#that’s how you get roller skating child……. but it slaps though!!!!!!

[pebblezone]

The Beach Boys Love You (1977) is such a questionable album I mean it’s barely even a Beach Boys album based on who contributes what but she’s so silly to me ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[bingoboingobongo]

task force 141 + ice skating

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Warnings: none

A/N: screaming crying throwing up i have my two hardest finals tmmrw halp

guys we've finally got the gang back together

alright so let's be real for a minute

the 141 is definitely not the kind of group to coordinate an ice skating date outside of work

i mean can you imagine like six grown behemoth men at an ice skating rink with like some rando child whizzing around while half of them struggle to even get on the ice

yeah right

so when they do ice skate i see it happening while they're on duty

it's winter (duh) and they're up north so it's extra cold

the base they're staying is right next to a giant lake, which has finally frozen over

gaz was the first to notice

he was eating some breakfast (cocoa puffs) and he looked out the window and saw the lake all icy

and he pointed it out to price who was drinking some coffee and reading the newspaper on the couch

price got up to go check it out too (and u bet he did that thigh slap grunt combo men do)

and gaz was right, the lake was completely solid

and i like to think that the 141 usually has breakfast together/hangs out in the commons in the morning

so price asks if everyone wants to go skating

ofc most of them are happy to say yes

ghost needs some convincing but he gets there eventually

for some reason that base had a bunch of skates

but it worked out so no one's complaining

and don't ask how they had the right sizes or why they would be there in the first place (it's through the power of i have to sleep soon and i can't come up with an explanation rn)

so everyone starts making their way outside to the lake

alright time for some super speedy individual headcanons

simon "ghost" riley:

sorry but ghost definitely does not know how to skate

that's one of the reasons he was so apprehensive to join

it's hard to look intimidating when ur falling on ur butt

and it's not like he has a wall to hold onto

this is also his first time ice skating because he never got to do it as a kid

so yeah going into it he was pretty nervous

he doesn't even have the best balance to start out

but he's a fast learner and he was able to get the hang of it pretty quickly

definitely fell over a few times

much to the delight of soap who got to gloat as he helped him up

and ghost definitely said something like "watch your tone sergeant im still your commanding officer" to try and defend himself

it was not very effective

but once he gets the hang of it he can actually skate surprisingly well

he doesn't skate very long though until he goes back inside

much to the disappointment of everyone else

definitely skates with his hands at his side or in his pockets tho

except one time he almost face planted bc he couldn't use his hands to catch himself

so now he's extra paranoid about skating with his hands in his pockets (as he should don't skate with your hands in your pockets, it's dangerous)

john "soap" mactavish:

surprisingly good at ice skating

skated around a lot when he was a kid

roller skating and ice skating

so it comes pretty natural to him

he hadn't done it in a while but skating sorta like riding a bike in that you never really forget once you know how

he can do the like crossovers and stuff but not any super fancy tricks

def knows how to skate backwards tho

likes to skate super fast and then just go around in loops

laughs at ghost whenever he falls but ways helps him back up

he also had to teach ghost how to even skate

ghost was not very happy about that arrangement

but only because soap kept joking that ghost looked like bambi

ghost got his revenge though when after soap laughed at ghost for falling, he immediately faceplanted

and it was like a comical faceplant

his legs almost went over his head and everything

soap had to go inside after that because he got a bloody nose

in the end it was fine though and he went out and kept skating

soap's definitely the kinda guy to build up speed and then coast on the momentum with his arms out to his side

it makes him feel cool what can i say

kyle "gaz" garrick:

alright so gaz is a pretty decent skater

he's gone a few times recently with his younger siblings

so he knows the very basics

he's definitely a little more timid about it though

especially after watching everyone else keep falling over

for what it's worth he never fell over once tho

but he was also super duper paranoid about falling through the ice

he had to help out price a little bit too at the beginning

he wasn't very good at it though so soap ended up taking over

definitely is a more mild skater

he's just down to coast and do whatever

he gets cold pretty easily too so he's usually rubbing his arms or his hands together while he skates

also is really really really bad at stopping

especially since there's no wall

so he just kept continuously skating like the entire time

and then he had to coast until his momentum ran out when he wanted to go inside

john price:

alright so price skated a little when he was younger imo

he went on a lot of roller skating and ice skating dates back when he was a young adult

but it's been a long time since then and so it was kinda hard for him to get back into it

so he had gaz and soap help him at the beginning

after a while though he got back into the rhythm

and he started to get more and more gutsy

and started to try little tricks that he was able to do before

skating backwards, turning a little, those fancy stops where they like skid on the ice

at one point he messed up and fell though

and like a true old man he hurt his back

and lord was it a struggle to get off the ice

he had to get gaz and soap to come help him up

when he went back inside ghost was drinking some tea and asked him why he was holding his back like that

for fear of sounding like an old man, price told ghost it was nothing

the next morning though his back was super stiff though

but nothing he's never experienced before

alejandro vargas:

bro man's is actually cracked at skating

like price he definitely went on ice skating dates back when he was a young adult

but unlike price alejandro has actual moves

like he can skate backwards, forwards, on one leg, he can do turns, jumps

it's actually insane

like nobody knows how he got this good and he refuses to tell anyone anything except that he just went on a lot of ice skating dates

because the truth is that one year he had a crush on this girl who was super into figure skating

so he spent like the entire year watching figure skating clips from the winter olympics and stuff and practicing and his local skating rink so he could impress her

she ended up moving away before he could show her though

but he still kept on practicing because at that point he had just sorta fallen in love with ice skating

so yeah when he pulled up on that lake he shocked everyone

alejandro spent a lot of time helping rudy too

and yes they did that thing where alejandro held rudy's hands and skated backwards while rudy got pulled forward

i mean it's a skating staple it has to happen

rodolfo "rudy" parra:

alright so like ghost rudy's never skated before

he didn't realize they had a skating rink and he's also not really a fan of the cold

like i said before he tends to run cold so he needs a lot of jackets when he goes skating

alejandro had to teach him bc rudy truly had no idea how to do it

unlike ghost he was not successful quickly so alejandro spent most of the time holding his hand and guiding him

he definitely fell down a lot of times

wanted to give up at one point but alejandro made him keep going

and it was worth it because pretty soon after that he started to get the hang of it

he actually really enjoys ice skating

what can i say it makes him feel like elsa

definitely jokingly did elsa's hand movements and pretended he was controlling the ice or something

he had to start off skating super duper slow though because he was really nervous about falling

but by the end he was able to speed up and live his ice queen dreams

[bleachluna]

Skating

Here’s my fic for day 4 of @hitsukarinweek! Also on AO3.

Toshiro glared up from his position on the floor, frowning at how Karin was laughing her head off. He looked away with a huff and slowly got himself off the ground, wobbling as he got back onto two feet. A moment of near falling over again just made Karin laugh harder, doubling over.

“It would serve you right to fall over too.”

It made Karin laugh even harder, sure enough resulting in her losing balance as well, slipping backwards and falling on her butt like Toshiro had done a minute ago. It hadn't sobered her up like he had hoped, Karin instead letting herself go completely, lying flat on the sun-warmed pavement while still giggling away.

Toshiro watched her for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “You done yet?”

She was still laughing. “Can't fu-fucking breathe, oh my god.”

He glared at her again. “Good.”

That set her off yet again, and she vaguely kicked a leg out at him in retribution. This time Toshiro said nothing as Karin eventually settled down, sitting up a little out of breath, hand across her stomach. “I just can't believe you're so bad at this! You were showing off when we went ice skating but the second I get you in roller skates instead you immediately end up on your ass!” She giggled again.

“They're different!”

“Not that different!”

“Different enough for there to be an adjustment!”

Karin rolled her eyes at him. “Alright alright fine,” she held her hand out, “help me up.”

Toshiro pointedly looked away from her. “As if.”

She threw him an exaggerated pout, arm still outstretched. “Oh come on, don't be a baby about it.”

He didn't move, simply watching her. “I managed to get up on my own, surely the resident roller skating expert can too.”

Karin tsked as she positioned herself to get up. “Such a child.”

Toshiro frowned at her, tone incredulous. “I'm the child? You're the one who lost it at someone falling over.”

“Not someone, you. That's specifically very funny.”

Toshiro huffed but didn't say anything. Karin made a show of getting up from the ground smoothly with a cheeky grin on her face, much to Toshiro's annoyance. She leant backwards to brush away the gravel that had embedded into her legs, only to slip then, the  wheels on her skates automatically moving out from under her. Karin grimaced as she braced herself to fall again, only to feel herself getting pulled flush against Toshiro instead by an arm wrapped tightly around the small of her back. They wobbled together as her skates knocked into his, but Toshiro managed to stabilise them both.

“How did you get so balanced all of a sudden?”

Toshiro shrugged. “Seem to be fine standing still, moving is when it all goes wrong.”

Karin let out a little breathless laugh. “Well at least you've got step one down, you're very...sturdy.”

He nodded. “You good?”

Karin nodded back quickly. “Mhm! Just took me by surprise is all. I'll just,” she placed her hands on his arms to keep herself steady as she carefully pulled away, blushing a little as Toshiro didn't let go of her, just moving to keep a hand on her hip instead. She flushed further as he spotted her expression, Toshiro blushing back as he realised how they ended up. He took his hand off her hip but kept it hovering closely just in case.

He had a knowing look in his eye. “You're sure?”

Karin tried to calm her face down as much as she could, slapping his hand away from her. “Fine. Why wouldn't I be?”

He had a hint of a smile as he watched her face carefully. “You tell me.”

She stared at him for a moment, cheeks still tinged pink, before she looked away with a half giggle. “Uh, rolling skating! That's what we were doing. Let's see if you can get you to move without falling over!”

“Alright.”

Toshiro didn't move, the two of them still only half a foot away from each other, waiting for Karin to go first. She didn't move either though, eyes still locked on his.

“Oh good! You two didn't go far, Karin can you help me with dinner? Turns out we don't have eggs so I'm doing curry now but it's a lot of prep and I'm already running late.”

Karin had damn near fallen over yet again at the sudden sound of her sister's voice. Toshiro had quickly steadied her, holding her up by the arms instead this time. It took her a second to pull her gaze from him, looking over to where Yuzu's head was peeping out of the front door. “Of course, yeah, yeah I'll be there in a sec.”

Yuzu beamed back at her. “Thank you!” She quickly went back into the house, closing the door in behind her but leaving it open for them.

Karin turned back to Toshiro. “You joining us for dinner?”

His head went to the open front door then back to her. “Sure, um, if you'll have me?”

She nodded. “Yeah, if you help out too obviously.”

He smiled at her. “Obviously. Just don't give me any fancy new human cooking technology is all.”

Karin laughed. “How do you feel about a vegetable peeler?”

“I can manage a peeler.”

“Cool.” She went a little pink again. “We'll roller skate another time.”

Still standing close together, Toshiro caught the blush immediately. “Roller skate. Sure, yeah.”

Karin nodded. “Mhm, roller skate. I mean how are you gonna survive without knowing how to roller skate?”

Toshiro was blushing harder than she was at this point, but he played along regardless. “Naturally. It's a miracle I've made it this far really.”

Karin couldn't help grinning at him. “Exactly.”

He cocked an eyebrow up, teasing. “And who better to learn from than the self-proclaimed expert?”

Karin immediately deflated. “Ugh, shut up. You know I'm not an expert, we'll um, we'll figure it out together.”

A gentle smile took over his face. “Sounds good.”

“So anyway! Cooking?”

Toshiro gestured for Karin to make her way into the house first. “Cooking.”

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hi. I hope you had/are having a great summer break. I (INTP) am hoping for some perspective about an issue. Recently, my mother, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, became incredibly frustrated that I corrected her with an alleged “I know everything” attitude.

It’s an issue of concern because she revealed that I always do this. I guess this was the straw that broke it, especially given that what we were discussing was very trivial. (Maybe the frivolousness of the subject is precisely what made my correction seem more pedantic, unnecessary, arrogant.) She says that my attitude disregards her long life experience, and that if she were a stranger, she would think of me as a “snot-nosed brat who knows nothing about life” instead of as a “wise young person”, which is the viable alternative. She said that I am closed-minded and that I shoot everything down. (The problem of small-mindedness is what you addressed the only other time I wrote to you.)

I don’t know why I come off as arrogant. I’m sure that I’m not. I asked my mother what it was that made her think that, which she thought was a silly question because what she sensed was a general demeanor rather than specific behaviors. In the end we were only able to establish that my lack of eye contact was one of those factors. I can work on that, but surely that’s not determinant. What makes people think of others as arrogant? Should I stop correcting people? I don’t correct others in order to feel superior to them. I do it because I like to debate, in order to keep my thinking sharp, and because there is something painful about friends/family having false notions. I think it’s fair to say that my intention isn’t rooted in arrogant soils.

Granted, my suggestion of stopping correcting people is black-and-white, given that there is the grey option of changing the *way* I correct people. I’m just wondering if it’s an unhealthy habit in the first place. But given how prevalent a thought process it is (i.e. questioning people’s statements and finding faults), the process of getting rid of it may be akin to self-directed psychological violence. I mean, this is the same mode of being that makes me good at what I’m good at. (There’s also the option of keeping the thought process, but not correcting people aloud, but I don’t know what else there is to talk about other than analyzing ideas and their faults. Maybe I should analyze ideas for their strengths too, and express that side more than the faults.)

So anyway, let’s go with grey: So far I’ve tried thinking of an arrogant person that I know in order to understand my behavior, but I can’t think of anyone. Also, no matter how hard I try to put myself in someone else’s shoes in order to simulate an interaction with myself, it doesn’t really work, and I can’t see the arrogance, except if I were to just tell someone “that’s wrong” without any explanation. (I wonder if that’s what went wrong in the conversation with my mother.) Either way, this whole issue boils down to the fact that I’m not arrogant by any reasonable criteria that I found online, but that I come off as such. This was longer than intended. Thanks for your kindness and help.

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

Here are some questions for you to reflect on. They are meant to increase awareness of your underlying assumptions, beliefs, and values. Answer honestly:

Do you care about your mom? Do you care about how she's faring, what she's experiencing, what she's thinking or feeling, what she needs and desires, what she hopes for or aspires to, etc?

If you care, how do you SHOW your care to her?

If you don't care, how does that affect your behavior toward her?

Do you believe that the mother-child relationship only goes one-way? (Is it the mom's job to do for you but you owe her nothing?)

You say you like to debate to sharpen your mind. Innocent enough. I like to roller skate to keep myself physically fit. In an ideal world, I would never take my skates off. Does my enthusiasm for roller skating mean that I slap my skates on anywhere, any time? No. Surely it is inappropriate to skate around a hospital or the supermarket. Not only could I seriously harm myself, I would also be exhibiting flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being of others.

What you like to do for yourself sometimes comes into conflict with other people. If you care about people and hope to have healthy and happy relationships with them, you have to take their needs and wants into consideration in every interaction. You have to abide by ethical rules and principles that allow your needs to be met without neglecting the needs of others or interfering with their ability to get their needs met. Without ethics, society wouldn't be able to function, because it would just be a free-for-all.

