#slowly identifying more of the mental blocks that are stopping me from writing this chapter

[merge-conflict]

When you meet Hanako after the parade, she's quite hostile and surprised (perhaps a little afraid), but at that point she is still one of the only people who knows (perhaps besides Hellman) that Saburo Arasaka had an engram made and it could be retrieved at any time. She hasn't tried to do this yet– why? Loyalty or love for Yorinobu? Her brother who she has argued for in the past, and has once again (unsuccessfully) tried to argue to her father for a chance to speak to him before that deadly confrontation?

I'm personally of the opinion that she is frightened, but is playing up her fear (I think this is a smart thing, to be clear. Never lay all your cards on the table.) But I wonder if Goro's success really does shake her, and make her wonder if Yorinobu is willing to risk her and anything else in his rage and grief. If that's the turning point where she decides she does need to do something, or if she has been quietly setting things into place and is forced to act. Because if he'll turn on her, then what else might he do?

She's a very interesting character to me because she's clearly not stupid– but she has been isolated for most of her life and clearly where she's lacking is connection or resources, especially in Night City. She relies on Takemura for being a figurehead for the loyal soldiers, but makes that offhand comment (paraphrased) "loyal to me or my money", which tells me she knows she doesn't have the charisma or trust to resist Yorinobu openly– not when everyone else seems content to follow him in his coup.

Does she want to be left alone, or does she want more power? Is her isolation her choice, or to keep her "pure" as Arasaka's heart? In some respects I think she is trapped in the conservative expectations her father placed on her (is Yorinobu really heir apparent for Saburo? or is he just the only surviving son? Would Hanako even want that responsibility? Was she ever asked or prepared for that eventuality?) but what does she want? Besides what everyone wants– a family that isn't fucked beyond mortal repair. Everything you know about her is speculation. Everything she tells you is in service of what she wants you to do. What does Hanako want?

[maeve-studies]

I read Deep Work so that you don't have to

Cal Newport's Deep Work comes highly recommended for many in academia. It touts being able to set you above other job candidates and students by giving you a rare skill - the true ability to focus in a distracted world.

I read this book because one of my professors offered extra credit to any student who read it and wrote an essay on what they learned from it (I'm never one to pass up an extra credit opportunity, but it seems disingenuous to make students read a 300 page book for extra credit although that is an argument for another post).

I will be honest - this book did not need 300 pages. I honestly found Newport to be full of himself and beyond pretentious - and a lot of this book reeks of "anyone can be good at anything, if you are failing you just aren't trying hard enough" and that is a mindset which is so prevalent in academia but I find beyond harmful. It overlooks that many people simply don't have 4 hours of uninterrupted time, whether it's because they have children or work responsibilities. Time is a privilege that many people don't have, and Newport seems to completely overlook that. With this caveat in mind, I'll recap the main points of this book below.

1. Stop Multitasking - this is one a lot of us KNOW, deep down, that we need to do. But you will really be so much more productive if you spend 20 minutes focusing on Duolingo, 20 minutes writing in your journal, and 20 minutes working on an essay, than you would be if you spent an hour switching between the 3.

2. Set aside blocks of time for focus work and create a routine - These go hand in hand, find blocks of time (even if it's only an hour!) and dedicate yourself to turning off your phone and focusing on your work during those blocks. Having consistency, such as always scheduling these blocks in the morning before class or at the end of the day after dinner, is important for developing patterns.

3. Building up the ability to focus is like building a muscle, it takes time - If you currently focus in blocks of 20 minutes on and 5 minutes off, maybe you do that for a total of 3 hours. And you won't go from 3 hours to 6 hours in a day or you will only end up mentally exhausted. Building up your focus time slowly is important for avoiding burnout and exhaustion.

4. Disconnect from your work at the end of the day - Take time each day for relaxation and self-care. Even if you're studying for the SATs or the Bar Exam, unplugging from your work every night and watching an episode of Netflix or reading a few chapters of a book will help you to mentally recover from a long day of focus.

5. Schedule your day into blocks - I do this loosely, but I plan out my day in advance. It's so normal for your day to get shifted around, you will always be moving around your mental schedule. However, I find it helps me to identify my priorities and allows me to make a list of everything I am hoping to accomplish in a day.

6. Monitor your social media use - I think a lot of what bothered me about this book was Newport's insinuation that people who don't use social media are above people who do. Fundamentally, I disagree with this, however I think it is important to note that to be fully engaged in your focus time, you should turn off/lock your phone (I use the forest app). We all know that phone use and social media can distract from productivity, so I'm including this on the list because it is important to take time away from your phone to focus.

My final assessment of Deep Work is that a lot of the habits it suggests you adopt to maximize productivity are things we all KNOW we should be doing, like spending less time on our phones and more time focusing on our work. However, life gets in the way of these things sometimes, and I think the book fundamentally ignores the fact that if we all embraced the behaviors Deep Work suggests, we would all live very strict lifestyles that wouldn't allow for spontaneity and deviation. Find your balance between productivity and focus, and taking time to relax and enjoy your life with friends and family.

[shackermanwrites]

Summary: When everything’s falling apart in your life, and you don’t know what to do anymore, maybe asking the universe for something isn’t a bad idea after all. In which Sol Reader finds herself in another reality after begging the universe for something. Everything is going well not until she was put into Levi’s squad.

A/N: Hi guys! we're finally done with their introduction! the next chapter will contain time skip and we will get to see more Reader and Levi's interaction and developments! Comments, likes, and reblogs are appreciated thank you for reading and i am open for suggestion and recommendations! <33

Chapter 6 -> Chapter 7

Lifetime Masterlist

The pitter pater sound of the rain hitting the roof woke you up in the middle of the night. You could have gotten back to sleep since the cold wind, along with the sound of the rain brings comfort to your body but your mind chooses to be stubborn and doesn’t let you go back to sleep by occupying your head with thoughts.

Rain somehow brings comfort to your body and to your soul, you cant put it into words but rain feels like home to you, if that even makes sense.

You slowly got up from the bed and grabbed your green jacket that was provided by survey corps after graduation. You are glad that its material is thick enough for cold weather and long enough to reach below your knee. It is suitable for winter and cold weather.

You carefully wear it and not bothering to put the belt around the waist since you can just hold it in place when you fold your arms on your chest.

Just what you’ve expected, there’s no one outside the headquarters, and only torches around the halls are the source of light.

The soreness of your feet was finally gone after you took a hot bath and after letting it rest for hours. You were glad that the pain already faded since you don’t want to miss training, and you don’t want to burden Eren since he is the only person who has the time to check up on you, considering that Mikasa, Jean, and Armin are busy just like you are.

Your feet decided to stop at the halls near the bench you always sit in, but since it’s raining, you cannot sit on it. You let out an exhale of disappointment while looking at it.

