#i tried to make it super comprehensive but also not overwhelming.... i got too excited ;^;

[siyeon]

i wanna start stanning pristin, but idk where to start lol

*cracks my knuckles* HERE WE GO

First off, I am so glad that you’re interested in PRISTIN! I love them a lot, so I love when other people want to love them too! I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this post without being too… extra eheheh…

The links/lists are under a read more since I wrote a lot ~ I utilized hyperlinks for neatness and clarity ~ I apologize for any mistakes or anything I missed! I tried to put this together quickly before I leave for my two week trip with my family!!! I hope this helps!!!!

BASIC INFORMATION:

The Members:   Nayoung (née Im Nayoung), the leader. ‘95 line   Roa (née Kim Minkyung). ‘97 line   Yuha (née Kang Kyungwon). '97 line   Eunwoo (née Jung Eunwoo). '98 line   Rena (née Kang Yebin). '98 line   Kyulkyung (née Zhou Jieqiong). '98 line   Yehana (née Kim Yewon). '99 line   Sungyeon (née Shannon/Sungyeon Bae). '99 line   Xiyeon (née Park Siyeon). '00 line   Kyla (née Kyla Solhee Massie). '01 line

Debut date: 2017 March 21 with Hi! Pristin. Title track: WEE WOO.

Group name meaning: PRISmatic, meaning bright and clear; and elasTIN, meaning flawless strength.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRvGVXlK9h9vLWpbVOzm_4Q

Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/PRST_OFFICIAL_

Member Twitter: https://twitter.com/10_PRISTIN

PRE-DEBUT: PD101 and PLEDIS GIRLZ

Nayoung, Minkyung, Kyungwon, Kyulkyung, Eunwoo, Yebin, and Siyeon auditioned for PD101 S1. Nayoung and Kyulkyung made it into the final group, IOI. The members who competed did not yet use their stage names.

Under the name PLEDIS GIRLZ, the ten members now in PRISTIN, made an unofficial debut in order for Sungyeon (then, Shannon) to appear on JTBC’s Girl Spirit! Here is one of her performances! They also released the track WE, initially under the name PLEDIS GIRLZ.Eunwoo was also featured on the track Sickness with SEVENTEEN's 

Each member had individual cover videos, which can be found on the pledisartist YouTube channel. 

Both before and after their official name reveal, they released a debut cover project. All videos can be found on the pledisartist YouTube Channel as well!

PLEDIS GIRLZ had several concerts prior to debut. Videos of their concerts can be found in this lovely playlist I found on YouTube!This playlist also includes their predebut individual covers as well as post-debut videos!

The BYE & HI concert was their final pre-PRISTIN concert, and the day which they revealed their name! You can watch this here.

V APP, HICAM (HI&HIGH), and CHANNEL:P

V APP is honestly one of the best ways to get to know any k-pop group! I suggest watching PRISTIN’s V APPs, both as PLEDIS GIRLZ and PRISTIN. They’re cute and fun! Here’s their channel.

2. HICAMs are little behind the scenes clips of the girls, both as PLEDIS GIRLZ and as PRISTIN! Here is a playlist of them.I love HICAM’s, and I think they’re a great way to get to know the girls a little better!

CHANNEL:P is the successor to HICAMs! They can be found on PRISTIN’s YouTube channel. They do not yet have a playlist as they are on-going!

DEBUT: WEE WOO ERA and beyond!

PRISTIN debuted with the mini album, Hi! Pristin. The title track was WEE WOO, and the performed B-side track on music shows was Black Widow! The full tracklist is:    1) Be the Star   2) WEE WOO   3) Black Widow   4) Running   5) Over n Over   6) WEWEE WOO: MV Black Widow: dance practiceHi! Pristin: full (Please download on iTunes or stream on Spotify if possible!)Running is the re-named pre-debut song 하지마.WE is the 10 member version - previously, IOI members Nayoung and Kyulkyung were not on it!

PRISTIN will be having their first comeback on 2017 August 23! Teaser photos of members can be found on the official twitter as well as PRISTIN blogs on tumblr! I also have them reblogged ~A few of my favorite PRISTIN info blogs are: @fypristin , @ladyteenintl , and @pristingirlz10

VARIETY SHOWS:

Kyulkyung and Xiyeon appeared on Hello Counselor shortly after debut! Here is the full episode from KBS! There are English subtitles available ~ 

For the show We Like Zines!, Kim Heechul decided to write about girlgroups! For part of it, he met with Pristin! Here is the clip from KBS ~ 

Kyulkyung can also be found on MBC’s Oppa Thinking! 

PRISTIN was featured on KBS’s Guesthouse Daughters! 

PRISTIN will be on a PLEDIS family Weekly Idol, with Raina, NU'EST W, and Han Dong Geun! They have filmed, but it is to be aired at on an undetermined date. ~ Please look forward to it!

I hope this was a rather extensive list of things to get you started on your journey to know more about PRISTIN! If you have any other questions, feel free to message me! I love talking about PRISTIN!

[burnedbyshoto]

a brush of luck

— In a world where soulmates exist you can communicate yours with a brush of a pen. It just doesn’t help that you are a certified idiot with a skill in misplacing things. —

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pairing: todoroki shouto x reader

warnings: fluff, angst, soulmate!au, cursing

word count: 4,229

a/n: this is for the bnaharem collab and I was super horrible and was not ready and i just woke up and threw this together please dont hate me uhuhuhuhhh see the masterlist here!!!

message to join my tag list!

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“Hey, y/l/n, you forget this!”

Your hair was falling into your face, your face flustered, and your binders filled with paper seemed to be liquid as they slowly fell to the ground.

Kaminari stood behind you when you turned around. His lips were picked into a kind smile. It was a teasing one too by the small glint in his eyes while he held onto your backpack and phone. A look of self-realized stupidity washed over your face when your head threw back into a groan. How stupid were you, really?

“I’m so sorry!” you exclaimed, throwing your things onto the nearest desk. You felt the tips of your ears burn with embarrassment when Kaminari helped you slip on your backpack and pocketed your phone in the jacket pocket. “I swear I’m the most forgetful person in the world.”

“Well, you do really clinch the title of the person who would forget their head if it wasn’t on their shoulders.”

Snorting, you shoved him with your shoulder, and he helped you regather your things with a low groan.

“Let’s see the tattoo,” you grin, ready to head out once again. Groaning loudly, Kaminari didn’t seem to want to give in to your demand, but still, with a twitch of his eye and a shove of his sleeve, he showed off his arm. “You know what, I’m going to say it—”

“I’m going to say it, I don’t care that you broke your elbows,” Kaminari finishes the phrase with you with a snort.

“Do you think it’s the first thing out of their mouth or matching tattoo?” you asked curiously when you blond best friend also prepped to leave the classroom for the day. 

“I hope its the first thing out of their mouth, imagine how fucking ultra sexy foxy hot that would be,” Kaminari moaned, his eyes rolling to the back of his eyes at the thought. Gagging at the visual horniness of that thought, you walked away, grinning at the way that Kaminari stumbled over his feet to catch up with you.

This was the world you lived in, the world of soulmates.

You weren’t sure when they had first started, but you know that it wasn’t always a phenomenon that was around. When you roamed the internet looking at old, old stories on soulmates, these theories, these worlds were built on one single concept.

They wrote about a world of black and white for everyone until that fateful moment, or matching tattoos for everyone. But no, this world was much more complicated, much more detailed. Yes, in the world there were a lot of theories that ended up being true, but the thing they didn’t see coming was that every couple — every polyamorous relationship consisted of a unique theme.

Kaminari’s soulmate was linked with tattoo’s, and the purpose behind said symbol was unknown, unheard of until he met them. Yours, as you could guess and know, was also different. Pressing your fingers against the pen that sat on the inside pocket of your uniform jacket, you smiled when Kaminari’s arm was thrown around you.

“At least you’ve never lost or forgotten that pen of yours, that would be dangerous!”

“I promise I will never ever forget it.”

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You sat on your bed nearing midnight. You were cocooned into your blankets flipping through your Hero Lawbook that you were supposed to have read months ago, but now finally was. Humming to yourself, you read through the apparent laws and the not so evident laws.

For instance, there is a law that Pro Heroes are not allowed to eat off the edge of buildings anymore! American transfer students had littered so much it became a law!

Snorting to yourself, you flipped the page.

But something warm pressed into your forearm, the most heated energy that sent shivers down your spine. It was comforting as it was ethereal. The second your body recognized the feeling, the Hero Lawbook went soaring across the room, and you grabbed your pen that was waiting at your side for ages now. 

Hi, sorry I’m just able to get back to you. I had a bunch of homework and friends who just let me leave them.

Smiling to yourself, you twirled the pen in your fingers and scribbled down your response:

It’s all good, I’ve been studying this entire time too, was just bored and didn’t respond to you earlier today!

