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the-bejeesus · 4 years ago

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To Those Who Say “I’m not gonna catch up on One Piece until it’s finished. Why would I watch/read 1000+ episodes/chapters when I don’t even get to know how the story ends?”

Now for the past few years, when I came across somebody who said this, my rebute would be something like “Well the series is great already. It doesn’t really matter if I don’t know how it ends, because the journey itself is enjoyable.” or “Man if that’s your excuse, who you gonna explain why you read/watch stuff like Berserk, Hunter X Hunter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and My Hero Academia? Newsflash, they aren’t done yet.” But it came across my mind that I can now apply a completely different approach:

“If you start watching/reading at this pace right now, it will be over by the time you catch up.”

If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll know that for awhile now Oda has been saying that he plans to end the series in just 5-4 years. Now he’s made lots of claims in the past that turned out to be ridiculous. However, many One Piece researchers have compiled his claims and found out that they only get more accurate as time goes on, with the most ridiculous claims being found to be myths. And with the most recent claims of ending the series in less than 5 years, even his editors who are usually skeptical have started to trust that he can do this. After all, he has officially set there to be only one more saga (which isn’t necessarily one arc, but it’s either going to be 1-2 major arcs or an anthology of 5-6 shorter arcs). And now that we can trust this claim, we can essentially extrapolate how many chapters/episodes are left and what pace we have to binge to catch up at just the right time.

If you plan to read the manga (black and white):

The manga in black in white is a perfectly fine way to enjoy One Piece. It’s what Oda draws, it’s how he intends it to be viewed, and best of all, it will be the first version of publication to finish.

Out of the 1223 weeks since the first chapter published in July 19, 1997, 1000 chapters have published, meaning on average he publishes 42 chapters per year, or in other words, there are only 10 hiatuses per year (including holidays where WSJ does not publish). Now if I wanted to be more accurate, I’d only look at the chapters published this year, to exclude outliers like how he had no hiatuses for the first 200 chapters, or how he had a 4-week hiatus during the timeskip, but 2020 has been a bit crazy, so we’re not doing that for this or any of the others.

Going off of this, the final chapter would be chapter 1212 in December 28, 2025 (yes, the 28th would be a Sunday again.) So here’s how you’d calculate the pace in which you need to read One Piece, and really this is how we’ll calculate it for every version)

Now I know math is boring, but the reason I’m showing this to you is because the amount of weeks until One Piece ends will vary based on when you start this binge. Chances are you aren’t going to start the day you see this post, and there’s an even greater chance you won’t see this post the day it’s posted. For every example I’m going to assume you started binging on December 28, 2020. Now let’s try to use it for this example.

And there’s your answer, just read 4-5 chapters per week. By the end, One Piece should be nearly over or have very recently ended. To put that into a different perspective, you could purchase and read just two volumes per month and you’ll be at prime pace. Or you could read one chapter every day, but only on weekdays. If you want to, you can see this calculation in action in graph form.

While this is a very rudimentary graph, it’s a basic visualization of what we’re calculating here. We’re calculating what speed we need to binge to catch up at exactly the right moment. I say exact, but ultimately no one can predict how many chapters there will be exactly, nor how many hiatuses Oda will go on during it. It will be important, as you’re nearing the end, to find a spoiler-free way to keep up on how close One Piece is to ending. To know whether you ought to speed up or slow down.

If you plan to watch the anime (subtitled):

For years now people have hated on the anime “terrible animation!” “terrible pacing” but at the end of the day, it’s the more popular version. Or the more viewed version I should say. And personally, I think that once you acknowledge its problems and learn how to deal with them, it’s a perfectly fine experience. There’s enough good voice acting and enough good storytelling that you’re easily able to ignore the problems. Plus, the animation has substantially improved since Wano.

Now for this we’re going to have to change a lot of variables to get this right. We’re going to have to adjust when publication started, and recalculate when One Piece will end by looking at how slowly the anime adapts the manga, and how behind it is. The anime aired on October 20, 1999, and has aired 956 episodes since then. This means on average they air 44.9 episodes per year, meaning there is pretty much only 7 breaks the entire year. With these 956 episodes, they have adapted 955 chapters, making the pace almost exactly one chapter per episode. However this is really inaccurate, considering all the better-paced arcs earlier on in the story. Looking solely at episodes 2012 and onwards, the anime adapts at a pace of 0.65 chapters/episode.

Knowing that there are roughly 212 chapters left, and Toei adapts at 0.65 chapters per episode, we can assume that there are going to be roughly 324 episodes left. That sounds like too many, but keep in mind that there will be several, several instances where the manga will be on hiatus whereas the anime will keep on airing. Knowing there are approximately 324 episodes left, and that the anime only takes about 7 breaks a year, we can assume that it will take 7 years, or 374.49 weeks before the anime will end. So now we have the information we need to do the math again.

x = 1280/374.49

x = 3.417 episodes/week.

It may seem like a more relaxed binge, since you get a whole 2 extra years to binge, and you only have to do 3-4 episodes per week, compared to the 4-5 chapters. But keep in mind that these episodes are 24 minutes each. Still not at all bad, but you will be spending more time on it overall.

If you plan to watch One Pace:

One Pace is a fan project that edits the anime so that filler and padding is cut, other edits will be made to make the anime more manga-accurate, such as reorganizing scenes, or adding title cards where absent. Originally only used by a niche number of One Piece fans, One Pace has grown in popularity, and has tried to improve its quality to accommodate more fans, such as making their episodes Dual Audio (meaning you can switch between the dub and original Japanese audio tracks), and including Spanish subtitles.

You’d think we’d have to adjust for when One Pace began, how slowly One Pace catches up, and the works, but there’s not much to calculate. Fortunately for us, no matter how far behind One Pace is on editing the current arc, they always like to wrap things up just a few weeks within when an arc ended, if not the very same week. So really all we have to calculate is how many One Pace episodes there will be by the end of all this, so that we know how many you’ll need to watch per week.

Looking solely at what they’ve covered so far, One Pace has taken 573 episodes and condensed it down to 259 episodes. That’s a pace of 2.21 anime episodes/ paced episode. Earlier we calculated that there would be 324 episodes of the anime left, making for 1280 episodes total. This would mean that there would be around 578 One Pace episodes by the end. And One Pace would probably wrap up in, let’s say 376 weeks, because as I said, they’ll probably finish editing the final arc a week or two after the last episode airs.

x = 578/376

x = 1.53 episodes per week

Now that’s a relaxed pace. 1-2 episodes per week? That’s so slow, I’m not even sure if I’ll remember what I watched last week next time I watch some episodes. The only problem is some of the pre-timeskip still haven’t been edited. They’ll probably be done by the time they finish the final arc, but that’s not gonna work out fast enough. You’ll hit your first roadblock about 7 weeks in when you need to watch the Baratie arc and it’s not done. And don’t even get me started on how many arcs aren’t done in dub or Spanish sub yet. Hopefully you could just switch to the anime or manga when you hit these arcs, readjusting how many episodes/chapters you need to watch/read when you do. But that’s a bit of an excessive amount of math for something that’s supposed to be fun. So yeah, if you’re still convinced you shouldn’t get into One Piece until it’s ended, maybe this is the option for you.

If you plan to read the manga (Colored):

Since 2012, Shueisha has made a colorization of One Piece. It’s not a fan coloring, it’s as official as it gets. Many consider the color schemes portrayed in this version as the most canon, as the majority are pulled straight from whatever colored illustrations of Oda’s they can find. And quite frankly it makes the manga at least 10 times more beautiful. It’s especially great if you have trouble interpreting dense, small black and white panels.

This one is a doozy. You’d think all I gotta do is calculate how far behind the colored manga usually and just adjust from there, right? Wrong. Because how far behind the colored manga is, or how frequently they release volumes in full color, is one of the most inconsistent things I have ever seen. You wanna see what I’m talking about? This is how they’ve chosen to release each volume since 2012:

Volume 1-12: July 15, 2012

Volume 13-23: September 28, 2012

Volume 24-63: December 4, 2012

Volume 64-65: April 4, 2013

Volume 66-68: December 20, 2013

Volume 69-70: August 25, 2014

Volume 71-72: September 16, 2015

Volume 73-75: October 4, 2016

Volume 76: December 2, 2016

Volume 77: March 3, 2017

Volume 78: July 2, 2017

Volume 79: September 4, 2017

Volume 80: December 4, 2017

Volume 81-82: March 3, 2018

Volume 83: October 4, 2018

Volume 84-86: August 2, 2019

Volume 87-92: September 16, 2020

How I am supposed to find out how long it will take for Shueisha to colorize the final volume of One Piece is beyond me. I guess the first step would be to look at how far behind the manga each release was on average, but I’m going to ignore all the ones before 2013, because those were clearly just Shueisha catching up really fast cause they just started and didn’t want to be dozens of volumes behind forever. So of the 14 publications between 2013 and now, on average the last chapter of the last volume they colored was 97.78 weeks after that chapter had published in Weekly Shonen Jump. This means that if the final chapter of One Piece is chapter 1212 on December 28, 2025, then you can expect the final colored volume to publish November 14, 2027.

x = 1212/359

x = 3.37 chapters/week

So if you prefer the manga but don’t want to read 5 chapters every week for 5 years, this might be a better option for ya. But yea, I have no doubt my prediction is at least a little off for this one.

If you plan to watch the anime (dubbed):

Unlike the 4KidsTV and Odex dubs of One Piece, the FUNimation dub is a perfect way to enjoy One Piece. The DVDs come with enjoyable commentary and a marathon mode, great for binging.

FUNimation’s releases of the dub are inconsistent, although not nearly as erratic as the colored manga release. However, there was recently a 2-year hiatus we only just got out of. Since Episode 1′s dub in May 27, 2008, the dub has gotten as far as Episode 614. But that’s only looking at the DVD releases. If you’re willing to stream on FUNimationnow, the dub is as far as 641, and if you’re willing to digitally purchase it from an e-shop such as the Microsoft store, it goes all the way to Episode 654. With that being said, that would mean that on average, FUNimation dubs 1.004 episodes per week. Although if we go back to before the two-year hiatus so as to exclude it from the average, it’s actually 1.10 episodes per week. Not a huge difference, actually. And then if we look solely after the two-year hiatus, it’s actually 2.25 episodes per week, which is insanely faster. It’s hard to tell what the future of the dub will be. I can’t assume they’ll go this fast forever, so I’m just going to take the average of all 3 and say it’s 1.45 episodes per week. Don’t know if that’s the best mathematical approach, but the number seems about right.

So knowing that the dub is at Episode 654 and looking at our previous guesstimation that the anime will be 1280 episodes long, we can predict that it will take 431 weeks before the dub catches up and ends. That would be in 2029! Sounds quick at first until you notice it’s 4 years behind!

x = 1280/431

x = 2.96 episodes per week

Looks like it’s almost exactly 3 episodes per week. Not as much less of a workload as I expected, compared to catching up to the sub. You know, I figured those 4 extra years would make you binge a lot slower.

Final Thoughts:

There’s a lot of my math that was estimation, approximations, extrapolations. Feel free to correct me or fact check me, especially if you plan on using this. I figured this would be a fun thought excercise. There’s also a lot of smaller variables I simply didn’t want to take into account because of how long this is already. For example, reading the black and white manga. The calculation can vary slightly depending on if you read it the day it’s published (which I assume would have to be a fanscan unless you can read Japanese), reading the weekly publication legally on Viz.com, waiting for the physical volume release. The dub can also vary depending on whether you buy from Microsoft, wait for the FUNimationnow release, wait for the DVDs, or wait for the Collection sets. So feel free to take this into account.

#One Piece #OP #ワンピース #Wan Pīsu #anime #manga #FUNimation #dub #One Pace

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katierosefun · 4 years ago

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hi how are u : )

quick writing q, how did you come up with original characters? are they star wars characters or just like general?

i feel like i have ideas but like. struggle to make them into people. if that makes sense.

hiya!!! i’m good, hope you’re doing well!!! (and thank you for asking this question because,,,you should know i geeked out temporarily because someone’s asking me about original characters??? whooo boy!!!)

also...things got lengthy (again), so i added all this under the cut!

okay, so i have like one (1) star wars original character named eiko, who i introduced in time, wondrous time. introducing eiko took a while and it was a lot of me being super anxious and kind of lowkey scared because...star wars fans tend to be a little protective, and sometimes original characters aren’t that well-liked, especially because of that fear of “mary sue”-ness and etc.

so in the case of a star wars original character and to avoid the problems specific to and inherent to all the problems we run into with original characters in fanfic writing, i just kind of. make sure that she’s actually got some traits that! people can mostly relate to!

so for instance, eiko’s just a very anxious kid who wants to be a good padawan, but:

how do you be a good padawan anyways when there were already so many amazing jedi who walked the path before you?

how do you handle those expectations?

are you harder on yourself because of it? probably.

do you glow when given compliments? absolutely.

and i guess when making a star wars original character, or an original character in any pre-established fandom, then you really want to make sure that if they’re connected to a canon character in some way, the canon character gets a storyline of their own.

the canon character and the original character can rely on each other from time to time, but i think it would be kinda boring if the original character just followed around canon characters and never figured things out for themselves.

basically: we want your original character to have some independence away from the canon characters.

how do they act when they’re alone?

what do they do in their free time? those are things to think about when you’re trying to better grasp an original character in a pre-existing fandom.

but in terms of writing original original characters, i have this thing where like. i just take a singular personality trait that (usually) i have and dial it up to 100000. because, as one of my own friends likes to say, we contain multitudes. there are so many lives and so many different facets of you that are sometimes fighting for the spotlight--and sometimes, i like to give those different facets a little bit more of a voice in original characters.

because really, chances are, those little bits of you that are still hiding around the corners? those traits are sometimes more exemplified in other people. so, like, if that was confusing (which i know it was), a quick example:

i will be the first to admit that sometimes, i can be an incredibly rude person. (idk how much of a surprise that is to people. i hope it’s a bit of a surprise, because i don’t like to be rude.)

and of course, there are tons of very, very, very rude people in real life. the reason why i’m not rude 24/7 is because there’s a part of me that dials it down a quick notch. but there are people out there who don’t have that dial, and they’re able to exist relatively freely just being the rude people they are.

so that’s kinda where i start in making my characters feel a little more real/also a little more diverse in character!

because as one of my creative writing instructors once told me, writers tend to be a quiet bunch. and i think anything we write--including characters--tend to reflect huge parts of ourselves, so imagine if we just had a cast of quiet characters who twiddled their thumbs all the time. that’s not a good story, and those aren’t always very dynamic characters. so have fun! take one singular trait that you find intriguing about yourself or in in others and say to yourself, “okay, but what if i dialed it up?” see where it gets you!

but i guess if we want to talk more about how to make characters feel like more real people, then i guess it goes down to the age-old question all writers need to ask when looking at their characters:

what does your character want?

think about it. anything your character wants is what is ultimately going to drive them forward to do what they’re going to do. act the way they’re going to act, say what they’re going to say.

there’s a story that i wrote a while back about a girl who’s the daughter of an assassin. she wants to be a lawyer, while her mom wants her to follow the family business and become an assassin as well.

so how does the mom act? the mom does everything in her power to get her daughter to be excited about being an assassin--lets her in on interrogation rooms, takes her to a shooting range, gets increasingly frustrated and turns up the denial denial denial mode every time her daughter talks about the possibility of law school.

the daughter? the daughter does everything in her power to make sure her mom knows that she doesn’t want to be an assassin. she deliberately lounges around during the interrogation, she misses all the targets on the shooting range on purpose, etc.

so, in essence: your characters have to want something first. as soon as they want something, the rest will slowly come to place. even if you’ve never been an assassin or the relative of one, you still probably relate to at least the feeling of wanting something badly, and all people know that feeling too! it’s real, and it’s human to want something.

combine that want with, idk, the type of background you have for your characters (and there’s a ton of different resources on developing that specifically), and soon, you’ll find yourself writing/communicating/tearing your hair out with a much more fleshed-out character.

and, if you’ve done all these and you still want to know a little more about your character, another thing to flesh out original characters/stories:

1. write fanfic of them. no, seriously, do it. sometimes you can’t really write your big story/novel/whatever right away, but you have a very specific scene or you want to reimagine them in a different setting and just play around with them. that’s okay! what are they like in a modern day high school au? in a coffeeshop au? play around with it, and see what’s consistent (do they meet the same people in the same manner over and over again? do they like to listen to one specific kind of music? do they still talk funny? do they still wear x?)

2. make playlists! like...music is personally one of my big inspirations, so this is where i usually throw in some good old playlists. more times than not, i’m able to write with my original characters with my original character’s specific playlist playing in the background. (and it’s wonderful! i have one character playlist that’s almost solely musical/disney music because she’s a very innocent kind of gal, while another playlist is very heavy punk/rock because that’s Just How She Is.)

3. write incorrect quotes! you know the ones i’m talking about--there are so many incorrect quote blogs on tumblr. i have a separate, private sideblog here on tumblr that’s completely dedicated to writing incorrect quotes of my original characters. i sometimes post screenshots of them here too, although i haven’t done that in a while. but incorrect quotes are fun, and they might give you a good idea of the kind of characters/archetypes you want them to fit into!

(and, because i can’t resist, here’s an example from my own original characters:)

galen: andrea, i need you to swear to me--

andrea: shit

galen:

galen: i meant swear like promise, andrea //

rosalind: crushes are the worst

dae: yeah, whenever i’m near one, i just start acting nervous

rosalind: you’re always nervous

dae: ...don’t think too hard

myung, tired: bold of you to assume rosalind thinks

4. alternatively, make a whole private side blog dedicated to your original characters and reblog/tag the posts that remind you of them. like, you know the “[x] characters as tumblr posts”? yeah. i do that a lot. so, just because i really can’t resist, some more examples:

“Bro, We Are Rivals . Its Ok To Pin ME Up Against A Wall . Im Ur Nemesis . I Hate You . ... Bro, We Are Kissing Now . . No Dont Stop Bro .. Bro ... // @gayarsonist

oh so you’re just going to wear a black turtleneck?? like some kind of slut?? // @allergic-alien

and sometimes, i’ll use that blog to also reblog poetry that resonates with my original characters/gifsets of actors/actresses that i would fancast as my original characters. (like,,,did i look at ewan mcgregor in mortdecai and gratuitously tag him as a villain character in one of my wips? yeah. yeah, i did. it’s fun writing that villain character now, though. :))

and those are all the tips that i have!!! i hope that helps!!! have fun writing, friend!!

#answered #anon #maybe i should start a tag called writing tips?#adsdsf i dont feel qualified to give writing tips though #but #just in case #writing tips #(also wow caroline stop writing...esssays challenge)#(but also im super excited about this can you tell)

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myrandomfandomramblings · 4 years ago

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Madarcher fanfic

Over 2 years ago I decided to write a fic to explain all the apparent inconsistences in 7x10, especially in regard to the stage of Madarcher’s relationship. It didn’t really work and I’m not a great writer but I did end up with a pretty cute (and longer than intended – 4776 wds) fic detailing my version of how Madarcher (mostly Robin) spent the ~24 hrs before the curse. Complete with skinny dipping, proposal planning, some fun ideas of past adventures and a flashback to their first kiss. So I hope you enjoy!

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The Sun was just setting in the Enchanted Forest 2.0 turning the sky brilliant hues of pink and orange as Robin and Alice emerged from a crack in the trunk of a giant redcedar.

“See I told you Ancient Amy’s wardrobe would take us back to our realm,” Alice said gesturing to the woods around them.

“Aha, but what you failed to mention was that ancient Amy was a 20 ft long purple dragon that lived in a volcanic crater.” Robin retorted “And that to get there we would have to walk across lava fields for 6 hrs in 100 oF weather” she added, absentmindedly touching her sunburnt cheeks.

“Did I?” Alice replied shrugging her shoulders, before both girls burst into laughter.

They both knew Robin wasn’t actually mad, she was just tired. They both were and after 6 months of crazy adventures throughout the realms they were both happy to be home.

“Well the good news is now all we have to do is follow the river then turn left at the bridge and we’ll be home in 20 minutes,” Alice said grabbing her girlfriend’s hand and pulling her through the trees towards the sound of rushing water.

As they walked the sound became louder and in no time they were standing at the edge of a small gorge. About 40 feet below a river snaked its way along the gorge’s base and steam rose off small rock pools beside it. A little further upstream a beautiful three-tier waterfall ended in a large pool.

“Race you to the bottom!” Alice exclaimed as she let go of Robin’s hand and began traversing the steep slope. Robin was right behind her, sliding between trees and rocks until her cloak got snagged on a rogue root. By the time she had untangled herself and got to the bottom of the gorge Alice was already swimming in the pool at the base of the waterfall and her clothes and bag were hung on a nearby willow tree. Robin’s eyes traced the lines of Alice’s body taking in the scrapes, bruises, and scars that were like a map to all of Alice’s adventures many of which Robin accompanied her on. Although they had known each other for almost 7 years and had been dating for 5, though dating seemed too insignificant a word to accurately describe there relationship, Robin was still amazed by how lucky she was to love and be loved by such a beautiful women, both inside and out.

“Are you going to join me or just stand there and stare?” Alice teased splashing some water in Robin’s direction and pulling her out of her reverie. Robin quickly discarded her clothes, hanging them beside Alice’s then joined her love in the pool. The water was cold but it felt good on Robin’s hot skin and sore muscles. As Robin swam around she watched as dirt and grim flaked off her body and diffused into the water around her. Alice swam over to her and uncorked what looked like a wine bottle “Some Greener Cleaner?” Alice asked tipping it towards Robin.

“Yes please” Robin replied cupping her hands in front of her. A bright green liquid trickled from the bottle as Alice poured it into Robin’s outstretched hands. “Thanks,” Robin said as she began lathering her hair with the colourful liquid. Alice meanwhile had poured some for herself and began doing the same. The Greener Cleaner had been a Christmas present from Zelena, a homemade potion that served as soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion. It could be used in water or when you were completely dry and would vanish after being applied, leaving you sparkling clean and moisturized while having no impact on the environment. Once both girls’ had washed their hair they began rubbing the greener cleaner down their arms and legs and over the rest of their bodies, relishing the feeling of nearly a week of accumulated dirt being removed from their skin.

“Want some help?” Alice asked laughing at Robin who twisted and turned trying to reach her back.

“That would be great, Thanks Al,” Robin replied as she turned her back towards the blonde.