You were about to head back to your room when your eyes glanced at a faint light inside Levi’s room.

‘Why is he even up at this point?’ you thought to yourself, but then you remembered the pile of papers he was reviewing the whole day. But the idea of him leaving the candle lamp on his desk crossed your mind. With the amount of paper he has in his office, it is no doubt that it can burn the whole building in a blink of an eye.

You walked over to his door and gently knocked with your knuckles allowing only him to hear it. You heard a delicate sound of footsteps coming towards the doorway.

You were greeted by a scent of black tea and fresh lemon-scented soap when he opened the door, but that was nothing compared to a tired-looking Levi right in front of you, dark circles under his eyes, messy locks, and pale complexion.

“What are you doing here?” He casually asked as he looks at you.

“I was just checking, I thought you left your candle lit so I just-“ Shiver ran down your spine as soon as a wave of cold wind run through your body, making you hug yourself even more.

“I'm not an idiot to do that.” He replied while narrowing his eyes at you.

“Right, sorry well I-“ You glanced at his desk and you just know that he is still working on those papers and you feel bad for the man standing in front of you.

The dark circles under his eyes and pale complexion are the result of him staying up all night, but you couldn’t blame him for not getting enough sleep, if you were given a shit ton of paperwork you might as well do them if you have free time till it drives you crazy.

“I uh Captain? Do you need some help with that?” You pointed at his desk making him turn his head around to look.

“You know what, yeah you need help I insist.” You gave him a soft smile hoping that he might approve.

“No, now go to bed and get some sleep brat.” He rolled his eyes at you before attempting to close the door on your face but you were quick enough to block it with your foot.

“I can't sleep anyway so just let me do some Captain.” You softly said hoping that you can persuade him.

Levi stared at you for a good couple of seconds while he contemplates whether he should let you in or not before letting out a sigh of annoyance. He stepped back to let you enter his office.

Without a second thought, you slowly entered the familiar place and stood obediently on the side as you wait for him.

“Take a seat and do tell me why you are still up at this hour.” Not that he cares about you and your business, but as a squad captain, he needs to know since it might be something troubling his squad members. He knows that if one of his squad is not in good shape, it can affect the others that is why he needs to look after each and every one of you.

You took a seat in front of him, your hands rest on your knees as you were afraid to rest it on the table since it is filled with papers and books.

“The rain woke me up and I feel suffocated in my room, I went out for a walk and that’s when I knocked on your door sir.” You confessed to him. There was no point in keeping secrets to your Captain since it was not of a big deal to open up your struggles to others. You don’t see it as a weakness but rather the opposite of it.

Levi hums in reply to your answer as he sit on his chair. You just noticed that he is wearing a casual long thin shirt and pants, with that you remembered that you were only wearing a thin silk nightdress which made you hug yourself even tighter from the embarrassment.

“I assume you know how to write and to read. Here, read the papers and encircle the dates, names, and the sender in each letter. And put your name on top of it so I can identify in the future that you're the one who is responsible for it.” He handed you a pen and the papers you need to look into.

It was an easy job for you, reading and just encircling pieces of information is nothing to you compared to your text books in college.

With that you remembered your other life. You mentally slap yourself for forgetting that you are not in your world and how you choose to ignore your problems in exchange for a new start. You remind yourself to go to the library to find something useful about what was happening to you.

You know that this is not a dream, you have been here for days and you can feel things and see things clearly. At first, time-traveling was the first thing you thought, but then you noticed that you have a life here, if you are right then you jumped into your body but in different dimension but you don’t know how you did it nor how to goback.

You pushed your worries at the back of your head since you don’t want to overthink and have a mental breakdown in the middle of the night, let alone in front of your Captain.

As you started reading the papers, Levi was now the one who were consumed by his thoughts.

Levi clearly isn’t the type of person who butt into people’s business but there was something about you that doesn’t sit right with him, and he intends to know more. He was shocked when you obediently followed every task and command he was given to you. Sure, some people might call you a dog if he says that out loud but not him, you followed him with respect and dedication, you are straightforward and blunt to him, not afraid to say what's on your mind but not to the extent that you are rude to your superiors. Only Hange and Erwin was the only person who talks to him like that and he can't help but admit that you might be put into this to become a leader in the future, and that is something he respects.

“I didn’t know that you came from a wealthy family.” He bluntly said when he noticed the red necklace hanging on your neck that made you caught off guard.

You cock your head up to look at him before opening your mouth

“I didn't.”

Levi didn’t bother to reply and instead he only nod in response to yours before looking away at the ruby on your neck. Levi knows that it is a genuine piece of accessory because he has seen real diamonds back in the underground, not that he’s proud of but he already touched one and has seen it up close. Only a glance since they were stealing it.

“I grew up in an orphanage with Jean and I already have this since I was a child if that’s what you're wondering sir, it was my mom’s.” It may felt a little weird that you need to explain things like this but then again, who would wear something expensive like that when you're just a military personnel.

“I see, so you’ve known that brat Kirstein since forever, so why did the two of you joined military? Right decision would not just live ordinarly.”

“Well, we've thought of that, living inside the walls until we're old or if we found someone whom we would like to marry but it’s not for us.”

You were shocked that he was engaging a conversation first, you would like to ask the same question to him but you don’t want to overstep the line.

The both of you worked in silence after that and only the sound of the rain is the only thing that can be heard. You didn’t engage in a conversation since being there was enough company for the both of you and you figured that the Captain doesn’t like to be interrupted while he’s working.

It was pleasant to your mind.

The silence, the cool breeze of the wind coming from the open window and the presence of Levi felt oddly calm.

-

It has been three hours since you entered Levi’s office and your eyes are starting to feel heavy and sore from reading.

Levi on the other hand, fell asleep on his chair. He told you that he would just take a quick  break for a minute but it has already been an hour and he still hasn’t opened his eyes. You didn’t bother waking him up since you figured that he needed sleep, poor man looks and sounds tired when you asked him some questions regarding the paper you're working on.

You, on the other hand are no doubt burned from working straight all night.

You raised your arms up in the air to stretch your back and body causing it to make a ‘pop’ sound which made you froze for a second before glancing at Levi in front of you.

The peaceful look on his face while his jet black hair naturally falls on the side made you stare at him without you even noticing it. Not to mention his rolled-up sleeves while his arms are folded as his chest slowly rises and falls from breathing.

‘He’s not that bad.’ The inner voice in your head whispered.

You're not going to lie when you felt irritated by him the first you met him, he quickly judged you and he looks at you like you were some kind of a disappointment to him but that changed in a matter of day.

You seriously don't know what the hell is happening but he’s not as bad as you thought he would be.

