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an-inbetween-place · 2 years ago

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13. Annual Return?

6:45 AM

Can we have a brief interlude for how absolutely shite (lol shes obsessed with that right now) the tumblr editing UI is? This teeny tiny little module that pops up ... we simply do not love it. I’ll bet we won’t even be seeing the same UI the next time we post but more on that later...

Anyways -- here we are, jet lagged after our 2 week trip to SE Asia (Bangkok, Krabi, Hanoi, Hoi An, HCMC just because future Jess will inevitably forget) and just in such a weird place emotionally. (There is no room for pretty prose right now).

Here, on this winter-y morning -- where it’s already past when I used to be on the Auburndale LIRR track, waiting for that cold rush of air that signified that I was on my way to Stuy and yet another day of routine was about to begin; the sky is still grey and dark and I’m sipping on a coffee, burning a candle and throwing my Haven onto it’s brightest possible setting (now that’s a purchase that might not be around - or used, rather - when the next post comes out but the vibes are just too good to return).

I can hear the city coming alive around me - the clanging of the elevator, the rush of the cabs outside and the apartments across the way slowly illuminating. I do love and relish the moment the city wakes up; going from the rare quiet and serene city (lol would anyone who didn’t grow up in the city agree with me that the city @ 4-5 AM is ‘serene’) to the ‘hustle and bustle’ of people getting up, speed walkers on their way to the train with coffees in hand, delis and carts running through orders like nobody’s business.

However, I feel rushed and anxious - like I need the cover of darkness to get all my thoughts out. Like I can’t be vulnerable in the daylight. Like I’m racing against the sun and as always, fighting a losing battle. Like my fingers and words are failing me with their lack of speed. Like I’m taking an exam and my thoughts are sticky and moving through honey.

And on that note, we should really just get into it. It’s the elephant in the room -- and I guess keeping in tradition, we should stick to initials on this blog. Good ole D. DRZ if you will. I cannot fathom a day that I do not remember this man’s name but if my brief scroll through this blog tells me anything, that day may come one day. (Well, I doubt I won’t remember his name fully, but it’ll be a foggy memory).

I’ve been saying this and stewing in it but I should say that I really did get what I wished for. For two whole years (and the last post commemorates it), all I’ve been saying is that I want something. Anything to make me feel something. Anything so that I don’t feel apathy and nothing more than a faint wave of sadness for a few hours over someone saying goodbye forever. Anything to make me fully understand the heartbreak songs and the crazy movies and everything in this godforsaken relationship obsessed media (holidays are not a fun time to be struggling with this).

I just saw something on Instagram that may have prompted this post. A joke about how with situationships, all they do is prepare someone else for a relationship with the next person. I suppose LI guy (S...XYZ? we cannot remember his last name for the life of us.. and that tells the audience enough really) would agree.

I gotta get a move on - I see the sky lightening through the (white lol that was a terrible idea) curtains and my mom just called me. I need to move out of this headspace and get back into my normal business bich/empty head bich mood.

I’m being dramatic really - and that’s totally fine, we support our dramatic queens. Nothing has happened, but it’s just all in the water. We never were in a real relationship but we’re about to have our break up conversation. I can picture it completely -- I’m going to ask for more (as I have been) and he’ll let me know that he can’t give me what I want. The only shift here is that this time, I won’t respond with ‘okay’. It’ll be a ‘okay, I think we should stop seeing each other then’. And even typing that breaks my heart a little.

I think it’s the fact that he won’t fight for me that is the heart wrenching part.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised but I really want to be.

I suppose I should be all manifest the future you want and sending good vibes into the ether but I know that’s a fool’s mission.

I suppose that’s all I have left in terms of a defense mechanism -- the whole you expect nothing so you aren’t disappointed situation.

Who would have thought? A simple party for a friend of a friend, coming off of a weird situation with a coworker (lol A... what a time that was) and several drinks in... and we’d find ourselves here -- 6 months later.

Not to silver line everything but this entire situation just demonstrates what little I had with everyone I thought I did have something with - LI guy, MS, S (BW one.. I forgot his last name which is a positive thing IMO), and the countless other 2/3 week dudes that I’ve cycled through.

I can’t even pinpoint why I like him -- I suppose I just enjoy spending time with him. He makes the time go by so easy -- it forever will remind me of that song ‘Loving You is Easy’. Not that I love him, but I can finally see what those lyrics are about.

It’s insane really - I want to talk to him all the time, I want to see him all the time, I want to wake up next to him and go to bed next to him - to start our days together and end them together. I want to travel together, to explore new places and have new experiences. I want to drink just a little too much together and think about nothing for a while. I want to feel safe and secure and wanted and loved and everything! I just want everything together.

Even typing that.. after the last few weeks, I haven’t even let myself think those thoughts - much less relish in them.

I know I’m falling for the classic girl move (also something I saw on Instagram... can the algorithm let a girl LIVE?). The whole, do you like him OR do you simply like the possibility of him? Everything you imagine with him?

Regardless, I want to acknowledge all of that. I want to acknowledge the good that we had, the reason for all the tears and heartbreak and angst. For all the glasses of wine and pining to the girlies.

It feels like pressing on the wound but I want to go through all the fun times we had. The somewhat insane night at the Canary Club that led to Maru. The countless number of bottles of wine we made our way through and my sheer surprise over the number of hours that pass whenever we’re together. My birthday. The hours we have spent on the phone.

I struggle with recalling those things which may be a positive sign after all.. the body’s defense mechanism coming in strong.

Not to be vengeful, but I hope he’s sad. I hope I’m more than just a blip for a few hours and then he’s back on tinder.

And just like that, my coffee cup is cold and empty and I can hear the clanging of the garbage trucks outside. The cloudy winter light is coming in -- dark and grey and yet too illuminating for me to continue this really.

I suppose the last thing - and the main thing I wanted to get down earlier... I want so badly to relish in this in between place. This grey area of having something and not. This urge to be happy with what I’ve got even though it’s not entirely what I want - but at least it’s somewhat!

I know that’s a cowards move.

And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that has been my position since October (the infamous pre-Spain date lmao).

I’m nearly shocked by how many times I’ve cried in with/over this man. I mean the number is like 3 but still.

And I know that I cannot be happy with this. It’s a disservice to myself! To my original goal.

I know all of this and it’s still so hard.

I guess I just really want someone. And at least in this moment right now, I want it to be DRZ.

Now that’s a line that future Jess will definitely cringe over...

7:38 AM

EDIT - 7:41 AM

As I was scrolling through this blog - something caught my eye... something about peach picking/hiking upstate.

And an irrational anger overtook me - I mentioned it how many times to DRZ and did we go? Never. I mentioned going to a sports bar and watching a game and did we go? Never. And he had to gall to mention that that was something I wanted to do and asked me how it went when I did!

Good riddance.

I should ride this high all the way to the conversation.

The gorlies are right - let that MAN-GO. You can do so much better.

7:43 AM

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elves-n-angels · 5 years ago

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How Sebastian Stan Went From Winter Soldier to 'Winter Swoldier'

To keep up with the Chrises, Stan upgraded his diet, training, and worldview. And 2020 is shaping up to be his best year ever.

BY LAUREN LARSON

DEC 19, 2019

THE COFFEE-SHOP staff is having a silent meltdown. The peppermint tea I ordered was forgotten as soon as Sebastian Stan walked in. He orders a coffee, receives it instantly, and goes to put it down on a table. The lid isn’t fully on, and the coffee spills. It’s almost a “stars are just like us” moment, but then a barista suddenly materializes with a paper towel in his outstretched palm. “It’s wet,” he says eagerly.

Stan, 37, is wearing black shorts, a black T-shirt, midcalf black socks, and a gray hoodie missing its drawstring. He looks very off-duty SoHo, which he is: He’s back home in New York City on furlough from preparations for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, an extravagant collaboration between Marvel and newborn streaming service Disney+.

He’s also wearing a blue baseball cap, which sits slightly higher on his head than it might on the head of someone with less va-va-voom hair. That hair sent the Internet into a tizzy recently, when a poster for Falcon showed Stan with a short cut. In the past when Stan has played the Winter Soldier (né Bucky Barnes), he’s had shoulder-length hair. Next to his forehead, which is giant—the White Cliffs of Dover of foreheads—the longer style made him look very sinister.

Stan is somewhat less recognizable in street clothes, but women still side-eye him on their way to the bathroom. Maybe they recognize him; maybe he’s just a little too strapping not to be famous.

As Stan talks, he maintains an unsettling deadpan, verging on a glower. “People always ask me if I’m okay,” he says, still glowering. “They’ve said I have ‘serial-killer resting face.’ No matter what I do, I’ve always had dark circles under my eyes that never really go away. Lately there might be a little moisturizer happening here and there, just in case. Preserving a couple years, or whatever.”

The more reserved the actor, the more likely he is to become part of Hollywood mythology. Between Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), a rumor circulated that he had gotten too ripped for the arm he’d worn in the earlier film, a wraparound contraption meant to look like a machine prosthetic. Redditors called him “the Winter Swoldier” and “Bulky Barnes.”

Stan laughs when I bring it up and clarifies that he used a new-and-improved arm in each successive film. With the first iteration, he had to apply lube to slide his real arm into what was essentially two rigid metal tubes. “It was like having a massive hammer attached to me,” he says, “but it looked unbelievable in the movie, and it actually informed a lot of my body language.”

Subsequent arms were more mobile, and Stan doesn’t have to lube up to get in there anymore: There’s a sleeve inside the arm for his next appearance as the Winter Soldier. But, he concedes, he did get too big for the arm used in Civil War. “I was so insecure being around these massive fucking guys, so I started lifting really heavy and ate a lot. I remember I showed up, and I was a little bit bigger than I had been in The Winter Soldier. The arm was a bit tight,” he says. “I was losing circulation.”

Stan is not a new arrival in the Marvel universe: He made his superhero debut in 2011, with Captain America: The First Avenger. But recently he’s enjoyed a burgeoning late-term fandom as his roles (and arms) have ballooned. Beyond Marvel, he starred alongside Margot Robbie in 2017’s I, Tonya, as Tonya Harding’s jackass boyfriend. When we meet in October, he’s just returned from shooting the spy film 355 in London, with Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o, and Diane Kruger. Another insecurity-inspiring roster.

With Stan’s constellation of anxieties—he says he’s “terribly self-aware, to the point of detriment”—he is uniquely suited to stardom in 2020. A decade ago, audiences wanted actors to be pillars of Hollywood hubris, strutting around in latex Marvel suits, muscly and impenetrable. We still want the muscles, but we also want stars to be genuine.

Marvel films can seem at odds with that national craving for authenticity. Steve Rogers, for example, becomes Captain America instantly, in the first ten minutes of The First Avenger: He goes into a machine and emerges fit, huge, and self-actualized. I ask Stan whether that narrative—man gets muscles and immediately earns the admiration and attraction of everyone in his midst—isn’t a dated, unrelatable picture of masculinity.

“When I was watching Steve Rogers,” Stan starts in, “I saw him question his identity, his alliances, the government. ‘Who am I? What is this? What made me come into this is very different than the role I am in now.’ I think it was very timely, in the sense that you could see that character evolve. Then he gives up his shield and is like, ‘I’m out. I’m going to do my own thing.’ He chooses his own life. It’s actually more relatable.”

There’s an obvious metaphor there: Stan is Captain America, and stardom—and the press tours, the scrutiny, and the training that come with it—is his government, always invading his carefully fortified sense of self. As a result, he can appear very reticent in public, offering only occasional glimpses of the unguarded Sebastian Stan. Audiences live for those moments.

Stan is the anti-celebrity in the year of the anti-celebrity.

And his ambient hostility toward questioning is offset by the behavior of his Falcon costar Anthony Mackie. When alone in interviews, Stan can seem deflective and bored, but he gets an enormous kick out of Mackie, who has jumped in to rescue many an interviewer left to writhe on the hook by Stan. He is the Sebastian Stan whisperer, midwife to a charm that can be difficult to coax out.

“When I’m trying hard to find the honest moment, he sort of unlocks me a little bit. We both laugh and we find a way to have a good time,” Stan says. When I tell him that I’m planning to mine Mackie for gossip, he laughs. “Here’s what he’s going to say: ‘He’s way too serious. It’s boring. He slows everything down. It’s always these questions and, like, the stare. Give this kid a Yoo-hoo! Somebody get him a chocolate milk. Good God, put a smile on his face!’ ”

Mackie is the enthusiastic extrovert to Stan’s pensive recluse. Even though I reach him on the phone at 9:00 p.m. after a long day of shooting in Savannah—“I’m already going to bed,” Mackie says in a N’awlins drawl that sounds sleepier than usual—he’s forthcoming about Stan. He describes his costar as a hermit, a chronic Irish-goodbye-er who doesn’t offer much of himself at first. “If the FBI ever needed to get anything out of him, they’d be in very big trouble,” Mackie says. “I don’t know what the male equivalent would be of ‘resting bitch face,’ but Sebastian has nailed that 100 percent.”

His first impression, which lingered for a long time, was that Stan was a very quiet, very reserved actor. They shook hands when they met, but it wasn’t a buddy-com bromance at first sight. It wasn’t until much later, when the two were on a press tour for The Winter Soldier, that they hit it off. Mackie hung out with Stan and a few of his closest friends, and they “unlocked” Stan for Mackie the same way Mackie now unlocks Stan on press tours.

Their chemistry also plays well on set. They share a dedication to their work, and they both come from classical acting backgrounds. (“He went to Juilliard,” Stan says of Mackie. “He can do anything.”) Beyond that, they’re opposites, reining in each other’s moods to a perfect, workable middle. “He calms me down when I’m ready to rage against the machine,” Mackie says. In turn, Mackie bullies Stan into having fun.

Case in point: When they were on a press tour in Beijing, they had one of those endless nights that make press tours seem glamorous. “It just went on and on and on,” Mackie recalls. “We had to do press the next morning, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to bed.’ I’m like, ‘Nope.’ I took his wallet and his cell phone so he couldn’t get into his hotel room. Then, by the time we got to the press, I was fine. He just looked like he’d gotten hit by a car.”

Hollywood has always relished actor partnerships—from Robert Redford and Paul Newman to Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson—but now more than ever, buddying up feels like an imperative. Pairs perform, especially on social media. In November, when Stan and Mackie took over Marvel Studios’ Instagram to announce that they’d begun filming Falcon, fans were as thirsty for their friendship as they were for the show. Their dynamic is the stuff of memes: “[I] want someone to look at me the way Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie look at each other,” one fan tweeted.