You mention small-mindedness. It is quite small-minded to walk around the world only thinking about what you need/want. In the best case scenario, you are completely oblivious to others, and they will perceive you as clueless or self-absorbed. In the worst case scenario, you only interact with people for your own personal gain, and that would make you an exploitative or even abusive person. Is that the kind of person you want to be?

Do you basically treat people as though their sole purpose on earth is to debate you and help you sharpen your mind - to serve you? Do you launch into debates with people without asking for consent or checking to see if they want to be corrected? If you do, they will call you arrogant, not because you've put yourself on a pedestal and call yourself superior like an evil cartoon character, but because you are communicating to them that your needs/wants are most important AND you don't give a damn about theirs.

Webster's definition of arrogance: "an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people". You believe that you know better, otherwise, you wouldn't grant yourself the social authority to intrude on people's boundaries, invalidate their experience, and correct them uninvited. You believe that you are smarter, otherwise, you wouldn't automatically assume the dominant social role of corrector. You behave as though you are the more important member of the relationship because your main priority is YOUR need to feel better (about your skills or about what others believe) while overlooking the other person's needs. Seems like you fit the definition quite well.

Despite that, I wouldn't call you arrogant because I understand that small-mindedness is a difficult problem to overcome. I see the effort that you're putting in to understand it. I'm charitable because I'm not the one who was hurt by your behavior. When people feel hurt, they often have difficulty expressing it. Maybe it comes out clumsily or they aren't able to explain their hurt without hurting you in return. Expressing one's true feelings is to make oneself vulnerable. If someone doesn't trust you to understand and validate their feelings or, worse, they believe that you will attack them for their feelings, they will not be completely honest with you. Your mom is trying her best to give you the benefit of the doubt by saying "if you were a stranger...", but she doesn't feel comfortable enough with you to express her hurt fully and explicitly as it happens. Why? Because the very reason she is hurt in the first place is that you have shown very little regard for her feelings. Following from the previous post of yours, the root of the problem is that you have such a poor understanding of feelings to begin with that you view them as inconsequential in yourself and others (very immature Fe).

I believe you have no ill-intent. I have said before that the typical Ti dom never sets out to hurt people on purpose. Rather, they hurt people unintentionally because their perspective is too small: 1) they don't grasp that other people's needs may be very different from their own and thereby fail to consider them, 2) they don't know how to empathize with different perspectives and validate them, and/or 3) they don't understand that SHOWING love and care is necessary for people to justify continued investment in the relationship.

In other words, Ti doms tend to hurt people out of negligence or acts of omission. Some of them get frustrated at not being able to solve their relationship problems. They might try to convince themselves that doing nothing means that no harm can be done, so they adopt a passive stance in the relationship and perhaps even train themselves to keep their mouth shut (self-violence). They fail to understand that there's more than one way to cause hurt. Instead of learning better relationship skills, they check out mentally and emotionally. Being checked out only makes it worse because you hurt yourself and you keep hurting others by being even less attentive to their needs.

The foundation of meaningful relationships is showing care. In a healthy relationship, people trust you to care for their emotional needs and not violate their personal boundaries. If you only attend to your own needs/wants in social interaction, you are signalling that you don't really care about the other person. This problem with your mom shows that you give little to no consideration for emotional needs and personal boundaries. If you don't want friends, it's entirely your choice to be alone for the rest of your life, pretending that you never leave any footprints behind you. If you want friends, you'll have to put out more effort to be a better friend, by paying more attention to the consequences of your behavior.

Doing things that violate trust and boundaries, even if unintentional, causes hurt. When people feel hurt and don't feel safe to express the hurt, they are liable to say/do negative things. To have good emotional intelligence is to see past the surface of their negative words/behavior and grasp the underlying emotional needs that were unmet and/or the personal boundaries that were violated. Only then can you be a morally responsible member of a relationship, in terms of owning all the ways that you impact people, both positively and negatively.

Arrogant people don't care about the social impact they produce. As long as they get what they want and don't lose anything, the existence of others is of little importance to them. If your mom is important to you, then learn how to show it better by listening to her when she tells you about her needs/wants. You hyperfocus on the literal meaning of the word "arrogant" and whether it is true/false of you, as though proving it false means that there's nothing wrong. You need to listen to the people you have hurt, if you want to understand why your behavior is hurtful. Alternatively, you need to educate yourself about emotional needs, interpersonal boundaries, and what constitutes un/ethical behavior and why.

[likelightningafterthethunder]

Like Lightning After the Thunder: Chapter Three: Message from the Shadows

Fic Summary:

His breath wavered as he stared into Katsuki’s eyes. He knew he could get out if he tried. He could knock Katsuki out, hope that no one else would find them, and run back into the shadows where he belonged. Katsuki may have had him pinned down but he was in Denki’s range now and it would take little effort to send a charge through Katsuki to paralyze him temporarily.

It would take barely any additional effort to kill Katsuki.

As the sparks began to charge, lighting up the air around him, Katsuki refused to back down.

–

Katsuki always knew he was destined for great things.

He didn’t think he’d have to turn his back on all he’s ever known to get there.

Rating: T

Warnings: Eventual major character death, implied/referenced child abuse, psychological trauma

Other Tags: Bakugou Katsuki/Kaminari Denki, slow burn, alternate universe - canon divergence

Read on Ao3 (links to corresponding chapter) or read below

Previous Chapter | Fic navigation to read the fic on tumblr

–

As the reunion approached, it was becoming increasingly difficult to pretend that everything was fine.

Katsuki had been added back to the group text with Eijirou, Mina, and Hanta; he wasn’t sure if Eijirou had told them or if they had figured it out on their own, but almost all of the pictures sent after he was added back in lacked a certain pair of amber eyes. He appreciated their attempt to make things less stressful for him, but it just made him think about how the rest of the class might not share the same sentiment and that there was a non-zero chance of having to see those eyes― or worse, that damned smile― during the reunion. He didn’t say anything about it, of course, but the idea of suddenly canceling and saying he was sick was looking more and more tempting.

Ochako and Katsuki had met up a few more times at Takeshi’s, but to Katsuki’s frustration, their sparring sessions seemed to do little to help prevent his mind from wandering off to that damned smile and digging its claws in. The most recent session, his guard had slipped enough that Ochako even dared to repeat his own words against him, even if the threat of him wasting her time was empty. Despite that, she still didn’t ask what was keeping him up at night, a small blessing Katsuki was thankful for.

Work was the one aspect of his life where he had a bit of normalcy, and no one could ask about the telltale sign of sleepless nights when his mask was on to hide them. He didn’t interact with anyone else at the agency often enough for them to note any potential changes in his behavior caused by the recent hauntings and there certainly wasn’t enough time for his mind to wander off in the middle of a battle with higher stakes than an ongoing scoreboard and bragging rights. His work didn’t suffer so he was certain that he would be able to get through this… thing, without anyone at work noticing, and if he was lucky, maybe the big red bow his mind needed to finally tie the memory up and shelve it away was the upcoming reunion and he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone noticing, period.

Except his boss knew about what happened too.

It was hard for her not to know. Shion had been there that day, and while she hadn’t arrived early enough to stop Katsuki’s anger from kicking in, she had definitely seen the toll the fight had taken on the surrounding area. She had definitely seen the still smoking singes of clothing, seen the furniture and paperwork that were strewn across the room, heard the cackling of flames, of his palms, of the remnant electricity in the air, seen the―

Katsuki inhaled sharply, shaking the memory from his mind.

He’d like to assume that the main reason why Shion offered him a position at her agency was his hard work both at UA and on the field. He’d like to say that maybe it was because she saw a similarity between his explosive fighting style and her own, or maybe she noticed the quick calculations hidden behind seemingly impulsive actions. Hell, Katsuki would even be willing to say that she found some sort of sick twisted pleasure in watching his fuse burn.

Still, he couldn’t shake the idea that maybe it was out of pity.

That maybe all she saw when she looked at him was the teenage boy from that day ten years ago. That maybe he was some sort of passion project, an attempt to see if she could “fix” him. That maybe she thought that one day, Katsuki might break, and that it was best if she was nearby to take care of it.

That maybe, just maybe, Katsuki was stuck standing in that damned shadow.

Katsuki could normally easily avoid Shion asking him about his life outside of work. She only ever seemed interested in forcing him into having a life outside of work, but always left the details of what that entailed up to him and rarely pried past ensuring that Katsuki hadn’t secretly been doing paperwork or something when he was supposed to have the day off. She seemed to do the same to everyone else who worked at the agency though, so there was very little room to complain― though that didn’t stop him from taking every inch he got when he found the chance. (Not that it seemed to stop her either, especially when everyone else was more than happy to talk about their personal lives.)

But, between her knowing about Katsuki’s past and about the upcoming reunion, Katsuki was not surprised when Shion started being curious about his personal life “out of nowhere.” She asked if the reunion had some sort of plus one system and if so, if there was a lucky person Katsuki would be taking with him to formally introduce them to his former classmates; if there was a lucky person, how come she didn’t know of them yet; if Katsuki would introduce her to them so that she could get them on “Team Make Katsuki Bakugou Take a Vacation”; maybe if he took a vacation there would actually be a lucky someone; and a seemingly endless list of other questions every single time he saw Shion, even if it was in passing and there was no time to respond to it before they were out of earshot from each other.

He knew the worst of it was coming when he saw that he was scheduled to patrol with her in the afternoon. She left him alone during the morning― a small but welcomed blessing― and unlike every other time they had been scheduled to patrol together, she wasn’t waiting for him after his lunch break either. Katsuki wondered if maybe she was trying to give him space before she brought up the inevitable, or if maybe he had misread the schedule and he was going on patrol alone.

When he saw her in the agency lobby, standing at his approach, he held back a curse.

The walk exiting the building was uncharacteristically quiet, the only noises between them being the sound of Katsuki’s footsteps and Shion’s skates. Katsuki wasn’t sure what he dreaded more― the idea of a silent Shion for the entirety of patrol or the fact that when she did start speaking, it would immediately be about his personal life.

Thankfully (or not?) after a failed attempt at getting Katsuki to let her hook onto his arm and make him do the “hard work” of walking (“Fuck off, you’ve got legs,” “You walk too fast, I should be saving my energy for fighting villains, not trying to keep up with your rocket legs,” “Sucks to be you then,”), Shion started talking. It started off normally enough― Shion mentioned some workplace gossip that Katsuki didn’t particularly care about, some information about a new sponsor that was supposed to reach out later that week, how her roller derby match had gone the past weekend― but even though he was expecting something different, it didn’t prepare him for what she said next.

“The Commission’s looking into the Acolyte.”

Katsuki stopped in his tracks, Shion rolling to a stop a few feet ahead of him. Katsuki felt his throat tighten, like there was something trying to suffocate him from the inside out, his jaw clenching as he tried to hold back something between a laugh of desperation and a scream of frustration.

The Acolyte. The fucking Acolyte.

For once, Shion didn’t speak. Katsuki wished she would, even if it was an insult, even if she picked away at his shell and attacked the part of him that was still just a scared, lost teenage boy that was in over his head, anything so he didn’t have to deal with the deafening silence. Anything to jump in and distract him from the tidal wave of emotions and thoughts rushing at him, to redirect his thoughts away from the dark corner of his memory, to keep him here, in that moment, in reality.

He let out a shaky exhale as he forced the uneasy feeling back down, trying to shake it off. “Thought the Acolyte was taken care of.”

“I thought so too,” Shion paused, giving Katsuki a look over that he knew could see right through him. He forced himself to hold his resolve, waiting for her to continue. “Rumor is that someone on the outside has been in contact with Mother and is trying to prepare for her return. Recruit new members, spread their message, and find someone called the Son,”

Katsuki scoffed. “The bastards at the prison aren’t doing their job if the bitch managed to make contact with the outside,”

Shion laughed, moving closer to give him a playful slap on the arm, “I knew you’d see it my way. That’s what I said at the Commission meeting― well, in a more poetic way, of course. Those Commission workers wanted none of it though, even though it’s obvious that heroes aren’t to blame for this particular mess up. Now, come on, let’s keep walking while we talk,”

He hesitated briefly, brows furrowed as Shion started to skate ahead. Were they really going to continue patrol while talking about something like this? “Shouldn’t we be discussing this back at the agency?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Shion waved a hand dismissively as Katsuki caught up to her, ignoring the glare sent her way at her phrasing. “Besides, the agency is full of gossips,”

“You’re the biggest gossip there.”

“How do you think I know?” She gave Katsuki a wink and a nudge in his side, laughing when it was met with a scowl. “It’s fine. That was the most confidential part of the conversation I had to tell you.”

“Why did you tell me, anyway?”

Shion looked up at him, amused. “I’ve been asked to help find someone for their task force. You’re on the short list, Katsuki. Well, correction, you are the short list. Though, you do have the right to decline, in which case you and Hibiki will be in charge of keeping the agency in one piece whenever the Commission drags me away. Or, you know, as close to one piece as possible, so our public relations people don’t try to have our heads on a platter.” If she noticed the hesitance in Katsuki’s face, she didn’t comment on it. “You don’t have to give me your answer now. In fact, I encourage you to take your time― since the Commission’s being so rude about who’s to blame for this whole ordeal, I say we let them wait a few days before I tell them which one of us will be working with them. They have other things to do while they wait for my decision anyway― like actually finding the prison leak and getting information that heroes can actually act on, instead of acting like we’re all Divine Prophet and can find people in the blink of an eye. You know, kind of surprising that they haven’t dragged Divine Prophet into this yet either actually. They weren’t at the meeting and no one mentioned them, so I guess they’re busy doing something else for the Commission or something.”

Katsuki let her ramble on for a while longer, thinking back to the Acolyte. He had hoped he had heard the last of them, years ago when a raid on an Acolyte base resulted in Mother’s capture and the destruction of their intel. Some members had died but enough had lived and been captured that through the combined work of the police force, heroes, and the Commission, every Acolyte member had been imprisoned.

Almost, Katsuki corrected. Someone must’ve slipped past and hid until they could get a message to Mother. He could only hope that the leak had been found early enough before Mother could weave another web of misery.

Even if the Acolyte hadn’t gotten the chance to rebuild itself back up, helping take it back down would be a pretty important achievement to put on Katsuki’s hero resume. The original downfall of the Acolyte and capture of their information had resulted in the downfall of several smaller villain groups and prevented some large scale villain attacks from occurring, so while it was unlikely that whatever the Commission wanted the task force to do would be flashy and public, it was also likely the Commission would take the potential damage prevented into account when calculating the next Billboards rankings.

Yet…

Katsuki was dragged out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his arm, his hand already gripped tight around Shion’s wrist before he realized it was her and let go.

She smiled softly, giving Katsuki a moment to reorient himself. “Just think about it, okay? You don’t have to say yes, but I know you’re the right man for the job.”

“Of fucking course I am,”

“Glad to know that you know. Anyway, let’s talk about that reunion of yours! You never did answer me about if you were bringing a special someone.”

Katsuki groaned.