Your soulmate theme was straightforward and quite comprehensive — it was dubbed the Forearm and Pen theme (you hated that theme). You could communicate with your soulmate by writing with the pen on your arm, but it only worked with that pen, nothing else.

The year you were to turn sixteen, you received a pen from literally out of the blue. You remember celebrating New Year with your class in your first year at U.A.; it had been an enjoyable night! Everything in life was still going fantastic, and your class was finally past the excellent friend’s point and felt like a genuine family. You remember hugging and telling everyone good night, still being fifteen at that point, and stumbling back to your room exhausted.

When you had gotten back to your room, you didn’t even undress; simply tugging off your pants and removing your bra, you threw yourself onto the bed. But you had landed on something stiff and painful, groaning your hands shuffled for whatever it was that you fell on, and when you grabbed it, you froze at the sight of the white box. 

Was this a gift?

Your entire life, you had always wondered if you did have a soulmate, most people you knew after all had soulmate markers that appeared since birth. But you were perfectly normal. You saw all colors; you had no shared pain; there was no tattoo, no mind link, no dream meetings.

Nothing.

You were normal.

Sighing, you opened the box, hoping that it was from someone you at the very least respected.

Inside was a silver pen.

You blinked your eyes rapidly, unsure of what you were looking at, there were no initials, no engraving, nothing. 

It was an exquisite pen, and despite what you thought, it was very, very light. Frowning, your fingers pushed down on the pen, but there was nothing that came out, was there no ink?

Shrugging, you dragged it against your arm feeling the way that the cool tip delicately massaged your arm. It felt nice.

“Holy shit!”

Your eyes saw the pretty grey silvery ink on your forearm. It stood out against your skin, the ink appearing nowhere else but your arm, and then it hit you.

This was for your soulmate!

With excitement tearing through you, your exhaustion no longer bitting on your skull, but the overwhelming need to know that this was for your soulmate shook you awake. Twirling the pen in your fingers, you couldn’t help but start writing.

OMG HI

You sat there staring at your forearm, unsure as to what to do next. What do you do next?

Hey?

If your heart could be anywhere but your chest, you were nearly positive it existed within your throat at this very moment. This was nervewracking, holy shit.

Sorry, you don’t know me, but I’m ___ ___.

You frowned when you tried to write your name, it was stopping you.

It seems that we do have some rules to this entire thing.

They responded back to you, and as if they could hear you, you groaned loudly.

This soulmate shit was already stopping your excitement, it seemed.

From that very first night, the two of you were able to discover a few things. First off, anything too personal was not allowed to be written out. So names, location, and gender were the biggest ones. Birthdays were not, and you were quick to find out that both of you were still fifteen. Second of all, just because you couldn’t figure out where exactly you both were located, you did manage to put together that you were both in Japan. Third of all, your soulmate was a Hero in Training just like you and was a male. Last, of all, you were quick to realize that you were in love with the way your body felt like it was gently warming up whenever he messaged you.

I think I deserve a round of applause.

You grinned after writing your sentence, your eyes watching while the warmth filled your body and his writing slowly appearing on your forearm.

Did you not forget anything today? I find that hard to believe.

You had to suppress a scream.

WELL, IT HAPPENED! I GOT EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO BRING BACK TO MY ROOM WITH ME!!

Weren’t you the one who forgot to bring your entire backpack to school the other day?

NO! I said I almost did, but my bestie got it for me!

How do you forget everything? I think you should try to make a list to make sure that you always have things you need for the day.

... I do… but I always lose the list, and im always running late…

You’re the worst…

Congrats bbg, I’m your soulmate

The world really doesn’t want to bless me with a good life, it seems…

HEY, THAT’S MEAN!

The two of you banter for what seems like hours, the night sky fading from blackness to the deep blue of the sky right before the sunrise. You had spent the entire night curled into your pillow, your face shoved into the soft fabric to suppress your chortling snorts because you geniunely enjoyed interacting with your soulmate. But it was late, and you both had classes early that next morning.

Okay, asshole, I need to sleep! I got this stupid test tomorrow that I did not study for. I'll write to ya tomorrow!! Goodnight!!!

Don’t be rude to your soulmate :( but goodnight, and good luck on that test, sorry for keeping you up.

Smiling at his words, you put the pen to your forearm one last time.

I will never ever accept your apology for making me stay up, I love talking with you, goodnight soulmate, sweet dreams.

You placed the pen down, your eyes fluttering close, heavy with sleep. But still, no exhaustion could suppress the fluttering warmth in your body when words appeared on your arm. 

Sweet dreams, soulmate.

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“Fuck, sorry,” you groaned when you sleepily slammed into the person standing in front of you. 

Blinking tiredness away from your eyes — poorly at that too — you focused up at Shouto. Grinning, you waved at your classmate, who looked almost as exhausted as you felt and definitely looked.

“It’s okay,” he nodded at you stepping to the side so that the two of you could walk side to side.

“You ready for that test today?” you asked after moments of silence.

You and Todoroki Shouto were not as close as you would like to be. Since day one, you had always had a thing for the duality of a man, and while it was mostly superficial feelings derived from the fact that he was attractive above anything else, it still made you awkward around him. At the time, your feelings were still holding you down, you always fully believed that you had no soulmate, so you thought maybe you could sweep him off his feet. It was rumored that his scar covered up his own soulmate mark, so there was no way for him to know who his soulmate was.

Selfishly and embarrassingly, you hoped that you could have him.

Then you met your soulmate, and things changed.

But now you and your classmates were all eighteen and held the world in your hands, yet you couldn’t speak to him usually still.

“There’s no test today?” Shouto stilled, his eyes narrowing in confusion, and your eyes screwed too.

“Isn’t it… Friday? We have a Hero Law test?”

“Y/l/n,” Shouto snorted a grin spreading across his features, “It’s Wednesday.”

If there was a god, he would shoot you right now.

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment while you walked faster to the classroom, Shouto keeping up with your pace easily, he was taller than you after all.

“Shut up,” you warned, your gaze not reaching Shouto’s who was staring at you.

“I wasn’t speaking.”

“I could hear you thinking!”

Shouto put on a smirk, his eyes teasing you, and his mouth dropping to speak, but there was a loud interruption.

“Y/L/N-CHAAAANNNNNN!!!!”

Both of you turned to see Kaminari chasing after you, his arms waving, looking out of breath.

“YOU FORGOT YOUR JACKET AND TIE!”

Shouto chuckled beside you, and you stared down to see that you were, in fact, only wearing half of your uniform. If there’s a god, he will end you now, you thought.

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You're not serious right now, are you?

Going on three years of knowing your soulmate, or at the very least talking with him, you thought you had a good understanding of who he was. He was strong, powerful, and kind. He came off a bit standoffish at times but was the dumbest person you’ve ever known. Common sense was not his friend, and that was okay. 

Even at times when the two of you had your differing opinions because it did happen, it never snowballed more into a small annoyance that the two of you would apologize for and move on. But this was something that shouldn’t have had become a fight, it shouldn’t have been anything more potent than a difference of opinion, but when you suggested entertaining the thought of when the two of you would finally meet, he was uncharacteristically cold. 

Hurt by his tone, you told him, and he said you to grow up until it became this written fight.

Why couldn’t you talk about meeting?

Why didn’t he want to think about what would happen when the two of you would meet?

It was getting ugly for no reason, a fight just to fight, and it was making you nauseous.

But he crossed a line that couldn’t be fixed when he wrote a simple sentence:

Just because you’re my soulmate doesn’t mean I have to love you, meet you, or marry you.

So there you sat, your bottom lip trembling with tears streaking down your blotchy face. He wasn’t being serious, was he? There was no way… no fucking way this was him. The warmth that flooded your body with his new message felt ice-cold, poisoning you from the inside out while you read it.

You're my soulmate, but I have no obligation to do anything with you now or ever. The world chose you for me, not me. I didn’t choose you. I don’t owe you anything here. Soulmates are bullshit and don’t fucking bother messaging me again if you expect me to fall in love with you just because our “souls are connected”

It was needless to say that you didn’t respond back, not because you felt like he should love you because of your connected souls, but because your sobbing and broken emotions left you curled into a ball, ready for a sleepless slumber to take you.

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“You don’t look too hot,” Kaminari told you, hitting you with his foot when your bleary and puffy eyes stared at your best friend.

Kirishima and Mina, who were sitting beside him, elbowed him at the same time, berating him for his insensitive comment. You could feel Sero and Bakugou staring at you, their eyes concerned and curious. 

“What’s eating ya up?” Sero asked, and you found a rock-forming in your throat when you shrugged.

“Soulmate problems…”

“That was fucking obvious,” Bakugou rolled his eyes, taking a drink of his water. “Tell us the problem, not a stupid summary.”