I know what that fan meant. When Stan does look at you without suspicion—when, perchance, he laughs at something you say—it’s like winning a battle.

WHEN IT COMES to fitness, Stan has also benefited from the influence of a charismatic spirit guide. He played soccer and basketball at his Rockland County, New York, high school, but he didn’t start running and going to the gym until he was in college at Rutgers University. And he didn’t get really into fitness until 2005, when he was cast in a film titled The Covenant, which Stan calls “really classic.”

Really classic, indeed: The Covenant also stars Chace Crawford, whom Stan would later join on Gossip Girl (another classic), and Taylor Kitsch. Stan plays one of five prep-school boys endowed with supernatural gifts and sick abs.

“I got a call,” Stan says. “And one of the producers said to me, ‘Look, you’re going to have to look like John Travolta in Staying Alive.’ He’s just glistening with muscles. It’s ridiculous. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I started to work out with a trainer, but it was my buddy

Taylor Kitsch who got me into it.” With the trainer and Kitsch as his gym shepherds, Stan began exercising in earnest.

Then, in 2013, ahead of The Winter Soldier, Stan teamed up with trainer Don Saladino, who’d also sculpted Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, and Liev Schreiber. That same year, Stan starred in a Broadway revival of William Inge’s Picnic, playing a character whose defining trait is his hotness.

“Inge was writing something very important about vanity and how people were perceived in terms of being quote-unquote good-looking, beautiful, or pretty,” Stan said in a Playbill interview in 2013. “In the play, there’s something shameful and dirty about it. Our obsession with beauty has not changed. When we see something that turns us on, we either appreciate it or judge it. It’s so primal. We still dismiss people if they’re pretty; we don’t care how they feel, because they should just be happy looking the way they do. That’s something we were trying to say with this production.” Stan is less philosophical about his Picnic bod these days. “I had to be basically shirtless every night, like eight shows a week,” he says. “I really zoned in on diet, and everything transformed.”

He prefers exercising on an empty stomach, so he generally starts his day with coffee—and a rice cake with some almond butter and honey if he’s feeling depleted. Today he was feeling very depleted, he says, so he had some scrambled eggs with Brussels sprouts and aioli. “I’m not going to tell you the place where I got that,” he adds, unprompted and wary, as though I might start dining there daily in a stalker vigil.

Stan is a proponent of “quality over quantity,” but that doesn’t mean he skimps on his workouts; he just knows that a 20-minute session that catapults his heart rate into the red zone is as effective as an hour of low-intensity bullshit. He runs (“I’m not going to tell you where”) when he’s feeling meditative.

In advance of the Falcon shoot, Stan started lifting weights every morning and knocking out stunt training for the fight scenes. He points out that filming an action movie is a workout in itself: You spend whole days running around and sweating in a heavy suit. “I mean, next to Evans and Hemsworth and all those guys, I feel like I’m 50 miles behind. I don’t think I can get to that size, to be honest,” he says. That aside, Stan feels, in his late 30s, better than ever. “My body right now is probably the best it’s ever been.”

THERE'S A PHOTO of Stan, age 15, on his Instagram. It’s a headshot from Stagedoor Manor, an acting camp that he attended while in high school. He’s recognizable from the brow up—he has the same broad forehead, the same voluminous hair. His arms look pale and soft, like overcooked linguine, and he’s staring down the camera with theater-kid intensity.

Stan lived in Romania until he was eight years old. Shortly after the Romanian revolution, he and his mother moved to Vienna and stayed there for four years before heading to New York in 1995. No, he says, he didn’t have a foreign exchange student’s social cachet in middle school. “Maybe if I was from France or something. But I am Eastern European. We left communism,” he says. “When I came here, I just wanted to be like everybody else.”

I ask Stan which of his mannerisms are typically Romanian. “You’re kind of putting me on the spot to define a whole nation—a guy who hasn’t been there for years,” he says. But he thinks for a second. “For me, based on my mother, the ‘Romanian temperament’ is perseverance—being able to handle more than you think you can. At 27, my mother was working two jobs in a foreign country where she barely spoke the language. There’s a sense of family and perseverance that’s deeply ingrained in the blood.”

Even for someone who has experienced a certain degree of stardom, Marvel fans can be a shock to one’s sense of family. Certain Marvel stars acquiesce to the attention on some level, greeting fans with a Chris Hemsworthian openness to scrutiny. Stan’s boundaries are reflexive and firm, as though his sense of self is always under attack. (Which, to be fair, it may well be: “He’s so reserved,” Mackie says, “but in this day and age that’s a very good quality.”)

Stan is more protective of his personal life than most actors. Celebrities often use social media to dispense calculated chunks of themselves in exchange for privacy. Stan occasionally opens up on Instagram: “Been working with this guy through years of self judgement and mental wars when it comes to fitness and LIFE,” he wrote of Saladino in a caption accompanying a gym selfie. But questions about the people in his orbit ping ineffectually against his poker face.

He attributes this to only-vaguely-alluded-to incidents in which his family and friends were subject to public attention. As a public figure, he has opted into that attention, he explains, but they haven’t. It upset him when they were the targets of scrutiny, particularly when that scrutiny came from his fans. Stan seems to be looking for earnestness in an industry that, on the whole, disdains earnestness. He “tries hard to find the honest moment,” as he himself puts it (much like how he saw a profound statement about “our obsession with beauty” in William Inge’s horny play).

In this, the Marvel universe is an improbably good fit for him. We speak the week after Martin Scorsese said Marvel films “are not cinema,” and Stan is as defensive of the films as he can be without disrespecting Scorsese, one of his heroes. “All I know is that all movies affect people,” he says. “I’ve certainly experienced firsthand many people who have been affected and helped by Marvel movies.”

Captain America fans lean earnest. People have told Stan that Bucky Barnes helped them cope with their PTSD. During Q&A sessions, he’s asked questions like “What would Bucky Barnes’s major be?” and “What happened to Bucky Barnes when he fell from the train?” Stan fields those questions without sarcasm or diversion.

“They think we are these people,” Stan says, again without condescension. He’s content to take questions about Bucky Barnes, especially if it distracts fans from asking questions about Sebastian Stan. “Now we’re much more obsessed with the personality rather than the actor. We take people and swallow them and digest them and chew them up, and then we spit them out the other side. Then we’re done,” he says. “We’ve done that with numerous celebrities—people. I’ve seen people have massive ups and downs and stuff. All I can do is just try to be as honest as I can. And do my job.”

Men's Health Magazine, December 19, 2019.

#sebastian stan #bucky barnes #winter soldier #mens health #long post

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letsallsleepoverwork · 5 years ago

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Mei’s Tony Stark (WinterIron) fic recs

I needed a whole other list of my favorite pairing, Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark... oops?

For @podonthesuit to celebrate Anthony Edwards Stark’s birthday month (and mine!) The fics are from shortest to longest.

Under 10K

flirting (with danger) by Potrix

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Canon Divergence - MCU Post-CAWS

Tony stares at the man shackled to the wall for a long, unblinking moment. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

The man raises an unimpressed eyebrow back at him. “Right back at ya, pal.”

Mei’s Notes: a brilliant short and sweet (and SASSY) winteriron fic that warms my heart. I read this when i need a quick pick me up <3

When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it) by RiotFalling

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Ambiguous Marvel Canon

There’s a tiny safe house, with one tiny window and one tiny couch. And one tiny little bed.

Mei’s Notes: THIS is hilarious. riot write a beautiful scene of two absolute dorks trying to out-matyr each other. such lovely softness and, like anyone who knows me knows, i love the soft. i laughed so hard reading this fic that i instantly fell in love.

Open Hearts, Open Doors by mistrstank (dreamingdarkly), TheKitteh

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Non-powered AU

In which Tony and Bucky have a very special day, DUM-E is a regular disaster and Tony's friends are a bunch of trolls.

Mei’s Notes: So this is the third story in this series, HUGE REC FOR THE FIRST TWO, but this one is my favorite of the series. There is an immense amount of softness. A marriage between two beautiful souls and honestly I cried with happiness. I was full of emotions, there is nothing more beautiful than the love these two share. To call this fluff is an massive understatement because words cannot properly capture how gorgeous this fic is.

The Prince's Bride by MarvelousMenagerie (HiddenOne)

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Princess Bride AU

After Tony loses the love of his life to pirates on the high sea, not much matters to him. He agrees to wed Prince Justin Hammer to gain access to vibranium and shut himself away in his workshop until the end of time, but a group of ruffians kidnap Tony to take him to Hydra. Tony's rescue takes on an unlikely form - the Dread Pirate Rogers, who killed the love of his life five years ago.

Mei’s Notes: Princess Bride is just one of those movies that stays with you for your life. There’s so much to unpack and the comic genius of balance between crack and plot makes it a heart warming and heart moving movie for the ages (i also loved the book but THE MOVIE IS MY CHILDHOOD LOVE). This is a wonderful rendition of Princess Bride and the end *chef’s kiss* gold.

11K to 15K

Speed Dating (Isn't Supposed to Happen in Cars) by orbingarrow

Rating: General

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Non-powered AU

Tony's temporarily broke due to a scandal at Stark Industries, and with no one willing to hire him, he's got to get creative in how to get by. When he reads about a solar-powered car race that pays out in the millions, he knows he can win it. He just needs a car, all the parts, a racing team, a sponsor, a driver, and like a gajillion other things he does not have.

What he does have is: one whole month, an Air Force pilot, an heiress, two enthusiastic teenagers, a discredited science teacher, three ex-cons, a high-tech robot disguised as a Roomba, and a wicked crush on the guy from YouTube.

Seriously, how can he lose?

Mei’s Note: Arrow is a QUEEN at winteriron fic. She has a brilliant way of balancing snark, story, and softness. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER has their own tone/voice in the story that I hear in my head and it just makes reading her work INCREDIBLY satisfying. She has so many great works, but with the complexity of balancing all these different characters and weave a story around them, this one is my favorite. Or maybe this one was just the one that just happen to snag my heart... :)

Coffee, Curses, Kisses by wakandan_wardog

Rating: General

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Ambiguous Marvel Canon

Tony Stark drags himself out of his workshop on a regular Thursday morning. Well, mostly a regular morning. Except for Clint Barton lying on the breakfast bar in themed underwear. The theme is new, the rest is depressingly familiar. Ok, so maybe the rose petals are new too. (What the hell, Clint?) It's enough to make a billionaire grateful for the Avengers Alarm. Wait a minute, magic too? Fuck, this is just not Tony's day. (Until it really, really is.)

Mei’s Notes: Oh man do i love Toni. My whole heart belongs to her and her writing is some of the beST. I cannot recommend her writing enough, please please PLEASE do yourself a favor and read one (all) of her stories. This one is a masterful demonstration of wit and flirting which if you know Toni, you know she’s a master of both. My heart is warm with love for this one.

The Stars Go Red by orbingarrow

Rating: General

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Ambiguous Marvel Canon

Iron Man is not exactly a super-villain, he's just doing his best to save the world, and his methods are questionable, okay? Doing what's right isn't always easy. Tony's come to grips with that.

Mei’s Notes: Im kinda a liar cause honestly I couldn’t really choose and I did a coin flip but since I’m doing a whole different fic rec for winteriron here’s the other Arrow fic. Anyways, this fic has identity porn, it has purposeful deflection of villian!Tony who really isn’t a villian. Both Tony and Bucky are badass. Truthfully this fic is a mix of all my favorite troupes and you will have a blast reading it i promise!

30K to 41K

Compliments by Desolate_Smog

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Bucky Barnes & Tony Stark

Non-powered AU

Tony Stark didn't realize that going out to get coffee while sleep deprived and covered in grease could lead to friendships. He's quite impressed with himself.

Mei’s Notes: Oh man this one was a game changer for me. I think this was one of the first asexual fics I read and the way it’s done is lovely. I like how everything is laid out and just, a part of life. the whole story felt 100% real and the relationships the develop between all the characters feels organic. Still one of my all time favorite fic.

and amidst the ruins, there was you by TheKitteh

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Canon Divergence - MCU Post CACW & Dystopia AU

With everything resolved - post the Berlin conflict, Siberia and the rogue Avengers' return - Tony relishes in the clarity of what the team is now. He can finally see the well-defined lines, he can rely on solid rules and the chain of command. He's settled into his life like never before. That is, until one day, an unhinged sorcerer with no grasp on his magic shatters that new-found balance.As a result, half of Tony's soul is now gone, but he's willing to do anything to get it back.

Mei’s Notes: I died. repeatably. Kitteh is a goddness of soft winteriron. If you look at the comments you can see me SCREAM about the soft. Of course, there’s some really sad subject matter, Tony and Bucky get sent (while theyre warry of each other) to a world that the Avengers lost Battle of New York, and their deaths are... haunting. It really allows Kit to dive into the closeness, the need to someone else to hold. I would say this is a staple fic to read as a winteriron shipper. Of course tho please be weary of tags and your own needs/wants.

(Walk Walk) Fashion Baby by wakandan_wardog

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Non-powered AU

This is basically a Winter/Iron AU inspired by a buzzfeed article that went viral not long ago. The artical discussed this instagram in which a model is sort of being trolled by his sister and her toddler son recreating his photos.

Mei’s Notes: OH MAN. This one has adorable baby peter being an adorably perfect little bundle of sunshine. The ultimate melt your eyeballs and heart fic. It is a WIP but OH SO WORTH IT. I don’t really read WIPs can I like closure but this one has the cutest imagery of grown adults melting over a small child. Also Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent!!!!

71,620 Words

create / detonate by pprfaith, reena_jenkins

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Canon Divergence MCU, Toni Stark AU

In a world where Natasha Stark still dreams of fire and blood, the Winter Soldier wakes ahead of schedule and nothing happens the way it was meant to. (People don’t have a purpose.)

Mei’s Notes: I love fem!Toni so much. I love diving into the difference with Toni’s life if she was born and raised with the expectations of “female”. It’s ironic because the softness I love so much about MCU Tony Stark, i love the a lot of opposites of Toni Stark in this fic. She’s more brash, more ruthless. She is still fiercely protective and kind but there’s an edge that I never felt from MCU Tony Stark. Both are good. I love both. As usual, please read the tags. There’s some rough stuff with this one.

#hbdtony2020 #podonthesuit #winteriron #tony stark #bucky barnes #fic rec #potscast

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ikesengoficss · 5 years ago

Note

Headcanon of the warlords(or the ones you want) with they childers! How many they would have, maybe some of their fears, comon routine with them. Thanks!

What a sweet, sweet request! I love this, thank you chatelaine!

