row is sort of an amalgam of talents from other rows on live, and it’s an interesting choice with the changes involved.

Foul Bulwark is still here, but it’s half as effective (1% health per Bone Shield charge, down from 2% on live). Ossuary is here, but it doesn’t make Death Strike cheaper anymore; instead, you can now go up to 15 Bone Shield charges, and you have a max of 125 Runic Power (up from 110). And Tombstone... didn’t change at all.

This is the first time we haven’t been able to simultaneously have Foul Bulwark and Ossuary (previously they were level 90 and level 58, respectively) and I can see why; it’d be a no-brainer. Now, however, I’m not sure. I almost want to say Ossuary ends up being a DPS gain (you’ll end up with fewer Marrowrends to keep Bone Shield count up and more to just maintain the buff, which means pumping out more Heart Strikes) but I’m not sure how the survival end of things shakes out. I guess technically Ossuary doesn’t offer any survival gain, since 15 charges of Bone Shield protects you exactly the same as 10 or even 1; it would’ve been interesting to test Ossuary with Spectral Deflection, but that’s gone. 

Hey Blizzard: maybe bring back Spectral Deflection instead of Will of the Necropolis. Just a thought.

Don’t worry, Soulgorge isn’t back. I know, I saw that icon and I got worried too. Voracious is a new and exceedingly simple talent: Death Strike grants you 15% Leech for 6 seconds. Meanwhile, Bloodworms is up here now with a slight buff (your autoattacks can summon a worm, not just autoattack crits) while Mark of Blood caught a slight nerf (2% heal rather than 3% on enemy autoattack).

I feel like Voracious is probably so much clearly better than the others right now that it’s hard to justify anything else. 15% flat leech is a lot of healing, even without worrying about actively maintaining the buff. It’s also nice and predictable, unlike Bloodworms, and doesn’t use resources better spent on other heals, like Mark of Blood.

Red Thrist is up here and caught a nerf (1 second reduction on Vampiric Blood’s cooldown per 10 RP spent, up from 6 RP); Bonestorm works kind of like it does now but the heal is slightly more effective (damage numbers are down, though); and Purgatory is Purgatory. Blood Mirror is gone and that’s the real tragedy; a defensive and offensive cooldown all in one that rewarded you for learning when you were going to take high amounts of reflectable damage?

Hey Blizzard: maybe bring back Blood Mirror instead of Will of the Necropolis. Just a thought.

Anyway: This row feels kind of unfinished in that you get a boring passive that only works if you die, a boring passive that works either way, and a really good AOE ability. And honestly, barring a lot of sudden burst damage, it’s hard to justify taking Purgatory anymore. I don’t die that much! So I’ll probably end up with Red Thirst, just because I won’t be able to lean on Service of Gorefiend anymore.

So I guess at least Blizzard has managed to make some of the rows interesting to play with instead of none of the rows. I’m curious to see how Rune Strike vs. Blooddrinker shakes out, the whole level 57 row, Foul Bulwark vs. Ossuary, and so on. But there are still a few complete stinkers in here: Will of the Necropolis, Heartbreaker, and Tombstone most notably.

Some things I’d like to see come back as talents in place of these snoozers:

Thoughtseize: We very briefly had this new ability in the alpha to steal a buff, then recast the ability to put the buff on a target ally. The coolest purge in the game, hands down. Then it went away, then came back as Reap Magic. Zzzz. A real sleeper. Probably the only purge that gains resources instead of costing them, but still. I think Thoughtseize could be interesting as a talented upgrade to Reap Magic, even though there would inevitably be at least one Mythic kill cheesed by it early on. (Looking at you, Dark Simulacrum + Wrack bug.)

Souldrinker: that way I don’t feel bad about my overheals.

Aggramar’s Stride: I definitely wouldn’t mind not feeling like the slowest thing on two legs, but I understand that part of our “class fantasy” is supposed to be this slow implacable reaper bullshit, whatever. Just let me run a little faster all the time, eh Blizzard? 

Mouth of Hell, because I’m gonna miss my extra swordfriend, as well as the bonus DPS gain from three stacks of Blood Plague and only needing to press Marrowrend a single time to fill it up to 10 stacks.

[jemimaboultonmessagesmultiverse]

Screen printing workshop

Today we made our own screen prints based on our articles and inspired by some screen print artists. I researched Rob Coradetti and Zoltron and before making my own prints. They were very successful and I had a lot of fun making them, the block colours are very appealing to me.