Surprisingly that’s all it took for you to come undone, and you explained what happened with tears falling down your face and a sniffling nose. There was a lot to tell them about it, and you showed them the pen while explaining the entire story. They listened to every word you uttered, faces concern but taking in everything you said.

“You’re an idiot,” Bakugou spoke the second you were finished, his eye twitching while he glared at you. You swallowed thickly, placing the pen on the table while Bakugou edged closer towards you. “He’s not wrong, you know, stupid fucking soulmates are just this irrational solution to an irrational problem. Love is much more complex than that, and you don’t seem to have been fighting for him in that way either, sure you seem like good friends, but that doesn’t give you the right to expect him to love you. But he was a complete fucking dick about it, so I say kill him.”

Your — and all of the rest of your friend group — eyes widened at his words. With nothing to follow him up, you all continued to stare at him while he munched on his food.

“WHAT ARE YOU FUCKING EXTRAS LOOKING AT!”

“Is Bakugou a love expert?” Mina’s stage whispered to the group.

“He almost was, but then he said to kill y/n’s soulmate, so probably not anymore,” Kirishima responded back.

“SHUT THE HELL UP BEFORE I KILL YOU!”

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It took four days before the warm feeling shot through your body again.

Fuck, I'm really sorry, I was a complete fucking dick. I said a lot of things, and i didn’t mean to say I was angry and upset, and I know that you're upset, rightfully upset, but i don’t want to lose you.

No matter how long it took for him to get back to you, your heart squeezed with euphoria and poison, your hands moving to grab your pen in your pocket.

It wasn’t there.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

You tore apart your room, trying to find the silver pen but you couldn’t find it.

Stay as mad as you want, I just… please talk with me soon, even if it takes five days. I'm sorry, soulmate.

Frustrated tears poured down your face, nausea almost making you wheeze when you stared at the words you wanted to reply to.

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One day after he apologized:

Don’t want to bother you, just wanted to apologize again and say that I miss you, talk to you soon.

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Five days after he apologized:

I’m not really sure if this is normal or not… I'm not really… educated when it comes to romance and shit like that, especially when it comes to someone being upset with the other… my female classmates told me that I should expect a response from you soon. I'm really sorry, please write soon.

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So it seems that i’ve fucked up to the point of no return. I'm sorry, I miss you, I love you. Maybe one day I can reconvince you that I'm your soulmate for a good reason, but I guess I’ll have to work on that.

It had been fourteen days since he had apologized, and you sat in your room with tears streaming down your face. You wanted to respond back, but even fourteen days of tirelessly searching U.A.’s entire campus, ripping it stone by stone, there was no finding your pen. Every day without fail, he gave you an update of his day and another apology. Every day they got more hopeless, more pained.

This was his last message for a while, he needed time to work things out with himself now, the strain of this and graduation coming soon being too much to handle at the moment. 

Wiping your tears for what felt like the hundredth time within this past twenty minutes, you stood up on your wobbly legs to go downstairs for water. You were dehydrated and absolutely needed to get out for both fresh air and water.

Walking down the stairwell with swollen eyes, you groaned when you slammed into a body when you opened the door to the common area. 

Shouto blinked down at you, and you felt your throat clampdown at the pained look in his own eyes.

“Have you been—”

“Are you—”

You both spoke over each other, and despite the horrid feeling coursing through your bones, you cracked a smile.

“I’m getting water,” you explained with a shrug. “Long night ya know, just needed to replenish my system so I can cry some more.”

Shouto stared at you, and with horror, you realized precisely what you had said.

“Oh my god, ignore me!” you squeak, covering your face trying to move past him, but Shouto seemed to be curious now and followed after you.

“What’s making you cry?” he asked while you rush to the fridge to get your glass of water.

“What’s got you upset?” you counter downing the cup of water.

Shouto sighed, leaning against the counter of the island in the kitchen. “Would it be weird to say its soulmate issues?”

Swallowing the water in your mouth, you shook your head, a tired smile on your face, “Embarrassingly enough, my issue is also with soulmate stuff.”

A joyless chuckle escaped his mouth, and Shouto’s head tilted backward. You studied his jaw and the way his body seemed tense, too tense.

“What happened?” you press gently standing next to him, shouldering him gently.

“I fucked up, and now my soulmate won’t talk with me,” he says slowly, his head nodding while he glances at you. “I guess telling your soulmate you don’t want them is a bad thing.”

You snorted, nodding your head in agreement, “It’s not just a bad thing, its a super fucked up thing.”

Shouto sighed in agreement, and there was silence when you took another drink of your water.

“I didn’t know you were in contact with your soulmate, though,” you smile wistfully, your hand twirling the cup on the counter. “How’d you meet them?”

“I actually don’t know who they are,” Shouto admitted with pursed lips, and your eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “I have that soulmate thing where you write on your arm, and they can read it.”

Showing off his arm, you glanced at the pale skin. You nodded your head when he pulled out a silver pen that looked similar to yours.

“Well,” you shrug your shoulders, motioning him to write. “I’m no expert, but let’s see if I can help you get your soulmate to forgive you.”

“T-They haven’t responded to me in two weeks…” Shouto’s voice cracks, and the number burns a hole through your stomach. “I’ve written every day, but no answer. I don’t really know what to do, and all the girls in the class don’t really know what to do. Bakugou also said to go fuck myself over it, so I don’t think I really have had any help.”

Ignoring the twisting in your stomach, you willed your weirdness away to shuffle in your seat, “Well, you haven’t asked me, asshole, come on, let’s see what I can do.”

Shouto chuckles, his head nodding, “That is true, but to be fair, you’ve been anywhere, but in the dorm these past few weeks.”

“I lost something,” you mutter embarrassed, but you shake away your problems and point at his wrist. “Write an apology.”

You watched when he wrote, the words expressing his apology and love seeping through the silvery ink on his wrist. You told him to add things to delete things, but in the end, it ended up feeling like a genuine and sincere apology. You watched his pen leave his skin and a warmth shot through your arm. 

Shivering, you looked at your arm, trying to see what your soulmate had written to you even though he said he was going to stop.

The words he wrote appeared on your skin.

Your eyes widened when you stared at Shouto, who was also staring at your arm. 

Your eyes met in an almost world-altering way. This entire time, for three whole years, the two of you had been by each other and never knew. Midnight conversations wasted through ink instead of face to face. Your heart hammered in your throat, and tears once again poured from your eyes when you both stood at full height, staring at each other.

Todoroki Shouto was your soulmate — he was yours, and you were his.

“I’m so sorry, y/n, I don’t know what happened to me. You didn’t deserve that, and fuck, I’m so sorry—”

“I lost my pen, and I couldn’t respond back, I forgave you, but I had no way of reaching back! But I was always forcing myself onto you—”

You both interrupted the other, and now you stared at each other, drinking in the presence of each other and belittling yourselves for not knowing sooner; looking at it now, it was just so obvious. You can’t help it and pull him into a hug. His strong arms wrap around you, and you can hear his hammering heart on your ear, and it fills you up with the familiar warmth when he writes you. This seemed to be a brush of luck it seems.

“Can I kiss you, soulmate.”

“Please do.”

[jamesbuchananxsteviegrant]

Our Girl Needs Us | Steve x Bucky x Reader (Fluff, mild Angst)

Category: Fluff, mild Angst (Suggested) Age: 15+ Trigger Warnings: Explosion Ship: Bucky x Steve x Reader Summary: Reader Hasn’t Spoken To Bucky And Steve In Years But Needs Their Help Request: N/A Contains Spoilers for: N/A Word Count: 2,252

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She knows somethings up the second she hears heavy footsteps running around her apartment building, staring distant but getting increasingly closer.

(Y/N) isn’t stupid. She knew why Steve and Bucky had begged her to leave. Start a new life outside of the Avengers. Doesn’t mean she liked it but she knew it was for the best. They wouldn’t be able to live with themselves if she got hurt.

It’s no secret that (Y/N) can handle her own. She can kick ass when she wants to, but there was still the same chance every mission they all went on that they could lose her. Watch her get hurt. They didn’t want that. She was considering leaving and starting out her new, normal life anyway.

But now, she knows those footsteps are coming for her. She doesn’t know who it is or why they’re here, but she knows they’re for her. Grabbing her emergency backpack, (Y/N) opens her apartment window and instantly takes the leap of faith to the rooftop of the building beside her own, landing not-so-delicately.

She sprints away for about seven seconds when a huge bang explodes from behind her. Her body naturally flinches, curling itself in before glancing back and seeing smoke come from her apartment window. She wants to turn back and save the people in there but she can’t without her suit - which she left at Stark’s place.

She growls, hating that there’s people in this world who don’t give a shit about innocent lives. Her feet take her to her destination quicker than anything before.