“My pleasure,” Alice answered playfully as she ran her hands over her girlfriend’s back and down to her butt. “How’s that” she whispered into Robin’s neck Robin let out a short moan as she leaned back into the shorter girl. “Now there’s just one more place you missed,” Alice said mischievously before collecting a finger full of green foam from Robin’s arm and depositing it on the tip of her nose.Robin spun around as Alice jumped back giggling.

“Oh I’ll get you for that,” Robin teased collecting two handfuls of green suds and holding them high for Alice to see

“Not if I get you first,” Alice countered lobbing another glob of green at Robin. And then the pool filled with flying green foam and infectious laughter that echoed off the walls of the gorge. When the foam suddenly disappeared water became the weapon of choice. The young lovers splashed each other and attempted to drag or tackle the other under the water even though they were already completely soaked. The battle only ended when both sides were completely out of breath and their sides too sore from laughing to continue.

By this time the sun had disappeared behind a hill and the sky had turned to grey effectively dropping the temperature several degrees. The water once refreshing now just felt like ice, to Robin, seeping into her veins and bones. And when she looked at Alice she noticed her teeth were chattering and her lips were starting to turn blue. “Should we warm up a bit?” Robin asked pointing slightly downstream to the steam curling off the surface of a series of small pools beside the river.Alice just nodded locking hands with Robin as they made there way out of the pool and past the willow tree their clothes were hung on.

“I’m just going to put the greener cleaner away and grab something from my bag,” Alice said shivering, “I’ll meet you there,” she added pointing to the hot pool.

“OK,” Robin replied begrudgingly untangling their hands. Robin slowly made her way to the hot pool, clambering over rocks and making sure not to trip. By the time she got there she was shivering violently but that subsided quickly once she submerged herself in the warm water. This pool was much smaller than the first, about the size of a large bathtub. Robin laid down, leaning against the wall of the small pool, and closed her eyes letting the warm water caress her tired, achy body. She only opened her eyes when she heard Alice coming towards her. Robin could only make out her silhouette as the light was quickly fading but it looked like she was carrying something in front of her.

As she got closer Robin could make out a tray that was topped with grapes, apples, a baguette, a block of cheese, a stick of cured meat and a jar of marmalade ,as well as, some plates and cutlery. She also noticed that their canteens were draped over Alice’s shoulder. “Dinner is served,” Alice said as she placed the tray and canteens by Robin’s head “I didn’t have time to cut anything though,” she added shyly.

“It’s perfect!” Robin beamed reaching up a hand to help Alice into the pool. Once Alice was comfortably seated in the hot spring beside Robin they started on the food. The crazy adventures of the day had pushed food out of Robin’s mind but now that it was right in front of her she realized just how hungry she was and it didn’t take long until all the food was gone.

“Well that was delicious, thanks Towergirl” Robin said as she sunk deeper into the pool.

“You’re welcome, Nobin,” Alice replied sinking down beside Robin and leaning her head on the archer’s shoulder, “and thanks for a great adventure, It was definitely one of my craziest, I mean we almost died 13 ½ times, assuming you count that thing with the panflute, but it was a lot of fun with you by my side,” Alice finished, a large smile spreading across her face as she closed her eyes and nestled in closer to Robin.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” Robin replied kissing her girlfriend’s forehead. And after that adventure she was surer than ever that she wanted to be by Alice’s side for the rest of her life.

Robin had been intrigued by the ‘girl in the tower’ since Nook first started telling her stories about his special daughter. When she first met Alice she was amazed by her beauty, tenacity and optimism and by the end of that first day, Robin knew Alice was someone special that she wanted to be part of her life. And as they got to know each other Robin’s feelings for Alice just continued to grow. She had hidden them for a long time, using the delivery of Nook’s letters and anything else she could think of as an excuse to see Alice rather than admit the real reason she visited so often and risk loosing her best friend. Eventually, they had begun hanging out, just to enjoy each other’s company, no excuses necessary, but only in the context of best friends albeit with quite a lot of less than subtle flirting. Robin had debated telling Alice about how she felt at this point but between Alice’s frequent trips to other realms to run errands for Rumple or try to find a cure for her father and Robin’s own endeavours which regularly took her away from home she had decided the time apart would put to much strain on a new relationship. However, it was in these times apart that Robin realized just how much Alice meant to her. How much she missed her, longed for her and loved her.

Looking back now Robin was pretty sure she had been in love with Alice since the day they met but just hadn’t realized it until then and realizing just how strong her feelings were had made Robin determined to tell Alice when she returned from her travels. Alice must have been thinking along similar lines because a couple weeks later, that day came. It was Alice’s birthday, exactly two years since the day they met. Alice having just returned from her latest trip had knocked on the door of Emerald Acres Farm then waited, nervously pacing in circles, ringing her hands and rehearsing a speech under her breath: “Robin, two years ago I met you, you turned a bad day into a good day, and when you told me to make a wish I wished to spend more days with you… No… No…” Alice mumbled shaking her head “I’ve been on a lot of amazing adventures but the best has been getting to know you or they’re always better with you?” she shook her head again clearly still not happy with her words, “… and the thing is… I guess what I’m trying to say… I just want to tell you… I love you,” Alice sighed and stilled, her wheels turning, trying to find the right words, she was so focused on her thoughts she had completely forgotten where she was.

“I love you too,” came Robin’s voice from the doorway. Alice looked up in surprise. She was completely caught off guard having not heard the door open but when her gaze fell on Robin she immediately relaxed, a smile spreading across her face. The archer’s eyes were shining and a blush had covered her cheeks.

“I missed you, Nobin,” Alice teased as she stepped closer to the woman she loved. “I missed you too, TowerGirl,” Robin said laughing as a tear slid down her cheek. Alice took another step closer reaching up to wipe away the tear and then they were in each other’s arms and they were kissing and everything else melted away.

They had begun dating after that, within 6 months Robin was spending most nights at Alice’s unless they were on an adventure, which they nearly always went on together. In another 6 months they had moved Robin’s last few belongings still at Emerald Green Acres to their little cabin in the woods making their co-habitation official. By that time Robin had known that Alice was her forever but she had just always figured that they would make it official when they were ready to settle down, when they were no longer jumping between realms every other day, when they had time to plan a wedding, when they were ready to raise a family. But perhaps most importantly when they found a cure for Nook’s cursed heart so he could walk Alice down the aisle. However, this last adventure had made Robin re-evaluate these assumptions. In those moments where it seemed they were about to die, before they narrowly escaped, she was reminded that tomorrow is never guaranteed so she decided she didn’t want to wait any longer to make their love and life together official and ask Alice to marry her.

“There was certainly something extra special about this adventure, some of the scariest and happiest moments of my life” Robin added reflecting on her musings.

“I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get all of the stuff for Rumple without you. I was thinking we should probably bring it all to him tomorrow morning, then we can go see my Papa in the afternoon and have dinner with your Mom. I’m sure they’ll both be very happy to see us,” Alice said, tilting her head up slightly to look at her girlfriend.

“That sounds nice” Robin replied. But she was already starting to formulate a plan of her own. There were three things Robin needed to do before she could propose to Alice. 1) Ask Nook for his blessing. This seemed pretty old fashioned to Robin. Alice was a grown, independent woman who was more than capable of making her own decisions with or without her father’s approval, but Robin knew how much Alice’s Papa meant to her and how much he treasured her happiness and wished he could be more involved in her life. So, she figured they would probably both appreciate her sharing the plan with him first. Plus, he was hundreds of years old, or at least the Hook in Storybrooke where she grew up was. She wasn’t actually sure if the same was true of Alice’s Papa, but if it was he would likely favour the more traditional route. 2) Tell her mom. Robin knew that Zelena would be less than impressed if she heard such exciting news second hand and she was also hoping her mom might act as a sounding board to help her brainstorm some ideas and workout the logistics. 3) Get a ring (obviously). And most importantly, to maintain the surprise, Robin had to do all this without Alice finding out.

Robin had got so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t even noticed that night had completely engulfed them. The sky above them was full of twinkling stars and a nearly full moon reflected off the nearby pool and provided enough light to softly illuminate their surroundings. The chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs filled the air accompanied by the occasional hoot from an owl somewhere deeper in the forest. The only other sounds Robin could hear were the running river and Alice’s slow, regular breathing as she slept soundly on Robin’s shoulder. Alice looked so peaceful and Robin hated to wake her, but she too was starting to nod off and was eager to get back to their cabin and sleep in their own bed. So, gently she nudged Alice awake and together they climbed out of the pool, collected the remnants of their dinner and retrieved their belongings from the willow. They each wrapped their cloaks around themselves like towels and crammed the rest of their belongings into Alice’s magical bag which had been gifted to her by Rumple and enchanted to fit anything without getting bigger or heavier. Then they walked in silence enjoying the smell of fresh forest air, the sound of nocturnal songs and the feeling of their hands intertwined together back to their little cabin where they swiftly threw on night gowns then climbed into bed and fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

Robin awoke the next morning to birds singing, just as the sun was beginning to rise. Beside her Alice was still fast asleep. As Robin watched her love’s chest steadily rise and fall, she began to plan her day. She wanted to get engaged as soon as possible. She didn’t want to wait any longer to commit to this amazing woman, to cement just how much Alice means to her. And she defiantly didn’t want to get whisked away on another dangerous adventure before she got the opportunity. Therefore, she had made up her mind. Today was the day to get all the logistics worked out so she could give Alice the super special proposal she deserved. The only problem was she had to come up with an excuse to be away from Alice, for the whole day.

Alice and Robin were rarely apart. When they were it was usually for no more than a few hours at a time. Their parents often joked about how they must be sick of each other, but they never were. Therefore, not only was it going to be hard to come up with a believable excuse but as Robin sat there watching Alice sleep the idea of being away from her all day was becoming less and less appealing. She knew that as soon as her girlfriend woke up and looked at her with those big blue eyes and grinned that dazzling smile Robin’s will power to leave would be all but vanished. So, determined to not be swayed Robin reached into the drawer of her bedside table to retrieve paper and a pen and began to compose a letter.

To my love, Alice,

I am sorry to leave you with only a note, but you looked so peaceful and after our last few months of adventure you definitely needed your rest, so I didn’t want to wake you. I had such a great time traveling the realms with you and I always enjoy spending time together, but I think after 6 months of being together 24/7 it would be good for both of us to have a little time to ourselves. Just one whole WHOLE day of not seeing each other. So, I’ve left to visit my mom then I will spend the rest of the day hunting and collecting food for us. You can take the items to Rumple and see your Papa or just enjoy your day. And I will meet you back here tomorrow at sunrise.

Robin reread the letter and it didn’t even convince herself. So, she continued to write.

I know this seems quite drastic, but I think it will be really good for us. So, please, please please, don’t try to find me. Under any circumstances. I will see you tomorrow at sunrise. NO SOONER, NO LATER.

All my love,

Robin

Robin reread it again. She didn’t like it. It was bossy and she worried even rude. And the explanation was lousy at best. However, she was at least convinced that it was persuasive and therefore it would ensure Alice heeded her directions and thus would provide her with the time and secrecy she needed. She was also certain she couldn’t come up with anything better. So, determinedly she got out of bed, got ready and headed to her Mom’s leaving Alice with a kiss on the forehead and the letter waiting for her on the table.

As Robin walked through the woods to her mother’s farm she began brainstorming ideas for her proposal. She could put the ring in a cupcake and surprise Alice on her Birthday: the anniversary of the day they met and two years later the day they started dating. But what if Alice swallowed the ring? Maybe not the best plan. She thought about trying to recreate the day they first met but being trapped in cages, chased by an angry mob of villagers and ultimately having to turn your first friend to stone didn’t seem very romantic. She considered planning something that involved their loved ones since family was so important to both girls but ultimately decided that between Nook’s cursed heart and Zelena’s flair for the dramatic that was just asking for disaster. She was just starting to think about something more lowkey like breakfast in bed (eating), followed by a hike (walking) to a nice picnic (more eating). Afterall, Robin was a big fan of food. When she realized she could see Emerald Acres in the clearing ahead. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t even realized how far she had come.

As Robin approached, she noticed her Mom was on the front porch, glaring at an object as she turned it over in her hands. Hearing Robin, Zelena looked up, a smile spread across her face and the item was quickly discarded into her pocket as she ran out the gate to hug her daughter. “I missed you too Mom,” Robin sighed as Zelena squished her in a bear hug. “How long have I been gone?”

As time moved differently in each realm this was always an important question to ask. One-time Alice and Robin had left right after breakfast, spent 5 weeks in Wonderland emptying Robin’s grandmother’s, the Queen of Heart’s, vault and returning all the hearts to their rightful owners, and were home in time for dinner the same day they left. While another time, they took a quick weekend trip to Oz to visit Ruby and Dorothy and when they returned, they had missed Christmas and both their parents’ birthdays.

“About 6 months,” Zelena replied, releasing Robin from her death grip.

“That’s about how long it was for us too.”

“Speaking of you two, is everything all right, where’s Alice,” Zelena questioned

“Everything’s fine Mom. Actually more than fine. That’s why I’m here alone, actually. I wanted to tell you that I’m going to ask Alice to marry me!”

“That’s fantastic” Zelena exclaimed as she smothered Robin into another hug. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy and I can see that Alice makes you happy.”

“She sure does,” Robin exhaled as she hugged her mom back.

“But for the record you don’t need an agenda to visit. You can come anytime simply to see the outstanding woman that birthed and raised you,” Zelena said releasing her daughter and stepping back to strike a pose.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Robin replied rolling her eyes, “But for know I could really use your help planning the proposal… ye of endless wisdom.”

“Of course. Where should we begin?” Zelena asked as she opened the front door and led Robin into the house.

Several hours of conversation covered the following. Summaries of what they had each been up to in the last 6 months. A number of overly extravagant proposal ideas from Zelena. Robin ultimately deciding to go with her more low-key idea from earlier and Zelena helping her pick the details to make it extra-special and coincidentally a lot less low-key. She decided on marmalade toast and tea for breakfast, Alice’s favourite. The hike idea got converted to a scavenger hunt to collect clues in the form of mementos and pictures from their time together. Each clue would have a letter on the back and when they are put in order would spell ‘Will you marry me?’ After all, Alice loves adventure and puzzles. Plus, this way their loved ones could be involved by each having a clue to give Alice. Robin wanted to spend the day with Alice and see all her reactions, so she was going to accompany her. She was going to present it as an anniversary/birthday present, early or belated. That was the thing about frequently being in different realms where time moved differently, you could pretty much celebrate anything whenever you wanted. The final clue would lead them to a picnic in a clearing where a board would be set up for Alice to organize the clues and reveal the hidden message and then they could star-gaze as a newly engaged couple. Once that plan was settled Robin casually mentioned needing to find a ring. Zelena responded to this by casually going outside and using her magic to pull up the biggest diamond Robin had ever seen, directly from Earth’s mantle. She then magicked it into a ring setting that she continued to change based on Robin’s feedback until Robin had the perfect ring for Alice. One last burst of green magic created a ring box which robin placed the ring inside before slipping it into her pocket. Years later in another realm Robin would find this box, ring still inside in the basement of Roni’s bar just in time for the curse to be broken.

Having completed tasks 2 and 3 on her list Robin set off to Nook’s but when she arrived, nobody was home. Although she had wanted to have everything ready for the proposal by the end of the day, during her conversation with her mom, she had realized her vision would take a little more time and planning. Therefore, she knew she would have another opportunity to talk to Nook. In fact, Robin was sure Alice would have a letter for her to take to Nook detailing their latest adventure in the next few days.

It was routine that when they returned home from an adventure, the first day back Alice and Robin would visit Nook. Alice would stand several meters away from Nook behind a tree and yell an approximately 3-minute summary of their adventure. Any longer or closer and Nook’s life would become endangered by his poisoned heart so they would say their I love yous and good-byes and a few days later Robin would return with a letter from Alice to her Papa about their latest adventure in glorious detail. So confident in her plan, Robin returned to her mother’s.

As she approached emerald acres farm a figure outside the gate triggered her nerves which were still frayed from 6 months of dangerous adventuring. This resulted in Robin firing a warning shot at the perpetrator who Robin was relieved to realize was her aunt Regina. Regina was quick to play the how old are you now game, their way of dealing with the inter-realm time differences. Sometimes Regina guessed close like today, 23 when Robin was 25 and sometimes, she just chose outrageous numbers. Robin and Alice spent so much time in different realms and missed so many birthdays she would actually be surprised if Regina was able to guess right if she tried. Robin was less happy to hear Regina’s news, which immediately made her worry about Alice. Zelena and Regina still loved to tease not only her and Alice but also Henry and Ella about their ‘young love’. ‘A love so pure and powerful it consumes all your thoughts and prevents you from thinking about anything else, or rationally at all,’ they liked to say. Whenever Robin was daydreaming and not listening to her mom and aunt or talking exclusively about Alice, they would say she had a case of young love. Robin ignored their teasing. She was pretty sure Alice would be at Rumple’s and wanted to immediately run there. However, Regina assured her Nook was on his way to warn Rumple of the impending curse, so Robin agreed to stay and help stop it. This changed when Nook arrived with a letter for Robin from Alice detailing all of her visions for their future together. She had given everyone hugs goodbye and ran out the door as green magic braided her hair and her mother yelled, “You want to look your best for your girlfriend if it’s going to be the last time she sees you!” Robin continued to run as fast as she could all the way to Rumple’s and into Alice’s arms to see the love of her life one last time. Turns out it wasn’t the last time and she got to fall in love with the girl of her dreams all over again and this time she didn’t wait to pop the question.

--------------------------------------- The End ---------------------------------------

Note: Hook telling Robin stories about Alice before they met, a proposal involving a picnic and stargazing and Zelena using magic to braid Robin’s hair before she left to find Alice all came from different fanfics I read like 2 years ago and now can’t find again to credit. So if you wrote these thank-you for the inspiration.

#madarcher #curious archer #ouat #once upon a time

19 notes · View notes

horansqueen · 5 years ago

Text

AM Conversations : chapter 48

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 12 || CHAPTER 13 || CHAPTER 14 || CHAPTER 15 || CHAPTER 16 || CHAPTER 17 || CHAPTER 18 || CHAPTER 19 || CHAPTER 20 || CHAPTER 21 || CHAPTER 22 || CHAPTER 23 || CHAPTER 24 || CHAPTER 25 || CHAPTER 26 || CHAPTER 27 || CHAPTER 28 || CHAPTER 29 || CHAPTER 30 || CHAPTER 31 || CHAPTER 32 || CHAPTER 33 || CHAPTER 34 || CHAPTER 35 || CHAPTER 36 || CHAPTER 37 || CHAPTER 38 || CHAPTER 39 || CHAPTER 40 || CHAPTER 41 || CHAPTER 42 || CHAPTER 43 || CHAPTER 44 || CHAPTER 45 || CHAPTER 46 || CHAPTER 47

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4.2k -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- if you want to be notified when this is updated, please message me or leave a comment!

- note for this chapter: i know my last chapter didnt get many notes but the chapter is ready so why not post it you know? sex is vanilla again. thought it was cute. sue me lol. theyll have kinker sex dont worry hahaha! i would LOVE to know what you think of the characters and their reactions and stuff. so please, message me!

here are the requests for this chapter! for the instagram one, i changed it a bit because i dont think her character would want to be in the spotlight like that i hope its ok! also i had already talked about their first time and such so I added the others :)

Chapter 48 : His chapter

NIALL

"Oh my god! Look at you flirting with that woman like she's not 30 years older than you!"

I started laughing and let my head fall back slightly. My arm was on the couch's back right behind her head and I brought it closer, pulling her to me by her neck.

"Is that the tone you use when you're jealous?"

I noticed her nose raise up in a grimace but she kept staring at the tv, making me laugh even more. For some reason, Olivia wanted us to watch old One Direction interviews, pretending it would help me for the ones I had planned in the next few weeks. It didn't really help, all it did was make us laugh and I had to admit it was quite entertaining and I was pretty sure I had never watched most of them.

"It was tough watching interviews back then." she admitted, raising a shoulder. "Especially the older ones. You were such a horny kid."

I frowned slightly at her comment. I could hear a lot of pain but also a bit of blame and it bothered me. I was young, I was newly famous and not shy at all. Of course, I was a bit stupid and I tried to be funny but out of all the people in the world, I thought she'd be the last one to comment on it.

"I just enjoyed flirting." I let out, shrugging too. "I don't do that anymore."

It took her a few seconds but she turned my way, staring at my profile.

"How many times did it work?"

I frowned, still looking the old 60 minutes interview we did a few years ago playing on screen. Did I really want to have this discussion?

"What are you asking?"

I held my breath and turned to her, noticing how painful it was for her to ask me something like that. I felt my annoyance falter a bit but not leave completely.

"How many girls did you have sex with?"

We had never talked about that before. I thought about asking, especially when we started dating, but I was scared it would start shit between us. When I was younger, I didn't mention my stories mostly because I didn't want to hear hers. Now that I think about it, it was probably out of jealousy, too.

"Liv, please-"

"More than 10?"

I stared at her a few seconds and nodded a bit. I watched her lick her lips and breathe in and nervously, I felt my fingers play with the fabric of the couch. I hated this, it could only turn wrong.

"More than 20?"

I could feel myself getting angry and I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. I didn't know why I was so touchy, it was not in my nature, but perhaps the way she asked me didn't help. It was not just a casual conversation, there was clearly a reason why she asked and I suddenly regretted that we never talked about these things before.

"20 sounds about right." I just said, impatient to talk about something else.

"That's more than twice my number."

We remained silent for a few seconds and I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Am I supposed to answer something to that?" I just wondered a bit rudly. "I don't know what you expected Olivia, but clearly you're delusional. I've had a lot of opportunities it's true, and no of course I didn't jump on all of them, but you don't ask an 18 year old boy to be reasonable after being thrown into fame. I don't think you can really understand what it's like."

I shook my head and sighed louder than needed before getting up a bit roughly. I felt her fingers wrap about my wrist and stopped immediately.

"I'm sorry."

I stayed motionless, standing up with my eyes closed as her fingers pressed around my wrist more.

"I'm just scared. And insecure." she added low as i felt her fingers slip and free my hand. "I don't understand why you're dating me, Niall. You could date so many girls or just fool around with anyone you want. But you're here with me and it just makes no fucking sense to me. So when I see how things used to be for you, it scares me for the future and at the same time, it reminds me how much I cried during those years."

I sighed and slowly sat back down next to her, still not being able to look at her.

"Why did you propose we watch that then?"

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed her looking down and swallowing. I couldn't pretend I knew how she felt, not now and not back then, but I was dating her now, I had been dating her for over 9 months. The fact that she was still doubting me... doubting us, was tough to accept.