*** as of now, I will only be doing four of the warlords. This is a recent change that I have made after this was request was sent. I put the warlords through a randomizer to narrow down the four. Please understand why I am doing so. The rules of request have been updated for when they are open again.

REQUESTS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED

Please enjoy and leave me your feedback :)

Nobunaga, Ieyasu, Kennyo, Mitsunari w/ their children

Nobunaga Oda

He’s the type of dad who acts more like the kid then— well, the actual kids. Sometimes you wonder who you have to mother more, your child or your husband!

He’s playful, loving, and incredibly doting.

You can catch him anyday just lounging in the grass with this children playing.

One will be on his lap, he’ll be supporting the kid upright so they don’t fall. Another will be playing with his hair, either braiding it or sticking little flowers in it.

If there is a third, he’ll be watching with a close eye as they run around the open field.

Nobunaga will want atleast three children; Two boys and one girl.

He will train his boys to be strong men for when they’ll take over from him. His daughter will be the apple to his eye, and a most beautiful princess.

But she’ll be a bad ass too; he’s going to teach her how to defend herself. She doesn’t need her brothers help. ;)

Favorite thing to do with them is sneak into the kitchen to steal some Konpeito. Someone will be a distraction,

he’ll lift his daughter on his shoulder so she can grab the jar, then they’ll all run as fast as they can to shove their faces with candy.

Nobunaga rarely sleeps, but when he happens to be, his children are always waking him up by jumping on top of him,

and he can’t help but crack a grin before he grabs them and snuggles them down between you both, and relishes in his happy family.

Ieyasu Tokugawa

Ieyasu a strict father— or at least he tries to be. But he’ll never deny his children anything.

He spoils them to no ends, especially his daughter.

Ieyasu is really lost a first when it comes to being a father, but with your help, he starts to get the hand of it, and actually loves being a father.

All though it doesn’t show on his face, he’s kids are always his first priority, and he’ll drop anything at hand to tend to them.

The daily routine goes as such in the Tokugawa household;

Ieyasu wakes up to his children jumping on top of him, and he’s howling as one accidentally steps on his crotch you’re howling with laughter

he’s helping his children brush their teeth, get dressed.

He accompanies them outside to feed Wasabi. He’s gentle and soft-spoken as he shows them the proper way to feed the fawn without scaring her.

He works a lot during the day so he doesn’t see his children often, but every so often, if you’re not working, you’ll come in to tell him what they’ve been doing to keep busy.

His daughter will bring Ieyasu little drawings during the day. He’ll act like his heart isn’t bursting,

but he’s kept them all, and a few are even hung up in his study.

He wants his children to work to their full potential— so he’ll push them to their limit, but he’ll be encouraging them all the same, reminding them;

“Remember, you know this. I got to where I am with handwork, and so will you.

“You know I have your back 100%” awww!

Mitsunari Ishida

Such the dotting father.

He loves to read his children bedtime stories— it his favorite part of the day; after lots of work, just laying down in the futon with his little minis on his lap,

a book in his hand, you beside him, and he can just read to them till they fall asleep.

He’ll want one boy and one girl.

He’ll raise his son to be a proper gentle man, and wonderful warrior though Ieyasu may beg a differ. And he’ll raise his daughter to be a proper lady, but to never take any shit from a man.

He’s not the best for fatherly advice, but he’ll always do his best.

The day his daughter asked him how babies were made was the day Mitsunari, he just— (*´∀｀)

Will teach his children to read, and encourage them to value their studies. he reminds them that in battle, it isn’t always physical strength that gives you the upper hand.

His children will always be forcing him to eat different types of food. They get their fear that he doesn’t eat enough from you! and since he could never deny them a thing, he’ll eat anything without hesitation. unless it’s carrots

As a father, he can be a bit absentminded, as he is in general. In the childs first few months, he can never remember if he fed them, bathed them… changed them.

Has definitely forgotten one of his kids somewhere. Maybe in council, or in town, and he won’t realize he’s left them behind till you ask, “Honey, where are the kids,” and poor baby is bolting.

Kennyo

Kennyo is the helicopter parent

cue the helicopter blades whirring as he’s staring out the window of the little shack sipping a cup of tea,

or appearing out of no where when you least expect it.

If he was in the modern day, he’d have one of those leashes you get for your kids, he’s so terrified of something happening to them.

Kennyo probably would only want one kid. he’ll teach them to respect nature, the teachings of Buddha.

He’ll probably get them a pet at some point when they’re old enough, since he’s a sucker for animals. And chances are, it will be another cat since he wants Mike to have a friend.

Kennyo gives his child lots of piggy backs, and lets them climb all over him whenever they want.

He’ll be their personal jungle gym.

Safety is everything to Kennyo, so his kid is not allowed to go more than a few feet ahead of him. They’re not allowed to touch anything until he’s fully inspected them to not be poisonous.

God forbid they talk to strangers, they’ll get a stern talking to.

