#recommend this video if you hate fake progressiveness

[bardicious]

I'm DEAD. All things I fuckin hate about lots of Marvel writing in recent years. (Though it's not mentioned in this video - this is about games)

[restlesssinner]

Me watching YouTube shorts trying to peddle me another extreme conservative talking show clip despite me clicking dislike and telling them not to recommend that channel and scrolling past every single conservative video they tried to show me in the past: Oh no not you too YouTube. You were supposed to be better than TikTok’s algorithm, not join it. Why are you doing this, I literally subscribe to multiple extremely progressive channels and regularly watch and like their videos. I have never of my own volition tried to look up a video from an extremely right-wing channel. If me, a legal adult with informed leftist views who actively tries to steer away from right wing misinformation is still being directed towards it how the hell are younger and more impressionable users supposed to navigate your website without being turned into queerphobic neonazis?

YouTube: Baby, darling, you’re looking at it all wrong… don’t you wanna learn the talking points of these hateful people, maybe post a comment saying how wrong they are? You can even submit a report, I’m sure we’ll get around to reading it by their video reaches a million or so views, see? Hate-watching is the new hot thing, don’t you wanna feel alive, feel like you’re a part of something? Now, how could that be possible if I just banned all the channels peddling fake nonsense that causes real life hate crimes? Alright, maybe those last couple of videos were too much cringe, I’m sure I can find another video that draws your engagement in without being too obviously evil, so you’ll watch it until the end? Come on, you can’t hold us to some impossible standard just because you know better now, can you? Now listen up, we’ve tied six middle schoolers to the train tracks and asked Ben Shapiro to explain to them why sexism is better than being gay, and the only way to stop him is to use our service to write corrections in his comments, run along now! And remember, when it comes to short form audio visual content, there’s literally nowhere else to turn to!

Me: I just wanted to see those animated forest animal videos with fun animal facts

[bisexual-magneto]

almost like people can have a "my blorbo can do no wrong mentality" about their favourite media

Like people still OFMD or even harry potter because BLORBO UWU

Beau DeMayo is white-washing apolgist but we still watch x-men 97

(...I also found some...other unsavoury stuff about Beau DeMayo a few weeks ago. Which might be a rumour but I was curious why Disney fired him and why it was kept under wraps and then I found a reddit post where people...talked about it. And again, it's a rumour. But if it's true, it's pretty bad).

But yeah! I think there is a big irony here, where every time a new show or book or game or movie is recommended around here, the fans try to wring ANY bit of progressiveness out of it so, so, so hard because THAT’S how you get people watching: By insisting how diverse it is, how modern it is, how ethical it is, by interpreting anything that can somehow be interpreted as leftist as leftist, even blatant misinterpretation (no, the misogynistic male white leads who are best friends are not the writer’s attempt to write a queer love story*)

So every time it turns out that the writers do suck or that the show does have a horrible message, it just kind of splits into 3 crowds

“The show/film/movie sucked anyway and I hate it now!” (which honestly, this one I have the least issue with. But I feel like it’s a bit dangerous to just do a 180° instead of admitting that horrible people can write good stories or that a well-crafted story can rope you in to accept a fucked-up core-message.)

“We have to separate the writer from the work!” (which is the old problem of making sure they don’t still get fucking money from you.)

What they’re doing with Neil Gaiman now: Angrily trying to argue his case and disprove the allegations, usually peppered with some weird sweeping statements acting like there is now a hate-campaign against the fandom and ‘everything is so toxic now!’)

And I think the flipside of this – of this kind of personal moral investment on why this video game is the Morally Superior Video Game or why Harry Potter is the answer to all life’s questions or committing to supporting Neil Gaiman’s victims – is that they seem to feel like if they would admit that the creators are horrible people, they would also be forced to give up the kind of moral superiority high that they got from pretending their fandom was the most superior, most moral fandom to ever exist in the first place.

By the end of it, they just act like every alt-righter and conservative when a rich white person receives backlash: Try to smear the victims, try to use singular statements and aspects of the culprit’s past behaviour to show what a Nice Little Dude he is (“here’s Johnny Depp visiting those kids at the hospital again!”), make up some fake alternative universe where victims (especially members of marginalised groups) are actually taken super-seriously by some Dangerous Woke Mob while innocent rich men have their careers ruined all over  their place and are dangerously oppressed. They’re not so different from the people who claimed Bill Cosby was being falsely accused even after he fucking confessed.

And the thing is…Hollywood is extremely fake. Rich people are extremely fake. They have agents and stuff managing their public appearances and reputations and statements. And the thing is, that doesn’t necessarily mean someone is bad – I would do the same if I were a public person. I would also manage which parts of me the public sees and gets to react to and relentlessly talk about online and in insipid tabloid articles and so on.

But the point is, that we don’t know these people. No one knows these people just based on their tumblr or twitter or anything. I remember for how long there were ‘first glimpses’ of JKR’s transphobia and tumblr kept explaining it away, usually arguing that it is misinterpreting or that she didn’t know who she was sharing or that being suspicious of her for liking 1 post is disingenuous. While she has been friends with the likes of Emma Nicholson since at least 2005.

Anyway, if anyone around here hasn't already, please read I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

(*this is more a general statement, not a comment on the fandoms you mentioned, obviously stuff like OFMD does have queer love stories. Before anyone gets in my business.)

[elenisms]

hey do you have any recommendations for a good leg workout videos/routine??? trying to get into it again so i can smash pumpkins with my thighs for fall. thank you for your help <3

Hi! Finding workout videos and routine pdfs on the internet is a hellscape and I definitely have NOT been into this long enough to give you pointers myself.

For the record what I do is:

For compounds: Squats (Bar), Goblet Squats, Leg Press (Single Leg) (I do this bc I HATE Bulgarian split squats with a burning burning passion. I'm so sorry)

For these i do 3 or 4 sets and go as close to failure I can for 6 to 8 reps. If I can reach over 8 for my last set i consider going up in weight.

For accessories (less muscle groups involved): Leg curls, Leg extensions, Calf raises

For these I do 3 sets but go closer to 8-10 than 6 to 8 reps.

Leg excercises (Crudely) target any or all of these: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings and Calves. Any workout that has your basic squats PLUS excercises for specifically each group is going to be good, I don't have specific online recs this workout is the result of me trying excercises, going "FUCK THAT" and trying different excercises until I found the ones that feel good. Only squats (and deadlifts! On pull days!!!) can't be taken out I fear.

Here's some more niche shit advice that I can think of being useful rn:

The dude on reddit 14 years ago has a better routine for you than any influencer on insta. You don't need more than 5-6 excercises. Always start from squats and compound movements and then move down to excercises that target specific muscle groups. Using free weights instead of machines is scary but free weights give you a much better picture of your strength and what your body is capable of and core strength is always nice, do both. Most fitness ppl online are on steroids. Being gay will make you follow buff ppl on the internet but be careful bc it can make you feel like shit. Warm up by doing the excercise you're about to do with LESS weight, cool down by stretching. If youre sore eat more protein right after working out, i liked chugging milk right after I made it back home from the gym bc I'm gross and you can too if you enjoy milk n assorted products. Rest for at least 60 seconds between sets. Gendered workouts are fake. Try a bunch of diff excercises but stick to the 5 or 6 you prefer most, switching around too much makes it hard to track progress. And lastly be careful of the internet clocking you're (back) into fitness and then promptly showing you Eating Disorder Ads it's vile shit.

That's that! This isn't coherent or concise and it ended up being longer than I thought but hope it's helpful!

[goddamnelsa]

okay here we go, the few things i liked and the MANY things i hated:

(obviously spoilers under the cut plus trigger warnings for game content--specifically suicide and self harm discussion)

Liked: -it was free -the environments looked great, the light effects were awesome -a few effective jump scares--the paper bag people for one is a good moment -the whole sequence in anita's childhood apartment where you get progressively smaller as you loop, that whole thing was probably the best and they spent NO TIME ON IT -did i mention it was free? zero risk here and yet i still wouldn't recommend it!!