"I thought i'd be okay, I thought since you were next to me, holding my hand, that it wouldn't bother me." she explained in a low and ashamed tone. "I was wrong."

I sighed again and rubbed my eyes before getting up again. Her head shot up quickly but I just held my hand out to her. It took her a few seconds but slowly, she slid her palm against mine and I pulled on her hand, helping her get up.

"Let's go outside, okay?"

She didn't say anything, she just let me bring her outside, in the backyard. I took my socks off after letting go of her hands and sat on the side of the pool, putting my feet in the water and waited for her. It took her a few minutes but I still didn't turn to her. The night was calm and warm enough, especially for late september, and I looked down at her feet moving slowly in the water.

"At the lodge, I saw you and Harry making out naked on the side of the pool. It made me very jealous, even if I didn't really realize it back then. Not really because you two were having sex, but mostly because he had your full attention, and I was so used to have it all for myself that losing it was like a slap in the face." I admitted, licking my lips. "I'm not saying I know how you feel, Liv, or how you used to feel. I just think that holding on to that is changing you and stressing you for no reason."

"Maybe."

She didn't comment on the part about Harry and I closed my eyes.

"The first date I ever went on was with a girl from school." I added low.

"Grace, I remember."

"The whole time, all I could think about was kissing her. I didn't care about anything else. I was young, I can't even remember if I liked her, but I wanted my real first kiss and it's all that mattered." I made a pause and sighed. "Then I had girlfriends when I was a bit older, and then I joined One Direction and met other girls. And whenever I hung out with them, I was never jealous, I thought 'hey if it doesn't work then it wasn't meant to be' and that's it. I didn't expect it to last because I didn't want it to last. I had nothing to lose. I thought about sex and having fun."

I turned to her and sighed louder when I noticed tears falling down her cheeks. I moved my body her way slightly and shook my head.

"Olivia, why are you crying? I'm trying to tell you that it's different with you. I care about you. And the first thing I thought of when it came to you was not sex, it was not kissing you. It was making you happy, it was how good I felt around you. Why would you cry for that?"

"Because you seem to forget that I was there, Niall. I saw you with these girls. I cried myself to sleep because I desperately wanted to be in their shoes. My first kiss was with a guy at school who was harassing me to go out with him and when he kissed me, all I thought about was you. The first time I had sex with Rian I wished it was you. Every single decision in my love life seems to have been related to you. I'm not blaming you, it's all on me, but its still not easy for me."

My eyes roamed on her face and I watched her wipe her tears and sniff a few times before clearing her throat.

"We both need to make efforts. You can't spend all your time asking questions about my past that's gonna hurt you, you know."

"I'll work on that." she whispered. "But you're gonna have to be patient with me."

"Okay."

We remained quiet again for a while, just looking at the lights of the pool shining on the water. I knew I should reach for her hand but I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"Remember the first time we got drunk together?" she asked with a chuckle, moving her feet a bit more vigorously and making the water move around her. "You were so cute, and so damn tactile. At some point I was so close to tell you that I loved you that I got scared and hid in the bathroom for half an hour."

I smiled at the memory and chuckled.

"You were so dramatic and I didn't even know!" I let out, making her laugh too. "I don't know how you kept it inside for so long."

"Fear of losing you." she shrugged. "I just looked at you, both of us totally pissed, and I thought 'everyone wants a piece of him but he's with you right now, don't ruin this Olivia'."

"You were cute, you had that really high ponytail. I remember because whenever you'd turn around, your hair would brush against my arm and I was so drunk it made me shiver every time."

My eyes found hers and she was not smiling anymore. Her lips were parted and her eyes were glued to me. I raised my eyebrows and moved my face closer to hers.

"Yes, I remember things. Not the same things you remember, and maybe not for the same reasons, but I do remember things."

Slowly, she pressed her lips together and they curled as she kept looking at me.

"I love you, Niall."

I moved my upper body over hers, forcing her to move down on the hard cement but she didn't complain. I placed both my hands on each side of her chest to hold myself over her and bent down to kiss her.

"I love you too." i answered, moving up to a bit to look at her.

Her eyes traveled on my face until my lips and she licked hers.

"You said you'd make love to me whenever I'd want." she whispered so low i barely heard. "I really want it now."

"It's not really comfortable." I pointed out, the right corner of my lips moving up.

"Then you're gonna have to be extra gentle with me."

I nodded and sat up, immediately reaching for the hem of her sweatpants and she moved her butt up to help me. She brought her feet off the water and placed them on the ground, her knees up, and my eyes roamed between her legs as I let out a low groan. I took my shirt off and didn't even react when it fell in the pool. It made Olivia chuckle and I just moved gently over her, placing myself between her legs.

One of her hands ran on my chest as I pressed myself against her. I felt her grind up slowly against me and bent down to kiss her. I could feel myself get harder with every move of her hips, even if she was barely moving and I let my lips brush on her jaw and down her neck.

"You should keep your shirt on, I don't want your back all scratched."

I brought my mouth back on hers and I noticed her lips curling in a fond but amused smile.

"You don't want to see me completely naked?"

"Don't be silly." I chuckled again, glancing down and noticing her hard nipples through the fabric of her shirt. "I really fucking do. But you don't need to be naked to turn me on."

She smiled more and I moved down on my elbows, moving her head up gently and placing my hands under it to make sure her head wouldn't rub against the cement.

"Are you sure you want to try it here?"

She didn't say anything, she just kept looking at me as her hands moved between us. One of her palms pressed on my cock and I groaned low. She started nibbling on her bottom lip, slowly pulling my pants down and I pushed myself into her. I was surprised at how wet she already was and how easy it was for us to do this, like our bodies just seemed to fit perfectly together.

"I love you."

I bent down again, kissing her as I started thrusting in and out of her so slowly that I could feel everything incredibly well. So well that it brought sensations in me that I hadn't felt before. I felt impatient and my whole body throbbed even more than usual. It was definitely different than what I was used to but I loved it. I could really see all of her facial expressions and ended up letting out a very low curse word when her lips parted and her eyes fluttered close. I watched her as she moved her chin up and I could feel the back of her head rubbing slowly against the palm of my hands, making a mess of her hair. She looked amazing, all fucked beneath me, and it made me realize how much I loved her.

"I love you too." I whispered back. "So much."

"Just me?"

My movements faltered and her eyes opened slowly. I stared at my best friend, laying under me, and I thought of all the things we went through together and all the things we'll go through together too. I thought about our friendship that turned into love, I thought about us when we were young, I thought about everything I missed with her and everything I lived with her, and I could swear I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Yes, only you."

Her hands traveled on my back until my ass and she let out a short whimper as her thighs pressed on my side to keep me close. I could feel my elbows and the back of my hands hurt from rubbing slightly on the cement but it was really the sharp pain in one of my knees that made it worse. I tried to push it out of my thoughts to focus on her and when she arched her back and started shaking, I knew she was cumming.

"Oh god Niall... I.. I'm..."

I tried to keep my movements slow and steady but it was pure torture until I felt an orgasm reach me. I felt it coming and held my breath as my eyes closed and I groaned again as it spread inside me slower than normally. I could feel it until the tip of my fingers and in my toes and when I came down from my high, I blinked a few times.

"I'm literally seeing spots." I let out with a short laugh.

"Me too." she chuckled just as my sight was getting clear again.

I looked at her laying under me and sighed. Now that it was over, I was more aware of the pain and I grimaced. I let myself roll on my back next to her and she moved her upper body over me with a frown.

"You okay? You're not bleeding are you?"

I brought my hands up to look at them and shook my head.

"I'm sorry." she added, raising her nose up. "We should have tried on the grass. Do you need ice or something?"

"And pizza." I pointed out with an exaggerated pain expression, making her laugh.

"Alright i'll bring all that in the living room."

She was about to get up but I put my hand on her thigh to stop her, my fingers brushing gently on her skin.

"Wait." She stopped and turned to me. "These girls, they mean nothing. You need to trust me."

She sent me a sad smile and shrugged a shoulder very slowly. I was tired to fight and I was scared it would ruin things between us.

"I'll try."

---

I was driving the first time I heard 'This Town' on the radio and she was sitting next to me. I didn't know why but I felt incredibly lucky that I was not alone, and even luckier that she was the one with me. Her face illuminated and she let out a short scream, making me smile even more. I parked on the side of the road and she threw herself in my arms awkwardly since we both still had our seat belts on and we looked at each other the whole time it played until the very end.

"This is so fucking good Niall i'm so proud of you!"

I cupped her face and brought her closer a bit roughly, crashing my mouth against her and making her laugh. She grabbed the front of my shirt and deepened the kiss slightly, making me smile through it.

"Fucking hell."

She laughed as we pulled away slightly and smiled more.

"It's a big deal. Your first solo song." she whispered. "And you worked hard for that."

We remained in the car for a while, just flabbergasted by what had happened and a bit ecstatic. I looked at her reacting almost as intensely as me and it made me realize so many things that I just leaned against my seat and sighed. Despite all the fights we had, despite my almost total absence in the past few weeks, despite the fact that we had it hard recently, she was there, she supported me, and she was happy for me.

"A few drinks tonight to celebrate, how's that?" she proposed as I started the car again. "We could invite a few friends?"

"Yea, yea good call!" I let out, glancing at her. "Hey take my phone and go on instagram!"

She frowned a bit but she was still smiling and she did what I was told before looking at me again.

"You want to add something to your story?"she asked as I nodded. "Okay, go ahead!"

"Hello lovers, so we just heard 'This Town' for the first time on the radio a few minutes ago and we went completely crazy!" I just said with a laugh, trying to focus on the road as I passed one of my hands in my hair and shook my head. "Let me just get back home and I'll do a live and answer a few questions!"

She stopped filming and played with my phone for a few seconds before looking at me again.

"That's a very good idea."

With a smile plastered on my face, I parked the car and unlocked the front door before quickly getting my laptop. She put her purse on the couch and I sat next to it right before she disappeared in the kitchen. It took me a few minutes to go live but when I finally was, my smile hadn't faltered not even for a second. I started answering questions, glancing from time to time at Olivia that remained away from the camera. I knew she didn't like to be in the spotlight and that a lot of times, I brought attention to her without meaning to, but the fact that she was still there, in the shadows, to support me, meant the world.

"I was with Liv, it's her you heard on the video." I explained, answering an other question.

I saw my girlfriend grimace when she realized everyone had heard her voice and her probably her laughter when we recorded the small video in the car and my eyes found her again, her expression making me chuckle.

"From the face she's making now, it was clearly not intentional." I pointed out, laughing again.

My eyes caught a comment that made me frown but I tried to ignore it until I saw an other one and I finally closed my eyes, breathing in.

"Okay, i'm normally not the type to give attention to bad mouthing but we're trying to have a nice time and reading shit about my girlfriend is no fun."

I could feel Olivia tense near me as my eyes roamed on the comments.

'No Niall pls stay!!!'

'Ignore them we love her! OTP!'

'Fuck whoever talks shit about her'

'They don't deserve your attention!'

I didn't add anything else but kept on answering questions about an upcoming album, more songs, the process of writing and tour. After over half an hour, I said goodbye and turned my computer off. Olivia had left and I joined her in the kitchen, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind. My lips reached her neck and I squeezed her tighter against me.

"Hey, darling." I whispered. I heard her sniff and my heart twitched. "It wasn't that mean. I promise."

I watched her fingers grip the side of the sink more and suddenly felt extremely bad. I shouldn't have commented, that way, she wouldn't know about the mean comments, but when I saw them, I didn't think, I just reacted. It was not like me but reading shit about her made me a bit impulsive and now I regretted it.

"That's what I mean when I say I don't understand why you're dating me." she murmured after swallowing hard. "No one understands why you're dating me."

"People who know nothing about you or our story don't get it, so what?" I just replied, nuzzling her nape. "Fuck them. I know why i'm dating you and i've got a shitton of good reasons."

"Don't tell me you don't doubt us, sometimes, Niall." she shook her head. "Don't tell me it never crosses you mind that you should be dating someone who's in your league. A tall, skinny, gorgeous actress, model, singer... I don't know."

She moved away from me and turned around, her back still facing me. I let my arms fall on each side of my body and sighed a bit loud before rubbing my eyes. I was trying to comfort her but it seemed like nothing i'd do would change anything.

"I'm telling you it's you, okay? I love you!" I argued, getting annoyed again. "I don't get how it's so hard to understand!"

She finally turned to me slowly and I felt a pain at heart when I saw the tears on her red cheeks. I didn't know why it was affecting her that much and I felt like i'd never understand.

"Love is not everything. Contrary to popular belief, love is not all you need." she pointed out, her arms crossed on her chest. She shook her head again and licked her lips as I stayed still, holding my breath. "I don't get why you don't understand how I feel, and I can't seem to explain it. It's useless, Niall. I'm useless."

Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and walked in the hall. I closed my eyes, trying to calm the beating of my heart. I should have ran to her and took her in my arms. I should have tried again to tell her how much she meant to me. I should have begged her to believe me and trust me. Instead, I sat on a chair and sighed loud. I felt defeated and exhausted at the same time. I just wanted us to be happy like we used to be but I didn't know how.

After a good twenty minutes of thinking, I got up and walked to our room, opening the door slowly. She was laying in bed, on her side with her knees up. I took a few steps closer only to realize she was asleep. I put my hands deep in my pockets and stared at her for a few seconds. Her lips were slightly parted and I could hear her breathe a bit louder than usual. I sighed again and found a blanket before putting it over her and bending down.

"You're so much more than you seem to believe." I murmured close to her ear. "I wish I knew how to show you. Maybe i'm the useless one."

#niall horan #niall horan smut #niall horan fluff #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fan fic #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan fan fiction #niall horan writing #niall horan story #amc #my fanfics #is this chapter even worth it?#is this STORY even worth it #ahh i always doubt myself whenever its time to post a new chapter

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androidsfighting · 6 years ago

Text

The Adventure Zone fic rec masterlist!

surprising no one, I read WAY TOO MUCH FIC so here’s an incomplete list of some of my fav fics in this fandom! mostly Taakitz and Taagnus, of course. Not in any particular order - adding most recent additions to the top. i made an effort to provide commentary but as you can see i gave up quickly

UPDATE (7/24/19) - added a bunch more fics i’ve read recently, and a couple amnesty fics at the bottom :)

Taakitz

The Winter Prince by tactfulGnostalgic

Taako is nobody’s saboteur. He’s just an ordinary assassin just trying to make ends meet, staying out of trouble (mostly) and keeping his nose clean (sometimes). But when a mysterious buyer makes him an offer he can’t refuse in exchange for the head of the neighboring prince, he ends up falling headfirst into the tangle of a foreign court — and the arms of its ruler, Prince Kravitz.

Blood and Bones and Photos by Evitcani

Kravitz has always dreamed of cities: wrapped in vines, streets peaceful and empty. He never knew the world before the end. Still, life goes on and on and on. The homes he's known are in compounds of chain-link fences patrolled by armed guards, feral zombies creeping around the edges who sing to him in the unsettled night.

There is no cure. There is no hope. There is only what little the survivors scraped together.

Then there's Taako.

And the new world that Kravitz was born into ends too.

Wrong Number by argentoswan

Taako texts a wrong number. Kravitz responds. Everyone else is confused, but they're going with it.

(6:32) so we have moved from strangling to murder (6:39) This is… still the wrong number. (6:41) i know i’m crowdsourcing ideas. quick, best way to hide an extremely tiny body?

A Bit Alarming by argentoswan

Taako gives up his freedom in exchange for the safety of his friends, and ends up locked in an enchanted castle with a surprisingly polite skeleton. Beauty and the Beast AU.

"'I’m afraid your friends were trespassing on my property. It was exceedingly impolite.' 'Yeah, and it’s super polite to lock them in the fucking dungeons.'"

study in light by weatheredlaw

He tells you things, things you don’t know what to do with. They fall out of his mouth and into your open hands, and you fumble them.

Deflection Toward The Relative Major by AuthorGod

He means to say all of this, but all that comes out is, “Why? Why choose me?” Instead of someone better suited he means; a warrior, a wizard, a priest.

I come back to this fic constantly. I love Kravitz-centric fic (surprise surprise) and this is one of the best there is I think

of aspen crowns and catskin down by mildlydiscouraging

The streets of London are slick and dark, and not just literally, although they are so often that too. Here there is not only murder, mystery, and mayhem, but magick as well. Here people go through their everyday tragedies and refuse to see the depths behind their troubles. Here two (and a half) detectives search for the truth.

In the dusk of autumn, with wind slicing down alleys, the good people of London are disappearing. It's up to Kravitz and Taako and, honestly, mostly Angus to solve the case, and maybe a couple other mysteries along the way.

SPOOKY VICTORIAN AU aka MY ENTIRE SHIT

those afternoons and evenings and does he project, does he have ideas? by mildlydiscouraging

The moments and years in between, in which feelings take root despite the constantly changing landscape. Alternatively: The world has been ending for forty years and Taako and Kravitz can't stop falling in love.

tazswap with Kravitz on the Starblaster, absolutely gorgeous prose

Reverie by Itdominic

There was a time Taako really could have taken or left it - life, and the world and whatever. Things aren't like that anymore, he tells himself, luckily, because this whole situation might get to be a real fucking drag otherwise.

heartbreaking but absolutely gorgeous

finale by teacuptaako

After everything, the distinction between alive and dead fades to a confusing grey.

In the wake of ‘The Day of Story and Song,’ Taako and Kravitz start to build their futures together: a labour of love, compromise, trust, and a slowly unravelling web of secrecy.

While the two of them grow closer and closer together, they and the rest of the world get further and further apart.

kravitz centric again, this is such a WEIRD fic and i literally haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it

Drag Your Cities to the Sea (No Light, No Light) by Desiree_Harding

"The months in Her retinue are long, and the work is hard. Her standards are high, and to satisfy them, Kravitz must be ruthless. But his conviction never falters. She is omnipotent. She is the avenging force of Justice, and Kravitz Her hand. She will keep the kingdom free, and for Kravitz to do her bidding is the greatest honor on this earth."

"Taako’s fingers curl tightly around the ropes of the Starblaster’s rigging as the ship cuts smoothly through the waves of the Sea of Souls below, his heart pounding in his chest and his eyes on the horizon...In these moments, it’s freedom that hangs sweet on his tongue and settles in his lungs, and Taako loves nothing better."

It's a pirate AU! You know the rest!

i live for AUs

All the Things You Prayed For by @anonymousalchemist and @marywhal

Taako's been dead for two years. Taako's been dead for seven decades. Depends how you count it.

Her brother is dead and Lup’s a whole lifetime into the future. It’s a brave new world out there and she’s trying not to think about it too hard. She gets the feeling that if she starts thinking, she won’t ever stop, and she can’t afford to be out of commission. She's the only Captain America the new century’s got.

Lup is Cap, Taako fell from a train, and eventually all ghosts come in from the cold. You guessed it—it's a TAZ/Marvel shakeup baby. We're bringing the party to you.

THIS FIC OWNS MY ENTIRE ASS

The Shape of Our Days Neverending by anonymousalchemist and marywhal

After the epilogue, Taako and Kravitz have a really good day.

just some heckin good fluff amidst all this angst

Other Lives by marywhal

When Kravitz signed up for the job in Phandalin, he didn’t expect adventuring to become his life. He was bored playing for the well-to-do of Neverwinter, sure, but not this bored. He was supposed to make some quick cash, pay off his gambling debts, and go back to his comfortable existence as a bard. He wasn't supposed to join a secret organization trying to save the world.

But here he is, paralyzed on the floor of a crystallized laboratory, and he has yet to keep a suit intact through a single adventure

more tazswap! this is unfinished rn but it’s real good so read it anyway

Bury the Lead by marywhal

Taako’s senior year at Neverwinter High could be going better. Faced with a choice between joining the school’s floundering newspaper or being expelled, he opts for a career in journalism.

Lucretia, the paper’s editor, kind of wishes he'd gone the other way.

if you haven’t read this yet what are you doing with your life

These Unfinished Creatures by marywhal

Someone in Neverwinter is stealing souls from the astral plane. The Raven Queen’s favourite reaper is undercover and on the case.

Relearning how to be human is entirely incidental.

MORE spooky Victorian AU what did i do to deserve this fandom honestly

(you should read everything by marywhal but these are my favs)

our get-along suit by anonymousalchemist

"So, let me get this straight," the reaper says, scythe held flush against Kravitz's neck. A trickle of blood drips down toward his collar. Kravitz swallows shallowly. "You picked up a suit, and the suit happened to be a lich, and the lich wouldn’t let you go, so you just rolled with it?"

"His name is Keats," Kravitz says. "And. Er. Sort of?"

Our own, soft hearts by Wildgoosery (series)

Stories involving a Moon Wedding, its attendees, and its aftermath, written in wildly different formats.

you should read everything Goose has posted but this is one of the first Taakitz fics I read so I have a real soft spot for it

The Body Eclectic by SpaceJackalope

In which Kravitz has many feelings about being dead, having a body, and liking people and things.

A Quiet Refrain by @inkedinserendipity

It starts with some of the most mediocre eggs Taako's ever clapped eyes on. Seven out of ten for taste. Zero out of ten for plating. Somehow, they're still the best damn eggs he's ever eaten.

(Or: Taako realizes he loves Kravitz back.)

it was your heart on the line by @inkedinserendipity and it’s sequels (links here)

one of many fics that inadvertently inspired synecdoche

Istus must be laughing. by writersstareoutwindows

"Whenever people talk about tattoos, Taako rolls down his sleeve. They’re sitting in a circle, usually drinking, laughing and elbowing and sometimes kissing. Whenever they realize Taako hasn’t said anything, he sips his drink, arranges his hair artfully over his shoulder, and says, 'Nah, nah, nah, my dudes, I don’t hold to that,' wiggling his fingers, 'mumbo jumbo tattoo fate-or-whatever bullshit. Chaboi Taako’s a free agent.'"

The present going forward. Memories in a jumble. Not a very neat story, but it's theirs.

another fic that inadvertently inspired synecdoche which i forgot until now!!

things left in the stars by mechanicalclock

You don’t collect things from places that you will never visit again, that’s foolish. It's about learning to let go in all the new ways, adapting quicker and quicker, having fun and forgetting.

Taako and Lup learn to remember.

a moment to bathe in our victory by AnonymousPuzzler

The apocalypse comes and goes. In the aftermath, Taako takes a bath, Kravitz worries too much, and some new feelings are reflected upon.