Overall, the most loving father. He’ll do anything for his child. They’re his saving grace, besides you.

~~~~~

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#Ikemen Sengoku #Ikesen #Ikemen Series #Ikemen #Ikemen Sengoku Headcanon #Ikesen Headcanon #Nobunaga Oda #Ikesen Nobunaga #Ieyasu Tokugawa #Ikesen Ieyasu #Mitsunari Ishida #Ikesen Mitsunari #Kennyo #Ikesen Kennyo

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hodge52 · 5 years ago

Text

A Lawyer for Fashion Insiders Dresses the Part

"Right when I come to Rag and Bone, I wear Rag and Bone," Doug Hand said one Tuesday evening a month back as he stayed in the back of Rag and Bone's meatpacking zone store douglas hand .

He is a man of his confirmation, a man of the brand. Which for this condition wraps up he was wearing a Rag and Bone tweed spread with a filtering through vest underneath it, a light blue Rag and Bone shirt with a comfort neck a locale, dull Rag and Bone jeans, decline covered up G.H. Bass seat shoes, an ocean power pocket square and a plaid scarf around his neck.

Mr. Hand, 44, is a bona fide guide.

The genuine ace for Rag and Bone. The real instructor for 3.1 Phillip Lim. The genuine course for Anna Sui.

Moreover as for Steven Alan. Rodarte. Cynthia Rowley. The Council of Fashion Designers of America. Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, the originators of Public School. Moreover, that is a custom fitted chart.

Mr. Hand is rough of a particular kind of New York striver, the skilled clarification on getting a zone into a magnificence industry not by being inside it yet by being its correct hand.

Hitched a year back to Dany Levy, the producer of DailyCandy, Mr. Hand is a routinely gotten get-together page inhabitant, uses Il Cantinori like an individual parlor region, gets his blondish locks tended to at the John Barrett Salon at Bergdorf Goodman, and puts wholeheartedly in the most unassuming point of interest of his own presentation, down to his ocean power and white striped socks.

"I like truly fly in the sock," he said. "My lower legs taking after a yummy piece of cakes? That is O.K. with me."

Regardless of the course that there is a patina of marvel that goes with him (the glittery night parties, the well-related life redesign and even yummy lower legs), Mr. Hand spends titanic bits of his days doing impossibly standard lawyering. He drafts passage level position understandings, crucial powers contracts with makers abroad and gains reports checking ensured ground.

In any case, this is the sort of ensured help that with improve level originators need, and Mr. Hand is happy to give it. As a structure up partner of the boutique firm Hand Baldachin and Amburgey, he works like a talent scout. He interfaces with fashioners considering in their occupations, causes them land positions and theory, and see the improvement of master help/authority/budgetary bearing as he rides the ringing lift with them.

Editors' Picks

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What Happened to Choupette?

In 2006, Mr. Hand got together with Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of Rag and Bone and checked their first head cash implantation from the head Andrew Rosen.

"He's been there since Marcus and I were two people in an office," Mr. Neville said. "He's seen everything, great and astonishing."

He goes about as consigliere as much as paper-pusher. "What he does is an incomprehensible system like a power," said Robert Tagliapietra, the co-originator of Costello Tagliapietra, for which Mr. Hand settled terms of a joint exertion with the Japanese markdown retailer Uniqlo.

Regardless, that is just the standard business a scramble of his duties.

Suffering provoking affiliations, looking at the exchanging of industry nark, and managing goliath checks at the Boom Room, these are the improvement necessities that Mr. Hand invites with the most relish. On his Twitter channel, @Handofthelaw, he posts selfies that area the chic closeness of a methodology certified guide, looking — to propose his stunning silliness and individual man about town, Euan Rellie — like a "1950s saw entertainer."

Any place he goes, he dresses the part. Mr. Hand's troupes ceaselessly identify with which clients he will be seeing. Everything considered the Rag and Bone uniform that he wore when meeting with its technique get-together to look at new thing introductions in the corporate office upstairs from the West thirteenth Street store.

It left him sensible to take off into the Manhattan night.

First up: drinks with his amigo and client Jason Stalvey, a 34-year-old who makes a neurological rest quiet practice at Columbia University by day and furthermore $17,800 croc skin duffel sacks. (An accreditation of his sacks are sold at Barneys.)

The two men met outside the Brass Monkey on Little West twelfth Street. Mr. Stalvey was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt that understood his pecs and an adequately flawlessly considered cruiser coat.

Settling in at a corner banquette, Mr. Hand referenced a glass of Lagunitas IPA, and began to experience his own stand-out stand-isolated stand-detached record: Grew up in Laguna Beach, Calif. Gone to Vassar in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he sang in the a cappella collecting and twofold associated with perspective and mind science. Kept graduating school at New York University, experienced obvious a late night at Moomba ("wild night times," he passed on, "a huge amount of fun") and in the wake of getting his J.D. in 1997, took an occupation at the white-shoe law office Shearman and Sterling, as an extra in mergers and acquisitions. (In 2009, Mr. Hand had an immature with his first life accessory, the style engineer Katherine Zorn.)

Finally, he and two additional things made Hand Baldachin and Amburgey, which watches out for boss expert in having clients in stunning fields, including inside system and sports. (For example, Mr. Hand has regulated unquestionable checking pursues for the Brooklyn Nets.)

Continually and now and again bafflingly, jabber with Mr. Hand goes to the subject of structure. Such it was as he snacked on a brussels make plate of blended greens.

Asking about his life ornamentation, he said that they battle for extra room at their space near Union Square. He lived in France after school and experienced vivacious verbalizations of love for cashmere sweaters. He was pulled in to N.Y.U. to consider law in setting on the additional room required by a defilement winter. "Some piece of why I moved East was a hankering to wear various bits of clothing," he said.

Around 7:30, Mr. Hand paid the check, said his goodbyes to Mr. Stalvey and ricocheted a taxi set out toward NoLIta.

There, he was to go to a social gathering for another client, the men's wear maker Todd Snyder.

Inside Mr. Snyder's Elizabeth Street store, Mr. Hand dissected the racks, which were gathered with excessive cotton sweatshirts created with the Champion logo. The pieces were imagined an association deal Mr. Hand had wrangled between Mr. Snyder's drawing and Champion.

It was clear the event was less going to be dazzling, yet Mr. Hand wasn't limiting this thought. He is the sort of person who will go wherever in the relationship of a client or a potential one.

Mr. Hand looked toward the front of the store and saw another client: Nickelson Wooster, the 55-year-old Instagram sensation and style vagabond.

He walked around and applauded Mr. Wooster on his jodhpur-like pants. "These are captivating," he said. "I have to wear a suit standard," he included.

"Your obligation is to look super-delighting and super-tall," Mr. Wooster believe it or not, sounding less vigilant.

Mr. Hand made another dunk into the social affair and found Mr. Snyder staying in the store.

The two men began prattling and Mr. Hand referenced that he'd beginning late began from parties at Rag and Bone and was as time goes on in addition paying extraordinary personality to Mr. Wooster

"You have everybody," Mr. Snyder passed on, finishing a manhattan.

A server moved nearer with another round of refreshments, which Mr. Hand and Mr. Snyder firmly saw.

They rung glasses.

"To continued with progress," Mr. Hand said to his client and possibly to himself as well.

The List of Five

Suit "This is bizarre," Mr. Hand said. "I love my Rag and Bone suits. I wear them most days. Regardless, I have some important Huntsman suits. In case I need a power suit, that is what I wear. It's mind boggling English fitting."

Drink Rusty Nail. "Single malt Scotch whisky with a sugary Drambuie. It's dazzling. Fairly sweet. Not unimaginably sweet. Much on an exceptionally fundamental level undefined from me."

Watch Rolex Daytona. "I have five or six watches, yet this is the one I wear continually. It was a gift from the Rag and Bone people and Andrew Rosen. It's silver with a white face, 2012."

Shoes To Boots. "My go-to shoe in case I'm tidying up to go out. They're starting at beginning late astonishing and normal, yet they have a continuously modest profile."

Dress shirt Paul Stuart. "I've been wearing them since school."

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izupie · 6 years ago

Text

‘Beep Beep Beep’ - Chapter 9 - Tranquility

This is a different kind of chapter, but hopefully you all like the result. I was very pleased with it in the end (it went through many versions and rewrites aaa)

I can’t believe it’s all nearly over ! This has been such a crazy journey and I am so happy and excited whenever I post a new chapter - thank you all for sticking with me!

((What gratuitous shower scene I have no idea what you’re talking aBoUT))

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>>>[Izupie’s ko-fi] - your support is hugely appreciated;; <3 <3

>>>[Izupie’s AO3] - please consider checking out my other Izuocha works too?

>>>[AO3 Link to Beep Beep Beep] - If you want to go to the start~

>>>[AO3 Link to the newest chapter] - Here it is! Chapter 9!<<<

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A persistent buzzing sound woke Izuku up gently. He blinked in confusion and looked over to where it was coming from – a tiny blinking green light on his bedside table revealed his phone was the culprit. Oh, he’d got a message.

He’d turned his phone onto silent mode since the day he’d got it, so he didn’t even know what any of its tones sounded like. It wasn’t like anybody ever contacted him on it except his mom anyway, so he’d never had a problem with leaving it on his bedside table while he slept. He didn’t think it had ever gone off during the night before. It was odd for something like a phone vibration to wake him up though, since he slept so deeply.

Izuku pushed himself upright and reached for his phone.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Izuku jumped and slammed his hand onto his alarm. It had startled him so badly that his phone had slipped right out of his fingers and clattered to the floor between the bed and the table.

His heart was still pounding as he picked up the old clock and checked the cracked display; it read ‘5:00’ in softly glowing red. That explained why his phone had been able to wake him up – his body clock usually got him up around this time anyway, even if there was a rare occasion that he didn’t set an alarm. He let out a small huff as he tried in vain to turn down the volume, but the button for it had broken a long time ago. When it woke him up through sleep it seemed quieter somehow. He tapped the volume button harder, but it still did nothing, so Izuku placed the clock back onto his table in defeat. It had been stuck at maximum for quite a while but hearing its broken volume properly for the first time made him suddenly very conscious of his neighbours. The sound wouldn’t be able to travel that loudly through walls would it?

Izuku ruffled his hair and threw off his duvet.

He really needed a new alarm clock.

Izuku stretched his arms above his head, feeling the satisfying pop of sleep-settled bones in his back and elbows, and absentmindedly rubbed his scarred arm as he glanced guiltily over at his to-do list, catching sight of the reminder to ring his mom. Maybe he’d offer for her to have the clock back instead of throwing it away? She got overly emotionally attached to stuff like that. (Which was why she had a loft filled with an embarrassing amount of boxes of baby photos and old toys.) But that would kind of feel like he was returning her gift, despite it being years old… He supposed there was space on one of his comic book shelves in the living room… It could live there as a memory of moving out to university rather than as an actual functioning clock, since the display was cracked too.

Maybe he’d grown to become overly emotionally attached to stuff too and hadn’t even realised it. His mom had always joked that the only thing he’d inherited from her was her height, but he knew from the sad smile she gave the photo in her purse (when she thought he wasn’t looking) that deep down it didn’t really bother her to think that he was more of his father than her.

Not that he knew much about him.

Izuku splashed cold water onto his face and rubbed it dry vigorously with a towel. Yesterday had been a stressful day, so he was feeling a little more tired than usual. At least getting up on time meant he had plenty of time for his standard morning routine.

He was trying desperately not to think of Ochako, but in trying not to think of her it of course meant she was all he could think about.

He put on his gym clothes and tried to focus on the workout routine he was going to do; he’d read a great post on Instagram about a training set that would put more focus on his core muscles. It sounded like it was going to be tough, but he relished the challenge. Though he probably wasn’t going to be quite so enthusiastic about it when he was complaining about his aching body to Denki in the ambulance later.

Izuku checked his watch and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on his kitchen table while the kettle boiled. It was definitely a coffee morning. The banana was a little browner than he would have liked - since he hadn’t gone shopping in a while and he often neglected to eat the fruit he bought, despite insisting on always keeping the fruit bowl full - but it was the energy that he needed. Still waiting for his old and slow kettle to boil, Izuku opened his cupboard and winced at the baskets of pills and first aid kits he still had stashed away in there. He really needed to sort it all out. Some of that stuff was probably out of date. He picked up a box of vitamin supplements and swallowed a little vitamin tablet down dry. He’d been very prone to accidents and illnesses as a child, and he’d been so scared about dying and leaving his mom all alone that he’d developed anxiety towards his health. When he’d moved out of his mom’s house he’d taken all of his remedies with him, though he’d slowly started needing them less and less.

Nobody ever would have believed he would end up being a paramedic; meek little Izuku who visited the doctor’s every other week with his injuries and maladies. Toshinori was the only one who truly believed that he could do it. Even his own mom had been concerned about how he would deal with surrounding himself with the very thing he’d been falling into his whole life. But that had been part of the reason he’d wanted to do it. In the end it was his own experiences and hard work that had helped him to grow beyond his anxieties and his accident-prone nature, and now Ochako had opened a whole other world of life outside of his work that he was excited to explore too. Friendship and enjoying someone else’s company… preferably hers.

Izuku shook his head to stop that train of thought while he added a touch of cold water to his steaming mug of coffee and downed it all in one go.

He couldn’t wait for her to come back, but he hoped she was doing okay and getting some quality time to heal up, though he was sure her parents would be taking good care of her.

The door locked with a definitive click behind him as he turned the key to his apartment, then he took off at a brisk jog down the corridor.

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

It was only when Izuku finally made it into the ambulance that he remembered his cell phone. Denki was lounging in the passenger seat, cursing and swiping his finger on his own phone.

“C’mon, be a shiny, be a shiny. Damn- it’s not shiny. Gonna catch you anyway for leading me on- Hey, you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost bro.” Denki continued to swipe virtual pokéballs across the screen on Pokémon Go, not even appearing to look up as Izuku settled into the driver’s seat. (It was his turn to drive.)

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” he sighed, “I just saw your phone and remembered that I got a message on mine this morning, but I dropped it before I could check it. So it’s currently still sandwiched somewhere between my bed and the bedside table.”

Denki hissed between his teeth. “Man, I’d be losing my mind if that was me. I didn’t think you’d be that bothered though, don’t you leave it in your locker while we’re on shift anyway?”

“Yeah, but what if someone needed me! And I’m sitting here with no idea. I should have checked it,” Izuku lamented, placing his forehead on the steering wheel. What if it had been Ochako?

“What if it was your girlfriend?” Denki finally looked up from his phone, somehow echoing Izuku’s thoughts.

“Sh-She’s not my-” Izuku jolted upright and waved his hands in a fluster but stopped as he saw the grin on his friend’s face. “Evil,” he mumbled with narrowed eyes.

Denki laughed. “Ah, you’re too easy, bro. I should feel bad ‘cause you’re such an easy target.”

Izuku put his forehead back onto the steering wheel with a tiny thud. “Thanks.”

Denki laughed louder and patted Izuku’s shoulder playfully, then leant back in his chair and folded his arms. His voice was uncharacteristically serious when he said, “Dude. Listen to me. I know all about relationships and-”

“I thought you’d never actually been in a relationship?” Izuku pointed out from the steering wheel.

“Fu- that’s- hey, that’s literally not even important to the point I’m making, okay. I could have had a relationship before now. I’m not afraid of flying solo, so I’m just biding my time until someone meets my crazy high standards.” Denki pouted. “Anyway, I’m trying to have like. A moment here. Bro to bro. So…”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Go on, I’m listening.” Izuku could barely hide the amusement out of his voice. He smiled as he sat back up to give his friend his full attention.

Denki cleared his throat a little. “Look, it’s simple - you just need to ask her out.”

“I’ve been trying to,” Izuku groaned wearily. That’s his big advice?

“Well try harder!” Denki gripped a fist in front of him in a battle pose.

Izuku was about to protest that he’d been trying as hard as he could, but he blinked and thought about it instead. Had he been trying his hardest? At any point he could have asked her out if he’d really gone for it. The times they’d been interrupted, or something had disconnected their schedules… He could have forged ahead and found a way around any obstacle if he’d really put his mind to it. That’s what he was good at. He thought of the flowers currently sitting in a saucepan of water on his kitchen table (on account of him not owning any vases). Try harder… That had been a step in the right direction but… It was such simple advice, but maybe Denki was right…

Ochako could have died that day…

The realisation hit him; it was time to be bold.

Denki must have seen that he was seriously considering what he had said because he continued in a smug voice, “See? I know what I’m talking about. From what you’ve told me about her, it sounds like she’s totally into you. Next time you see her you’ve got to go for it man, seize the day, go big or go home!”

“That’s actually... Wow, um, thanks for the advice Denki.” Izuku scratched the back of his neck, affection lighting up his smile. He spent so much time working with Denki that he forgot that they’d already built up a strong bond, just from how much they had to rely on each other and work so closely together. He was a jokester and didn’t take himself or life too seriously, but he was a loyal friend. It made Izuku even more determined to invite his friends to do fun things outside of work.

“You two will be one of those really grossly adorable couples,” Denki added, pulling a face.