As your mind accompany you with thoughts, your eyes are slowly giving up from being tired so you placed your arms on his desk and rested your head on it before closing your eyes.

“How do you even keep up with these paper works captain, no wonder you have no patience with us.” You whispered to yourself before you slowly fall asleep.

While you were falling asleep, Levi was already awake from his sleep, if that was even considered a sleep.

Levi was greeted with your tired features while you’re asleep when he opened his eyes. He heard everything you had just said but he pushed it aside to forget about it since he doesn’t know if you're pity or concerned.

The sun is already rising from the sky and some people are starting to wake up to do their tasks. Levi doesn’t have the energy to stand up after a very long day but he doesn’t have a choice.

It was a cold morning and he could drink some tea to refresh his mind and bring warmth to his cold body but he decided to wash up first before he makes some.

Besides, he wouldn’t want you to drink a cold bitter tea.

Funny that almost all people think that Levi doesn’t give two shit about the people around him but he actually does. He respects every person who dedicates their heart to something they want. At first, he doesn’t like the idea of it and he thinks that it’s just a bullshit mindset anyone can have but not until he met Hange and Erwin. Those two helped him not in pity and most definitely not by force but because they want to. They are the person who taught Levi how to write and read when he joined them and they didn’t judge him for his past lifestyle, especially Hange. The woman was loud and full of energy which is the complete opposite of Levi but he was thankful for them, especially at his lowest.

Levi cares for his new squad and for everyone who works hard around him. His past squad was bombed when they went into the north direction of the sea. Levi's special operation squad consists of jobs that an ordinary soldier wouldn't do, which includes going undercover, exploration outside the island for lookout, and handling confidential cases.

It wasn’t easy for Levi to see his squad getting blown and being shot. They were looking out for any ships and boats at that time even though it was dangerous since they are exploring the territory of Marleyan sea.

He doesn’t want history to repeat itself for his new squad.

Soon after Levi got out from the bathroom of his office, he immediately made tea while he dries his hair with a towel. He is not a morning person that is why he isn’t a fan of breakfast.

Levi sat on his desk and carefully placed the two cups filled with black tea in front of him before looking at your sleeping figure. He was thankful for your company and helped yesterday and last night and a cup of tea is his way of saying thank you.

He neatly arranges the papers in front of him to prevent them from getting wet from the tea, just to be sure. Levi noticed that you did more than you were given. In a span of a short time, you finished almost all of his paper works.

“Remind me not to let Hange spend a night with you. Both of you are mad.” He muttered under his breath.”

“Oi Reader, wake up it's already morning.”

Your body and mind were too tired to even open your eyes to the sound of Levi’s voice. You were now awake and slightly conscious of your surroundings, but you choose not to move.

“If you don’t move from your seat, I will personally throw you on the river.” Levi was now pissed. He doesn’t like it when he repeats himself.

You cock your head up to meet his same expressionless stare. You cover your mouth with your hand as you yawn.

“Sorry I fell asleep.” You apologized.

“It's already morning, get back to your room. We have training in two hours so I suggest getting some sleep before that.”

You nod in response before fixing your now messy hair. You felt the pain in your wrist and eyes from overworking yourself, what more later when you went out for training.

“I didn’t know sitting all night doing paperwork can make you feel like shit.” Not that you were engaging in a conversation, you wanted to let him know that you sympathize with him with how draining it is to do that let alone every night.

Levi sips on his tea before opening his mouth. “You insisted on it so deal with it.”

That sounded wrong because he worded it wrong.

He didn’t mean it to sound like a jerk but to you, he sounded like one. Levi mentally curses at himself in his head for putting his thoughts into the wrong word. Not only does he sounds ungrateful it also sounded like he doesn’t care about what you felt, which is the opposite of it.

You on the other hand were clearly mad at his response. Sure, you insisted on helping since it is your job but a simple thank you from him would make your day.

“Yeah, I will.” You coldly said before rolling your eyes at him and storm your way out to his door to leave. You slam his door as loud as you can, not caring if he will get mad at you.

Levi was left in his office irritated and sorry for what he just said. Nonetheless, he ignored what happened and decided to go on with the day and maybe he can talk to you later about it.

“So much for that though last night Sol, not even a ‘oh thank you for helping me last night sol I appreciate it’ geez.” If people can see you right now, they would thought that you're going crazy by talking to yourself and imitating a person by the tone of your voice while you stop your feet hard while walking.

“Damn, who even talks like that?”

You turn your head to the side to see Reiner leaning over a wall while holding a cup in his right hand with a grin on his face.

Reiner was one of the top 10 soldiers in your batch and he is an outstanding person due to his strength and leadership. You only talked to him twice and that was when you became a sparring partner in your training days. Reiner is cool from your perspective and gentleman even in training.

“Oh hey Reiner, sorry about that. Guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” You smiled at him as you walk over closer to him.

“Figured. Why are you even on this side of the building? Visiting Jean?” Reiner asked before sipping on his mug.

“Yeah, something like that, making sure the boys aren’t causing troubles.” You lied. You didn’t want anyone to know that you spend the night at your Captain’s office since it sound so wrong.

“Bet they're a pain in the ass huh.”

“Oh please, Mikasa and I can’t even catch a break.”

The both of you laughed at your conversation. You didn’t know why but you felt shy at just laughing with him.

Reiner stopped laughing when he noticed your Ruby necklace hanging at your neck. He straightens his composure before exchanging his glance at your face and on the jewelry.

“That’s a very pretty necklace Sol, where did you buy it?” Reiner moves a little closer to you to look at the necklace. You heard a small gasp when he got a better view.

“I don’t know, I already have this since I was born.” You simply replied.

Reiner gave you a small smile as he nods at your answer.

You can't blame the people around you for asking about your necklace. It is indeed a pure Ruby and anyone who will meet you for the first time will first notice the necklace rather than your face.

“I see, it's interesting.”

“Well, I gotta go, it was nice seeing you.” You gave Reiner a last smile before marching your way back to your room.

“Sol, wait!”

You turn your head back and saw Reiner running in your direction.

“I was just wondering if, if you would like to grab something to eat sometime.” Reiner wasn’t the only one who was shy at that moment.

He was scratching the back of his head while you look away while biting your lower lip. It's not a bad idea to go out with someone, especially Reiner. He is a good man and not a trouble maker and not to mention, he's very disciplined.

“I'll think about it and ill let you know.” You softly replied before smiling at him again and started to walk away from him. It's not that you don’t want to go out with him and avoid rejection by saying that but you need your friends' opinions first.

-

“I honestly don’t see why not.” Mikasa butt in the conversation while reading a book.

“Yeah just go. If he did something funny to you, Jean and I would kick his ass.”

“Shut up Eren, I can beat his ass alone.”