Taagnus

The end of the word does come and go, Page of Cups, Reversed, and Taking the dogs home by anonymous

About how the world is still here, and how going on can be done.

yellow by weatheredlaw

Washing the dishes, their fingers brushed in the soapy water of the sink and Taako felt a jolt.

Magnus turned and gave him a smile.

Strange Bedfellows by treshornybros (IamJohnLocked4life)

It quickly becomes a habit, and then routine. Magnus is oddly good natured about it. But then Magnus is good natured about everything, so maybe it's not that odd. No one else seems to notice.

They always sleep back to back.

Taako should find that comforting, and he does, at first. It's just like sleeping with Lup.

Sort of.

unremembering by bluebatwings (series)

Their lives divided up into three parts: before, unremembering, and after. Love stories.

At the Interval by AuthorGod

Time grows stagnant. Taako watches as world become fractured and consumed, cultures and civilizations wiped out. All the potential a single person is capable of in a lifetime, just ripped away in a moment.

It doesn't get to him, and it doesn't get to him, and it doesn't until it does.

breaking the same old heart by tardigradeschool

Taako and Magnus in triptych: before, during, and after the Bureau.

The Blue Hours of Morning by daisybrien

Refuge takes its toll. Magnus and Taako talk it out, drunk on the living room floor.

Taagnitz

the only life you could save by @epersonae and hops (series)

this could also go in the Other category bc it’s All The Ships (including magcretia which isn’t even my thing but they write is so so so well that now it is my thing!) but I’m digging through my ao3 history and not finding much taagnitz that’s not pwp/mine (a travesty) so it’s going in here. it’s also about taako and lucretia working their whole Thing out and it’s VERY VERY GOOD

no blinding light by provocation

Elves live much, much longer than humans. By the time most humans die, elves are just reaching adulthood.

Kravitz, on the other hand, is going to live forever.

the fic that made me ship taagnitz

in the focus by weatheredlaw

The sky was clear and the arms of the galaxy that surrounded them arched overhead as they lay in their sleeping bags, staring at the stars.

or: Kravitz knows there's room in all this for something between him and Magnus — he's just not sure what that looks like.

Dust by levelone

It was supposed to be simple: Taako was on TV, and Kravitz is a writer here for some pull quotes. Instead, when they meet in an empty diner in the middle of a desert, Taako says something impossible—and Kravitz believes him.

Oak and Mahogany by hideki16seiyuu

“Don’t try to pull one over on me, handsome. He’s going gray already.”

“He’s in his fifties now, Taako.”

“How much longer is left?”

“Longer than you’d think.”

---

Human lives can never match that of elves in length.

Take Up a Place Beside Me by goodnicepeople

"It's gonna be hard," Taako says, when they're alone again. "You can't... do that. Every time."

Or: Taako and Kravitz move in. Others move on. Some get dogs.

you are the life i needed all along by iwillbeyourgoal

along with the other memories he's gained from the stolen century, taako starts remembering his relationship with magnus on the starblaster.

these small hours by ShowMeAHero

Taako and Magnus get their memories back, and now they need to negotiate some emotions, because they're having a hell of a lot of them all at once.

Other ships/Gen

I Have Seen the Fields Aflame by Desiree_Harding

She hadn’t meant to disappear. Had she known what was going to happen, that one weekend was going to lead to seven entire years without her brother, she never would have gone. But that was all it took.

A modern au in which Lup goes missing, and discovers that the coming home is maybe the hardest part of all of it.

i cried for like an hour after reading this

a thousand points of no return by anonymousAlchemist

Since wizard's daemons often settle as birds and urban legend says that elves are separated from their daemons, no one looks too closely at the fact that Taako and Lup are both single entities, missing the other halves of their hearts. They walk like people, they talk like people, and if they're hard to read because their daemons aren't fluffing up their feathers or swatting playfully with their paws, well, elves are notoriously enigmatic anyway.

This lasts until their first death.

All deaths on the Starblaster are strange. When Magnus first died on the animal planet, I'morko followed right after, both of their bodies dissipating into golden sparks, a strange inversion of the natural order. The pattern holds. Year after year, person and daemon alike dissipate into a fine mist of dust, knit together by the bond engine in the new plane.

During their fifteenth year, Taako is shot through the heart with a well-aimed magic missile. Lup screams and casts one last firebolt, spell-sculpting around their bodies, before unspooling into a fine golden sand.

snake eyed, with a sly smile by faehunting

The circus is a mystery that sets itself up for people who track its movements, for people who are desperate to find it, to find anything. The circus is a mystery that sets itself up for people to stumble upon.

In the morning, the circus is nothing but negative space and the revellers it left behind. They sit up. They try to wet the dust in their mouths. They start the journey anew.

creepy fae weirdness!!!! yes!!!!!

I’m With The Band by redqueentheory, Wildgoosery, and Woven_Gulch (series)

A series of connected stories, equal parts sentimental and horny, about how Brad and Taako and Kravitz fall in love.

wacky BDSM crack ship becomes Greatest Romance Novel I’ve Ever Read, has made me cry multiple times

these strange creatures by anonymousalchemist

Taako sweeps himself into the common area of the Starblaster with all the drama and panache that he reserves for alternate Tuesday afternoons. Barry ignores him with all the practice he has from a decade of alternate Tuesday afternoons.

“I’m exhausted,” Taako whines, draping himself across Barry’s shoulders, the sharp point of his chin poking into Barry’s collarbone. “I’ve been up since for-ev-er, working on this dumb transmutation thing for Lulu.”

“Go meditate, then,” Barry says, absently reaching up to pat Taako’s head.

“Meditate?”

“You know, meditation? Isn’t that, uh, one of your elf things??” Barry finally looks up from his book, barest hint of a wrinkle in his forehead. Taako shakes his head.

“Never heard of it, homeslice. Musta skipped that day at elf practice.”

Barry laughs.

“Elf practice, sure.”

you know... elf practice

all your saints and saviors by anonymousalchemist

It’s not so much that she wants to die per se, as much as it is that she’s done living. The female human life expectancy is seventy-two years on this plane (it was seventy-four years on her home plane) and she’s lost count of her birthdays. But the math is easy. She was twenty when she boarded the Starblaster. A hundred-twenty when they landed in Faerun. A hundred-thirty when the Hunger was defeated. She’s fifty six years overdue.

She’s done her job, is the thing. She saved the world, in exchange for youth, friendship, family. She gave up everything but determination. She considers it fair trade. But now Lucretia is a single-use tool whose purpose no longer exists.

In Her Bones by epersonae

She lives through the destruction of her home, but still they're separated, until Julia sees the green light, and the blue light, and has to figure out what to do next.

better give that heart a listen by tardigradeschool

Barry needs a fake husband if he wants to stay undercover. Magnus is more than willing to help him out. Davenport needs a vacation.

herald of a new dawn by inkedinserendipity

When Lucretia is five years old, she meets her familiar. At seven, she remakes it; at eight, she remakes it again.

Seventy years later it saves her from an unkind world. And a Century after that, it fixes a family that had started to break.

from me to you, with love by inkedinserendipity

Magnus shuts the drawer and says, almost absently, “Tell her I love her, okay?”

Kravitz pauses, debating. He takes a deep breath. “Magnus,” he says, and Magnus, detecting the shift in his tone, looks up immediately. “You know that she already knows, right? She knows that you love her,” Kravitz says gently. “You do tell her every time.”

Magnus chuckles, rubbing a sheepish hand along the back of his neck. “I know,” he says, turning a bit pink. “I just - I love her, you know? I really do. And I guess, when you love someone, you want to tell them that every chance you get.”

your stitches are all out (but your scars are healing wrong) by tardigradeschool

When it’s over, and she can barely feel what makes her herself anymore, the umbrella is tattered beyond repair. With her last traces of energy, Lup grasps for shelter, reaching out for somewhere to store her torn soul until she can be helpful again. At the edge of her awareness, she feels a familiar shape, a familiar warmth -- in her exhaustion she could almost mistake it for her own body. She reaches for it and pulls herself clumsily inside.

Safe and contained, she lets consciousness go.

Voidfish (Reprise) by inkedinserendipity

Angus McDonald is many things — the boy detective, for one. The youngest member of the Bureau of Balance. The unofficial little brother of the THB, however Taako insists he's actually their mascot. He’s a researcher, and a scholar. He's not a fighter. He’s not a hero.

But he can save the world all the same.

Patterns of Migration by goodnicepeople

Magnus builds a house. Angus finds a home. Migration brings things back, in turn.

Hard to Starboard by BlueColoredDreams (series)

In the best world, it ends like this:

By starting over.

and the warmth will never die by Junkyard_Rose

Taako's been gone for maybe two years when Lup thinks she sees him shoplifting from a Hot Topic.

you ever read something that makes you astral project and you can't think about anything else for the rest of the day? me too

(in this category because it's mainly about the twins but it's also taakitz and blupcretia aka the ideal fic)

and at a certain age the child is grown by bimaukery

There are people in his grandpa's house.

AU where the IPRE family all moves in together and find the place less empty than they've been led to believe.

Amnesty

i left a light beside the bed for you by SyllableFromSound

"If she stares at the ceiling without blinking long enough, it starts to look fuzzy. Like there's a grainy film of static over the surface of the plaster. It makes her think of mist outside a window, of the big old tube TV that had sat in the living room of her house for her first few years of life and that had tingled warmly when she pressed her hand to the screen. Everything feels a bit fuzzy now, maybe because it's 3AM. Everything feels warm and a bit familiar.

Finally, Dani says, quietly, 'This is what I imagined it would be like if...if things had gone differently.'"

In which a couple of outcasts have some late-night chats and Aubrey ingests a foreign object to prove a point.

older than the trees by lamphouse

Summer is returning to Kepler, bringing with it humid late nights, not as many tourists as there used to be, and a certain moth man. Unfortunately, they're not the only ones.

Duck talks some shit out. Aubrey chills. Ned gets grifted. Indrid learns to see.

#fic rec #taz: balance #taakitz #taagnus #taagnitz #taz: amnesty #updated 7/24/19

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tide-pod-swiftie · 6 years ago

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So. This is super random but I was listening to the first TS album and it honestly brought me back.

I was 9 years old, my room was princess themed handpainted by my mom. It looked like I was the princess in the tower, a castle in the distance. It was very purple, even my cd player was purple. But that’s beside the point.

My mom came home from target one day and showed me the cd (likely having already listened to it because thats what moms do.) she thought I would like it so she picked it up for me to listen to. 9 year old me was only acquainted with Disney and what my mother played on the radio so this was like the biggest thing to me, like I remember feeling super grown up because this was MY cd and to me there was this super pretty girl on the cover that reminded me of a princess with a huge mane of blonde curly hair with butterflies around her. Basically Taylor Swift was already the best thing ever and I hadn’t even turned on my cd player yet.

I didn’t know who Tim McGraw was but I wanted to, my 9 year old self didn’t know what it was like to be so mad at a boy like in Picture to Burn but I knew all the lyrics, A Place in This World became an anthem of mine as I got older and life got hard. Our Song became the kind of love I knew I wanted when grew up.

Taylor quickly became someone for me to look up to.

Fast forward and im 11 years old. Its 2008 and my mom and I go to target playing Taylor Swift the entire way there, theres a new album my favorite singer has new music and the first thing I do when I get it is put it in the car cd player to listen to on our way home.

And just like that. I had a new love to asipre to, I wanted it to be like Fearless and Love Story, my mom loved The Best Day so much it made her cry. Later on when kids got mean Change joined A Place in This World.

Then there was the Fearless tour. It was 2010 and we traveled to go see it having missed the show in my hometown for reasons I no longer remember. Mom and I made a it a girls trip. We stayed at the hilton and apparently so did either Taylor herself or somone who worked with her did too because in the parking lot was her tour bus. My mom made me stand in front of it for a photo while I was VERY concerned with disrupting anyone who might be inside (I mean a world tour must be tiring right? I didn’t want to impose.)

Also 2010, speak now. I had a new love I wanted to find one day in Mine and Enchanted. Long Live and Mean were added to my 13 year old selfs anthums. My mother and I listened to Taylor on her ipod in the car on the way to school.

Fast forward to 2012 and Im a 15 year old goth kid who has a love for both heavy metal and country as well as a slew of other music. Its no longer ‘cool’ to love Taylor Swift and lucky me, I wasnt cool anyways nor did I want to be. Red came out and it was a totally different sound than what I had ever heard from my favorite singer before, I had met a boy who made me understand picture to burn and 15 (altho ill never admit it out loud) because frankly he sucked and I was way too good for him. But I was dancing around my practically all black room in my all black clothes to State of Grace and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. The Moment I Knew still makes my mother and I sad because no girl should have to feel that way. 22 gave me another new thing to look forward to. Strangely enough I wanted a love a bit like Stay Stay Stay.

Oh my god it 2015, im 17 turning 18 graduating highschool (still goth. still not cool. Still a Swiftie.) but I’m moving to new york, im making a playlist my life is just about to REALLY begin.

I sit on the plane by my mom, not entirely sure what I have gotten myself into, moving across the country. The year before around the time I decided my future destination 1989 came out and im listening to Welcome To New York on repeat in my seat, mentally prepared for those heartbeats under coats, Shake It Off had long since become another anthum for me along with New Romantics. I havent found love, but I want one like You Are In Love.

Its 2017, Im still in New York. Its long since become my home Im not always as dramatically dark as I was when I was 15 but its still there. I had JUST made an instagram in December of 2016 because frankly Im still not a fan of social media...but Taylor Swift is on instagram and I still love her. Taylors instagram went dark. I was BEYOND excited feeling my esthetic come out FINALLY people would stop being shocked that I love Taylor because girl is gonna make them all see she’s a powerhouse.

Look What You Made Me Do arrives and I am LIVING this era. Im buying up merch and playing it on repeat. When ticketmaster tells me i can score a place in line by watching videos, I have them playing 24/7 I haven’t been to a TS tour since I was a kid. time was always in my way. NOT THIS TIME! I wouldn’t allow it. My mom and I text endlessly about her new album. Mums favorite is New Years Day and I struggle to choose but land on I Did Something Bad. I want a love like King of My Heart and Delicate. She agrees that yes we should certainly go to the concert together, it’s exactly a month after my 21st birthday and Taylor has always been our thing.

July 21st, my mom and I go to New Jersy, VIP passes around our necks (her birthday gift to me) im in a snakeskin miniskirt and the concert is POURING rain. Its. Friggin. Magic. Were screaming all the lyrics and dancing around, not even realizing how soaked we are.

Its 2019 now, Im turning 22 this year, and obviously my birthday playlist holds that song in several places. ME! Has just been released. I joined tumblr this year to theorize with my fellow Swifties and Twitter to get updates from Taylor. I bought something pastel to wear for the first time in years and am slowly figuring out how to add it to my all dark wardrobe.

I wonder what my 9 year old self would say if she knew that I was here 13 years later informing my mother that we needed to go to another concert. If she knew the girl with all that curly hair on her CD would become her role model through life.

I have never believed in idolizing people because we are human and all make mistakes but Taylor Swift is the closest I have ever gotten to one.

I feel like although there’s an age gap, I grew up with her (mentally) her music in my head for the majority of my life making me want to be a better person and putting a smile on my face.

This isn’t something she will ever read, hell I would be surprised if anyone ever does because its long af and no one has time for this. But honestly I felt like it was worth putting out there because not many people ever get past simply screaming ‘OMG TAYLOR I LOVE YOU!!’

I just wanted to explain why on the off chance, she or someone else would see it and think ‘huh me too.’ Or put a smile on their face.

So basically, thank you @taylorswift for helping make me the person I am today and being there for me via song when lifes been hard as I grew up.

I love you not because of the insane theories and crazy detailed performances (although those are fun) but because you never let your fans forget that they are loved and that we all mean the world to you, because you have helped so many young girls find their place in this world.

#taylor swift #taylornation #swifties #taylor swift fan #i love you tay tay #thank you taylor swift

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a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats · 6 years ago

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okay so long breakdown of my experience with Morrowind as a starter I first tried to play the game last year, fumbled it, repeated that a few times, before dropping it for a while and eventually coming back to it the past few days and running through it! Ran a Nord, Heavy Armor, Warrior, used almost no non scroll magic, notably used them to deal with locks, used divine intervention once during that one Baar Dau bit in the main story, probably a handful of other scroll usages for random junk. I also didn’t do the expacs and I haven’t played Oblivion in a while so I’m trying to avoid in depth comparisons to it. I’ll start off by saying I did enjoy it overall, and while I don’t think it stole my Favorite TES Award, it definitely left a mark, and I think my favorite bit of it was the main quest, the tone was just something I liked more then the other two TES games and all in all the whole mysterious diseases angle felt a bit more urgent then more nebulous threats like demons and dragons. Additionally, the plot conceptually I think is just a lot more fun to think about rather then “x is attacking!”, and I think the things like ash creature ambushes and ominous dreams helped that feeling a lot. All in all I feel it was a bit better handled to boot, and I particularly liked the whole “your cover story for being in the blades is that you’re an adventurer because they’re all over the place, you’d blend in, and you’re gonna need to be fighting anyway so you might as well develop that skillset”, since it allowed for explicit breaks in the main quest line where he’d tell you to go do other stuff for a while and “keep your cover story up to date” while he did research or whatever. Added to the settling, added to the plot, added a reason to go faff around in a dungeon and maybe find something cool. Maybe. We’ll get to that.

But the cover story thing is super appreciated because it’s an issue I frequently ran into in other games where it just never really felt like you had a stopping point in the main quest line, if you were playing as if you were legitimately concerned with the status of the main quest. Like, with Skyrim you start out. . . -escape from Helgen -go down to Riverwood with whoever -they tell you Riverwood’s in potential danger so you go up and talk to the jarl -he tells you to help with his investigations of the dragons (if you’re playing a bit more apathetic of a character this could potentially be a time to step out but let’s assume a sort’ve “lawful good” here) - you go down to bleak falls barrow, come back - a dragon attacks the tower, you go investigate and fight it - End Scene; and even then I think it wouldn’t be a stretch to feel like you had to answer the summons, and that goes through a very long road trip, a dungeon, and a dragon fight before you get to a solid “I need to do things, go outside and play” style stopping point. and after all that you’re like.... an hour or two into the game? It’s not absurd but it’s quite a bit compared to silt stridering over to Balmora and getting told to go have fun, and it’s not a game breaking thing, obviously the player doesn’t absolutely have to be told to stop doing main quest stuff, but it was a nice touch that I liked. At any rate I liked the main quest, but I think the thing I was most impressed with was the travel. I went into Morrowind thinking I was going to hate wandering around 24/7 and paying fees and so on and so forth but actually it felt pretty great after a while! I came out of Morrowind preferring the “carriage” system rather then the fast travel system, just because getting more mobility options and strength in that category was interesting to me. Given that I was playing the least mobile “class” in the game; heavy armor weighs a lot which slows your ground speed (I think) and weakens your jumping, with no magic and no knowledge of how to get propylon indices working, I think that’s pretty glowing praise. I also liked the way enchanted gear worked in Morrowind, where there are usable artifacts and passive artifacts, passive artifacts just give you the boost, and usable artifacts are purposely triggered to get an effect and slowly recharge over time, which is a game changer. I know I don’t really use enchanted weapons in Skyrim because it’s not that big a boost and juggling soul gems and soul traps is a pain in the butt, but if they recharged over time I might be more inclined. Again, a nice little thing the game does differently. The graphics were wildly better then I expected, and I think the game is an excellent example of restrictions creating a unique and good looking style in some cases. The polygonal models really add a lot to the fairly eerie main quest backdrop and pretty hostile game world overall, and ultimately the game just sort’ve creates its’ own aesthetic and it’s super good despite being very obviously dated. The entire inside the ghost fence part of the end game was spooky as hell and felt very climactic despite the landscape looking like something that came out of 3D Studio Max circa 1990. And on a side note, Diyavath Fir’s tower and the Corprusarium were a really cool dungeon concept and I’m very surprised the whole “sequential treasure chests with keys in them that eventually lead to a prize” thing hasn’t been done again since IIRC. With all the praise out of the way, let’s get to stuff I was more neutral on or outright disliked (there’s surprisingly little of the latter, by the way). To start off, I felt gear progression felt super weird. I started out by buying a full set of steel armor and an iron long sword and I didn’t get an upgrade until like, halfway through my playtime, so like, two days total, and my long sword went un-upgraded even longer. After a while I found a silver long sword and about an hour after that I found a daedric katana and suddenly the game was basically over past that point because I was 2 shotting everything that wasn’t a higher end ash creature or daedra. It felt very spotty, it wasn’t a game changer or anything, and to be fair once the armor upgrades started going, that progression didn’t feel too bad either (though my shield did get upgraded from steel to daedric). Not a huge deal, but it was a thing. The end game quest line where you’re re-uniting the tribes and houses is a huge chore and also holds the only two escort missions in the game which I don’t think is a co-incidence. I liked the house quests more initially since they were more tightly packed in and had fast travel options around. . . buuuut they quickly became a gold count check. Having to get confirmation from councilors that, by their own mention, wouldn’t be necessary, was also obnoxious, though I didn’t mind that as much, as the whole declaring a war leader thing is a big deal and I can believe that from a plot standpoint. Still didn’t like it. I am aware I could’ve skipped all this with reputation, and that’s fair, but I still think as a quest line it’s a bit much; though I dunno how I’d fix it without banging up the plot significantly, to be fair. All the side quests I did were pretty bland. Lotta “go here, clear this dungeon, come back get x gold”, some “go here, fetch y guy, bring him back, get z gold”. Sometimes you didn’t even get rewarded, though the reputation system makes up for that. I ended up stopping about halfway into House Redoran because the quests were, by and large, just dungeon clear quests and I was vastly more interested in the main quest. It’s something I might take more interest in on a second play through. You can end up trivializing combat very quickly, which was probably a part of why I didn’t end up liking the end game so much. Part of that’s my fault; athletics and acrobatics were minor skills, it basically put me on a timer, and some people like the “I’m level 20 and I can crush anything in the game like a walnut” thing, which is fair. I did end up finishing it at about level 23, and I’ve heard scaling stops at 20, so that’s about right to be fair. Though I’ve also heard Dagoth Ur scales up to 35? It sure didn’t feel like it, and overall it kind’ve made the whole lead up into Dagoth’s big moment a bit of an anticlimax, I hit him like six times for the fight and I got most of the heart fiddling done before he brought me to half. A big part of why I even almost died was because I didn’t realize I had to run back over the bridge. Though that all might be a side effect of running a heavy armor warrior, IIRC they’re pretty easy, but I also did surprisingly little side stuff. It just sorta feels like if you do anything other then the main quest you’ll trivialize the final stages of it, and if you do the main quest you trivialize the extra stuff? It’s a bit of an odd problem to solve and it seems like they’ve still not gotten it quite right, to be fair. I’m trying to think of stuff I outright hated and really all I can think of is the fact that NPCs stand in “one NPC wide” hallways and doorways like it’s their job. A not insignificant part of why I gave up on Redoran is because getting through under-skar was hell because of all the guards just shuffling around on rope bridges and staring at me anytime I got anywhere near them while they clogged up the road. But yeah, overall had a good time and I probably played the least complex character type, so that’s definitely a good sign. I look forward to playing it again and playing with magic more; already thinking on an acrobat like, athletics/acrobatics/whatever magic school does jump/move speed boosts character and getting a bit more into the setting with it, eventually. I definitely get why people love the game so much and while I don’t think I hooked into it quite as hard I admit I haven’t played something quite like it before, between the aesthetics and mechanics either, and admittedly most of my complaints were half complaints, so that’s definitely not a bad track record. Will definitely play again at some point.

