#i used to have SUCH a bigger vocabulary and more confidence and ability to talk to people | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

plumblossomcafe · 5 months ago

Text

Ch.36:The Crux Clash

Paimon: Paimon thinks it's best if Y/n goes since it'll prove everyone wrong that despite her appearance, she's really strong!!!

Aether: I agree. What do you think, Y/n?

Y/n: I don't mind. "I guess I could use the fighting style that Eula uses, but I'll use a sword instead of a claymore" (Author Note: I'm referring to Eula's character Demo, since I wasn't capable of finding a gif for it)

Beidou: Our next competitor is seen by many as one of the favorites to win this tournament. Despite her appearance, she is capable of taking down all of her enemies that stand in her way. Her‍ first bout begins now!

Y/n: *points her sword at her opponent*

Jinyou: Y—You... You're one the hero they're talking about! Argh! How am I supposed to win now!?

Y/n: "Great, now I have an even bigger reason to beat you up now!!!!"

During the battle, Y/n kept dodging the attacks of the opponent in a graceful way as of she was dancing and her opponent was growing tired and angry that he was the one getting beaten instead of Y/n and in the Y/n ended up winning the battle

Paimon: What a strange guy, why was he so confident to begin with...? Well, now that we've won, let's go and see Beidou. She'll probably have something to say to us. We'll mainly Y/n since she was the first to fight.

Beidou: Hahaha, I knew I wouldn't regret introducing you as one of the favorite! So what do you think, Kazuha, Tomo? She‍ totally dominated that guy and did it with style and elegance, too.

Kazuha: Impressive. But I also observed her exercise some restraint, as if to protect the opponent from serious harm.

Beidou: Well, I've fought my fair share of battles, both big and small. And I say, after the show she‍ put on just now, she‍'s more than convinced me of her‍ ability.

Tomo: True, but you have to agree that during the battle, she fought almost as if she was dancing ballet or something. Hey, Y/n, are you sure you aren't a lady of an important clan or something? *joking*

Y/n: *doesn't understand the joke* No, I just learned this fighting style from a friend of mine in Mondstadt, I just used a sword instead of a claymore as my weapon

Beidou: *laughs* See Kazuha, even Tomo agrees with me, so come on, we all know you've got a wide vocabulary in there — can't you spare a word or two to congratulate our up-and-coming champion?

Kazuha: Alright... Let me think how to aptly phrase these words of praise......You fought well.

Beidou: Ugh, alright then. I was thinking your inner poet might want to join in the fun, but... I guess I shouldn't put you on the spot like that. You know, a lot of competitors came to me saying how surprised they were that Liyue's heroes were entering the tournament......And since you guys signed up, we've had many others do the same, with more than a few top-tier fighters among them. I'm sure lots of them are here to find out how they stack up against you two.

Y/n: Oh

Aether: I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Y/n: Oh right, Aether your next

Beidou: Haha, well, since everyone sees you guys as the ones to beat, I figured I should start treating you both that way, too. For one thing, we don't want you guys wasting all your energy in the early rounds fighting people who are well below your level. Not to mention... you must be itching to fight someone in your league, too, right? So, I'm putting you straight through to the semi-finals!

Paimon: Huh? But we only just started the qualifiers... Seems like a crazy system if we just skip straight to the semi-finals.

Kazuha: This is how Captain Beidou works. You won't persuade her otherwise. Besides, at your level, you would have made it to the semi-finals anyway.

Tomo: Hey, look at the bright side. You could either relax or watch the next rounds till the semi-finals

Paimon: Huh. To be fair, Paimon was thinking that, too...

Y/n: Same, if me and Aether were to have a sparing session, I would lose since I'm still not good at using a sword

Aether: "Then how were you able to beat Childe and that guy just now."

Beidou: Alright, I'm gonna watch some more of the tournament. If there's any potential contenders for you out there, I want to know who they are and what they're about.

After a long wait, Aether's opponent in the semi-final is finally decided.

Beidou: We're finally here, folks! The real show is about to begin!

Kazuha: Hehe... the captain seems to have high hopes for this tournament. I have not seen her so excited in quite some time. Your opponent has fought many rounds to get to the semi-finals. This makes him a seasoned warrior. You may well be stronger than him, but this should not give you cause to lower your guard.

Aether: I won't. I haven't forgotten why I'm here.

Kazuha: Very well. Show me that you are ready to push through the storm that lies ahead.

Beidou: Alright, that's enough chit-chat for now. The audience is waiting. Go find the crew member that signed you and Y/n up, she'll take you into the arena.

Zhuhan: Your opponent in the semi-finals is new to The Crux Clash, but he has quickly become the dark horse of the tournament. I do not doubt your abilities, but I would suggest that you make sure you are fully prepared before you begin.

Paimon: Relax! My guy's at the top of his game he ain't gonna lose!

Aether: I'm ready.

Zhuhan: Okay. Follow me.

Beidou: At last, the moment we've all been waiting for — the semi-finals have begun! Who's it going to be this time — the hero or the dark horse?

Rongshi: I don't care about the prize... You're a strong opponent. That's what I'm here for.

The opponent proves surprisingly persistent. Faced with a less easy fight than anticipated, you have to get serious.

Rongshi: I'm sweating all over. It's a good feeling. Congratulations, I was beaten by the best. I need to train harder.

Aether: You fought very well yourself. I believe you have the potential to be champion.

Paimon: Right! For a moment there, Paimon was a little worried... If you had a vision, you'd definitely be one of the strongest around.

Rongshi: I wanted a vision once, when I was a kid. People said that if you're strong enough, you'll have your chance to get one. But mine never came. I lost interest, eventually. You can't depend on a vision like you can your own body. I've fought and won against Vision bearers before. The power they have was given to them by the gods. I don't envy it.

Paimon: Huh? You mean, you didn't sign up to try and get your hands on that Masterless Vision?

Rongshi: No, I didn't. I only wanted to pit myself against other fighters and see who was the strongest. Only in defeat can you understand your weaknesses and learn from them. So, I'm pleased with today's outcome. I don't often have the pleasure of experiencing defeat.

Paimon: Wow... now that's true strength talking!

Rongshi: If you have the chance in the future, please come and spar with me again. I will be stronger next time.

Aether: So will I.

Paimon: By the way... do you know who else made it into the finals? ...Is it gonna be someone even tougher than you?

Rongshi: Whether they'll be as tough as me, I don't know... But what I have heard is that they're extremely quick. So don't get too cocky. *leaves*

Paimon: There he goes... Maybe we should ask around to see what we can find out about our opponent in the final round. Paimon thinks we might need to up our game a little.

After talking with the other competitors and meeting up with the others

Kazuha: *clapping* You gave an outstanding performance. It is truly commendable. I could sense that you are not familiar with bouts of this kind, and it could have cost you the match. But you were quick to adapt and managed to claim victory over your opponent. That is a most invaluable skill.

Tomo: *playfully ruffles Aether's hair* You fight really well and have a lot of tricks up your sleeve kid

Aether: You are very observant.

Kazuha: In fact, I discerned this not from what I saw but what I heard — the ground beneath your feet and the pattern of your breathing. But it is nothing remarkable, for I discerned nothing more than Captain Beidou did.

Beidou: Ahaha, he's right. But in my case, I was purely relying on previous experience. I guess not using your elemental powers must be quite new for you, huh?

Aether: It sure is.

Paimon: We wanted to ask about who our opponent will be in the final round. Do you think they'll be stronger than the one we faced in the semi-finals?

Beidou: Not exactly. Contenders that reach the finals aren't necessarily "stronger," but they tend to have something unique about their style. As for the guy you'll be facing, his skill lies in his speed, and he has superior form. It's also obvious that he's seen his fair share of battles. What's the matter? Worried that you've bitten off more than you can chew this time?

Aether: Well, I'm not worried since Y/n is going to be fighting this time

Y/n: *holding her forehead while having a visible look of pain*

Tomo: You alright?

Y/n: Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine, I just had a headache just now, but I'm fine

Aether: You sure? I still have a lot of energy left, so I can substitute for you if you want

Y/n: I'm fine, really

Kazuha: .... "She's lying, but I'm guessing she doesn't want to worry anyone, so she's trying to act like she's fine"

Aether: Y/n, just rest, you always work hard and rarely get a chance to rest, you always tell me to not overwork myself and I listen so why don't you listen your own advice, I'll substitute for you,

Y/n: ...fine

Kazuha: If that is the case, then I have a proposal for you, Aether. Let's go somewhere a little quieter, shall we? Me and Tomo haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. In the land of Inazuma, Were were wandering samurais.

Paimon: Uh, yeah, we could tell that from your guys's getup. But at the same time... When you guys talk, you both don't really sound like people who's used to waving a sword around...

Kazuha: It is true that I am versed both in literary and martial traditions and Tomo is very ambitious and lively. But on the straggling path of a wandering samurai, is there harm in acquiring a surplus skill? I do not mean to flaunt my martial prowess, but I myself have witnessed reputable fighters hailing from across the lands. I do possess some knowledge regarding your opponent's particular skillset. Given your talents, a few hints from me will be all that's necessary to bring your opponent down.

Beidou: Hang on! Don't you think you're bending the rules a bit there?

Kazuha: Gathering intelligence is an essential part of any duel. You must know your enemy. Besides, my lady, Y/n, here has fought many battles on their journey from Mondstadt. And it's best for her to rest here while me and Tomo talk to you, Such impressive feats require more than just bravery alone.

Y/n: My lady?, but I thought I said that I'm not from a very important clan

Tomo: It's just a nickname, it suits you my lady

Y/n: *sighs* Fine

Paimon: Huh, wait a second. We never told you that we've been to Mondstadt!

Kazuha: Hehe, does one not leave a trail when traveling through the wild? In return, nature also leaves its traces upon you. However, there is only so much that can be discerned from these traces. I sense that many things about you elude me still... These are the things I am curious to know about. Come with us. Some post-match entertainment is in order.

Kazuha: Now that we're alone, let me cut to the heart of the matter... Aether, you are skilled in manipulating the elements. And not just a single element, but multiple. Is that correct?

Aether: *surprised*

Tomo: *chuckles* Well, is he correct?

Aether: Ah, so you already know. No wonder you didn't bring this up at the arena.

Paimon: Paimon knew that you were hinting at something from the moment we met. You've known all along.

Kazuha: That's right. If the other contenders were to catch wind of your elemental abilities, let's just say it would cause some unwanted misunderstandings. If I'm not mistaken, you share these considerations, given your reluctance to use elemental skills even in the heat of a match.

Aether: Yes, but how did you know?

Kazuha: Hehe, when I talk about that which I see or hear in you, this is not poetic symbolism at play. I mean these things in the truest sense possible. Since a young age, I have been attuned to the tidings of nature. I hear the breath of the wind and the whispers of the leaves. It is things of this nature that I also hear from within you, nothing more.

Paimon: As crazy as all that sounds, somehow Paimon still believes you.

Kazuha: My humble abilities are negligible compared to your incredible feats. To think a human could wield the elements without a Vision... And not to mention your incredibly complex scent, like that of some mysterious being...

Paimon: Hey, stop evaluating us based on our smell! It's weird!

Kazuha: Could you perchance enlighten me as to how you managed to obtain your combined elemental abilities?

Aether: I'm afraid I don't know either. All I did was touch a Statue of The Seven.

Kazuha: Hmm, extraordinary. So then, might I be so bold as to inquire how exactly it is that you learned to channel elemental energy, and even wield it in combat?

Aether: It's all thanks to Paimon's knowledge.

Paimon: Aw, it's nothing, really. Paimon just told him whatever came to mind. It's been a long journey, and many things have happened along the way. Somehow, he just naturally learned to use the elements through it all... Honestly, even me or Paimon don't understand how it all works. I'm very interested in learning about it

Kazuha: Perhaps such unfathomable things are the essence of the gods and the Visions they grant. However, I still wish to have the honor of seeing how you wield the elements, perhaps it may yet reveal something to me. Of course, I too shall share with you all that I've learned. That will make it a fair exchange.