“Oh yeah, Jean? Why don’t you kiss my ass then?”

“Why don’t you kiss my ass Eren?”

You throw yourself on the couch beside Mikasa while Eren and Jean continue to fight about kissing each other’s ass. You told them the conversation you had with Reiner that morning and they were pretty much supportive about it.

The idea of dating wasn’t a bad idea for you. Spending your days with a person you can lean on and love is something rare to even encounter, but not in these circumstances where you're slowly achieving your dreams, not to mention that you are still confused and know nothing about what's happening.

“But isn’t it weird that Reiner’s suddenly interested in you?” Eren suddenly asked.

The three of them dart their gaze at you to check you out that made you feel a bit uncomfortable and a pinch of insecurities are slowly coming into you.

“Stop looking at me, I'm tired and I don’t need my friends judging me just because someone asked me out geez.”

It was a hot afternoon and you just finished training with them the whole day and all of you are in Levi’s office waiting for him to report and ask for any announcement. You had not seen him in training since there was a meeting he needed to attend to and you're in charge earlier that’s why you're tired physically and mentally because of Jean’s dad jokes while training.

“Eren didn’t mean it like that. We just want to know if he’s worth it.” Mikasa pats your head for assurance before glaring at Eren.

Before you could even talk, the door suddenly opened, revealing Levi in a casual suit. Levi was surprised by all of you in his office since it has been long ever since he had a squad whom he sees after training and the sight of his squad welcoming him after a long day brings a slight joy to him.

All of you stood up and greeted him with a salute.

“All of you look like shit, we’ll train again tomorrow since I was absent earlier.”

Levi proceeds to sit on his desk before looking at everyone in the room.

Especially you.

He did not forget your little chat that morning.

“All of you are dismissed except for Reader, stay for a minute.”

Everyone left the room and only the two of you and the silence were filling the room.

“Listen, about earlier I didn’t mean to come off like that, what I meant was you just-“

“I just need to go through the day since I can.” You cut him off.

And it was indeed what he wanted to say. Levi was surprised that you understood him despite the barrier of his wordings, he was impressed at you.

“It's okay captain, I understood what you meant just a little while ago.” You smiled at him, causing him to look away.

The idea of people understanding him in this kind of situation bothers him since he grew up not being understood because of the lack of communication he has but admit it or not, Levi felt nice knowing someone understands him.

“What’s your deal?” it may be nice for him, the idea of trusting you and you being able to understand him doesn’t sit right for him.

“Excuse me sir?” You let your hands fell on your side while maintaining the broken eye contact.

“I’m sure a strong woman who topped her class wants to be a commander or Captain in the future, don’t get me wrong I'm not labeling you as a captain’s pet, but what do you really want? I'm curious because I don’t get you.”

You thought for a moment about what he said. The truth is you don’t want to lead and you also don’t know what you want in the future.

You thought about what you did wrong that made him feel like you want something just because you were acting like yourself and the idea of Levi thinking that you want something from him that’s why you're being kind to him somewhat brought pain to your heart.

‘What did you have to go through to think like that?’

“I need nothing captain, I just want to do my job so you don’t have to worry about me kissing your ass because I want something in return. I would just like to be there with you and do my job since you trusted me for being your assistant.” Yo genuinely smiled at him to show your sincerity.

But your voice is enough for Levi to know that you are indeed sincere.

“Fine, you are dismissed. Be here in my office early in the morning tomorrow, we need to attend a meeting.”

“Yes sir.” You calmly replied to him.

You looked at him for a second before leaving his office.

You haven’t even known him for that long, yet you do feel some kind of connection.

Maybe it’s because of being not understood and heard, or perhaps it’s the drive to do excellent at your jobs.

Who knows, not even you know, and not even you knows that he felt the same.

And it's eating the both of you.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 118: The One Who Caused All Might’s End

Previously on BnHA: KACCHAN AND DEKU!!!!!!! ALONE! AT NIGHT!! KACCHAN WAS ALL “I KNOW ALL MIGHT GAVE YOU HIS QUIRK” AND DEKU WAS ALL “YEAH, WELL!... SO WHAT!” AND KACCHAN WAS ALL “WELL DUH THAT MEANS I WANT TO FIGHT YOU BECAUSE ALL MIGHT’S REALLY GREAT, SO IF HE GAVE YOU HIS POWER THEN YOU MUST BE REALLY GREAT TOO AND MAYBE I WAS WRONG THIS WHOLE TIME, SO LET’S FIGHT” AND I ALL BUT FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR. AND THEN KACCHAN DOVE AT HIM AND JUST PLOPPED HIM WITH A BIG OL’ RIGHT HOOK SAME AS ALWAYS AND DEKU TOTALLY FELL FOR IT AND KACCHAN WAS LIKE “LOL” AND THEN HE WAS LIKE “BRING IT” AND ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL MIGHT’S FACE WAS THERE AND WOW!!! BNHA, GUYS!!! IT’S A GOOD MANGA I LIKE IT A LOT!!!!!

(ETA: just a reminder that I write the “previously on” things immediately after I first read the chapter while it’s still fresh in my mind. I'd say this particular one captured my emotional state at the time pretty well.)

Today on BnHA: Aizawa’s ponytail makes its debut and it’s everything I could have ever hoped for. Also he gets a call from U.A.’s robot security about his two problem children having a fight on Ground Beta after curfew. But before he can head out to stop them, ~A MYSTERIOUS SHADOW~ greets him outside and who could that be, I wonder. Back at Ground Beta, Deku tries to talk Kacchan down and avoids his attacks while Kacchan grows increasingly desperate. Finally he breaks down completely and fucking screams at Deku to fight him, and reveals that he blames himself for being the reason All Might retired, and that he can’t stop thinking about it, and he doesn’t know what to do. So basically he’s a mess, and there are feels strewn about all over the damn place, and Deku -- who never could turn his back on someone who needs saving -- realizes that he has to fight back, because right now he’s the only person who can help.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 151 now, so any ETAs will reflect that. I’m not gonna make any progress this week; I’m too busy writing Kacchan essays and waiting for the holidays to wind down lol.)

“A Meaningless Fight” not to me it’s not

lol the security camera caught them putzing around after hours. and identified their homeroom teacher and notified him

DALSHFKALSDFKSLHKDL THE PONYTAIL!!!!!!????

THIS MUST BE WHERE THE ANIME WAS AT WHEN I FIRST STARTED READING. NO WONDER TUMBLR WAS AWASH WITH BAKUDEKU FEELS AND AIZAWA PONYTAIL SPAM. THIS IS AMAZING I LOVE LIFE

(ETA: yeah so this episode aired on September 15th, right when I was in the middle of reading the Sports Festival arc and the series was slowly beginning to take over my life. there were indeed a ton of gifs and reaction posts floating around, and I’m pretty sure this was right about when I realized it was time to block the “bnha spoilers” tag until I was fully caught up.)

now Aizawa’s stepping outside, but someone’s out there already. IS IT ALL MIGHT AND HE’S GONNA BE ALL “DON’T WORRY I GOT THIS”?