#bats writes #long post

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angelaiswriting · 7 years ago

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‘Please, don’t leave me’ (part 1 of 4) | Hvitserk x reader, AU

[GIF not mine, found on Google, probably by @fl0wsb0thways ?]

✎ Pairing: Hvitserk x reader

✎ Requested by @sweetvengeancee : Okay, here goes nothing I guess! How about an angsty modern Hvitserk one shot where he and the reader have an argument (he's jealous or he flirted with someone right in from of his gf/reader.. Or anything else I suck at fights ideas haha) and he says some very hurtful things without thinking it through and it's just pure angst and then the reader leaves or locks herself in the bedroom and he realises his mistake and tries to apologize/make it up to her? You've hurt me enough I need a cute end ��♥️

✎ A/N: wow, angst. Wow, a two-part story. Wow, I am suffering again. Wow, Skyrim music helps. Wow, I didn’t forget to add the ‘keep reading’ thing. I don’t know when part two will be up, hopefully soon, but now I have to deal with the consequences of... this haha. I hope this is enough suffering, girl hahaha

✎ Warnings: angst. Angst. Angst. Hvitserk and reader fighting. Reader definitely not overreacting since I would slap him so hard his head would keep turning for years. It’s an AU!

Word-count: 2236

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Requests are still open if you’d like to request something ❤

The door slammed so hard it made the car tremble.

If there was something Hvitserk was sure of at that moment, it was that he had never seen her this mad. Y/N was usually a pretty calm and nice girl, always polite and never raising her voice. And yet, that night she looked like a completely different person.

He had followed her outside the pub Björn had chosen to celebrate his birthday, shirt halfway unbuttoned and braid disheveled, but she had already entered the car and all he had come up with was walk in front of the vehicle to stop her from leaving. He had the feeling that if he let her get away, he’d never see her again.

That gesture didn’t stop her: Hvitserk had to be the one moving away if he didn’t want to end up under her car.

The slamming of the car door still rang in his ears even now. He stood in the frame of the door of their shared bedroom and stared at her petrified.

She was leaving.

She was angrily shoving her clothes into the luggage she used when they took a plane and she was almost literally fuming. Hvitserk could almost feel her blood boil in his own veins while she did her best at trying not to scream at him.

“Please, Y/N,” he begged, not daring enter the room in fear that she might hit him. “Stop for a second.”

She didn’t answer: she just went on emptying her drawers, shoving everything in the bags she had managed to find through her anger.

“Why are you acting like this?” he went on, hands immediately raising in a defensive stance as she turned to send him the scariest look he had ever seen. She almost looked like a rabid dog, like a werewolf on the verge of turning.

Y/N opened her mouth to speak and he was almost ready to see claws elongate in front of him. She looked for words, her fists tightening on the panties she had in her hands, but she couldn’t find anything to say and so she turned around, going back to ignoring him.

Hvitserk sighed. He was trying to think back to just mere minutes before, trying to understand what exactly he did wrong. Maybe he had said the wrong thing through the phone when he had called her to make sure she had left her workplace. Or maybe it was something he had done that morning: he knew he had promised to make her breakfast since she always had to wake up earlier than him, but he had played soccer all night with his brothers at Ubbe’s place and had come back home dead tired. Maybe that was the reason.

“Listen, if it’s because I overslept this morning… I’m sorry, love,” he tried again, taking a step towards her.

He saw her shoulders tense through the see-through dress she had worn for the night and he knew he had messed things up again.

She still didn’t answer and her lack of words was the scariest factor.

“I know I stayed up too long playing football with the guys yesterday,” he tried to apologize. “I always say I won’t come back home that late, but I always end up doing it… I’m terrible at time management, Y/N. And I know I had promised to make you breakfast, and I’m sorry I made you get up earlier when you could have slept a bit more.”

“Do you really think I’m furious because you didn’t make me breakfast?” she seethed. The tone of her voice, so low and so strained and so deeply pissed, made him take a step backward. “Do you really think I’m murderous because you came home late?” She let the shirts she was holding fall into the travel bag and she slowly turned towards him. When he lowered his gaze, he saw her tightening her fists, her fingernails penetrating the skin of her palms, trying to get a hold of her anger to not let it all out on him.

Even though he deserved it, she thought.

“Are you really such an imbecile?”

Hvitserk looked away, his eyes focusing on the open closet on his left. Her half was almost completely empty now and he felt as though she was taking a part of himself with her, too.

“What did I do wrong, then?” he wondered. But he made the mistake of formulating that question with real words, using his voice, and he had to duck to avoid the hairbrush she had suddenly taken out of her bag and thrown at him.

“You are a moron,” she growled, not daring to move for fear of really hurting him.

And he knew she’d be capable of hurting him: she hadn’t gone to the gym for years to box for nothing. Her anger had always been an issue for her and her parents had come up with that outlet when she was eight.

“You are an idiotic piece of shit,” she continued, slowly turning back towards her full bags. “But it’s not my problem anymore,” she added, closing the zips to the bags and luggage. “You can go on being one after I leave this damn house. Don’t worry changing the locks: I’m not even taking the key with me. This is the last you’ll see of me for the rest of your pathetic life.”

He could almost feel her struggle pronouncing those words. It wasn’t because they hurt her, or because they hurt him. It was because she was trying to keep it all in, to not let it out, because there was a gym opened 24/7 not far from where they lived and she needed an outlet that didn’t mean going to jail with a murder charge on her shoulders.

Hvitserk followed her like a lost puppy, walking down the stairs to the garage she had parked her car in. Her heels clicked menacingly with each step she took and all he could do was wince, expecting the worst at any minute.

“Please, tell me,” he begged again. “Was it because I had to cancel our night out because of work?”

She slammed the door of her car again, much like she had done before at the pub, and Hvitserk’s hands automatically rose mid-air.

“You really are the most stupid among your brothers, then.” She was more shocked than anything else. It was almost like she wasn’t mad anymore, but Hvitserk was smart enough not to hope for something that stupid.

“What is it, then? Why are you leaving? Where are you going?”

“Why don’t you think back about tonight?” she smiled, white teeth threateningly winking at him under the neon lights of the garage. “You were having quite the fun,” she nodded, arms crossing over her chest. “Was she a good kisser? Is she better than me? Did she suck you off to?” she wondered, eyes squinting through the anger.

He couldn’t hear it, but her heart was beating like a drum in her chest, hurting painfully against her ribcage, deafening her with its hammering rhythm. And it wasn’t just because she was angry, furious, murderous; it was because she was scared, because she had loved him so much, even when all he did was hurt her with his stupidity. She knew he was trouble the second she saw him that day. She knew he’d end up hurting her if they’d ever get close enough to care. She had always known he’d break her heart one day; she just had never thought he would do so right in front of her.

Hvitserk looked like he finally understood where the problem was, where he had messed up. “It was just a game,” he sighed, head tilting back to sigh again at the ceiling. “We were playing truth or dare. You know my brothers are pigs, I didn’t want them to know about our private life. I chose dare and they made me kiss that girl.”

She nodded, sarcasm hitting him with the daggers her eyes were shooting his way. “Wow, this is an explanation.”

“Come on, love! I don’t even know her name! It didn’t mean anything,” he tried to make her reason.

Y/N closed her eyes and if that wasn’t enough, she squeezed them tighter to try and maintain her calm. “You really don’t see the problem in it, do you?”

“What was I supposed to do? Reject the dare?”

“You were supposed to respect me enough to not even think about the consequences of rejecting the fucking dare!” she was screaming now, and he had never heard her yell. “And your brothers…” She squeezed her eyes shut once more, grounding her teeth for a minute too long before speaking again. “They are just like you, a bunch of imbeciles that aren’t even mature enough to respect the people they love or are close to.”

“It was just truth or dare…” he protested in a whisper, hands trying to reach her wrists to… he didn’t even know what he wanted to do. He was maybe starting to see her point. But it wasn’t a big deal, it shouldn’t be a big deal. It was just a stupid game, and it was just an even more stupid kiss that didn’t mean a thing to him. “I didn’t think…”

“Exactly, you never do!” she groaned, pushing back to not let him touch her and bumping into the side of the car. “When you see something you want, you just take it, whether it should be taken or not. And when something isn’t even remotely close to damaging your ego or your reputation or whatever it is, you never stop to think! Do you think I didn’t know about the girls you were banging for the first half year we were together?”

Hvitserk opened his mouth to reply but found nothing to say and so he closed it again.

“Exactly, you never do,” she repeated. “This is the last straw, Hvitserk. I don’t care who your father is, or who your brothers are, or even who you are. If we are together, if we are getting married in a year, I need to be able to trust you. You broke my heart so many times in the past that I lost count, but I kept deluding myself into thinking you’d get better, or that I would – because maybe I am the problem. Maybe you just want to participate in an orgy and so I should want to do such a thing, too. Maybe all you want is to be able to fuck whoever you want even if I’m in your life and even if I should be the only woman like that in your life. I don’t know, you tell me because I don’t even know what to think anymore. The more I look at you, the more I’m disgusted. You make me want to throw up everything I have inside because I’ve never met such a disrespectful little brat. If you can’t keep it in your pants, that’s your problem and you should do something about it. But if you want to go back having the life you had when we first met, maybe it’s the case we break up, because I don’t want to get old fearing that my husband – the father of my children – goes around warming other women’s beds.”

“I’m sorry, I…” Hvitserk soundly swallowed, arms limp at his sides, head hanging low. “I didn’t know…”

“Didn’t know it hurt so much?” she went on, finishing his sentence for him. “Or that I knew? Or that I cared too much about you and too little about myself? Or that I cannot live that life? That I cannot spend the rest of my life hoping I’m the only one my husband sleeps with? How many girls did you delude like this?”

He stammered, trying to find the words. “No one,” he answered, unable to think her questions through, unable to even fully comprehend them.

“Wow, so you admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“That you’re deceiving me.”

“I’m not… what I meant was…” He passed a hand over his face, a sigh escaping his lips, his shoulders sagging.

Was she really leaving? Or was is just to wake him up? To make him stop fucking around? He didn’t know, couldn’t understand. A minute they were about to reveal their engagement in front of his family and the next he didn’t even know if she still wanted to marry him.

“I’ve never wanted to hurt you,” he admitted. “You know, I don’t think things through and I mess up and…”

“You’re turning twenty-six this year, Hvitserk! You should grow the fuck up; don’t you think?”

He nodded. “Please, don’t leave me.”

Of all the things she had expected to hear, that was the last on the list. “Give me a good reason why I should stay, then.”

“Because I love you?”

Y/N looked away and let out a short laugh. “Nice one,” she nodded, walking to the other side of the car and opening the driver door. “Don’t call me, don’t look for me. We should take a break and see if someone changes because if we stay as we are now, we are never going to work and I’m tired of pretending you never do anything wrong and that you are more important than my psychological and emotional health.”

I am dead tired and proofread this twice, hopefully there’s not too many mistakes.

PLEASE, CONSIDER LEAVING A COMMENT/MESSAGE/REBLOG SAYING WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS - IT’D REALLY MAKE MY DAY ❤ I always love to read your opinions and chat with you

TAGS

Everything: @selldraug @saibh29 @fuckthatfeeling @aya-fay @pebblesz892

Vikings/Vikings related: @sweetvengeancee @titty-teetee @float-autumn-leave @oddsnendsfanfics @kenzieam @bellaagates

Hvitserk Ragnarsson: @strangunddurm

#hvitserk fanfic #modern!hvitserk #hvitserk x reader #hvitserk imagine #hvitserk's heathen feast #vikings imagine #vikings fanfic #vikings au #hvitserk aup #MODERN VIKINGS #hvitserk ragnarsson #angelaiswriting

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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Star Trek: Enterprise’s Recycled Episodes

https://ift.tt/3Bi6jp1

One of the things Star Trek became somewhat infamous for in the late 1990s and early 2000s was recycling old plots in new episodes. Voyager and Enterprise both featured several episodes throughout their runs that seemed to be re-runs of earlier stories from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine or even the Original Series, with a slight tweaking to the setting.

Originality in fiction is often over-rated – Shakespeare didn’t make up his own plots, and simply noting the use of an existing plot or theme is not, in itself, a criticism. However, it is important for a new version of an old story to put its own stamp on that story. Each new version should bring something slightly different to the table and put its own twist on the material.

Star Trek: Picard — Could Season 3 See Jean-Luc’s Starfleet Return?

By Kayti Burt

Do Star Trek Characters Watch Star Trek?

By Ryan Britt

Here, then, we’re looking at ten episodes of Enterprise that were “recycled” from earlier Star Trek series and asking whether Enterprise improved on the old formula, or whether the earlier episode was the better outing. We’re focusing on episodes recycled from other branches of the Star Trek franchise for this list, so we won’t mention other examples, like “Shuttlepod One”’s strong resemblance to Red Dwarf’s “Marooned.” Though that one is worth a mention. They’re both really good.

“Terra Nova” (Season 1, Episode 6)

Recycled from: “Friendship One,” Season 7, Episode 21 of Voyager

“Friendship One” was an odd episode of Voyager, as it featured the crew going on a mission set for them by Starfleet, something they didn’t do in earlier seasons because they had no contact with Starfleet for most of the show’s run. As such, it has a very “typical 90s Trek” feel to it, like this could easily have been an episode of The Next Generation or even Deep Space Nine. Or, of course, Enterprise. The fact both episodes take place mostly in the same “caves” standing set on Paramount’s Stage 16 doesn’t help. Both stories feature hostile groups who are suffering radiation poisoning, though in the case of “Friendship One,” it’s the result of aliens using human technology incorrectly (hello, justification for the Prime Suggestion) whereas in “Terra Nova,” the human settlers have been hit by an random asteroid strike.

Who did it better? The Voyager episode has the more philosophically interesting set-up and is notable for bringing back Lt Carey after five years only to kill him off, but “Terra Nova” fits in much better with the “scary space dangers” themes of Enterprise’s first season than Voyager’s random guilt trip thrown in right at the end of the show’s run. “Friendship One” is also, let’s face it, really rather dull. “Terra Nova” isn’t the best Enterprise has to offer, but it just about has the edge here.

“Oasis” (Season 1, Episode 20)

Recycled from: “Shadowplay,” Season 2 Episode 16 of Deep Space Nine

This one is probably the most egregious example on this list, because both episodes star René Auberjonois. Auberjonois guest stars as the chief engineer of a “haunted” ship in the Enterprise episode, but the story repeats elements, including the final twist, of a Deep Space Nine episode that heavily featured his own character, Odo. In both cases, an entire group of people turn out to be holograms of the dead, created by a middle aged white man wanting to recreate his lost loved ones. We love to see the late and much-missed Auberjonois in anything, but this was a strange episode to have him guest star in.

Who did it better? Although it’s tempting to complain about the Enterprise episode, given that it’s the second of the two and the stories are so close as to be almost identical, we’re actually going to give Enterprise the preference here. The “haunted ship” idea is cool, and the relationship between Auberjonois’ Ezral and his daughter, for whom he has re-created the crew including her dead mother, not only brings extra depth to the story, it also recalls Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the classic 1950s film “Forbidden Planet,” which partly inspired Star Trek in the first place. So we’ll say Enterprise actually improved on this story and it was worth recycling – though a different guest star might have been a good idea.

“Vanishing Point” (Season 2, Episode 10)

Recycled from: “The Next Phase,” Season 5 Episode 24 of The Next Generation

Star Trek isn’t the only franchise to deep its toe in the “out of phase” well, but The Next Generation’s “The Next Phase” is a classic of the sub-genre, in which Geordi and Ro think they’ve died and attend their own funeral before realising they are, in fact “out of phase” with everyone else and still very much alive. Enterprise’s Vanishing Point is a twist on this idea, with Hoshi’s fears surrounding transporter technology playing out as a terrifying experience in which she slowly disappears from view as a result of a transporter malfunction, only to discover none of it really happened and it was all just a paranoid delusion.

Who did it better? It almost could have gone to Enterprise, as “Vanishing Point” is genuinely creepy, not to mention being a rare opportunity to explore Hoshi’s character. But that final “it was all a dream” twist, the one that every writing teacher tells you never to use in your first writing class, lets it down, so we’ll give the win to The Next Generation for a more thoughtful reflection on life and death.

“Precious Cargo” (Season 2, Episode 11)

Recycled from: “Elaan of Troyius,” Season 3 Episode 13 of the Original Series, and “The Perfect Mate,” Season 5 Episode 21 of The Next Generation

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. How is it possible that a franchise as forward-looking as Star Trek has made this episode not once, but three times?! Basically, the story is that there is alien princess (or upper class woman) who is on her way to a political arranged marriage that borders on forced, or in Enterprise’s case, who has been kidnapped. She ends up falling for Kirk/Picard/Trip, but in the end goes back to her duty – marriage in the first two cases, ruling as First Monarch in the third. All three are epically sexist in various different ways, depending on whether they were produced in the 1960s, 1990s, or 2000s.

Who did it better? Here’s the thing – all of these episodes are bad. There are those who give “The Perfect Mate” a bit of a pass because it’s always fun to watch Patrick Stewart and Famke Janssen together, but if you want to do that, just go watch the X-Men movies. “Precious Cargo” is not a good episode of Enterprise, but it is actually not quite as bad as the other two – the “stranded on a deserted island” aspect is kind of fun, and of the three horribly sexist episodes, it may be the least sexist – at least Kaitaama is able to suggest Trip comes to visit her at the end, instead of leaving forever pretending to be bonded to someone else (Kamala) or leaving in tears while her paramour cheerfully goes back to his ship (Elaan). So, perhaps surprisingly, we’re going to give this one to Enterprise.

“Dawn” (Season 2, Episode 13)

Recycled from: “Darmok,” Season 5 Episode 2 of The Next Generation

Dawn does not have the best reputation online, but it’s an episode that deserves reconsideration. It’s a classic story of two mutual enemies stranded in a hostile environment, forced to work together to survive. It’s tense, it’s a nice character piece for Trip, and it works its way to an obvious but satisfying conclusion. What brings it particularly close to “Darmok” is the complication that Trip is stranded without a functioning universal translator, creating an added communication barrier (this also happened in “Voyager’s Gravity,” but there the alien fell in love with Tuvok instead of trying to kill him). However, unlike “Darmok,” there is nothing particularly unusual about the alien language – the translator simply isn’t working, and once they’re back on the Enterprise, they can understand each other perfectly. This is at the root of the episode’s poor reputation. Because “Darmok” approached the idea of an alien language in a really interesting and unusual way, this similar episode with a simple malfunctioning translator comes off poorly in comparison.

Who did it better? “Dawn” is seriously under-rated, but “Darmok” is a classic, so this one is going to have to go to The Next Generation. Shaka, when the walls fell.

“Judgment” (Season 2, Episode 19)

Recycled from: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and “Tribunal,” Season 2 Episode 25 of Deep Space Nine

This episode isn’t so much recycling one of the best Star Trek movies as deliberately paying homage to it, building sets that recreate the Klingon court and the prison of Rura Penthe from the film as closely as possible on a TV budget and telling a similar story. Archer’s experience of an alien trial where the outcome has been decided before it begins also echoes Chief O’Brien’s experience with the Cardassians in Deep Space Nine. “Judgement” is a very good episode that calls back to the movie very effectively while also expanding the franchise’s mythology around the Klingons and Klingon culture – while it may not be entirely original, this is a good example of a creative re-use of old tropes.

Who did it better? The Undiscovered Country has a completely unfair advantage here, as it has a feature film’s budget and a runtime of nearly two hours. But life isn’t fair, and while all three are pretty good, it’s the best of the bunch.

“Similitude” (Season 3, Episode 10)

Recycled from: “Tuvix,” Season 2 Episode 24 and “Drone,” Season 5 Episode 2 of Voyager

If you know nothing else about Captain Janeway, you probably know that Janeway killed Tuvix in the infamous episode of the same name, in order to restore Tuvok and Neelix after they were blended together in a transporter accident. Later, she was spared having to make another difficult choice when newborn drone One – also the result of a transporter accident – commits suicide in order to protect Voyager from the Borg. But for all the flack Janeway gets, somehow no one blames Archer and Phlox when they deliberately create a clone of Trip with a shortened lifespan to save Trip’s life, and pretty much bully the poor guy into giving up his life for Trip rather than trying to have as much life of his own as he can, which he doesn’t have much choice about anyway as he’ll die before he gets anywhere interesting. It is horrifying. Justice for Sim!

Who did it better? “Similtude” blends two rather good episodes of Voyager and the ethics of it are dodgy in the extreme. Voyager gets the win here, though whether the ultimate prize goes to “Tuvix” or “Drone” is a matter of personal opinion.

“Doctor’s Orders” (Season 3, Episode 16)

Recycled from: “One,” Season 4 Episode 25 of Voyager

The premise for this one is simple: the entire crew have to go into stasis for a while, except for one or two members who are impervious to the biological threat. Originally, this was a way to explore Seven of Nine coming to terms with her life as an individual, by isolating her almost completely. Enterprise puts Phlox in that position – while he has never been a Borg drone, Phlox is a very sociable, chatty character with three wives and a huge, complicated family, so isolation is hard on him too. Both are pretty good episodes, with a “haunted spaceship” vibe and a sense that not everything is as it seems.

Who did it better? This is a really hard one to call, because they’re both very similar and they’re both pretty good. One has Seven’s Borg background to add extra weight to the story, but on the other hand “Doctor’s Orders” has Porthos in the traditional “cute dog in a haunted house story” role. Give it to Enterprise if you like dogs, and to Voyager if you don’t.