Did not like: -HOO BOY OKAY -the storyline is incredibly on the nose and not balanced in anyway. remember the whole anita's childhood thing?? yeah, that should've been a MUCH bigger part of the story, but instead they focus on the teen drama between anita, amelie, and maya -i did not dig the video sections of maya talking and her incredibly stilted and bad voiceover (just because i find the stilted voice acting of sh1-4 charming doesn't mean i...want more of it) -THE SILENT HILL PHENOMENON MY FACE WHEN I SAW THAT I CAN'T REPLICATE IT BUT IT WAS WHOLLY UNAMUSED -WHY IS THIS IN GERMANY?? WHY IS THIS NOT IN SILENT HILL OR AN ADJACENT TOWN?? we have lore for this guys!! there are several towns neighboring silent hill that have people still in them! -nothing in this bland ass story needs for this to be set in a fake german town btw, the town itself has nothing to do with the story except as background and i guess as a reason why the teens want to leave so bad?? but like that's...normal. i grew up in a boring normal suburban town and i couldn't wait to move away, that's pretty bog-standard for most teenagers. -i know i'm in the minority but i didn't like the creature (SINGULAR SIGH) design!! i know it's masahiro ito, but i've seen ito's work, he can do better!! -THIS WASN'T SCARY AT ALL. Because the creature is relegated to specific chase sequences, a la Shattered Memories, there is no peril, no anxiety about exploring -AND the environments are so well rendered and they don't care if you explore ANY OF IT. There is hardly anything to interact with! Maybe one or two things per room. This really hit me when I entered the library and it was such a great environment and there were TWO things to click on. I couldn't even zoom in to look at other stuff. Like again, reminds me of SH:SM with lots to look at, but at least it SH:SM you got to click on SO MUCH and Harry had something to say about EVERYTHING no matter how banal it was. -also the chase sequences were frustrating and not in a scary-anxiety-inducing way just in a extremely discouraging and frustrating way ESPECIALLY the final one where i just rage quit and watched the final cutscene on youtube because FUCK THAT CHERRY BLOSSOM BITCH. She's not predictable and there is no rhyme or reason to the mazes and she one-shot kills you so the first death is like AAH that's scary! but every subsequent one, anita got more and more frightened and i got more and more PISSED. -i didn't mind the content warning at the beginning--sh has always had content warnings! albeit more generic, but still there!--but using it again and again after every one of anita's suicide attempts just felt...bad. like hey! we don't condone bullying or suicide! but we're going to keep showing you this teenage girl trying to kill herself! but it's OKAY! WE'RE GIVING YOU RESOURCES! -i think that's the crux for me about why i hated this so much and i'm not going to dig any new sh going forward--they are clearly trying to do the indie A24 style of horror as therapy, and it's not always bad, but it IS hard to nail, and i don't trust that konami can deliver because they are just trying to strike gold again with more and more sh2 copies, even though for a lot of core sh fans, sh2 is the outlier, not the norm. where are my cults?? where is my teen girl forced to gestate a god embryo and then throw it up in the eleventh hour??? and then kill her god baby??? now every protagonist must have undealt-with-trauma and silent hill is here to make you deal with it whether you want to or not. silent hill: your new therapist, dear CHRIST -silent hill has a silent hill 2 problem, it always has, i don't know why i thought that might change with this new slate of games, but HERE WE ARE I GUESS -um silent hill: f please come and save me??? -also please set silent hill games in silent hill again 2k24 -that's all. don't play this game. yes, it's free. don't play it. (but if you do, message me so i can scream some more about it)

sh: the short message was Not Good, like i had low expectations (as i do for all new sh media) but they still managed to disappoint me!! incredible!!

[silvermoon424]

??? What was that anon even on??? You post stuff in support of trans right all of time and I’m pretty sure I was introduced to your blog because of post you made supporting nonbinary/intersex Haruka.

Like do they think you’ve just been faking supporting trans people for the past couple of years?

Oops same anon from before I clicked send before I meant to but I wanted to say I’m sorry you get such bad faith comments in your inbox 😣

No but you see, because I made a poorly-worded post that can be misconstrued years ago that clearly means I fucking hate trans people and am also probably a TERF 🙃

Like, I say all the time that I'm ignorant of a lot of the intricacies of trans issues; "ignorant" as in "lacks knowledge in due to lack of exposure," not "actively malicious and hateful." I've really tried to broaden my scope by following and keeping up with trans content creators such as Contrapoints, Mia Mulder, Kat Blaque, and Jessie Gender (all fantastic creators btw, highly recommend them. Would also recommend Philosophy Tube/Abigail Thorne, who's also a trans woman but does not focus on gender as much in her videos).

I feel like listening to these trans people has really widened my perspective over the past few years, although of course there are still blindspots I have. I'm always up for being educated, although I really don't appreciate people automatically assuming the worst about me. Like everyone, I'm a work in progress but I'm also not a piece of shit.

[sour--disposition]

Better Off

-

harry lewis x fem!reader

-

Requested: Hi been loving your stuff on Harry, was wondering if you could write smth where the reader is a singer and is best mates with talia and used to go out with an artist (idm who) a while ago and the break up was super messy and they write a diss track about reader and then reader responds with a diss track and announces her and Harry’s relationship and they just get an amazing fan reaction Lysm 💕

(The songs that inspired this (and I highly recommend listening to) are Do Rei Me by Blackbear for the ex-boyfriend and Fake by Conan Gray and Lauv for the reader and Talia)

You watched the screen as your ex-boyfriend danced around in over-priced designer clothes, hung off of half naked girls and sprawled over cars that you knew he could never dream of affording. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes as he made himself out to be the victim. Accusing you of cheating and playing games, wishing he’d never met you, when reality it was him who’d fucked up.

It was no secret that the song was about you. You’d had a ridiculously public relationship, every move the two of you made was documented by either him or his camera crew. Ultimately, that was the death of the relationship, long before the infidelity started.

As much as you were angry about being slewed all across the internet by a man whose fans would take his word as gospel, you were even more worried about the impact that it would have on your music career. You’d only released a few songs and without your best friend, Talia, you wouldn't have nearly as much exposure as you did.

Singing with Talia in some of her YouTube videos and featuring in a song on her EP were what kick started your career. People took interest in you and what you sang and what you wrote. People wanted to hear your voice and your words and you’d never been happier. You wouldn’t let him take all of this away from you before it was even firmly in your grasp.

Your phone rang beside you, a picture of you and Talia on a night out filling the screen. “Hello”, you sighed heavily. “It’s bad”.

“I know, but I have an idea”, she told you.

-

You sat back as the video uploaded onto YouTube, heart hammering in your chest as you watched the progress bar. The palms of your hands were clammy as you knotted them together over and over again. “It’ll be fine”, Talia assured you.

Logically, you knew it would be, but only you and Talia knew about this secret project. Not even Harry knew. As angry as he was about what was said about you by your ex, he knew that you meant it when you promised him that you were handling it and not to worry. You couldn’t, however, handle a barrage of hate from this project on top of the backlash from your ex-boyfriend’s performance.

Simon and Harry were waiting in the living room, Talia’s channel already loaded up on the screen, waiting for the video to go live to watch it. “Come on”, she encouraged you, nudging you out of the office and towards the living room.

You sat next to Harry, curling into him as he wrapped an arm around you protectively. Talia grinned and cheered when the video appeared on the screen, immediately selecting it to play. You watched as the black and white video filled the screen, the effect of old, damaged tape over the videos of you and Talia.

You and Talia writing, singing, dancing around the studio, laughing, smiling… The process of turning the idea into a piece of art and creating the perfect video to accompany it. There were videos and polaroids of you and the girls, the guys and some of you and Harry tactfully posed so that his face wouldn’t be revealed.

You’d finally gotten to release your anger, tell your side of the story, expose your ex-boyfriend for who he really was. It felt so good to get it off your chest, regardless of the reaction to the video.

You watched as it drew to close, as you belted the final chorus solo. The last frame was a video of you kissing Harry, your hand held up to the camera to obscure his identity once again. “But when the real you’s back, I won’t pick up my phone”.

“That was amazing”, Harry told you, pulling you closer for a tight hug. “The video’s amazing, the song is amazing. All of it”, he told you honestly.

“You really liked it?”, you asked.

“Of course I did”, he assured you, pulling you in for a kiss.

Both you and Talia had shared the link to the video on Twitter and Instagram. The views and likes were skyrocketing, and so were the comments on your socials. The love and support was flooding in for both of you, so much so that you felt overwhelmed. But if that wasn’t enough…

Your phone started vibrating like mad, followers and mentions and comments all hitting your accounts like a freight train. You opened Twitter to see what had caused the fresh onslaught, almost dropping your phone in shock when you saw.

Like the rest of the Sidemen, Harry had liked and retweeted the video. It was the “I love you ❤️” blazoned atop the link to the video that surprised you. Harry had always been such a private person, hence you’d made sure there was never enough of him in the photo to identify him, just allude to you being in a relationship.

“Is everything okay?”, Harry asked, taking in your shocked expression.

“You just… You-”, you cut yourself off, instead turning your phone around to show Harry his tweet. “Are you sure?”, you asked him.

“As I’ve ever been”, he promised you.

You read through the replies to Harry’s tweet. The support and love from his fans brought tears to your eyes. Not only were people loving your song, they were also loving your relationship. It really was the best case scenario.

“Why did you do it?”, you asked Harry later that night as his head pillowed on your chest and your fingers carded through his hair slowly. He snorted, thinking over his reply.

“Well, I had to make sure people knew you weren’t available”.

[blindbeta]

Something I frequently see in atla fanfic is Toph rolling her eyes and other characters being surprised she can do that. (“Who taught her that?” Is a very common sentence.) I wonder if this is realistic? Obviously, with some forms of blindness, rolling your eyes is no problem. But would Toph, blind from birth, be able to roll her eyes? I’m sorry if this question is hyper-specific. I see this trope in at least half of all fics with Toph in them. (Thanks for your amazing blog and all you do.)

I welcome hyper-specific questions here! Especially about A:TLA and Toph, where fandom is both a nice break from ableism and a very ableist place.

With the resurgence of Avatar, there were an agonizing amount of comments like this online. Although they were more about how unrealistic it was for Toph to have facial expressions, how the animators messed up by having her eyes move, etc. The “Who taught her that?” trope about eye-rolling is simply another manifestation of that.

It is hard to explain my frustration with questions like these, even if no offense is meant. These questions bother me partly because they assume certain things that make it clear they have never met a blind person, nor bothered to research before commenting, endlessly, on what is or is not possible for blind people.

Also, as I explained in this post about myths, even the ignorance behind expectations like these can be harmful. In assuming Toph cannot have facial expressions, a blind person who makes expressions or gestures may be assumed to be faking. This puts a lot of stress on a blind person, who may be refused help, harassed, or even attacked. Plus they are just annoying. In this post, I go over how some of these assumptions carry over into jokes, something the Avatar fandom is also not exempt from.

Jokes are fine. Questions even more so. As long as someone is genuinely asking and not coming from a bad place. For example: “I wonder how Toph learned to make facial expressions as a blind baby” is easier to answer than “OMG Avatar is so unrealistic and ridiculous because Toph, a blind girl, makes the same kinds of expressions as the other characters!”