Katsuki was half considering taking the last week before the reunion off just to avoid Shion’s questions by the time he finally made it back home. While the questions about the reunion had helped keep his mind off of the Acolyte shit, it took maybe half an hour before Katsuki was wishing they were talking about the Acolyte instead. There was only so long that Katsuki could deal with questions about his supposed love life (both present day and anything that might have happened back in high school) and the type of clothes he planned on wearing to show off his “post graduation glow up”, whatever the fuck that meant.

He cursed under his breath when his phone started going off while he was preparing dinner, not really feeling like talking to anyone. He let it keep ringing, focusing on chopping the vegetables instead and sighing in relief when the ringing finally stopped― until it started back up. He ignored it one more time, only giving in and checking his phone after he heard a few text ringtones.

Shitty Hair

Missed Call (2)

Well shit. Probably shouldn’t ignore him if it was important enough to call instead of text.

Shitty Hair: Katsuki!!!

Shitty Hair: Are you free bro??

Shitty Hair: I need your help for this project

Shitty Hair: I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong and I don’t know how to put it into words so I can ask the internet

Katsuki: If you can’t put it into words, how the fuck am I supposed to help?

Katsuki: I’m cooking right now but I’m free otherwise.

Shitty Hair: Can you video call??? I’ll just show it to you

Katsuki: Sure.

Katsuki propped his phone up on the counter, making sure that it wouldn’t get in the way of his cooking and that he’d still be in frame when the call connected. He scowled a little when the call connected and the only thing he could see was Eijirou’s eyes and forehead.

“Back the fuck up from the camera, Shitty Hair, I can’t see anything. Unless you’re calling to see if there’s an eyelash in your eye, then the answer is no.”

“Just give me a sec! I dropped my phone while it was ringing.” Katsuki waited as Eijirou readjusted himself and propped the phone up. “Okay, it’s not great, but ta-da! Not bad for an amateur, huh?”

“Are you knitting?”

“Yeah!” Eijirou grinned brightly. “There’s this group near my work that’s doing like, an auction of knitted and crocheted and other handmade things for charity, and I asked if I could try making some stuff for the auction. I’m not great at it but I figure some people would love to buy something that a hero made, and the money’s going to a good cause, so why not? And I thought, maybe I could knit on the train over to Musutafu, except it’s doing this twisty thing around my needles and I don’t know why, and I need to know what’s going wrong so I know if I have to buy new yarn before the reunion or if this is salvageable,”

Katsuki paused. “What makes you think I know what the fuck is going on with your knitting?”

“Dude, I know you’re the one who knits all of the knitted gifts you’ve given me, Mina, and Hanta. I figured it out years ago.”

“And you didn’t think of telling me that you knew?”

Eijirou shrugged. “You never said it yourself so I figured you were just waiting for the right moment to tell us or something,”

Katsuki huffed and shrugged it off. Eijirou wasn’t completely wrong, after all. “It’s salvageable. Look up ‘frogging’ to undo everything. Make sure the row’s straight on the needle before you start and that you’re not accidentally holding it in a way that makes it twist on the needle either.”

“Cool, cool. And what about these random holes, like this one?”

“Probably wrapped the yarn an extra time before you made a new stitch. Count your stitches, I bet you’ve got more than you started off with.”

“Thanks Kats! Mind if we stay on the call while I try to figure out this whole knitting thing?”

“Do whatever the fuck you want.”

Eijirou laughed and started talking about his day while he worked on his knitting, stopping here and there to ask Katsuki to see if he was doing things right. After he was done with his update, he asked Katsuki how his day had gone.

“Shitty,” Katsuki grumbled. “Damned Four Eyes kept asking me shit about the reunion, the entire fucking afternoon. While we were on patrol! I fucking swear, she enjoys pushing my buttons.”

“Oh come on, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

Katsuki paused cooking to stare at his phone camera directly, silently daring Eijirou to contradict him again.

“Okaaaaay maybe it was. Do you think maybe she’ll leave you alone about getting your ‘special someone’ to join the ‘Team Make Katsuki Bakugou Take a Vacation’ team if I officially joined the team?”

“Don’t you fucking dare.” Katsuki pointed his knife at the camera, ignoring the laughter that came from the other end. “It’ll probably plant the wrong fucking idea in her head and make all this shit worse.”

“Okay okay, I won’t join behind your back or anything, but if you skip out on Hanta, Mina, and me for the reunion or the squad hangout the day after, not only will I join the team, but I will get Hanta and Mina to join too. Maybe even Midoriya and Uraraka.”

“I already said I’m going, you damned Shitty Hair! Back the fuck off already.”

“Just checking! Are we still good for rooming together?”

“Yeah. Cheeky and I should be arriving in Musutafu around one, unless shit runs late.”

“All right, I should be there around eleven, so I’ll go ahead and check in first and text you the room number―” Katsuki barely caught Eijirou’s hand suddenly reaching out towards the screen, knocking the phone over onto the ground. He heard the sounds of Eijirou fumbling with something off screen before a faint voice that sounded like a news reporter came on.

“What the fuck, Shitty Hair?”

Katsuki briefly got a screenful of Eijirou’s eyebrows again as picked the phone up, frowning when he noticed the panic in Eijirou’s eyes. “Look,” was all he said before the camera flipped to show his TV screen, turning up the volume.

It was a live broadcast, with the banner indicating that the reporter was standing in Miyazaki. In the background, dozens of police cars and firetrucks surrounded a tall fence, officers and firefighters rushing in towards what looked like a large hole in the side of a building. A few of the heroes stationed in Miyazaki were rushing in as well, all of them escorted by people who looked like―

Prison guards.

Katsuki put down his cooking utensils, hands moving to grip the counter’s edge until his knuckles turned white in an attempt to ground himself. He could almost feel the thick tar build in the back of his throat and it took all his self control to force his breathing to steady. He could barely focus on what the reporter was saying, nearly missing Eijirou’s hesitant, quiet voice.

“Isn’t that…”

“...Yeah.”

“Shit.”

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #322

“you will hear it when your god cries  /  you will see it when the sun dies  /  upon the altars of change”

What is your favorite nickname that you’ve had? "Bee," from my old best friend. I don't want others calling me it, though. Where did you go on the best date you’ve been on? A big arcade. It was a super fun double-date. Have you ever gotten a professional massage? No, and I don't want one. It'd be so awkward. What’s your favorite milkshake flavor? Chocolate. What act would you be most likely to perform in a talent show? I got nothin'. If you had braces, do you wear your retainers still? I don't. If you had braces, have your teeth moved since you got them off? Yep, because of the whole "not wearing my retainer" thing. Whose was the first baby shower you remember attending, and for what baby? I'm unsure. Possibly my sister's for her first daughter. Do you know anyone personally who’s lost a child? Many people. When was the last time you did something that felt like rebellion? So every now and again, I get a massive craving for soda at night, so I grab one from the kitchen and can hear my sleeping mother rightfully nagging me about it, haha... What is one present you got for your last birthday? Ashley got me this really cool skull bank that says "tattoo fund" on it, aha. I love it. What is one thing that you took to show and tell as a kid? I have a clear memory of bringing a Snorlax plushie one day. Do you remember losing your first tooth? Not my first, no. Are you afraid to pop a balloon? Not really, but it's kinda easy to make me jump just a lil bit when one is popped. When was the last time you laughed when you shouldn’t have? I don't know. Which was better: the first The Lion King or the second? That is fucking HARD. I adore both, but I think the original is slightly better. Do any of your grandparents have a tattoo? I'm pretty sure none of them did. Do you believe that your pets feel love towards you? My cat, definitely. As for my snake, I'm aware that snakes' brains simply aren't developed enough for love, but she clearly trusts me. Are you proud of your body? Fuck no. I'm humiliated by it every waking moment. Watermelon or cherries? I don't like either, but if I had to pick, watermelon. Favourite brand of cookies? I don't really have a favorite brand. Have you ever stuck gum under a desk/chair? No, that shit grosses me out. When shopping at a grocery store, do you return your cart or just leave it? Return your goddamn cart. What is one thing you’d never want your parents to find out? Uhhhh. I guess places I've "done it." When you were little, did you like Dr. Suess books? I did. Do you like eating out at restaurants? Yeah; at least, before Covid. What was your least favorite year of your life so far? Fuck 2016 into the next millenium. Do you like fried bologna? I haven't had it in so long that I don't really remember the taste. I think I would. Have you spent money on a game online? Yeah, very briefly with WoW. Mom was nice enough to refresh my subscription after the breakup (Jason paid for it prior), but from then on, I was rich enough in-game to use monthly game tokens to "pay." Do you put a line through your "7"s? Yes. What about your "Z"s? Also yes. Do you like cold pizza? Yeah, yummy. Do you like broccoli and cheese? Yessss. Toaster or toaster oven? We've always used a toaster oven. What are you most known for? Being artsy, I guess. Do you have any reputations? What are they? *shrug* What was the last thing to leave you speechless? No clue. What is the curviest part of your body? Well, I'm overweight, so it's difficult to tell where I'm naturally curvy... but I guess my hips. Even when I was at a perfectly healthy weight though, I don't think I was exceptionally curvy anywhere. What is your opinion on sex change? You are entirely deserving to feel comfortable in your own body. If you’re still a virgin, how important is your virginity to you? I'm not, though I thought I was when we were together, when we were really just using a loophole. It was a denial thing BECAUSE my virginity was so important to me. If you have lost it already, do you regret it? No. Would you take a break after graduating from high school (like, postpone going to college for a year or so)? I didn't. What regret keeps coming back to haunt you daily? Things I said to Jason. If you could cure yourself of one allergy, what would it be? Pollen. Would you ever post a picture of yourself crying on social media? No. Have you ever held a newborn baby? Yeah, my most recent niece I actually held. I don't THINK I held Aubree or Ryder as newborns because I was so afraid of not doing it right and hurting them. Do you know anyone who has twins? Yeah. Are you following in the career path of any family members? No. What is your favorite country in Europe? Germany. How many times have your comments been top comments on YouTube? A few times. I rarely ever comment, but if I do, it's because I feel like I really have something worth saying. Would you ever wear a wig? I'm not opposed to it. Do you like the moon or sun more? The moon. Do you like turkey or ham more? Ham. Have you ever slapped someone’s butt? Yes. Do you think dimples are ugly? I think they're cute, actually. Have you ever deleted Facebook friends for a significant other? No. Have you ever spent the night in jail? No. Do you consider yourself a good kisser? I assume I am from experiences. Do you watch Pewdiepie? Not anymore, no. His current content doesn't interest me. The most recent thing I watched was his playthrough of The Last of Us 2, because I adore the first game and definitely wanted to see him play the sequel. I think he's pretty funny and have no personal issues against him, though then again I am so uninvolved in the fandom that I have no idea if he's done something stupid again. Do you like "Despacito?" Haha, my mind went to The Dark Den's bearded dragon before the song... I'm not a fan of it, no. Did you ever color your hair pink? No, but I absolutely want to dye it pastel pink one day. :( I even edited a picture of me "testing" different hair colors out, and pastel pink looked suuuuper pretty. Do you drink energy drinks? No, they're too strong for my taste. Do you have any subscribers on YouTube? I don't now how many I have, but I know it's below 100. Do you have a Steam account? Yeah. Have you ever played Five Nights at Freddy���s? No, but I enjoy the franchise. I'm not totally clear on all the lore, though. Do you like religion? Quite honestly, no. Do you swear in front of children? No. What is the next craft you are going to make? There's no telling. I don't really do crafts. What was your favorite Backstreet Boys song? Maybe "The Call." Favorite *N Sync song? I don't remember enough of them, at least not right now. Which of those two bands did you like best? The BSB, baby. Do you learn choreography easily? When I danced, I'd say I learned at a fairly average pace. What’s your favorite candy to receive on Halloween? Reeseeeeeee's. <3 Do you have a bobblehead? No. Have you ever had a lead role in a play? No. Have you ever been insulted or called names by a significant other? No. I wouldn't tolerate that shit. What’s your favorite movie battle scene? Oh man, idk. Maybe something from Troy, though I honestly barely even remember the movie by now, haha. Have you ever been to a same-sex wedding? No, actually. Who takes care of your pet(s) when you’re out of town? Hypothetically, one of my sisters would come to feed and water Roman and clean his box. I'm certain I couldn't talk either into spraying Venus' cage, though... What was the last thing you wrote down on paper? Some group work during therapy. Did you have a Walkman when you were a kid? No. What’s your favorite recipe you’ve come up with? Oh dear, I don't make those. Do you like celery? Yuck, no. By what age could you swallow pills? I dunno. A normal age. Do you like to drink alot of water? I need to drink more. :/ I've gotten better, though. For years, I literally never drank water. How I even survived, idk. How many times have you gone fishing? Countless times. Ever been to a roller-skating rink? Yeah. I loved having bday parties there as a lil'un. What do you refer to your mother as? (Mom, momma, mommy) Mom, Ma, and Mama. Have you ever swam in the ocean? Yeah, multiple times. What is the last movie that made you cry? I think the remake of The Lion King. What would you like to swim in other than water? Nothing? If you could uninvent one thing what would you chose? Damn, just one? Maybe cigarettes? Have you ever read someone's diary? Absolutely not. I respect people's privacy. Have you ever played in a waterfall? No, but that'd be dope. Who has inspired you the most in your life? Probably Mark. Is there a place where everyone who lives near you tends to hang out? Idk. Teens sure do love to hang out at Sonic, though, reving their stupid fucking trucks. Does your alarm clock wake you with music, or with an annoying buzz sound? Music. Did you make it all the way through the Oregon Trail game? Yes; I was obsessed with those as a kid. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Which one are you more scared of? I feel like being alone with a tiger would scare me most. Though let's be real, I'd probably try to pet it. Have you ever changed your favorite color? From what to what? It was originally red, but then became pink when I actually understood it was its own color. Then it was maroon forever, and now it's back to pink. On a scale of 1-10, how competitive are you? Eh, 4-6? It depends on the situation, I guess. At what age did your have your most memorable birthday? My 21st, because I was in the psych hospital for it. Yes or no: Guys in skinny jeans? Yeah, man. Yes or no: Girls with dreads? Some people can pull it off. Have you ever attended a themed b-day party? What was the theme? Oh yeah, plenty. Do you have any Eminem on your iPod/MP3 player? I do. Has anybody ever given you a promise ring? No. What do you think about putting ‘spinners’ on cars? So long as they're not too distracting, I don't care. Do what you want with your car - again, so long as it is not disruptive. What celebrity do you wish would have a big comeback? I wish poor Britney Spears could catch a goddamn break and be happy again. She's a legend that doesn't deserve to feel like a puppet. Were you outdoors or indoors more as a kid? I'd say there was a pretty even split. Do you or have you ever owned a horse? No, but I LOVE horses. Have you ever had a relationship that began via text? (weird, I know, but it happens…) Most of my relationships started through a text message. Did you believe in unicorns as a small child? I don’t think so. Would you ever date a guy with longer hair than yourself? Yeah; I have short hair anyway, and I also like long hair on guys. Do you watch the show Wizards of Waverly Place? I used to love that show. Have you ever been to the rainforest? No; humidity aside though, that would be so amazing. Bats are not spooky or are they? I think they're precious. Do you like the song "Womanizer?" I sure do, actually. Do you like ice cream cake? Not really, but I'll eat it. Do you know how to change a tire? Nope. What kind of headphones do you have? Just cheap earplugs. Do you experiment a lot with new looks on yourself? No. What were some fun experiments you did in science class as a kid? Dissecting a frog was my favorite, and doing the same with an owl pellet was also very cool. What was the last strong emotion you felt? Guilt. I lied to get out of group therapy early because I was just NOT feeling it whatsoever that day, and I hate lying. Do you use dry shampoo between washes? No. Have you ever lived with someone you didn’t get along with? No. What types of animals have you had as pets? Jeez, what haven't we had... We've had cats, dogs, snakes, rats, gerbils, a rabbit, hamsters, lizards, fish, guinea pigs... Hell, I'm probably forgetting one or two. Can you name three good things about your most recent ex? She's so creative, a real advocate for proper reptile education and appreciation, and very kind. Name three bands/artists that you hate. Uhhh The Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, and The Police. What’s the best memory you have of your father? Playing softball with him in the front yard, and when he taught me to ride a bike. Should tattoos be meaningful? You get a tattoo for whatever reason you damn well want. I don't plan on all of mine to be meaningful. Some stuff I just want because I think it's cool. Are you afraid of the dark? No. Have you ever been through a trap door? No. What's the most recent good news you’ve heard? Hm. Who was the last person in your family to have a baby? My older sister. When’s the last time you used the microwave? Last night. What’s the worst thing in your life right now? Financial struggles. Have you ever owned a tire swing? No. Does anyone you know own a bird that can talk? No. Have you ever been someplace tropical? Yeah, Florida. Have Jehovah'ss witnessess ever called to your door? Yep. when was the last time you went to mass/church? I have no idea. It's been many years. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? Thank heavens no.