E² (Season 3, Episode 21)

Recycled from: “Children Of Time,” Season 5 Episode 22 of Deep Space Nine

In both of these episodes, some timey-wimey weirdness results in our heroes meeting their own descendants, plus one or two long-lived members of their own group. In both cases, these descendants end up dead, wiped from existence, or possibly both. Both stories focus a fair bit of attention on possible future romantic relationships among the crew, a theme Star Trek has touched on numerous times over the years, though in Enterprise there is the added confirmation for the characters that humans and Vulcans can reproduce together (though of course, the audience already knows that). Both episodes are pretty decent without being stunningly brilliant, and both are a bit of a downer.

Who did it better? Enterprise puts in a good effort, but the dark conclusion to “Children Of Time,” in which Old Odo willingly sacrifices his friends’ children and grandchildren just to save Kira, means we have to give it to Deep Space Nine.

“Daedalus” (Season 4, Episode 10)

Recycled from: “Jetrel,” Season 1, Episode 15 of Voyager

These episodes have different themes, with Jetrel being inspired by the idea of a survivor from Hiroshima meeting Oppenheimer, while Daedalus, like the Greek myth, is about the relationship between a father and son. What both have in common is a guest character who wants to use the transporter system to rescue someone. The title character in “Jetrel” wants to bring back an entire planet’s worth of people – Emory Erikson in Daedalus just wants to rescue his son, and is marginally more successful, since although his son still ends up dead, he is at least rescued from a half-life in a transporter buffer.

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Who did it better? Jetrel is a good episode and an especially good hour for the usually comedic character of Neelix, but the titular scientist’s plan is so audacious, it seems a bit ridiculous that he thought it could work. Erikson’s desire to save just one person and the emotional pull of the father-son relationship slightly give Enterprise the edge here, in an episode that’s a bit obvious, but nonetheless emotionally affecting. It’s also, like much of Enterprise, rather under-rated. Enterprise was an old-fashioned sort of show, and it wasn’t always the most original of offerings, but it was good, classic Star Trek, and deserves to be recognised as such.

The post Star Trek: Enterprise’s Recycled Episodes appeared first on Den of Geek.

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northelypark · 7 years ago

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Hey, I hope your hellish weekend is going A-Okay(tm). Just think, what would Clive do in bad times? Destroy London. Nevermind, bad example. But I hope this ask makes you feel better 👍 2, 7, 8, 13, 15, 22, 24, 25 and 30~

2 - What time of day do you think is the best to write?

My schedule is a bit weird, so I write whenever I can find the time, whether it be early morning, late afternoon, or after midnight. I don’t think a particular time of day is better than any other. As long as it’s quiet and I can relax without any pressing schoolwork or other obligations I need to worry about right at that moment, I’m good to go.

7 - Which character that you’ve written is most like yourself?

Probably Amelia because she’s 1) the protagonist and 2) written in the first person, so a lot of my personality, thoughts, and feelings have gone into her development. Even before writing Lamplight Letters, there were some similarities between me and her character in Eternal Diva: we’re both introverts, both loners to an extent, both always thinking and asking questions, and both have blonde hair and owlish eyes (more as a kid, as an adult I just have tired, serial killer eyes). It’s funny because even as I’ve shaped Amelia with my own personality, she’s also shaped me. I had only a passing interest in chess before writing L^3 and now I love chess and have started (very, very slowly) to sharpen my skills and better appreciate the game and its history, in general.

8 - Which character is your favorite to write? Why?

The main four are all fun to write for different reasons. Amelia because she’s a lot like me and I can relate to many of her experiences, at least in how she deals with them.

Gemma is fun because her dialogue is always so spontaneous - I can really get creative with it and have her say things the other three would never say. Gemma interacting with everyone is also a blast to write because she’s the heart of the group, the one who keeps everyone from retreating into their thoughts.

Clive because of the challenges his character presents, knowing what’s he’s been through and where he’s eventually headed and how that connects to who he is in the story currently. Writing him is always intimidating, especially because I have to write him through Amelia’s eyes instead of getting directly into his head. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface with him, a lot that the reader (and Amelia) can only guess at. It’s difficult, but fun, especially when I get to write his more dorky, softer side that emerges with his close family and friends.

And Bernard because he’s Bernard. He always gets the best dialogue and I always have too much fun writing it as I cackle, wishing I could be as snarky and deadpan as him in real life.

13 - Which authors or styles do you try to emulate in your writing?

I think every author I’ve read has rubbed off on me one way or another. Every book has left its own impression on my skills, shaping my writing style over the years. There are also quite a few authors in particular who I’ve intentionally emulated (and who’ve also undoubtedly influenced me well beyond of what I’m aware). Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Trenton Lee Stewart, C.S. Lewis, Lemony Snicket, J.K, Rowling, and Richard Addams to name a few.

For Lamplight Letters, I’ve tried to write in a style that seems like it would fit with the Layton world. An older style, with what I hope is more of a timeless feel. Though writing in first person, I also like to incorporate some modern elements like a few stream-of-conscious moments for intense situations and playing around with sentence structure to mimic how Amelia might think in a particular situation. I also try to keep the idea in mind that Amelia is telling the story after a number of years, as if she’s looking back as an adult which would explain why the style is maybe a bit more polished and mature than it might otherwise be for a 14-year-old.

15 - How do you plan your writing?

It’s hard to know where the process begins and ends because in planning out one chapter I’m also planning for future chapters by throwing in hints and foreshadowing and set-ups for conflicts and consequences to come so it’s more like a never-ending chain of dominoes I have to keep from spiraling out of control, especially now as I near the end with a lot of the set-up behind me and tons of big reveals ready to go off like bombs in upcoming chapters that all need to be carefully managed.

But. Anyway. I start with a rough outline of a chapter, just a brief little summary and how it fits into the story at large. This I roll around in my head for awhile, adding this or that until I’m ready to write a proper outline. I’m not a huge outline person, as in I don’t go for the long, detailed outlines. There’s got to be some spontaneity to the process, as well, so I try to keep my outlines to the basics - the big events in the chapter that have to happen and that will move the story along. If I happen to think of a really clever piece of dialogue or a little character moment along the way I’ll throw that in so I won’t forget. Once I have the outline I’ll either start on the rough draft or do some research depending on the chapter itself.

I also have several extra documents with important information, research, detailed summaries of all of the mysteries, how they connect, and every single reference to them in the story so I know exactly what the characters know. Wow, I’m tired now.

22 - Do you listen to music when you write?

I’ll listen to music when I draw, but I can’t do it when I write. I like to have silence save for my fan. Music is important during the planning process, though. I like to go for walks and listen to music that has helped inspire the story and just let the ideas flow. I actually plotted the initial (very rough) outline for the ending of Lamplight Letters this way. That was an intense walk.

24 - Do you prefer first or third person? Why?

Both. Both is good. I think first-person is easier to write, because you have that direct connection with the protagonist, while with third-person there’s a bit more distance. First person also has more of an intensity to it, especially if you choose to write in the present tense. Third-person, though, can be more versatile and it’s easier to switch between characters. I think if I ever wrote an L^3 sequel I might write in third-person and include chapters from the perspectives of all of the main four, instead of just Amelia. (I know, I know. Why am I thinking about this? Focus, brain. Still 14 more chapters to write).

25 - How do you defeat writers’ block?

I just try to keep writing. If there’s a particular part of a chapter that’s proving to be a stumbling block, I’ll write the poorest, quickest excuse for a scene and move on. Once I’ve got the rough draft completed, I’ll come back to it. Seeing it in the context of the whole chapter somehow makes it less intimidating. An example would be the scene in chapter 25 where Amelia summarizes part of the tournament and the whirlwind of matches she plays. That scene took forever because of the research that went into it and also just the struggle of making it flow smoothly. But instead of agonizing over it, I wrote a terribly sketchy collection of paragraphs that provided adequate if not clunky transition and moved on to something not as difficult that bolstered my confidence and made it easier to return to that bad section.

30 - What’s your favorite part about writing?

That’s a hard one. I love writing in general, so it’s hard to break it down and find that one element that sticks out more than the rest. I love creating and developing characters and worlds and storylines, bringing them all to life, the satisfaction of finding just the right word to use, looking back and seeing how my skills have grown, sharing my stories with others and hearing about the impact they’ve had. I also love using writing to explore my own thoughts and feelings, to ask questions I can’t really ask anywhere else and to help me make sense of things I struggle with in my own life. I also love thinking of new ideas and planning new chapters and the hours of enjoyment that can bring. Also, meeting other writers, finding new inspiration…etc. Think I could write a book about it all ;)

#thanks friendo ;)#a nice break from schoolwork

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deadcactuswalking · 6 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 5th May 2019 (Stormzy, Taylor Swift, bird sounds lol)

This week is really busy and crazy, so I’m going to try and keep it brief – although I have a lot to say.

Top 10

The biggest – or the first immediately notable – story is the new number-one, as “Vossi Bop” by Stormzy, reaching a peak of 12.6 million streams in its first week, the most ever for a British rapper. Its battle with our number-three spot was heavily publicised and Stormzy (And Lil Nas X) understandably won, mostly because of timing, however I don’t think Taylor Swift could have gotten the number-one spot anyway. At least pop music has gotten exciting, I guess – doesn’t mean the UK charts are any good right now, but it’s a significant improvement. This song is massive as is its video, and Stormzy’s first-ever #1 on the chart as a credited artist, and fourteenth top 40 overall (It’s his sixth top 10 hit overall). I pray to God this crosses over to the US, because, yes, I think it can.

To my surprise, Lil Nas X is still at number-two with “Old Town Road”, down a spot from last week, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. I thought it’d be left demolished by Swift and Stormzy, but here we are, I suppose. Speaking of...

At number-three, we have another debut, Taylor Swift’s 25th (!) Top 40 hit and her 13th Top 10 hit, and Brendon Urie’s sixth Top 40 hit and first ever Top 10 hit, “ME!” credited to Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, or as the YouTube video claimed, “(feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco) ft. Brendon Urie”. I’ll talk more about this and “Vossi Bop” later, but it’s safe to say that this was even huger than Stormzy’s track, at least worldwide, yet was beaten in pure sales and streaming. I guess that’s what we get for not counting radio on the UK charts.

Now it gets less interesting. “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi is down one spot to number-four, thankfully.

“Piece of Your Heart” by MEDUZA and Goodboys is naturally down three spots to number-five thanks to the sheer power of the top three.

Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” is down two spaces to number-six.

The late Avicii’s posthumous release “SOS”, featuring Aloe Blacc, is down one position to number-seven.

Tom Walker’s “Just You and I” is holding on, down three to number-eight.

Russ (Splash) and Tion Wayne’s “Keisha & Becky” is still safe off of the remix’s longevity, down a spot to number-nine.

Finally, rounding off the top 10 at #10, is “Location” by Dave featuring Burna Boy, up a singular spot from last week.

Climbers

Okay, first of all, “All Day and Night” by Jax Jones and Martin Solveig as EUROPA featuring Madison Beer is only up two spaces so it’s not notable enough, but may I add that the official single image was used for weeks until they decided to use the thumbnail for a version uploaded via TunesToTube.com and I’m not joking, the watermark is still present and visible in the image used – how does this slip through the cracks? Anyways, “No Diet” by Digga D is up seven to #20, becoming his first ever UK Top 20 hit, “Carry On” by Kygo and Rita Ora from Detective Pikachu is up nine spaces to #30, and that’s all.

Fallers

Fallers are a different story though, there’s quite a lot to talk about here. First of all, the streaming for Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” may or may not have been cut as it’s down six spaces to #13, whilst four consecutive early 2019 hits continue their gradual fades out of relevance, with “Giant” by Calvin Harris and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man down eight to #24 but “Don’t Feel Like Crying” by Sigrid, “i’m so tired...” by LAUV and Troye Sivan as well as “Don’t Call Me Up” by Mabel all down six positions to fill up the #25-#27 slots. I’m also unsure to why there are premature drops for George Ezra’s “Pretty Shining People” down 12 to #37 and “Let Me Down Slowly” by Alec Benjamin featuring Alessia Cara down seven to #38, although our final drop here from Post Malone with “Wow.” down six to #40 is fully expected.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Some earlier 2019 hits are making room for the Summer it seems, perhaps due to streaming cuts as “bury a friend” by Billie Eilish is out from #15 and “Dancing with a Stranger” by Sam Smith and Normani is out from #36. Some songs that never went anywhere like “Who Do You Love” by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds of Summer and “MONOPOLY” by Ariana Grande and Victoria Monet are also out, from #38 and #40 respectively, but the biggest story is George Ezra’s “Shotgun”, which has spent nearly all of its 58 non-consecutive weeks on the Top 75 chart in the Top 40, and is finally out from #30 – although it’s still outside of the top 40. Other than that, there are no drop-outs or returning entries to speak of, so let’s get to reviewing the new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#36 – “Sixteen” – Ellie Goulding

Produced by Mike Wise and FRED – Peaked at #19 in Scotland

Okay, so, I’ve never had to talk about Ellie Goulding all too much, and to be perfectly honest, she’s continued to sour on me the more she puts out and the less unique her material gets. Sure, her songwriting chops have always been there and hopefully always will, but she isn’t as interesting as I wish she was, especially instrumentally as while her producers carved her own lane back when she was making stuff like “Lights”, she seems just to be chasing trends in recent years. Regardless of my opinion of Ellie Goulding, she’s made some good stuff and this is her twenty-second UK Top 40 hit, so let’s see how it fares... well, this sure would be mediocre in 2016. In 2019, it sure exists. Remember tropical house? Yeah, you love that, right? Well, let’s mix it with the boring and dull vaguely-pop music of 2019, and make what isn’t a disaster at all, somehow. It starts abruptly with a looped and manipulated vocal sample that goes nowhere, before cutting to an immediately pretty interesting guitar-lead verse, which then kicks into gear for a really bouncy, fun pre-chorus. Then the chorus comes in where Goulding strains her voice talking about being 16 and wearing her significant other’s T-shirt, and all of the momentum is killed when it drops into that manipulated vocal sample. Do I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek MSN reference? Of course, I do, and the lyrics are actually very unique and I’d argue pretty great, and really invokes that youthful sense of exploration and feeling like you can do it all, you’re on top of the world... but I’m not sure if it holds up sonically, especially with that freaking drop, it really isn’t pleasant and feels like a remnant of recent past. Overall, it’s okay and I don’t really care about it enough but I understand the appeal, as with Goulding’s work overall.

#34 – “Don’t Worry Bout Me” – Zara Larsson, not featuring Alessia Cara

Produced by The Struts – Peaked at #7 in Sweden

I say NOT featuring Alessia Cara, mostly because BBC seems to think it does. Sigh, there’s an insane amount of mistakes on this week’s entry. Anyway, this is Zara Larsson’s new single and like all of her singles it has a massive singles push, and by that I mean an incredible amount of pretty pointless remixes, whilst the original is just a cloudy pop single that doesn’t stand out at all from the rest. This particular single, co-written with goddess Tove Lo, is her ninth UK Top 40 single and only slightly more recognisable, mostly because it takes an 80s/early 2010s fusion of dance-pop that was pretty interesting but the build-up feels a bit drawn-out, with the lack of percussion making the way-too-obvious autotune stick out like a sore thumb, but once the strings and 808s hit, it’s not much but it does add a lot of drama and that cinematic feel is immediately killed by the drop, but the chorus is a catchy kiss-off, and the fast-paced percussion and house music-influenced bass does add a lot of bounce to the hook, and it is pretty fun. There’s a really nasal, eerie synth sound in the bridge that was irritating at first but did grow on me, but then it disappears for the entirety of the last chorus and outro, which doesn’t add any sense of climax or finality at all. The rest of the song doesn’t exist. Next.

#18 – “Let Nature Sing” – The RSPB

Produced by literal birds

So, this is the confusing one I think I might have to explain a bit. “Let Nature Sing” is a campaign more than it is a hit single, as The RSPB isn’t a band, rather it’s one of the largest wildlife charities in Europe, specifically the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Now this isn’t a pandering charity single with a bunch of celebrities singing vague lyrics about we love the Earth, it is our planet, we love the Earth, it is our home, no, it’s literal birdsong – for two minutes and thirty-two seconds. Now, initially, I had no idea how to rank this in the top 20 so I invented a new “???” tier just for this single and any other bizarre picks that ended up in the top half of the charts... but I think I love this. There are 165 critically endangered species within Britain’s environment, as RSPB claims in their promotional website for the single, and that is 56% of the wildlife in decline. So they’re raising money a la Band Aid and/or Lil Dicky, for preservation of British wildlife, and trying to spread the word about this single, which eventually did get enough downloads and sales, as well as 58,000 streams to chart. Now, I hope this money is used well and that the birds who are sampled in this song are paid songwriting royalties because this is great. This is beautiful. Now it’s not like this has any specific structure, and I haven’t researched to see what species of birds are singing here, but this is pure serenity and almost works as ASMR wave sounds to fall asleep to. Sure, there are a bunch of reverb effects that make the woodpecker sound jarring, and some non-bird sounds that kind of sound like an artificial bass being added, as well as a synth but that may just be my complete lack of knowledge about birds in general. It’s all chopped up and it definitely is not pure recorded birdsong, which I’d be inclined to check out, but for what it is, the sounds here are quirky, fun and sound natural, and since it’s helping a cause, I’d say stream it. It’s not unpleasant and isn’t a 7-minute joke about small penises featuring Lil Yachty as a sexually-transmitted illness, so I’d argue it’s a better alternative to actual charity SONGS... so, yeah, stream this, it’s short, it’s calming, but I doubt this will stay longer than two weeks if that.

#3 – “ME!” – Taylor Swift featuring Panic! at the Disco

Produced by Joel Little and Taylor Swift – Peaked at #1 in Hungary, Nicaragua and Scotland

There’s a lot to hate about this new lead bubblegum pop single from Taylor Swift’s upcoming seventh studio album, featuring vocals from Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco fame. There really is a lot to hate, from the factory-settings production that feels like such an abrupt shift from the mechanical albeit jagged electronic production from the last album, Taylor’s aggravating inflections from her verse AND the pre-chorus, the nonsensical chorus which rips hard from “Sit Next to Me” by Emeli Sande, the marching band percussion that reminds me all too much of “Shake it Off” as well as Urie’s work on Panic!’s most recent album especially with the rattling hi-hats covered up by a blast of overproduced trumpets, and the cringeworthy bridge, where two grown adults in their early 30s starting their middle-eight with, “Hey, kids, spelling is fun!” – seriously, this was written only by the producers and the artists, how is it this unfitting and odd for Taylor to be singing? Surely, Taylor should be able to come naturally with great songwriting like she has before, even on reputation, and this shouldn’t be as awfully-written as it is. The “Spelling is fun” tangent doesn’t even fit the time signature, for God’s sake. Oh, and this trainwreck of a line:

Girl, there ain’t no “I” in “Team” / But you know, there is a “Me”

No, there isn’t. There isn’t a “Me” in “Team” unless you rearrange it, and in that case, it’d be misspelled, hence your bridge’s message, which is, as I recall, spelling is fun, is undercut by the fact you can’t spell. What does that even mean in this case, since it would otherwise be a cheesy lyric about how they’re a team or whatever, because it’s been rearranged and manipulated? Is there no “Me” in “Team” anymore? Are Taylor and Brendon breaking up in the middle of their spelling bee? Are they saying their relationship is as complicated and infuriating as this one lyric? Let’s see Taylor’s reasoning here:

“We wanted it to be playful, we didn’t want it to take itself seriously at all.” That, by the way, is why I love this song to death and despite everything I can nag about it, it’s actually really fun and one of Taylor’s best songs to date. It screams colour even without the expensive music video, and every little annoying misstep counts towards the hilarity of the song and how carefree it is, from Taylor’s “UHH” ad-libs to them both belting distant lyrics about how there’s a lot of lame guys out theeeeeere, it all comes together and makes a really cool song that doesn’t care about your judgement. Yes, I had a lot to say about that one, but I’ve been building it up for nearly two weeks now. You can’t spell awesome without “ME!”, I guess.

#1 – “Vossi Bop” – Stormzy

Produced by Chris Andoh

Speaking of awesome people, welcome back, Stormzy, one of my favourite British rappers and one of the most unique, with Gang Signs & Prayer holding up as one of my favourite hip-hop albums ever. Merky Academy’s founder has decided to strip it down a bit for this minimalistic return to form after a gospel-tinged and R&B-influenced debut studio album. This is “Vossi Bop”, and it bangs. We have that lo-fi yet menacing synth line looping in the back of the mix before the thumping bass kicks in with a catchy and eerie piano melody which really adds a lot of grit to Stormzy’s bars, mostly just about living life of luxury and celebrating his rags to riches story. While the 808s are admittedly mixed a tad oddly, as is the trap percussion, the rattling hi-hats give an otherwise pretty slow-paced rap flow some bounce and quick-paced energy. The multi-tracked hook is catchy and anthemic, although Stormzy’s refusal to dab is a bit more EB the Original Master than I would prefer, and I personally like the Mondegreen, “my brothers don’t die, we just Vossi bop” better, but the verses are pretty great. In this context, Vossi bopping means a laidback dance popularised by a guy named Vossi that went viral a few years ago – in fact, this song was made ages before its release. In the bluntly-delivered verses with some smooth flow switches, Stormzy discusses how he looks at his girl and thanks God. How wholesome. Also F Boris Johnson and he’s Chuck Norris? It’s not exactly the most poetic Stormzy’s been, but he does have multisyllabic rhyme schemes and his lyrics are at least coherent, which isn’t really what I can say for most UK rap that debuts on the charts nowadays. He also refers to jet lag as “f***ing up my body clock”, and we have a censored word that we don’t know yet, and have yet to have had any explanation for? We’ll see, I guess. Anyways, this is an absolute banger and I’m ecstatic Stormzy has a #1.

Conclusion

This was actually a cool week in retrospect. Best of the Week is going to The RSPB for “Let Nature Sing” because it’s two and a half minutes of birdsong in the top 20 and that’s impressive enough. The Honourable Mention is tied, going to both Stormzy for “Vossi Bop” and Taylor Swift with Brendon Urie for “ME!”, whilst Worst of the Week goes that Zara Larsson song. Blech. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more pop music ramblings and Top 20 rankings, and I’ll see you next week!