Facial expressions are instinctual and innate. There are basic expressions that many people can make and understand — with some exceptions — which have evolutionary implications. For example, making a face of disgust could have indicated that something was poisonous. A face of fear could have alerted others to danger. Eye rolling is not quite so useful or ancient, but it has been referenced in older literature as a way to express contempt or rejection.

I would put eye rolling in with the gestures category. By this I mean research shows blind people gesture just like others who speak the same language. Because gestures are culturally specific, they can differ depending on language. Even people who were blind since birth gesture the same way others do. Eye rolling is not much different. No one would need to teach Toph how to roll her eyes, although she probably would have heard about it verbally eventually as she aged, such as when Azula teased her by saying, “And since you can’t see, I should tell you I’m rolling my eyes.”

So the “Who taught her that?” question is not very realistic as far as I’m concerned.

I will say that sometimes people have rapid eye movement and difficulty controlling the muscles in their eyes. Before I had surgery, I would have uncontrollable eye movements in one eye and since I couldn’t see my own eye, I have no idea if rolling my eyes actually looked like it is supposed to. And because I can’t see other people very well, I’m not sure if I’m the best person to give details about this.

But the real issue behind the other characters being surprised Toph can roll her eyes isn’t so much about the ability to do so, so much as just knowing about it. Again, the same question comes up about facial expressions and gestures.

I also want to clarify that the ableism in the Avatar fandom isn’t really about mean words or even rude assumptions. It is the attitudes and beliefs behind these questions. It is a rudimentary understanding of ableism that causes people to claim Katara is ableist so they can hate her, while similtaneously complaining that Katara and Zuko talk about their trauma too much. While simultaneously sharing art and GIFs and videos of Toph without image descriptions. While saying very little about the show’s lack of audio descriptions when it was added to Netflix initially, or even assuming blind people couldn’t or wouldn’t watch the show at all. Not because of a lack of accessibility, but because people simply assume we don’t like television or films.

If you think about these attitudes and beliefs, you start to notice a pattern. One that isn’t only in the Avatar fandom, but it is made all the more frustrating because the show has a popular blind character in it. You would think people would be interested in learning about blindness, but the overwhelming love for Toph sometimes comes across as exploitive without this interest.

That said. Toph is one of my favorite characters and I love that the fandom loves her too. I love fanfics with her in them. I don’t blame one person for not adding an image description to their art, because image descriptions are not as normalized as they should be, and were certainly not normalized years ago. When I talk about ableism in the Avatar fandom, I don’t mean any one person. I mean the wider problem as a whole that has been going on for over a decade. I mean people who have “ableism” in their vocabulary and yet don’t change their ways when someone gently asks them to. Ableism is in our society and fandom, especially those with blind characters, are no exception, despite whatever hopes I might have.

There are absolutely wonderful people in the Avatar fandom. The fandom is improving on reblogging things with image descriptions or adding their own to older posts, especially art of Toph. While I sometimes feel things are stagnant, there are people like you, anon, asking the good questions. I appreciate you and anyone else who is doing the work to learn and also for supporting this blog. While I have some problems with the fandom, there are wonderful people here and progress is being made every day.

If you want help writing Toph, @mimzy-writing-online has an excellent post with advice. I highly recommend fanfic writers read it for a richer story.

So that’s my wishy-washy Avatar post with some slight education thrown in. Thanks for the question, anon!

If any blind people want to chime in about this, feel free.

I hope this helped some.

-BlindBeta

[whymasi]

43

‘tis the damn season by simplyverstappen (AO3)

Since Christmas is in five days, it’s time to recommend a Christmas fic!

Max hates Christmas with a passion. Hates how fake-cheerful everyone is, hates the stress he suddenly has every December when he realises he needs to get presents for everyone who is somehow close to him and he hates that everyone is suddenly preaching about the importance of family.

or alternatively, Charles is suddenly in Max's kitchen and Max is really fucking done with everything

I think it’s always great to see character progression from one end of the spectrum (in this case, hating Christmas like the Grinch) to the other throughout the fic, and especially with longer fics, it occurs more subtly and gradually, such that by the end of the fic, you’re like, wow this character has changed so much from who he was at the beginning.

Yet, when you think about it, has Max really changed 100%, or are there some things that remain the same deep down? Like wanting to be surrounded with people he loves, just that previously a certain someone by the name of Jos’ “A+ parenting” causes him to think he resents Christmas, and now that he is surrounded by the right people, Max realises he actually doesn’t? 🤔

So yeah, while the Maxiel dating (omg the process is so type 2 diabetes-inducing 😍) is undeniably important to this fic, the other things like watching Max open up to others and realising that being a great driver does not mean having to keep a distance from rivals in order to idk what, being taken advantage of by them???, unlike what his father had taught him, has been equally important too. Drivers still will be rivals on track, but can be good friends off it!

And despite what the summary states, Lestappen does not have a romantic relationship pairing; rather, Charles “annoys” Max quite a lot but well he actually has caring intentions kind of friendship. Something similar goes on between Max and the rest of the Twitch Quartet, but Charles is the most prominently featured side character out of the 4 of them. Some other F1 drivers (including former ones like Hulk and Nico R.) make an appearance too (cues Seb as a father figure to his chaotic grid children :P).

Lastly, I just love the Christmassy things this fic has, the feasts, the gatherings while being surrounded with loved and trusted ones...offers comforting and soft vibes :)))

Happy holidays to those who celebrate Christmas, and for those who don’t, hope you’ll have a nice break! :D

^: screenshot of that RBR 2017 festive video ;)

[cloud9in]

The Half of It

A Mc x Poppy fic inspired by the film 

Summary: Bea, the town’s outcast is recruited by the school jock to win Poppy’s heart. But what happens when she starts falling for her as well?

Author’s Note: So this will be a multiple part series that includes scenes heavily inspired from the movie “The Half of It”. I certainly recommend watching it. My version will have different twists and a different ending, and definitely more angst. It will include mature themes as the story progresses.

Warnings for this chapter: Swearing. This is a good thing for now.

Chapter 1- 

“Love is simply the name for desire and pursuit of the whole.”

                                                   - Plato, The Symposium

It is said that when one half finds its other, there’s an unspoken understanding. A unity. And each would know no greater joy....than this. 

 ...Except this is highschool. And in my opinion, there is no other half. Maybe the other half is a paper on Greek God philosophy due at midnight. But make that four papers, including mine. 

 My name is Bea Hughes and let’s just say...this is not a very happy story. Well maybe some parts are, but you’ll have to read to find out. I come from a small town called Farmsville, and when I mean small, I mean really small. Except the highschool seems fucking huge, with never ending hallways and when you do somehow find the end, there’s usually two inbreds eating each others mouths off. Lucky for me I am the epitome of antisocial, reserved, an introvert, or whatever the inferior beings, aka every other senior, calls me when they think I can’t hear. But I hear everything, including that one time Bradley Denbrough, upcoming hotshot actor, or so he claims, found out about a crush a poor unsuspecting freshman had on him. Everybody knew what Bradley and his goons did to that boy, even the adults, but no charges were pressed. This town is as conservative as it gets, but no one knows of my secret. I carry this school on my back when it comes to having everyone graduate, but that’s all I am to them, a pawn. And that’s all I wanted to be, nothing more and nothing less. I preferred to be in the shadows. 

 ***

 ...Except the mandatory Senior Talent Show forced Bea out of her hibernation hole. The thought haunted her as she sat in the dance studio, the last fucking place she wanted to be. Dance was so not a Bea kinda thing, but the blonde knew exactly why she granted herself the misery of picking the class. Poppy Min Sinclair, the golden girl of Farmsville High, the preacher’s daughter on a more serious note. She is...the most fascinating girl Bea ever laid her eyes on even if her boyfriend was a complete asshole who sermonized his duties as her future husband. Like seriously? Poppy has got to have some screws loose to date such a fake loser who plagiarizes all of his speeches at sunday church, and once literally begged Bea to write an apology letter to his father for him after completely upending their summer cabin. Except the blonde wrote the opposite of an apology, it went something like this…

 Dear beloved donkey, I mean dad,

 I am terribly sorry for inviting 20 hookers to the summer cabin. I have these strange impulses and you should at least be grateful I didn’t invite the big boss as well. His wife came though, in many, many ways. You should get the carpet changed. 

 Sincerely, your STD free son

 It was safe to say that Mr. Denbrough had a near heart attack after reading it, and Bea did kinda feel bad, kinda. He never mentioned the letter to Bradley though, instead silently calling up the owner of Teopoli Catholic Summer Camp and essentially deporting the boy to Canada for the summer. No son of his would end up in hell was what the old man preached everyday from then on. It was the quietest summer Bea had ever experienced. 

 Being the towns outcast, Bea could have her fun when she so chooses to, but that didn’t pay the bills. In fact, the multiple essays that people paid her to write was her way of surviving and taking care of her mother. They weren’t very rich but Bea worked with what she had, helping her mother manage the farm, which included getting on her knees and wrestling the pigs. And that’s how she was gifted the name “pig girl”, stupid Bradley and his fake friends just had to wander too far and catch Bea in the act. She swore a remixed video of her hog calling surfaced the web at one point and that gave the blonde her five minutes of fame. Boy was it an awful time in her life. 

 Bea worked her mother’s previous job as station master or signalman for the trains that passed through, even if it barely paid her shit. The secluded feeling of sitting in that booth and having a moment with her thoughts was enough to give her purpose. Bea was fond of poetry and it usually helped her come up with song lyrics.