[wigwurq]

WIG REVIEW: HILLBILLY ELEGY

I ACTUALLY WATCHED THIS MOVIE Y’ALL. I promised I would watch some Oscar movies instead of prestige TV shows with bad red wigs so I sorta did that: I watched Oscar bait. Because lordt knows this movie is not winning any Oscars (and if it does, it is truly the asterisk Oscars). THIS YEAR YOU GUYS. There is so much to discuss in this movie. Yes, the wigs too. Also there are lots of spoilers but here’s the thing: THIS MOVIE IS AWFUL AND YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT WATCH IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES AND INSTEAD JUST READ THIS REVIEW. I WATCHED THIS HORROR SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO! YOU ARE WELCOME! 

We begin in Kentucky 1997. AND EVERYTHING IS JUST SO KENTUCKY 1997. All landscapes/cars/people are beige and broken and depressed. We meet JD who is good at biking and saving turtles and spending the summer with his messed up family. HE IS ALSO A TERRIBLE ACTOR AS IS THE OLDER VERSION OF HIM. Important note: I did not read this book and the real JD is an awful Libertarian asshole and nothing about his story, his book, or this movie should be supported. I AM HERE FOR THE WIGS, Y’ALL. MOVING ON!

As promised, Glenn Close as JD’s grandma MAMAW (YES THAT IS HER CHARACTER NAME) looks exactly like Gene Shalit. A friend of mine made this comparison and I cannot unsee it. Amy Adams, straight off (ok maybe several years off?) deglamming for Sharp Objects is just completely frizzed (and kinda strung) out. These wigs are truly abominable as is this film. Anyway, they leave Kentucky and go back to Ohio where they live and where it is somehow more depressing than Kentucky. 

But ok the wig, y’all. Amy Adams hair is is as shitty and unmanageable as her character which might have been a choice? Still, this wig is a tangled, dried out nightmare that cannot be defended (nor can this character’s child abuse and drug problems). Within moments of returning to Ohio, Amy Adams scolds her child for allowing a gifted dog to pee on her wall to wall carpeting and then the cops have to break up a car slap fight (of her slapping her child!) that spills out into a neighbor’s house. SHE MIGHT BE THE WORST MOM IN HISTORY BUT SHE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE ARRESTED FOR WIG CRIMES.

ONTO GLENN CLOSE - SHE LOOKS LIKE GENE SHALIT. THE END. Whoever approved this wig is a huge fan of American film critic Gene Shalit sans mustache. It is the only possible explanation. AND THIS PATCHY MAKEUP. I CANNOT YOU GUYS. I realize that everyone was aiming for deglam Oscars but they went too far. 

ANYWAY. This film flashes between 1997 and 2011, where older JD (again also a terrible actor) is somehow in law school at Yale (OK?) and dating Freida Pinto who this film claims is normal law school age (FUN FACT: she’s 37). Older JD kind of has his life together other than the fact that all the snobs of law school cannot deal with this hillbilly kid who doesn’t know what a salad fork is. And then JD’s sister (played by Haley Bennett aka offbrand Jennifer Lawrence who I actually prefer more) calls and says that MOM IS IN TROUBLE PLEASE RUIN ANY LAW PROSPECTS AND COME HOME EVEN THOUGH MOM IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST. AND HE DOES YOU GUYS!

Amy Adams’ 2011 wig/makeup/everything is probably the visualization of 2020? I assume this wig was made from leftover parts from Glenn Close’s Gene Shalit wig grafted onto a Halloween fright wig. It could very easily work for a swamp witch costume if you didn’t care about the quality of your swamp witch wig. IT IS THE WORST AS IS SHE. So she was in trouble because she overdosed on heroin...of course she did. After driving all night to get to Ohio, JD gets a call for a second interview at an important law whatever and just HAS TO GET BACK TO NEW HAVEN in the next like 6 hours which still feel like 600. The whole time he’s dealing with Amy Adams and her fright wig, it is a race against time to see if he’ll make it back and secure his future. I guess this is the plot of the movie? I could honestly not tell you. Basically the whole film (if you can call it that?) is strung together vignettes of strung out Amy Adams and yelling Glenn Close that never really add up to anything? BUT THERE IS SO MUCH YELLING ALWAYS. It’s like the opposite of a slow burn - it’s just constant flames and not the cool gay kind.

In any case, we flash back to the ‘90s where Amy Adams’ wig is basically everything Tonya Harding ever hoped and dreamed for (other than that Olympic medal...also Amy Adams would have been a much better casting choice in I, TONYA which had vastly superior wigs BUT I DIGRESS). We see how this drug habit developed - Amy Adams was a nurse and hoarded pills! This leads to the most truly outrageous film sequence I have seen in a long time where high as hell Amy Adams roller skates through the halls of the hospital where she works in her damn nurses scrubs and obviously immediately gets fired. Also her dad dies! Also she tries to kill herself and ends up screaming bloody murder (also covered in blood) in the middle of street and then goes to rehab (rehab doesn’t work). And then gets married to some rando. And then she gets some new job and needs JD to lend her some pee so she can still be a nurse. This all happens in the course of like 10 minutes.  Like I said, this movie is constant insane vignettes - it’s like 100 plots at once and also no plot at all.

And then JD - definitely out of nowhere - develops a gang of terrible drug addicted teenage friends (sure!) who steal/crash cars and make everyone super pissed at JD. ALSO! For reasons unknown or ever explained, Glenn Close ends up in the hospital herself and then has the realization that only she can save JD from his effed up life AND TEARS ALL THE IVS OUT OF HER ARM AND STORMS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL WITH NO CONSEQUENCES OR EXPLANATIONS AS TO WHY SHE WAS THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOU GUYS. 

Also! JD tries to steal a graphing calculator for school from Radio Shack (this is for sure the most 90s sentence I’ve written in a while!) AND GLENN CLOSE IS PISSED! She lays down the law and also buys the graphic calculator herself even though that means they have to live off meals on wheels. BUT! Then he gets the best grade of the entire class on his math quiz and I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW HE KNEW HE HAD THE BEST GRADE IN THE ENTIRE CLASS AS THIS IS NEVER EXPLAINED OR SHOWN AND I NEED ANSWERS! Regardless, the graphing calculator not only saved JD’s grade point average but maybe set him on the path to Yale??? The concept that consumerism is the only thing that will help you as a “hillbilly” is really troubling and bespeaks the issues with this work of non-fiction as a whole. Anyway this movie really want you to know that GRAPHING CALCULATORS SAVE LIVES!!!

There is also a wig battle royale between Amy Adams and Glenn Close wherein there are absolutely no winners (but we, the viewer, definitely loses most!) It is honestly unclear to me how this fight ends (or how any fights end in this movie) because every interaction turns immediately into a fight and when said fight reaches its zenith, the movie cuts away to another vignette! Regardless, the wigs are complete garbage AS IS THIS MOVIE.

Back in 2011, Amy Adams refuses to be admitted to a rehab facility and older JD drives her back to her druggie boyfriend’s house which looks like this and I was like...hold up where have I seen this house before?

The answer is: 2010′s THE FIGHTER ALSO STARRING AMY ADAMS DEGLAMMING HERSELF FOR AN OSCAR SHE DIDN’T WIN! Ok actually in comparison, these houses aren’t that similar other than they are depressing houses with multitier front porches BUT STILL. 

Anyway, JD leaves Amy Adams and her sad swamp witch wig at some random motel where nothing is resolved between them at all and then he drives all night back to New Haven whilst talking to Freida Pinto on the phone (SHE NEEDS TO SLEEP TOO, DUDE! HOW DO YOU THINK SHE IS PLAYING 14 YEARS HER JUNIOR! SLEEP!) And then...he does get to the interview and....the movie ends!! WHAT!TRULY AND FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART: WHAT DID I JUST WATCH AND WAS IT A MOVIE? I STILL DON’T KNOW!

There is an epilogue of pictures of the real people and you guys: MAMAW LOOKED NOTHING LIKE GENE SHALIT. Also why do I even care about these real people???? Yes the real JD made something of himself....he wrote the book on which this movie is based and became a Libertarian asshole and worked with Peter Theil?!?! OK??? I guess the full story is in the epilogue? But this movie absolutely begins and ends nowhere and in between we are treated to a lot of nonsensical yelling and terrible, awful, no good wigs. I IMPLORE YOU: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!!! MAYBE WATCH SOME YOUTUBE CLIPS OF GENE SHALIT INSTEAD! 

VERDICT: DOESN’T WURQ

[joiesomer]

who: somer, jeff ( @xjefferxx )

where: ice skating rink, cat cafe

when: jan 4

notes/triggers: just a cute date

Jeff had an idea. He wanted to take Somer out on a real date again. He wanted to take him ice skating but that meant he had to pull him from his book. That was going to be a task. So he started easy, wiggling his way onto the bed and his head landing in Somer's lap.

Somer looked down past the bottom of his book to his boyfriend, eyebrows lifting. "Yes?" he asked.

Jeff shrugged then smiled up to him. "Hi." Turning his head to cuddle into Somer more as he smiled a different smile.

The redhead put a finger to hold his place and ran his other hand over Jeff's hair. "You look mischievous."

Jeff shook his head, trying to not look like he had a plan in mind. He let out a soft moan as Somer played with his hair though. "Wanna go on a date with me?" he whispered to him.

Laying the book aside, Somer eyed Jeff. "You ask that like the answer isn't obvious."

"Well I mean, you might want to read your book more than go on a date." Jeff shrugged, leaning to kiss Somer's belly.

"I might," Somer admitted. "But I doubt -- Jeff that tickles!"

Jeff kissed his belly once more. "Well I will say I can be very persuasive."

"Is that so?" The redhead giggled. "I'm not sure I see how this is persuading me to leave the bed, though, Jeff."

Jeff sat up, shifting to straddle Somer now. "Well then what if I promise all the kisses and I'll read to you after our date, would that get you out of bed? "

Somer giggled again. "Or you could tell me about this date you want to go on? That would probably work."

Jeff grinned. "Ice skating, I want to take you ice skating then to go to a cafe for something to eat after. So yes? Please?" He pouted to him.

"Oooh!" Immediately Somer started to scramble out from under Jeff, off the bed. "Yes. Yes, let's go right now."

jeff jumped out of his way. "You want to skate that bad?" Chuckling as he started to dress in warmer clothes as he knew how cold it could be.

Reaching out, Somer kissed Jeff. "I've hardly ever gotten to go. So yes. Yes I do want to skate that badly."

Jeff kissed him back, "Well then dress very warm because it's very cold at the rink and I do need to stop by the frat to get my skates."

Half-way into his longjohns, Somer paused. "Your what now?"

"My skates?" Jeff pulling on flannel pants then his jeans over them. "I play hockey sometimes with my family so I have my own ice skates."

Plunking on the desk chair to finish pulling on longjohns, Somer frowned. "You didn't do that over Christmas ... did I interrupt a tradition or something?"

"Oh no, not at all. It snowed too much to get down to the lake this time, so we'll do it another time. We do it all year." Jeff putting on a long sleeve shirt with a turtleneck. "Sweatshirt and coat are for when we get there, don't need to sweat before then."

The redhead laughed at the way Jeff looked, all bundled up. "It's exercise, blondie, don't you think you'll overheat? I mean, look at the way the skaters dress."

"I know what I'm doing. Trust me." He was bundled but not as much as it would seem. "Plus those skaters have on thicker clothing than you know, gingerbread."

"I can see through some of those outfits, Jeff." Somer stomped his feet into his boots and laced them up.

Jeff pulled on his sneakers and shook his head some. "You'll see southern boy." Winking to Somer.

"Y'all think southroners don't know how to skate?" the redhead drawled, looking up at Jeff. "My hockey team's better'n your hockey team."

"Hmm bring it baby." Pulling Somer close and kissing him soundly for a moment. "You ready?"

With a laugh, Somer tried to tickle Jeff, but was defeated by his clothing. "I'm always ready."

"Are you? Really?" Picking him up then, Jeff smiled at his reaction and carried him to the door.

More laughter, as Somer pretended to try to wiggle away. "Noooo!" he playfully protested. "Put me down! You'll fall!"

"I won't and you know it." Setting him down, Jeff bent down some. "Piggy back ride?" offering to carry his boyfriend in a more comfortable way for them both.

Carefully, Somer clambered up onto Jeff's back. "Okay, noble steed. Hiho, away!"

Jeff chuckled, moving him more up on his back as he started for the car.

"Love you," Somer whispered in his ear, hanging on tight. The wind struck him in the face and he shrieked with laughter, trying to hide in Jeff's hair.

Jeff smiled "Love you too. " Holding him close, Jeff made a run for his car. Setting Somer down, he kissed him softly before getting into the driver's side.

With a happy sigh, Somer buckled up, petting the dashboard of Jeff's car. It was /such/ a nice car. He loved it. He looked out at the city as they drove, seeing the places where holiday decorations were still up.

Jeff made the quick stop to grab his skates then they were off. He smiled and hummed along to the radio as they went along. His hand moving over to lace his fingers with Somer's.

Watching Jeff now, the way he moved as he was driving, listening to him sing softly ... Somer suddenly loved him so much it hurt. He caught his breath on a little sob.

Jeff looked over when he heard a noise from Somer as he parked. "You okay?" His brow furrowed in worried for his boyfriend and wonder as to what could be wrong.