Rob Coradetti

Rob Coradetti is an artist who specialises in screen printing, comic book art and creating psychedelic imagery who is widely known for his project “Killer Acid”. In this project he creates highly detailed technicolour pieces of art inspired by head shops and other psychedelic imagery that has become wildly successful in the last 10 years.

 I personally actually really enjoy the outcomes of his black and white pieces which contain highly intricate areas of white on black. The shapes he creates with his prints aren’t usually similar to the typical way which things are represented which is why I find it so captivating. A good example of this is how he displays the smoke in the piece below as a shape similar to that of a curly fry coming from the cigarette.

From noticing this in Coradetti’s work I began to consider how I could do this in my own work and I ended up using a similar technique when displaying a brain as I didn’t make it the typical shape of a brain and instead made it rather abstract. I also do love the amount of continuous shapes in his work as the simple shapes make each element of it have a very clear texture that they are representing, something which I didn’t achieve in my own work very well, as I made everything a block shape.

In the piece below he includes many colours which is something I wish I did more of in my own work as my pieces are all one colour and I did little to no layering and when I did layer it was more of an overlapping technique than using different prints to add new colours and depth and creating a cohesive piece solely with screen prints.

The many elements really appeal to me and the way he has used many objects to create another is very interesting to me and something I should consider testing in my own work in the future. Despite enjoying the abundance of different things being visually communicated, I also enjoy how the colour palette is limited to only four or five colours as it makes the composition as a whole make sense and the elements work well together due to all fitting into this colour palette.

Zoltron

Zoltron is a screen print artist most famous for his poster art and street art. He works mainly with singers and bands to create eyecatching and vibrant screen print posters relating to their theme and music. Unlike the many colours used in Killer Acid’s work, Zoltron opts for more simple colour schemes using 2 or 3 colours in different tones but extremely bright.

The borders of the work usually match the darkest lines, which makes for a very cohesive piece which draws audience’s attention to the centre, most important image. Just because his colours are more simple does certainly not mean that his designs follow in suit, as they are far from simple, containing linework and shadow which I believe are similar to that of Charles Burns, the hatching and lines used give Zoltron’s work a real flow and intricacy to them.

I really love how the colours are used in the piece above as they are used to show different shadows and lighter areas instead of creating gradients or using darkened versions of the colours in question. I also really like the way the composition looks with the big spiral in the background as it draws focus to the middle of the poster due to it spiralling to the middle. His creation of texture also intrigues me greatly as he uses such simple things to display each texture, such as wood being illustrated with lines going straight down the guitar.

In the piece below the colour is the accent to the predominantly black and white art. I really like the grey and the red together and it makes me consider using these two colours together in the future. I also think the way the background is decorated is very interesting as it adds extra context and information about Iggy Pop into the piece. through small images that pay homage to the success and situations that Iggy Pop has found himself in during his career.

The grey eyes on Iggy makes the background tie into the foreground and avoids adding a new colour which may not work with the other two. The red is used subtly in the bottom left hand corner of the collage which actually overlaps the foreground for a moment there to connect the two further. A very faint screen print of grey patterns can be seen over the body, possibly to resemble tattoos, although I am unaware as to whether he has tattoos or not.

There is a large amount of type within the background in varying fonts and sizes which could be to further emphasise the information being portrayed in the collage and also to relate to phases or words commonly associated with Iggy Pop. It is very clear that very much thought has gone into the contents of the background, possibly even more than the composition of the foreground.

My screen prints

In my own prints I wanted to create simple designs which would relate to my articles and work very well when scanned in to use in compositions on photoshop. For my first piece I based it off someone getting botox to fit with my theme of botox curing depression. I made a stencil of a person with 2 needles going into their face and for the first print I just did one single print with brown paint to see how the stencil turned out. Unfortunately I moved the stencil before I lifted up so it turn out with a slightly offset lighter element to it, but luckily I really like the effect this had and I believe it made the piece have a new part to it that made it look almost 3D.

I chose the colour brown to begin with as it made sense as both a hair colour and a skin tone and since this is a print of a person I wanted the colour to also make sense. I am very happy with the outcome I created although I did ruin it slightly as I accidentally got it stuck to another piece of paper when it wasn’t completely dry and when I separated them some paper still remained on the print.