I could never die, I’m Chuck Norris (Chuck Norris) / F*** the government and f*** Boris (Yeah)

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harperlace-blog · 8 years ago

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Persona: The Nightmare Witch Chapter 1

When Nanako Dojima returns to Inaba after a year away, she learns that nightmares have been plaguing the town. Eventually, she finds herself thrown into an investigation to not only save the town, but her father as well. Set 10 years later. A story of bonds, the past and facing your fear.

Monday, April 10, 2021

Samaru City, train station.

It was the brink of dusk but the city showed no signs of rest. Pedestrians and cars buzzed left and right, either on their way home or venturing out for night life. Shielding her eyes from the intense orange glow of sun, Nanako Dojima shouldered her way through a busy sidewalk. A bit behind schedule but the teenage girl managed to catch a spot at the railway platform to wait for the next train.

"Did you hear about that big drug ring?"

"It's all over the damn news, how wouldn't I?"

Nanako lifted her gaze from her cellphone to overhear a conversation between two men in business suits.

"Imagine the loads of cash those guys are making..."

"H-hey, you're not trying to imply something, are you?"

"No. But honestly, money can solve a lot of your problems."

"Seriously, man? Is that what you really think?"

Right on queue, her awaited train slowly pulled up to the platform and the doors slid open. Nanako turned back to her phone and typed in a quick text message:

Dad-

Train just came. See you in a few!

Picking up her suitcase, Nanako joined the crowd to board the train and found a somewhat cramped spot in the corner. She turned her head to the window to gaze at the skyscrapers one last time before the doors closed shut. It only took several minutes before Nanako slowly dosed off.

When Nanako came to, she was standing to what appeared to be the interior of a limousine. The color blue literally emitted itself from the cushions of the seats to the lights on the ceiling.

Am I...dreaming?

Nanako turned her attention to the two figures that sat inside. A woman with elegant blond hair and in blue uniform, much similar to a flight attendant, sat cross legged. She gestured Nanako to have a seat across from them.

As she hesitantly sat down, Nanako couldn't keep her eyes off of the sharply contrasted figure next to the woman. His elbows sat on the table before him, chin rested on his folded hands and a nose that easily reached a foot long. His pointed ears reached to his bald head. The only thing that was normal about him was his black suit, similar to a butler.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the mysterious gentleman greeted, which jolted Nanako a bit. He paused, as if analyzing Nanako's thoughts.

"Why, we've been expecting you. For quite some time, I must say."

He paused again, studying Nanako thoroughly. He suddenly let out a chuckle. "My, you have a most unique destiny lying ahead of you."

Unique destiny? What's that supposed to mean? Actually, the better question is...who are these people?

"Let me introduce myself." The man looked up with unblinking eyes that fixated on her. "I'm Igor. I'm quite pleased to make your acquaintance."

He then gestured his hand to the woman next to him, "This is Margaret, my assistant. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

"Yes, welcome." Margaret smiled warmly.

"You see, this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," Igor continued. "Generally speaking, only those who have forged a contract can visit this room."

In a blink of an eye, a contract appeared before Igor.

"However, what I am speaking about is not a physical contract such as this." The contract vanished with a wave of his hand. "In actuality, you have a formed a promise in the past. To fulfill the promise, you will acquire my help to hone your unique ability."

Promise? Ability?

For some reason, Nanako found it hard to speak.

Suddenly, Igor swiped his hand over the table to reveal a set of tarot cards. Nanako leaned forward to get a better look. 21 cards laid before him, each with a symbol of what appeared to be double-sided mask.

"That's enough about the past. Let's take a look into your future, shall we?"

Igor flipped over one card to reveal its hidden side and analyzed it closely.

"Interesting. A star, in the upright position. I see renewed hope and fulfillment in the future but only if you endure the trials and tribulations that lie ahead of you." Igor proceeded to flip another card.

"A moon, also in the upright position. This card represents hesitation and mystery in the immediate future. Hmm…"

Nanako sat back in her seat, clinging onto his every word. Even if this was a dream, her subconscious must be telling her something, right? She read something about it in a book once. Although, Nanako couldn't possibly fathom why she would dream up this odd duo.

"In the upcoming days, you will encounter a great mystery, one that is deeply rooted to your past. You will then awaken a great power within you, after which you will return here."

Igor gestured around him, indicating the Velvet Room.

"There will be a great turning point in your destiny. Should the mystery go unsolved, you will have to face the consequences of a broken promise," He continued. "My duty is to provide assistance to ensure that does not happen."

Igor didn't falter his smile and Nanako felt a little uncomfortable under his stare. She felt like her mind was being analyzed and picked apart.

"We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell…"

Then all went to black.

"Thank you for riding with us. In just a few moments, we'll reach our final stop at Yasogami station."

Nanako jolted awake at the sound of the intercom above her.

"Please prepare to exit," the conductor instructed over the intercom.

Nanako tried to re-collect herself, still shaken from her dream. It...was a dream right? For some reason, she was doubting herself. It was just so weird.

Nanako shook her head and reached over to the compartment above her for her bags. The view from the window was nothing but long, green hills illuminated by the moonlight.

"It's so beautiful," Nanako said to herself, feeling her heart clench at the sight of her home town once again. The city may be colorful and exciting, but nothing can take her breath away than the gentle quietness of Inaba. The image of her father suddenly flashed in her mind. She missed him so much.

The train had reached a full stop and she hurried toward the exit. Upon stepping onto the platform, Nanako looked behind her, curious to see anyone else exiting with her until she remembered that she was the only one heading for Inaba. Not that it surprised her, she knew very well that her hometown was desolate but had garnered quite a reputation in the last few years.

The urban legend of the 'Midnight Channel' and the creepy, unsettling fog that covered the town captured the attention of many paranormal enthusiasts. However, because she was at such a young age during that time, she couldn't quite understand the details of it all. All she knew was that the Midnight Channel disappeared one day and everything went back to normal. She figured the flood of visitors died down by now.

Shrugging, Nanako started to walk past the station. Now, where could her father be?

"Nanako!"

Nanako instantly smiled at the sight of her father standing under a streetlight and waving. She hurried to her father's arms and the two held together in a tight hug.

Ryotaro Dojima, Nanako's beloved father. Now that she noticed, he was still wearing his usual dark gray shirt with pulled up sleeves and red necktie, an outfit that she continuously told him to get rid of by now. Of course, when your father is a 24/7 working police detective, attire is the least thing that's on his mind.

"Can you do me a favor and stop growing so much," Dojima joked and loosened his grip to see her face clearly. Nanako didn't want to cry in front of him but she couldn't help feel her eyes water a bit. She felt that she had forgotten what her father's embrace was like.

"I've missed you so much, Daddy," Nanako said and pulled him into a hug once more, ignoring the fact that she hadn't called her father 'Daddy' in a long time. She let go of him and saw that someone was missing.

"Where's Yu?" Nanako asked.

"Back at the house, everyone's waiting for you." Dojima replied as he picked up Nanako's belongings. Suddenly, he stopped short and scratched behind his head. "Ah...I think I just ruined the surprise."

Nanako laughed. "You're bad at keeping secrets."

"Oh well," Dojima shrugged. "Let's get going. You can tell me all about your trip while we get there."

"Oh yeah! Can you believe there's not a single Junes in the city?" Nanako said as she followed her father to the car. Dojima chuckled, and replied, "It's probably because big city folks don't go to department stores for fun like we do here."

Inaba, Dojima Residence.

"Welcome back, Nanako-chan!"

Upon entering her home, Nanako was immediately greeted by all of her friends. Well, they were mostly friends of Yu, but she grew to consider them her friends too.

Chie, Yosuke, Yukiko, Kanji, and Teddie. Out of his costume of course.

"Nana-chan!" Teddie screamed in joy and ran up to her to give her a tight embrace.

"Hey, Teddie!" Nanako laughed and returned the hug.

"We've missed you bear-y much." His cheeks flushed red when he added, "And you're so beaut-"

"Hands off my daughter, bear," Dojima suddenly cut him off and gave him a cold stare.

"H-huh? But I'm not in my bear costume," Teddie protested which earned him an even colder stare from her father. Everyone in the room laughed at the ordeal and Nanako smiled warmly. She had no idea how good it was going to feel coming back.

"It's so nice to see you all again," Nanako said as she walked to the center of the room where everyone was sitting around the table. While her father took her bags to her room, Nanako surveyed her home. It was like nothing has even changed. Blue curtains draped over the backdoor and the retro-style TV still sat in the corner of their tiny home.

Suddenly, she felt a tug at the end of her dress and when she looked down, she met the hazel eyes of a four-year-old boy. The toddler was dressed in blue overalls with a green-striped shirt underneath. His other hand clenched tightly to a stuffed fox.

Nanako's eyes widened. He. Was. Adorable.

"Oh hey, you two haven't met, right?" Chie spoke up and went over to her son to ruffle his silver hair. "Koji, this is Nanako. She's your-uh, what would it be? Second-cousin?"

Nanako bent down to match Koji's line of sight and said, "I can be your Big Sis. Nice to meet you, Koji."

She held out her hand for a shake and after a blank stare from the boy, he reluctantly reached out to touch her hand.

"Aw, how cute!" Teddie squealed followed by a giggle from Yukiko. Chie smiled warmly and picked up her son in her arms to settle back near the table. Nanako straightened up, finding it hard to keep her eyes off the new member of her family. She found it endearing how he shared the same features as his father.

"You have one damn cute kid," Kanji commented as he watched Koji play with his stuffed fox on his mother's lap. Nanako's attention immediately shifted to Yosuke's laugh.

"Already wondering if you and Naoto's kid is gonna be just as cute, huh Kanji?" Yosuke teased while Teddie made smooching noises.

"What the hell man!" Kanji yelled, failing to mask the heat that scorched his cheeks in embarrassment. "Can't a guy just give a compliment without meaning anything behind it?"

"Oh, but it has so much meaning!" Teddie declared dramatically, "The meaning of love!"

Kanji only responded with clenched fists and threatened to throw Teddie out but it only resulted in more laughter.

"You guys better quit yelling, at least not when Koji is around," Chie huffed. Yukiko nodded in approval and said, "Chie is right. We should all take responsibility like her."

"Thanks, Yukiko!" Chie smiled brightly, narrowly missing Yosuke's snide remark, "You call that taking responsibility?"

Nanako simply smiled as she watched the group continue their endless teasing. She then noticed that someone was still missing.

Right then, the room stiffened at sound of the front door opening. It was none other but Yu Narukami. He stood at the doorway with grocery bags in his hands.

"Oh, you're back," Yu smiled.

"Big Bro!" Nanako rushed over to him to give him a hug, which happened so quickly that she might have knocked air out of him.

Yu chuckled, "That's odd. I don't remember you that tall." He returned the hug and Nanako felt slightly embarrassed for clinging onto him like a small child but at the same time, she didn't care. She was so happy to see him again.

Yu Narukami. Nanako's older cousin but she prefers to call him Big Bro. Aside from his black, framed glasses and white collar work shirt, Yu didn't look that much different than from his high school days. Alongside his same old appearance was his same old personality; cool and collected as Nanako always described him.

"Senpai! Glad to have ya back!" Kanji smiled, as if the previous situation hadn't happened. Once Yu was greeted by everyone, Nanako followed her cousin to the kitchen to help out with dinner.

"Man, I can't believe Yu actually tied the knot with Chie of all people," Yosuke said out loud which earned him a stern look from Chie.

Everyone was sitting around the table, eating dinner specially prepared by Yu. Nanako took another sip of her miso soup and took a moment to appreciate the herbal flavors on her taste buds. Without a doubt, it was delicious.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Chie pointed a finger at him. "At least I'm not the one who's been in a relationship with some nurse for five years and have yet to get married."

"Hey! She's just…y'know taking her time," Yosuke defended himself. Yu quickly interjected, "She has a point, Yosuke. What if something else is going on?"

"W-what do you mean?" Yosuke stuttered. "Whatever, it's personal. Besides, Kanji isn't married either and he's been with Naoto for as long as we can remember."

"Actually, we are married," Kanji said bluntly. Everyone responded with a resounded "WHAT".

"Married!" Chie said in surprise.

"Since when?" Yosuke asked, now standing up.

"Last month, actually," Kanji answered confidently and crossed his arms.

"Congratulations, Kanji-kun," Yukiko smiled, followed by Chie's remark, "How come you didn't invite us?"

"Eh, well," Kanji rubbed behind his head to ponder his next words carefully. "We didn't have a wedding. We're just married legally, y'know, making it official and all."

"I don't see a ring," Yu noted which instantly resulted in Kanji bolting straight up with a fisted fist.

"H-hey! It's none of your business!" Kanji said defensively.

"How is Naoto, anyway?" Yukiko asked.

"Busy," Kanji answered, "That's what'd you expect from being the head detective." Nanako sensed a bit of sadness in his voice. She hoped things were alright between the two. If there was anything that made Nanako instantly sad, it would be the bad ending of a relationship.

"She's in the middle of a big case right now. Heard of that international smuggling ring?"

"Oh yeah. I heard the drug can be dangerous," Chie said.

"Isn't that stuff illegal in Japan?" Yosuke sighed, "I've been so busy at work that I can't keep up with news lately."

"Well, you're right about that" Kanji confirmed. "There are smugglers trying to bring it here. And Naoto is after the bastards."

He sighed. "I don't see her much but if that's what she loves doing best, then I'm fine with it."

"Well, that's good to hear," Yu nodded. "That takes a lot of strength."

"Yeah," Chie agreed. "Just don't let her work herself too hard, okay?"

Kanji nodded and Yosuke gave him a pat on the back.

"I heard Rise-chan is working hard too," Yukiko piped in. Everyone agreed with a nod.

"She's still bear-rific on TV!" Teddie exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Good thing her comeback went well. She should be off tour soon so she'll get a chance to visit us sometime," Yosuke said and added with a mischievous grin, "Maybe I should get her to play at Junes again?"

"And put together another performance from our lame-ass band? Not a chance, you won't catch me playing another instrument again," Kanji declared, which resulted in laughs all around the table.

"Youth these days…" Dojima muttered and took another sip of his drink.

Once Nanako finished her dinner, she decided to take a breather. The exhaustion from the train ride home had finally gotten to her. She excused herself and headed outside.

She settled down on the porch and glanced around her tiny backyard. Moonlight casted a glow on the grass and bushes that hugged around the fence. Her father's long sleeved shirts were fluttering in the breeze as they clung onto the clothes line.

I wonder how long he left those out to dry, she wondered. He probably forgot as usual. I'll bring them in before I head back inside.

She chuckled at the thought of her father washing his clothes, a mundane task she had been doing for so long. She brought her knees up to her chest, thinking about her father more.

Even now, she wasn't sure if leaving to the city was a good idea. The thought of leaving her father alone for a single year had held her back from even considering. Ever since her mother passed away, she had promised to her father that she'll take her place and never leave him.

Nanako sighed. Maybe this was a pointless dilemma to be worried about. After all, she's back now and she can attend the house as usual. As she was thinking this, she heard the glass door slide behind her.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Nanako looked up at Yu as he sat down next to her. The two looked up at the stars and felt the spring breeze pass.

"A lot," Nanako admitted, breaking the silence between them. She felt Yu turn to her with a concerned look and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Nanako didn't feel comfortable talking about her feelings about her trip and her father, at least not until it's all sorted out in her head. So she decided to bring up another topic that's been bugging her.

"It's kind of silly but…I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow," she explained. "I know it's only my second year of high school and I should be happy that I'm back in town…"

She paused for a moment before continuing. "…but I feel like I don't know how to start again. By now, everybody probably has their own group of friends to hang out with. I'm not sure if there's any room for me…" Nanako trailed off, avoiding Yu's eye contact.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Yu responded and looked behind him at the glass doors. Nanako also looked behind her to see everyone laughing around the table as Chie lifted Koji's arms to make kung fu gestures.

"You'll be surprised at how the closest of friends come to you when you least expect it," Yu continued and turned his attention back to Nanako. "You have a heart for people, Nanako. That alone is enough to make bonds with people that you'll trust."

Nanako smiled at his words and looked down at her hands resting on her lap. She knew she could count on her cousin to comfort her. "Thanks, Big Bro."

Yu nodded and stood up. "And besides. Marie said she'll make sure it won't rain tomorrow."

Nanako's eyes instantly lit up at the mention of the mystical weather woman on TV. "Wow, she must be a goddess right, Yu? To control the weather like that?"

Nanako was always amazed by the local celebrity, seemingly changing the weather by her will. She liked how positive she was on television every morning, motivating the residents of Inaba to push through their challenges and work towards their wishes every day.

Yu simply chuckled and held out his hand to help her up. Nanako was confused by his vague answer but reluctantly took his hand anyway. Suddenly, she felt a raindrop plop on her nose.

"Oh! The clothes!" Nanako rushed to the clothesline and plucked the pins from her father's shirts. She turned to her left to see Yu doing the same thing and she smiled.

The two hurried inside with laundry in their hands as rain began to pour.

It was the peak of midnight when Nanako twisted and turned in her bed sheets.

She was dreaming, she was sure of it.

Nanako had woken up in a strange place of nothing but surrounding fog. Even with not a single thing in sight, she could tell she was in Inaba by the outline of the buildings. She had been walking forward for what felt like several hours. She shivered and she rubbed her arms for any warmth. It was unnaturally cold.

Suddenly, a figure began to appear amidst the fog. Nanako could barely make out its form, but she knew it was human.

"Hello?" Nanako said in hesitation, reaching out to the figure. In that moment, the dark form turned and disappeared again.

"H-hey! Wait!" Nanako yelled and began to run. She charged through the fog, searching for anything. The figure reappeared again but this time, it was crouched with its back turned away from her.

Upon closer inspection, Nanako could see the crouching figure of a girl clad in Yasogami uniform and her hair, tied into a long braid, drooped along her back. The girl was shivering, possibly due to the cold. Eyebrows furrowed, Nanako reached her hand out when suddenly, the girl bolted up.

"Get away from me!" She yelled, facing Nanako. Her eyes looked glassy, as if she had been crying for a long time. The girl then ran off, despite Nanako's protests.

Who is she? What's going on? Nanako thought, feeling very confused.

Suddenly, an unknown voice whispered, "how curious. How did you manage to escape?"

"Huh?" Nanako spoke to the voice, unsure who she was speaking to exactly. "Are you keeping her trapped here?"

"A soul cannot trap another soul. Only the soul traps itself," the voice responded in an almost mocking manner. Nanako frowned. A silhouette appeared with crossed arms and had the form of a human, but it seemed to be wearing a white, robe garment.

"Hm, it seems that you are different from other humans. I wonder...have you been here before?" the unknown voice continued.

"Who are you?" Nanako asked in frustration. Is it so hard to ask for straight answers? The unknown voice only laughed and the fog seemed to grow thicker and thicker.

"I am the ruler of this domain." The voice then snickered, "humans can be so vulnerable. They become entrapped by their own fear." The voice said barely above a whisper, "Let's see you if you are any different, my special human."

That's when Nanako began to weave back and forth until she dropped onto her knees. She glanced up at the form, still disfigured by the fog, and whispered weakly, "W-what are you?"

The form stayed silent and without an answer, Nanako lost consciousness.

A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter! Initially, I did not have the intention to publish this story. I've been writing this as a means of practicing my writing skills and character development.

With that said, this story will have Yu x Chie, Kanji x Naoto and Yosuke x OC character (although not majorly important and will be very little). In fact, because this story focuses on Nanako, there will be a lot of OCs, but please keep in mind that I took great care in imagining them and implementing them in this world. So, if none of these aspects appeal to you, then this fic may not be your cup of tea. Also, Persona Arena, Ultimax, Dancing All Night and Q will not be canon in this story. If you do choose to read this story, welcome aboard the journey!

~HarperLace

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joereid · 8 years ago

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Top 10 Movies of 2016

I wrote about my favorites in movies and TV over at Decider last week, but here’s my straight-up Top 10 movies of the year. With apologies to movies I haven’t gotten to yet, most prominently Toni Erdmann, Fire at Sea, Aquarius, and The Love Witch. Also I ranked O.J.: Made in America as my #1 TV show of the year, so it felt redundant to put it here too. No judgments if you ranked it as a movie. Obviously.

Runners-Up: I thought this turned out to be a GREAT year for movies, best exemplified by the fact that I had a bitch of a time keeping these 15 movies out of my top 10:

#25 The Lobster (director: Yorgos Lanthimos) #24 The Witch (director: Robert Eggers) #23 Kubo and the Two Strings (director: Travis Knight) #22 Everybody Wants Some!! (director: Richard Linklater) #21 La La Land (director: Damien Chazelle) #20 Hunt for the Wilderpeople (director: Taika Waititi) #19 Love & Friendship (director: Whit Stillman) #18 Sing Street (director: John Carney) #17 Lion (director: Garth Davis) #16 Other People (director: Chris Kelly) #15 Fences (director: Denzel Washington) #14 Julieta (director: Pedro Almodovar) #13 Certain Women (director: Kelly Reichardt) #12 Cameraperson (director: Kirsten Johnson) #11 Mountains May Depart (director: Zhangke Jia)

My Top 10 Movies of 2016

10. Jackie (director: Pablo Larrain) It took me a while to get into the headspace of Jackie, and what a strange little animal it seemed then. Natalie Portman's accent seemed insane, the scenes felt overly gauzy and frustratingly vague, the score felt overworked. But the more time I spent with Jackie, the more intoxicated I was by whatever fog the movie exists in. Portman's performance clicked, the specificity of Larrain's focus felt more and more revolutionary, and the whole enterprise felt an exhilarating experiment on memory, idolatry, and the spaces at which our politics and our myth-making converge. 9. The Invitation (director: Karyn Kusama) I write a lot about movies on Netflix for my job, but by FAR my favorite discovery of the year was the meticulously built suspense of The Invitation. From the opening credits winding ominously through the Hollywood Hills to the slowly dawning terror of the final moments, I haven't felt this tense through the entire run of a horror movie since The Strangers. Featuring some great performances (in particular Tammy Blanchard, Logan Marshall Green, and John Carroll Lynch), and a premise that draws upon every time someone at a party told you they just started seeing a new yoga instructor.

8. Silence (director: Martin Scorsese) A nearly three-hour, racially dubious meditation on faith from a director who's provided me with more peer-pressure guilt trips from film critics than actual movies I've enjoyed over the last decade was not adding up to something I figured I'd enjoy. But Silence is more than just the best Scorsese movie since ... The Aviator? Goodfellas? It's a committed, rigorous, and deceptively complex story about faith and imperialism, anchored by an Andrew Garfield performance of such thoughtful vulnerability that it makes you incredibly grateful that Marty took a break from Leonardo DiCaprio. Also Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is breathtaking.