"I just ..." Somer wiped at his eye. "I just love you. I love you so much. So much, Jeff."

Jeff smiled, getting out and coming to his side of the car. He pulled Somer up and into a hug, kissing him as well. "I love you too, my Somer." Pressing a kiss to his cheek as he hugged him.

Somer refused to let him go for a long minute, burying his face in Jeff's shoulder. "So /much/," he repeated.

"Me too, baby." he whispered back, just holding him there in the parking lot as he knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed in love with the other.

A cold gust slapped Somer in the back, and he squawked, trying to turn Jeff to protect him. "NGAH cold!"

Jeff laughed, "And you think you'll be okay on the rink." Grabbing his bag, Jeff laced their fingers to walk inside. The rink wasn't too busy, which made it nice as Jeff paid for their rink time then they went down to the benches to lace up.

"There's no wind inside!" Somer fired back. He inspected his rented skates carefully, then neatly laced them up and wiggled his feet. "Hurry up."

Jeff checked his skates once more, then stood on them. He stepped to the ice and slid with ease. "Come on baby, show me what you got."

Carefully the redhead wobbled his way onto the ice. He took a minute or two to get used to the feeling again, the way you pushed one foot then the other. One shakey circuit around the rink, and by the second one he was feeling much more confident.

Jeff skated close, ready to catch him if needed, but he seemed to pick up on it again fast. "Well look at you." Jeff skating backwards as he smiled to his boyfriend. "Still think my hockey team is better then yours." He winked.

"I can't help that you're wrong." Somer grinned, moving more freely. He didn't think he could do what Jeff was doing, at least not now, but maybe later.

"I can't help that you're delusional but I mean, you enjoy your sports dream world." Jeff turning and skating off but he didn't get too far, just enough to make faces at Somer as other skaters moved about.

The redhead stuck his tongue out at Jeff's back, trying to skate faster and catch up. "When's the last time the Avalanche won a division championship?"

"It's been some time but they stand at number 2 for the central division, so they could win it this year. Don't judge an underdog." Jeff taking his hand as they skated. "So how could you never told me you skate?"

"Babe, I've roller skated. I just haven't ice skated in ages." He pushed a little harder. "And I'm judging. So hard. Fking Crosby."

Jeff stopped them slowly and pulled Somer close. "No judging, we're supposed to have fun, not talk sports." Caressing his cheek.

Somer just grinned. "I don't know, I thought complaining about sports teams was fun."

Jeff shook his head, "Not as much fun as just skating with you and enjoying the night." Stealing a quick kiss from his lips.

"Ohhh, fiiiine." The redhead put his arms around Jeff, shuffling a bit to keep his balance. "Whatever you want, blondie."

"Whatever I want?" Wiggling his brow to him, "I'll remember that later. Let just skate." Fingers lacing with Somer's as they started to move around the rink.

Somer tugged back a little. "Slow down just a bit. I'm still remembering how to do this, okay?" He looked down, trying to make sure there wasn't anything to trip over.

Jeff slowed then, keeping pace with him. "Sorry, I get too excited about skating some times." Going Somer's speed, he couldn't help but smile as he watched him skate.

"I don't mind going round the rink alone if you want to go harder." Somer squeezed Jeff's hand and tried to let go. "I like to watch you."

"Hmm I can wait, I like doing this with you for a while ... I promise to show off more in a bit. I like holding your hand." Jeff blushed a bit as he said those words.

It was hard to skate and kiss his boyfriend at the same time, but Somer managed. He was pretty sure they bumped into a wall at one point.

Jeff laughed as they kissed and skated. After a bit, he dropped Somer's hand and took off to the center. Skating there, he showed off a bit, just for Somer as his eyes and his smile were the only one that mattered.

Somer knew there was a glow in his eyes, and that his smile was embarrassingly wide and child-like, but he didn't care. Watching Jeff dance, whether in converse or ice skates or bare feet, would always make his heart sing. "You're so beautiful," he murmured.

Jeff smiled back to him, his cheeks alight with how good it felt. How good he always felt when he got the chance to move his body like that. To move in ways that weren't normal but he found with ease. He beckoned Somer over, waiting for him in the middle of the rink.

Weaving among the other skaters, Somer reached out to Jeff and took his hands. "No lifting!" he said with a laugh. "No jumping, no lifting."

Jeff smiled, shaking his head. "I'll lift you later, right now I'm just going to enjoy this." Holding both his hands, he slowly started to skate to make the spin a circle.

As they started to spin round Somer threw his head back, laughing more. For a moment he tried to keep up, to help, but then he gave up, letting Jeff pull him.

Jeff pulled him close with a laugh as they spun. He let them spin like that until they stopped. There on the middle of the ice, he leaned in to kiss him softly as he smiled against Somer's lips.

Somer tried not to sway, leaning on Jeff, a little dizzy. He kissed his boyfriend back, holding hard. "Love you," he said.

Jeff smiled, "I love you too. You ready to hit up the cafe I found?" Wiggling his brow a bit as he was excited to show it to Somer.

"One more loop," Somer begged.

Jeff chuckled, "Alright, one more." Hand in hand, they moved back out to the main loop as they skated around.

This time Somer felt much more confident and pushed to go faster. He grinned at Jeff, breathless and his hair blowing.

Jeff laughed, he was just so happy in these moments with Somer. They finished their lap, then stepped from the ice to put on their shoes once more.

A shiver ran down Somer's spine as they stepped off. "I wasn't cold til now," he complained.

"Told you it's cold in here." Slipping his skates off for his converse and putting his skates away. Jeff offered his hand as they returned Somer's skates and went to the car.

The redhead tried to snuggle inside Jeff's coat with him. "Warm me uuuupppp!"

Jeff held him, slipping Somer into the car and turning the heat up so they could warm up. "Come here." he whispered, pulling him into a kiss.

Somer swarmed close, rubbing his nose against Jeff's cheek. "Good date," he said, smiling.

Jeff grinned, "Hmm wait until you see the next part, now eyes closed and keep them closed for me, please."

"Next part? I thought we were just going to get you some coffee?" Somer put his hands over his eyes, even though not being able to see when the car was moving was scary.

"We are but it's still part of the date." Jeff smiled, it wasn't a far drive. Soon he was parking and telling Somer to keep his eyes covered as he helped him out of the car. Jeff held him tight, swiftly walking into the building then through another door. "Okay open them." They were standing in a cat cafe.

"THERE ARE CATS EVERYWHERE!"

Jeff chuckled, "Yes there are. So how do you like your coffee or do you want some hot cocoa instead?"

Somer almost forgot to answer, staring around at all the cats, in all different sizes and dispositions. "Uh. Er, I don't like coffee, remember?" He knelt down, snapping fingers gently at an elegant silver tabby. "C'mere, yeah, you want some pets?"

Jeff chuckled. "I do, just wanted to ask in case you wanted to try one." With that, he found his way over and ordered their sweets and drinks. "You wanna find us a table?"

The redhead didn't hear him, on hands and knees rubbing his face in a fluffy kitty belly.

Jeff smiled, he found them a place as a pretty black cat came to sit on his lap, purring.

After a while Somer came over to him, cat fur of all colors decorating his sweater and several cats trailing him. He beamed at Jeff wordlessly.

Jeff grinned, moving the cat so he could have his boyfriend in his lap as he kissed him. "So you like?"

Blissfully, Somer kissed him back. "I love you." He leaned into Jeff's shoulder and sighed with deep contentment.

"I love you too. Now trying your cocoa and your catcake." Which was just a cupcake with cat ears on it.

"Catcake," Somer squeaked softly, grinning at it. "What flavour catcake?"

"Strawberry." Jeff sipping his chai tea as he hummed softly and pet the rather large cat that had found them.

Somer's green eyes went big and round. He picked up the catcake, sniffing it, and licked some frosting off. A kitty put paws on his knee, sniffing up at the catcake, and the redhead frowned at it. "No. Not for you. For hoomins. Not for cat."

Jeff snorted, hearing how he talked to the cat. "You are so cute, I just ... I can't."

Pretending to be a cat, Somer tilted his head at Jeff, then took a big bite of the catcake, heedless of frosting or crumbs. "Mmrrr?"

"Oh gosh, no no, I love you but you a human." Jeff kissing his cheek.

Giggling, Somer finished eating the catcake and licked his fingers. "You don't think I'd be a cute cat? It's a much simpler life. All belly rubs and purring."

"But then no kisses and no love making, you'd just lay around and we'd never get to be more then just pet and owner. So while you're adorable cat, you're much more amazing as a human."

Somer drank his cocoa and considered that. "I guess ... " He sighed, pretending to pout. "You give Punkinpi kisses ... "

"Not like I kiss you," Kissing along his jaw and down his neck.

"Jeff ... " Somer bit back a moan, eyes fluttering shut. "The cats are staring ... "

"Uh huh, they're just mad they're not human so they can't have the love and kisses you get," Jeff replied.

The redhead giggled, burying his face in Jeff's hair. "It's not very nice to taunt kitties, blondie." He leaned down a bit, and whispered, "Or boyfriends."

"Hmm, well, my boyfriend can have more when we get back." he whispered back. "Kitties will have to wait to find their one."

"Mmmm, what a wonderful boyfriend I have." Somer grinned, nose crinkling.

"Hmm I agree," Jeff kissing him fully now, just focusing on their mouths and lips moving together.

Somer blushed, still a little shy about being so public in their kissing. "Jeff," he whispered. "Can we go back now?"

Jeff nodded but kissed his neck once more again. "My place or yours?"

[chemicalmagecraft]

The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 19

"So the cavalry battle's about to start," Mic-sensei said, "and I've just gotta say..." I strapped myself into the harness Hatsume had thoughtfully made for me so that I wouldn't fall while I was Meditating, because I really needed to use Meditation for my crazy plan to work. "IS THAT ONE OF THE ROBOTS FROM EARLIER!?" The two-pointer that I'd stowed in my inventory during the obstacle race. I was sitting on the center of the robot's torso, which thankfully acted a bit like a platform, Uraraka and Hatsume were by the front of the robot, with Hatsume arm-deep in the robot's guts still. Our final teammate, Tokoyami, was by the back of the robot due to its size. While I was the only one with a harness, my teammates had bits of scrap metal that Uraraka had magnetized that let them stick to the robot but still allowed them to move if they needed to.

"Too loud, Mic," Aizawa complained. "And yes, that is one of the robots from earlier. The problem child argued that if his teammate, Hatsume, modified and hacked the robot, then it would be her creation and therefore, as she is a support student, her team would be allowed to use it." He sighed. "And apparently the principal specifically wrote into the rules that hacking the robots is okay, so it's not even technically a loophole. When I asked Nedzu about it, he just maniacally laughed."

"To be honest I probably should've seen that coming."

"Probably. And by the way, the cavalry battle begins in about one minute, so get ready."

I took a deep breath and focused on my mana. A ball of faintly glowing light blue mana appeared on my chest, and three tendrils of mana extended from it. The tendrils touched my teammates on the chest, forming balls of mana on their chests like mine. Bestow, a spell I thought of that allowed me to share my mana with others, though there was a bit of mana lost. "So interesting!" Hatsume shouted as she poked the ball of mana on her chest, her eyes glowing. She was actually pretty good with magic, judging from how quickly she'd picked up Eye For Magic.

Tokoyami put a hand up to his mana ball. "I feel power flowing through me," he muttered.

I nodded. "Just remember that even with Meditation, I have a limited amount of mana. And there's three of you, which means that my mana will be split between you. We should be fine if only one person does something big at a time, so coordinate your spells."

"On three!" Midnight shouted.

"And finally snap me out of it if we need something big and I'll use Limit Break," I said quickly, then activated Mana Dome and Meditation.

"Begin!" Midnight shouted.

I couldn't really see much of what was happening at first because of how I was meditating and in the center of the robot. However, after a few moments, it seemed like Bestow started to synergize with Open Mind and possibly even Meditate, Tactician, and the party we'd made, because I was able to see through my teammate's eyes. I mostly focused on Uraraka because Tokoyami was watching the rear and Hatsume was piloting the robot. I kept a bit of an 'eye' on Hatsume, though, because I hoped to absorb some of her mechanical expertise. Uraraka saw that a lot of the teams made a beeline straight for us. One of the teams used some sort of ground-softening Quirk. "I'm gonna lower gravity!" Uraraka shouted. "Hit the jets, Hatsume!" I felt a sudden drain on my mana coming from Uraraka. A pink glow spread from her body, engulfing the entire robot. Hatsume activated the robot's jets, and despite its weight it flew. Tokoyami deflected a few shots that came after us with Dark Shadow.

When we touched down, the robot sank a bit. Hatsume looked down at the legs and saw some mud, using Eye For Magic. "Someone's attacking my new baby with water magic!" she shouted.

Uraraka looked around and saw Tsu and someone from gen ed that I didn't know very well riding on Shoji's back. "Tsu-chan!" she shouted.

Tsu spat out a glob of water, which shaped itself like a buzzsaw. "Ochako-chan, I'm sorry to do this, but-"

"Well I'm not at all!" Hatsume shouted, then laid her hands on the robot. She stared at her hands with Eye For Magic as she poured mana into the robot. She, and therefore I, could see how the mana interacted with the technology. I heard a text box open as I learned the skill from her. Blue lines spread across the robot, and Hatsume's vision changed to the robot's camera. She shot a net at Tsu's team, entangling them, and made the robot carefully step out of the mud.

"DEKU! YOUR FUCKING ROBOT WON'T SAVE YOU NOW!" All three of my teammates turned in unison to see Kacchan's team. Kacchan jumped off of Kirishima, his front horse, and started flying at us with Fire Dash. Tokoyami had Dark Shadow curl around me protectively.

"He's going after my baby!" Hatsume screeched.

"I've got this!" Uraraka shouted. She slapped her hands on the robot, blue sparks springing into existence and traveling over to the leg Kacchan was aiming for. When Kacchan tried to explode the leg, it just... compressed a bit before springing back with a wave of energy. Kacchan was knocked back, but another one of his horses, Sero, grabbed him with his tape. "Get us out of here, Hatsume!"

"What did you do to my baby?" Hatsume demanded as the robot ran.

"I temporarily messed with the strength and stuff of the armor using particle magic. I can do that to my skin, too. It feels really weird." If I wasn't drawing in the energy of the world or however Meditation worked I'd have asked how that worked. It sounded interesting.

A few teams moved to intercept us. "I'll be taking your headband, Midoriya," Todoroki said. "Kaminari!" His teammates were Yaoyorozu and Kaminari in the back, on roller skates that I assumed Yaoyorozu made, and Iida in the front.

Yaoyorozu made a sheet and a grounding rod while Kaminari started to build up lightning. "I believe my power will be the most useful in this situation," Tokoyami said. "My comrades, please allow me to complete access Midoriya's font of power." Tokoyami drained my MP even faster than Meditation could bring it back. In return, a shroud of near-total darkness engulfed the world. "Primordial Void!" he intoned. Through Hatsume's enhanced eyes, I could just barely see Corvo and Dark Shadow emerge, though Dark Shadow was so big that it dwarfed our robot. I remembered what he said, about how Dark Shadow got stronger but harder to control the darker it was. "Now, my minions of shadow, let us have a true revelry in the dark." Dark Shadow rushed forward, with Corvo riding him and seemingly controlling him, or at least directing him.