When I was designing this stencil I wanted to stick to a very geometric theme so I made the hair out of mainly triangles and quadrilaterals and the mouth and ears out of shapes completely made of straight lines. The triangles as a nose is something I did since it reminded me of the way a nose looks on a human skull but extremely simplified. I made the eyes spirals as I thought that it was a more interesting shape for eyes than just making them circles or ellipses. 

I also used this stencil to create a repetitive page covered in faces. I chose to use the colours red and brown as the red relates to the subject matter of surgery and biology due to it being the colour of blood, but also it works very harmoniously with brown. By repeating this stencil across the page I emphasise how many people are severely effected by depression and want a cure desperately to improve their quality of life.

I then went on to make a stencil related to blindness. For this I took inspiration from Killer Acid and made the brain a very abstract shape. I also completely left out the eyes as blind people can’t see and I thought this was an effective yet simple way to demonstrate this. When actually printing these stencils I laid them all out in a row to show that blindness is a disability that affects many people and therefore a cure could be very important.

I made the brain exposed to show that the cure to blindness would be related to the brain as they are experimenting with implants in the brain to treat it. I also made the prints black to display the darkness which plagues people affected by blindness’ lives. 

If I was to further develop onto this I would’ve possibly added something into the brain even if it was as simple as a colourful rectangle to portray the implant which could cure the blindness, or I could give eyes to one of the figures and make only the correlating brain contain the implant to display that it works. I really like the outcome of this piece overall and I think the layout really worked in my favour to emphasise the narrative I was communicating.

I created a page based on the CIA robot fly spies using two different stencils. The first stencil I created was of a fly. I used the very basic shapes of a fly so as to not overcomplicate it and make it unclear what the stencil is of. The eyes and wings of a fly are what really define them as a bug so I made the eyes 2 very large swirls and the wings decently noticeable so that people can easily distinguish that it is a fly.

When printing I decided to use a black and green colour scheme to fit with the theme of spying as they are colours commonly associated with spy media. I really like the way these colours look when blended together and I believe they had the effect I desired, as the switching of the colours part way through the print appear in a way which could visually represent a glitchy type of technology that would’ve been around in the 70′s when the robot fly was created.

For the second element of this piece I made a stencil of an eye to represent the spying half of the article. I printed the eye in just black so as to not overwhelm the entire piece with too much green. I messed up when I made the stencil as I made it on too small of a piece of paper to cover the whole silkscreen and therefore some of the ink got down the side of the screen which left lines on this composition which weren’t intended. I don’t really like the layout of this piece and I wish I put more thought into how I put it together as a whole, filling some of the empty spaces with eyes instead of overlapping them with the flies in multiple places.

This stencil design was informed by my article concerning robots showing human emotions. I thought the best way to display this would be to make a robot with multiple faces all displaying different emotions. I design this using basic shapes, squares of the head and round shapes for the hands body and feet. I made the choice to make the head square as it is an unnatural shape and therefore the stencil is clearly not a human or living thing as living things aren’t shaped like this. 

When designing the faces I wanted to illustrate different feelings that we as humans feel. To do this I made one face happy, one face angry and one face sad. The happy and angry faces were successful, as the eyebrows on the angry face really show the rage of the robot, but the sad face was unsuccessful as I believe the tears look as though they are the eyes and the eyes look like the eyebrows. As a solution to this problem I could’ve made the tears their own stencil and printed them in blue to display that it is water. I could’ve also extended them past the face as though there are teardrops flooding from the robot.

I chose to make the robot black to get a clear print that is easily distinguishable, but in hindsight I should’ve used a grey colour to display metal and further imply that this is a robot and not a human or monster. I also could've used multiple shades of grey on one print to possibly display a shininess and show the texture of metal.

For my final print I made a mammoth which is half complete and half just skeleton. This is to link the mammoth to the scientific element of the news article I am using which is about reviving them. I made the stencil with the basic silhouette of a mammoth and I designed a skeleton for it which I thought looked as though it made sense even if it isn't necessarily anatomically correct. 

When I placed the stencil on the page I wanted to place them in a similar way to how elephants walk in movies as I presume a wooly mammoth would do a similar thing. To achieve this I placed the prints in a row at the bottom of the page to possibly make it look as though they are following each other in a line. I really like this composition and I believe it looks how I walked it to. 