Tomo: I just want to observe, since I found this interesting

Aether: Fair enough.

Kazuha: Now then, let's test your skills, shall we?

After Aether defeated the monsters

Kazuha: Hmm, your skills in battle are truly beyond reproach. Even with your opponent's speed, he shouldn't be able to overwhelm you. Your opponent is skilled at controlling his breathing and maintaining balance, which enables him to execute moves that many would find impossible. He relies entirely on the element of surprise to defeat his opponents. In other words, as long as you remain mindful of his ability to detect weak points, then his attack should pose no threat to you.

Aether: Thank you, I will not underestimate him.

Kazuha: Please, save your thanks. If anything, I should be thanking you for the opportunity to witness your command of the elements that defies all known principles. The world is a truly mysterious place, it seems, and one will always encounter that which is still unknown.

Paimon: You seem kinda obsessed with Visions... but don't you already have your own? Why are you so intent on exploring the connection between Visions and the elements?

Kazuha: I desire to know what meaning Visions have to the gods. And what influences the gods' decision to grant humans these Visions. My apologies, you must be completely in the dark regarding such matters. For allowing me the honor of witnessing your mystical ways, I am willing to answer any questions you may have regarding Inazuma.

Aether: I am indeed in the dark, so please enlighten me.

Kazuha: So that's what you're curious about? Haha, then allow me to tell you more.

Tomo: As you well know, a Vision Hunt Decree is currently underway in Inazuma.

Kazuha: Visions are a gift bestowed by the divine. People that have accepted this gift are now having their Visions confiscated inexplicably, sometimes in circumstances that leave their original recipients dead. In the outset, supposing each of the Seven Archons had their criteria for granting Visions to living beings — then, does the current Electro Archon now doubt these criteria, or even the act in and of itself?

Tomo: Not to mention, with no new Electro Visions having been granted for such a long time, it would seem that Kazuha can infer something of the Raiden Shogun's feelings on the matter...

Paimon: She sounds less like an archon and more like... a tyrant. But how come Tomo has an Electro Vision?

Tomo: I managed to gain it way before this all happened

Kazuha: As far as I know, she is an archon that pursues "eternity." She will relentlessly carry out her will with no regard to what others may think or feel. Liyue's "contracts" are meant to benefit all who reside within Liyue. But what does Inazuma's pursuit of "eternity" bring to its people?

Tomo: ...It goes without saying that the people locked within Inazuma do not fare well these days.

Paimon: Sounds a lot like something the god you encountered in the beginning would do.

Tomo: Oh? Have you encountered the Electro Archon before?

Aether: I'm not sure. It was already a long time ago now.

Kazuha: With time, we will change. But the shogun will remain the same. If you wish to find her, she will forever be there. There will come a day when I, too, shall wish to understand the answers to "eternity" from her.

Tomo: Ahem! The time for your match is approaching. And My lady would is going to get worried about you guys

Paimon: Oh, right! We got so distracted talking about Inazuma that Paimon forgot all about the tournament! Plus, Y/n gets really worried about her friends

Kazuha: If you have no other matters to attend to, then we can return together.

Aether: Sure, let's go together.

Kazuha: Very well, let's go. I wish to see who will obtain the Vision.

0 notes

queensconquest · 2 years ago

Text

@yeonban said: ‘ besides the nen restriction, i'd say i'm fine enough to come along, ’ shalnark pauses, shifting his attention from chrollo onto himself in an attempt to ascertain whether he had missed anything essential that would indicate he shouldn't board the ship. ‘ but i’m very, very tired. ’ his tone is composed, detached rather than calm, yet he finds no issue with this minor setback (not when there are far bigger problems to worry about). ‘ if all goes well, i should be more or less back to usual once this week is over. ’

Chrollo says nothing. Not at first. Instead he merely stares at Shalnark with eyes that say so little and yet so much. The fact Chrollo IS observing Shalnark shows how seriously he was presently weighing the matter himself. If it was an easy choice , then Chrollo might not have looked at all or only for a brief moment before resuming what task he’d been busying himself before. To have Chrollo’s full attention in a moment like this means it is a matter he is not taking lightly.

Slowly a hand lifts to his chin , still not breaking his own silence as he listens to Shalnark’s self-assessment. Chrollo DOES trust Shalnark’s own ability to be both truthful and accurate in that aspect. One could still be plenty dangerous and plenty useful even without Nen ; a fact he knew from personal experience and simple logic. Albeit , the one might concerning but he is hardly one to talk when logic is his choice of thought as well. Except for a small fact that changes this.

If all goes well.

Except this was different. While they had their ultimate goal of treasure , there was the inevitability of Hisoka. This was meant to be an act for the Troupe. Not a part of the Troupe , but the whole Troupe. That included Shalnark. He wants Shalnark there. He is a part of the Spider and Chrollo likes to have them around. His skillset is invaluable. And if he is there , Chrollo won’t be left wondering what ifs or the potential concern of history repeating due to his absence or lack of Nen. He also wants Shalnark away from there. That thought takes a moment to digest given its more personal nature despite the logic that also supports that thought to keep him away. It will be dangerous for multiple reasons , having one of his legs in a weakened state risked a bird ripping it away before it was recovered. But if it was close at hand , then the head could keep an eye on it. And long term , it would be advantageous. If all went well.

His answer partially comes in action rather than solely in steady words. He lifts his hand , allowing for Skill Hunter to appear before he begins flipping through the pages to a clearly intended target page to ensure what he sought still remained within the book. Much to his own relief , it was still there. That offered some relief and he closes the book , letting it fade as he refocuses his attention on Shalnark.

“ If you wish to join , then you can. “ He agrees after a moment longer of consideration. Rare were the times Chrollo acted to restrict his legs in any way. Only when it was of the upmost importance to the Spider. If this was what Shalnark wanted , Chrollo would respect that much. “ On the condition you must stay with either Phinks , Feitan , or myself at any given time. If you wish to trade groups at any time , that is of your choice , and such arrangements will be made. At least until your Nen returns. If you wish to pass on this mission , you may. “ While he was confident Shalnark knew as much , verbal permission always spoke more than assumption.

His brow furrows slightly , a subtle indication of further thought on the matter. “ I admit that I would prefer you to be in my group. However , that is not an order. You have the freedom to choose and change as you wish or see fit. “ I prefer , I want. Such rare words in Chrollo’s vocabulary that they feel strange in his mouth to say so openly. But they are the truth and Shalnark deserves that. His own wants were never chains for others. Even if his spiders often seem intent on going to lengths to gain or achieve something on the rare occasion Chrollo did make a want known.

“ You will have plenty of rest should you elect to come. “ Chrollo offers such assurances willingly and without hesitation. That much was not optional ; he did not want Shalnark to overdo himself. He was recovering still , resting was an important aspect of that. Having shared his opinion and thoughts on the matter , the head falls quiet to listen to the leg’s response. Ultimately it was a choice Chrollo was letting rest in Shalnark’s hands without expectation one way or another. ( Even if he was confident he already knew what the answer would be. )

#yeonban #ah yes some morning emotional writing with breakfast #he wants him there but also Concerns #giving this some serious thought #〉the head of the spider〈 — ᛭ ⌜chrollo⌟

2 notes · View notes

blue-bird-kny · 4 years ago

Note

Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke with an s/o who at first comes off as innocent and sweet but turns out she's a huge flirt and enjoys getting them flustered? Thank you so much!!

Thank you for your request, it was really fun to write! Enjoy~Amanda (This gif is the cutest thing I’ve seen today)

Warning: None

(1.5k words)

Tanjiro:

When Tanjiro first met you, he thought you were the sweetest person he’d ever had the chance to meet. You were so humble and kind, always putting others before yourself, much like Tanjiro! In reality, you were all those things and more; but you also fed off the thrill and excitement that came with teasing your sweet boyfriend.

You were very meticulous with when and how you teased him, upping the level of flirtiness whenever you felt the moment was just right. This was usually when all your friends were gathered, Tanjiro just made it so easy. There was never any malice behind your witty remarks and suggestive smiles, it was just for fun, but you’d never deny how much you loved his reactions each time.

Tonight had been like any other, Zenitsu and Inosuke were insistanly bickering about someing stupid, Nezuko was peacfully tucked away in her room sleeping, and Tanjiro was quietly sitting next to you. “Since nobody’s looking…” you scooched closer to the boy next to you, he turned his head and offered a friendly smile. “Tanjiro-kun!” you knew that he just loved when you called him that, it made him feel weak in the knees. “Y-yes?” he stuttered, color already rushing to his cheeks.

You seductively placed a hand on his thigh, using it as leverage to come impossibly close to his warm face. His eyes averted from yours, “Y/N! We’re in public!” “I know, but it's just hard to resist those delicious lips of yours when they're so close. Besides,” you licked your lips in anticipation “ it's not like anyone's watching” your lips ghosted against his jawline, Tanjiro was so enraptured with your ministrations he’d almost entirely blocked out the noise of the other two unsuspecting persons in the room. “Unless you want them too”. That's it, he was under your spell; his hands gripped his pants and his breathing became unsteady, “Y/n please”.

You pulled away, satisfied with the mess of a man you left behind, “just teasing” your sly smile only emphasized how much you enjoyed your little game. “Tanjiro?”

Congrats, you’ve officially broken your boyfriend.

Zenitsu

This poor boy had no idea what he was getting into when he entered a relationship with you. You were always so quiet and calm, so it took him by complete surprise the first time you became excessively flirty with him.

However you never wanted to make him uncomfortable so you always saved the teasing for when you two were safe behind closed doors. Zenitsu was so easy to rile up, it was adorable. His entire face down to his neck would glow a bright red and his entire vocabulary would automatically be thrown out the window.

Of course, you knew when to scale it back and what boundaries were never to be crossed. You respected your partner too much to ever do anything you thought he wouldn’t enjoy or would upset him.

You could feel the shift in the air as summer bleed into fall, the leaves already beginning to create piles on the ground outside. You decided to leave the window open just enough to allow the breeze to waft in and out of the dark room.

Zenitsu’s tuft of blonde hair peaked out from underneath his sheets, the rise and fall of his form slightly ruffling the sheets. “He looks so soft when he sleeps” It was almost day-break and you almost felt bad about having to wake him to start the day. Emphasis on the almost. Morning wake-up sessions were the perfect time to exercise your flirting abilities to their fullest.

“Zeni~” you gently called, running your fingers through the small patch of hair that you could reach. He stirred, ignoring your call “Be that way then” You nuzzled your entire body between his legs with little effort, your head and hands resting on his chest. Slowly, Zenitsu sleepy eyes began to open, revealing his brilliant golden orbs. “Good Morning sleepy head”

Zenitsu stared into your playful eyes, not having completely registered the position the two of you were currently in. You began to absentmindedly trace invisible patterns into the clothes that hid his chest, your face lazily balanced on your other hand. As if someone had connected the wires in his brain, Zenitsu jumped in realization, scarlet engulfing his entire face. “Y-y/n what are you d-doing?!” he firmly held his hands to his side, refusing to touch your body (even though he kind of wanted to).

“Well you weren’t waking up, so I figured I need to try something else to get your attention.” you answered as if you knew nothing of the effect you were having on him. You definitely had his attention now, “But now I’m too comfortable to get up just yet, you don’t if I lay here a little longer?” your voice was like honey, your eyes begging in the sweetest way possible. Of course Zenitsu didn’t want you to get off of him, who wouldn’t want to wake up to their girlfriend being pressed flush against their body? “Of course not” he spoke, slowly growing accustomed to the weight of your body against his.

“That's good” you nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his natural scent that drove you crazy. Tentatively, Zenitsu wrapped his hands around your torso, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles into the skin your clothes failed to cover. Needless to say, the two of you fell back asleep, enjoying the warmth of one another.