Kaminari shot most of his lightning at Dark Shadow, or at least I think that's what happened in the gloom. It wasn't very effective with such poor light, and it seemed that the dark magic was dampening the lightning itself somehow. Dark Shadow raged, knocking back all of the teams. The drain on my MP abated, and the black shroud started to fade away. "Run, Hatsume!" Tokoyami shouted. "Away from Todoroki's team!"

"I can see!" she shouted as the robot started running away. Tokoyami saw Todoroki freeze out the other teams in the confusion and then Iida shouting something. Todoroki made a ramp of ice and Iida shot off faster than I'd ever seen him run before. Tokoyami made to intercept with Dark Shadow, but Todoroki's team sped up even more as the ice at the tip of the ramp exploded, and then Kaminari shot a bolt of lightning at Dark Shadow that stunned it. Yaoyorozu shot a miniature cannon past Tokoyami. I opened my eyes just in time to get hit in the back of my head with the cannonball that shattered my Mana Dome. It didn't hurt, but it was really jarring! Because I'd flinched from the hit, I wasn't able to react in time to stop Todoroki from snatching my headband. Their team landed on a platform of ice, then slid down the slide that Todoroki turned it into.

I took stock. The two skills that I'd learned, Sight Sharing and Technomancy, wouldn't be very useful. However, we already had everything we needed to get that headband back.

"Ditch the robot and go after them, guys!" I shouted. Luckily, Todoroki didn't think to melt the slide. Actually, I couldn't remember him ever using his fire in battle. That probably wasn't a good sign... My teammates jumped into the formation that we'd discussed on the slide, and I used Sonic Embodiment to take my place as the rider. Tokoyami used Dark Shadow to push us down and I used Speed Up on my teammates. Now that I wasn't using Meditate, which didn't let me use Observe while I was using it, Tactician told me that Iida's engines were stalled by whatever special move he'd used. "That move wiped out Iida's Quirk for the rest of the game, so we have a chance! Get me close!"

Uraraka lowered our gravity, letting us run faster. I noticed that the robot was tailing behind us, but I didn't give it much thought. We got within range, and Todoroki's eyes widened as his left arm caught fire, a knee-jerk reaction. I slashed my arm at him with wind mana, blowing his defenses away, then used a light amount of One For All to grab the golden headband. They'd flipped the headbands around and mixed up their order to try and trick us, but with Observe and Tactician that meant nothing to me. "We're flying away!" I shouted, activating the jetpack I hadn't had to use yet in the cavalry battle. Uraraka used a mixture of her Quirk and gravity magic to lift us out of there. Apparently the reason why she got such bad nausea when she used her Quirk on herself was because she was resistant to it, but she didn't have as much of a problem with gravity magic.

"DEKU!" Kacchan screamed at me, flying toward us. It looked like he was back to attacking us...

"Uraraka! My baby!" Hatsume shouted. Uraraka got what she meant immediately and pointed at the two-pointer, which jumped and started using its jets. Uraraka pulled on Bestow again, causing the robot to glow pink and start flying. It intercepted Kacchan, but it looked like Uraraka did the strengthening spell again. This time, though, well...whatever the spell did, it didn't completely solve the problem of Newton's third law of motion. The robot absorbed all of the force, yes, but when it rebounded the force... It was weightless. "MY BABY!" Hatsume shrieked as the robot was repulsed away from Kacchan. I didn't want a giant robot, even a giant robot with the weight of a beach ball, crashing into the stands or even worse the stalls outside, so I grabbed it with Mana Rope and braced myself on an air platform. I swung the robot down to try to take some of the motion off.

"Get on the robot!" I shouted after getting the robot to only be slowly falling. We landed on it and I started meditating again to help with keeping us lightly falling.

"And Team Midoriya are back just in time for the end of the cavalry battle!" Mic-sensei shouted when we touched down. "The game was totally crazy, but now it's OOOOVEEEER!"

"In first place, we have Team Midoriya, clearly," Aizawa-sensei said. "Second place is Team Todoroki, third is Bakugou, and fourth is... it looks like Team Shinsou snatched a few last-minute points. Impressive."

"We'l be taking a lunch break, but we'll move on to the final games after the break, folks! Stay tuned!"

I dropped off of the robot, not waiting for Hatsume to lower it. "Are you okay, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked me, rubbing her elbow.

"O-oh, I'm fine," I reassured her. "I can fall from higher than that without any problem."

"No, I mean from when I shot you. That looked like it hurt..."

I shook my head. "No, no, it was more surprising than anything! My Mana Dome probably took most of the hit, and my Quirk is really overpowered. I think I wouldn't be too hurt if All Might were to punch me in the face."

She nodded. "That's impressive. I still apologize, though. I was aiming to just pop your barrier, but we were going very fast, so..."

"It's fine!"

xoxoxo

After we left to get lunch, Todoroki stopped me and rather forcefully asked to meet me alone. I saw no reason not to, so I followed him to an abandoned hallway. "What did you need me for?" I asked. "Did you get hurt in the caval-"

"I was overwhelmed." He glared at me. "Your power. I only saw it once, but it reminded me of All Might."

"I'm pretty sure All Might doesn't use wind magic. He just punches the air hard enough that it looks like he does."

"I don't mean your magic. You did... something that wasn't magic."

"How did you know?"

"I can sense magic. And that sudden movement you did, it was more like All Might's Quirk than magic."

I blinked. "I'm sorry, did you just say you can sense magic?"

"And considering how All Might seems to be supporting you, I have to ask one thing." I gulped. I didn't know what he was going to say, but he was getting pretty close to the truth... "Are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

I spluttered. "Wow, I wish I was All Might's secret love child! All I know about my dad is that he had some kind of firebreathing Quirk and curly white hair. And that he owes us a lot in child support."

"Regardless, you clearly have some kind of connection to All Might. Just know that I must beat you. You see, my father is an ambitious man. He wanted to be the number one hero, and wasn't even satisfied with second place." His voice became ice cold. "And so he made me to carry out his ambitions."

"What do you mean, 'made you?'" His Quirk involved two separate powers, even stated in Observe to be two Quirks in one body. It reminded me of that Nomu thing...

"Are you aware of Quirk marriages?" Oh. In hindsight that was the more likely conclusion. Probably worse, though. He snarled. "My father used his influence to put pressure on my mother's family, forcing an arranged marriage. It took the bastard four tries, but he finally made me, his masterpiece, and trained me relentlessly. My mother hated my left side. I don't blame her. It's his." I'm not a psychologist or a Quirk counselor... yet... but that seriously did not sound like a good sign, psychologically speaking. "I remember one time, she was talking to someone on the phone, about my left half." Seriously, I could tell Tokoyami was joking whenever he called his power a curse, but it seemed that Todoroki genuinely felt that the entire left half of his body and the power it gave him was some sort of... well, curse. "She saw me, and threw boiling hot water at me face, as you can see. As you've probably noticed by now, my left side is heat-resistant, but not fireproof."

"Yeah, I may not have a fire Quirk, but I still have some weak fire resistance from my dad. Speaking of which, I suddenly feel very grateful my jackass firebreather dad was an absent jackass firebreather father."

"I envy you for your absent parent."

"You know, if you want I could try to heal that scar? It's obviously tied to some serious trauma, and I figure not seeing it in the mirror would ease some of the pain?"

He shook his head. "No. My purpose was to tell you this: I plan to deny my father the satisfaction of using his fire. I'll defeat you without ever using my left side again, this I can promise you." He started to walk off, leaving me in thought.

I Flash Stepped behind him a moment later and put my hand on his right shoulder. "You do realize I'm going to have to report this, right?"

His head whipped back. "What?"

"One of the stipulations of Shuzenji-sensei's training program. If I find evidence of any of my classmates being abused, I'm to report it to her or another teacher, with or without their permission. Even if I wasn't, though, I wouldn't just take that and say nothing. What kind of hero would I be if I learned my classmate was being abused and didn't say anything?"

"I appreciate the offer, but Endeavor's influence is too much. He always boasts how, if we did do anything, he'd have his people on it." He shuddered. "And then he'd punish us."

"Have you ever actually done anything?" I asked.

"I just said-"

"You said what he told you," I corrected. "A few years before Endeavor's debut, there was, obviously, another hero in the number two spot. Undertow. He had a flashy, powerful water Quirk that let him shoot water from any part of his body, and lots of it. To be honest, it'd be pretty funny how similar he was to Endeavor if it didn't extend to the point of abusing his daughter in the form of 'training.' Apparently, he even married a telekinetic so he could get a child with hydrokinesis, much like with your situation."

"What happened?"

"It took a while, but Undertow's sister reported him. She'd known for a while, but he'd threatened to... do something to his daughter if she did." I wiped a giant tear from my eye and sniffed. "It wasn't publicized much, because people were afraid that a pro of that ranking turning out to have done something like that could've triggered massive unrest, but Undertow was arrested and some of his charges were released, enough that nobody would question the arrest. He's still behind bars today." I smiled. "And at the same time I'm sure All Might would be willing to help you if he heard what happened, and I doubt that the influence of the number two hero outstrips that of the symbol of peace."

Todoroki nodded. "I'll take your word for it. Though, how do you know about Undertow if, as you said, the whole story was suppressed?"

"My grandmother told me about it." I used some magic on my tear ducts, causing a massive amount of water to pour from them. Then I wiped off my face and shirt because I didn't put any pressure into it, making the water dribble all over me. "She didn't want me to repeat her mistake."

Todoroki blinked. "Wait, so are you saying-"

"Undertow is my great uncle, yes. We don't talk about him much, though, because of the whole, ah..."

"I see. You have my condolences. If I may ask, would it be possible for you to get me in contact with Undertow's daughter?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Ah... that won't be possible, unfortunately. For one, she kind of hated my grandmother? Okay, not exactly hate per se but, well... Grandma didn't blame her, what with how she didn't say anything about the abuse for a while. And I think Undertow made it worse somehow..."

"When was the last time I talked to my siblings..." Todoroki muttered.

"Yeah, child abuse is pretty awful," I said. "Anyway, I think she reached out to my mom a few times, but... well... Then she died..."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

I shrugged. "I didn't even know her. Well, I didn't know her personally. I knew a lot about her. She was actually a pro hero."

"Was that... how she..?"

I gave him a small nod. "The hero duo Water Hose. A husband-and-wife pair. About two years ago, they sacrificed themselves to take out a dangerous villain with a powerful enhancement Quirk. But enough about my messed up family. I won't force you to go to Shuzenji-sensei now, but when the sports festival is over we are talking to him, even if I have to drag you there myself."

He grunted. "Fine. If it will really destroy my father, then I'll happily talk to Shuzenji-sensei."

"That's probably not quite the healthiest thing to say, but it's better than not telling anyone about the abuse, so I'll let it slide," I muttered. Todoroki shrugged and started to walk off. This time I let him.

xoxoxo

A/N: Okay, so originally Undertow wasn't going to be related to Deku, but then I remembered that I said that his grandmother had a water Quirk and decided that he'd probably have reason to know about this guy if grandmother dearest told him about her evil twin. I mean, hero-nerd Izuku would probably know about the guy even without being related to him, but there's the reason for him to know the censored bits.

[girlrottn]

the 𝑃𝐸𝑅𝐹𝐸𝐶𝑇 night for a 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖉𝖞 ──

╰ °✧ ( MARGARET QUALLEY, CIS WOMAN, TWENTY-THREE, SHE/HER ) : — ❝ here comes ECHO CLEMONS to help guide the tour !  they’ve lived in deadmore for twenty-three years and do know that the myth is true. besides helping guide you all today, they are also a knife thrower at the deadmore grand carnival  !  they’re known around town for being adventurous, courageous, foolhardy, and impulsive. they’re said to give off  the sound of roller skates against pavement, curious glances, unmade beds, and autumn leaves stained with blood vibe. some people suspect that they're hiding that they recently joined the cult worshipping the deadmore monster. hopefully the town and tourists don’t find out ! ❞

howdy !! i’m spence, ur local weirdo with unhealthy obsessions w southern gothic shit & vampires !! i’m here to introduce you to my crazy baby echo uwu even tho she’s a little bit evil and a lot a bit weird, she’s not shy at all so feel free to hmu with any and all connection ideas you may have !!! i’m also in the process of getting a wc page set up for her so i’ll make a post linking it when i do !!!

TRIGGER WARNINGS for very brief mentions of death, violence, stabbing below the cut

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒: a rose by any other name would still have thorns.

full name: isabel lynn clemons nickname(s): echo, izzy to family only age: twenty-three date of birth: march 21 gender: cis woman pronouns: she/her orientation: pansexual panromantic religion: raised southern baptist, currently a member of a cult worshipping the deadmore monster occupation: 1/2 of a knife throwing duo at the deadmore carnival / circus, occasionally picks up gigs in the deadmore cabaret at right hand casino in the off season

character & aesthetic inspiration from: rose summerspring ( bad times at the el royale ), donald ray pollock’s ‘ the devil all the time ’, gillian flynn’s ‘ sharp objects ’, every kaleo song asdvadf

𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓: resurrection is natural to beautiful things; a flower dies in autumn to be reborn in spring.

        isabel clemons was born on the first day of spring in deadmore, georgia. her dad’s side of the family, the clemons’, were an old money family, with roots laid down in deadmore just about as far back as it was founded. and he was expected to keep it that way ─ stay in the town, start a family, continue the tradition that his ancestors started generations back. which is why when he and isabel’s mother, a mississippi woman with strawberry blonde hair and a scowl that could knock a hog dead, had trouble conceiving for a number of years, he was terrified he would disappoint his family. but time, perseverance, and a healthy amount of prayer must have done the trick, because after four years of trying, they finally saw that little blue plus.          little isabel was a miracle, it seemed, so she was treated as such. from the time she could toddle, she was handed everything she could ever want. but along with being spoiled, as her parent’s only child, a lot was expected of the girl from a young age. she began ballet when she was four, violin when she was six, always made it to the finals in every spelling be, and only received one b in her entire school career. she had a strict curfew, wasn’t allowed to date, and her parents carefully cherry-picked each of her friends. well mannered, soft voiced, legs crossed, chin down, ladylike. she never lived the life of a teenage girl; instead she existed as some unreachable ideal ─ something to be bragged about, doted on, and appreciated from afar. it was only a matter of time until she snapped.          when fall of her senior year in high school rolled around, isabel made the first decision she had ever made without her parents’ expectations in mind. after months of silent contemplation, she decided to forgo sending in college applications. of course, she didn’t tell her parents about it until they confronted her, asking about the lack of letters they had been receiving in the mail and wondering if she was hiding the results. she explained to them what she had done, and that she didn’t want to go to university at all, and unsurprisingly it resulted in an enormous fight. for most eighteen-year-olds yet to finish their senior year in high school, being disowned and kicked out by their parents would be a tragedy, but for isabel it was liberating.         she went wild, embraced her newfound freedom. she was reckless, and did things without thought for the first time in her life, even changed her name to something she thought sounded more fun. it didn’t take long for her to lose her grip on reality, to become a hedonist who thrived on adrenaline. maybe that’s why it was so easy for her to say yes when the deadmore grand carnival’s knife thrower ( i may end up putting a wc up for this character so hmu if ur interested !! ) needed a new target girl. she giggled in the face of death in a way that only an unhinged teenage girl could. and she never stopped.