“Miss (L/N)! A pleasant surprise.” The receptionist at Stark Tower greets, (Y/N) nodding her head and flashing her usual charming smile.

“I try.” The woman grins, entering the lift and heading up to the appropriate floor. The lounge.

She grins when she sees almost everyone sitting on the sofa. Everyone except the two she needs most.

“Shit film choice as always, Stark.” The girl calls, everyones heads snapping around at the sound of the familiar voice they’ve all missed.

“Oh my God…” Natasha whispers under her breath.

“(L/N).” Thor greets first, smiling and approaching the woman. “Nice to have you back!”

“Likewise, Sparkles.”

The God laughs, heartily and pulls back, shaking his head.

“Are you real?” Tony mutters, now standing closer, his held tilted as he analyses the woman, knowing full well that she’s real.

(Y/N) grins and shakes her head.

“Nah, an illusion of your imagination. Ya know, those hot women you always fantasise about? That’s me.” She jokes, prompting everyone to laugh, including Tony himself.

“Come here, Captain Snowflake.” He teases, using the name he gave her when she was Rogers’ and Barnes’ girl.

The embrace makes the woman almost tear up but she smiles and shakes her head against his chest. He knows how she’s feeling and presses a small kiss to her head.

“What do we owe the pleasure, kid?” He asks, pulling back from their embrace.

“Where are they?” The woman questions, keeping her gaze on Tony for a few seconds before scanning everyone else faces, raising a brow when they look almost… guilty?

“We kinda argued.” Tony mutters.

“Kinda?” (Y/N) responds.

“Mister Stark, I found-“ A new voice greets, trailing off as he enters the room, noticing the tension.

(Y/N) throws the boy she’s never seen before a questionable look.

“And you are?”

“Uh, hi? I’m Peter.” The boy greets, tentatively holding out his hand.

The girl’s eyes widen and a grin hits her face as she momentarily forgets about the tension.

“You found the spiderling?!” She asks Tony, looking excited.

He chuckles and nods.

“Yeah.”

“A pleasure, Parker. I’m (Y/N), old friend.” Her voice is friendly and not as accusing as it was when she questioned him.

“Oh! You’re Cap’s girl.” Peter confirms.

“And Buck’s.” The woman adds. “Speaking of which.”

The tension returns.

“Where are they, Tony?”

“I don’t know.” The man finally sighs, giving her a saddened look.

“What?” Her voice is breathless, not wanting to believe those words.

“I don’t know where they are, (Y/N). We ended on bad terms.”

“Bad terms? BAD TERMS? Where are they, Stark?!” She hisses.

“(Y/N)…” Natasha cautiously calls.

Tony swallows, hard.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).”

“(Y/N), let me show you the new shooting range.” Natasha tries once again, but you glance at her and instantly know the look in her eyes. This isn’t about the shooting range.

“Whatever.” The woman sighs and follows her old friend down to the range. “What is it, Nat?”

“You have to swear not to tell Stark or anyone.” She states, not asking.

(Y/N) nods and Natasha hands her a piece of folded paper. It looks quite old but her eyes widen as she instantly recognises the handwriting, and then realises that there’s an address written down on it.

“He shoved it in my hand when I helped them in the fight but I think you need it more than I do.” She smiles.

(Y/N)’s hands instantly wrap around her friend’s torso.

“Thank you so much.”

Natasha nods.

“Make sure Clint’s okay for me.”

This time (Y/N) nods.

“Of course.”

///

Sam groans as Steve asks him to get the door but does so regardless, he almost chokes on his breath at the sight he’s revealed with.

“Oh my God.” He whispers.

(Y/N) can only give a toothless smile as tears well in her eyes are the familiar friend she missed so much.

“Hey, birdie.” She manages, Sam instantly wrapping his arms around her.

“Hey, princess.” He laughs.

“Who is it?” Another familiar voice calls, approaching the door.

Sam and (Y/N) pull back from their embrace and her smile only widens when she sees Clint.

“Hey, Robin.” She chuckles, referring to Robin Hood as she always did.

“Oh my God, (Y/N).” He mutters, also diving forwards to hug her.

“Nat misses you.” The girl whispers, feeling the man tense up. “She’s okay, just wanted me to pass on the message. Told me to look after you.” A laugh escapes her at the end, feeling tears spill over as she’s reunited.

“She needs someone looking after her, never mind me.”

“What’s going on?” His voice calls from behind the two males.

(Y/N)’s hand slaps over her mouth as she hears his voice. It’s been too long. Too long.

“Guys?” Steve adds, still unable to see past the backs of his two friends.

They both look at the woman with a silent question, to which she nods. They step aside and allow the Captain and herself to come face to face.

Steve’s eyes widen and his jaw drops as he meets her tearful, gobsmacked expression.

“(Y/N)…?” He whispers, barely audible, but she reads his lips.

Her head nods as she drops her hand and they both sprint toward one another, (Y/N) jumping up into his arms, Steve successfully catching her, spinning one-eighty as he does. Legs going under her thighs as they wrap around his waist, her head hiding in the crook of his neck as his does with her.

“Sweetheart…” His voice is still a breathless whisper and silent sobs wrack her body as she becomes overwhelmed with emotion. She simply nods her head.

“Stevie.”

The Captain pulls his head back, prompting (Y/N) to do the same and there’s no other thought in their mind before they lock lips, embracing the kiss they’ve both been deprived of for so long.

“What’re you…” The blond trails off, unsure of what question he’s even supposed to begin with, but (Y/N) shakes her head anyway.

“Where is he?” She asks, voice still sounding almost broken but still comprehensible.

As Steve opens his mouth, a new voice interrupts.

“He’s here.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widen before Steve allows her legs to drop back down to the floor. She slowly turns her head and meets the wide-eyed, love-filled stare that belongs to her other lover. His hair is damp and he’s only wearing his baggy, long-sleeved white top along with his grey sweats. A towel is on the floor beside him, obviously from where he dropped it without realising as he stares in awe at the woman he never thought he’d see for years.

“Buck…” She whimpers, forcing a smile once again and her eyes narrow, more tears spilling over.

“Come ‘ere, doll.” His voice is full of adoration and love, also forcing a smile as he realises how much he missed her.

Repeating her actions that she’d done with Steve, her legs manage to get her to James in seconds, jumping into his arms and curling into him whilst his arms wrap tightly around her back, hiding his face in her neck, sniffing her scent.

She pulls back again and before he can question it, her lips are against his as she did with Steve. Bucky’s eyes close as he focuses on the feeling he too has missed so much.

Steve’s hands make their way to (Y/N) thighs, standing behind her so that she’s sandwiched between the two super soldiers. He presses kisses to her exposed neck whilst her lips remain on Bucky’s.

Sam coughing stops all of their actions, Steve chuckling slightly. Bucky and (Y/N) meet each others gaze and he can’t help but tear up himself.

“Hey, doll.” He smiles.

“Hey, Buck.” (Y/N) returns, a trembling chuckle following. “Hey, Stevie.” She adds, turning her head to meet the Captain’s gaze once again.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Steve smiles.

Buck releases her and her legs hit the ground once more.

“Cup of tea anyone?” Clint offers.

“Tea? What are you, man? Crazy? Get those men a beer. I’m off to the shop to get (Y/N) that flowery Prosecco that she likes.” Sam interrupts, grinning ear-to-ear as (Y/N) gives him a thankful smile.

“Thank’s, birdie.”

“Anything for you, princess.” The man chuckles, flashing her a wink before heading on out.

Clint does indeed grab three bottles of beer out of the small fridge they have in their trashy apartment, opening them and giving them to the boys.

“Drink in the meantime, (Y/N)?” He offers as her, Steve and Buck sit at the round table.

“Water, please.” The girl smiles, thanking the man as he hands her a glass of tap water before sitting down himself.

They all remain silent for a few moments before (Y/N) closes her eyes.

“You told me to start a new life alone so that I would be safe.” She begins, Buck humming in agreement to her words. “Then how come I barely managed to escape my apartment before hundreds of people broke it and blew it up?” Her voice is quiet, eyes opening half way through to glance at both her lovers.

Steve and Bucky’s eyes both widen at her words.

“What?” Captain questions.

“I didn’t know who they were. I heard footsteps - hundreds of them - storming throughout my apartment building and I just knew they were after me. I grabbed my emergency bag and jumped out the window onto the next building and ran.” (Y/N) explains, gesturing with her head back to the bag on the floor across the room. “I looked back and saw my room go up in a bang. I couldn’t have saved anyone in that building. Not whilst I was alone.” She adds, the sound of guilt and self-hatred dripping from her words.

Both Steve and Bucky place a hand on either thigh.

“Firstly, you can’t blame yourself for that, (Y/N). If you tried to fight alone, you would’ve been hurt, if not worse.” Steve whispers, words full of care.