Izuku gasped and playfully tapped him on the arm, pretending it was a punch. “Hey!”

Denki grinned and swatted his hand away. “Too easy.”

Usually a call came in while they were taking over from the night shift crew and getting settled into the ambulance, but today the radio was silent. Between incidents they would drive around the local area, ready to attend anything if they were contacted, so Izuku put the vehicle into gear, pulled away from the hospital and followed a familiar route around the city. Denki occasionally got his phone out of his pocket and cursed and muttered about shiny Pokémon.

Izuku could feel the anticipation of getting to his own phone like a background buzz through his mind as he drove. It had been days since he’d been able to work without something on his mind. Ever since he’d met Ochako…

He guessed he needed to prepare for the next seven days being like this. Hopefully they’d be able to stay in touch and it wouldn’t seem that bad.

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

By the time Izuku dragged himself back through his front door they’d attended a vast array of different calls and incidents. He shrugged off his coat and threw it onto the kitchen table, beside the saucepan holding the bouquet of flowers, ruminating on the most notable calls they’d attended as he shuffled into his shower. There was a young woman who’d broken her arm in a horse riding accident, an old couple with scrapes and bruises after a minor car crash, a lucky young boy with some bruises that had fallen out of a tree and terrified his parents, and a middle-aged man who’d had a cardiac arrest at work. Denki had successfully shocked the man’s heart back into a rhythm with the defibrillator, but it had been a stressful call, and had kept them busy long after their shift had supposed to end.

Attending patients like that made Izuku glad that he chose the career he did. Without the two of them that man would certainly have died – cardiac arrest was as bad as it got. But he was safely in the hospital and things were looking positive for him, so Izuku wanted to check on him tomorrow and see how he was doing. It felt good to be able to do that without fear of Kacchan catching him checking in on the patients and yelling at him. The air between them was clearer now, though he suspected Kacchan would never be friendly and pleasant, but that was okay – it’s just the way he is.

Izuku gratefully stood under the shower’s hot spray and sighed. His days were long and hard, but he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The water soothed his tired muscles and washed away the sweat of a good day’s work, so for a little while he simply stood and let the water run in hot rivers over his skin. He rubbed his scarred arm gently and flexed it up and down, working out the stiffness and aches.

Once he’d rubbed his hair vigorously with a towel and put on a sleeping shirt and some sweatpants, he made his way back into the kitchen, flopped onto a chair, and laid his head on his arms. Not only had it been a busy day, but the new workout he’d tried meant that nearly every muscle was aching, so it would be amazing to eat some quick food and climb into bed-

My phone!

Izuku leaped up from his seat so fast that his chair screeched and fell backwards with a clatter, and he ran to the bedroom, almost sliding to his knees on the carpet in his haste to get down to the floor. His hand groped in the narrow gap between his bed and the small bedside table and he crinkled his nose a little at the feeling of all the dust on the carpet, knowing he hadn’t ever put the hoover down there the whole time he’d lived in the apartment. Finally, he felt his pulse quicken as his fingers closed on something solid.

Izuku pulled it out with a triumphant sound and unlocked the screen. His eyes widened. Eleven new messages. That was more messages than he got in a whole month.

They were all from Ochako.

<Mmmm, just had some home-made stew, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much you would have loved it!! (>v<) I hope you’re not working too hard Deku! And please eat something filling and wholesome if you are! (I know I know it’s like the pot calling the kettle black) (omg my mom’s terrible small town phrases are rubbing off on me and I’ve only been here one day,,,) (I’ll come back into the city and you won’t be able to understand me!!) Also I finally convinced my mom to stop sending me into the garden now the sun’s going down. I told her I’m feeling better but if I stay out there in the cold too long I’ll just get dick again>

<*SICK>

Izuku hadn’t been able to stop smiling the whole time he’d read through her messages. He could almost hear her voice while he read them.

It made him sad to think that she hadn’t had a reply from him all day.

He looked at the timestamp on the last message and realised she’d sent it half an hour ago, so chances were she’d still be awake. She’d said she can only receive and send messages when she was in the bathroom, so it’s not like she’d get it until tomorrow anyway, but he’d still send it, he decided, tapping on the screen.

<P.S. excellent autocorrect fail!! X>

Izuku huffed out a little laugh as he tapped send on his final message and smiled tenderly at his phone. A knotted, concerned feeling lifted from him; knowing that she was going to be having a nice week away was both comforting and sad.

He missed her.

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

<Ah! Sorry I just got your message, I was having lunch out with my parents! There’s this amaaazing little restaurant near the farm my mom works at, and they use all the produce from it. I swear you can taste the Freshness ! It’s literally a signal black zone though. Oh! There’s this really cute wishing well that they’ve built into the restaurant so I threw a coin in it and made a wish (can’t tell you what it was though or it won’t come true!!) but I did take a good selfie with it that I’ll probably make my profile picture as soon as I return to the land of reliable internet x>

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

<Don’t worry! Hope you’re having fun looking at some old memories! We finished on time today so me and Denki are having an after work coffee at a café you might know well… Your friend Mina was there and she said to tell you that she’s having to cover some of your evening shifts so you owe her, but she also said to tell you that she loves you and misses you. She’s so funny – and so full of energy! Hopefully I’ll get to see you there too one day?? X>

<Aaaaa! I can’t believe you went to Uravity! Please tell me that Mina didn’t tell you all the embarrassing stories she has of me! (>A<;) If she did, they’re all lies!! (I’m glad you can’t see me now actually, I’m sitting on top of Iida’s shoulders in the parking lot of the town hall – it’s the only place signal gets through here!) (again, don’t ask how we found out.) x>

<I’m dying over that image, and I don’t even know what your friend looks like! I loved it at Uravity, the stars and planets and stuff are really pretty. I can see why you like it. I’ve never even seen you there, but just the aesthetic and being there reminded me so much of you :( xx>

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

<Izuku? Are you free? Xx>

<??? Xx>

<Sorry, just saw your reply! Ah no don’t worry! It’s ok! Night shift sounds rough! Please get some good rest tomorrow! You’re so kind Izuku, ready to jump in at the last minute to help out a friend. It’s not long until I get to come home anyway, so we’ll see each other then for sure! Can’t wait xxx>

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

<It’s been nice to be looked after by my parents again for a little while but I’m ready to come back home now. It’s been nice to have a bit of tranquillity, since I’m always so busy and I don’t really make enough time to enjoy the little things - but I’m working on it, something you inspired in me xxx>

<I’m missing friends and I actually really miss my job. Every morning my dad makes himself a coffee so by the time I get into the kitchen there’s this lingering coffee smell and it makes me nostalgic xxx>

<Ok. I told my parents I’m going home tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed it but I really want to get back - so I’m hopping on a train tomorrow afternoon. Should be back in the city about 7.30ish? I could get a taxi from the station, but they’re so overpriced, so I’ll get the bus to the apartment - which means I’ll be getting home about 8 ! (^o^) I know that your night shift starts around then so we won’t be able to see each other, but I’ve still got a few days off work for my sicknote, so I’ll be in all day the day after! Xxx>

<Xxx>

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

<Wait,, omg are you there??? X>

<It’s so good to talk to you in real time! Xxx>

<I’m just getting ready for work, I’m having ‘breakfast’ haha x>

<I’m not going to encourage anything but you should totally get the coffee xxx>

<That’s completely encouraging me!! xxx>

<Man, it sucks that we’re going to just miss each other :( xxx>

<Oh, got to go! It’s pulling into the station! Xxx>

----

>>>>[Read on AO3]<<<<

#Please let me know what you think - I'd love to know if you feel the time passing I did worked <3 #I loved the interactions this chapter #izuocha #izuocha fanfiction #izuku x ochako #bnha fanfiction #bnha #beep beep beep izuocha #beep beep beep #dekuraka #my fanfiction #my hero academia #mha fanfiction #mha fanfic

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lansdellicious · 3 years ago

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Burger Battle 2022 Quick Hits - Namjim

Namjim is a fairly new outfit, having floated around a few places as a popup before finding a regular (perhaps permanent?) home in Bannerman Brewery. They specialise in Thai and Thai-inspired fusion dishes, so I was pretty surprised to see they had an entry in the burger battle. Surprised, but not at all disappointed as my love for Thai food knows few bounds. They are offering the NAMburger:

Northern Thai style spiced beef, mozza, herb mayo, pickle relish, iceberg lettuce, potato bun

It's a promising-sounding idea, but I am automatically going to love anything with the word Thai in it. Let's hope it delivers on the promise.

On their Instagram page Namjim goes into a lot of very interesting detail about the various choices for this burger, which is a good little read. The mayo was a bit jarring at first but after a couple of bites I really enjoyed the flavour and how it complemented the seasoning on the patty. The blanket of mozzarella tied everything together and tamed it slightly, which some people might find necessary. The size on this was also great, just enough to leave you wanting more.

There was some debate between Sarah and I as to whether the bun was made in-house or store-bought. I can see why she thought it was from a store but for me it was too pillowy soft to be anything but freshly baked. However the big issue for both of us was that the iceberg was just too much. Sarah isn't a fan to begin with, I don't mind it but there were just two massive leaves on the bun that easily doubled the size of the burger. When you have half your burger volume being essentially crunchy water, you are diluting all that wonderful flavour. Shredding the lettuce and reducing the volume would have been a big help here. I also have no recollection of the relish, which is a real shame as I was excited for it.

What we have here is a very good burger dragged down by an ingredient that feels like an afterthought. The flavours are grand, but if you try this one (and you should), take off half the lettuce. Trust me.

#dtburgerbattle2022 #yyteats #lansdelliciouseats #burger battle #eatlocal

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prompt-master · 7 years ago

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I Miss Everything You

#Bmc #be more chill #boyf riends #fan fic

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sbknews · 3 years ago

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Three different race winners as Mackenzie crowned Monster Energy King of Brands

Three different riders claimed victories in the third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend, with wins for Tarran Mackenzie, Jason O’Halloran and Christian Iddon. Mackenzie was also crowned as the Monster Energy King of Brands as the series welcomed fans back to the Kent circuit in unrestricted numbers. Mackenzie became the fourth different race winner of 2021 in the BikeSocial race on Saturday, before his McAMS Yamaha teammate O'Halloran bounced back from his tough opening race in race two this morning. The Australian crashed out in qualifying and he had to fight his way through to fifth in race one, but a second row start in the following race gave O’Halloran a fighting chance and he duly delivered his fourth race win of the season. Danny Buchan initially took the lead from pole position into Paddock Hill Bend at the start of race two, from Mackenzie and Iddon. The latter was in an attacking mood on his VisionTrack Ducati as he moved into second at Hawthorns on the opening lap. A moment for Mackenzie at Westfield dropped him back into fifth, whilst O’Halloran moved towards the front, taking the lead with a decisive move at Stirlings. Iddon also piled the pressure on SYNETIQ BMW’s Buchan and on the sixth lap; he made his move into Paddock Hill Bend. Tommy Bridewell carved his way up the order after losing out off the line and he was soon threatening for a podium position too. By half race distance, the Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider was into second. Iddon fought back to reclaim the position but Bridewell was determined and soon back ahead. Bridewell chased down O'Halloran, however despite getting within striking distance; he ended second to score his fourth podium of the season as the McAMS Yamaha team claimed its second win of the weekend. The battle for the final podium position went down to the wire with Buchan holding third ahead of the final five laps. Behind him however, race one winner Mackenzie was aiming to make amends for his earlier moment, charging through late on to pass both Iddon and Buchan to steal the final place on the podium. Buchan was then under pressure from Iddon as he made a final attack over the closing laps to try and claim fourth position. Despite the pair trading blows on the penultimate lap, Buchan had the edge at the chequered flag. Rory Skinner was able to lead the FS-3 Kawasaki charge in sixth place ahead of teammate Lee Jackson. They had a comfortable margin over Glenn Irwin, Peter Hickman and Gino Rea who completed the top ten. Iddon then became the third different race winner of the weekend as the VisionTrack Ducati rider claimed a gutsy victory in a restarted seven-lap sprint to the chequered flag. The standings leader held off a late charge from Mackenzie who was crowned Monster Energy King of Brands. The initial race start was declared wet, but as conditions continued to change there were a variety of tyre choices throughout the grid. As the race got underway Josh Brookes launched to the head of the field from 16th place, sixth row starting position, having opted for wet option on both front and rear. The defending champion has been relishing the damp conditions this weekend and he headed the pack from O'Halloran, Buchan and Gino Rea. The VisionTrack Ducati gapped the field initially, but by lap five the conditions had started to change and Buchan had moved into the lead. Buchan the took advantage of his intermediate rear and wet front combination to lead from the front as the SYNETIQ BMW rider bridged the gap on Brookes who was soon under attack from his teammate Iddon. Iddon’s choice of an intermediate front and slick rear was coming into play and he was charging through the order as he moved into second and was hunting Buchan on a drying track. However a blow up from Rea brought out the red flag and it would be a seven-lap sprint to decide the final winner of the weekend. The restarted race was declared dry and Buchan launched into the lead ahead of Glenn Irwin and Iddon, with the pair wasting no time in making their moves on the opening lap. Iddon had hit the front of the pack, but Buchan regained second place with Irwin in third. Tarran Mackenzie though was firing his way through the order and despite running seventh on the opening lap, he climbed quickly into the lead group. As the race reached its final three laps, Iddon was still ahead with Buchan shadowing his every move with a resurgent Brookes holding third place. Mackenzie moved into the final podium position placing on the fifth lap with a move into Paddock Hill Bend. At the front, Buchan grabbed the lead on the penultimate lap, with a lunge down the inside at Paddock Hill Bend, but as the pair approached Druids, Iddon had reclaimed the position. On the final lap, appeared to have the edge, but it was all change as a determined Iddon returned to the front and was able to make it stick. He was then under fire from Mackenzie, who had broken through into second with a move on Buchan, which put him in the pound seat to become the Monster Energy King of Brands. O’Halloran hadn’t given up hope on a return to the podium either and the Australian was also able to pull a pass on Buchan to move into third on the final lap. Buchan crossed the line in fourth place ahead of Brookes, who claimed his best result of the season in fifth. Glenn Irwin held sixth place, fending off Peter Hickman and Lee Jackson, with Rory Skinner and Danny Kent completed the top ten. Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Race 2, Result: - Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) - Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +2.188s - Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +5.845s - Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad) +5.758s - Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +6.503s - Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +8.658s - Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +9.865s - Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +18.410s - Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +18.823s - Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki) +19.093s Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Race 3, Result: - Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) - Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.075s - Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.761s - Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad) +1.268s - Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +1.647s - Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +3.014s - Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +3.169s - Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +3.220s - Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +6.471s - Danny Kent (Buildbase Suzuki) +6.538s Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Brands Hatch: - Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 163 - Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 157 - Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 137 - Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad) 130 - Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 100 - Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 86 - Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 73 - Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 73 Christian Iddon - VisionTrack Ducati Race 3 winner "I was fired up for the restart and I got out front as soon as I could and set a pace that I thought was quite good, but I was second guessing myself a little bit in where some of the damp patches were. Because I was out front I didn't know how hard to push it. I knew there were bits that were a bit sketchier earlier on so I thought 'don’t lob it up the road in the lead'. "Danny came past me with two to go and I gave it the old Larry Lunge at turn one and managed to make it stick and defended the second half of the lap. It's nice to come out of clearways in first, it was a really nice race. I was just a bit excitable, but it was all good and I look forward to watching it all later! "I'm really happy to take the win and leave here still as points leader. The other important thing is podium points, we banked five of them after what I would say was a very disappointing first race today for me. Fifth in the first race was difficult for me, so to bounce back was great – it was a level playing field for that last sprint and we won it, so job's a dream." Tarran Mackenzie - McAMS Yamaha Monster Energy King of Brands winner, P2 in Race 3 "I got a get out of jail free card in the third race with the stop because I was nowhere, 13th or 14th before that, way behind everyone! I was lucky with that. I knew I was starting 12th and slicks was the way forward and whether it was a good or bad thing I had the mentality just to go for it. "I had a really good first lap and good start and just picked off pretty much one rider a lap then got behind Danny and Christian with a couple laps to go. I couldn't quite get past Danny but on the last lap I got a really good run onto the back straight and I just didn't shut off until he did. "I got it stopped then chased Christian to the last few corners, it's hard to pass on the last part of the circuit and Christian rode a great last lap so it was always going to be tough to pass him. "So to turn it around from almost not even scoring points to a podium and getting the Bennetts Rider of the Weekend Award and the Monster Energy King of Brands - that is really cool. I turned my day around this last race so I'm looking forward to Thruxton now." For more info checkout our dedicated British Superbikes News page Or visit the official Bennetts British Superbike Championship website www.britishsuperbike.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews SBN Directory - add your motorcycle related business here