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓: the rose discovers she is an instrument of war

        in the years since echo impulsively took on the role of target girl in the carnival’s knife throwing act, she has picked up the skill herself ( her dedication seems to be one of her more redeeming qualities these days ), and the two performers know act as one another’s targets throughout their set. and given her volatile and impulsive nature, it wasn’t difficult for her to be drawn to the cult living in deadmore’s underbelly. she’s always had morbid fascinations, especially about the hushed whispers of the monster that the townspeople keep satiated. inevitably, those fascinations along with her inclination for the grotesque have led her straight to the cult, which she has promptly devoted herself to entirely despite the short time that she’s even known about it. 

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘: i want to kiss a god or two on the mouth.

echo is usually pretty nice upon first glance ; she grew up being pressed hard to be well mannered, and it isn’t something that immediately dissipated as she grew out of the persona her parents had made of her. 

beneath the surface, though, she can be snide and she loves messing with people for no good reason. no joke. like, fucks with tourists and tries to scare them all the time, tells them she’s a vampire or a ghost or something and pulls a whole rouse just because she thinks messing with people is funny. 

also has a nasty habit of spreading gossip.

an enormous flirt. she never really did it before, because she wasn’t allowed to date so she just tried to steer clear, and now she’s making up for lost time. *mushu voice* she’ll flirt with you, she’ll flirt with your cow, she’ll flirt with your whole family

undying interest in things she was sheltered from as a kid, most notably chaos, violence, and anything grotesque. eats the shit up. straight up you could stab her hand or some shit and after she got over the pain, she’d just stare at it in fascination. not really averse to death, a late bloomer when it comes to the idea of mortality, doesn’t really subscribe to it. enormous god complex.

all that said, she’s pretty easily manipulated a lot of times, largely because of that same sheltered upbringing. she’s seen a lot more in the past couple of years than most can handle, treating everything like it doesn’t matter and life is just a dream-state she’s stuck in helps, but it also means it’s not hard to get her to go along with what other people want (as long as some kind of benefit for her, no matter how trivial, is presented). pair that with some wild impulsivity and nonchalance about danger and death and you’ve got a fun combo baybee

i’m gonna stop there because i’ve already written waaaayy too much... if you read this whole thing u truly are my hero wow... but that’s my baby !! catch her roller skating around deadmore being nosy in everyone’s business. call her isabel and she’ll slap u ! feel free to come scream at me if u wanna do things with her, thanks for coming to my ted scream goodnight

[sunnychoir]

SUNNYCHOIR’S RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Andy OOC Contact: Tumblr IM’s, askbox, or discord!

Who the heck is my muse anyway:

Miriam Price. Evil southern belle, psychic witch, roller derby champ, big meanie, wild child, former golden child of the Price family, and the polar opposite of a mom friend

Points of interest:

bioluminescent eyes (like this, but bright turquoise)

all kinds of magic. Hexes, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, a touch of hypnotism (see here for how that works), mediumship,

heavy accent, unlike her brother who went through speech therapy to make it all but disappear 

Huge sweet tooth

Can and will butt in and make rude ass comments, has no respect for anyone who doesn’t stick up for themselves 

What they’ve been up to recently:

roller skating 

staying out all night, and spending the next day hungover, rinse and repeat

pretending that she doesn’t miss Marion now that he’s keeping his distance (as per her request, btw)

Friday Night Majohng with the coven

Just driving around in her pickup truck to pass the time

Where to find them:

roller rink

clubs/bars/especially ones specifically lgbt+ or just for wlw

really anywhere out and about, Miriam rarely spends time at home

Current plan:

to leave town forever, but for now she’s content to keep doing what she’s always done: complain about things are and expect everything else to change instead

Desired interactions:

FRIENDSHIP (Miriam is..picky though, so good luck)

or really any relationship where Miriam gets called out on her bullshit

i’m actually a picky shipper but...i would not mind some gals being pals 

FOUND FAMILY

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...ENEMIES 

Offered interactions:

flawed relationships, Miriam is...not the ideal date

gimme ur lady muses, Miriam is extroverted, very chatty when she feels like it, and while she’s a real nasty bully she’ll still look out for her fellow ladies

^^^ which means ur lady muse being harassed? Don’t mind if she steps in

pasted this from Marion’s version of this post but horror/supernatural themes? Got you covered. Your muse a paranormal investigator? Enthusiast? The twins are pretty well-known in the southeast, so feel free to have your muse know who they are!!

Current open post/s:

literally any post tagged #on stage ❤ | ic can count as an open if you’d like, so long as it’s not clearly for a specific muse. (i.e: closed starter,Miriam is specifically talking to a muse) Go wild, my friends.

Seriously idc that we’ve never interacted before slap urself right on my ic posts

Anything else?:

feel free to make dashcom on stuff, I love it

even if i followed you ages ago, i’ll definitely still take a greeter if you do them!

I do both online and face-to-face roleplay on this blog, if you only do one or the other I’m still game either way.

I can struggle with plotting rp’s out, THEN actually rp-ing it. I do like discussing how it goes, and then using that as a backdrop for current interaction!

one-liners/asks usually will get answered to way faster than para threads

my time zone is eastern time! I live in Ohio

discord is open for mutuals!

[yutalatte]

Cute Dates With NCT Dream

AN: I hope I did this justice. I already feel so nervous about completing requests, but thank you so much for sending me this! I did specific date ideas for each individual member, so I hope that’s what you wanted! Also, these are sort of like first/second dates/early on in the relationship dates. Hope you enjoy!

And thank you SO SO much, it really means a lot to me!

Mark

Ice Cream Date. Mark is a nervous little fluff. He would have completely over-thought this. He wouldn’t want to be too formal with a dinner date-type setting and make everything seem too serious. He also wouldn’t want to do something too cliche like going to the movies because he does want to be able to actually sit and talk with you. So, he’d settle on the happy medium of an ice cream date. And he would sit there with this huge smile on his face, looking at you so happy because you’re smiling just as brightly. You start to feel a bit guilty though because Mark apparently has no idea that he’s had ice cream on the side of his mouth for a while now and you’re really trying to hold back a giggle. He just looks so cute and sweet and you can’t think of the best way to let him know without making him feel embarrassed. Eventually, you just take it upon yourself to wipe it off with your thumb without saying anything about it. He’s so overwhelmed by you touching his face that he doesn’t even process why you would have done it in the first place. You just continue smiling happily at his blushing cheeks.

Renjun

Amusement Park. Renjun is so sweet, but also seems like just a really fun and spontaneous person. He would just love running around an amusement park with you all day. You would go on all the rides together and it first he would make it seem like you could hold onto him during the rides in case you got scared, but it actually turns out that he’s the one holding onto you the entire time, which you don’t mind. ( “Please just don’t tell Chenle about this, Y/N. He’ll never let me live it down.” ) During the middle of the day when you both got a bit tired, you’d go to one of the little cafe/restaurant type places and snack for a bit and it would feel like just a normal date. But pretty soon, it’s back to exploring the rest of the park. You take really cute couple pictures together and play all of the arcade/carnival type games. Renjun wins a stuffed bear holding a heart for you at one of the booths and he tells you it’s to make up for holding onto you during every ride. But everything is just really cute and sweet. And then when it starts to get dark, you go on some of the rides again because they’re even more terrifying in the dark (and you really don’t mind Renjun holding onto your arm). And then you two watch the parade that they hold at night sharing some cotton candy and leaning on each other from exhaustion.

Jeno

Bowling. Listen, bowling dates are so cute and so is Jeno, so this just had to happen; I don’t make the rules. It could be just the two of you or maybe you decide to go with a group. If you weren’t dating yet, it’d definitely be a group thing, but otherwise, I think he’d want it to just be the two of you. The two of you would just wear cute bowling shoes and share a plate of fries and a milkshake like a cliché American teen movie. What could be better? One of their songs would likely start playing and you’d just look at him with a big smile on your face. He’d try so hard to keep a stone cold expression, but when you’re standing beside him jumping up and down and singing the song purposely off-key, he just can’t maintain composure.  There would probably be a bet between the two of you where whoever loses has to buy ice cream afterward or something.  And you know how some bowling alleys have arcades in them too? You’d probably spend more of your time there. Get ready for 50+ games of skeeball and an air hockey tournament. Even though you lost the bowling, you one in every arcade game, so you both agree to split the cost of the ice cream. And you’d sit side by side with your ice cream trying to stay warm all bundled in your jackets until you both give in and run into a coffee shop to get some hot chocolate to warm up.

Jaemin

Rollerblading. We’ve already seen Jaemin on a hoverboard, just take it a step forward (or back?) and imagine him on roller blades. In all actuality, this would turn into him becoming an expert in the first five minutes and you holding tightly onto him to stay standing up, which is just adorable. (Unless you yourself are an expert rollerblader, which is totally possible.) But either way, you’d hold hands and skate together for a while. He might get a bit excited and try to do some tricks to impress you. But you know, he’s not invincible, so he probably ends up falling in the middle of a turn. Being Jaemin, he laughs it off, but there’s no disguising how red his cheeks are. He feels okay about it though because once you’d checked to make sure he was alright, you started laughing so hard that you had to sit down next to him. Not wanting to get run over, you helped him up and went to find some tables to sit at. You decide it’s time for both of you to sit out for a bit and while Jaemin’s still pouting, you go grab some food and drinks. And it turns out that you might both enjoy just sitting and talking together more than you did being out on the rink anyway. You actually get to know each other (or just sit and laugh at his bad jokes). 

Haechan

People Watching. Okay, so this would start as any normal coffee date, but it would slowly evolve into a people-watching session because of Haechan’s sense of humor and it would be sO FUNNY OK. Haechan can be equally sweet as he is sassy so the date would start off with the two of you just getting to know each other over coffee, or any other drink you prefer. Coffee shops just have some of the best energy and with both of you having more energetic personalities, you’d really feed off of that. But of course, since this is early on in your time knowing each other, there eventually is an awkward pause. You’re both slurping at whatever is left of your drink and then Haechan slaps his hand over his mouth in an attempt to not burst out laughing. You’d turn to look at whatever has caught his attention and muffle a laugh as well as you watch the frantic aftermath of a child bringing a small display of coffee down to try to keep from slipping. From that point on, the two of you are merciless. You use the funniest voices you can think of to act out the conversation between couples who will obviously not be having a second date. You judge the fashion choices of customers who act awful to the employees and you try to determine who the mom friend is in each group of people that walk in. In the end, you’d probably be asked to leave because you haven’t ordered anything else since your drinks you got two hours ago and you’re “making customers uncomfortable,” though you swear you were just trying to have some wholesome fun. 

Chenle

Serenading. Chenle has such a beautiful voice and a very outward personality, so I feel like this would be the perfect date for him. The way I imagine this is that it doesn’t actually start out as a date. You’ve been working on a lot lately and you find yourself stressed out and purposely isolating yourself from everyone. And Chenle just won’t have it. He knows something’s wrong between the look on your face and his unanswered texts. He spends an hour or so trying to cheer you up and bring back the smile that he knows and loves. Despite all of his efforts, you still can’t find the energy to laugh at a joke or even give a complete response to anything he’s saying to you. Eventually, he just sits beside you and lets you lay your head on his shoulder, figuring that his support alone may be more effective than anything else right now. He softly starts singing and you can feel your worries start to wash away. Once he stops, you ask him if he can sing another song and he looks down to see you smiling, so of course he sings whatever you want and sometimes you join in and sing too, but in the end, it’s just you swaying along to his voice. With your spirits officially lifted, you both decide to go grab something to eat but not before asking him to sing just one more song. And then another. And okay, maybe just four more. 

Jisung

Stargazing. Or anywhere where he wouldn’t have to face the ruthless teasing of his hyungs. ooooOOOOOOOHH I love this tiny sweetie, listen,,, Jisung would be so persistent on making sure you didn’t know where he was taking you. It wasn’t even that huge of a deal, but he still wanted it to be a surprise if only to make you feel special. You would have to go far from the city to actually see any stars so it would start with a car ride accompanied by purposely off-tune singing along to the radio and fast food that could be eaten in the car. About ten minutes before you arrive, he has you close your eyes. You don’t see the point since it’s already dark outside, but.....you have to keep the bean happy. “Okay! Stay here and don’t open your eyes.” Now you’re just confused because where is he going? It’s not long before he comes back and gets you, but he still makes you keep your eyes shut as he walks you over to somewhere you can sit. When he has you open your eyes, you really are amazed. Having lived in a city for most of your life, you’d never seen so many stars so clearly. “If you look really closely, you can actually see Jupiter. I’m not sure where, but apparently you can.” You giggle because the whole thing is just so cute. You lay on the blanket for a long time pointing out the constellations and enjoying quiet moments away from all the noise and bustle of the city.

[zukalations]

Anything - Sagiri Seina (part 2)

The continuation of yesterday’s feature; this half has 2 different Q&A sections. Chigi answers questions from Graph readers and questions inspired by her upcoming performance of ‘One Night of Stars’ and ‘Greatest HITS!’ in Nagoya.

Questions from readers

I'm very picky about my food, so I tend to leave a lot behind... Chigi-san (Sagiri), what would you do if you were served something you hated while eating out? Also, please scold me with love. [Kiyoko] I'm not really picky about anything...it would depend who I was eating with, but if something I didn't care for was brought out as the main dish I would do my best to eat it anyway. Scold you? Let's see...Now eat without needing me to scold you first! (laughs)

How did you spend the New Year's holidays? [Chigi's Servant] This might be the first time since I joined Takarazuka, but I went back to my family home for the end of the year. My sister and her husband came too, so I played with my nephew a lot. But then our family dog Andy would come over very sadly as if to say 'pay attention to me too!' I found that so adorable it just made me fuss over my nephew more (laughs). I went back to Takarazuka on the 31st, and then I went to the New Year's Day assembly at the theatre the next day. I took photos with a bunch of different people... Also, the same as last year, Sakihi Miyu-san made o-zouni* for me. The white miso kind. She put my favorite lily bulbs in, so I was really happy! The miso was a little thin, though (laughs). But she did realize that herself (laughs).

Are you good at parking? [Tsurunko] Ah...I don't like it much. Therefore I just drive in facing front. I'm really careful when pulling out as well. Parking also makes my fatigue levels really obvious. If I'm clearheaded I can slip right in. But if I'm tired I have to keep pulling out and trying again.

Tell us 3 good points about your acting partner, Sakihi-san! [GreenLove, Fuu-chan, and MyMelo] She always responds right away to my 'air slap' (laughs). After that...if it's some kind of special event she'll always (laughs) give me something handmade. How many nights must she spend making this stuff...For Christmas she gave me an electric handwarmer with rhinestones all over it. I really liked the design, but...I couldn't help thinking 'wouldn't it be warmer without the stones?' (laughs). And third is how she gets all pouty and flustered if I tease her by pointing out the problems with her hair or makeup. I find that really funny so I'll end up wanting to see that and let things slip out (laughs).