The colour choice made for these prints is to represent the cold climate that mammoths typically used to live in. I wish this blue was maybe slightly less green and more pale to look more similar to ice as it isn't a very icy blue and instead a vibrant teal. Another thing I would change about these prints if I could is how I used colours and the configuration of the print. If I had design the print in a way which made the bones the white area of the print and the colour was in the background I could’ve printed in brown and made the mammoth the colour it is supposed to be, but overall I really enjoyed these processes and believe on the whole that the prints were a success.

[allenmendezsr]

The Acid Reflux Strategy

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/the-acid-reflux-strategy/

The Acid Reflux Strategy

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“So, you thought your acid reflux was just innocent annoyance?” my doctor asked.

Then, looking me straight in the eyes, he added…

“You were DEAD wrong!”

I wasn’t sure if the pun was intended.

My wife’s shivering hands squeezed mine as tears ran down her chin.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get through this,” she sobbed…maybe more to convince herself than me.

Frozen with fear, I couldn’t speak.

Only one thought circled through my mind: “I’m too young to die!”

You don’t anticipate this kind of shock when seeking medical advice for acid reflux, do you?

Yes, heartburn makes your life miserable. It robs you of sleep, ruins your meals, and embarrasses you with burp and gas outbursts in the worst places.

At worst, you fear ulcer, which is, of course, horrible.

But death — you don’t expect that!

If you frequently suffer heartburn, you should, however, prepare for the worst.

I tell you why…

Not being able to sleep that night, I googled the health risks of acid reflux.

What I found was terrifying.:

Recent studies prove that acid reflux is the number one cause of not just one or two, but SIX types of fatal cancers (4).

And we’re talking strong connection.

Heartburn increases your risk of…

cancer in the larynx by 286%;

cancer in the hypopharynx by 254%;

cancer in the oropharynx by 247%;

cancer in the tonsils by 214%;

cancer in the nasopharynx by 204%;

cancer in the sinuses by 140%.

Sum it all up, and you’re 1345% more likely to get one of these six cancers than does a person who doesn’t suffer heartburn.

One thousand, three hundred, and forty five percent.

That’s a lot!

“Acid reflux is more dangerous than smoking,”

…the researchers concluded.

Millions of people die every year because they don’t take their heartburn seriously enough.

And there I was, ready to be another name on a grave.

It wasn’t my fault, really!

I’ll explain in a second how I finally got rid of my acid reflux using a simple home remedy that takes only four or five minutes to make.

You most likely have all the ingredients sitting in your kitchen. So, if you want, you should be able to take the first sip within 10 minutes from NOW.

Had I known about this remedy before, I would not have received the dire news that day.

But with what I knew then, I couldn’t have done much differently!

Like most people suffering heartburn, I was loading up on proton pump inhibitors (PPI), medications thinking they were safe.

Well, they are not.

According to a study from Washington University in St. Louis, PPI drugs increase your risk of dying within a year by a terrifying 50% (1).

Another study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (2) proved that PPI pills drastically increase your risk of stroke.

And, in a new study from the University of Hong Kong and University College London published in the peer-reviewed journal Gut (6), these same drugs were found to double your risk of stomach cancer.

Maybe worst of all: They also double your risk of kidney disease.

Hey, I can live with stomach ulcers, but I can’t live without my kidneys or stomach.

Other heartburn medications, such as antacids and H2 blockers (such as Tums and Zantac), may or may not be a little bit safer. However, numerous studies have also found a row of life-threatening side effects from these drugs.

Putting it bluntly:

It’s a matter of life and death that you naturally address your acid reflux immediately today.

Don’t put it off another day!

Plus, these drugs cost a fortune…

When my insurance company stopped copaying for my medication a few years back, I had to shuffle out over $5000 a year for heartburn prescriptions.

Even after I turned to cheaper over-the-counter PPIs, I was still paying close to $2000 a year for drugs that were actually murdering me.

Okay, finally, some good news:

Additional testing luckily revealed that my cancer diagnosis was a false alarm — “false positive,” they called it.

At that point, however, I was informed enough to realize I had gotten a second chance at life…

…but it wouldn’t last long unless I cured my acid reflux as soon as possible.

PPI and other heartburn medications only temporarily mask the symptoms. They do not cure your acid reflux or GERD.