“Definitely worse.” The girl mumbles.

“Any idea at all who it was, doll?” Bucky asks, stroking the jeans on her legs, words not trying to get information she doesn’t know. Simply curious which calms her.

She swallows. Hard. And glances up, catching Clint’s worried stare. He knows what her answer is going to be. The next few breaths she takes a shaky. Scared.

“On my way to Stark’s tower I managed to eye up the group of them waiting outside, guarding the place. Checked their uniform for symbols, badges, anything…” She explains.

“And?” Steve prompts.

She gulps again. Her eyes flicked to catch Steve’s intense yet worried stare before going back to Clint. Her head turns slowly to face Bucky. It takes a second to realise but when he does, his eyes widen and he suddenly grips her thigh at the thought.

“It was Hydra.” (Y/N) reveals.

A gasp escapes Steve whilst Bucky looks traumatised.

“Why’re Hydra after me?” She adds, staring into her brunet lover’s eyes for any answers that he may have, but she gets none.

The man raises his hand that was around his beer bottle and sits it on her tear-stained cheek.

“Nobody’s gonna hurt you. I swear it.” He promises. She turns her head out of his grasp and looks at Steve who looks white as a sheet but takes a deep breath before nodding.

“Nobody will even get the time of day to think about hurting you once I’m done with them.” He too promises.

“I have no inspirational speech, but if you’re with us now, kid. Nobody is hurting you ever again.” Clint adds just as Sam comes in with two bags in his hands.

“What’d I miss?” He asks, sitting them on the side and meeting the intense expressions of everyone in the room.

“Our girl needs us, Sammy-boy. You in?” Clint asks. Sam smirks in response and crosses his arms over his body.

“Do you even need to ask?” He grins. “She’s Cap’s and Sarge’s best girl after all.”

[asherhealy]

a simple visit - self para

who: Asher & Christopher

what: Asher goes to see Christopher and it’s super happy and super sad and everything else inbetween lol.

where: A prison?

when: Like now lol.

Prisons were awfully weird, and they didn't sit well with Andrew. He didn't like the idea that your whole life revolved around one building, one area, one space. He'd spent most of his life waiting to get out and see what else there was to offer outside his tiny little neighbourhood, but what about the people serving sentences? What did they do? What were they waiting for? They had nothing. He only feared that his father was one of those people. 

It had been well over ten years since Christopher had sat in the courtroom, heard his sentence echo in his head a thousand times - life imprisonment for the framed murder of his best friend. Yelled and begged for the judge to listen as he was dragged away. Of course, Asher didn't know this, which only built up the already strong confusion settling in his stomach. His father was a good man, he had a kind heart, what on earth could he have done for him to be locked up for so long? He feared for the worst, it made him feel as if his stomach was contorting, twisting. And it probably was.

But he put himself through this, he wanted to, he had to. He had witnessed his friends grow up with their own fathers watching their sons go through so many important moments of a teenagers life, and Asher wished with all his heart that Christopher could have been there to see what he was doing. Always a proud father who would praise his son for the smallest of achievements, he was certain to be thrilled with the outcome over the past ten years. Wouldn't he? He had graduated, had a long-term girlfriend, was working towards a career he wanted. The teen remained a little apprehensive despite it all; you never knew what could happen, who the man could have grown to become over time. Prison changed people.

The building was huge, but Asher felt rather small for once in his life. Sat in an open space, he glanced around at dozens of other families, couples, parents as they waited for their loved ones to appear from behind bars. It was a strangely warming thought, seeing the longing in people's eyes, but somehow sadness as well - it would be an hour of normality, then they would be gone. His vision then fell to the table in front of him, with an empty chair sat opposite soon to be filled. Did his father know it was he was coming? Were prisoners made aware of who was visiting them? 

Out of habit, Asher began to the drum the table with his fingertips, eyes cast hazily to the left of him, pretending to view the ceiling fan from above but really he took no notice. Ironically, he was so busy wondering when Christopher was going to show that he didn't notice that the person was actually stood opposite him. Then he turned his head. And his father was there.

Andrew didn’t have a clue over what to say. “Hi, dad” felt too casual, “Do you know who I am?” felt too dramatic, and he was not a dramatic person, but a lack of comprehension meant he was left looking rather silly, sat silently, messing with his hands. He noticed his father narrow his eyes as his face garnered something quite perplexed in it, there was clearly something going off in his head, a rather confusing thought process. But then it clicked. The son could tell, the way his father’s expression gently softened, the way he gained a slight frown at the sight. Unlike his mother, he didn't need a small prompt to push him further, it all fell into place. "Drew?"

But just like his mother, his father had changed. He looked just as tired, just as worn as Lily. yet it was different. Asher couldn’t describe it, he looked tired over what appeared to be… nothing. The man had grown weak over his tedious lifestyle, the emptiness and lack of routine clearly seeming to have drained him. Back in high school, Christopher's hair had been the centre of attention. People would come up to him asking what products he used, curious over how he achieved his “gravity-defying” look (someone had genuinely used such a description once). He was also known for having a charming smile, further helped by his warm personality. But that was well over twenty years ago, now, and it seemed that prison could age a person quicker than an average lifestyle could.

The rather energetic teenager and had become an exhausted man, it was evident in the wrinkles on his face, the darkened bags under his eyes, the hair that no longer had it’s “bounce”, much shorter, beginning to grey a little from the stress of prison. The once clean-shaven man sported himself a beard now too. For a moment, Asher felt like he was looking at someone else, a stranger, but the man still retained the warmth in his eyes that he always had done, his smile was still there hidden behind it all. Despite everything he had been through, it remained. It didn’t stop Asher’s heart from practically skipping a beat for a second. How ten years had gone by so fast.

Pushing himself from the seat, Asher gave his father a rushed nod, a gentle smile, about to say something, but his father had beaten him to it. "You're joking me." Like he had always done, Christopher found himself laughing even in the most serious of moments, "Don't mess with me, kiddo." The older man wasted no time in pulling his son into a tight hug, eyes welling up slightly from being a little too overwhelmed by it all, "Shit, you've gotten tall, kid!" 

"I've missed you, dad." He mumbled, Christopher taking a step back to look back at his son properly. hands on the boy's arms. "You don’t have to remind me, bud, don’t think I forgot about you just like that... Definitely from my family still, though. Definitely." All except his eyes, those would always emulate that of his mothers and something the father could not ignore. "Are those... are those tattoos? Sit down kiddo, we've got a lot to talk about."

And so they did exactly that. Soon enough, Asher spilt every little thing he could think of about his life, just as he did with his mother. He couldn't help it, the son was so excited, and watching his father's smile grow slowly from pride pushed him further to tell him more.

 He told Christopher that he'd moved to Los Angeles. "L.A? Chicago's not good enough for you now or something?" He told him he and his friends had started a band, that he played the drums (amongst other things). "A band? Well shit, I always wanted to be in a band when I was your age, too, they looked so cool to me." He showed his father videos of his music. "Gee... You've got a talent there, buddy."

"You graduated, didn't you? You got through school okay?" That question had almost been a plead. He relaxed when Asher said he had.

Then, he told him he had a girlfriend. "Well? Show me a picture!” His father had exclaimed, eyes widening with delight at the sight of a photo of the couple. "She's pretty, you're a lucky man. She loves you, too, that's pretty obvious. Do you love her?" Asher gave his father a small nod with an uncertain smile. He was expecting his father to say he was too young to be in love considering how fast Christopher and Lily had moved in life, but instead, he mirrored that smile with an even bigger one. "Good. Don’t let her go, okay? Never! You don't... know what'll happen."

That reminded Christopher of something else, though he had never forgotten. He thought of her every day, how badly he wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her close like he used to every night. "Your mom, how is she?" He asked, "Is she okay? You two were alright together when I was gone, weren't you?" He had no idea, and Asher didn't know what to say, how to say it. He didn't want to guilt his father any more than he was already feeling, but wasn't honesty the best route to go for?

"I can't really explain the past ten years." He mumbled, his father frowning slightly, "... I uhm, I was put into foster care a few months after you left. Mom struggled to cope with everything and social services found out, deemed her to be unfit. So... so I don’t know." 

Christopher said nothing. Instead, he became consumed by the one thing Asher had not wanted to him to become consumed by - guilt. Running his hands back and forth over his neck, his father muttered something inaudible to himself under his breath, shaking his head back and forth. "It's all my fault. I should have known this would happen. She'd never had support at home since her mother had died, and I couldn't even give her that... And you! You didn’t do a thing, yet you went through all of that, all because of my own stupidity.”