 Song lyrics…

 That she would have to sing at the talent show. A huge sigh escaped her lips as she slumped further into the ground, maybe hoping she could bury herself six feet under. It wasn’t that Bea hated singing, no she absolutely loved it. Playing her guitar at night and belting out lyrics that only resulted in her mother banging on the ceiling below in efforts to shut the blonde up. But the mere fact that she’d have to sing in front of the ruthless seniors rubbed her the wrong way. Something would go wrong, it always did. Bea was shaken out of her thoughts when Poppy crossed the center of the room, moving her hips slowly to the sound of Rihanna’s voice. The class chose a slow r&b song to choreograph today and of course all eyes were on Poppy.

 If i’m your girl say my name boy

let me know i'm in control

 Her silky blonde locks swayed as she danced to the beat, hands thrusting sensually along her sides. Bea stared in awe, almost like Poppy was the only one in the room and a spotlight illuminated every movement, every curve. Except she definitely wasn’t the only one picturing Poppy in that way. Carter, the school quarterback leaned against the railing, arms crossed and eyes trailing the rise and fall of her chest. 

 Got me wondering, I’m wondering if i'm on your mind

 Bea sat up straighter but nearly lost her bodily functions when Poppy locked eyes with her before spinning away. It was simple eye contact Bea, don’t let it get to your head. You already have multiple lyrics inspired by Poppy offering the bare minimum in human interaction. She doesn’t actually like you. Poppy is popular and has the perfect life...and boyfriend, even if Bea heavily disagrees. Poppy was a bitch of course, but not a bitch bitch. Unlike the other wannabe mean girls, the blonde didn’t give Bea hell, well that was because the girl paid her zero attention. She seemed distant, off in her own world, or well in her parents world learning the strategies of business. Poppy was expected to follow in her parents footsteps and keep up with her reputation of being the richest in town, and of course a faithful future wife. So fun. But the blonde had other prosperous dreams of travelling and following her passion of music and dance. Highschool was her only outlet and she took advantage of it any chance she’d get. Bea knew this because she would ride her bike every friday night to the school and watch Poppy dance from outside the glass window. Maybe Bea realized it was kinda creepy, but she’s dumb enough to not realize her obvious growing attraction. I mean who pedals miles just to watch someone trip on their feet? 

 ***

 The sound of the bell caught everyone's attention and the teacher slowly lowered the music. Bea watched as Bradley approached Poppy and smothered her with kisses and praises. She rolled her eyes painfully, this kind of PDA definitely wasn’t it, she could have gone her whole life without seeing that. She walked silently through the crowd of kids in the hall, everyone was laughing and talking to their friends. All Bea could allow her mind to focus on was the very intimidating billboard of names a few feet across from her. 

 Winter Talent Show Sign-Ups (Mandatory For Seniors)

 Bea glared at it quietly before signing her name on the sheet, sealing her inevitable fate. Through the hustle of students, Carter watched the blonde with a yearning look from afar. This should be great…

 The next few classes were a blur and Bea eventually found herself getting up to hand Ms. Kingsley her paper. The older woman looked at her with a knowing glance as she took a generous sip of her coffee, which was 75% tequila.

 “6 different interpretations on Plato? Colour me impressed Miss Hughes.” 

 Bea shrugs nonchalant, “yeah well would you rather read their actual essays?”

 “Oh hell no.” Kingsley feigns shock as she looks at the stack of papers with a comical expression. She takes another sip, watching her younger, prodigy of a student carefully. “You know there are places outside of this godforsaken town where you can put your talents to use... Real use. I teach at Belvoire University occasionally.” Ina winks and slides Bea an application, studying her initial reaction. “It’s...in New York.”

“Damn right! The Big Apple.”

 “Kingsley you know I have to stay here. It’ll be easier for me to manage the farm and be close to home”, Bea says confidently even though her body language displays otherwise. She predicted the big sigh filling her ears before it actually happened and it still managed to faze her. “Who ever said you had to do anything? What about what you want to do?” Bea doesn’t make eye contact with Ina, that woman could convince you to do just about anything with a certain look. “No we are not doing this. You can take your reverse psychology and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. I’m outta here.” The blonde stomps out of the classroom, the sound of Ina’s chuckles still ringing in her ears.

 “Hey! Everyone in this town fears God, but you know what God fears? My ability to hide a bottle of Don Julio in my left boot.” Ina pulls out the newly bought bottle and cradles it. “Come to mama.”

 ***

 Bea rode her bike alongside the dirt road, Kingsley’s words on replay the entire ride. Maybe she did deserve to experience something more than what this town had to offer. But would her mother manage without her? Sacrifices, sacrifices. Bea was used to making those for her mother after her father’s death. What would her dad think of all of this?

 “Hey!”

 He’d surely smack Bea upside the head for the little antics she pulled occasionally. And then he’d buy her vanilla coconut ice cream and ask for every single detail of what happened as they sat and laughed together. That’s the kind of relationship Bea would have had with her father, she liked to assume so. She also liked to assume that she’d get home safely everyday without a scratch, but then there’s Carter.

 “Hey wait up!” 

 The jock seemed to be running ridiculously fast and crashed right into the rear end of Bea’s bicycle, sending her face first into a mount of dirt. The initial impact was enough to boost the blonde straight back up like nothing happened and into a fighting stance, fists out and eyes wild. Very scary Bea. When she realized it was him...well it only pissed her off even more. “What the fuck Carter! You asshole!”

 “I’m sorry Bea! Here let me help-”

 “No! Move away! You- my bike- I…” Bea groans frustratingly, stepping away from the wreck as she tries to catch her breath. Carter watches her sheepishly, rubbing an envelope between his fingers awkwardly. After a few minutes of painfully uneasy silence he speaks up, “Okay...I didn’t want to ask you this way but I was wonder-”

“Oh, so you practically break my ass and now you want me to do you a favour? Real nice way of communication you have there Mr. Quarterback. What is with you and those freakishly large muscles anyways? Maybe it’s my fault I didn’t hear your avalanche built ass coming from behind.”

 “Hey! They are not freakishly large!”

 “I hate to break it to you Jackson but mine are significantly more appealing to look at.” Bea smirks widely, flexing her arm as best as she could. It’s a work in progress… just bare with her.

 It didn’t take much effort for Carter to break out into a smile and look at her fondly. Maybe there was more to this girl than just being a human dictionary. Well that’s what people called her, and he maybe believed it at first.

 Bea noticed the lack of response and shifted awkwardly, clearing her throat. “Listen, its $10 for three pages, $20 for three to ten, I'm not in the over-ten-page biz.”

 “No..no I’m not here to cheat!” Carter blurts out. “But I’ll let you know if I do plan on- anyways. I uh..” He hesitates before handing her the envelope. “What’s this?

 “Well you see it’s a letter..”

 “Yeah but who writes letters these days?”

 “I thought it seemed romantic..”

 “And I thought women writing Jeffrey Dahmer letters in jail seemed romantic”, Bea says sarcastically, her smile dropping instantly after catching a glimpse of Poppy’s name at the top of the paper. It was like the blood stopped flowing through her body for a few seconds as her mouth went dry. This had to be the work of the so-called God everyone praised in this town, or it was one cruel coincidence. Bea wasn’t sure why seeing her name made her heart beat ten times harder, but it also wasn’t a necessarily uncomfortable feeling…

 “I- I can’t help you.”

 “But if you just add a few more words-”

 “I’m not writing a letter to Poppy Min Sincla- to..to some girl for you. Letters are supposed to be authentic, from the heart, your own words, your...feelings.” Bea hurriedly turns to grab her bike, suddenly losing all interest in being social. 

 Carter was afraid this would happen. But he was stubborn. “But I can pay more for authentic!” 

 Too bad Bea was stubborn as well. “Just get a thesaurus...Good luck, Romeo.”

***

 Bea sat in her room, strumming away softly at the strings of her guitar. Some of the keys were off but the old thing still worked, and that was good enough for her. She could hear the tv blasting downstairs, her mother most likely watching the news. There’s something about old people and news, were they secretly ogling the news anchors? Just like Bea ogled Poppy any chance she could. The blonde frowned to herself, her eyebrows crunching together in question. What so hard about writing a letter to Poppy? It’s not like it's coming from her. Well it technically is, but Carter is taking the credit and Bea never had a problem with people taking credit for her words. So why did this very thought prove to be such an inconvenience? Lucky for Bea, her mind drifted elsewhere when she heard a painful snap. Even if it wasn’t physically connected to her body, she felt a horrible ache. Slowly peering down at the guitar in her hand, Bea found that the neck of the guitar had miraculously split almost clean off, a splinter of wood just holding it intact. She wanted to scream but nothing really came out, except air of course. Much to her disapproval, this was definitely a result of her strength. Stupid muscles couldn’t contain themselves at the thought of Carter being with Poppy. Now how could that be? 

 But now she had no guitar. And no guitar means no strings to strum, and no lyrics to sing, and no talent to show at the talent show. Now she was in trouble. Probably because she knew that the only way to get the money to replace the guitar would be through sealing the deal with Carter. Oh fuck it!

 ***

 “One letter. And enough money to buy a new guitar.”

 “Deal!”

 Bea turns away with a sigh, completely ignoring Carter’s high five. Now all she had to do was write this letter, and pray that Poppy wouldn’t completely consume every fiber of her being in the process.

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

End note: So how we feelin’? Carter and Bea Brotp??

Tags: @samanthadalton @somewillwin @clowneryme @baexpoppy @zigxryanz @uselesslesbianfr @aleiramacaii @thedaft1 @alexlabhont @iamsimpforpoppy

[satsuki2406]

OPEN SKY Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

“…And never, ever forget that, your dreams are the wings that’ll help you fly.”