7. Hail, Casear! (director: Joel and Ethan Coen) I like when the Coens are having fun. I know the knock on them is that they're supposed to be looking down their noses on their audience and having a laugh at their expense, but all I found in Hail Caesar! was an affection for people who dedicate their lives to something as silly and often contradictory as the movie business. Josh Brolin is probably doing better work than I give him credit for at the center, but I won't apologize for all of my attention going to Channing Tatum's dancing and Alden Ehrenreich's rope tricks.

6. Manchester by the Sea (director: Kenneth Lonergan) When the narrative about this one got boiled down to a) it's unspeakably sad, and b) it's white-male feeeeeelings pornography, I was confused. Well, maybe not confused; I know how Twitter works. More dismayed. To me, Manchester by the Sea is Kenneth Lonergan at his finest, and that means so much more than simple grief or patriarchy or for Pete's sake "Oscar bait." Lonergan infuses his movie with so much more humor, so much more complexity, so much more recognizable feeling than you're expecting by the description. The relationship between Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges's characters defies any kind of prescribed arc, instead presenting two characters who fit at impossibly odd angles.

5. Little Men (director: Ira Sachs) Ira Sachs has become so good at making movies about how the Big Things in life — love, family, fellowship, generosity, power, resentment — are inextricable from the small things. In the movies, we tend to gloss over things like rent or income or expense. Making it work is a matter of will or serendipity, usually both. In Little Men, Greg Kinnear and Paulina Garcia are good people whose resentments would usually be overcome in a movie by a grand act of love or charity or luck. Sachs knows better, but he also knows that the sum of life and the beauty of lives isn't about it all working out. And that's only the groundwork in this lovely movie featuring a central friendship of boys that is as beautiful, sweet, and gently painful as anything this year.

4. Moonlight (director: Barry Jenkins) Moonlight features such strong, simple storytelling, and that economy of language is all Barry Jenkins, and he deserves all the praise he's getting for it. But that's not the reason we're talking about this movie. There's something truly remarkable when strong filmmaking meets revelatory acting meets the kinds of stories and lives that we are STARVING for. There's sadness here, yes, and tragedy, but I can't help but feel an undercurrent of celebration just for the radical act of making poetry out of lives that are usually not even afforded prose.

3. 20th Century Women (director: Mike Mills) What a difference it makes listening to Annette Bening narrate about the universe and mortality versus listening to Ewan McGregor talk about same. I could never latch onto Beginners, despite the fact that its subject matter was targeted right in my general direction. But in his follow-up, Mike Mills had me cast under a spell from moment one. Bening is superb, playing a woman who's both incredibly wise and incredibly aware of how much she doesn't know. Any shot of her silently reacting to another character is to be treasured forever. And my darling Greta Gerwig does such wonderful, beautiful work as a scene partner here, taking her moments when they come but also as supportive an ensemble player as she's ever been. But it's those moments of narration, where the plot of the movie gives way to the longview, and we get to ponder a bit about the long arcs of time, and it was so beautiful, I nearly melted into my seat.

2. American Honey (director: Andrea Arnold) Andrea Arnold's great big American road trip is sprawling and sweet, dangerous and and desirous. It doesn't work for everyone, and I think I get that. But even if Arnold isn't seeing America through a photorealistic lens, the version of America she's showing us feels true in its emotions and textures and jealousies and desperations and explorations. Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, and Riley Keough are standouts in the cast, but the movie truly comes alive in the group scenes, where the energy of a whole generation explodes into something visceral and charged.

1. Arrival (director: Denis Villeneuve) I first saw Arrival at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and I was blown away by its emotion and intelligence in service of a sci-fi story that became a story about language and bridging unbridgeable gaps. I next saw Arrival a few days after the election, when the film's ideas about facing fearsome and unknown futures and seeing the end from the beginning were all the more moving. What's beautiful about Arrival — besides the photography and the music and Amy Adams — is how our only salvation grows out of achieving complete and total empathy and nothing less. Thats what unlocks everything. It's a beautiful message in a movie that might normally have merely been an exquisitely crafted, deeply emotional sci-fi tale. I didn't see anything else that year that blew me away so thoroughly.

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safasaf2018 · 6 years ago

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Day 14 - 6/15/18

12:24 PM

Woke up at 9:30, went down to breakfast which was closed, but Kimberly had grabbed a plate of fruit and a gluten free roll with brie cheese for me - love of my life. Now we’re all sitting by the pool tanning, swimming, I’m catching up on my blog, our professor jumped in the pool at one point, it’s surreal. I wonder about the wealth distribution in Marrakech - I know it’s a huge tourist city and they built their economy off of that, but I wonder if locals drive by this resort and hate it because it brings in so much money and it’s filled with such privileged people. It’s hard to remember that not everywhere is like this, it’s hypnotizing when you’re in it - the staff is SO incredibly nice, doting on us wherever we are - as I was writing this at a table outside just now a man came up with a silver platter in a suit and asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink. It’s wild. I’m so grateful to be here, i’m just very aware of other people right now. And at the same time I never EVER want to leave this resort. I could be very happy just living here the rest of my life. Ramadan is finally over!! Iskandar, the student who was fasting, ate breakfast with us this morning! And now we have to go to McDonalds one more time because he wants to try it in Morocco, but I don’t think anyone minds much. The three days after Ramadan are also holy, so no drinking, but also no more fasting. We’re waiting for the professor’s family to get here and then we’re off! I’m not entirely sure what we’re doing today but I wasn’t sure what we were doing yesterday and that turned out all right so I think I’m just gonna close my laptop right now and go back to the pool.

6:18 PM

We left the resort at 1:30, and went to downtown Marrakech to see an old Sa’adian dynasty family tomb. It was without a doubt the most beautiful tomb or tribute of any form to someone’s death I’ve ever seen (keep in mind I still haven’t been to the Taj Mahal yet). It was laid out, there were about 60 people buried there, each marked by a rectangle mosaic in the ground. The members of the royal family were buried under the most intricately carved out rooms of marble, plaster, and cedar, and the servants or other people living in the house were buried outside in the grass. It was such a light and colorful space for burying the dead. The carvings were absolutely incredible, with arabic calligraphy usually spelling out “allah” (god) up and down the sides, or something religious. After a quick foot tour there led by our professor, we went across the street to a café called Kasbah Café where we actually met up with a girl from Maine! She’s a high schooler and she and I have mutual friends and have been following each other on social media for about 2.5 years now, and oddly enough this was our first time meeting! Our professor allowed her to eat with us so her dad dropped her off and she got to join us. Today is Eid, the end of Ramadan, which is the biggest holiday for Islam, so she’d been eating all day (her mom’s family is Moroccan) and wasn’t that hungry, so she and I just split a meal, but that was really cool to be able to do. Afterwards I walked her downstairs to meet her dad and bought a gelato for myself while I waited for the others. Now we’re in the bus on the way to Essouaira (spelling ah), which is where we’ll be until we leave back for campus on Sunday. Most everyone is sleeping or just sitting quietly listening to music. We picked up the professor’s wife and 3 daughters and an airport in Marrakech so they’re all with us now as well. Alright I need to do some of the class readings.

2:13 AM

The hotel we’re staying at right now may must be my favorite place I’ve absolutely ever stayed. We arrived in Essaouira at around 7 pm, and walked through the medina (market square) to get to our hotel. Our professor and his family were staying in the hotel right next to us because our hotel didn’t have a big enough room for them, so he got us all checked in, introduced us to the staff, and left us until Sunday morning. So first off, this hotel’s owner is a GORGEOUS young man from Paris, so that definitely added to the aesthetic. but more importantly, the hotel used to be a classic Roman house, so the middle has a beautiful fountain with floating lily pads, with 4 stories going up around it, all open in the middle. Danielle and I are on the top floor, and everyone else is on the second or third floors. Every room is decorated differently - our room seems to have a red bird theme - and one of the rooms has two floors! One bed is downstairs and the other is up a staircase in a loft. We all get settled in at the hotel (threw our stuff on the beds) and then went downstairs to decide where to eat. In the lobby was an older woman named Vicky who had started a conversation with Carolina, and slowly drawn in every single one of us. This woman speaks ten languages, has a ton of different degrees from the US, Africa, and Europe, went to Columbia at 8 and a half years old, trained with US olympic figure skating team that all died on that plane, but luckily was 6 months too young to compete so she wasn’t on the plane that crashed, has been working for the UN forever, and is recently retired and traveling (she doesn’t own a house anywhere she just travels - she’s been to 5 countries in the past 3 weeks), but the UN and other NGOs keep getting her to teach seminars (she’s taught at Stanford, Berkeley, and a ton of other schools I’ve forgotten), she recently deleted her Facebook and changed her name and wiped Google clean of herself because she doesn’t want anyone having her information, especially her half brother who would track her down and tap into her bank accounts to steal money. She was amazing, no one really believes her but Carolina and I do. Oh she also broke her pelvis in 2 places and healed on her own within 3 weeks because she had people from all over the world sending her energy, and she taught the doctors reiki. Anyways that was fun. So we finally left for dinner. We were told to go to a popular restaurant called Taros, but we wanted to walk around and look at other restaurants first. We went down curving alleys, seeing different shops we locked in our heads to go to tomorrow, went in a few restaurants, and ultimately settled on Taros. One man brought us into his small restaurant with live music and opened the rooftop seating just for us, leading us up a spiral staircase behind the musician. We chose not to eat there in the end, but that’s the Moroccan spirit. Taros was a huge restaurant with multiple floors, the most popular of which was the roof, where we went. The roof had a kitchen, a bar, and stairs up to even higher levels with tables. We all sat at a table and enjoyed the live music while we ate. I got a Pizza Reine which is a classic French pizza, and it absolutely melted my heart it was so good. We all got drinks while eating, a few of us got beers on tap which is the first time I can say I’ve done that! The food took an extremely long time which for some reason didn’t really bother anybody at all, I thought it honestly added to the atmosphere, gave us more time to talk and enjoy our drinks and the music, some of the students went downstairs to dance and then came back up to eat, it was a great night - reminded me of those looooong French dinners. After we were all done eating we went down to the bar, got another drink each, and started dancing. We made a couple friends there (especially when the girls needed a lighter for their cigarettes) but for the most part stayed within the group which I was grateful for. We formed a dance circle and just made fools of ourselves, screaming the lyrics to Spanish songs that only a few of us understood, and we always went with each other to the bathroom or to the bar to get another drink, just in case. It was a great group feeling night. Shortly before the place closed we all left, at around 12:30 or 1. Most of us went back to the hotel, but Kimberly, Carolina, Iskandar, and I wanted to walk around town. It was so empty, this is the first night post-Ramadan so people aren’t awake eating. There were some people of course, but much emptier than during the day. We walked through alleys and lanes of stores and said hi to every cat we saw. At one point we stopped into a small convenience store to buy a lighter for their cigarettes. They didn’t have any lighters, but the owner of the store offered his lighter, and when that didn’t work two customers offered theirs - again, the Moroccan spirit. We kept walking until we left the downtown area and came to the bigger roads that lead to the high way. We found a 12 year-old couple walking and asked them where the beach was. They walked us far enough to where we could see it and then left us to go for ourselves. There were maybe 3 other people on the whole beach. We all kicked off our shoes and walked into the very shallowest bit of the water which was freezing to the bone - we didn’t stay long. After that we came back to the hotel, and Kimberly and Iskandar left again to get crêpes but Carolina and I stayed in, I’m exhausted. So far I love Essaouira, but I haven’t even seen a fraction of its liveliness yet, so I’m beyond excited for tomorrow when we have an entire day to do whatever we want.

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thejpfdude-blog · 7 years ago

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The Week in Anime (Week of 8/14/17)

Hello friends and welcome to another edition of TWiA! There’s a lot to get through, but first let’s head on over to...

The News Corner

This week didn’t have too much in terms of shocking news. The one thing I do want to highlight that came out this week is:

Violet Evergarden PV2

Mmm that’s good stuff. Not as amazingly animated as the first CM, but that was more or less done for the light novel so I don’t expect the whole show to be that level of quality. And even then the PV had some dang good animation, complete with some more information about the show. From the translation done here, one might think it has a big focus on romance. And that’s what I thought too, that is until I read another comment in the same thread that mentioned light novel spoilers but had a TL;DR stating it’s a coming-of-age story and not a romance. Good to know, otherwise I probably would’ve had the wrong expectations for it.

I’m not gonna lie though, I’m pretty hyped for this show. I’m trying not to be, but ever since the CM came out (which was the first glimpse of the show), my first question was “when?” (which has since turned into “how many days until January?”). I’m excited for the potential pairing between KyoAni animation and a great story considering the light novel won the Grand Prize award in the same yearly award that other light novel-turned-KyoAni shows like Kyoukai no Kanata and Chuunibyou only got Honorable Mentions in. Well, only four months to go. That’s not that long of a wait honestly.

Now before I get onto the rankings and awards, I want to write some blurbs about some shows I recently finished. Now some of these shows aren’t ones I finished within the last week, but I think it’s a good time to talk about them after having them stew in my head for a little. So let me start by talking about a show I might have an article on in the future...

Love Live Sunshine

With season 2 of this coming soon, I was determined to try and finish this show. And I did. So that’s nice.

On a more serious note, Sunshine was a nice sort of spin-off to the main Love Live anime. I think one of the biggest complaints I heard was that it was too similar to the original anime, and I can see that. The whole school-closing storyline was a bit too convenient, though it actually didn’t get resolved by the end of the season, so that’s something to keep an eye out next season. Another thing was the similarities of the leaders of each group, which I strongly agree with. I mean I wasn’t a huge Honoka (Honkers) fan in general, and Chika to me feels sorta like a ripoff of her (hence the reason I call her Ripoff Honkers).

But some of the other stuff wasn’t as bad to me. Like other than Ripoff Honkers (and Dia to an extent) I feel like each character is unique enough to be their own person, rather than be a clone of a previous μ‘s member. Sure there’s some obvious parallels that can be made. Ruby/Hanayo for shyness (which is even eluded to in the anime), Mari/Nozomi for being the memester, etc. But when I think of, say Hanamaru, I don’t think of anybody from μ‘s in particular, but about her zuras and her eating habits. Same schtick for the rest of them (except Ripoff Honkers). If anything, I like Aqours a bit more than μ‘s so far, if only because my favorite character from the Rabu Raibus is in Aqours (though favorite group is still a toss-up as of now).

Story-wise, I liked Sunshine a lot more than the original, if only because there was a minimum of the “power of friendship” stuff that the original had (like the final scene from the last episode of S1). And before episode 10 when the third-years joined the group, I actually liked how the drama didn’t feel too cheesy. Of course, that changed when the third-years joined, but it still wasn’t as cheesy as the original show, which was nice. Add in the fact that the slice-of-life scenes added some nice snark (making it less /r/wholesomememes cult-like happy), and in the end Sunshine > original (at least anime-wise). 6/10 overall, and actually somewhat excited for the next season in 2 months-ish.

Free!

Funny story. Actually not really funny, or a story: I had this on my list for some time, but it wasn’t until I visited my friend last week that we ended up watching the first 6 episodes of this show. And then from there I finished it a few days later, and now we’re here.

This show’s pretty famous for its manservice (fanservice of the male variety), and I’m not gonna deny that. In fact, I’ll confirm it: there were a lot of shots of those muscular sculpted bodies, toned to perfection.

...

Uh yeah. But other than that this show was actually pretty fun to watch. I don’t know how much of that is the fact that there was at least one main girl character in the show, who ended becoming one of my favorite girls and now has a place in my Favorite Characters list on my MAL profile.

But it’s really because in it’s core it’s a sports anime, and not of the shounen type. Like there’s competition and hype sports moments with none of the shounen tropes like explaining every single ilttle thing. It’s actually... like sports with just plain competing, which as a huge sports nut I’m down for. The races were pretty hype, and the drama between the characters wasn’t too out there (though the whole thing between Rin and Haruka seemed very ship-friendly).

So overall, a surprisingly good show, manservice aside. I’ll definitely be watching the second season of this soon (once I settle in to my new place). 7/10 would recommend for swimming shenanigans.

Teekyuu

In my quest to have Nisemonogatari be my 200th entry on MAL, I watched shorts/specials that wouldn’t take too much time to watch. So why not watch the famed 2-minute short known for having faster pace than the Roadrunner? Generally I don’t like fast-paced shows, but I think that this short does a really good job with itself. Content-wise this show is so freaking ridiculous and doesn’t take itself seriously. But it works for the most part, and it’s pretty hilarious. Though it’s technically about a tennis club, I think they only have tennis in like 3 of the episodes, with the others focusing on some other random subject.

If there’s one negative to this, it’s the pace. Because as well as they use it, it’s still super quick, and sometimes an episode goes by and I go “what just happened?” Still, it’s a stupidly fun show: overall 6/10, and definitely will be watching the next 8 seasons (no I’m not joking, the ninth season is airing right now).

Nisemonogatari

So that was an adventure. This was an interesting case study, considering these were the stories that Nisio Isin (the author of the light novel) never intended to be released. As a result this show ended up being probably the most controversial entry in the Monogatari series. And it showed: this version of Monogatari really ramped up on some questionable scenes. Before I get into the infamous scene this show’s known for, let me get into some other stuff I wasn’t really about. First, the bath scene in episode 4. I don’t doubt it was an important scene: in fact it’s probably one of the most important scenes in the whole of Monogatari. But it’s the whole showing a naked 8-year old girl for the majority of the episode thing that made me pretty uncomfortable. It’s funny looking at the comments of the rewatch thread, and people trying to explain why it wasn’t that bad. The most common thing I saw was that it wasn’t sexualized at all, what with Araragi not being pedo like he is with the others and the fact that there wasn’t any zoom-ins of the naughty bits.

Yet the problem I have with that is that at it’s core it’s still... a naked 8-year old for the majority of an anime episode. And I’m not denying what the people in that thread are saying: actually it makes a hella lot of sense. But it’s still a naked 8-year old. I’m not about that life, even with the deeper meaning and all that.

And now that toothbrush scene. That... was a thing. Yep, a thing. Indeed. A. Thing.

Sigh... that was honestly the most uncomfortable I’ve been while watching anime. I’m glad I live alone or else I would have feared a roommate or something coming into my room and seeing me watch that.

Now before you start telling me “deeper meaning” and all that jazz, I’ll just say this: my least favorite subject was English. The reason? I always had to be on the lookout for some deeper meaning, some symbolism, etc., instead of just enjoying reading. Now with the Monogatari series full of its more deeper themes, symbolism and looking deeper into events is very necessary. But looking past the deeper meaning this scene is a guy brushing his sister’s teeth while she starts getting sexually aroused, almost leading to a kiss in the end. That’s... also not my thing. Big time.

Well, that rant’s out of the way. Not counting the above scenes (as well as some of the other questionable stuff like imouto boob touch), I actually did enjoy this show. Monogatari’s slowly becoming one of my favorite franchises, making what should like a boring dialogue-heavy show fun and interesting. And now that Nisemonogatari’s out of the way I’m excited for what’s arguably the best version of Monogatari, Monogatari 2nd Season (kinda misnamed don’tcha think?). Overall despite above statements still a 7/10 show, with hope for the future.

Now that that’s done let’s move on to the good ol’...

Rankings:

1 (0). New Game!! (9/10) [5/12]

2 (0). Princess Principal (8.5/10) [6/?]

3 (0). Kakegurui (7/10) [6/12]

4 (0). Tsurezure Children (7/10) [6/?]

5 (0). Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season (7/10) [19/25]

6 (+1). Sakura Quest (5/10) [19/25]

7 (-1). Ballroom e Youkoso (5/10) [6/24]

8 (0). Centaur no Nayami (5/10) [6/12]

9 (0). Isekai Shokudou (4.5/10) [6/?]

10 (0). Nana Maru San Batsu (4/10) [6/12]

Awards

The Tangent Award: Centaur no Nayami

After 6 episodes, I think I have a general idea of why I feel like this show is off. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do like the show. Some of the scenes offer some nice commentary on the small issues that these people face (like the whole toilet thing) that some people may think is pedantic but I think is super interesting. Basically the stuff like the first few episodes of Demi-chan wa Kataritai (with the nice interviews and stuff).

The problem that this show has is that it goes through different scenes that seem jarring in transition. It jumps from one thing to a completely random thing, leaving me wondering how they even got to a certain point in the episode. Though in the end they’re able to show that the disjointed events are somewhat connected, the connection’s as fragile as Troy Tulowitzki (sports fan explanation: a baseball player who’s seemingly always injured, hence he’s called “fragile”). And in the end I continue on, wondering what I just watched for the past 23 or so minutes. I feel like there’s a better way to organize the episode, but I’m not really sure how yet. For now I’ll just continue watching, because despite questionable organization it’s still a mildly entertaining show.

The Not Comfy Award: Kakegurui

Yo but actually what was that episode. Return of masochist queen = return of fear for my life. This show isn’t high on my “comfy show” list, but after this episode it’s sunken even lower.

On a totally unrelated note, I’ve changed my opinion from slightly liking Yumeko to not liking her at all. In fact it’s kinda funny that my opinions of Yumeko and Mary flipped, and now I find Mary to be the better girl (if not best girl of the show). Seeing how she’s not just one of the crazies and actually seems kinda nice is reassuring to say the least (even if the crazy leaks out at times). The return of Suzui was also nice, considering he’s a good dynamic compared to the insane characters in the show. If anything, I’m curious to see how this ends, considering the pace so far and the fact that it’s one cour.

Best Episode of the Week: Princess Principal

After three straight weeks of New Game!!, we finally get a new show for best episode of the week. It was a hard choice, considering this week’s episode of New Game!! was very good. But Princess Principal wins out with a great episode about Dorothy and her life before being a spy.

I won’t go deep into the episode because I want to try to not have too much spoilers in these blurbs. But what I will say is that dang, these girls have good reason for being spies. Also that the end of this episode was pretty sad, especially considering Dorothy’s final line. Princess Principal’s been impressing so far, and I love the disjointed style of storytelling (with case 6 last week and case 18 this week). Next to New Game!!, this show’s been my favorite of the season. I highly recommend it even if you aren’t the biggest fan of CGDCTs or spy stuff.

And that’s all for this week! Thanks for reading! Just a quick announcement/notice: I’ll be busy next week preparing for school and moving into my new place, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t have the time to watch the currently-airing shows. If that does happen I’ll mention which ones I didn’t get to, and if it doesn’t well then it’ll be business as usual. Anyway, thanks again and I’ll see you in the next post!

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