For a moment, Asher saw the flicker of sadness show itself in the man's lively face, making him slip his phone away, glancing down at the floor for a moment. He saw the tears well up. “Don’t hurt over it. It... it is what it is.” Asher meant what he said, he didn’t blame his father, he never had. He also wanted to ask something so desperately; he came to see his father, but he also came to get to the bottom of it all. Why his father was stuck in a hell hole. "... What happened?" He asked slowly, almost cautiously, watching Christopher's facial expression fall slowly, "Why have you been here for so long?"

Leaning back in his chair, Christopher let out a sigh and ran his hands over his face. "Honestly?" He began, "I was a boy who thought he was cool doing stupid shit and let it get out of hand. Never graduated, never bothered with school, never tried to get a proper job, all because I thought I wasn't good enough... Now your mom, she was always the smart one, the one who'd go to college, she was gonna do something special. But then she fell pregnant with you and I panicked. I had no idea how to provide for you both so I... continued to do these jobs privately without her knowing. I wasn't proud but it kept you safe. I didn’t feel like I had much of a purpose before, but when you were born, I felt like I did."

"When you were eight, I... told myself I'd stop. I couldn't continue with these... jobs, it was a lot of "deliveries" and stuff, you know? But I'd had enough of it, so, I planned to call it quits. I told my boss I'd do anything he wanted then I was out, and I thought it was all gonna be okay." Christopher spoke little of this time in his life, he kept it all suppressed behind a cocky grin, but when it came out... it hurt. It hurt so fucking badly. "These people, Andrew, they aren’t good people. I fucked up tonnes but I never wanted to hurt someone; I had to take a punishment for it, for choosing to leave. You remember Marcos, don't you? He meant the world to me, kiddo."

"They... they killed him." Those words came out in a whisper, pretending like it wasn't important to the man, but his eyes had fallen to the door behind him, glazed over a second as the clear memories of that night all came flooding back no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. The feeling of his friend's body in his arms, it wasn't something you could simply move on from. "The crimes I committed? I accept my sentence for those, it’s what’s right and it’s... helped with the guilt, I deserved it. But... that's passed, I should have been out of here a long time ago. Instead, I'm stuck here, serving a life sentence after being framed for murdering my best friend."

Asher didn't know what to say. Not a single word in his vocabulary felt right. Someone, who'd been so important to him at a stage in his life, was... gone. And his father had been blamed for it. His body felt tense for a moment, feeling the tears well up slightly in his own vision as well; Marcos had been there for his family, he'd always been around to help, always been kind to the little boy. And now, what? He didn't even have a beating heart.

"That's not right." He spoke suddenly, sitting himself up straight in his seat. "You can't just let the real criminals walk free, dad. Where’s the justice? You're stuck behind bars for no fucking reason --" His father quirked an eyebrow at the curse word, "... Sorry... But don't you care? Haven't you spoken to anyone? You can’t just sit around here for the rest of your life."

"No one listens." Asher tried to imagine himself in his father's situation. Imagined himself being blamed for the death of Jordan, being torn apart from his girlfriend, from everyone he loves. He didn't want to, he couldn't place himself there. So if he couldn't place himself there, then no one else deserved to be there either. Especially not his father.

“I'll get you out." He spoke suddenly, looking his father directly in the eye - eyes that had a glimmer of hope in them for a moment, but vanished like it was nothing. "I will, I promise you, dad. My girlfriend... her uncle's a lawyer, a really good one, I can fix this and those people can be put behind bars. I'm not just gonna leave you here!" Asher spoke so passionately, it reflected exactly how his father had been when he was this age, telling Lily that everything would be okay the day she left her own home. But that youthful bounce wasn't there so much anymore. Instead, the father gave his son a weak smile, a lack of belief in his son's words no matter how much he wanted to believe.

"That's a nice idea, Drew, it means a lot that you care... But let's just enjoy what we have right now, yeah?" 

[beardadvisor]

Read why we loved Botanical Skinworks Unscented Beard Oil sent over from Bear Care Products!

Hey everyone! Today I would like to bring you all another great review of a product that we loved using, an unscented beard oil made by Botanical Skinworks Natural Man Beard Care and sold by the online retailer Beard Care Products!

Beard Care Products sent us over some unscented beard oil not too long ago and I fell in love with the product for a few reasons. Not only do we love the ingredient list and the benefits that the oils offer, but we also love the easy pump bottle that the oil comes in and lastly, I liked that it came as unscented and with a simple, but effective ingredient list.  

We here at Beard Advisor have tried so many products over the years and some of them we love and others not so much. There are SO many options out there that cater to men and their beards, and since the men’s grooming industry is only going to continually grow, when we got the bottle of Unscented Beard Oil by Natural Man Beard Care I was excited to try a simple product that men of any age can enjoy.

Because of the growing industry for men’s grooming today so many companies try to set themselves apart from their competition by offering products in fancy bottles or with witty names. We believe that this can take away the focus from the care and ingredients that go into making the product and sometimes you are paying for a name or logo more than you are paying for a great product.

Beard Care Products sells a wide range of products and is a one-stop-shop for all of your hair and skin care needs.

Founded in 2007, they offer products to fit any budget and they offer products based on your preferences; whether it be scented vs. unscented, organic and fair-trade vs. commercial, hair vs. beard, or whatever else you may want to compare while shopping. They also sell trimmers, brushes, and even clothing.

But let’s get back to the review of this particular beard oil!

Made in the USA and selling for only $12.49, an extremely fair price, it is affordable while not cutting corners on quality. Made with Sesame Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Vitamin E it has everything your beard needs for the bare essentials for beard care. Because this particular oil is unscented the ingredient list is on the shorter side but that is more than fine by us, especially since the three ingredients chosen are super-oils when it comes to hair and skin care!

Sesame Seed Oil is one of the more studied oils used in holistic medicine but it is often chosen for beard oil because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties as well as its excellent moisture retention and soothing abilities. After using this beard oil for a couple weeks we noticed softer and healthier skin and pores as well as thicker and stronger beard follicles.

Jojoba Oil is basically a super-oil when it comes to the benefits it offers for your skin and hair. If you only use one thing for your beard it should be jojoba oil. It resembles our bodies natural and essential oils so closely that our bodies recognize it as our own and thus accept it far better than other oils. It is quick absorbing which helps make it non-greasy, it does not clog your pores, it strengthens your beard follicles and promotes growth, helping to fill in patchy areas or thinner beards.

Vitamin E nourishes the skin and follicles and is a powerful antioxidant that helps repair damaged follicles and pores and strengthens weaker ones.

Because this particular oil is unscented the ingredient list is shorter than most of our readers are used to. Unscented oils are great for any man that prefers his favorite cologne, has sensitive skin or allergies, or chemical sensitivities.

The oil comes in a pump-action bottle making it easy to dispense the desired amount and apply it to your beard without having to fumble with closing any caps with oily hands - I placed the bottle on a shelf with my other grooming items and pumped out a couple drops and that was it, I was done. I could even walk to another room after I got my oil, applying it on the go or as I walked through the house.

Beard Care Products sells a wide-range to fit all of your grooming needs. And for shoppers unsure of where to begin or who may be overwhelmed by the amount of products out there, Beard Care Products has created a comprehensible site to give an easy and enjoyable shopping experience where users can shop by product type, with options available for any price, or style. If you are looking for a great unscented beard oil you should seriously consider Natural Man Beard Care beard oil as sold through Beard Care Products, you will not be dissatisfied!

What are some of your guy’s favorite unscented beard oils? Do you have any questions about Sesame oil or Jojoba oil? Anything we missed or you want clarified? Please message us or comment below - we’d be happy to chat with you!

-Andrew, for Beard Advisor

Beard Advice for the Real People.

[kennethherrerablog]

These 8 Apps Will Help You Save Money — No Matter How Tight Your Budget

Saving money is oftentimes filed under personal finance 101.

It’s easy, they say. You’ve just got to do it! Stay focused! Quell spending temptations!

Honestly, that’s just not the case.

In the United States, only 15% of us can come up with $2,000, according to a Penny Hoarder analysis of Federal Reserve survey data.

If saving money were that easy, that percentage would be a lot higher.

But here’s the thing: There are plenty of money-saving tools out there that’ll make the task way easier. Some of them will even help you grow your stash with that sweet, sweet interest.

We Reviewed ’Em: The 8 Best Money-Saving Apps of 2019

There are so many personal finance apps, which is great, but it can quickly become overwhelming. To help you decide what’s best for you and your financial goals, we rounded up  our favorite savings apps (in no particular order).

1. Aspiration: A Free Account With Built-In Savings

A simple way to save money is to open an account that offers a side-by-side spending account and a savings account, like the online-only Aspiration Spend & Save account.

When you open an account, you’ll receive a cash-back debit card that’ll get you 0.5% cash back on all purchases. You’ll also gain access to a high-yield savings account, which will get you 2.00% APY — as long as you deposit $1 a month.