(L/N)(Y/N) has always been forced to live according to others’ expectations. As a member of the powerful and influential (L/N) Family, she has had to live with the heavy weight of seeing others write her destiny with no choice but just obey. But when (Y/N) finally decides to risk it all to take the only opportunity to regain the control of her own life, everything ends up going horribly wrong. Surrendered and disappointed, she receives one last chance to prove to herself and to U.A, along with some unexpected help that this was not a crazy and meaningless waste of time.

Maybe this plan could work after all…

PAIRING: (Bakugou Katsuki x Reader)

GENRE/WARNINGS: Romance, Fluff, Angst, Mentions of sex (nothing explicit tho), dark themes, My poor attempt of comedy, family dysfunctionality, toxic relationships, Strong language (Courtesy of King Lord Explosion Murder 💥), Manga Spoilers.

STATUS: On going

Masterlist \(￣︶￣*\))

6- Have We Got a Deal?

✒A/N:

I rewrote this chapter like three times, and hopefully, now it turned out better. I read my progress again a couple of weeks ago and it was simply, not right. I hated it so much that I decided to delete it and work again on it. The essence is the same of what I planned for this chapter and although it is a bit longer now, I took the chance to get into more detail about certain things and express better about others. The conversation between Reader-chan and Kaguya may have become a bit deeper than it used to be, but I really liked the outcome and gave me more ideas for the future plot. That's all for now.

Hope you enjoy it! q(≧▽≦q)

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So, my dear sweet cousin, do you accept or not?

“W-Wait a minute! You can’t be serious, do you- do you understand the implications of what you’re saying?!” You said incredulously.

“Of course I do, why do you think we are here?” Kaguya said while she took another canape and bit it. She chewed slowly while you watched her attentively, the dread in your stomach growing by increments, exasperated for her to continue. She finally swallowed and took a sip of wine.

“So? Would you care to explain what on earth is actually happening, because you don’t expect me to believe that the cause of such an unprecedented change is because of some internet gossip” You said in a demanding tone.

“Of course it’s not, but if you are patient enough I’ll explain it to you with pleasure, so you better watch your tone with me, brat.” She hissed.

You puffed out your cheeks but nodded in cue for her to continue.

“Approximately three days ago grandmother convened a last-minute meeting in her abode to discuss this problem. At first, I thought she was overreacting about this whole ordeal, after all big corporates and companies are attacked and critized all the time, but after a long, long discussion, we all agreed that the situation should not be taken lightly and it needed to be addressed as soon as possible.”

“That bad it is?” You asked slightly concerned.

“Unfortunately,” Kaguya answered. “Walls covered in graffiti in Kyoto, people protesting and messing with the employees at the ER main entrance in Hosu, broken windows in Deika and thousands and thousands of emails and nasty messages in all our social media accounts. We had to hire the services of a whole publicity agency so they could deal with the problem, hardly. It has been difficult to contain, but it paid off because it hasn’t been leaked into any important newscast. Internet, the origin of the problem, has been another story, unfortunately, in these cases, it can be very difficult and unforgiving to work with; once something enters, is nearly impossible to pull it out and if you succeed there’s always a risk it would pop up anywhere when you least expect it.” Kaguya said while she rubbed her temples.

“Internet is a huge source of news and information for thousands of people nowadays, even millions, fake or not, and also the main responsible that this situation slipped out of control faster.”

You contemplated your next words as you soaked in all the information you just were provided with, so you could express your ideas and queries as clear as possible. “Okay…but why is everybody so angry about our current family situation? I get it’s messed up, but why go as far as vandalize privite property and nag about it on social media?” You asked slightly hesitant.

“As an institution, we had always presented and preserved ourselves as a family, working to, and for the Japanese families generation after generation, no matter where we went, we always went together, always radiating the image of a happy, healthy, and unified family. Throughout the time several members of our family had made multiple presentations in public inspiring kindness and charisma, earning the trust and love of the people, which is impressive considering the heavily hero centered world we live in. Now that there are strong rumors putting all of these apparent facts into question, some people feel mocked, disappointed, and cheated… besides other things.” Kaguya mumbled.

“Sorry I could not listen the last part Kaguya.” You said puzzled.

“Don’t worry, I was just talking to myself, the important thing is that the problem is been solved, millions will be invested but is necessary. We have already started a huge ad campaign, a lot of important heroes will be involved so we can reassure and remind people why we have been their number one choice during over a century, that we still the same and will always remain the same, that we do not change, we improve.”

“I see, but you haven’t explained what does this have to do with me going to U.A-”

“As I told you she decided to make exceptions, due to the unusual situation we are going through right now we need unusual solutions as well and as part of our ad campaign and for the sake of our image she decided that two fortunate souls would have the chance to pursue a carrier of their choice, you know to placate the masses.”

“ Of course, a different series of factors would be taken into account when examining the option chosen and its potential benefits for the interests of the company, if these results are not satisfactory, the other alternatives will be analyzed to find a more suitable one and the aforementioned process will be repeated. Once we find satisfactory results, grandmother will proceed to revise everything once more and give her approval or deny it.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that we are doing the same thing but with more options? And they are going to evaluate if we can actually perform well in these new career options?” You asked unimpressed at your grandmas’ unwillingness to let the leash lose a bit even in a situation like this.

“Exactly right, it’s a change but there are still rules nonetheless.” Kaguya affirmed as she refilled her cup again. “Don’t get me wrong, she is really mad, just the thought of sacrifice two pawns in one single move is driving her crazy”

“Which selection system will be used in this case?” You asked.

“Nominations. As you already know there are two potential candidates, besides you of course.”

“Two? But there’s other three-”

“Aya has already been selected by grandmother herself, he’ll be enrolled into U.A next year via recommendation, everything is ready and processed the only thing left is to break the news on him.”

You grimaced, anxious, and preoccupied to see your already thin chances narrow even more. Your cousin, Aya was a famous vlogger and influencer with a strongly settled fanbase in and out of Japan. His videos generally focus on his daily life, trips to cool and exotic destinations, and the typical ‘eat this’, ‘do that’ challenges that always went around the internet.

He also participated in different campaigns to raise funds for different charitable causes and was a fervent advocator of animal rights and the environment, even donating millions from his own pocket. He always did his best to involve the name of the (L/N) Group, allowing them to organize, participate and sponsor some of these events helping bust their image as a caritative, conscious, and woke organization.

The bastard overflew with kindness and charisma and knew how to surround himself with the right people to manage his channel properly, although no relatable for the regular mid-class YouTube user, you had to admit that his videos were fun, entertaining, interesting, and sometimes, informative, that was the reason they were always flooded with millions of views, comments, likes and overall the crushing success he was experiencing every time he uploaded a new one.

He’s rich, famous, handsome, and had an appealing personality, add hero to that list and you’ll get the recipe to success. It wouldn't surprise you at all if he reached the top 10 of the HBC in a year just out of sheer popularity. His quirk is also fitted for a hero, he’ll need some serious training, but nothing that money and elite PT could not manage.

“How am I supposed to compete with that?” You whispered with your head down watching how your knuckles turned whiter as your hands crinkled your uniform skirt.

“Don’t trouble yourself with what you’re not supposed to, Aya is not competition, not anymore, instead try to focus on the actual competition, and may I add that you got a really big chance with my brother out of the picture. Kaguya smirked at you confidently.

“You think so?” You asked doubtfully.

“Believe me (Y/N), my sister is really smart and competent, but has the charm and social skills of a cardboard box, and Himeko, well… we could resume all her virtues, abilities and skills to shopping, makeup, gossip, selfies, social media, being pretty and an absolute headache. Grandmother got big plans for her after she graduates though, so I’ll take her out of the picture as well.”

“Big plans?” You said arching your eyebrow.

“Let’s say that, right now, we have a great, juicy, and very convenient deal that is in negociation right now and she is a vital piece to close it successfully. Don’t worry, your curiosity will be satiated soon enough.”

“What worries me is that I think I got a grasp of what you’re talking about.”

“Aw. Come on, businesses are businesses (Y/N), C’est la vie.” She said as she shrugged uninterested.

“Yeah, because is not you.” You grumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, why don’t you continue.”

“You are right, where we were? Oh, right.”

‘Was she really just dismissing the topic like that?!’

“Tell me (Y/N), do you think that I would have brought you here and propose this plan to you if I didn’t have an ace up my sleeve? Please. There are some important and positive points that can grant us success if we exploit them properly, but we must play our cards wisely, unfortunately, that’ll have to wait until we are completely alone.” Confused your arched your eyebrow, until your ears were met with the sound of the wheels of a certain golden cart rapidly approaching.

“Hello again ladies, let me take this off,” Hiro said while he took the almost empty canape plate along the rest of the dishes. “Is there anything else you would like? Would you like another beverage (L/N)-sama?” Hiro said looking at your semi voided glass.

“Y-Yes please”

“Alright!” With the swift and skill of years of experience, Hiro served your plates, removed the shiny silver food covers, refilled both water cups and Kaguya’s wine cup as well in less than a minute. “Please enjoy, if there’s anything else you would like I’ll be happy to assist you! I’ll be back in a minute with your drink miss.”

You spent the next couple of minutes in total silence waiting for your drink in order to continue your conversation privately and interruption-free. Just as said, Hiro returned instants later with the promised drink and finally left you two to converse calmly.

“Well, now that the coast is clear, let me fill you up with what you have to know and do in order to obtain a favorable outcome for both of us.” Kaguya began as she sliced a bite of quail breast.

“So, this is my plan…”

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Now with your dinner night already finished, you were now heading to your house. This ride was as quiet as the one to the restaurant, but without the suffocating weight of uncertainty. Your head was filled now with the echoes of your conversation with Kaguya, debating, analyzing, considering, comprehending every single word of it.