Inosuke:

From the moment you and Inosuke started dating you knew it would be difficult to catch a rise out of the confident, self-spoken individual.

The first few times you tried to get some sort of reaction out of the boy with your flirty antics, it ended up back firing. Either Inosuke would magically find a way to turn the situation on its head, making the focus fall on you causing you to be embarrassed or he just wouldn't understand what you were talking about.

Unbeckonest to Inosuke, you were beginning to feel impatient and frustrated with him. Why couldn’t he just take a hint and take a compliment? Didn’t he like you enough to become flustered when your hand would accidentally graze his thigh or chest? Honestly, you were almost at a loss of how to get a rise out of this guy.

That was until it became so painfully obvious on exactly what would cause Inosuke’s heart to hammer and his face to flush. You weren’t sure how it hadn’t occurred to you before.The next day while you and the other were taking a short break from an intense training regime, you decided then would be the perfect time to execute your plan. You walked over to your boyfriend, who was aggressively hammering his sword against a tree because ‘breaks are for weaklings’, a jug of water grasped between your palms.

“Inosuke! I brought you some water, it is seriously hot out today” you placed the jug in his skeptical hands, using it as some sort of offering to gain his attention. “I would have been fine without it women!” he voiced, however he drank the entire barrel in a few large gulps. “Oh I know, some one as strong and skilled as you are wouldn’t need anything from the rest of us” you shimmed your way next to the boy whose ears perked in interest like a puppy.

“You know earlier when you were training with Tanjiro I just knew you would win. You were much tougher and smarter than he was during your fight together, he was probably afraid” he listened to your words of praise in complete bliss. You took this opportunity to remove his furry mask without any complaints, shifting to his lap.

“Anyone can tell that you’ve been working so hard these last few weeks, much harder than the others. Just look at you! You're so musly and powerful, any demon will cower at just the mention of your name” your hand trailed down his chest and his arms, admiring every crook and crevasse that came in your way.

Inosuke’s ears began to ring slightly as blood rushed across his chest and ears, his skin tingled in the places your delicate finger grazed. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he didn’t want it to stop. “Those weaklings have nothing on me” he remarked, voice subdued as he relished in the new found delight that was the feel of your nails aimlessly traveling his exposed skin.

“He’s had enough” you tauntingly thought to yourself, lifting your fingers away from his skin. He immediately frowned at the loss of contact, itching to feel you on him again. “Lets not keep the others waiting” you smiled mischievously as you walked away, completely aware of the state you’d left the poor boy in.

Behind you, Inosuke sat extremely confused as to what just happened, but very desperate to have you on him again, soon. He was out of it for the rest of the day, stuck in the day dream that was you. You were hoping to have a bigger reaction from Inosuke, but you weren’t picky, there were other ways and times to get what you wanted out of him.

Main Masterlist

I’m sorry for the delay! I went on an impromptu vacation for the weekend and didn’t have a piece completed! I hope you all enjoyed it, thank you~Amanda

#kny #kny x reader #demon slayer #demon slayer x reader #inosuke x reader #tanjiro x reader #zenitsu x reader #inosuke hashibira #kamado tanjirō #zenitsu agatsuma #kny writing

451 notes · View notes

fishylife · 3 years ago

Text

Street Dance of China, Season 4, Episode 4

- I’ve had issues with Tumblr not saving my posts again v.v I’ll just save often and hope that that does the trick.

- Latrice and Ibuki reenacting HB’s performance haha. From the behind the scenes clips I’ve seen, Ibuki does speak English, so I like to think they are now friends :D

- Hilty & Bosch have known each other since they were six years old T_T That’s cuuuute. Apparently they don’t get into arguments a lot because they always keep a distance between them XD Good strategy.

- San’er’s performance was great! He definitely brings the entertainment in his creativity (including incorporating a story line), but he doesn’t forget about the technical parts of dancing (the popping).

- Bouboo cheering on Rochka when he challenged Jianyan :P

- This spinning move he did was neat

- 不咋地 is going to be the recurring inside joke between Yibo, Rochka, and Bouboo ^^;;

- Yixing singing the SDOC theme song again XD With his super low energy voice XD

- Yibo was tipping the bench which was why Yixing and Henry were like, rocking back and forth at the same pace lol.

- Admittedly George vs. C-Lil was kind of rough. George tried to include Chinese elements in his performance, but he was injured, so he couldn’t really showcase them, and the latter part of his performance became just a typical contemporary dance. C-Lil’s performance was alright, but I think the judges were expecting something more impressive. While break dancing is very impressive to watch, I am starting to see the limitations of it, because if a dancer is not impressive, they are just kind of mediocre. George and C-Lil weren’t able to bring anything superbly impressive, which I think it was difficult for them to vote. Yibo abstained, and C-Lil got two votes, so C-Lil advanced.

- Zyko was incredible as always. It fascinates me how he’s mostly performed with these ballad type songs that don’t really have a beat. Also his flexibility is insane. I’m glad he got through with four votes because we need to see him more.

- I really liked Chika’s performance! I feel like women’s dancing is sometimes a bit limited in the mainstream because people just expect them to look sexy. It isn’t as much the case on this show because all of the ladies on this show are dancers and not idols or pop stars. But anyway, I just love seeing women dance without their bodies being sexualized. Chika’s dance showcased not only control over her body, but POWER. I loved her big movements. Compare the power that she shows vs. the power that say, Ibuki shows. Ibuki is a much smaller lady and it shows in her proportions, so how she expresses power looks different from how Chika expresses power, and Chika’s is the sort of power that I’ve really looked forward to seeing.

- Rochka fanboys over everybody, I love it. Keep spreading the love, dude.

- Ok, Xiaoji’s performance was pretty entertaining. I am not kidding when I say my jaw dropped, at the same time that all the captains went OH SNAP. But this guy definitely has charisma and stage presence. His confidence made up for his lack of ability to improvise XD I was CACKLING when this guy thought the song was done and Yibo was like “bro there’s more” and Xiaoji had to come up with something to end it off lol. I wouldn’t say his challenge was as good as Xiaohai’s, mostly because he hadn’t memorized the music like Xiaohai did. In terms of technical stuff, his performance did seem more impressive than Lai Wei’er’s, but he also did less “stuff” (like, there were a lot of pauses in his dance probably because he didn’t now the music). But Xiaoji’s was definitely more entertaining, though that may just be because of who he is and not his dancing. (By the way, Xiaoji’s real name is 林森. I thought the name 林木森 was just a joke because of how much wood was in it. I never guessed that someone would name their kid 林森 X’D Guess his 八字 indicated that he had a weakness in wood or something lol)

- Have some laughing captains, it’s good for the soul.

- Acky-san acknowledged that he’s probably not going to beat the younger dancers in terms of technique, so what he brought instead was style. The “robot” style of popping is pretty old, but no one else has done it in this competition probably because it’s so old school, and he definitely delivered in a way that only he could.

- Henry singing Frere Jacques with the French contingent X’D

- Thoughts on Han Yu vs. Boris. I can imagine what Han Yu was going for in his original performance, but I don’t think it worked. I don’t have the vocabulary to explain it, but basically the way his performance was choreographed just didn’t really impress. As Yibo mentioned, Boris was impressive in his dance to Han Yu’s music, but his dancing didn’t suit the song as much as Han Yu’s did. So the original dance + challenge was a matter of impressiveness vs. whether the dancing suited the music. Han Yu shone in the battle. I think he seemed a lot more impressive when back in a hip hop sort of groove, music that has a lot of major beats, compared to the piano music that was less grand an epic. As for Boris, I think that seeing a few of his performances in succession showed that his toolbox is a little limited in comparison to Han Yu. It hate to see Boris go because I loved his battle against Zyko but alas. I also wanted him to stay because he’s one of the few non-Chinese contestants who speak Mandarin relatively well. He had no issues speaking in Mandarin with most of the Chinese people on set. The ending was hilarious, when he was asked whether he had any last words, and Boris was like “well, I’m literally going to see these guys in two seconds when I’m back in the audience, I’m not dying” lmao.

- I don’t know how I feel about how the show has decided to deal with the last 29 contestants, of which three would be chosen to join the 49 dancers advancing. They’re competing fairly with the other contestants that haven’t performed yet, but they’re at a disadvantage compared to the previous contestants that were judged individually. For example, what if the fourth best dancer was better than a dancer that had already entered the 49? It would only be fair if the judges were allowed to take out people from the 46 contestants that had passed. It would’ve been a bigger problem if there were still a lot of big names to go though. Most of the best dancers have already secured a spot for themselves, so I think that’s why I’m not like, the most perturbed.

- I was low key waiting for Xiao Jie’s performance because his audition performance during episode 1 was so amusing. I thought his individual performance was fun! He managed to add some creativity and story telling (Chinese dude getting drunk) but also showcase some of his specialty skills (locking).

- I forgot to mention this before, but it amuses me that so the editing team will so diligently put in a “don’t try this at home” warning message whenever a dancer does a dangerous move haha.

- So the captains are doing a dance battle for the reborn event, but I’m not really sure how this is all gonna work. I’m digging Yixing’s look for the battle btw.

- Anyway, pre-battle hugs for all.

- KRUMPMASTER. Also I think he did some of the routine that he did back in Season 3.

- Not gonna lie, I wasn’t super impressed with Han Geng’s first dance but his second dance was pretty hype.

- Lol Yibo feels most comfortable challenging Yixing during his battles. He did move where he dropped onto his back right after Yixing did it (i.e. being like you can do it but I can do it better). Based on what I saw of season 3, I think Yibo would call out Yixing in his performances then too.

- Yixing was definitely heavy on the krump side, though I actually thought his first performance was really interesting because there was barely any krump in that one. He mostly stuck to other elements. As we got through the other rounds, he became more krump heavy, and I think he lost a bit in terms of variety there.

- The thing about Han Geng is that he’s no longer as athletic, so he relies more on power and control, but he needs to make sure he does the right moves that showcase that.

- I think Yibo impressed me the most. He had a lot of variety in his arsenal and he was very entertaining. He is also quite athletic, so as long as he can imagine it, I think he can do it haha.

- As others mentioned, Henry was extremely creative. He used a lot of dance moves to show a certain action, like tugging a rope or playing pool and such.

- Anyway, big hugs.

- Baby needs a nap.

- Yibo won the most points in the four rounds of the battle. This hug with Han Geng is uwu. Anyway, Tony Gogo mentioned that Yibo interpreted the music very well.

- Of course, Tony Gogo as well as the Gogo brothers praised Yixing for his krumping energy

- Philip said that Han Geng had a really good ear, and that was how he was able to take advantage of the best moments to unleash certain dances.

- The five contestants that were saved were A-wei, Boris, George, JC Jun, and Kelo & Uwa. I definitely think the editors purposely showed us more clips of them so that we’d grow attached lol. The only one of these five that I don’t quite remember is A-wei though. Anyway, very pleased that Boris is back haha.

- Pouty boi

- Yibo, Henry, Han Geng, and Ibuki getting really into 煞科 lol.

- I think next episode is going to have some team performances, which I think will be fun. Some of these teams are STACKED.

- Previews for Hot pot!

- They were talking about songs they listened to in their childhood. Han Geng started singing a song about an Office Black Cat? XD I’m guessing it’s a cartoon haha. Yibo listened to Leehom Wang and Jay Chou. Henry mentioned that he looked up to Leehom because he was also an overseas Chinese, plus he played a lot of instruments (just like Henry). As expected, Yixing looked up to Jay Chou (after all, Jay Chou was one of the earliest artists to popularize using Chinese elements in pop songs). Yixing said he also liked Leehom Wang, JJ Lin, and Khalil Fong (I legit have not heard the name 方大同 in a long time so that took me by surprise lol).

- Yibo mentioned Li Ronghao and Yixing was like OH WAIT YEAH HIM TOO. We know from Idol Producer that Yixing and Li Ronghao are bros haha. The captain says “不榮藝組合” which pronounced the same as “不容易組合” which is something like “unlikely duo,” except the the 榮 is from Li Ronghao’s name and the 藝 is from Zhang Yixing’s name lol.