(ETA: it is indeed, and this means that All Might already knew the boys were fighting even before Aizawa did, even though Aizawa was the one who got the security alert. I’m only half-joking about him having some kind of tracking device implanted on Deku. it’s either that, or just some crazy good dad instincts. either way, one can’t help but be impressed.)

whoever it is, Aizawa seems surprised to see them

boy and I thought the last chapter was good. but barely two pages into this one and we’ve not only got Aizawa’s sexy ponytail, but also

(ETA: the smoke really adds to the effect here. does so throughout the whole chapter, in fact. Kacchan has such a cinematic quirk)

I stan one (1) amazing and incredible manga series

Deku’s asking again do they really have to fight. he clearly would rather talk it out instead. because like, apparently that’s suddenly an option that’s on the table after all this time?? KACCHAN IS CAPABLE OF TALKING ABOUT HIS FEELINGS, WHO EVEN KNEW?

Kacchan’s impatiently doing that explodey hand thing, but Deku’s gonna try and talk this one out anyway

but Kacchan’s attacking again

aahhhhhhhh META PART TWO!!!

somehow they look even younger in these flashbacks?? like this Deku cannot fucking be older than two. how do they even remember all this??

he’s screaming at Deku to fight him back and not just run away

more flashbackssssss

(ETA: oh hello is it time for more essaying. let’s say yes.

Kacchan’s feelings about Deku are so complicated. much more so than Deku’s own comparatively simple if contradicting feelings. clearly they got along well enough when they were little. but then Kacchan fell off that log and Deku tried to help him and Kacchan was like “WHAT! EVEN THOUGH I WAS CLEARLY FINE! HOW DARE” and that was that.

so we know from the chapter coming up after this one that Katsuki somehow got it in his head that Izuku was looking down on him. mostly this seems to stem from a genuine misunderstanding of Deku’s desire to help. Katsuki has always been very independent and likes to do things for himself. this is part of what he associates with being “strong”, and it’s clearly something he was already being admired and praised for even at a young age, so that no doubt further reinforced things in his mind. now add to this the fact that most four-year-olds are still learning and developing when it comes to empathy. so it genuinely might not have crossed Katsuki’s mind that not everyone feels the same way as he does when it comes to wanting and accepting help. put this all together, and we end up with Kacchan misinterpreting Izuku’s well-meaning gesture, and feeling insulted and patronized, and the two of them have their falling out.

and yet Izuku keeps following him.

even after Kacchan starts insulting him and beating him up. he’s still there, always, following him around like a shadow. and so Katsuki gets even meaner. at some point Izuku has to get the message, right?? but apparently not.

and so it keeps escalating. Katsuki gets worse and worse. but even though Izuku is now afraid of him, he still can’t help being drawn to him. meanwhile Katsuki can’t fucking understand why Deku won’t fucking quit no matter how horrible Katsuki is to him. so he once again takes it as Izuku being condescending. this is Izuku’s way of challenging him. showing that it doesn’t matter what Katsuki does, because Izuku will still always be better than him.

but here’s the thing. that idea of Izuku thinking he’s better than Katsuki -- that couldn’t have just come out of nowhere like that. if he really did believe Izuku was just a quirkless good-for-nothing weakling, it wouldn’t have bothered him that much. that kind of anger doesn’t just come out of left field, and it certainly couldn’t have sustained itself for that long unless there was something deeper fueling it. that something being fear. in other words, Katsuki hated Izuku because deep down he was afraid that somehow Izuku really would surpass him. because he knew from the start that there was something about him, something he didn’t understand, which made it all the more frightening. that something being Izuku’s heart; his spirit; his will to protect others. his Main Character Energy, which radiates out from him at strange times, and takes over in those instances where “my body just moved before I could think.” it’s what made All Might choose him as his successor. we’ve all seen it. y’all know what I’m talking about.

and even though Katsuki doesn’t understand it, some part of him can still feel it all the same. but where Izuku is drawn to Katsuki’s own strength, Katsuki is intimidated by Izuku’s. very likely in part because of his zero-sum mentality. if he acknowledges Izuku’s strength, it’s the same as acknowledging his own weakness. Izuku has something he lacks, and he knows it, and he’s somehow smug about it. he thinks he’s better than him! but fuck that, because Katsuki’s the one who’s going to be number one! right?? but there’s that nagging fear that maybe, just maybe, that isn’t true. and so he gets worse and worse, and tries to get Izuku to stop trailing behind him, tries to shake him off. but it doesn’t work. and so the cycle continues on and on.

and then UA. and all of a sudden, Izuku has a quirk. and is suddenly growing at a prodigious rate. and Katsuki’s growing too, but not as fast. and this is it. this is everything he was afraid of. and every time he hits a setback, and every time Izuku has another victory, those doubts start to gnaw at him more and more. until finally, Kamino.

but we’ll get to that in a minute. to be continued.)

he’s remembering the consoling speeches All Might gave him in chapters 11 and 62. why yes I have Kacchan’s angst chapters memorized. what, doesn’t everyone

omg

-- HE’S COMING AT DEKU WITH A KICK

HE’S NEVER FUCKING DONE THAT BEFORE. HE DOESN’T FIGHT WITH KICKS CUZ HIS FEET DON’T FUCKING EXPLODE DUH. BUT HE’S KICKING DEKU THOUGH, AND WHY?? COULD IT BE BECAUSE DEKU FIGHTS WITH KICKS NOW. OR MAYBE HE JUST FUCKING FELT LIKE KICKING HIM I DUNNO!

LOOK AT THIS!!!