Therefore, they do nothing to protect you from dying from cancer and other causes.

In fact, they drastically increase your risk of dying.

So, I knew I had to handle my acid reflux naturally…

…which is easier said than done.

The Internet is full of well-meaning tips for acid reflux.

I’m sure you’ve tried everything from baking soda to just carrying around Tums everywhere you go.

When other common wisdom, such as sleeping sitting up, not eating spicy food, and avoiding sugar, chocolates, and tomato sauce, is to no avail, you are running out of options, aren’t you?

So, you get what I was facing.

Finally, my luck changed when a friend referred me to a man named Scott Davis.

Scott is somewhat of a legend in the natural health research field.

He has come up with solutions for numerous health issues the traditional medical system has no answer for.

Among those are acid reflux and GERD disease.

At the age of 84, he dedicated most of his time to research and was not seeing many people in person.

In fact, he seemed quite irritated having to deal with such a mundane issue as my acid reflux.

You see, for someone like you and me, who have endured the pain of acid reflux for so long, curing it deserves the Nobel Prize and its million-dollar award, right?

Scott, however, had helped so many people with heartburn, it had become an old hat.

It wasn’t a challenge for him anymore.

He only helped me because my friend was Scott’s nephew, and really expressed how desperate I was.

Well, he did charge me $200 for a 30-minute session, which I, at that time, thought was kind of a rip-off.

That is until I realized how effective his method is.

In fact, this is the best investment I have made…

…not just because of my health but also because I’m saving almost $2000 every year in medications.

I don’t mind effortlessly banking extra 2000 bucks a year… Would you?

That’s one 1000% return on investment every year — beat that, Wall Street.

But obviously, saving my health and life was my only motivation that day.

Scott told me that the three-step system he had developed works for pretty much anyone, and if I followed it in detail, it would help me too.

“Let’s see,” I thought to myself, quite skeptical.

As Scott gently shuffled me out the door, he gave me a printout of 43 pages listing the three steps he wanted me to take.

Part one was his “quick fix,” – including his simple acid reflux remedy.

I could make the remedy right away, as it included only three ingredients I already had in my kitchen.

I was amazed to feel the pain melt away!

That night, I slept through without any bloating, burbling, or throat burning for the first time in decades.

Imagine the joy of waking up the next day feeling great. No gasping for air and spitting up acid before breakfast.

I made the formula again in the morning, and the whole day passed without any reflux.

This was great!

Several days and nights passed without any heartburn issues. I drank a glass of the formula two to three times a day.

And it was keeping my stomach in great shape.

Sometimes, I would add one or two of the extra herbs Scott recommended to boost the effectiveness of his remedy even further.

Herbs number six and nine on his list were especially effective, and I could get them from any supermarket along with the other ingredients.

The best part was being able to eat and drink anything I wanted (even fattening and heavy comfort food, which can really cause heartburn).

I could have coffee in the morning, a glass of red wine in the evening, and even a bit of spicy food for lunch (I didn’t dare try spicy for dinner.).

Heck, I had even forgotten that a sip of Bourbon wasn’t supposed to be painful.

All I did was make sure that I had a shot of Scott’s remedy when I knew I was going to eat or drink something that I shouldn’t.

Every day, I felt powerful and full of energy and focus.

This was amazing because I had tried literally hundreds of home remedy recipes before I met Scott.

The Internet is full of those recipes.

I’m sure Scott’s remedy has been ripped off somewhere (although I haven’t seen it anywhere else). But you’d have to literally go through thousands of failures before finding it (if you ever do).

Some of those online remedies I tried helped a little for a few days, but they always stopped working.

Others made my pain worse.

Scott’s remedy has never failed me.

That’s except when I failed Scott!

What do I mean by “failing Scott?”

You know what happens when we get a good thing going. We too quickly forget the hard times.

And, little by little, I began to forget taking the remedy.

I would run out of the ingredients or forget to take it with me when traveling.

Or, most idiotic of it all: Sometimes, I thought I didn’t have five minutes to spare to make it.

Imagine having a remedy that you know would eliminate your acid reflux every time, and you just decide in your mind that it’s not worth five minutes to make it.

Well, my brain is obviously not the brightest.

And that was okay for a few days…

…until one night, when the reflux assaulted me with full force again.