“You seem troubled, you are doubtful, aren’t you?” Said Kaguya interrupting your thoughts.

“I’m more scared than anything if this doesn’t work-”

“It will, you already know what to do, just focus on that. I’ll keep in contact with you anyway, in case of emergencies or any last-minute matter.” She then proceeded to rummage in her purse and took out a brand-new phone, it was one of those not so high-quality flip phones that you can get for a really low price, probably a disposable one.

“I already put my phone number in it, so we can communicate without issue. This phone is a really basic one, so it has no internet access but you have unlimited calls and texts. Just make sure to keep it hidden from your mother or that blabbermouth maid of yours.”

“Yes, I’ll find a place.”

“Perfect, remember, the announce dinner will be this Saturday, surely your mom would tell you, everybody will be there, they must at least.”

Another twenty minutes passed before you were at the main door of your lavish home. Silently, you excited the car after Soichiro opened the door for you and you headed to the front door.

“We’ll keep in contact, until then, (Y/N).” Kaguya said softly, once she finished Soichiro shut the door, bowed his head, and wished you a good evening. He straightened up his posture and proceeded to hop in the car again. Quietly you observed the car get farther and farther until it disappeared. You stayed there in silence, while the nightly wind swayed your hair delicately. The sound of the door opening distracted you, then, you turned around to be met with the gentle smile of Nobu-san.

“Okaerinasai, (Y/N)-sama, how was your dinner with Kaguya-sama?”

“Pretty…unexpected.” You looked everywhere, making sure that nobody else was listening to your conversation. “I’ll fill you out on the details later” You whispered and Nobu-san nodded knowingly. “I see, your bath is ready (Y/N)-sama. Please take your time and relax, it’s been a long night after all,” He got slightly closer to you and cupped his hand around his mouth, and whispered. “I’m pretty sure you’ll make good use of this time to ponder any thought that is troubling your mind.” He distanced from you, crossed his arms behind his back, and gave you a gentle closed-eye smile. “Would you like a cup of tea after your bath?”

You smiled at him fondly.

“(F/T/F), please.”

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You’ve been lying if you said that you could actually sleep the night before. Your head could not stop to reproduce in a loop your conversation with Kaguya the night before, like a broken record you couldn’t escape from. Before you noticed, the outrageous melody of your alarm resounded in the spaciousness of your room. You groaned in protest, unwillingly getting up to start your day.

Dressed and ready, you took your bag and went downstairs to have breakfast. Before you could finish hopping down the stairs you caught a glimpse of your mother sitting at the head chair, like always with your father by her side, she was holding her morning coffee while she read some emails on her laptop.

As always she looked stunning in her soft pink and golden outfit, she crossed her legs, put down her cup and started typing in her laptop.

You straighten your posture the best you could and approached the table with delicate steps. “Good morning mother, good morning dad”

“Good morning dear, how did you sleep?” Said your mother without taking her eyes off the screen in a somewhat flat tone as her fingers tapped nimbly over the keyboard. “Pretty well, and yourself?” You said while you took a seat at the innecesarily expansive dinning table.

“Not so well sadly, there’s been some… issues I had to take care of.” She hissed a bit irritated as she rubbed her temples.

“I-I see, hopefully, you’ll have a better day today, mother.”

“I doubt it, unluckily, but thank you for your words, darling. Now hurry up or you’ll be late.”

“Yes, mother.”

“You should have some fresh fruit honey; the mangos are delicious!” Said the cheerful voice of your father. You smiled fondly at him while he reciprocated with a smile of his own. “I’ll do then, thank you for your suggestion dad.” You answered while one of the maids served you a portion of fresh mixed fruit in a bowl and Nobu-san poured tea in your cup.

“(Y/N)” Spoke your mom.

“Yes, mother?”

“Your grandmother had organized a family dinner this Saturday that we must assist, of course, I expect nothing less of you than be on your best behavior, also is imperative that you choose your outfit today so I can determine if it’s appropriate for the occasion. If you need to go shopping just tell Sasaki, I activated your debit card again just this time.” She said authoritatively.

“Yes mother, I’ll do it today after class.” You said as you topped your fruit with some honey, yougurt and granola. 

“Splendid, now if you excuse me, I have to go now, Haru, hurry up or we’ll be late”

“Yes, cara mia” Your father beamed. Your mother then rose from her chair took her handbag and draped her coat over her shoulders. Your father then finished his coffee as soon as he could and went behind her. “Have a good day princess!” Exclaimed you dad. “Thank you, you too!” You answered while you saw them get escorted by an army of bodyguards.

Soon enough the door was closed and you were left alone. “(Y/N)-sama I advise you to hurry as well, school starts in thirty minutes” Said the familiar voice of Nobu-san. “What!? Oh, I’m going to be late! Ok, I got this! I’ll brush my teeth and I’ll be ready-please ask Sasaki-san to start the car! I will be there in a minute!” You stuttered while climbing up stairs.

“Sure thing, Ojou-sama,” He said with an amused smile.

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“Thank you again for joining me for shopping Momo”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, I’ll also take the chance to buy some new accessories as well,” Beamed your ravenette friend. It was the end of the school day and you had asked Momo to help you choose new accessories to complement a dress you already had.

“But to be honest I never imagine that your mom would lose her grip on you so soon even if it’s temporary, what surprised me more was what Kaguya-san told you yesterday,” She whispered trying to no let your conversation be known by Sasaki-san although the automated partition window was up as a precautionary measure. “Are you sure you can trust her?” She said concerned.

“I still don’t know, suddenly everything became so complicated, I mean her plan is good and has a high probability to work, and right now I don’t have a better option, I don’t even have any options, to begin with!” You groaned, confused.

“What’s still bugging me is why is she helping you in the first place? I can’t help but find it suspicious no matter how much I think about it. Did you ask her something about it?”

“I did, but she went into this mysterious and enigmatic mode and just said something like ‘You’ll know soon enough’ It would be easier to pinch a glass than get something out of her.” You said with a tone of frustration.

“I guess that the only thing we can do now is to wait and see,” Sighed Momo while she shrugged her shoulders. “By the way, what are we going to do first?” She said more animatedly.

“Let’s start with the shoes and then maybe a new jewelry set, a new clutch as well would be good. What you think?”

“I think is a splendid idea!” Momo exclaimed.

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🏷Taglist:

@bakasbitch18 

[ace-of-sspades]

A ranked top ten list of my favorite Bastille Covers/Live performances/and OPH stuff:

Basically a compiled list of stuff I’ve found over the course of 5 years of binge watching Bastille content on YouTube as a coping mechanism. Most of it is like super popular, some of it is less known, all of it I’m unhealthy obsessed with.

Edit: Heres a link to a playlist with all the songs (and the part two (in the reblogs)). Original had each song linked but it got my blog flagged.

10. Flaws (Abby Road)- I’m so torn about this slot because I had so many options, but ultimately I chose this rendition of flaws. Flaws is such an emotion filled song and Dans voice really carries that in this performance. The strings are also a really nice touch.

9. The Driver- By far this is my favorite OPH pt III song. It’s very one of their heavier songs (lyrically and with the guitar) and it’s a masterpiece. It says something about the subtlety of the lyrics that I could get it was about Romeo and Juliet (at least partially) without any lyrics explicitly stating that.

8. bad_news (stripped)- This song has also gotten me though some shit, I love the released version but this sound check is literally heart wrenching. I love Wills addition too and Dans voice the smoothest thing ever in this. It’s addictive to watch I stg.

7. Locked Out Of Heaven- The comments on this video are always a trip, but this is a very good rendition of a song I never really liked before I heard this. It’s gotten me though some heart break I’ll just say that.

6. Walk to Oblivion- This is so damn good. And it got me recently obsessed with OPH pt. II. It’s literally like a march to hell in 2 minutes. I love the bit with Ralph but OhMyGod the part when the armor clanking sound and Dan just waling the chores to Oblivion is so haunting, also the backing vocals and the whispering/chanting is equally haunting. I just wish it lasted more than 50ish seconds.

5. Fake It (Reorchestrated)- This is by far my favorite reorchestrated piece. Something about is is very cathartic to listen too. The choir and orchestra add so much, I love the enthusiasm of the conductor and the lady who starts the song off (I believe her name is Bim) is so talented. The audio might be off in this video, I can’t tell if it’s the video or my dumb phone.

4. Anyone But Me X Nightmares- This cover/mashup came out this summer and it was all I could listen too for weeks. It’s amazing, and I’m a big fan of the voice effect used for part of it. Also this is another example of Dan “I hate being the center of attention” Smith totally rocking the spotlight but the real showstopper is Charlie especially around 2:45 in the video 10/10 would recommend.

3. No Angels (Through the Years)- This is a super popular cover of theirs from OPH pt II. And I’m in love with it, especially the versions with the full quote from psycho. This particular video is a little choppy, it’s a fan edit of their live performances of this song thought the years and while it’s not the best way to hear the song for the first time it’s supprisingly well done and it’s really cool to see the progression.

2. Choices- It’s hard to put into words the way I feel about this song. It one has a ton of tallented artists on it, and it’s by To Kill A King but I love Dan and Wills contribution to this version and it’s one of the most nostalgic experience, and I always have it playing on repeat in the late summer/fall because it has those vibes. It’s over all amazing 10/10

1. Blame (Vevo Presents)- Okay these top 3 were really hard to order but ultimately Blame is my favorite song off of Wild World and this is my favorite version of it. Also I found it very recently so I am very obsessed currently. I highly recommend all of the WW VEVO Presents stuff (Send Them Off! Is also excellent). Their sound is very crisp and recorded well in this one, and the video is so so spectacular. Especially the last 30 seconds, it’s a total mindfuck (warning for lots of flashing lights)

There it is, I hope this is helpful to someone. I mean I’m in love with all of these and it sucks that it took me so long to stumble upon some of them. In my opinion what makes Bastille so versitial, interesting, and over all just great is their ability to transform old songs/concepts into something new and I hope this is a way to celebrate that. If you’re a fan and you haven’t checked some of these out I highly recommend it, and if you have no clue what I’m talking about maybe you’ll find your new favorite band. Who knows, but yeah, cheers

[mcheang]

Professional

I have a lot of fic ideas but I realize I will never really have time for them so I’m just gonna post the summary of it. People are welcome to adopt the fic ideas and make them into actual stories. Just tag me if you do!