- The robot spilled all the tea! Bad bot!

- I think they later played a listening game that Henry kept losing? lol

#thinking out loud #cvariety #street dance of china #screencaps

6 notes · View notes

thearcanaartificer · 5 years ago

Note

Hey, I would to like to know answers to questions 2, 3, and 7 please.

All excellent questions! Hard ones too, but I will do my best to answer them!

2. What things does your character love about their LI?

If she was musically inclined, she’d write sonnets about all the things she loves about this boy. Alas, she’s not. So she’ll more than happily write all the ways. The biggest thing she loved about Julian is his heart. He’s kind and caring and altruistic and charismatic. Ready to jump in to help others in need at the drop of a hat. Not only that, he’s adventurous and not afraid of getting rowdy. Yes, he can get really nervous and cowardly in elements he’s not confident about (i.e. ALL OF THE MAGIC REALMS) but, as long as Odelia’s there, he’s also brave despite going with knees shaking and proverbial tail tucked.

She loved his ability to talk too. Especially his stories. She never cares if he repeats them, because its a little different each time. Maybe a tidbit more detail in one spot than the last time or perhaps a bit more exaggerated in another detail. She doesn’t care if its a tall tale or an outright lie, he weaves the stories so well its engrossing to listen to- especially when he starts re-enacting the whole scene. She loved his grandeur, verbose vocabulary, and endless creativity.

And he’s so tender and thoughtful to her needs. But at the same time he doesn’t treat her like she’s fragile- simply someone he treasures. He never tells her that she can’t do something, always confident in her ability to succeed, even if others aren’t so certain. Being handicapped, that really means a lot to her. Yes, he still frets about her at times, but its never because of her handicap.

However, it has to be his intelligence that makes her heart pound and her face flush with passion. She’s a genius very smart woman, and, unfortunately, not a lot of people can keep up with her mentally. She finds it very hard to have a real conversation with others because she’s always having to mind that they won’t follow if she gets too far down a more advanced subject. But Julian? He perhaps struggles at a few subjects, but give him time, a few books on the subject, and something to take notes on and the man will come back much more acquainted with the topic- enough to understand what Odelia is telling him and offer useful insight.

3. What things about their LI annoy them?

Oh, for how much she loves him, there are still things about him that grate on her nerves, just like there are things about her that make Julian want to tear his hair out sometimes. Here are some of the bigger things though:

The biggest thing that annoys her is his tendency to drive himself into the ground trying to help or please other people. She loves that he wants to help others. She’s happy to support him in this mission, but when he’s driving himself to the point to of mental exhaustion, where he breaks down crying in frustration over simple things or tries to work through the night to make sure he’s got everything done or skips meals to push through- no, she’s annoyed. What’s worse is that he stubbornly refuses to see that he’s making it harder than it has to be or even accept her help. Everything turns into a minor fight when he’s like that and it takes her threatening him with a lockdown to get him to even concede that there might be a problem.

Another thing that annoys her is when he drinks too much. She doesn’t mind alcohol. She’s not super into drinking and only does so socially and never more than a glass or two, but Julian can and will drink like a fish when the good times are rolling- and she’s not had great interactions with drunk Julian. It’s not that he ever lays a hand on her. Goodness, he’d never mistreat her, but he can turn into a weepy, depressed drunk that verbally abuses himself in the worst ways. She can’t trust him to be by himself if he turns into that version of himself and he has scared her on several occasions, so no, she’s annoyed if he comes home drunk off his ass- because the only time he’s drunk anymore is when the friend he was entrusted to didn’t stop or encouraged the behavior. On a side note, there are friends that are blacklisted from drinking with Julian alone ever again- because he doesn’t like the fact that he goes blackout drunk and wakes to his wife being super distressed.

And the last super big thing that annoys Odelia is Julian’s perchance of being overbearingly protective and then not allow people to be remotely worried about him. If she’s not up to snuff, he’s right there fussing over her and making her rest in bed and ‘don’t you dare get up, my dear, doctors orders’. However, if he has a high fever or a grievous injury, he’s waving it off with some bullshit line like ‘I’m fine, I’m a doctor, I know my limits’. She’s tied him to the bed before because his stubborn ass wouldn’t rest despite how high his fever was or how much he was swaying. Also, on that note, she gets annoyed at how terrible he is at letting someone doctor him. He’ll happily let her fuss over small cuts and ‘boo-boos’ he wants her to kiss better, but she sometimes has to tackle him, hold him down, and do a body search to even know if he has a serious injury (and she usually only suspects him when he’s turning down sex to avoid being caught). And then forget about even treating it without him fighting every step of the way. Yes. Julian can piss her off at times with his more annoying habits.

7. What are some private jokes they share?

Haha, the biggest one is from when they first met. Well, more like, re-met. It was right before Asra had left on his journey and triggered the start of the whole nightmare called ‘Let’s not resurrect the Red Plague or, ya know, merge the dimensions, k, thanks, bye’. She ended up doing Barth a favor of getting him out of the Raven after he had passed out drunk by carrying him out princess style. The whole event ended up with him landing a rather embarrassing moniker (Pretty Princess Jules) at the Raven and no one let’s him forget it.

There are also a few jokes about Odelia’s habit of ‘attacking first, asking awkward questions after’ when spooked. She’s, uh, gotten Julian really good a few times when she had been badly startled- though the first time was the most embarrassing because she nearly did almost kill him.

Also there was an incident involving the mispronunciation of quiche. Odelia, Nadia, and Portia still laugh about it, though Asra and Julian definitely don’t.

Those are the main ones, at this moment, but I’m sure I’ll be thinking up more inside jokes as I keep writing.

If anyone else wants to ask me questions, please do! I fixed my blog site because I had made a mistake in a design choice that ended up with there being no button to ask questions. As you can see with this one, I have fixed that. Please feel free to ask me the April Apprentice Asks or just send me any free form questions you want to know!

#apprenticeapril #julian devorak #julian x mc #julian x apprentice #The Arcana Game #Julian The Arcana #ask response #Odelia the Artificer

1 note · View note

timmyrx2000 · 7 years ago

Text

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 6

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 6

When Wendy and Dipper left the Shack, the sun had just set. The night insects had not yet tuned up, but bats twittered overhead and out in the forest the woodpeckers, who didn't give up until the light was almost gone, drummed away. "Where are we going?" Dipper asked as they stepped off the trail.

"Into the woods," Wendy said. "You bring a flashlight, dude?"

"Yeah, I have one of the prototypes Grunkle Ford made."

"Good deal. I got the one I use camping. We'll need light on the way back."

In the gathering twilight they hiked on, uphill and down, skirting thickets of huckleberry, boggy growths of cobra lily, and stands of trailplant, threading their way through second-growth fir and pine forests, passing expanses of tree stumps and seedlings. "Dad logs all through here," Wendy said in one clearing, the air sharp with the scent of freshly-cut wood. She switched on her own flashlight and said, "Not far now."

Finally, they reached the cleared crown of a domed hill. Stars spangled the sky overhead, lots more than Dipper had ever seen in Piedmont, where the light pollution from Oakland and San Francisco dimmed them. No moon yet—it was gibbous and waning and, because of the recent change to Daylight Saving Time, it wouldn't rise until nearly eleven.

Creatures howled in the distance. Like the panda duck that Dipper had tried to win for Wendy, the species were indeterminate. In Gravity Falls, they might be anything. Wendy stood beside a stump and took a deep breath. "OK, dude, I know you won't freak out, but this might be rough on you. Remember I'm here for you, though. Wanna hold my hand?"

"Anytime," Dipper said. Her hand was warm in his.

"OK, Gramps, I brought him!" Wendy yelled into the night.

Dipper looked at her, but she had turned off the flashlight and he saw only her silhouette against the stars. "Huh?"

"He said not to tell you till he got here. Gramps! It's me, Wendy!"

In front of them, a greenish fog coalesced. Floating a couple of feet above the ground, it pulsed and brightened and then shrank in on itself, transforming into a hulking, bearded human figure.

"Oh, my gosh!" Dipper said. "The ghost from the Northwest mansion!"

"Dipper," the apparition moaned in its deep, rumbling voice. "I have to talk to you. I mean you no harm!"

Dipper almost sagged with relief. "No problem, sir! Wendy, I'm not afraid of him. You look a lot better, Mr. uh, Lumberjack. Your beard's not on fire, and your missing eye seems to have healed up. And the, uh, axe in your head's gone."

"I'm not haunting anyone now," the ghost explained, self-consciously straightening the blow tie it wore on its . . . beard. "I have no wish to terrify. When you're a ghost, you can take many forms."

"Dude," Wendy said, squeezing Dipper's hand, "this is Archibald Corduroy. He's, like, my great-great grandfather!"

"I wondered about that!" Dipper said. "I saw his picture in your house—uh, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Corduroy."

"You treated me well," the ghost said. "I regret tricking you and then turning you into wood."

"That . . . was sort of scary," Dipper admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

The apparition shrugged modestly. "Well, I am a ghost."

"Yeah. Uh, excuse me, but I thought that after Pacifica let everybody in, you had gone on to, you know, your reward."

"I could not bear to leave this forest that I loved so much in life," the ghost said, gesturing with a sweep of his glowing arm that took in all the surroundings. "Also, once free of haunting the hated Northwest house, I wondered what had become of my family. I soon discovered I have a mighty descendant in Daniel, and a beautiful one in Wendy." The ghost floated next to Dipper and confided: "She likes you, boy!"

"Aw, Gramps!" Wendy said, laughing. "Cut it out, dude! Look, I brought Dipper, like you asked, so just tell him what you've got for him, OK?"

The ghost backed away from Dipper, towering over them both. "He's a brave, intelligent boy, Wendy. You could do a lot worse."

"I really like your great-great granddad," Dipper said to Wendy.

Wendy giggled. "You guys! C'mon, Gramps."

"Very well. Dipper, the root of your friend's trouble is another ghost from the past. An evil one. Well, I say 'evil,' I suppose I went a little overboard myself, but my anger branched out from the betrayal the Northwests committed against my friends and me—no, no, I'll cut that short. Forget it. I'm sorry for the bad things that came from my long hatred, leave it at that. But now an ill-intentioned spirit is trying to possess your fiend Taylor. If he succeeds, terrible things will happen. You have to stop him."

"How?" Dipper asked, his throat feeling tight.

"I'm a lumberjack, not an exorcist," the ghost said a little irritably. "You must discover the way to help. Speak to the boy's family. Seek out his mother. Tell her. She will sense the truth of what I've told you. And beware! The spirit that threatens your friend is implacable, his grip as strong as cypress roots!"

"Dude," Wendy said, "you have, like, a really good vocabulary for a nineteenth-century lumberjack!"

"Being an outdoorsman doesn't mean you have to be illiterate, girl." The ghost started to dim.

"Wait, wait!" Dipper said. "Uh, sir—who is the ghost? That would help!"

"You already know in your heart," the fading ghost said. "It is a spirit that wishes to reincarnate—for revenge!"

"Bill Cipher?"

For just a second the ghost became a little brighter and clearer. "Who? No! Think human!"

And Archibald Corduroy went out like a candle flame in a wind.

"Who did he mean?" Dipper asked in the sudden darkness.

"I'm stumped," Wendy confessed. "Man, Dipper, you took that whole thing a lot better'n I expected! First time Archibald appeared to me, I totally freaked!"

"When was that?"

"Fall, two years back, after you an' Mabes went back to California. Along in October. I was in the woods behind our house cuttin' down some deadwood for the fireplace, and there he was, floatin' right in front of me. I kinda attacked him with my axe, but that went nowhere fast. He eventually calmed me down and told me who he was and all, and said he was gonna watch over our family and protect us, and since then I never saw him again—until I started asking around about the Northwests. Few days ago, he appeared to me in a stall of the girls' bathroom at school. Now, that was awkward. Anyhow, he seemed to know you were gonna come to Gravity Falls and said I needed to get you an' him together so he could tell you something, and he said you might be scared, so not to let you know who I was takin' you to see. You weren't scared, though. Good for you, dude!"