As luck would have it — it was exactly a night spent in a hotel, where I had none of the ingredients needed.

Worst night of my life!

Most of it was spent with my head in the toilet.

That’s when I got it:

Just like prescription medications, the remedy was dealing only with the symptoms.

It is, of course, natural and not causing any side effects.

But no matter how effective it was, it wasn’t curing my acid reflux.

I had promised Scott not to get stuck with the remedy and also take the two other steps in his system.

Well, this night reminded me of that promise.

And the hours that passed before I could get to a supermarket and buy the ingredients for the formula nailed that memory in deeply.

When I got home, I immediately began working Scott’s program for real.

The next step was to give my stomach a break.

It wasn’t enough to use the mixture that soothed my stomach.

I actually had to cut out the foods that were triggering it.

Scott had given me a list of foods to look out for, followed by a long list of delicious foods that are good and soothing for the stomach.

I got it all wrong before.

Okay, I knew about sugar, spicy foods, tomatoes, and many of the other obvious trigger foods.

But I had no idea about most of the things on Scott’s lists.

And here is the thing nobody tells you about acid reflux diets:

It is NOT about avoiding certain TYPES of foods.

It’s the food combinations in your meals that are much more important.

Scott taught me six simple fundamentals for food combination for acid reflux.

Using these fundamentals, I’m actually able to eat lots of foods that previously would have caused terrible bloating attacks.

I just avoid combining these “bad foods” with other foods that promote heartburn.

And finally, the third step…

The huge misunderstanding about stress and acid reflux:

You know the saying: “having a knot in the stomach” when someone is stressed or in dread.

It’s no wonder because when you are stressed or anxious, you feel it in your guts, right?

It’s like your intestines are twisted and turned?

Now, when acid reflux bloats your stomach, it tricks your body into thinking you’re under major stress — even when there is nothing to stress about (other than the pain, of course).

This triggers your brain to release a ton of stress hormones. This causes you to feel even more stressed, which again gives you that knot-in-the-stomach feeling and triggers acid reflux.

It’s a vicious circle of heartburn and stress.

That’s why traditional stress management doesn’t ease acid reflux.

Scott, meanwhile, taught me four powerful techniques, each of which taking only two to three minutes and focuses on the mind/stomach relationship.

I began using these techniques anytime I sensed a small tension in my stomach.

And the results were remarkable:

Over and over again, tensions that would have transformed into full-blown reflux before would melt away as I did the stress release exercises.

All I was left with were this great energy flow and light joy in my guts.

Scott is phenomenal!

Combining Scott’s simple mixture, his food plan, and his easy stress relief techniques when needed gave my guts a much-needed rest.

Over the coming weeks, I began experiencing a flow of energy in my guts that I hadn’t felt before.

The heaviness and pressure I would usually have after eating were gone.

Instead, I felt uplifted and energized.

At some point, choosing the right food and food combination became second nature. I don’t even think about it anymore.

Plus, it doesn’t matter if I cheat a little once in a while. It doesn’t send me into full-blown heartburn.

When going out to eat and I know I’m going to consume something I shouldn’t, I take four or five minutes to brew up Scott’s remedy and experience no heartburn problems.

Best of all: I feel like a normal person again.

It’s such a relief not dreading going out with friends because you are that weird guy who can’t eat or drink the same as others.

I can order normally without having to interrogate the waiter about the ingredients in the food.

And I can have a drink or two without fretting the night.

Now, it’s your turn…

Recently, Scott began working with natural health publishing company Blue Heron Health News to spread his knowledge.

They published the same three-step strategy Scott gave me:

Take the simple home remedy (plus the 11 herbs that supercharge it) to stop acid reflux in its tracks.

Identify the foods and the food combinations that trigger acid reflux.

Address the “knot in the stomach” using simple stress relief techniques.

In addition, he included a chapter specifically focused on pregnant women and acid reflux.

Another chapter focuses on infants and children experiencing heartburn.

I highly recommend Scott’s strategy for anyone suffering from acid reflux, GERD, or heartburn.

So, how much does Scott’s Acid Reflux Strategy cost?

The icing on the cake:

Unless you completely eliminate your acid reflux, heartburn, GERD, or whatever else you call it, you end up paying NOTHING…

..unlike dangerous prescriptions or medications that suck $3000, $5000, or even $8000 every year (and attempt to murder you in the process),

…cheaper, over-the-counter versions digging you into a $1000–$2000-hole year after year—and actually make you sick,

…or even natural remedies that may not cause side effects but most often don’t help either (and rob you of several hundreds or thousands in the process).