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Read the full article

#Bennetts #BrandsHatch #BritishSuperbike #MonsterEnergyKingofBrands

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yoolee · 7 years ago

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SLBP KAI REINCARNATIONS (with a Yukimura x MC pairing)

Shingen & Kansuke

Shingen remembers first. He’s in the military, and there’s a moment, when he’s leading his men (and women!) that he just knows. It’s as natural and comfortable as putting on a favorite piece of clothing – the transition between not remembering and carrying all of the memories is effortless.

(Not without some pain over things left undone and promises unkept, but, effortless)

First thing he does is start seeking out the others. Kai was always, ever Kai because of the people who were a part of it, and Shingen was who he was because of the people who surrounded him, he has as much a duty to them in this life as the last.

Kansuke is next! Medical researcher, life has always felt a bit…lacking, like he moves through a fog.

Fog finally, finally lifts when Shingen walks into his lab, grinning.

Mr Emotionless DEFINITELY CRIES bet me on this

Anyway, Shingen finishes his service and starts a business, because there are new ways to lead, and this offers him a better opportunity to get out and about and find everyone.

Yukimura

Like most of the fandom I am 100% onboard with professional athlete!Yukimura

Also possibly went into military after high school, because—not that he isn’t smart, he just has too much energy to sit in lectures and would rather do.

But then, A SPORT, of some kind (I saw judo as a recommendation, yes, good) and like, probably an Olympian because bringing HONOR and GLORY to his country is super Yukimura

Anyway Shingen sponsors him

And, Yukimura doesn’t remember just yet.

Shingen is quietly okay with that – Yukimura wouldn’t be Yukimura if he weren’t a little bit slow ^^;;

But really a big part of it is that he’s very much an in-the-moment person and he always has been, so while other characters grapple with a kind of ‘something is missing’ he just charges on ahead instead of lingering.

Saizo & Sasuke & MC

Saizo hasn’t always remembered, but has always known, to some extent.

Knowing makes him pay attention to things, so he’s paying attention when a screaming bundle is tossed into his arms and that’s how he knows the kid’s name is Sasuke.

Sasuke grows up remembering. Having a sort of double-set of memories is completely normal for him because it’s what he’s always known. He doesn’t talk about it much because he learns pretty early that it makes him different from other kids, who don’t have the same understanding of war and battle and loss that he does.

(But that means they also don’t have the same understanding of brotherhood, and heart, and strength)

Saizo remembers when he finds MC

But like, Saizo is literally the biggest MCxYukimura shipper out there and it’s just not right to reveal himself before Yukimura can

So he just keeps an eye out, to make sure she’s okay and well for when Yukimura shows up.

This includes sabotaging literally every single person who expresses a vague interest in her, because no, she is supposed to be with Yukimura thank you very much.

(He is not worried about Yukimura ending up with someone else – he is pretty confident that regardless of how many lifetimes he has lived since their shared one that in none of them did Yukimura learn to talk to a woman well enough to land a girlfriend - or boyfriend, or anything requiring romance in general)

Anyway, yes, sabotaging love interests becomes like a part time hobby (what is his real job the world will never know, all anyone knows is he always seems to have the cash he needs and a lot of free time)

(Mysteriously, every year during Sasuke’s Career Day at school there is some kind of incident before it’s Saizo’s turn – fire alarms, freak storms, mass food poisoning, bathrooms flooding, a swarming flock of crows in the gym…Sasuke stops asking him to come)

ANYWAY yes, sabotage – which he remembers, with relish, but with a few new modern skills to add to the mix. Phone calls with unfortunate test results, emails that look like they come from people who didn’t send them, photoshop, social engineering to get Instagram passwords, just generally being sneaky enough to get close and steal wallets during date night dinners, etc. etc.

Sasuke, who remembers too, and is incensed that MC would be on a date with someone who isn’t Lord Yukimura, definitely gets in on this too; at least once he plays the part of neglected love child with a particularly stubborn suitor.

Reunion

Eventually, REUNION. YAY.

All of Yukimura’s teammates are like o.o;;

Saizo’s sabotage habits die hard – if one of them goes to approach MC, they’re going to trip. You know. Accidentally.

MC definitely figures out what he’s been doing but can never ACTUALLY figure out how or the full extent

Yukimura definitely sobs when he sees Shingen next. He’s so sorry he didn’t remember sooner.

Shingen is like, nah, it’s all good, just because my face isn’t pretty enough to jog your noggin

“NO MILORD YOUR FACE IS BEAUTIFUL”

(The following is @han-pan’s fault <3)

(this of course happens full volume in the middle of filming a sports drink commercial that Takeda Corp is sponsoring)

(Advertisers are like “...well we were gonna go the guy-flirts-with-a-pretty-girl-route for this slot, but he isn’t very good at it and maybe this is why HEY SHINGEN you wanna be in this commercial too”)

(And he’s down for whatever so sure, hey Yukimura, remember how I used to try and teach you things like this--*click click* camera shutters)

(And that’s how the sports drink craze swept the nation because have you seen those billboards omggg)

(MC is just like, “wow you both look so muscle-y”)

(Saizo is like “...did you at least get free samples?”)

Future State

You know that like, no matter where Yukimura/MC live and no matter what the premium on space is, there is always, always a bedroom for Saizo (and by extension, Sasuke)

(Yes he and Sasuke have their own place too)

(But Saizo is a cat, okay. He comes, basks in their sunny little patch for awhile, and then is like ‘yeah okay you two are too saccharine, I’m out’ and he’s gone for a week or three.)

“Hey mom hey dad, why does uncle Saizo he get that room?” “It has the best roof access.” “…we live on the 14th floor of 23…?”

Eventually the kids don’t question it either

Unless it’s to summon him, because you know he just happens to show up any time they ask questions that Yukimura and MC would struggle to answer

Sasuke babysits all the time

Okay but also please imagine, years down the road, Yukimura being concerned that Saizo hasn’t given late-teenage Sasuke Enough Information about Things in Life, and he’s stuttering and blushing and stumbling trying to express this (and Saizo is like, little lord, you have four kids, shouldn’t you maybe not be embarrassed by this still) and meanwhile Sasuke pokes his head in like ‘yeah no don’t worry I read all of Sensei’s guides, I know what I’m doing’ and everyone is HORRIFIED (even Saizo. A little. But also a little proud, probably).

AND FOR @quincette

Echigo

Fashion mogul Kenshin is not a fan of Corporate Meetings they are full of fuddy-duddies and they are dreadfully dull

So he is staring out the window (OF COURSE)

And look they are putting up a new billboard

AND ~GASP~ WHAT IS THIS

IT IS HIS FLUFFY TIGER (and Yukimura, BUT)

And Ooooh he wants to pose in a pretty billboard photoshoot tooooo

Kanetsugu is like wait--what? No, no where are you going get back here WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEETING

But of course everyone dutifully follows him out and Kanetsugu is out of luck

Kageie is like 100% willing to pose in this because why not

Yoshichi is SO EXCITED like YEAH let’s DO this photoshoot

Kagetsugu is trying to Not Draw Attention because he knows exactly how pretty he is, thanks, and doesn’t really like playing dress up, which invariably happens when you work for a clothing company and have his pretty face and features, thanks.

(MC is there catering, makes small talk with Kagetsugu and he gets all embarrassed and blushy when she just assumes he’s one of the models)

Hotaru is just wandering around the photoshoot, playing with things he finds, eventually ends up in the rafters playing with the umbrella lighting

He probably accidentally(?) releases the rain curtain in the middle of the shoot because he’s just playing with stuff

So now you have a lovely, rain-soaked Kagieie and Kenshin billboard advertisement for his clothes

(Kanetsugu wonders why it’s so effective - what about wet clothes is really so appealing? Has no one ever had wet socks around here?)

But, of course, it drives sales up like woah.

ANYWAY so begins the Great Billboard Wars of 2017

Also including behind the scenes video adverts, a few magazine spreads, etc & so forth

(Which ultimately culminates in a Shingen+Kenshin photoshoot that sends both of their company stock shares through the roof)

(Also causes a sharp and immediate uptick in hospitalizations due to fainting and blood loss across the country)

(Kanetsugu is just like *sigh* we are a clothing company, this was a clothing ad did you two forget the clothes?)

(It’s probably an underwear ad. Kenshin “Always figured you of more of a boxers man,” Shingen: “Well actually I usually just go com--” Kansuke: “Harunobu, no.”

I live for fluffy reincarnation AUs. Happy families. Happy families everywhere.

More of Lee’s rambles (or click the link in my profile description)

#slbp #slbp modern au #slbp modern headcanon #slbp headcanons #slbp kai #rambles

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readingontheedge · 5 years ago

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Valentine's Slay

by Denise N. Wheatley

Genre: Steamy Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance Novella

In the land of Zanalia, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of war. When two of the realm’s fiercest foes go head-to-head over the sacred ritual, sparks unexpectedly fly, igniting an explosion of love, lust, and ultimately, broken traditions.

In a world filled with warriors, Valentine’s Day means war for the creatures of Zanalia. Mina, queen of the disciplinarian tribe, is responsible for spearheading attacks on the land’s worst enemies.

Spike, the son of king Theo and Mina’s biggest adversary, no longer believes in provoking battles on this love-filled holiday. He secretly encourages the Zanalians to put away their weapons and spend time with their loved ones instead. The absurd suggestion goes against the territory’s oldest tradition and is rejected by many, to the point where Spike receives death threats. His father grows worried for his son and orders Mina to stage his kidnapping, then provide him with personal, around-the-clock protection.

Mina is infuriated by the mission as she’s being forced to protect a disloyal traitor. She vows to make Spike’s time with her as torturous as possible until she unwittingly finds pleasure in the pain she inflicts upon him, while he seemingly relishes in her harsh punishments. Emotions run high between the pair, and Mina realizes that Spike’s wish to spread love this Valentine’s Day just may come true after all.

**On Sale for only $1.99!! **

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VALENTINE’S SLAY

Denise N. Wheatley

Book Excerpt

Mina slowly climbed the winding, glass staircase inside of Spike’s compound. She pressed her back against the wall while watching every angle around her. In order to gain access to his home, Mina had utilized her narcoleptic machine gun, which was capable of putting its victims to sleep within less than a second. She’d shot several darts into the necks of four armed guards manning the exterior. According to her surveillance, there were only two guards inside of the complex. Mina planned to quickly knock them out, grab hold of Spike, and get him inside of the transporter.

When she approached Spike’s master bedroom, Mina pressed her ear against the door and listened as he and the creatures spoke in hushed tones. She slowly turned the knob and cocked her gun. The minute she swung open the door, Mina shot a dart into the neck of a watchman standing to her left, then the one to her right. Spike made a run toward the bathroom, but just as he reached the threshold, she fired a dart into his throat. He fell to the floor, and along with the other two guards, fell into a deep, snoring slumber.

Mina swooped in immediately, lifting Spike up off the floor, carried him out of the house and threw him inside the transporter. There was a comfortable velvet couch that had been placed in the back, but instead of lying him there, she dragged his body onto a hard, cold iron bench.

“You’re going to pay for disrupting my retirement as Queen of the Disciplinarian Tribe and betraying our beloved Zanalian tradition,” she said, her wicked tone filled with satisfaction.

Mina stripped Spike down to his scant undergarments. She handcuffed his wrists and ankles, then wrapped a heavy metal chain around his waist and secured it with a huge padlock. As he lay there knocked out cold, she looked down at his muscular body, handsome face, and soft, vulnerable expression.

“Don’t you dare start that,” Mina told herself, shaking off the feeling of lust that briefly overcame her.

She headed to the front of the transporter and typed the name of a secret back road into the navigation system that would lead them far away from Spike’s compound and in the direction of her quarters. Once a map popped up on the overhead screen, Mina signaled to the horses that it was time to take off then sped away into the night.

“Help…help. Help!”

Mina’s ears perked up while she listened to Spike scream from the back of the transporter.

“What is going on?” he screeched. “Where the hell am I? Somebody, please, help me!”

“Ugh,” Mina moaned, ignoring his pleas. She grabbed hold of the steering bar and maneuvered the vehicle through a dark, dank, hilly road. According to her digital dashboard, they had been traveling for well over three hours. Mina had been in constant contact with Theo, who warned her to remain on the outskirts of Zanalia as Spike’s protestors were circling every inch of the land, waiting to attack him the moment he appeared.

“Whoever is holding me captive,” Spike called out, “you must release me at once! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is? I am the prince of Zanalia, soon to be king!”

“Please, shut up,” Mina muttered, unsympathetically. She pulled the steering bar back, anxious to get through the swampy territory and onto smoother terrain. When the chargers slowed down instead of speeding up, Mina realized they had yet to stop and take a break and assumed they were exhausted.

She directed them toward the side of the road, then grabbed several buckets of food and water and carried them outside. Once the chargers began feeding away, she hopped back into the transporter and headed toward the back where Spike was being held.

“What the…” he yelled the moment he saw her. “What is going on here, Mina? Where are we, and why am I in shackles? Release me, now! I insist!”

“Unfortunately for you, Spike, that is not going to happen. You see, because of your little attempt to disrupt Zanalia’s Valentine’s Day tradition, your father ordered that I kidnap and hold you captive until the holiday is over and our battle against Raynalium is complete. If you’re angry, be mad at yourself, but you should actually be thanking me, because I’m the reason you’re still alive.”

Spike glared at Mina. “If you do not remove these cuffs and chain at once, you will forever regret it,” he spewed, rattling the restraints to the point they almost tore into his skin.

“If you keep threatening me, you’ll be the only one with regrets.”

Spike tried to sit up, but the chain around his waist forced him back down onto the freezing bench. He jerked his head toward Mina and let out a resounding roar.

“My guards will know where to find me,” he told her. “The second they free me, I swear I’m going to kill you!”

She walked over to Spike and leaned in so closely her face was mere inches away from his.

“You know what? I was going to play nice with you. Well…semi-nice. But now? Playtime is over. You’re going to be sorry for the way you just spoke to me.”

Mina sauntered toward the front of the transporter, ignoring Spike’s cries as he called out her name. She grabbed the metal suitcase she’d secretly packed before heading out on the mission in the event she’d need its contents. Judging from Spike’s rebellious behavior, Mina realized that she had done the right thing.

“What are you doing?” he asked when she opened the case and pulled out two steel clamps. “What are those?”

About the Author

Denise N. Wheatley is a lover of happily-ever-afters and the art of storytelling. She is best known for her chick lit novel I WISH I NEVER MET YOU, which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2004. Since then she’s written (and ghostwritten) numerous novels and novellas that run the romance gamut, from contemporary to paranormal, sweet to steamy.

Denise strives to pen entertaining stories that embody matters of the heart, while creating characters who are strong, colorful and relatable. She is an RWA member and received a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the city where she was born and raised. When Denise is not sitting behind a computer, you can find her in a movie theater, on a tennis court, watching true crime television or chatting on social media.

Website/Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Giveaway

2 winners: One $15 Amazon gift card and one copy of my steamy contemporary romance novella, MY UNCONDITIONAL VALENTINE

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/valentines-slay-book-tour-and-giveaway

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pickupthepen · 5 years ago

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Little Demon

Hi there.

I want to tell you a story. A few years ago, back when I was consulting for 21st Century Fox, I found myself wandering in an airport market at LaGuardia, in search of my usual Diet Coke and, as always, perusing the book selection. As my eyes glazed over the occasional best sellers that were faced forward so shoppers could see the covers and make impulse choices on pretty colors and a couple of words printed in script typeface, my eyes locked on the name “Anne Lamott” on a little orange paperback. My mind clapped- “ha!” Not long before that, I was floating in her pool in Marin as she asked me how my relationship was going. She always had a handful of wonderfully eloquent words of wisdom to offer in moments like those, and I let her in on my heartache. I always forget what she does to afford a mission-style mansion and a gorgeous pool like that, and I’m always still a little surprised to see her name in bookstores. I wouldn’t say I’m a loyal fan of her work, but I bought the book- “Hallelujah Anyway”- and left it under a pillow in my NY boutique hotel room. That relationship ended, and I haven’t seen Anne in longer than I would like to admit.