Dipper shrugged. "Those first ghosts I ever saw, the ones in the Dusk 2 Dawn, scared the heck out of me. Mainly because of what they were doing to Mabel and your friends. But I've kinda learned that most ghosts don't want to hurt you. Who could be haunting Chuck Taylor, though?"

"Dunno, man," Wendy said. They'd both switched on their flashlights and were headed back through the woods.

They didn't talk much. But when the lights of the Mystery Shack gleamed through the trees ahead, Dipper stopped in his tracks and said, "Reincarnate. Oh, no!"

Wendy stopped too. "What's wrong, Dip?"

"No," Dipper said. "No, no, no. I hope I'm wrong."

"About what?" she asked.

He swallowed hard. "Nathaniel Northwest."

The rest of the week flew by without any substantial developments in the case. Grunkle Ford lent Dipper a few detection devices and taught him how to use them, and then Grunkle Stan drove the kids home the next Saturday.

They spent Sunday and Monday brushing up for the CAHSEE that the school would give on Tuesday and Wednesday, and to their relief, the tests didn't seem all that hard. "I hope you didn't get bored and start putting down random answers," Dipper told Mabel after the last exam ended.

"Nope!" Mabel said. "I learned my lesson after the test I took in fifth grade that said I should be busted to kindergarten."

Chuck had seemed OK, and that afternoon, their first practice since the early spring break, he recovered his playing form again, pitching hard, hitting hard, running full-out. The Thursday practice was good, too, and Dipper began to think that everything was all right again.

Saturday brought a big game with the Bay City Blues. Their win-loss record tied Piedmont's, and Coach said that the teams were a pretty close match in ability, too. The Blues had a good pitching staff, some good hitters, and typically racked up scores of five to ten points in a game. They weren't the most spectacular team, but like the Panthers they played a steady, relentless game.

Saturday morning, the game started out well. Bay City won the toss and chose to take the field. Their pitcher had game: he struck out both Mike and Petey with three pitches each, and Dipper began to think the Panthers were doomed to an early loss.

However, Chuck, looking healthy, belted out a solid double, and following him at bat, both JD and Barb managed singles, sending Chuck home for the first run of the game. Unfortunately, Jon J sent a sweet high fly ball deep into left field—and right into the fielder's glove.

Chuck's pitching began unsteadily. The first batter racked up one strike and three balls before hitting a single. The second man up got a double on the first pitch, putting the runner on third and ready to score. From the bench, Tripper watched Chuck wipe sweat from his face, kick at the mound, and then lean forward, looking determined.

Off on the sidelines, Mabel, in her cheerleader costume, acted subdued. The Panthers had a bigger crowd than ever—their away games had frankly pitiful attendance, just the kids' parents and maybe five or six students—but now the bleachers were nearly full of cheering kids and adults. Except Mabel's enthusiasm had ebbed. Dipper knew she was worrying about Chuck.

However, Chuck promptly struck out two Blues in a row. The next two batters both got on base, though, one single, one double. Then when Vance McCall stepped into the batter's box, Chuck took his time considering his first pitch. McCall was the Blues' best hitter by far.

And he proved it by pulling a low fly to far right field, where it hit and bounced, for a moment looking as if it would go straight to Petey DeFoy—but then it bounced again, taking a bad hop deeper into fair territory, making it hard to field.

McCall wound up standing on second base. The first two Blues scored, and there went Piedmont's lead. As though to apologize to the fans, Chuck struck the next guy out with three fast pitches.

Second inning began with X-Man getting a single, trying to push it into a double, and getting tagged out. However, then both Hi-Ho and Bobby made it to base—Hi-Ho successfully stealing second before Bobby's single put him on third. Dub struck out, and it was Dipper's turn.

He'd been working hard on his batting. He let a ball go by, choked up on his grip, and took a swing at the next pitch—and connected. It was a grounder, skipping just past the third baseman and running right along the foul line.

Miracle of miracles, it didn't cross the line, and Dipper made it to first! More, it took Hi-Ho home—Dipper's first RBI. For a moment, it looked like a Piedmont rally, but Big W's hard grounder was snagged by the Blues shortstop, who fired the ball home just in time for the catcher to tag Bobby out.

The Blues couldn't get anything going in the bottom half, and the second inning closed with a 2-2 tie.

The Panthers came to bat for the third inning. Coach sent Dipper and Krenk in as subs and asked Chuck how he was feeling. "I'm OK," he insisted, though Dipper thought he was sweating harder than usual. It was a dismal inning, three Panthers coming up to bat, two being put out, one getting on base, and then with Jimmy in scoring position on third base—Krenk went down swinging, one, two, three, to retire the side.

In the bottom, Chuck's pitching was noticeably slower and less accurate. Still, he held the Blues to just one run, though that put them ahead again, three to two.

Before the turnover, Coach walked out and asked Chuck, "You gonna be OK? I can pull you."

Dipper saw Chuck shake his head and heard him mutter, "I think laying off practice last week put me off my game. I'll stay in."

In the top of the fourth inning, Mike, first up, got a single, and Chuck matched it. Coach called for time out and said, "Pines, you're faster. Go in as a pinch runner for Monohan."

Though he felt a flutter of anxiety, Dipper did. He led off second, tense, ready to jump back if the Blues pitcher suddenly turned and threw to the second baseman. Like Chuck, the Blues pitcher seemed to have lost some steam, and JD blasted his first pitch into a hard liner into the gap and dug out on what looked to be a double—but the right fielder scooped it up and got it to first in time to hold him.

But Dipper, running full out, tagged third, saw the coach motion him, and, imagining the Gobblewonker nipping at his heels, blasted for home. He could hear Mabel, not leading a cheer, but just screaming "Go, Bro, go, go, GO!"

The catcher stepped up, mitt raised, and Dipper fell into a slide, raising dust. The ball smacked the mitt. Dipper's cleats touched home plate, the catcher tagged his calf, and the ump yelled, "Safe!"

The crowd went wild. Well, mostly Mabel went wild, but still. He had tied the game again, 3-all.

There the Panthers lost their luck. One man out on a pop fly, and then a double play ended their chance to pull ahead.

Chuck didn't look as if he felt well when he stood on the mound. But he bore down and struck out the first two Blues at bat—the second out was actually their first man in the rotation. Then he got two strikes past the third batter—and as he wound up for the third pitch, all at once he tottered and went down on one knee, the ball on the ground, his right hand going out to brace himself. He croaked, "Coach!"

Waylund, Dipper, and the other Panthers hustled out. "What's wrong, Chuck?" Coach asked.

"Real dizzy," Chuck gasped. "Better take me out."

The crowd applauded as Waylund helped Chuck to the dugout, and Dipper saw Mr. and Mrs. Taylor coming down from the bleachers, looking anxious. Waylund sent in Jon J as replacement pitcher, and he did his best, but Chuck's second near-faint had shaken up him and the other Panthers, and Jon J let another two Blues batters on base before the next one got a single, pulling the Blues ahead by one run. Then he pulled it together and struck the last man out.

Dipper hastily trotted in to ask Chuck how he was feeling. Chuck, huddled on the bench, shrugged miserably. "We'll take him back to the doctor," his dad said.

"Not until the game ends," Chuck said firmly. "Just a little dizzy."

It might have gone better if he'd gone then. The Panthers, keenly aware that Chuck was sick and was watching them, lost their concentration. They fought the game out, even managing another run in the top of the seventh, but it ended with a Blues win, 9-4.

Dipper had missed an easy catch and had fanned three pitches, striking out in the worst way possible. As soon as the game ended, the Taylors took Chuck away—he was walking under his own power, at least—and the team morosely apologized to the coach.

"Forget it, men," he said. "I'll stay in touch with the Taylors and get word out to you if it looks serious. Let's hope it isn't."

"We're all hoping," Mabel said. She had come into the dugout, and tears stood in her eyes.

In the back seat of the family car, as their mom and dad stood outside talking about the game—and probably Chuck's illness—Dipper said to Mabel, "I'm going over to the Taylors' this afternoon."

"I'm coming too," she said.

"If you want. Listen, do me a big favor. You get Chuck and his dad aside somehow. I have to talk to Mrs. Taylor."

"About what?"

Dipper's voice was grim: "About a family ghost."

To be continued

Note from the Authors: This was just an idea I had but the one who really worked his magic and wrote almost all of this is none other than BillEase. He’s an amazing author who usually hangs out at fanfiction.net. Don’t pass up on a chance to check out his stuff. This guy is AMAZING. He wrote the story, I just gave the plot.

#gravity falls #gf #au #baseball #dipper pines #mabel pines #dipper and mabel #mabel and dipper #wendy #wendy corduroy #dipper and wendy #wendip #fanfic #fanfiction #Dipper Steps Up #northwest mansion mystery #chapter 6

5 notes · View notes

vynniecruz · 4 years ago

Text

[lessons] message to fresh grads

So like the general public, I’m a member to numerous online social groups and one of which is an the IT Recruitment Hub Philippines. Just scrolling through, I came across a post about asking tips on how to get hired. So as a hiring manager, I thought of sharing my thoughts to the group and perhaps be able to help the next generation face the competitive arena of job hunting. And here goes:

Dear Fresh Grads, here are some more tips: First thing you need to understand is that, more than anything, you are selling your attitude, your character because you still don't have experience. If you've got notable technical skills, school or org projects that you can intelligently discuss, then that is a plus - because that may not necessarily be relevant to the company that you are applying for. Next to that is checking your CV. Make sure it's clear, concise and comprehensible. Wag gawing coloring sheet ang resume. Keep it black and white. And please, please don't put seminars that you've already forgotten - it's pointless to mention a seminar or training that you no longer know about. Once your CV is in check and you know what you're selling, it's time to sell. Send out your resumes to job sites. Use LinkedIn. Use your connections. While waiting for the response what do you do? Go look at the mirror and practice communicating. Being tense in job interviews are minus points as it presents you as not being confident. By practicing your interview in front of a mirror, you train your brain and your mouth on what to say, to train your body the right posture - the way you sit, your non-verbal communications to be confident - to put on a show and perform at their best. As they say muscle memory. As the others also have said, study! Expand your knowledge. Remember you are selling yourself. Much as the X number of fresh grads selling themselves to get that 1 position. Prepare yourself the question: Why should we hire you? What makes you stand-out from the rest? Why you instead of that other fresh grad from the other bigger universities? When you can answer this confidently, and you've made a good impression on your character and abilities, then maybe you might be selected. Practice your ENGLISH! Review your grammar, tenses and expand your vocabulary. Even if you're SMART, but if you can't communicate, then your knowledge is just enclosed in a box. How will the interviewer know what you know if you can't discuss it to them in an organized manner? When you get called in for the interview, NEVER EVER be LATE! Do everything for you not to be late in your appointment. Be there an hour ahead, that's not a problem, but NEVER EVER be LATE! Being late in your job interview automatically throws your opportunity down the drain. Being on time is PROFESSIONALISM101. Your clothing should be sharp. It speaks of how keen you are in details. Even before the interview starts, you're being graded already. Properly pressed shirt, tidy hair, clean shoes show you're keen to details and can AND should reflect on how you work. Now that's done, let's talk about everybody's favorite topic - SALARIES! Scout for the average market value of fresh grads. And if you're asked for a number, peg your number within the average, noting that you are flexible to negotiate. In the end, if the company is interested with you, get whatever they're offering. It's the first job anyway - no one is telling you to stay in that job for 40 years... Once you get accepted, do your job well. Don't foster tardiness and absenteeism. Maintain integrity at all times. Don't gossip. Plan your career - will you stay in that company for 1-2-5-10 years? or will you look for another job after a year. Do consider also that loyalty also plays a value with some employers. So, while job hopping may boost your salary quickly, your job loyalty may be questioned later when being considered for more senior roles... PS:I did this for about 30 mins. Please take time to read it. I'm sure it can help you folks a lot. And if you find this work helpful, no need to thank me. Take note of it. Learn from it and pay it forward. Good luck to you next gens. :-)

#text #impressions

0 notes

studylifeusa · 5 years ago

Text

Interview with Nhien Pham from Vietnam

An Nhien Pham from Vietnam is studying International Business at Moraine Valley Community College

Why did you decide to study in the USA?