I’ve had this idea for a while. It is a salty Marinette fic where she is fed up with Adrien. It primarily involves Oniichan and Puppeteer 2. Don’t get me wrong, I ship Adrienette. But I have developed a taste for salty ml fics. Note for those of you who have watched American Dragon, you may notice the love cruise episode and that one about dragon puberty inspired a few of the points below.

Enjoy

- Marinette correctly deduces what went wrong in Oniichan. She comforts Kagami, warning her that Lila is a liar and must have stolen her number to make her jealous. The fireman also reported what the liar did because Marinette doubted her leg was really injured. After Oni Chan, seeing how Adrien is still friendly to Lila rubs Marinette the wrong way. After considering that Adrien let’s bullies and liars get away, Marinette decides she doesn’t want to love someone like that, especially not when she considers how blind and unreasonable she had been. She placed Adrien as a Friend but not a good Friend. She knows he went to the back to support her, but she can’t count on him.

- Ladybug gently corrects Alya’s blog, not able to allow people to believe Lila anymore. Her excuse was that she didn’t correct Chloe’s video either. Marinette also informs Mrs Rossi at her workstation with Alya. Mrs Rossi is astonished at being lied to. Lila is heavily punished and forced to confess her crimes before her class. She will be staying back a year, and serving detention.

- Also doubting Caline’s abilities as a teacher, Ladybug called for a teacher inspection where it is revealed that Caline allowed for Chloe to get away unpunished and does not bother to ask the victimised party their side of the story before punishing them. As a result, Mrs Caline is put on probabtion with a threat to fire her. Her fate is in the hands of Marinette, known only to her, because she will be recording Caline’s progress.

- Her friends notice her change in attitude. Marinette can actually talk to Adrien and while nice, is not keen on hanging out with him.

- She recommended Luka to Jagged immediately during Desperada.

- The Startrain scene did happen but Adrien looked more relieved that it did.

- For Friendship Day, Marinette was willing to let things be bygones. They actually won the contest but Marinette decides to bow out of it, promising to call Kagami so they can check out the new juice place. Kagami is touched but Adrien is depressed. Why doesn’t Marinette want to hang out with him?

- When Adrien’s birthday came around, Marinette gave him her present early at school but left him soon after without a stutter or stumble. Adrien is happy for the present but sad that Marinette is distant. When Nino throws him a party, the girls find out what is going on and are not happy with the boys but let it slide on account of Adrien’s birthday. Marinette is actually relieved it was an all boys party. Ivan is still on thin ice. As a result, it takes longer for Ladybug to arrive. Party Crasher spares Alya’s party because they did get along and she did tell him about it. Monkey King shows up.

- Adrien finally asks Nino who asks Alya who confirms that Marinette is really disappointed with him.

- As a result, Alya and Nino set up Puppeteer. During the statue scene, Marinette and Tikki argue in front of Adrien. Tikki wants Marinette to give Adrien a chance and suggests she vent at a statue. Where Marinette points out what he did wrong and confessed her former feelings before ultimately deeming he was unhealthy for her. “I mean, nobody’s perfect. My past behavior is proof of that. Adrien’s just not healthy for me, Tikki.” She also reveals that Lila threatened her (and she didn’t tell him because she wasn’t sure if he would believe her, not after he suggested to leave Lila alone so she won’t get akumatized and actually let her sit in the back alone), that she was nearly akumatize because of her, and that she already chose to be Lila’s scapegoat when she stole Adrien’s book. “It’s difficult to be friends with someone when you can’t trust them.” Also the fact he doesn’t try hard enough to change Chloe, irks Marinette now. Chloe has stolen her diary and designs, as well as tried to frame her.

- Marinette admits she does want Adrien to be a good Friend but as of now, she would have found it easier to hate him. “Why can’t he just go out with Chloe or Lila instead of being a stupid medium?” She complained. “It would be easier then because once he’s on their side, I could dislike him easily.”

- When Tikki notices Adrien isn’t a statue (his eyes were starting to tear), she cautions him not to move. She asks Marinette what she would do if Chat was Adrien. Marinette stiffens and responds she truly hopes not because if that were the case, their friendship would be over and she would not know what to do from there. Marinette values Chat Noir as a close Friend. Marinette reminds Tikki that Chat knew Lila faked being injured so Oni Chan would find it easier to kill her alone. “I could have died, Tikki. If Chat really wants to be friends with someone like Lila, after what she did, then he’s not really my Friend at all. And to say he loves me is ridiculous.” Tikki can’t argue with that logic but weakly tries to point out not to judge anyone too quickly.

- Hawkmoth senses his son’s despair as the form of first love, so true; so sweet; so deeply rooted in the heart, and the cold bitter rejection. The guilt of knowing it was justified. Sinking in despair.

- Hawkmoth is concerned but does not akumatize his son. Instead he focuses on Manon.

- Adrien is broken-hearted, but Plagg tells him to make it up to Marinette. He keeps a calm facade in front of the others at the museum but once he is home, he runs to his room and breaks down crying. Gabriel actually checks up on his Son and assures Adrien that he truly does love Marinette, despite his mistakes, and it just meant he was an idiot.

- Adrien starts to make up for his mistakes, by telling Alya and Nino he knew Lila was a liar. He stands up to Chloe and Lila and denounces his friendship with the latter.

- When Marinette confronts him about it, he reveals the statue incident, and apologised for deceiving Marinette and for hurting her so much. He begs Marinette not to give up on him. The desperate pleading softened Marinette’s heart but she can’t forget what happened in onii Chan. She settles on remaining friends, giving him a chance to prove himself.

- Marinette tells a smitten Adrien, who messed up her social life unintentionally by finally making his interest in her public, tells him that from now on, their relationship would be strictly professional.

- Ironically it is Gabriel who tells Adrien not to give up on Marinette. He heard about it from Lila and actually acted against her wishes because he approves of Marinette.

- Adrien decides to make another lucky charm for Marinette since music associates with Luka and fencing with Kagami. Marinette is touched.

- Later Adrien hijacks a pairs project. When Marinette tries to get out of it by claiming Adrien is annoyingly nice, Adrien can’t help but compliment her.

- Later Marinette takes back her insult that he is too vanilla. “Ok you are; but it’s endearing, almost always.”

- Marinette finally admits her feelings and suggests a compromise. They date as superheroes but act as close friends as civilians. Adrien still acts like a lovesick puppy there, but Marinette tones down the romance, because she views Adrien as both Best Friend and love interest.

[bookishable]

if harry potter characters had social media

harry

has over a thousand followers on everything but only follows like six people

what does he even post??

#defeatedvoldemortagain

rants on twitter about the true story and how no one will believe him

hating on umbridge on ratemyteacher

really good at roasting people in the comments

mainly photos of quidditch

he and ron run a youtube channel that is a hogwarts legend

ron

documents a lot of chess games

regular looking instagram with photos of friends etc

selfies with the elves from the kitchen

“what’s going on at the borrow?” becomes a twitter thread

instagram feed is jumbled but somehow works

also has an orange theme without intending to

promotes weasley’s wizard wheezes all the time and hermione doesn’t notice because she never looks at her feed

hermione

probably the least likely to have social media but anyway

100% has a bookstagram

but her photos aren’t well arranged or aesthetically pleasing

campaigning for elf rights over every social media app

creates a S.P.E.W facebook page

only followed by her close friends and then only because she bribed them

follows millions of public figures and famous wizards and witches

has a study blog

everyone annoyed by her posts

schedules weekly posts so even when she’s petrified she can stay active

tweets about all the ways wizards can improve their approach to things

makes book recommendation videos on youtube

as well as the fake galleons, she manages to send private messages through people’s phones to tell everyone when the next DA meeting is

neville

mainly photos of plants

mimbulusmimbletonia would be his username for everything (took this from @sasmilledge ’s artwork bc it’s literally perfect)

lots of photos from dumbledore’s army, documents their progress and how happy he is to be a part of it <33

but somehow keeps these photos private to not expose them

sends positive messages on tumblr

also spreads awareness for #supportharrypotter during seventh year which was probably part of the reason he got punished

figures out a way to let students know via social media that the room of requirement is a safe place without snape or the carrows finding out

ginny

bomb selfies

literally doesn’t care

doesn’t have a good instagram theme and posts all the time

writes a lot, has all the writing and reading apps and uses tumblr to write short pieces that are lowkey good

you can stalk all her old photos since she never deletes anything

posts lots of family adventures once her and harry have children just like james and lily would have done :)

really good outfits??

millions of followers like harry but unlike him she follows lots of people

luna

two instagram accounts, one for the aesthetic which has photos edited for her theme, the other a complete mess of random facts and irrelevant spam

doesn’t post photos of the thestrals or other magical creatures because she respects their privacy and believes they are too magical to be exposed

the embodiment of quirky

hand crafts her own jewelry which she has a business page for

has a youtube channel called nargles are behind it

draco

lowkey good photography

doesn’t post photos very often if at all

only really uses social media to complain about potter and brag about his new broomstick