WHAT A CLEAN AND COHERENT FUCKING ACTION PAGE AND I LOVE IT!! DEKU PULLING SOME CAPOEIRA SHIT

NOW KACCHAN’S STUMBLING BACK, AND HE’S STILL THINKING “WHY”

and he’s just lying there now and isn’t getting back up

give me angst. should I go make some popcorn. I want angst now. give it

DEKU IS EXTENDING HIS ARM AGAIN

lol remember back when he was being calm about this. or pretending to be calm

he’s fucking SCREAMING at Deku to fight him. “WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!”

and he keeps asking “why”

oh my god it’s what I thought. it’s exactly what I thought isn’t it. isn’t it. it is. isn’t it

(ETA: I’ve written so many essays about these two that I kind of lost track, but I think this is referring to the one I wrote as an ETA for chapter 42 here, about why Katsuki couldn’t stand it when Deku offered him help when they were four. but little did I know that Kacchan was actually about to shift to another subject entirely!)

tissues should I get some tissues. I’ll go get

oh shit you guys. lol. :’D

hahaha. okay wow

just. give me a moment to process

like. so this whole time, he looked down on Deku, but actually Deku is doing everything right, and now he’s the one who keeps fucking up. and now apparently he blames himself!? for what happened to All Might??! so on top of his weird complex with Deku, now there’s guilt there also, and for something that was absolutely not his fault. oh shit

oh my god. angst baby. angst for days angst for weeks lifetime supply yessss

tell me more about your guilt Kacchan. let it out honey

(ETA: shout out here to Okamoto Nobuhiko, Bakugou’s Japanese VA. I assume everyone reading this has watched this episode in the anime, but if not, do yourself a favor and go check that out, because all of the emotions from the manga are cranked up to 11 and it’s amazing. and Bakugou’s VA in particular does an incredible job of capturing the turbulence in his emotions. his voice wavers and cracks and vacillates between angry and confused and frustrated, and he sounds every inch like a 16-year-old boy who’s just overwhelmed and fighting back tears and trying to keep himself together. he just totally sells it, and it’s easily one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard in an anime.)

holy. just, this is even more than I ever dared to hope speculate, honestly. as horrible as Deku felt about it, Kacchan was completely fucked up by it too. not only is he dealing with the reality of a world without All Might just like everyone else is, he’s also been struggling the entire time with the weight of the thought that it was him. his fault

(ETA: hello I’m back.

so! Kamino. Kacchan gets kidnapped. somehow he’s singled out from among all the possible targets the villains could have had, and they think they can turn him to their side. and even the media is talking about how ~unstable~ he is and maybe he really will do it. he doesn’t, of course. and he talks big and he keeps his cool and he does his best to fight back. but it’s tense. and maybe a lot scarier and more dangerous than he cares to acknowledge at any point.

but then All Might shows up. All Might, his childhood hero, the man he looks up to more than anyone. All Might saves him. and things do get pretty dicey for a bit. for a few seconds he actually ends up back in the villains’ clutches, or very nearly at any rate. but then All Might is there again, and then somehow Deku and Kirishima and the others show up too, and they help him escape he goes along with their escape plan even though he totally had it under control, so that he doesn’t get in All Might’s way. and that’s it. he’s safe again. all is well.

except that it very much is not. because all of a sudden All Might is struggling. and then suddenly he’s different. all of a sudden he’s transformed into this scraggly-looking skeletal figure right before their eyes. and just like that, everything changes.

and in the end All Might still wins, in spite of everything, because it’s All Might. but something is still terribly wrong. and then all of a sudden All Might is pointing at Deku, and “you’re next,” and the pieces finally click into place. Deku has All Might’s power. All Might gave Deku his quirk. All Might himself recognized Deku as someone worthy enough, strong enough, to receive that power. here Katsuki is, getting recruited by fucking villains, and meanwhile Deku is being acknowledged by the hero they both admire.

there are some very obvious implications here. clearly one of them is doing something right. and the other one is very plainly not. it’s possible, even, that this is something Katsuki has suspected in the back of his mind for a while now, even before all of this. something he was in denial about, but was secretly becoming more and more certain of.

and then All Might retires.

that fight against All for One -- the fight that only happened because All Might had to rescue him -- ends up being his last stand. all of a sudden he’s out of commission, his power spent. all of a sudden the unthinkable has happened. all of a sudden there is no more Symbol of Peace.

and all of that. is. Katsuki’s. fault.

“if I’d only been stronger...” “if I hadn’t gotten captured...”

so he starts having thoughts like this. but then the thing is that he can’t tell anyone. because no one else is supposed to know about All Might giving his power to Izuku. so they wouldn’t know that All Might was already weakened going into that battle with All for One. that he was weakened, but went into battle anyway in order to rescue him. and in doing so ended up using up the last of his power. because of him. he fucked everything up.

and imagine if they did know. what would they even think? the world is in chaos now and it’s all his fault. villains are running amok, society is in upheaval, and everyone is feeling the stress. All Might’s walking around all bandaged up with his fucking arm in a cast because you know, it’s nice to have that visual reminder too of just how close he came to actually losing and fucking dying instead of just retiring. and he still won’t acknowledge the connection he has to Deku, though. so clearly he’s still trying to keep it a secret, and so Katsuki shouldn’t bother him about it. so he tries to just move on, because what else can he do.

but he can’t stop thinking about it. the thoughts keep surfacing no matter what he does. he can’t relax, he can’t escape them. and the thing is that he’s very obviously distressed by all this, because here he is now fucking breaking down in front of Deku of all people. showing weakness; fucking crying in front of Deku, because that’s how bad it is. bad enough that he wasn’t able to keep holding it in. bad enough that he had to confess it to him, because he was the only one he could talk to about this, because Deku is the only other one who knows. and you can see the pain in his expression and in his body language, and hear it in his voice -- and once again, props to Okamoto for that, because damn -- enough so that I don’t really need to keep breaking it down. it speaks for itself. when your guilt is hurting you so badly that you start spilling your guts even though you cherish your pride above everything else, and even though you fucking despise the person you’re spilling your guts to, that means it’s bad, guys. it’s really fucking bad.

tl;dr Kacchan is not okay. hell, that could have been the title of the fucking chapter. or this whole fucking mini-arc. my boy needs hugs. but in the absence of hugs, sincere rival beatdowns and heart-to-hearts will also suffice.)

Deku is making the same face he made when he learned about Todoroki’s past

and now, after having a moment to process it, he’s responding in the same way that he did with Todoroki

oh shit dude

like, I know Kacchan likes when people take fights seriously but damn. why did I fucking laugh

yessss heal his wounded heart Deku. by fighting him. help him feel like he’s not just a useless bum who’s somehow been going backwards and making things worse

EMBRACING THOSE FEELINGS HEAD ONNNNNNNNNN YESSSSS

I can’t believe it’s the end of the fucking chapter again! and that I get to click to the next chapter right away! binge reading is the best you guys omg

  there isn’t a bonus because this was the end of the volume! too bad, we’ll just have to make do with this being the greatest chapter of all time. poor us

[the-delta-42]

The Pirate Prince Chapter 15

The Pirate Prince

Chapter 15: Zelda – Stal-king

Zelda looked around the room, her grip on her sword tightening. Everything in the room made her on edge. Aside from the pile of bones, there were two tombs in the room, with the shattered remains of two other tombs near them. Zelda saw the crest of each of the Champions of Hyrule, taking a step forwards, Zelda went to inspect the ruins.