Not even the $200 Scott charges for a 30-minute session (if you are lucky enough to get one).

Nope.

As much as Scott knows how effective his system is, he doesn’t want to sell it to anyone unless he’s 100% sure it will help them.

After all, you are not wasting his personal time like I was.

Even though he that knows you…

might be spending your life savings on dangerous, ineffective herbs and medications

 are at tremendous risk of dying from cancer and liver damage due to your acid reflux.

are suffering every day and night…

… he still knows that you might hesitate to try his system if you are required to shell out a huge amount of money.

And let’s be honest…

I’m sure Scott could provide you with hundreds of testimonials from people who had similar results as I did, but how do you know whether they’re true?

He could also bore you with thousands of pages of scientific studies proving different aspects of his acid reflux strategy, but you might still doubt it will work for you.

The only way you can find out for sure whether Scott’s three-step strategy will work for your acid reflux is if you try it out for yourself.

So…

Here is how you can try the Acid Reflux Strategy for free:

After you click the button below, you’ll be charged a small, one-time, fully refundable deposit.

I think that’s fair, as that is your commitment to giving Scott’s strategy your best shot. Without it, this would just be another one of those free online information nobody gives any weight to.

It also guarantees that Scott gets a little gratitude from those who benefit from his strategy. And he does deserve some gratitude if he helps you heal your acid reflux, doesn’t he?

Okay…

Immediately after you submit your deposit, you’ll be redirected to a page where you get full access to Scott’s strategy.

Start by making the simple home remedy.

You most likely have all the ingredients in your kitchen already.

So, within 10 minutes from NOW, you can have your first sip.

Imagine the relief if your acid reflux was gone TODAY!

If you would sleep through the night without gasping for air, stomach cramps, or throat burning and wake up without upset stomach burping (or even throwing up)…

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Whether you experience complete relief tonight or not, I recommend you drink Scott’s remedy every day for a few days.

Then, you can move on to steps two and three in his strategy.

Now, if you don’t experience the same amazing results as I did, or if you’re, for whatever reason, not completely thrilled with the strategy (Maybe you don’t like the font type.), then I’m truly sorry.

In that case, just send the team at Blue Heron Health News a quick email, and they’ll immediately refund your deposit. No questions asked.

You can use the contact link at the bottom of this page or reply to the confirmation email you will receive with your order.

Scott Davis and Blue Heron Health News put their +40 years of great reputation in the natural health biz on the line, guaranteeing you will be thrilled with either your order or refund.

You have 60 days to ask for your deposit back, which means you can thoroughly test out the 3-Step Acid Reflux Strategy.

If you ask for a refund (I don’t think anyone has ever asked. At the least, it’s very rare.), you come out even. Lose nothing.

But if you manage to cure your acid reflux… just imagine the money you’ll save on medications every year.

We are talking pocketing extra $1000, $4000, or even $8000 every single year — tax-free.

That’s the greatest return on investment I can think of — with zero risk (because if it doesn’t work, you lose nothing).

But it has to happen today!

Why?

It’s bad enough to go through another agonizing day with acid reflux when you know there is something that could help you, isn’t it?

Not being able to eat anything you like

Being kept up half the night with a burning throat and a bloated stomach

Having an almost guaranteed ulcer down the road (if not already)

These are bad enough on their own.

But add to this the knowledge that your heartburn is putting you at over one thousand three hundred percent increased risk of six types of fatal cancers.

1300%

That makes it pretty likely that you will get one of those cancers if you don’t tackle your heartburn today.

Plus, knowing that the common medications available for acid reflux cause kidney failure, stroke, dementia and stomach cancer.

Worst of all: This can happen any day!

One minute, you’re fine. The next, you’re coughing blood and rushing to a hospital with stage five throat cancer.

And you know that as you’re lying in the ambulance, you will be thinking you should have done something about your acid reflux sooner.

You know you will!

You still have time today, unlike at that point, it will be too late.

The time to act is NOW!

It’s an ugly truth, but it has to be said.

So, why don’t you click the order button below now and begin addressing your acid reflux within minutes?

You risk nothing and have your life and health to gain.