#myfatherwillhearaboutthis

fashion model

dean

has an art instagram account which has like 50k followers

personal account dedicated to friends and football

#supportharrypotter used frequently

posts about gryffindor quidditch a lot

weasley twins

run a weasley’s wizard wheezes business account on facebook and instagram

youtube channel shows them testing their products

their separate instagram accounts aren’t even similar

fred posts all the time, updating hogwarts on their latest mischief

george posts less often and his posts are almost always clever jokes

arthur weasley

muggle technology discoveries

posts photos of his plug and battery collections on instagram

CARS

snapchat over-use to the point where it is annoying but everyone loves it

dumbledore

probably only uses twitter

cryptic lessons and messages that make no sense

“mr filch has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor is out of bounds to any who do not wish to die a most painful death… lol there’s a giant killer dog there go check it out”

goes live during all speeches in the great hall and these are kept in an archive in case you missed the feast because you and your flying car were being beaten up by a tree

or if you got your nose broken

or if you didn’t show up for the year because you’re following his (lack of) advice and have gone camping

#fiftypointstogryffindor

this hashtag is posted at random intervals throughout the year for no apparent reason

hagrid

starts an instagram account to document the progress of the blast-ended skrewts

makes baking videos on his youtube channel, most of which end with smoke obscuring the camera and harry has to go check that hagrid’s hut hasn’t caught fire (no one has quite mastered the concept of “if hagrid has managed to upload a video, he’s alive”)

most of his photos are blurry or of the ceiling because he finds it hard to handle a phone in his bucket-sized hands

the trio decide to get him a bigger phone, at the electronics shop in hogsmeade they customise one

hagrid of course cries at this

mcgonagall

only uses social media to remind her students of the homework they have to do

prefers to text over anything else

creates her own homework tracker app inspired by howlers that causes the student’s phone to shriek at them if they haven’t handed it in

#haveabiscuit

[vrenaewrites]

Ten Mistakes ALL Authors Make.

Sometimes in life, you have ambitions. And sometimes, if you’re really into self hate and consistent nagging doubt, that ambition is to write books. But it’s not easy.

Understatement of the century.

It’s super fucking hard to write a book, guys. It’s hard to write, it’s hard to be a writer, it’s hard to get a book published, it’s hard to sell a lot of books. It’s just all super duper hard. I don’t recommend it, but unfortunately, I can’t help but do it.

If you’re like me, you can’t either. But you can make it easier - ish - on yourself. Here are ten things all writers tend to do that you should stop doing.

10. You’re jumping at the first offer of representation / publication / cover design, etc.

Self-explanatory. INSTEAD: do your research. Be knowledgeable about this industry and what it takes. Know what kind of agents and houses publish and work with your genre and category. Understand the red flags of these different facets of publication. Be choosy with your baby.

9. You’re being way too choosy with your baby.

I said what I said. You’re not Stephen King. People are not shitting their pants in 12 hour lines at Barnes and Noble on your release date. Do not expect a six figure book deal. Do not expect a huge advance. Do not expect to be handed a best-seller on a silver platter. It just doesn’t happen as often as you wanna believe. Period. INSTEAD: It’s okay to know what you want from a publisher, an agent, etc. You should. You should feel empowered to speak up and get what you need from the people you’re working with to bring your book to the masses. Just be realistic, manage your expectations, and understand the typical numbers for someone of your notoriety. In my case, I didn’t have any. So I knew I probably wouldn’t get an advance as a debut unknown nobody. I managed my expectations, so I wasn’t disappointed.

8. You’re not reading your book out loud.

If you are writing a book, it probably has dialogue. If your book has dialogue, it means two people are talking. If two people are talking, it needs to sound like...two people talking. But maybe you feel awkward about your dialogue. Maybe it seems stilted or off somehow. INSTEAD: Read that shit out loud. Have a full-on conversation with yourself. Read the narration in between dialogue in a dramatic voice-over voice. Act out certain quirks or movements to see if someone’s hand could actually move the way you wrote it moving. Even quietly to yourself, saying your writing out loud - especially the dialogue - can work wonders for making your book that much stronger.

7. You aren’t planning your full series out ahead of time.

I’m telling on myself here. I am in the process of finishing up the Thistlewolf trilogy, which is a YA paranormal romance horror series I published book one in October yeah we know ANYWAY. I knew what was supposed to happen in book 3, mostly. But I did not finish plotting out the arc of the final book in my series until November of 2018. A month after book 1 in the trilogy was already published and book 2 was on draft 3 or 4. Which means I have concrete rules of this world and relationships, etc etc, in PRINT. For the world to see. I can’t decide to change things in CB to fit better with what I want to happen in SW. I almost have to write SW around CB in order to avoid plot holes. INSTEAD: Plot your series out ahead of time. Know the major beats of every book and how their arc travels across from the first book to the last. Understand what you want the end result to be and build your previous books around that, not vice-versa.

6. You think you’re entitled to consistent inspiration, and you don’t see the point of working when uninspired.

If writers only wrote when they were inspired, there’d be approximately seven books in the history of the world. Inspiration is awesome. It’s exciting and freeing and fulfilling when you feel inspired to write. But it’s not as common as you’d think. INSTEAD: understand the importance of commitment and dedication over inspiration. Make time for it, and stick to it even when you don’t feel motivated. Push through the blocks and the slumps and understand writing for what it is: hard work.

5. You think your first draft is a book.

My sweet baby angel. It’s not. It’s just not. Don’t show it to people. Don’t query it. INSTEAD: Edit it. Revise it. Rewrite it. Edit it some more. Revise it again. Do more rewrites. Trust me.

4. You are sharing too much about your project on social media at too early of a stage.

Oh hi, all of my March and April videos. I wasn’t done with my garbage draft of BFAS when I started telling y’all all about it, and guess what? Total change of concept, theme, character names, relationships...literally just like the overall setting and message has stayed the same and that’s it. So now, sometimes when I go back to make edits, I feel bad because I’ve already said this thing is this way. Don’t do this. INSTEAD: Have a critique partner or an alpha reader that you can bounce early, terrible ideas off of with abandon instead of blasting your followers with every random idea about your project.

3. You’re treating your readers like they’re dumb.

A writer’s worst enemy is their tendency to over explain things. We spend months, even years of our lives learning and researching to make this book as realistic as possible, and we’ll be damned if we’re not going to include every single detail of how a 1957 Porche Speedster’s engine operates. But here’s the thing: the reader doesn’t give a single fuck about this. And they’ll tune right out when you try to shove unnecessary or plodding information in their faces. INSTEAD: leave them little breadcrumbs to follow. Drop hints and interesting little tidbits, but always leave them wanting more. Leave them asking questions and speculating on what certain things did or didn’t mean. It’s so much more satisfying as a reader to wonder about a story even after it’s over. And you want your story to linger in people’s heads long after they’ve read it. A great way to ensure that is by letting them fill in the blanks.

2. You’re not working on your platform because you haven’t published anything yet.

Oh, my sweet summer child. Social media is the most necessary evil a writer has to master, besides like, the great Oxford comma debate. Use them, shouldn’t be a debate. Anyways. This is the best way a writer can shoot themselves in the foot. INSTEAD: You should establish a presence on your preferred social media platform - or many - prior to ever getting a book deal, querying, editing, all of it. You should basically be trying to put yourself out there and network from the second you decide you wanna try to write a book. It takes time to build a following, and by the time your book is in the world, you want a built-in audience for it. Social media is the best and most widely available tool to do that.

1. You are sabatoging yourself with doubt and imposter syndrome.

If you missed my blog back in June about imposter syndrome, then you probably missed that I struggle with this a LOT. But the bottom line is, everyone gets in their own way from time to time. You are halting your progress and your growth because you feel unworthy or insecure about your ability. I hate to tell you, if you don’t believe in yourself and your work, you can’t really expect anyone else to. INSTEAD: fake it til you make it. Know you’re far from alone. And trust your process.

Please let me know if there’s anything I missed or if you disagree with the mistakes I mentioned here.

[nerdynatreads]

 ☆☆YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram | Storygraph ☆☆

book review || Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren

video review || In Relation to Their Relationship -- 72 Hours in the Smut Den Readathon Vlog

Wow, hello new favorite romance author??

This was adorable, sweet, funny, and spicy. I knew it was a fake dating scenario, but it definitely doesn’t fit the usual setup, so I didn’t have my normal gripes with that trope. I might have read this fast for a readathon, but I would have blasted through it no matter what!

In the beginning, I was thinking this was going to be more of a light-hearted rom-com, but I was impressed when she tackled some heavier topics relating to Hollyn’s Tourette’s, her panic disorder, Jasper’s ADHD, and his struggles from growing up as a foster kid. Both characters were well created, with depth that encompassed their neurodiversity, but didn’t hinge on it.

The chemistry between them was undeniable, with an awkward introduction, banter-filled follow-ups, and eventual friendship. I wasn’t expecting the FWBs trope to appear, but oh my god, did it lead to some fantastic spice. The progression of their relationship felt natural and Jasper’s jealousy felt warranted, rather than over-the-top and possessive. I loved how they leaned on one another, but the main revelations and big moments came about because of their own strength and experiences.

I’m honestly surprised that the improv element didn’t feel too awkward, given that’s not an easy thing to write about and still be funny, but for the most part, it worked. And I actually didn’t hate the love triangle that took place? I think the book would have been fine without it, but I didn’t actively hate it either, which is saying something for a love triangle. The final conflict both caught me off guard and then was very predictable, but it led to a Mall Rats style reunion, so I can’t be mad at it.

All in all absolutely loved this and I highly recommend it to any contemporary romance reader to check it out.

5 / 5 stars

4 / 5 spice