As soon as Zelda drew level with the first of the tombs, the pile of bones started to stand up. Once the bones fully assembled themselves, a skull floated from the corner. Zelda mentally identified the monster as a Stalfos, but this one had a cape, a large sword and shield and was encrusted with gold and various gem stones. The monster slowly turned and faced Zelda, its eyes lighting up red and letting out a snarling growl.

The Stalfos rushed at Zelda, the Princess barely having enough time to block the blow, a loud clang echoing through the room. Zelda swung her sword at the monster’s legs, only to have the monster to jump back and start laughing at her.

“What have you done, you twisted monster?!” Yelled Zelda, her grip on her sword tightening, “You have no business desecrating this place.”

“I have more right than anyone!” Growled the skeleton, “Bow down before the Stal-King!”

The monster swung his sword at Zelda, who parried the blow with her shield, Zelda then struck the monster with her sword four times before he jumped away. Stal-King drew a second sword and rushed towards the Princess swinging his dual blades at Zelda, making her jump backwards, barely dodging them and causing the blades to become stuck in one of the remaining tomb stones, stopping the monster in his tracks.

Zelda quickly rushed in and struck the monster multiple times before he finally yanked his sword free and spun around to face her. Zelda quickly raised her shield to block the blows from the sword, making her skid backward a few paces. Stal-King rushed at Zelda again, only this time Zelda wasn’t fast enough to evade the blades. Zelda felt a searing pain in her side, a quick look down told Zelda that the blade had cut into her side, with blood leaking from the wound.

Zelda grit her teeth and adjusted her stance, so she was ready for Stal-King to advance towards her again. The monster didn’t disappoint, and he rushed towards her, Zelda hopped to the side, causing his blades to become stuck in the floor, allowing Zelda to strike him a few more times before he got his sword free.

Stal-King rushed at Zelda once more, allowing Zelda to duck under the blades and kick his legs off. The rest of his body fell to the ground, merely a pile of bones without their head. Stal-King’s head rolled across the floor, with Zelda chasing after it. In her peripheral vision, Zelda saw Stal-King’s body reassembling itself, prompting her to kick the head into a corner and stab it with her sword.

Stal-King’s head slowly turned black, before it exploded into nothing. A heart container slowly appeared from where Stal-King’s body fell. Zelda slowly hobbled towards it, the wound in her side causing more pain as the adrenalin slowly wore off. Zelda picked the item up, sighing as it melted into her hands and sealed up the wound in her side. Zelda heard a small laugh from behind her, Zelda grit her teeth and spun around, drawing her sword. Only for her to drop it at the sight of the person before her.

Standing there, golden hair flowing, and green eyes filled with laughter, stood the Queen Zelda the Scholar from the era of the Hero of the Wild.

“I never expected from my own descendent to draw a sword at me.” Said the spirit of the past Queen.

Zelda dropped down onto one knee, “Forgive me, your grace, I did not mean to disrespect.”

The spirit giggle slightly, “It is only natural,” she said, “That you be on guard after finding out the tomb of your ancestors had been desecrated and a monster stationed here to prevent anyone finding out.”

Zelda slowly looked up, before looking at the necklace, which only now did she realise that she had been gripping it for the entirety of the battle. The Scholar followed her gaze, “Keep them, you will need them for the task ahead of you.”

Zelda’s head sprung up, looking at The Scholar, “But they were gifts to you when the Calamity was defeated, priceless heirlooms-”

“That serve no purpose to the dead.” The Scholar interrupted, “An heirloom is something that must be passed down from generation to generation, not locked away in a tomb.”

A ring of light appeared behind Zelda, making both royal women turn and look at it. The Scholar smiled, “It appears are conversation is drawing to an end, before you go, I must tell you of your task, you must collect the fragments of the Tri Force of Wisdom.”

Zelda’s face morphed into confusion, prompting The Scholar to continue, “When the Colossi first rose from the earth, the Tri Force of Wisdom was shattered into eight pieces, the evil you will face will be at its weakest once you have the Tri Force.”

“The thing that’s corrupted the Colossi.” Whispered Zelda, as The Scholar gently guided her to the light.

“Yes,” said the Spirit, stepping back “May the Goddesses smile upon you, and the Sages bless you in this fight.”

Zelda was lifted up and warped out of the Tomb.

The Scholar was quiet.

“It seems she has her work cut out for her, Little Bird.” Said another spirit, making the Scholar turn and look at them.

“Urbosa,” Said the Scholar, looking at the Gerudo Champion, “They are so divided, the Hero wants revenge and isn’t coping with his sister’s death and the Princess is so angry that she would choose violence above all else.”

“And with the blade in the state it’s in, they will certainly have their work cut out for them, along with the false Hero hindering them.” Said Champion Urbosa, before placing a reassuring hand on The Scholar’s shoulder, “Once this is all over, Link will return to us and Demise’s curse being lifted from Ganon should make up for those problems.”

The Scholar only looked at the ceiling, “I can only hope.”

TPP

A glowing blue ring appeared in the middle of Kakariko Village, making Ganondorf and Link stop in their tracks, as Zelda was dropped down in front of them. Zelda turned around and spotted Link, before rushing to him and grabbing hold of him.

Link and Ganondorf shared a glance, before Ganondorf cleared his throat.

“Princess, is everything alright?” Asked Ganondorf, looking down at the girl.

Zelda took in two shuddery breaths, before looking up at the Gerudo man, “Someone desecrated the Royal Tomb, it was filled with monsters and the tomb of the Hero of the Wild is empty.”

Ganondorf frowned, “Perhaps we should discuss this inside, with Impa near you.”

Zelda nodded, allowing Link to guide her towards the Matriarch’s house. All oblivious to Skyloft watching them, His eyes flickering to their natural blue colour.

A/N: Managed to write this, it’ll probably be a while before I add another chapter, hopefully no one had abandoned reading this story since it’s been quiet for a while.