If you’re new to this whole “saving money” thing, it might take some time to strike the right balance between your spending and savings accounts, but Aspiration makes it super easy to shuffle money back and forth.

Best for those looking to open a new, fee-free account and want to earn some extra money with cash back and interest. You only need $10 to open an account.

Cost: Free

Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android.

Find out more in our Aspiration review.

2. Digit: A Mindless Way to Hit Your Savings Goals

If you have trouble determining just how much money you can afford to put away each month, turn to Digit, an innovative mobile app that’ll do the work for you.

First, download the Digit app, and connect your bank account. (This is where the app will pull money from to go into savings.)

Then set up your savings goals. For example, you can set a goal of $2,000 for a rainy day fund and then $500 for a weekend getaway.

Now, Digit will use its smart algorithms to analyze your income and spending habits to determine just how much you can afford to save. It’ll automatically pull small amounts of money (it promises no overdrafts!) into its FDIC-insured Digit account.

It’ll even send you real-time daily notifications, so your balance is never a surprise. You can pause or tap into your savings at any time — it’ll take one business day for the funds to roll back into your checking account.

Best for those who have a hard time figuring out how much they can afford to save and want to lean on automatic savings.

Cost: Free for the first 30 days, then a monthly fee of $2.99

Bonus: Penny Hoarders will get an extra $5 just for signing up. Additionally, you’ll receive a 1% savings bonus on your average daily balance every three months.

Available via Apple iOS and Android.

Read how one Penny Hoarder mindlessly saved $4,300 in our Digit review.

3. Acorns: A Virtual Piggy Bank Turned Investment Account

If you want to dip your big toe into investing while also stockpiling money, Acorns is a micro-investing mobile app that allows just that.

Download the app, then link up your checking accounts, credit cards and/or debit cards — go wild. (This is all protected, by the way, and your investment portfolio is insured for up to $500,000.)

Now, turn on its round-up feature, and Acorns will act like a virtual piggy bank, rounding up your transactions to the nearest dollar and depositing the spare change into your Acorns account. Then it does all the heavy lifting for you.

You can even earn cash back through Acorns. For example, if you’ve wanted to sign up for Blue Apron, it’ll give you $30 to invest. Or if you book your next Airbnb through the app, you’ll snag 1.8% cash back to go toward your investments.

Best for those who are interested in investing their savings and are willing to take a little risk.

Cost: $1 a month for account balances under $1 million

Bonus: Pocket $5 when you sign up.

Available via Apple iOS and Android.

Check out our Acorns review, and read how Penny Hoarder Dana Sitar was able to save at a rate of $420 a year.

4. Qapital: A Fun (Almost Addicting) Way to Save Money

If you want to, you know, spice things up while saving, look into the Qapital app.

I initially tried Qapital out back in 2016, when I’d just secured my first full-time job and was having a hard time putting any money away. It helped me sneak away $700 in about five months.

When you download the Qapital app, you’ll link up your bank account and set savings goals. Under each goal, you’ll set rules. This is where it gets fun.

For example, if you’re really excited about saving for your trip to the Bahamas, set Qapital to transfer $5 into your Qapital account each time you hit your daily step goal. Or maybe you’re always stopping by Starbucks. Tell Qapital to funnel $1 into your savings each time you go.

(Since I used Qapital, it’s evolved to offer banking and investment services, too, but I’m still keen on its core: saving.)

Best for those who like a good challenge and want turn goal-setting into a game.

Cost: $3 a month for the basic version after a 30-day free trial.

Available via iOS and Android.

5. Twine: A Simple Way for Couples to Band Together to Hit Mutual Goals

If you’re looking for a way to save toward a joint goal with your better half, you’ll want to use the Twine app.

Say you and your honey want to save for a long weekend in the Bahamas. Or maybe you’re looking to buy a home in a few years and want to save for a down payment. Whatever it is, Twine allows you both to work toward that goal.

The app offers two options: You two can save your money in a free joint account with a 1.05% variable interest rate, or you two can invest your money and potentially earn some interest. (That option costs 25 cents per $500 invested.)

To get started, you and your partner will each create Twine accounts, and link your individual bank accounts — this is how you’ll fund your savings. Then, set your goal (vacation, down payment, emergency fund, you name it) and select your monthly deposit amount.

Then, watch your savings grow together.

Best for those who want to make saving money a joint affair.

Cost: Free for saving.

Bonus: Pocket $5 when you sign up.

Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android.

6. Varo: A Savings Account That Offers Above Average APY

If you’ve got your savings strategy down pat but need a safe place to stash your money, look into an iOS banking app called Varo Money.

Here’s our favorite part: Pair your Varo Bank Account with a Varo Savings Account where you’ll earn 2.12%* Annual Percentage Yield (APY) with the opportunity to earn up to 2.80% APY on up to $50,000 in savings. That’s 31 times — repeat, 31 times — the average savings account, based on a 0.09% average reported by the FDIC.

To qualify for the 2.80% rate, you’ll need to have payroll or government direct deposits of $1,000 or more and authorize at least five purchases with your Varo debit card each month.

Varo goes easy on the fees, too. As long as you use one of the more than 55,000 Allpoint® ATMs in its affiliated network across the world, you won’t pay ATM fees.

Additionally, the minimum balance to open the account is just a penny; you’ll pay no monthly service fees, no minimum balance fees, no foreign transaction fees and no cash replacement fees. You’ll just pay any fees charged by out-of-network ATMs and cash deposit fees if you deposit cash in-store through the Green Dot® Network.

Best for those who need a separate, hands-off account to stow their money and to take advantage of compound interest.

Cost: Free

Available via Apple iOS.

*Varo disclosure: APY is accurate as of January 29, 2019. This rate is variable and may change. No minimum balance required to open account. Balance in savings must be at least $0.01 to earn interest. Deposits are FDIC insured to at least $250,000 through The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC.

7. Stash: A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Investing App

If you’re interested in investing your savings, all you need is your phone, an app called Stash and $5 to start.

This app offers all the tools you need to turn investing into a totally passive activity.

You can opt to round-up your purchases and invest the spare change, set Stash to withdraw money on a set schedule or rely on its Smart-Stash feature, which will analyze your income and expenses to determine how much you can afford to invest.

Stash your money into more than 150 ETFs and individual stocks. Because these are micro-investments, you don’t have to invest a ton of money to get started.

Best for those who want to automate their savings stash — then invest it.

Cost: $1 a month for accounts with balances under $5,000; balances of $5,000 or more cost 0.25% a year*

Bonus: The Penny Hoarder has teamed up with Stash to give you a $5 sign-up bonus after you make your first investment.

Available via Apple iOS and Android.

Get more information in our comprehensive Stash app review.

*Clients may incur ancillary fees, charged by Stash, its custodian or both, that are not included in the monthly Wrap-Fee.

8. Chime: A Bank That’ll Do All The Hard Work For You

If you’re looking to combine a number of options on this list into one easy-to-use app, turn to Chime.

When you sign up for Chime, you’ll gain access to an online checking and savings account. Because they’re connected, it’s easy to transfer money back and forth.

But more than that: Whenever you make a transaction with your Chime debit card, it’ll round up your purchase automatically and dump the change into your savings. You can schedule automatic transfers into your savings account, too.

It takes all of about five minutes to open your Chime account.

Best for those who are sick of downloading new apps and simply want their financial institution to take care of the whole saving thing for them.

Cost: Free

Available via Apple iOS and Android.

We wrote even more about Chime’s saving options in our review.

Need More Help? Find Your Perfect Budgeting App

If you’re still struggling to save money, you might need to go back to the basics with a budgeting app. By setting up a budget and tracking your expenses, you’ll be able to find exactly where you’re overdoing it and how you can better achieve your financial goals.

One we suggest starting with is Clarity Money*, a free app that helps you see, organize and take control of your finances.

The way it works is simple. You just download the app, connect your existing accounts, and get ready to learn more about where your money’s disappearing to… and how to keep more of it.

Clarity Money analyzes and uses your spending history to provide budgetary insights. It’ll show you exactly how much you spend in different categories, like bars and restaurants, as a percentage of your total expenses.

But it’s not just a recap of your weekend spending with pretty graphics.

It also gives you the tools and information you need to start making better financial choices. And they’re all super-easy to use, and accessible right inside the app.

Disclosure: Clarity Money compensates us when you download the app using the links we provide.

If you want more money-management tools, check out eight of the best budgeting apps, which includes everything from Mint to You Need a Budget (YNAB).

Carson Kohler (carson@thepennyhoarder.com) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s all for automated savings.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

These 8 Apps Will Help You Save Money — No Matter How Tight Your Budget published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

[oaklandalcohol]

Something Exciting is Happening in Oregon

I’m a city dwelling California girl, so I never paid too much attention to Oregon, our upstairs neighbor. California has made its stamp in the food and beverage industry – there’s a reason they call it “California cuisine.” It’s something I’ve taken for granted: the amazing wine from Napa, the booming craft beer industry, our proximity to the agricultural wealth of the Central Valley, growing up a couple miles away from Chez Panisse. I never really looked much further than home for great food and drink because I never had to.