The reason I chose the USA is that the USA has a good standard of education. The USA has a strong reputation for teaching and educating all over the world. One of the top three countries that International students choose to start or continue their study. USA has ensured their position through the time with their above standard of facility, technique, and materials which is an important and priority criterion that International students in general and I looking for.

Why did you choose this particular college or university? What attracted you about your school? What is special about your school and its location?

In the beginning, Moraine Valley was suggested by my cousin because they lived near the college area and they had a good experience with it. Also, before I decided, I did a lot of research and comparison about Moraine Valley. Moraine Valley was located in Palos Hills, it only takes me 20 minutes to ride a car and 30 minutes via bus. So, it's close and helped me save part of my finances. On the other hand, Moraine Valley had really good communication and kept in touch with International Students. The college provided many courses and degrees that students could choose to study and the tuition is not so expensive compared with other colleges. Also, for me as an International student, Moraine Valley provided a good and quality Intensive Language Program that helped International students improve and increase their English ability. The most attractive thing about this school is the diversity, and professionalism of the faculty and staff. But the most impressive to me is the staff from International Student Affairs; they are thoughtful, always answer questions and give good guidance for new and current students. I always received a fast answer from them since the day I registered to Moraine Valley.

What do you like best about your program or university?

Everyone is friendly, staff are helpful and the environment are three things that I like best about Moraine Valley Community College.

What do you miss most about home?

Things I miss most from my home country are the food, my family, friends, and lifestyle. Things are different because we have a different culture, but I have experienced a lot from that difference and I really enjoyed it.

What is your biggest surprise about U.S. life and education?

The education in the USA was not surprising to me, mostly because I know its reputation and it proved so throughout the whole the time I studied here. U.S. life is a little bit different. Part of my college life, I lived in a suburban area so it's kind of quiet and peaceful compared to downtown. I used to live in Ho Chi Minh city, which is a small city in Vietnam but crowded so I see many people and we usually enjoyed life at night, but in the U.S, people relax and enjoy being at home more than going out after a hard-working day.

What is your biggest disappointment?

Even up to now, my life in the U.S and college didn’t give me any disappointment. I just lived like normal and I already told myself before I came here, don’t overthink and expect things too much. Everything can change and they have their own faces.

How have you handled language differences?

I overcame my language differences by studying hard in all English classes that I attended in Moraine Valley. I tried to be confident, to speak more and to listen carefully when teachers, staff and local students talked. From the way they spoke, I tried to learn how to fix my own tone in pronunciation of the vocabulary. I felt the more I spoke, the more I saw my mistakes and started to fix them.

How have you handled finances?

Part of my tuition is from my family’s fund, so they covered it a lot for me. But to help my family handle the finances, I registered and worked as a student employee at Moraine Valley Community College. I worked at two departments: the Job Resource Center and International Student Affairs. I worked hard and the earning and savings that I got from both jobs mostly covered my personal needs, gas, and other small things. I don’t need to use my family’s funds to pay for these things.

How have you adjusting to a different educational system?

Before I came to study, I researched carefully a lot about U.S. education and my college’s policies and helpful tools. When I started to study, I had good support from my advisors from International Student Affairs, each of them gave me a lot of good advice for registering classes in the beginning. When I started my Academic courses, I also went to the Academic Advising Center to help me choose classes that would match with my University’s equivalent credits that I can use to transfer to their school. I learned a lot from those experiences and it helped me to create a good pathway to plan and register for class later.

What are your activities? (clubs, sports, student associations, travel, homestay program, special activities or trip sponsored by your program)?

My greatest activity that I enjoy and participate in is being a member of the International Student Ambassadors Organization. I've collected a lot of experiences from participating. I also meet and greet a lot of International students who come from many countries that I never thought that I would meet and had a chance to become friends with them. Each of the activities gave me the chance to prove myself. I also joined the Leadership Exchange at Joliet college through the Organization and it was a really helpful and informative trip because I met a lot of leadership from other colleges and universities and heard their stories and experiences.

How easy or difficult is making friends in the USA?

I thought it will be hard but it turns out it was easier than I thought. American students or International Students are nice and friendly. Of course, they are shy too because each of us come from many countries and backgrounds but if you open your world, they will open too. I’m an introvert person so I'm usually not active in communicating with other people. But since I came here and practiced connecting with others, I realized that people in the USA are friendly and hospitable. From talking to people normally and building that connection, I started to have more confidence in starting a conversation. The more confident you are, start conversations and come out of your comfort zone, the more chances you have to connect and create your own worldwide friendship.

What are your career goals? How is your U.S. Education relevant to your personal goals and to the needs of your country?

My major is International Business so basically, I will work most in trading and communication with foreign companies. My goals are to achieve a management position in a multinational company, in which its function is mainly traveling and working in many diverse workplaces around the world. I want this position because it will allow me to access and communicate with many employers and employees in different worlds. Along with this career, and the support from another major in Social Work, I plan on doing more within those communities.

U.S Education is an important step ahead because I have a chance to study and work at one of the most modern, developed countries which have the strongest and the most competitive economies. The education here is a like business too, the setup and lead of the school are just like how you would lead a business. You have to balance all the sources and think more open. That ideal is what I need to for Vietnam. Nowadays, Vietnam is open to many chances for investments from other countries to come to build up. So, the knowledge and experiences I learned from the U.S. are helping me a lot. I will transform and make it more appropriate to apply to Business in Vietnam

What is your advice to other students from your country who are considering a U.S. education?

My advice for other students from Vietnam who seek a U.S. education is to be confident, open your mind and come out of your comfort zone. Know your goals and reasons why you choose to study abroad. Don’t be dependent on others and start to practice living independently. Think and read everything carefully before deciding on anything important, especially with your life. Make some new friends, participate in clubs, activities and speak English more. Look and try to find a job at school, even if it's big or small, the salary less or more. What you get will be bigger; like experiences, co-worker relationships, letters of recommendation and other things that you never know about it until you try. Don’t just live, find and stay in your comfort zone, open your relationship, think bigger and be brave.

Download Study in the USA ® Magazines

0 notes

julster25-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Emotional and Social Intelligence Competencies

I am confident in:

Relationship Management

My confidence in my ability to be a coach and mentor stems from my athletic experience. Athletics has allowed me to develop communication skills to address personal obstacles, uplift morale and develop plans to overcome hurdles. I recently used the core competency of coaching with my boyfriend. We had just finished bowling, and he lost both games by a decent amount. I had noticed he was tensing up and becoming aggravated during the games but knew approaching him during the activity would not be fruitful. He was depressed, complaining about how he was a failure and that I am better than him at most things. I approached his issue as a coach afterward and had him discuss why he felt that way. Once the details were given, I thought about them on our way back to the car. I told him that he could not make everything a competition and to appreciate the experience of having fun after work. Told him he needed to remember losing is part of life and does not mean we will fail at other things we attempt. We also discussed he has to experience losing at the small things so when he fails at something more substantial, he is prepared emotionally and can move on from the disappointment. The conversation was successful because his mood uplifted; he stopped focusing on the loss and was looking forward overcoming his next hurdles no matter the size.

Self Management

A core competency I have confidence in is my ability to achieve what I set my mind on. I set goals for myself regarding work, home improvements, academics, and travel. The most recent achievement I have experienced is my acceptance into Northern Kentucky University’s MBA program. On top of attending NKU online, my grades have remained decent, and I am set to graduate in the spring. This personal achievement is significant to me because I thought I lost my opportunity to go back to college. However, recent changes in my life allowed me to consider going back to college, but I was still debating the amount of time involved. I evaluated how I felt about my time management skills and how college would impact my life. Even though I knew the path would be difficult, frustrating and time-consuming, I submitted my application. I work hard to achieve my personal goals and those others set for me.

Relationship Management

Teamwork is a core competency I have practiced since I can remember. My time playing soccer is one of the main reasons I feel confident in how I contribute to a team. Church activities are another reason because I volunteered at numerous events and all the competitive games played in the youth group. A recent experience I have had with teamwork is the department I am in at work. We recently had to close our CRM for 2018, and it was all on hands on deck to clean the files from recent campaigns. I understood our goal and immersed myself in my tasks. Once mine finished, I helped my co-workers with their project instead of sitting back and waiting for everyone to finish. The department was able to close the CRM early and save money! Without teamwork, everyone would focus on their tasks and not contribute to the bigger picture when their jobs are completed.

I need to improve on:

Relationship Management

Influence is a characteristic I feel that I could build on to improve my emotional intelligence. The reasoning behind the choice is I listen and observe others without contributing my thoughts. My plan to improve my ability to influence others or achieve my desired result is voice my opinion during strategy meetings, which occur monthly. To influence at the strategy meeting, I want to discuss what is working, failing and how to improve the process in various departments. To work on influencing I will need also work on explaining myself. I have a habit of only explaining half of my thoughts. To remember to practice this competency, I will place a reminder in my calendar thirty minutes before meetings. A reminder will help me organize my notes and come prepared. I will also study terminology and vocabulary that can evoke positive reactions or help articulate what I think we can achieve. Most of all I will remind myself to breathe and not rush, my words are valuable.

Social Awareness

Another competency I can improve on is empathy. I listen to others and acknowledge issues they are facing with words but internally not caring. The lack of empathy is due to surface level relationships and me keeping others at a distance. My belief is my coworkers and friends are experiencing my false condolences. I have also come to realize that I try to one-up their stories with my own. These two qualities lack emotional intelligence, and I need to remedy my responses to grow as a leader. My goal to overcome this issue of mine is to apply it to social situations at church. There are always activities taking place, and I attend them regularly, Wednesday and Sunday service. To keep empathy at the forefront, I plant to ask three individuals about their week. If any of them talk about difficulties such as family needs or prayer requests, I will inquire about the topic. From there I will offer my help, prayer and let them know I am available anytime to talk. I will leave my issues aside and focus on my friends and co-workers.

Self Management

Recently, my emotional self-control has been tested with school, work and family events. Emotional self-controlled is defined as “the ability to manage disturbing emotions and remain effective, even in stressful situations” (“Why Emotional,” 2018). My classwork has left me stressed which has affected my work environment. I tense up every time I look at my class calendars and focus on homework assignments, rather than work, so I do not have to complete them at home. Also, family gatherings have been stressful with holidays coming up, and I instead work on homework rather than focus on having fun. Stressful situations have led me to be homework driven, closed off from others, and unaware of how my actions affect others. Examples of these actions are my temper which has a shorter fuse, words are sharper, and I am quick to respond without thinking about my words. To improve my emotional self-control, I will work on my social self-awareness and observe how I am affecting others. I will work on this competency by stopping what I am doing when something significant occurs and internally check what is going on within my body and mind. Such as the tensing of shoulders, gritting teeth and asking myself what I am feeling. After reviewing my symptoms, I will talk myself down, take a quick walk or remove myself from the situation. I would apply this to any time I receive an interruption while working, which is daily. My goal is to control how I respond to stressful situations, so my coworkers and friends are not on the receiving end of adverse reactions.