Years later, this past weekend in particular, I sat in my neighborhood bookstore in a chair, staring down the Religion/Spirituality section. I may have been there for hours- I’m not sure. I read every book title, every back. I imprinted every cover into my mind’s eye. If you want to know the truth, I was hoping there’d be something there, something to take my mind off of what I was feeling, something that’d give me the secret to figuring out what I’m supposed to be doing with my hands and my heart, or some place to travel far away from this seat. Maybe my name would be up there one day after I find what is that I think I need. I’m always hoping that something as simple as a book can fix what feels broken, or maybe to find some way to keep what I fear losing. That’s why there are so many of these books to read, right?

But a question really worth asking myself, which I did, in fact, come around to asking- how many books would it take for me to get there? Could I find the right one, the key? How many “Hallelujahs Anyway” or hours floating in a pool with Anne is it going to take for me to figure it all out? What is “it”? How many books about travel, food and adventure will it take for me to have the courage to leave corporate life? How many tarot readings, meditation sessions, long conversations with friends, buddhist teachers, Tolle and Watts tapes, or “spiritual” instagram posts do I have to scroll through before I can be my authentic self, whatever the hell that means? How much studying will I have to do in order to feel the freedom of the wind blowing through my hair? Do you see what I mean?

Okay, take a step back.

I want to paint a picture of my morning. Let me tell you about a girl named Sally. We have a unique friendship- our circles never really overlap, but every once in a while, we stay up late together. We cook, we talk about who we’ve loved and what we’ve lost, the things we battle in our hearts, what it means to be women of dignity and grace in the workplace, and that not all is as it seems. On occasion, we play a game where we ask questions in rapid succession to see if we can tap into what our intuition knows to be true, and we laugh at our answers. This weekend I asked her, “Do you think I’m psychic?”, and she quickly replied, “Yes!” Sally and I have built our friendship upon the foundation of honesty, and no one really knows how deep our commitment to one another goes. I kind of like that you don’t get to see everything about who we are as two people whose paths have crossed- it’s for us. I will say that she is an irreplaceable part of my life, that I’ve walked the beach in her hometown under a moonlit sky, and that I adore her mother. I’ve looked out at the stars above the San Francisco skyline from the windows of her Castro lair. I’ve heard her cry. She’s heard me cry. She’s my friend- a very important one.

This morning, after having cursed Anne for writing books that never fixed me, and that I never even gave a chance, I opened Instagram and one of her posts was at the top.

“What if you wake up some day, and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written, or you didn’t go swimming in those warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you have a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen.” -Anne Lamott

Trust me, I immediately realized the irony of having condemned Instagram to be a worthless wasteland with no real influence or value and to have my morning turned around by Anne’s post of text on a purple background (she’s a writer, not a designer). I thought about how Anne, although so far from me in this moment, was so close. She whispered to me, not knowing that I’d read what she had written, another one of her eloquent words of wisdom. What I would give to go back to her pool that sunny afternoon and listen once more to her words. What did she tell me way back then? What was she trying to tell me? I remember her seeming a bit ambivalent, as if my relationship wasn’t what I really needed to examine. I can almost see her watch me miss the point, thinking “this girl will understand one day, but not today.”

I thought, “I should tell Sally about this.” I thought of all those daydreams that I carry with me when I walk around the city, and I wrote them to her in a list. I told her about how I did want to learn how to land that big jump at Breckinridge, even though I never have. I told her about my daydreams of sitting on Edmond’s sailboat with him in the Aegean Sea, eating and singing together. I mentioned learning a new language, not to be a pretty girl who speaks in pretty tongues, but because I love learning, I find language fascinating (obviously), and fuck y’all, I want to! I told her about how I want to write a book, but every time the thought of what you might think of me crosses my mind, I stop. I told her about my imaginations of a blues band with my father- he’d play guitar, and I'd sing. I think about that a lot, but perhaps that’s the only daydream that can never come to life. I want to drive around the vast wastelands of Alaska, and sit under the stars. I want to climb mountains. I want to dance until I can’t walk with Allison in Berlin. I want to redesign a kitchen and prepare recipes in a workshop of my making. I want all of it.

Amidst my daydreams, pontifications over Anne’s words, and texts to Sally, I received a message from my best friend. She had slept through her final exam for an important class. Minutes later, another came through- she talked to her professor, she’s going to take the test tomorrow, so now she has more time to study and to sleep. Hah, opportunity. Her dad always says, “when the garbage truck comes by, fill it up!” Then, suddenly, it popped in my mind that I hadn’t checked my mail in weeks, and my heart sank. I jetted up, set the pile on my desk, and sorted through each envelope. I always fear having missed something- I normally keep a watchful eye over my finances and commitments, but sometimes things slip through. I thought about my best friend and how I could channel her experience from this morning in embracing failure, and if there were some error that I had fallen blind to, I could fix it. But, I found no such ominous piece of mail in that pile, only a couple fliers, a beautifully designed AirBnB magazine, and a postcard with an image of ice and a man in a red jacket that read-

“Hello from afar, you little demon. It’s cold and absolutely beautiful here, may it give you some inspiration, because all I can say to you is to live your life for you, to the fullest, and joyously each and every day. Until March, from Antarctica.

-Edmond”

Life’s gorgeous gems always have a magical way of landing where they began, don’t they? I seem to have a magical way of finding great joy in being wrong. Maybe the universe wants me to see that not every moment is a triumph over an obstacle- sometimes I’m allowed to simply relish in happiness. What might I miss when I’m strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing? What might I miss when I obsess over answers, and perhaps more accurately, a way to change how I feel?

I began writing you this letter in a moment of fear. I was hoping to convey some sort of message that there aren’t any real answers to feeling better, to being better, to having better. I was hoping I could find melancholic and meaningful wisdom within my soul about the realities of life- I wanted to say that there are no secrets messages in books, that the words that I choose don’t really matter, that we have so very little in life that we can control, and only a bit that we really know. I thought I had a really good idea about there not being a way to untangle yourself from confusion and uncertainty, so you might as well give up and stop buying those god damned books. But Anne’s words have changed the way I look through my lens out at the world in a number of ways. My best friend’s words change my perspective (and make me laugh) every single day. Sally’s words inspire me, and bring me home. This morning, Edmond’s words reminded me of who I am, what I believe in, and where I want to go. There still isn’t much I have control over, but I have more choices in this life than I sometimes admit, and I often pretend that I am completely powerless for fear that if my life were in my own hands in any way, I’d fuck it up. That being said, I know that I always choose my words methodically and with intention, and with that, I have the power to be radically honest. I can tell you what I desire, what has broken me, and stories of my past that have shaped the woman that I am growing into. When I release these words, out unto the stars, the earth begins to shift.

So, as always in my letters for you, my dear friend, I will say something honest: Sometimes I’m fucking terrified of life. Uh, redact that- I am often terrified of life. I want every item on that list of daydreams that I sent Sally, but I fear what I might lose when I walk away from certainty and the things that I rely upon. I fear deeply that I will never be loved or understood- that is a fear that I know very well, and that I’m not alone in carrying with me. I’m scared that I might lose my whole life to complacency, to playing it safe. I’m terrified that I am going to wake up at 75 and I will never have told anyone that I was deeply, madly in love with them because I was so fearful that I didn’t deserve to hear it back. I’m scared that I will have forgotten how to dance with freedom and power, that I'll have never left the safety of carefully curated sentences, paid bills, aced exams, tennis opponents that I can easily beat, jobs that I know how to do without flexing my mind, practical homes, acceptable relationships, inexpensive sheets, reasonable methods of transportation, and a blog that no one fucking reads because I refuse to be vulnerable (ok I'm getting a little dramatic). I’m just saying- I’m scared of settling, whatever that means, and not having at least tried to leap for something higher.

I think about climbing- I’m scared of what will happen when I jump for the next hold on a bouldering problem that is just out of reach. I think, “when I hit the ground, will I be ok?” But what if I never leapt? Would I be able tell you about that second when I jump, how my stomach drops, my hand slaps the rock, and to my surprise I find myself hanging on, lifting myself to stand on top of that boulder? I wouldn’t even know how to begin to describe a moment like that, had I never experienced it, and that’s mine to keep. I also wouldn’t be able to tell you that I have missed those holds more often than I have landed them, and I’ve always been okay. That’s really worth saying.

If I never finished anything I started writing, would these words sit inside of me for the rest of eternity, would I lay to rest wishing someone had come here and finally felt as though they had a companion in grief, joy and downright lunacy? What if I played by the rules, and never wrote in a fucking curse word? What if I played by the rules? If I were never honest about what’s really inside of my heart, I wouldn’t have the friendships with Sally and Edmond that I do. If were never candid about having made friends with dishonesty, I wouldn’t have Caroline Godfrey. If I never told anyone about my love for women, I wouldn’t be able to tell my mother about how my heart sometimes hurts in romance, and to be held by her words of encouragement and love. I might have missed out on sharing myself with my own mother, and I might have missed out on hearing the hilarious words “that lesbian conference that you go to” come out of her mouth. If I hadn’t admitted to myself that I had become a prisoner of alcohol, I might not even have my life. Actually, I know for certain that I wouldn’t have my life, because every moment worth remembering came after the first time I muttered the words, “I’m Casey, and I'm an alcoholic.” I have a list of a million beautiful things which I have earned from honesty and trust in myself and others, but I will save them for another rainy day (it didn’t rain today but you know what I mean). To make this list complete: If I didn't know any of these lovely human beings, I wouldn’t have mornings like this morning, where everything seemed to make sense again, and I finally felt woven right back into our web of diamonds and silk.

I know I need to end somewhere, and I feel compelled to leave you with an idea. What if you did have some sort of control over how your life unfolds? What if Tolle isn’t exactly right when he says that you’re just being thrashed around by circumstance as the universe reveals itself as you, and that the only choice you have is to either wake up or stay asleep? I challenge you to consider that every move you make pushes your needle toward either courage or fear, freedom or complacency, love or isolation, inspiration or apathy. Every choice and every word matters, and you can choose. You can choose. And if you need a place to begin, you can start by taking a moment to ask yourself what is true for you, finding wonder in those with whom you share your life, and by going out into the world, because all of it is yours. If you don’t, like Anne said, it might break your heart. Leap, my darling friend, courageous human, and say something honest.

Best wishes.

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emma-what-son · 8 years ago

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Emma Watson: I've always said, 'forget the engagement ring, build me a library!'

From Independent.ie March 2017: She's playing "a Disney princess gone rogue", but after the backlash to that photo shoot, actress Emma Watson is walking a carefully plotted line between art and politics. Here, our reporter meets the guarded Beauty and the Beast star.

"Dan brought such a tenderness and dry humour to Beast, which made him all the more relatable," she gushes. He responds with an equally fawning: "Emma's chief motivation was being able to tell the kind of messages that are pertinent across generations. Not just about wearing Belle's yellow dress."

The largely sycophantic back and forth continues with words on Emma's immeasurable kindness and Dan's boundless generosity. There are tales of Steven's "hair-raising" adventures on stilts to achieve Beast's height, and Emma comparing her singing to legendary off-key chanteuse Florence Foster Jenkins, played by Meryl Streep in last year's eponymous biopic. How watching Katharine Hepburn screwball comedies provided huge inspiration for their characters.

Altogether, it's a perfect puff exercise in promotional Hollywood chit-chat orchestrated by Watson's team of rigid representatives.

Before today's audience with the former Harry Potter graduate, journalists had to sign a clause-filled contract. The immovable interview terms demanded no personal questions of any kind; no questions about her background; no mention of La La Land (Watson reportedly turned down Emma Stone's Oscar-winning role). Basically nothing beyond the fairy tale.

There were no such conditions for talking to former Downton Abbey star Stevens.

Now, "no personal questions" is a frequent request delivered by the movie PR folk but usually comes as a verbal, quiet warning not to venture down the path of messy divorce or criminal activity.

A binding contract this inflexible, however, is something else entirely - something I have never encountered before.

'Brand Watson' is a carefully master- minded machine: one which boasts nearly 50million social media followers. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old star, a grey area exists between her unrelenting, admirable crusade for gender equality and her acting career.

In playing Belle in the €150million live-action revamp of the childhood classic, Watson has intentionally blended her politics with her art. The feminist campaigner has become a Disney princess. Which, in promotional discussion, invariably forces her to reveal herself, just a little.

"Innately at the centre of Beauty and the Beast was this heroine who went against the crowd, marched to the beat of her own drum," Watson tells me. "Fearlessly independent-minded, defiant. Nothing around her is affirming her choices. She's incredibly curious and learned and does things her own way. And I connected with her sense of defiance. She's a Disney princess gone rogue.

"I watched a lot of films as a young woman that I felt gave me less choices and constricted me, as opposed to making me feel that the world was limitless and possibilities were endless. And I also knew how important Belle is as a symbol because of how important she was to me as a young girl. She was my idol - my own personal heroine - so I know how important it was to get it right."

Getting Belle right in 2017 is indeed important, lest it jeopardise the work that Watson has done - and the reputation she has built as an intellectual and feminist crusader - previously.

Her public campaign for equality began with an impassioned address in front of the UN in the summer of 2014, heralding the HeForShe campaign, which calls for men to advocate for gender equality. In speaking out, the actor became both a symbol and a target. And her words and actions are now microscopically scrutinised as a result. For example, that same year, her criticism of fellow feminist Beyoncé's music videos for the Lemonade album - which Watson said in an interview exhibited a "very male voyeuristic experience" - was met with overwhelming backlash. Those quotes were resurrected this month when Watson's own shoot for Vanity Fair featured a photo (below) of her with her breasts partly exposed.

In the furore that followed, Watson was forced to defend the photograph. "It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is," she said in an interview with news agency Reuters.

"Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women. It's about freedom; it's about liberation; it's about equality. I really don't know what my t**s have to do with it. It's very confusing." It's left Watson wedged firmly between a rock and a hard place. And today, when I push her on that difficult position (and much to the horror of her stern publicist), she delivers an uncharacteristically human response.

"To be that public about my opinions and feelings, you can't say something like that and not walk the walk. If you're going to do that, well, I have to live by this. And taking a stance on things doesn't make life easier - it definitely makes things more complicated."

She pauses for thought, perhaps sensing a vulnerability to her words that she then attempts to counter. "You know, the battles I fought and I fight make what I do feel much more worthwhile and it gives me much more of a sense of purpose. And I'm glad that I get actively involved. But it's not easy. Ultimately, I follow my heart because that's all I can do."

There's no doubting that Beauty and the Beast is a passion project for Watson. Directed by Bill Condon - the man behind Dreamgirls and Chicago - the lavish epic is a beautiful spectacle, largely modelled on the 1992 classic, the first animation to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Alongside Stevens and a starry cast including Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts and Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Watson shimmers as Belle, the wayward outsider, stifled by her insular village surrounds.

When she stumbles on the Beast's castle where her father, played by Kevin Kline, is imprisoned, she sacrifices herself and takes his place. She soon learns that Beast and his servants are cursed by a spell which can only be broken by true love.

"It's literally your childhood fantasy," Watson explains, in her signature clipped tones. "I watched that film with a sense of wonderment probably a thousand times, much to the annoyance of my parents. And to actually be in that dress, riding Philippe [the horse], to be wandering around that beautiful castle set, it was amazing. I also felt an immense responsibility. While it was me playing the role, there's a huge pressure because Belle - she's an archetype, she's a symbol, she's every girl. If I do my job well, she belongs to everyone, not just to me."

Watson claims that much modernisation was needed to bring the new version up to date. "The original was released in 1992; now it's 2017: things have moved on a lot from then. I think the film would fall flat if they didn't speak to the times we're in now."

Director Bill Condon says Watson (who today is clad in a monochrome bustier and trousers by Carmen March, one of the many ethically sourced outfits worn for the Beauty promotional tour and documented on her new Instagram page, @the_press_tour) was at the heart of Belle's feminist reinvention.

"She was involved in everything having to do with Belle's environment and costumes. She was so meticulous in the meaning of every costume change, about wearing the appropriate boots and about the dress she wears in the village having pockets.

"Also, Belle was as much an inventor as her father, which was hinted at in the animation. Here we have her doing her own calculations. Emma suggested we could do more with her alone in her own specific world, which led to a washing machine in a well. That was all Emma."

Belle's love of literature is something Watson was also keen to play up. And small wonder, since she founded an online feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf, which boasts nearly 175,000 members. "When Belle enters Beast's library, that's not just her dream - that's mine," Watson says. "I love how she swings along on those wheelie ladders, climbing these elevated storeys of books. And, you know, I've always said, stuff the engagement ring! Just build me a really big library."

For both Stevens and Watson, Beauty and the Beast marks an opportunity to finally eclipse their signature roles in Downton and Harry Potter, respectively. Do they relish that thought?

Her publicist's nostrils flare slightly, while Watson shyly squirms in her seat. Stevens, however, gratefully responds.

"It's certainly not a burden," he says. "Downton changed my life and I know [Harry Potter] changed Emma's. The privilege of that and to carry forward with roles like this adds to the canon."

"And Emma?" I ask. She hesitates slightly. It's a perplexing display for a question so tame. "I think that I just feel really lucky. For me, Belle was my childhood heroine; [the film] came out two days after I was born. And then, in my early teens, it was about idolising Hermione. So to be given the chance to play my two childhood idols is probably a very unique and rare experience for an actress.

"And I think," she continues, "I think I came out of this with more confidence, with more skills. And more belief in myself. Because when I came off Potter and decided to go to university, that wasn't a career decision the people I worked with were pleased about. But I kind of… I try to stay true to whatever whisper I'm getting from myself and I hope that will see me through. That's all I can do really. Otherwise, if I don't listen to myself, I'd feel a bit lost in it all."

Difficult to imagine Emma Watson, the twentysomething movie mogul and ambassador for human rights, feeling lost. And given the rigorous conditions attached to today's interview, one could easily question whether these humble claims are just part of the act.

Meeting the star today, however, it seems that, under the shiny veneer and terse brand control, lies a grounded spirit and decent human being trying to do some good. Hopefully, she'll stay the course as a campaigner and not become a total princess.

#interview

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accuhunt · 6 years ago

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How to Travel as a Vegan and Find Delicious Food Anywhere in the World.

About this post: Travelling as a vegan sounds incredibly difficult, but after 3.5 years and over 30 countries, I can assure you that being a vegan traveller is more a matter of being prepared. In this vegan travel blog post, I share all my vegan travel tips and try to prove that travelling as a vegan in meat-obsessed countries is not impossible.

I’ve travelled to over thirty countries since I turned vegan 3.5 years ago, including seafood-obsessed Japan, kebab-loving Iran and tribal regions of Myanmar, where every kind of animal is relished.

Sticking with my commitment to not consume any animal products, I’ve learnt along the way that surviving – nay thriving – as a vegan on the road is an acquired art. The more well-researched, adventurous and creative I am, the more likely I am to find incredible vegan food, sample the local cuisine and build lasting friendships through the common love of good food.

Behold, all my tips for fellow vegan travellers who want to travel the world, keep their taste buds (and nutrition levels) satiated and immerse deeply in the local culture:

Keep an open mind but a rigid determination

My fav vegan tee and a sumptuous vegan cake – in London, UK.

While planning my trip to Japan, I was certain I wanted to spend the majority of my time in small villages, explore remote islands and experience countryside living. While bigger cities like Tokyo and Kyoto have become vegan-friendly over the years, a Facebook group of local foodies in Japan warned me that travelling as a vegan on the Japanese countryside was going to be “mission frickin impossible!” I took their concern seriously, but I was neither willing to compromise my style of offbeat travelling, nor my commitment to veganism.

I think half the battle of travelling as a vegan is in the mind. If we set our minds to finding vegan food no matter what, we’ll find ways to make it happen. On the other hand, if we tell ourselves that it’s okay to compromise on our vegan beliefs once in a while on the road, we’ll be less prepared, less creative and less adventurous.

Once I set my mind to surviving as a vegan on the Japanese countryside for a month, I got down to work. I thoroughly researched the cuisine, got a Japanese friend to write a long note explaining my food preferences, learnt which dishes could be customized, raided supermarkets for avocados and fresh veggies, carried back-up food, surrendered myself to the kindness of local chefs and indulged in many bento boxes. Believe it or not, I ended up having incredible vegan food through most of my Japan trip!

Also read: Why Travelling in Japan is Like Nowhere Else in the World

Research the local cuisine

An Ethiopian Beyayenetu – always vegan and available everywhere in the country.

We’re lucky to be living in a world where we can learn everything about local cuisines from around the world with a simple google search. That means before I set out for Georgia in the Caucasus region, I already knew that local dishes like lobia (kidney beans stew), lobiani (bread stuffed with mashed kidney beans) and badrajani nigswitz (eggplant with walnut paste) are accidentally vegan, thanks to the orthodox Christianity beliefs of locals. Before I set out for Ethiopia, I knew that I could be anywhere in the country and still feast on beyayenetu – a delightful vegan platter with injera, chickpeas, lentils and veggies.

When I’ve zeroed in on a new destination, I read about the local cuisine on wikitravel or other general websites, and try to analyse which dishes are free from animal products and which can be customized to be vegan. I pour over vegan blogs (of which Mostly Amelie, Vegan Food Quest and The Nomadic Vegan are some of my favorites) and forums to draw on the experiences of past vegan travellers.

Having an idea of what I can and can’t eat when I arrive in a country makes it easier to scan menus, order food, speak to local chefs and start treating my tastebuds right away.

Also read: Awesome Places in Mumbai to Chill, Work from Home and Enjoy Vegan Food

Get the HappyCow app

Found a charming abode with a Swiss vegan family, thanks to HappyCow.

HappyCow is one app that every vegan / vegetarian traveller must have on their phone, for it maps out all the vegan / vegan-friendly spots (restaurants, cafes, accommodations, stores) near you, along with reviews from past travellers.

It was thanks to HappyCow that I landed up at GustaV, the first and only entirely vegan restaurant in Salzburg (Austria) and feasted on vegan Tyrolian dumplings that I otherwise could’ve never tried. In Switzerland, the accommodation listing on HappyCow led me to stay with a vegan Swiss family in a dreamy little village, where I feasted on carob brownies and vegan rosti.

Looking for vegan spots recommended on HappyCow, I’ve found myself in neighbourhoods I wouldn’t otherwise have explored and met passionate vegan owners I wouldn’t otherwise have met. Who knew the search for great vegan food can begin right in your palm!

Also read: Sometimes We Choose Life, Sometimes Life Chooses Us

Learn how to ask for vegan food in the local language

Mastering how to ask for vegan food in Iran – bedoone ghoost (without meat).

This is almost a no-brainer, yet it took me a while to master it. The trick is often not to directly ask for plant-based food, nor to explain what you can’t eat. Because many people who haven’t entertained vegans / vegetarians before tend to think that all we can eat is grass salad!

After cringing upon being offered a boring salad too many times, I’ve learnt that I have to lay out all possible options of what I can eat . So when I travel to a country where English is not the primary language, I try to learn the names of several ingredients in the local language, based on what’s available locally, including what I can’t eat but also what I CAN eat. When I arrive, I also find a kind local to help me write it accurately in the local script on my phone.

In Japan for instance, a newfound local friend helped me write in polite Kanji, that while I can’t meat, seafood (including fish dashi – very common in Japanese food), eggs and dairy products, I can have rice, tofu, yam, soya sauce, soya milk, cold soba noodles, miso, vegetables and legumes – all of them staples in Japanese cuisine. In most restaurants, the staff initially got very worried when I asked for vegan food, but upon seeing my note, whipped up some delicious vegan feasts!

In Iran, I was able to get a friend to write that while I can’t eat animal products, I can eat lentils, beans, potato, eggplant, rice and vegetables – all part of Persian cuisine. And in Myanmar, a local friend taught me to say t-t-lo (pronounced त त लो like in Hindi), which indicates Buddhist vegan food in Burmese!

Also read: The Epic Land Journey from Thailand to India via Myanmar

Connect with vegans in the country

Connecting with vegans in Chiang Mai for my first “Cube of truth”.

Harnessing the power of social media has led me to some truly unforgettable vegan experiences around the world. Most recently, in Iran, I stumbled upon the Instagram profile of Khalvat House – a guesthouse being set up by a team of passionate Iranian vegans – and ended up being their first vegan guest! After three weeks of sustaining mostly on local dishes like do pyaz alo (stir-fried potatoes and onions) and dal adasi (yellow lentils), I was treated to elements of Persian cuisine that no one else had been willing to veganise. Think vegan dizi (mashed beans with broth), vegan kebabs (made with sprouted wheat and unbelievably delicious) and vegan chocolate desserts inspired by Instagram! On their recommendation, I went on to live with a beautiful vegan Iranian family in Tabriz, where even HappyCow doesn’t have a single listing.

In Japan, using Airbnb Experiences, I landed up in the home of a vegan Japanese family to learn macrobiotic cooking that balances yin and yang – and left with a tummy satiated by incredible food and a heart filled with the warmth of a new friendship. And in Chiang Mai, I ended up joining my first “Cube of truth” after connecting with the local chapter of Anonymous for the Voiceless – a powerful outreach experience.

As the vegan movement grows around the world, it opens up a world of experiences for vegan travellers. Experiences that are rooted in the common love for animals, conscious living and good food.

Also read: What Solo Travel Has Taught Me About the World – and Myself

Stock up on vegan snacks and energy bars

An Instagram-inspired vegan dessert at Khalvat House, Iran!

I used to judge others for carrying their own food on a train or flight. Now, I am that person, and I don’t give two hoots about anyone who judges me

Since I turned vegan – and a bigger foodie than I’ve ever been before – I never leave it up to chance to be fed well. In the tribal Chin state of Myanmar, where locals eat everything from monkeys to mithuns (cross between a buffalo and yak), I sustained myself over 3 days with bread and avocados (there was an avocado tree in the backyard of my guesthouse!), as I said no to rice mixed with mithun blood and dried mithun meat.

In both Japan and Iran, where I spent a month each, I stocked up on protein-packed energy bars made on order by my friends from Health Nut and Down 2 Hearth. On long bus journeys and flights, I always pack a vegan meal to keep me satiated, for vegan food on board (always indicate vegan food preferences online beforehand) is often bland and boring. And in my bags, there’s always some vegan chocolate, chia seeds to whip up a quick treat and snacks to munch on.

Also read: Where to Find Droolworthy Vegan Food in Chiang Mai

Stay with local hosts and inform them of your food choices

Staying with a vegan Iranian family in Tabriz.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I try to seek out local accommodations wherever I go. If it’s a place that offers meals, I make it a point to inform my hosts well in advance that I’m vegan, including what I can and can’t eat. Some lead time always helps!

In the Lake District in the UK, I was the first vegan to stay at a newly established B&B. At the time of booking, the hosts seemed unsure of what vegan breakfast they could offer – but between the time I booked and showed up, they had come up with an entire vegan breakfast menu that they planned to offer other guests too!

In Tokyo, when I checked in to a guesthouse, my Japanese host told me, quite amused, that he couldn’t think of anything vegan he could offer me for breakfast. The next morning, as I was getting ready to head out, he stopped me and said he had done some research online, and whipped up a vegan breakfast of miso soup and tofu steak! And he was so satisfied with his creation that he planned to add “vegan-friendly” to all his online listings.

As more vegans travel, more hosts and accommodations will become familiar with veganism, and the world in turn will become more vegan-friendly!

Also read: How to Find the Perfect Airbnb and Make the Most of Your Travel Experience

Be conscious of your nutrition

Yummy and healthy – vegan breakfast at The Secret Garden, Goa.

If you’ve been vegan for a while, you probably already know that there are plenty of plant-based sources to get protein, calcium and other essential nutrients. (If you’re unsure, read this). But while on the road, I’m often dependent on other people to feed me. When I’m travelling to countries that don’t seem familiar with veganism, I try to figure out what kind of nutrition I’ll able to get from the vegan version of the local cuisine. Will I be able to get lentils, kidney beans, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, and plenty of vegetables and fruits along the way?

While preparing to travel to Iran for instance, many vegan and vegetarian travellers wrote that they survived entirely on deep-fried falafels! I had no desire to eat that, so I carried plenty of protein bars and planned to get the rest of my nutrition at supermarkets. Much to my surprise though, I was able to find lentils in many places, and the old Persian bazaars were teeming with all kinds of affordable dates, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

I also always carry supplements of Vitamin B12 and D3 – something most people, vegan or not, are deficient in – as well as lysine supplements for when my diet has too much soy and too little lentils / kidney beans, which can cause an imbalance of essential amino acids (read here).

Also read: How I’m Financially Sustaining My Digital Nomad Lifestyle

Get a travel blender

My portable travel blender that charges with a USB!

The best gadget I’ve acquired in recent times is a Vitamer travel blender (available only on Amazon US), which is light, easy to carry, battery-operated, charges with USB and allows me to have smoothies / smoothie bowls wherever in the world I am.

When invited to a conference in Belfast last year, I couldn’t bear to have the drab hotel breakfast with only jam and bread as vegan options. So I went to the nearby supermarket, picked up a bunch of fruits, got some raw cacao, pumpkin and sunflower seeds from my bag and made myself some hearty smoothie bowls!

Also read: How I Fit All My Possessions in Two Bags as I Travel the World

Get creative with menus

Vegan hot chocolate, anyone?

As vegan travellers, we can’t rely only on restaurant menus with vegan options marked – for the vegan movement hasn’t yet reached many cities around the world, and certainly not the rural countryside of most countries. Over the years, I’ve learnt to study menus, mix and match ingredients, get creative and explain to chefs what I’d love to eat. It works 80% of the time!

While staying at a guesthouse run by an Italian guy in Zanzibar, I really wanted to eat a pesto pasta. After great restraint, I convinced him to try making pesto without parmesan cheese – almost blasphemous for an Italian! At the end of the endeavour, he was rather surprised that it tasted almost the same – delicious.

Similarly while eating cafe-style food in a non vegan friendly place, I scan the menu to swap dairy products like cheese and mayo with vegan dressings like hummus, tahini, pesto (if made fresh without cheese), balsamic vinegar and chilli oil.

Also read: Shh… the Most Beautiful Beach I’ve Set Foot on is Zanzibar’s Best Kept Secret

Stay in an independent Airbnb and get access to a kitchen

Vegan strawberry smoothie bowl, made by yours truly

I’m writing this post from a sweet Stalin-era abode in Yerevan, Armenia, which will be home for the next month – and I can’t quite explain the delight of having access to a kitchen after many weeks on the road in Iran. No matter where in the world I am, I love to begin my day with smoothies, chia seed puddings, sauteed mushrooms with broccoli, chickpea pancake (besan chila), hummus and avocados on toast, open-face sandwiches and whatever else that is quick and easy to make!

Having an independent space with a kitchen – even if for a few days – is a refreshing change from eating all meals out, and a chance to treat myself to some comfort food and get better nutrition. Besides, as I figure out farmers markets, vegan-friendly stores, local bakeries and organic groceries, I really end up experiencing a place like a local.

Also read: Why You Should Stay on a “Local Island” to Truly Experience the Maldives

Talk about your choices in a respectful way

Contemplating my food choices over herbal tea in Shiraz, Iran.

We’ve all seen the jokes about vegans who try to shove their lifestyle choices down the throats of others. I don’t know who they are, for on my part, the vegans that I’ve met are rather aware that this is a very personal choice.

Anyway, no matter where I travel, I’ve seldom shared a meal with someone – friend or stranger – without being asked why I don’t consume animal products. I try to talk about my personal journey, as well as the cruelty, health and environmental aspects of veganism. I recommend powerful films like Cowspiracy, Earthlings, What the Health and Okja. I talk about all the amazing food I’ve eaten while being vegan, but also some of the challenges. I try to plant the seed of veganism by encouraging people to decide for themselves, rather than forcing my choices on them.

A few months ago, I heard from a host I had stayed with a couple of years ago, a host who had initially been wary of offering me vegan meals. She told me that she had finally transitioned from eating meat to a plant-based diet.

I’ve begun to believe that wherever in the world we travel, we need to keep planting these seeds. For we never know who’ll be lucky enough to taste the fruit.

Update: Between now and mid-April, I’m offering a one-hour “pay what you like” consultation session for vegan entrepreneurs. Read more about it here.

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How to Travel as a Vegan and Find Delicious Food Anywhere in the World. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com

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