Then I went to Oregon.

I spent last weekend at a Swine & Spirits event in Redmond, Oregon. Redmond is a few miles away from Bend, a lush resort town at the base of Mount Bachelor, and a couple hours away from Portland. The Swine & Spirits event was twofold: it featured a barbeque competition and also hosted 25 local distillers.

The barbeque was delicious, but let’s talk about the distillers first. Every distiller was from the state of Oregon – some of them were from Portland, some were from Bend, and the rest had travelled less than two hours to get to the event. It didn’t take long for me to do the math: there’s something about the culture in Oregon that is lending itself to a craft distilling boom.

Upon purveying the offerings at the distillers’ table, I realized that they had everything to offer: vodkas, gins, bourbons, whiskies, ryes, aquavit, rums, infused vodkas, coffee liqueurs, lemoncello, ginger liqueur, shrubs, cocktail syrups, bitters, brandies, and even a p’isqu (which is not a pisco but is like a pisco).

One of my first stops was at the Jaz Spirits booth. Jaz Spirits is run by a woman named Faith, who recently sold a highly successful, nationally known, award winning chocolate business. Faith’s obsession is with place based gin – she talked glowingly about her experience visiting St. George Spirits in the Bay Area and the appeal of their terroir gin. Faith wanted to create a place based gin that evinced her home state of Oregon. She infused her gin after distillation with toasted juniper, foraged spruce tips, sweet spices such as anise, fresh herbs, botanicals such as homegrown pear, and local honey. The result is an Old Tom style gin that is bursting with flavor and has an amaro-like bitterness at the end. It’s a dark hued gin that gets its color from post distillation infusion and that retains sediment from the herbs much in the same way that kombuchas retain sediment.

My next stop was at the Vivacity Spirits booth. They were showcasing their vodka, the banker’s gin, the native gin, the treos brandy, the Turkish coffee liqueur, and their newly released p’isqu. Every one of their products is delicate, nuanced and sumptuous – a feat that challenges many distillers who are often spread thin over a large product line. Much like Jaz Gin’s mission to create a place based gin, Vivacity’s native gin captures the essence of Oregon by infusing hazelnuts, Cascade grapes and juniper into their gin. (On a side note, I learned this weekend that Oregon is one of the largest producers of hazelnuts and they also have a giant juniper forest in the middle of the state. If you’re talking about local, gin makes so much sense!) I also loved their treos brandy – it’s a collaborative effort between Treos winery and Vivacity spirits. Vivacity distills Treos pinot noir, creating one of the only single estate domestic brandies. Vivacity is also sourcing muscat grapes from the Treos winery for their p’isqu – it’s a delicious, unaged brandy with an upkick of Moscato sweetness at the end of the palate.

Crater Lake was next – they’ve already built a reputation in Oregon with their vodka (which was in one of the Bloody Marys I had at brunch that weekend). Crater Lake has a full line of fun products including rye whiskey, estate gin, and a line of infused vodkas. I was immediately drawn to their hazelnut espresso vodka (again, the hazelnuts! Super Oregon of them!), which at 50 proof played more like a liqueur. The hazelnut espresso vodka hit a sweet note akin to Kahlua and Frangelico – it makes for an excellent after dinner sipping drink or fun cocktail ingredient.

Eastside Distilling was there in full force and not to be missed. Perhaps you’ve heard of them in the news lately – it’s the first craft distillery to be publicly traded on the stock market. Their market strategy has been aggressive, and they recently acquired Big Bottom distillery. This set the bar high for their products. Eastside tasted me on their potato vodka. It’s an affordable product that is ready to compete directly with Tito’s on both price and performance. The most intriguing product they poured for me was their barrel hitch Oregon oak American whiskey and burnside bourbon Oregon Oaked. Eastside recently made a play to buy up all the Garryana oak in the state – it’s a special type of oak that is native to Oregon (again – place based!). Oregon oak makes a different impact on a whiskey than American oak – think less vanilla and more molasses, clove and coffee. A few other companies, such as Westland in Seattle, are snatching up this rare oak as they start to ask the question: what happens when we age whiskey in something other than new American oak?

At the Thomas & Sons, there was an array of unique products with a fascinating back story. Thomas & Sons is connected to the Brew Dr. Kombucha, which is an offshoot of the Townshend Tea Company. Their teas and kombuchas come in a variety of flavors, such as love and happiness. They distill their spirits by putting their kombucha into a vacuum still and removing the alcohol without using heat (which would pasteurize the kombucha and kill the bacteria). Their line of spirits is vastly different from most other spirits in its method of production and the resulting flavor profile. They have a white rose vodka, gin, tea liqueurs and amaros – all byproducts of kombucha. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get more Portland than that.

Aria Gin was showcasing their award winning gin. It’s a Portland dry gin that veers away from over infusion or the otherwise prevalent obsession with place based gin. They proudly advertise their botanicals: juniper, orris root, cassia root, cubeb berry, lemon peel, grains of paradise, cardamom, orange peel, angelica and coriander. Aria Gin is making a name for itself in Oregon and has its sights on dominating the California market next.

Attention fruit lovers: Wild Roots produces a line of flavored vodkas that includes a cranberry vodka, a Washington apple and cinnamon vodka, a marionberry vodka, a pear vodka, a cherry vodka, and a raspberry vodka. It’s an interesting vodka line that reads like a walk through your favorite health food store fruit aisle, and the vodka holds up to the high expectation. Their vodkas aren’t overly sweet despite being deep in color. Instead, they offer a delectable fruit flavor that doesn’t eclipse the palate with sweetness or play in drinks like liqueurs. Wild Roots is changing the game by offering quality infused vodkas that bring a burst of fresh fruit to the palate.

I tried an incredibly interesting savory vodka at the Heritage Distilling booth. They make a Bloody Mary vodka infused with rosemary, thyme, roasted garlic, black pepper, and sun dried tomato. The result is a kicking and savory vodka that can hold up to tomato juice and horseradish. But it’s vodka that I could see playing well in cocktails beyond a Bloody Mary – much in the same way aquavit’s caraway notes pair interestingly in sweet cocktails, I could see this vodka in a dirty martini or perhaps a vesper. Heritage Distilling caught my attention by having the most interesting and weird spirit I tried at the whole event.

At Cascade Alchemy, I got a chance to try their Oregon gin and barrel aged Oregon gin. Their Oregon gin finished with mouth full of cucumber – it’s a gin that appeals to Hendricks drinkers who like a touch of garden freshness without overwhelming floral notes. Their barrel aged gin was even more interesting – it’s the same gin, but the cucumber kick is muted while the barrel notes mingle with the other botanicals in the gin. Their bourbon was a rich, juicy spirit – something I would love to drink in black Manhattan.

Spiritopia brought their full line of liqueurs: pomegranate, ginger and apple. The pomegranate liqueur was juicy with a nice touch of acidity. The apple liqueur – which is made from Oregon apples and apple cider – was boozy and delectable. Their ginger liqueur, which is made with vanilla, had a graceful, building heat at the back of the palate. All three liqueurs were bright and fresh, inspiring in my mind a variety of cocktails that I would love to drink.

At the event, I was part of the Crafted Life table, where we served drinks with Raft syrups (their orgeat and vanilla syrups were delicious!) and Bitter Housewife bitters (yes to their lime coriander bitters!). Crafted Life helped put the event together and brought all the distillers together. It was an exciting even that brought together the best and brightest of the burgeoning Oregon craft scene, and I can’t wait to see more events like this. (Also, if you’re interested in buying anything I’ve mentioned in this article online, you can buy most of those products on their website.)

The event was intense, and I didn’t even get to try every spirit available, nor is this a comprehensive list of the vendors there. I learned my lesson at the Craft Spirits Carnival – at events like this, you have to be picky about what you drink and the order in which you drink it. Trying every single spirit is an unrealistic expectation that might leave you with a horrible hangover the next day. With events like this, you have to have a strategy going in.

So what does this all add up to? Many people say that craft distilling is the next big trend in cocktails, but I say it’s here to stay. If we look at other historical regions that are now respected staples in the world of booze, we realize that this is how new categories and new standards for distilling are established. American whiskey, British gin, cognac, pisco, tequila – these are all place based categories of spirits that reflect the terroir and the culture of their places of origin. Oregon is vying a place in the pantheon of spirits. I don’t foresee a trend – I foresee a new market. I foresee products that start out as niche but over time establish themselves as a new category and a new benchmark of quality.

Oregon: we see you, and we drink you, too.