Reference

Why Emotional Self-Control Matters. (2018, June 05). Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.mindful.org/emotional-self-control-matters/

0 notes

kingdomofzythania · 6 years ago

Text

Session 1

DND Kingdom of Zythania Campaign Notes: June 9, 2018: 1. Kingdom of Zythania: ● Kingdom is ruled by mages. Half the kingdom is in darkness, other half of the kingdom is in light ○ Zythanlit: light half of kingdom. Inhabited by humans and is where all of the shops are located ○ Zythanrit: inhabited by dark creatures and kenkus ● Inhabitants of Zythanlit feel very threatened by the dark creatures from Zythanrit. They are always on edge when inhuman creatures end up in Zythanlit. 2. Start of campaign: Summoned by a Letter ● Each player’s character receives a letter in the mail from something called the “Midnight Bane”. ○ Letter tells the characters to meet on a certain day at a maze. ● Each character has their own entrance to the maze. Characters enter through their own individual door. ● Roll order for entering the maze: Sirena (Wood Elf sorcerer), Elaria (Air Genasi sorcerer with elf roots), Doryu (Dragonborn monk), Twang (Kenku), Koe (Tiefling) 3. The Mysterious Maze ● Sirena enters the maze: ○ Fights and defeats a kenku. ○ Must pick between left and right doors. Goes through right door. ■ Meets Twang the kenku, learns that he is friendly and group up. ● Elaria enters the maze: ○ Fights a deep gnome. ■ Elaria tries to use her quarterstaff, gets stuck in the casing, does not work in her favor. ■ Deep gnome tries to use it's axe on Elaria. Does not work, axe goes backwards instead. ■ Elaria uses lightning chromatic orb (can use 1x). Lightning orb kills the deep gnome and he shits himself as he dies. ○ Left or right door? Chooses the left door. ■ Meets the “nasty ass douchebag” Koe. Asks if he is a friend or foe. He is a dick and asks the same question. Elaria tells him about fighting the deep gnome. Rolls perception check to see if Elaria telling the truth. She is telling the truth. He reveals himself to be friendly and they group up. ● Doryu enters the maze: ○ Doryu fights a skeleton He keeps making bad rolls and loses a lot of health. Eventually kills the creature. ○ Left or right door? Can't remember which he picked. Goes through the door, meets Elaria and Koe. Elaria asks if he is friend or foe after he asks her. Asks him where he came from. He explains to her about the letter and the fight. Elaria rolls to see if he's lying: comes to conclusion that since he's a monk and all bloody, he is being honest and can be trusted. He joins the crew.

● Twang and Sirena enter through Twang’s door:

○ Must fight a goblin.

■ To be honest, I didn't take notes on this fight because I was coloring.

■ Twang takes one of the skeleton’s femurs as a trophy and puts it in his

bag.

○ “How to Train Your Kenku”: Sirena is teaching Twang more words to expand his

vocabulary.

● Koe, Elaria, and Doryu enter through Koe’s door:

○ Before entering: Elaria rolls perception to investigate the room. Sees a creature crouching behind a wall on far side of room.

○ Enter with Doryu behind Elaria because he is injured. Koe shoots the creature behind wall, hits creature in the chest. Creature comes out from behind wall and comes closer. Creature is a Kuo Toa. Elaria uses Shocking Grasp, it hits and lightning startles KT. Creature knicks Elaria’s ribcage with sword (take 2 damage). Koe stabs KT. Doryu uses Dragonbreath and kills KT. Doryu fillets the KT, eats some (gains back health points), and puts the remaining fish fillets in his bag.

○ Left or right door? Left. Elaria and Doryu roll perception to investigate room. Elaria gets a bad feeling from room. Doryu can see trip wires in the room. Elaria and Koe investigate right door. See two people in room. Go through right door.

■ Meet up with Sirena and Twang. Twang tries to speak and says “KANSAS!” No time to figure out if everyone is friendly. Sirena and Elaria decide they friends though.

● Battle with the Lich:

○ Lich appears in the room. Elaria and Sirena try to convince others not to fight the Lich. They argue with Doryu and Koe over it. Twang shouting “fight” and “KANSAS” in the background. Elaria snaps at Koe calling him an idiot who wants to die. Everyone rolls to see who decides whether or not group fights it: Koe and Twang. Decide to fight. Koe charges at Lich and it disappears.

● Enter Panrose!:

○ Old man in robes and sporting a beard enters the room and calls Koe a “crazy fuck”. Very hyper and flamboyant man. Elaria asks who he is.

■ Panrose the Great Sorcerer

○ Elaria asks why they were summoned here. Panrose reveals backstory:

■ He was the leader of the Midnight Bane, a group of 6 members that ruled Zythania. Each member has intense powers and they use their powers for their own benefit, not for the benefit of Zythania. They take taxes from the kingdom to add to their riches. Panrose had a change of heart and left the Midnight Bane and is now trying to bring about their downfall. Panrose reveals that he has the power to create. He created the underdark creatures that were in the maze. He explains that they were not real creatures.

● Twang looks in his bag and the skeleton femur is gone, confirming Panrose’s abilities to be true.

● Elaria gets angry for being tricked in the maze. Yells at Panrose, the controls her temper and apologizes.

■ Panrose states that he summoned everyone here because he left the brethren of the Midnight Bane a while back and he needs a group of individuals to take down the Midnight Bane.

○ Elaria asks Panrose why he picked them specifically.

■ “Oh that’s simple...you’re the first ones to answer the ad.”

■ Panrose has been sending out the letters for 20 years and only Sirena,

Elaria, Doryu, Koe, and Twang were crazy enough to show up at the maze.

● Koe: “And you didn’t think to change your method?”

● Panrose (confidently): “NOPE”

○ Panrose asks the group if they will take him up on his offer and defeat the Midnight Bane.

■ Elaria asks why they should care about what the Midnight Bane are

doing.

● Panrose: “You saw what I created in the maze. Well, they can create...bigger and badder things. Oh also they are the ones creating the everlasting darkness in Zythanrit.”

○ Sirena asks Panrose what is in it for them.

■ Panrose: “Bettering Zythania”

■ Sirena: “No what’s in it for us? What are you going to give us to do this?

Resources? Money?”

● Panrose snaps his fingers and worms rain down on Twang.

Twang says he’s in. For some reason Panrose gives Twang his left shoe and Twang puts the shoe on his beak? Twang puts the shoe back in his bag.

■ Panrose says he’ll let everyone stay in his lodge (his home) on the outskirts of Zythanlit.

○ Everyone decides to take on Panrose’s mission and defeat the Midnight Bane. Panrose transports the group from inside the maze to in front of the lodge.

■ Exploring the lodge: Lodge is a two story loft. First floor has a living area and a fireplace. Upstairs, there are beds for sleeping in. The lodge is dusty and dirty, looks like it hasn’t been lived in for a while.

● Still angry at Koe for trying to fight the Lich, Elaria proclaims that she wants the bed farthest away from Koe. Koe is being a dick and Elaria tells him that she doesn’t like him at all because he’s an idiot.

■ Sirena states that there are two options at this point: stay at the lodge and clean, or go explore the town. Guys proclaim they could use a drink. Group decides to go into Zythanlit and try to find a tavern.

3. Exploring the Town: Frenchie’s French Fresh Pub

● The group enters Frenchie’s French Fresh Pub and all of the people in the pub turn to look at them. Probably because most of the group is inhuman and there is a kenku within the group.

○ Twang rolls a perception check to observe if the situation in the bar is merely uncomfortable or threatening.

■ He observes that the townspeople seem very uncomfortable due to his presence as a kenku. He is not new to the prejudice that accompanies his race within Zythanlit. Townspeople seem anxious, but not threatening, so the group walks over to the bar and the odd bartender.

● Enter Frenchie!

○ Group begins interacting with the bartender, a man with a sick French mustache and a silly French accent. He’s very hyper and excitable just as Panrose is.

■ Frenchie introduces himself and asks a simple question to the Sirena, the most normal looking in the group: “What’s with the bird”

● Group assures Frenchie that the bird is friendly and nonthreatening.

○ Group decides to ask Frenchie for information on the town and the Midnight Bane.

■ Frenchie states that he’s new to the town and has only been there for three years when he opened this bar and that he has heard of the Midnight Bane by name, but doesn’t know anything about them.

● Doryu tries to bribe Frenchie with money. Frenchie does not understand it is a bribe “What is this for? You want this?” (he says as he rubs his nipple)

● Koe, impatient as usual, sits down at the bar and takes his knife to intimidate the barkeep.

■ Sirena takes a shot in the dark and asks Frenchie if he has heard of Panrose.

● Frenchie’s response: “ Do you know Panrose?”

● Twang takes Panrose’s left shoe out of his bag and puts it on the bar counter.

○ “Oh you know Pansy?! I know Pansy for long time, he

cheated with the wife of my second cousin twice removed!

We go way back!”

○ Elaria notices the inconsistency in his story and calls him out on it: “Wait, how do you know Panrose for a long time if 4. Bar Brawl! You only have been in the town for three years and Panrose has been in a maze for twenty years, not in the town?” ○ Sirena calls him out too: “And if you know Panrose for so long, how do you not know a lot about the Midnight Bane since he was their leader?” ○ Koe stands up and points his dagger at Frenchie. ● Frenchie, caught in his lie, starts to talk more. He knows that Panrose was in the Midnight Bane, but left for some reason. The Midnight Bane live in a castle and each member rules one floor of the castle. The Midnight Bane send creatures into Zythanlit to take taxes from the shopkeepers. Frenchie is afraid to say more because what he knows could put him in danger. ○ Noise comes from outside the bar. The bar quiets and all of the townspeople leave. Frenchie tells the group they need to leave. ■ Group asks what’s going on and Frenchie says that creatures are coming. Sirena puts two and two together and realizes it’s the Midnight Bane’s henchmen coming for the tax money. ● Group tells Frenchie they’ll take care of the creatures in exchange for information. Frenchie tells the group no, but that he will give them money in exchange for their help. Group decides to put a pin in the information issue until after the fight. ● Four skeletons walk into the bar. Group stands in front of the bar. Frenchie hides behind the bar. ○ Round 1:

■ Serina turn: Sirena tries to use Acid Splash, but fails. ● One of the skeletons becomes angered and lounges at Sirena. It closes the gap, but does not land a blow on Sirena. ■ Doryu turn: Doryu tries to attack using his sword. Instead, he falls off the bar stool when trying to take the sword out of the sheath. ● Closest skeleton slashes Doryu’s back.

■ Elaria turn: Elaria tries to use Shocking Grasp, rolls a 2 so it obviously doesn’t work well. Lightning rattles the skeletons bones.

● This angers the skeleton, who stabs its sword through Elaria’s hip. Elaria takes 5 damage (now down to 5 health points, very low on health).

■ Twang turn: Twang destroys one of the four skeletons with his swords. He takes one of the skeleton’s femurs as a prize and stuffs it in his bag. ****The group has now been playing for over 3 hours and it’s 11pm, so they call it a night. Bar brawl to be continued next session*****

0 notes

viridescentkim-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Closing Out August & Week 5

As our first month of homeschooling comes to a close, I am so excited to look back and see everything we accomplished.

Last year, when BigE was four, I purchased BookShark’s preschool level and attempted to start our homeschooling journey.

Much to my frustration, I could not get the hang of staying on a schedule long enough to get anywhere with it. By the end of Week 2, I quit and our preschool books went on the shelf. We spent the rest of that year living life and letting BigE be four, without any extra expectations.

It kills me to say it, as I am not one of those homeschoolers who believe in waiting forever for formal education, but that was a good decision for us. In that year, his vocabulary expanded, his fine motor skills improved, and his attention span grew.

Where he was bored out of his mind listening to me read to him last year, he is engaging in the chapter books we are going through this year. In the first four weeks, we’ve enjoyed The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner and Dolphin Adventure by Wayne Grover. Now we are digging into My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett. BigE thinks it is particularly funny that the cat can talk.

Beyond literature, we have enjoyed learning about many different world cultures, like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. While BigE is not in love with this particular topic, he loves finding each new place on our big map and helping me mark it.

The subject he has most enjoyed so far this year, though, is science. It could not have been more timely that we were scheduled to learn about solar eclipses in the first few weeks of school. He loved getting to see one in real life.