[accidentalnewsiesblog]

“The King of Brooklyn” and other monikers (Chapter 5)

a short little chapter about learning to read, which you can also do on ao3

~1500 words

The Student

1893

~~~

Spot knew her secret was about to be revealed when Race asked one morning, “What’s the headline today?”

She had their papers in her hand, but she could not read the headline. She could identify most of the letters, but she was at a complete loss on the words they formed.

It wasn’t her fault. Mum couldn’t read, nor had Bridget learned to read. And Spot had become self-conscious about her illiteracy when she started selling papers. She had practiced writing enough to recognize her name — making it easier to sign herself in and out of the lodge when needed — but she’d always faked her way through everything else.

But right now, Race was waiting for her to read the paper. She stared at the page, trying to put together even one word.

“Um…”

She recognized the letter C. The first letter of her last name. That one was easy. The next was an H. Then an I. Another C. Another H? A C with a weird line. An O.

Utter gibberish.

“C…” she began, like the beginning of “Conlon” or the end of “Racetrack." “H…” like the sound at the beginning of “horses." “Um…”

“Spot?”

She looked up from the page. Race was eyeing her with confusion, brows knitted together. He stepped forward and took his bundle. After scanning the letters, he said, “Chicago,” then looked back to her.

Spot felt her face flush. “Right. Yeah. I was getting there.”

His expression didn’t change. He looked around for a moment making sure nobody else was listening then asked, “Spot, can you read?”

“I mean…” Her chest tightened and she broke eye contact. “I mean, I can read.”

She must not have been convincing, because Race didn’t buy it. “Hey, it’s okay if you can’t, I just always thought you could.”

“I can read!” she insisted. “That’s just a hard word!”

Race considered this then shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it’s hard, but… Let’s just talk on the way.”

He led them on the road towards Queens, a few blocks from the wagon before he asked again.

“You can tell me things, you know. I ain’t gonna make fun of you if you don’t know how to read.”

Spot sighed. “Yeah, so I don’t know how to read. Piss off about it, why don’t ya.”

“I just said I ain’t makin’ fun! No need to get all defensive.”

He was right. He was just trying to help but she’d jumped down his throat. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“I can try to teach you if you want.”

She involuntarily glared at him out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t like relying on anyone else for anything. She was self-sufficient. He wasn’t trying to flaunt the fact that he could do something she couldn’t, but her ego was bruised now that her secret was out.

He took her non-response as an invitation to proceed. “Ya gotta start with letters. Like A-B-C—”

He began singing the children’s song to explain the alphabet, but Spot interrupted. “I already know the letters. Skip ahead.”

He contemplated for a moment then pulled one of yesterday’s papers from his bag. “Let’s practice, then. Point out an A.”

She took the pape and began searching. Her first guess was wrong, confusing an H for an A.

“Here’s the difference.” Race pointed at two similar-looking letters. “It’s an A if they come together at the top, but an H if they don’t.”

Spot nodded, committing the fact to memory. She scanned the page further, then pointed tentatively at a letter she thought was an A. “Is that one?”

Race nodded vehemently. “Yeah! Exactly! Now, what about a B?”

She found it quickly, recognizing the letter as a P with two bumps instead of one. They continued on like this through the rest of the alphabet, stumbling over the difference between M and N and W but otherwise successfully identifying most letters. Then Race told her that every letter also had a small version and she almost gave up on reading completely.

"Let's just work with the big letters for now!” he reassured her. They were halfway to Georgie’s and Spot was getting tired of the mental gymnastics, but she nodded anyway. “Start at the top and just tell me which letters they are.”

And so she did. “T… H?” Race nodded. “E. W-O-R-L-D.”

“Perfect! Now try to sound it out.”

“T” — like the end of “Spot” — “H” — like the beginning of “Higgins” — but Race stopped her there.

“Whenever T and H are together, they sound like ‘th’, like in the middle of ‘together.’”

She nodded and tried again. T. H. “Th…” The last letter in the word was E, which was tricky. It could make multiple sounds. It didn’t feel right to use the sound like elephant, so it must be a sound like in the word eagle. “The? The!”

“The!” Race repeated as he grinned. “Keep going!”

W. “W…” An O, which could also make multiple sounds. She contemplated some more, then was struck by a realization.

She was reading the name of the paper. The World.

“The World! W-world,” she slowly sounded out, emphasizing each individual letter.

The rest of the way to Georgie’s she put sounds together in an attempt to form words, realizing that there were lots of letters that made multiple sounds and that they didn’t always make the sound you thought they would. She was particularly peeved that putting an E on the end of the word could change how the other letters sounded, as she found out when reading a headline that included the word “fire.”

Upon arriving at Georgie’s, Race pointed to a sign in the window. “Try that one!”

Spot already knew what it said — Ice Cream and Sodapop — but sounded the words out to practice. I-C-E — the E on the end made the I sound like the beginning of “ice.” C-R-E-A-M — C and R were easy in this word, but the E and A, she wagered, came together to make the “ea” sound. A-N-D. Plain and simple. S-O-D-A-P-O-P would also have been easy except for the fact that both of the O sounds were different — the O in “soda” was different from the O in “pop.” She would get the hang of it, she knew.

Race started hawking papers while Spot went inside to say hello to Georgie. The bell jingled as she entered, but she didn’t see Georgie behind the counter. She looked down a couple of rows to find him poking his head in the back door.

She smiled and waved. “Mornin’ Georgie! It’s Spot and Racetrack!”

He smiled back at her then gestured for her to follow. She cantered down the aisle and into the alley, where Georgie had clearly been taking stock of a recent delivery.

“Need some help?” she offered.

“Yes, my boy, if you don’t mind.” He gestured to the crates sitting about. “I’ve counted everything out, I believe, I just need some help getting these inside.”

“You got it, Georgie.”

He pointed at one of the crates and said, “This one is the heaviest, and my old bones are giving me some trouble. They’re metal straight razors. If you could take them inside behind the counter and stock them, that would be lovely. There’s a shelf labeled ‘razors’ on the back wall.”

Spot nodded. Now was the time to put her new skills to the test. She grabbed the box and started inside.

Surely she could match up the letters on the shelves to the letters on the boxes if all else failed, but first she wanted to try her hand at reading without Race to help her.

She ducked behind the counter and found the labeled shelves.

Razor. Rrrrrazor. R.

Unfortunately, Georgie’s scrawl was less clean than the letters she read typed out in the paper. But eventually Spot located three shelves that started with the letter R.

Figuring out the next letter she needed was easy.

Razor. R-A.

Two shelves were labeled with R-A. The other, Spot noted, was R-I. She was slowly but surely narrowing it down.

She picked out the letters on the first label. R-A… that damned C with a weird line on it. What had Race said that one was?

G.

R-A-G-S. She sounded it out. “R” like “razor” — “A” like “ace” — “G” like “Georgie” — and “S” like “Spot.” She didn’t think that was how the word was actually pronounced, but whatever it was, it wasn’t “razor.”

Onto the next.

R-A-Z-O-R-S. “R” like “razor” — “A” like “ace” — “Z” like… Spot couldn’t think of anything but “zoo” — “O” like how it sounds in her name — “R” like “razor” — “S” like “Spot.” She didn’t pronounce it quite right the first time, but it definitely said “razors.”

She couldn’t help the smile that darted across her face when she read the word. Razors. And she’d read it all by herself. She stocked the razors on the shelf still smirking.

Georgie insisted on paying her whenever she helped him out, and today was no different. She and Race hawked their papers sipping on sweet apple cider. It proved a pretty uneventful day, but Spot was proud of the strides she had made to better herself, Race providing a helping hand.

R-A-C-E, he’d told her. Race.