Talk about how much you love your nephew! [Snow-Emblem Piccata] I honestly find it kind of embarrassing to tell people around me 'I love this so much!' But...of course my love for my nephew would slip out (laugs). Every day I'll watch videos of him and smile, he's really...so cuuuuute. Since in 'One Night of Stars' I play the child version of my character I thought I could use him for character building inspiration, but he's still just a baby (laughs). But I think as an actor there's a lot I can learn from how straightforwardly he displays all his emotions!

This year your first performance will be in Chunichi; what is it that you absolutely have to bring with you? [Uepon] Salt. When I get to where I'll be staying, I put a tiny bit of sale in the four corners of the room and at the sink. It's like a protective charm. It's not as if I feel much when I do it, though, so I do forget once in a while (laughs). If I feel uneasy before a performance, too, I'll taste some salt and it's a really bracing feeling.

Questions inspired by the Nagoya performance of 'One Night of Stars'/'Greatest HITS!'

Sagiri-san's character of Haruoki is obsessed with stargazing; what were you obsessed with as a child? Roller skates and pogo sticks! The roller skating was because I loved the band Hikaru GENJI**. But skating on concrete was a really bumpy ride, and I couldn't do the cool stops or reverse. No matter now hard I tried I couldn't be like Hikaru GENJI, so it was pretty upsetting to young me.

This is a restage performance, but is there anything you would like to do once again in your private life? Skiing! In Sasebo there's a grass ski slope so you can ski even in summer. I used to go there a lot.

If you were a ruler, what laws would you put in place? Uh...well, first I would get other friends to settle on the basic laws, and then I'd rather just fuss with the minor points (laughs). Deciding on everything from the beginning would be a bit much... But I prefer a world with rule of law. You can freely enjoy yourself, but within certain limits.

What have you thought was 'Great!' lately? Sorry to make this about me, but...in the movie the next Grand Theatre show is based on, 'Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate', there's a scene where the main character throws his haori up and slips both arms into the sleeves***, and when I tried it at the costume fitting I was able to do it on the first try! Daimon (Nozomi Fuuto) has apparently done it in a show before****, so I asked where I should hold it, but on the first try? I was really happy about that.

What has been a 'HIT' with you recently? I'm not one to be really interested in beauty supplies, but recently I've been really excited about this lip cream... (laughs) Even though I'm like that, Tomomin (Yumeno Seika) was good enough to tell me 'this one is great, you have to try it!' about the CLINIQUE lip cream. I had already tried out a lot of different ones, so I was thinking 'I already know about all the good stuff' but...this topped them all! It's my #1 right now!

Any thoughts about Chunichi theatre shows? I've gone there for performances quite a few times, so I'm fond of the theatre and I think it's sad that it will be closing. Besides that, of course there's the Nagoya food. There's a lot of really hearty food everywhere, so it's got this, I don't know, really reassuring feeling, like 'I definitely won't starve here!' (laughs) It's energizing and gives me the power I need for the shows. We often all go out to eat as a group and I love the atmosphere with warm food plus warm people. But I think my favorite Nagoya dish is the miso udon (laughs).

Notes:

* O-zouni is a traditional dish to serve during New Year celebrations in Japan.

** Hikaru GENJI was a popular boy band of the late 80s, known for doing live performances on roller skates.

*** Like so, if you haven’t seen it:

**** I haven’t yet confirmed what show this might be, but an educated guess is ‘Kurawanka’.

[labsvvskalsbd]

Kids Can Be Cruel

Here I sat, thinking to deep once again about my life. At first it started as to how I started to identify myself as an ace, but things lead on as I started to remember more and more of my childhood. It dawned on me that my childhood... is what developed my depression. I never had a real traumatic childhood of growing up on the streets, or having my parents abandon me, or even child abuse. It was nothing like that. I grew up with my mom and dad, who are still together. I lived in a home that would keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I had food to eat and clothes to wear. It was never my home life that really affected me until I was much older (but that's for a different story). I think... no. What I KNOW developed my depression at such a young age was school. I will admit that as a child, I was pretty ugly. Not to mention fat too. I had wild, unkept hair. A fat face that was framed with gross looking glasses, and I wore clothes that my dad picked out for me (which, by the way, my dad isn't exactly the best with fashion). But! I did have a good heart. It wasn't exactly the best thing to have a good heart, though. Sure, I was very nice and I always forgave and forgot type of thing, but I was naive. Very, very naive. I was always alone through kindergarten till 2nd grade because of how shy I was. (I was so shy that I wet myself once because I was too scared to ask the teacher to go to the restroom). So, I came off as the weird, quiet kid during those ages. Since I had no friends, I would just swing on the swing set alone, letting my imagination take off until the end of recess. Third grade is when I started to gain weight rapidly, and my eye sight went bad, so I got glasses. Then people REALLY started to avoid me. Not only was a weird, shy girl, but now I was the weird, shy girl who was fat AND ugly. I became a total outcast. Since I was a very naive, and good spirited person, I never thought that people didn't like me because of how I looked, I thought it was because they thought I was weird. For so long I tried so so hard to be their friend. I would let them narrow my stuff whenever they asked. I would give them answers to the homework, and I'd even let them keep some of my favorite toys (even though it made me really sad to give them away), all because I thought they would be my friend for it. They we're only using me, and I had no idea. I thought that because I was being so nice, they were my friends afterwards because I gave them my stuff. Turns out, that they would only say 'thank you' before never talking to me again until they wanted something else. But to me, they were my friend because they always came to me for stuff!! Of course, things only got worse as the years went on. Fourth grade I got even fatter and was still ugly. (This was probably one of my worst years because they no longer had a swing set for me to swing on, so I'd just sit by myself, looking weird). At least with a swing set, it didn't look so bad by myself because swings were fun. But now, I truly understood I was alone. I also began to realize that only the teachers were nice to me. Since I'm older now, it's because they knew I was a good person, but took pity on me because they also knew I was a huge outcast. Almost everyday since third grade, I would come home crying because I was so frustrated that no one wanted to be my friend and I was still alone. My parents were so heartbroken to see me cry so much because of my lack of friends. I even came up with schemes and ideas that might help me make friends. I joined the softball team because everyone liked people in sports. I was okay at it. I sucked at running because I was fat, but I had a lot of strength, so when I wasn't too afraid to hit the ball, I'd get it pretty decent. Of course, softball didn't work, so I quit because the girls on my team were mean to me too. I thought, "Well, maybe it's my shoes! Everyone has these new shoes! So maybe if I wear them, they'll like me batter!!" I'd run to my parents and beg for the shoes, and they'd cave in. So when I showed up the next day in my new shoes, I was so upset that no one was any nicer to me. I'd come home crying, something that was very common at that point if time because the kids were now calling me names instead of the normal isolation. One time in third grade, we went to a roller rink and it was a snowball dance (lady's choice). I watched as everyone happily skated together with all of their crushes, and I went to a boy who was standing alone. I finally convinced with to skate with me and I was so happy!! I skated with someone!!! But later that night, I was slapped in the face by cold, hard reality when somebody told me that the boy I skated with was being bullied.... because of me. He skated with me out of pity, now he was being bullied for skating with a loser like myself. Of course, I cried. As fifth grade rolled around, it was easily the peak of ugliness for me. There was no doubt about it. I was one of the ugliest girls in school. I used to cry and feel sad all those other years, but now I just got angry. I was looking for any excuse I could to fight someone (of course I never actually did because I wasn't a fighter.... at all. I would cry if I actually hurt someone). The teasing was so bad that boys would come over to swing set and call my 'hippo' and whatnot, so I'd get mad and chase them. As I look back now, I realized that it was all a sick joke.... a sick joke to get me mad enough to chase them, so they could laugh at how slow I was when I ran.... After that day at school, I came home, threw my backpack down and started to cry my whole heart out in the living room. My parents ran over and asked what was wrong and I just put my hands in the air in a defeated and helpless manner and cried, explaining what the boys did. I told them how confused and frustrated I was at nobody being my friend, how I tried everything to fit in, how I was nothing but nice to them.... but they still didn't like me. I found out many years later that on that day, my dad went to his room and cried because he knew I was a good person, and he just wanted to kill all those kids who made me feel so broken and lonely.... sometimes I wish he told me that sooner.... One day in fifth grade, a boy named Bowen moved to my school and he became my locker buddy. When I first him, he was so nice to me. He said hello to me in the morning, he asked how my day was when he'd see me, he always got me to laugh.... of course, he was that way with everyone, but ME????? He was nice to ME too????? It completely blew me away. I ended up falling in love with him. (After a few years, I realized he was a douche, but until then? He was pretty much Jesus to me). I always contemplated whether it was love or not, but now, I know for sure. Bowen was my very first love.... all because he treated me like I was a person.... Everyday, I just fell more and more in love with him every time he asked how my day was, or what I even ate for lunch. It's just really depressing to think about now. How could a child be so broken and desperate for kindness that she falls in love with the very-first-ever person to do it?? It only makes it worse to remember that I was only 9 at the time. 6th grade is when I finally started to slim down. Turns out, all that fat was from me starting to get a growth spurt (which very much shows now as I'm very tall). I also got contacts so that way I didn't have to wear my glasses anymore. Long and behold, suddenly everyone is nicer to me. I didn't know why everyone liked me better now, but I assumed it was because they finally realized that I'm a good person!! And I'm not as weird as they thought I was!! (It was very hard for me to remember those feelings of thinking they realized I was a kind soul, because now, I know it was all because of how I looked that they hated me....). I think it was 6th grade when my depression unknowingly took its root. It only get worse and worse as 7th grade chugged along. Hell, I lost 30 more pounds at that time. I thought it was because I was trying in gym, but now I know it was because my depression took my appetite. At the end of 7th grade, I felt my depression sink in. I was so hard to bare. The constant feeling of loneliness, sadness, and just the fear of becoming fat again was enough to make me have a meltdown in the middle of one of my classes. Things never changed after that. My depression got worse, I lost more and more weight as time went on, and I isolated myself from my family, since they always seems to irk me for no reason. It got so bad that even on simple car rides to Walmart, I wanted to cry out and scream, begging for someone to help me, but I stayed quiet. It wasn't until eighth grade that I finally got help. I dragged myself to the counselor's office and just sat down, letting everything go. My counselor was very surprise, to say the least. I was a great student and always seems happy, so for me to pull myself all the way to her office and suddenly drop a huge load on her really confused her. She made me take a depression test, I scored 117 on it. 60 was the number people scored that needed help..... I had extreme severe depression. She was so relived, yet surprised to find out that I've never self harmed. Of course, I got help and visited her until we finally told my parents, I got on medication for it, and I saw an amazing woman name Tylene to help me with my depression. (She even has this cute Golden Doodle named Spencer!!). Now, I stand above my bathroom sink, staring into the mirror as tears flowed, remembering all of these awful memories. These memories have made me cry so much, even to this day. But, I am proud. I am proud at how far I've come, but sad to think that such a young child had to put up with that.... I'm afraid to love now because of Bowen (who made me realize that I only loved him for showing me basic human kindness). I'm afraid to feel so alone again, I hold all of my friends very near and dear to my heart. But most importantly, I have grown from my naiveness, and I've matured very fast. So yeah,,, kids are mean. Kids are so mean that they can make another kid go into extreme depression with their words and stares. They can make another child feel so helpless that thoughts of suicide echo in their minds, years from now. Kids are so mean, they could break another child so badly, they're afraid to fall in love because it might just be their mind tricking them, into thinking basic human kindness is love. So yeah. Kids can be cruel.... but what can we do, huh?

[broadstrokesofblack]

So I’m sick and tired of problem people making things about them.

So my Roller derby league has a problem child. Everything is about HER. Today one of our players wanted to bring up institutional racism in our sport. She did a long video message. Lots of people talked about doing better. We discussed that we have a diversity and inclusion committee and that we need to do better.

This brings up and issue. You see I went to Diversity and Inclusion about one of our security volunteers. Though they get paid so they are really employed by our league. This is important. We have a HUGE code of conduct and one of the things is “no gay bashing, no misogyny, no transphobic remarks, no racist behavior.” This person had but talking loudly for hours about “baby murders, sluts, stupid bitches, and dykes.”

I really tried to be patient and counter all his bullshit but it was getting old. Our visitors were getting uncomfortable. Our patrons did not need to hear his loudly spoken “opinions.” People has been complaining. The straw that broke the camels back so to speak was he asked “how can you know someone isn’t faking being a transsexual and pretending to be a woman to get in the bathroom and rape kids.” One. The use of transsexual. Not okay. Two. Asking that question. Not okay. Comparing trans women to child rapist. Not okay. I lost it.

I explained that was a slap in the face, not only to trans-women but to people who had been molested at children. This white CIS male was making these statements loudly in a place where there were several gender nonconforming individuals, trans individuals and their families. It was not okay. He was “guarding” the women’s restroom, making sure no “men” snuck in.

Someone at that point talked to me about don’t I “hate” such and such people. I said no. The only person I hate is my aunt who calls me half breed. He divided to inject himself in that conversation by saying I shouldn’t judge all white people because his kid gets called that and good guys like him watch out for mixed kids or some nonsense. I didn’t hear him because I was leaving but apparently when they investigated the issue of him talking about “half-breeds” came up.

I decided I had had enough of the nonsense and put in a request for a diversity and inclusion rep to see me. We talked. They talked to him. Apparently I wasn’t the first to complain. He was told to stay away from the bathrooms, stay away from me, stay away from the front door. He of course, violated all three.

People made excuses. That that’s just how he is. That he shouldn’t be punished for having “opinions”. He wasn’t really punished. He was told to modify his behavior or he WOULD be punished. Of course it doesn’t end there. The next day I worked my shift then came to pick up some equipment they were using that I lent out. I was asked to cover for someone so they could sign a giant card for a retiring player. The dude bro got two inches from my face and screamed “WHAT” and walked away acting all tough. I texted my league president and she told him he was fired. That he could watch his wife skate but otherwise he isn’t welcome at the games.

So today I’m all this new drama about racism she brings up how “unfair” it was that no one listened to her “side” of things at the tournament and that she didn’t feel it was “fair.”

I haven’t been to a game or practice in a month because I had surgery and couldnt drive. But I found out today who she really is. She unfriended me on Facebook and Instagram but can’t block me on our league page because I’m part of the board of directors.

So today when someone was talking about their struggle. Their hurt, their disappointment, she made it about her. She made multiple complaints about how unfair she has been treated and reference to the tourment. She was told she needed to bring it up with the committee.

Oh wait. She had. Multiple times. And got the same answer. The issue is closed. He isn’t welcome. He needs to stop. I have documented everything because this psycho can’t be trusted. I hate when she comes to practice or games because he sits in his car and seeths about how unfair it is. When it isn’t. Multiple violations of the code of contact and yet she’s the victim. He’s the victim.

I just need to vent.