Then, as we discussed hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanos, glaciers, and more, YouTube videos became a fantastic resource for seeing each one in action.

BigE’s next favorite subject has been math with Demme’s Math-U-See. He has had it easy these first few weeks as the beginning of Primer is all about counting, but we have been flying through and are headed into some new material with lesson #9 next week. I am looking forward to watching him take on this new challenge and he is looking forward to getting to use some of the bigger manipulative blocks.

While we are keeping Kindergarten light with the core subjects, further into August I decided to go with BigE and check out our community homeschool PE and Art classes.

The art class was so much fun as he tried out painting for the first time and got to make foil sea turtles. For the first time, I got to see BigE enjoy being creative without expecting perfection from himself.

This was a serious bonding experience for me as I understand the drive for perfection that he struggles with daily. In that struggle, nothing has been more relaxing for me than painting. It was so cool to see him take to it in the same way, that we had to pick up painting supplies on our way home from the class.

Now, the PE class was a very different experience. While the coach was so patient and the class was on par with his ability, BigE just does not do things that seem embarrassing or silly to him. So, when the entire class started swinging around their arms and stretching their legs, he was having nothing to do with it. After watching him stand perplexed through each warm-up, we called it a day and headed home.

In the end, we decided that playing on the playground with friends is more than an appropriate PE for a five-year-old. The plan from here on out is to get to the park each week and pull out those fun paint supplies with Hugs while JJ naps. I can’t wait to see what they create!

Alright, last but not least, we also got to go for a field trip this month exploring our local zoo.

It’s been a while since we last got to go and the boys enjoyed this trip more than any before. They were excited about every exhibit and could not get enough of the sand dinosaur excavation area at the end.

The friends we went with got the boys some lettuce to share with the giraffes and as Hugs’ favorite animal it was the hit of the whole event. Hugs ended up sneaking the lettuce through the fence to the giraffe before I ever had the chance to pick him up.

Considering how much fun we had and our new year passes, we’re excited to go back with Daddy this upcoming long weekend.

With how disappointed I was last year, not making it past the second week, this month has been a wonderful experience. It is incredible to watch BigE become more confident in his writing, watch his hand get more steady with the pencil by the day, watch him cutting straight lines with his little scissors, and listen to his responses to the books we read. He’s learning and I am so glad I get to be a part of it.

Through this month, though, I think my favorite part was listening to BigE in his room with a line of cars in front of him and Hugs beside him as he pretended to be the teacher and teach his students.

This month was awesome and I can’t wait to head into the next!

#homeschool #kindergarten #education #math-u-see #bookshark #2017eclipse #eclipse

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years ago

Text

Good Face, High Ass: The Baseball Scouting Glossary

Few vocabularies are as rich as the vernacular used by baseball scouts. Scout speak is practical and descriptive, yet colorful and sometimes lurid.

Taken out of context, the lingo can be alternatively oddball, which comedian Rob Delaney used to great effect in his dramatic reading of scouting terms culled by Harper's Magazine back in September 2004; gems such as "country-boy build," "slight toilet-seat hitting approach," "feel for wood," "uses hands to hit," "raw-boned physique," "muscular thighs," "good trigger," and "knows he can catch & throw."

To be clear, scouts have and always serve a valuable purpose in the baseball landscape identifying, evaluating, and projecting talent, an important companion to analytics. This compilation is merely intended to provide an informative and entertaining look at the indigenous language that arises when spending 200 or more days on the road watching ballgame after ballgame after ballgame.

VICE Sports polled several scouts, executives, and writers for their favorite scouting terms, and we compiled this entertaining sampling of a glossary:

The Good Face The consummate quality sought in every good prospect is the facial appearance of stardom. Exposed widely in pop culture in the book Moneyball when it was relayed that Billy Beane had "The Good Face," the term signifies a vague discernment of maturity, confidence, and future aptitude in the sport.

Its debut in the public domain actually came in the scouting tome, Dollar Sign on the Muscle. Former Phillies scout Gary Nickel said of "The Good Face": "It was a way of saying that a kid had charisma. It meant that he looked athletic, like a high stage in evolution—that he struck you right away as strong, forceful, manly, open instead of withdrawn." Another Phillies scout, Brandy Davis, insisted "'good face' is objective: it means he impresses you as an athlete—not a pretty boy. He's not withdrawn. He projects strength, virility, maturity." A study of Japanese baseball players in 2013, believe it or not, showed a correlation between facial structure and baseball performance.

High ass No, really, stop laughing. This is a term. Alternately referred to as "high back pockets" or a prominent "lower half," having a big posterior is said to portend good power potential. But it's more than a little weird when you think about a grandfatherly scout using the term on a teenage prospect.

Makeup There's nothing cosmetic about a ballplayer's makeup, which is an attempted qualification of his confidence, psyche, leadership virtues, and emotional stability. Does someone who flips his bat after a homerun have bad makeup? Maybe! A player highly regarded in this manner is always said to have "off the charts makeup," leading one executive to bemoan why his scouts don't get bigger charts.

"He's a baseball player." Though it would seem to apply to anyone on the field—I mean, is everyone else playing a different sport?—this sentiment is intended to be a noble compliment conveying an evaluator's utmost respect for a prospect, often connoting intangible skill or countenance that exceeds his physical tools. In Dollar Sign on the Muscle, a Phillies' scouting report on Bip Roberts praised him because, among attributes, he "can run, play defense, play baseball." Yes, play baseball, indeed.

Horseshit Poor play in baseball is never bullshit or dogshit, but always horseshit, with scouts preferring the equine concoction to its bovine and canine variations. (This used to be a common coda from press box wags to the scorekeeper's recitation of a pitcher's final line; after notation of how many runs and hits a man allowed, writers would chime in, ". . . and he was horseshit," as if in an attempt to codify the sentiment into the box score.) Dollar Sign on the Muscle clarifies that bullshit does have a place as a verb or to describe one's intention, quoting a scout referring to a former co-worker by saying, "His written report was all bullshit, and that's when I knew he was a horseshit guy."

Center cut A butcher's center-cut offering is often thought to be the choicest meat, and a very hittable fastball often receives that tag for its apparent succulence to a hitter.

Red ass A fiery, argumentative, hard-nosed player is said to be a red ass, a term that apparently dates to at least the 1920s. (See: Lo Duca, Paul)

Soft eyes This was explicitly evoked in a basketball context—former college coach Dan Dakich once said in a radio interview that Kristaps Porzingis would be a bust because "he's got soft eyes, and eyes are a big deal to me. Look at great players and look at their eyes and you can tell a lot about them." Dakich was adamant that he wasn't talking about actual vision or so-called court vision but the very appearance of a man's eyes, adding, "You can look physically at somebody's eyes and tell whether they're a killer or not. You can look physically, um, almost inside them if you know what you're looking for." Um, ok. A baseball scout relayed this term.

Inverted 'W' It's supposed to be a death knell for pitchers: a throwing mechanic in which the elbows rise above the shoulders before release, a tendency some believe is a precursor to serious arm injury. Linguists would call it an 'M.'

Stephen Strasburg is said to have an inverted "W" delivery. Photo by Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports

Hyphenated names Two incredulous scouts said they've heard peers speculate that conjoined appellations are indications of poor potential. One of the scouts summarized the ridiculous thinking as follows: neither parent is an Alpha, so they'll allegedly lack a killer instinct. Really. We don't get it, either.

Redheads Another insane marginalization of an entire subset of people: some scouts are said to shy away from red-headed ballplayers, apparently because of an inability to cope under the hot summer sun. (Speaking as a ginger, I do go through an awful lot of sunscreen . . .)

Bowling-ball sinker Two-seam fastballs with downward action are always and only compared to gravity's pull on a heavy, falling bowling ball. No other heavy objects are accepted.

Long levers Ballplayers are seen as objects and their limbs are but functional levers for hitting, throwing, and catching baseballs.

Changeup "feel" Pitchers who throw good changeups are always said to have a "feel" for the pitch rather than an ability or skill or talent. Similarly, changeups are tagged as "feel pitches."

Bugs Bunny changeup The old cartoon character once threw such a deceptively slow pitch that his animated opponent swung three times before the ball even reached the plate.

Frisbee slider Frisbees can have a lot of horizontal movement. So too sliders. Ergo, Frisbee sliders.

Tool shed A player possessing lots of tools, i.e. the individual attributes (arm strength, hitting power, etc.) that comprise a well-rounded player.

20-80 scale Scouts don't rate tools on a 1-to-10 or 1-to-100 scale because that would be too simple. An 80 is exceptional, Hall-of-Fame ability; 50 befits an average major leaguer; 20 is you or me. (FanGraphs has a good primer.)

Ceiling/floor Scouts often sound like HGTV contractors for how often they invoke ceilings and floors to suggest the maximum and minimum growth potential for prospects.

Comp Short for comparison, the term 'comp' is a scout's way of describing a prospect's game through a likeness to an established player. These are often hilarious to read in hindsight—or, similarly, unfair for the undue expectations. (A scout once told me that 2009's No. 2 overall pick, Dustin Ackley, projected somewhere between Chase Utley and Mark Kostay, a huge gulf between a borderline Hall of Famer and a sturdy regular. Ackley, however, has thus far fallen short of even the bottom of this wide range.)

Arm slot This is the arm's trajectory on a pitch, ranging from overhand down to sidearm to submarine.

Swing path This is the bat's trajectory through the strike zone and is particularly relevant now that the baseball world is abuzz with talk of loft, backspin, and exit velocity, not to mention a surge in batted-balls in the air.

Dice roller A pitcher with an arm slot so elevated that pitches appear almost appear to be thrown over their head like they are rolling dice. (Note: In a very different context, it could apply to a Strat-O-Matic player.)

"Has an idea." Having an idea suggests a player has know-how. Often this is used to discuss his hitting approach and strike-zone discipline. It also means his brain is working.

"For me" Scouting opinions are all personal projections so the ubiquitous qualifier attached to each is "for me," as in "He's a No. 3 starter for me" or "For me, he's got the range of a statue." One veteran scout shakes his head at this phrase because no one else is talking. Of course the opinion is for you.

"Can or can't" At the end of the day, it's a binary decision—can he be a big leaguer or not?

"Occasionally" This hedge is often inserted in strategic spots like, "His mechanics occasionally lapse, and he loses the strike zone." Quips one scout, "You can say that about every pitcher. The real question is, 'How occasionally?'"

Downhill plane Even though every pitcher is standing on a mound and throwing down to the strike zone, the extra length of a tall pitcher throwing overhand and delivering the ball with a few more degrees of decline apparently warrants the description of downhill plane.

The 6-foot-8 Dellin Betances has a good downhill plane on his fastball. Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Arm action This term details the actual throwing motion in which a pitcher removes the ball from his glove, raises his arm, and throws the pitch.

Plus Any pitch or tool that grades above average gets tabbed plus (or plus-plus), even though sub-standard tools rarely, if ever, are called minus.

Dude As scout-turned-draft analyst Dave Perkin says, "A dude is a legitimate prospect as opposed to a phony one, in fact, the argument could be made that a scout's entire professional life is spent attempting to identify who is a "dude" and who is not!"

Milk drinkers A scout told Perkin that he prefers players who aren't too wholesome and have an edge.

Rangy Baseball people love adding a '-y' suffix onto nouns for adjectival use. (The same '-y' construct is also a lingual device to create boring nicknames for players. Yankees manager Joe Girardi calls Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, and Luis Severino by the names Gardy, Hicksy, and Sevvy; even Starlin Castro has, somehow, become Starsky.)

Fringy average Even a mathematically precise term like "average" has a gradient of understanding. Players can be just plain average or they can be fringy-average or solid-average and so on.

Bat misser As the name would suggest, this term is used for pitches that draw a lot of swing-and-miss strikes.

Worm killer Despite the preponderance of outdoorsmen in baseball, this is not a fishing reference but an allusion to pitchers who induce a lot of groundballs.

Good Face, High Ass: The Baseball Scouting Glossary published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv