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ltwilliammowett · 2 years ago

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The Raid of the Medway, 12–14 June 1667

“And, the truth is, I do fear so much that the whole kingdom is undone”

These were the words of Samuel Pepys Chief Secretary to the Admiralty (1633-1703), taken from his diary entry on 12th June 1667, a stark reminder of the victorious Dutch attack launched on the unsuspecting Royal Navy. This attack became known as the Raid on Medway, a humiliating loss for England and one of the worst in the history of the Royal Navy.

The dates here refer to the Julian calendar used in England at that time.

The Prelude

After the end of the first Anglo-Dutch War in 1654, the restoration of the monarchy had taken place in England with the return of King Charles II (1630-1685). The latter needed financial resources for a government independent of Parliament, which he hoped to gain through the spoils of another war against the United Netherlands. He was supported in this by the ambitions of the Royal African Company to damage the Dutch competition. In the spring of 1665, open warfare broke out. After the initial fighting, the Dutch won the Battle of Four Days in June 1666 and thought they had gained the upper hand. A few weeks later, however, the English fleet regained naval supremacy in the North Sea in the "St. James's Day Fight". As a result, the Royal Navy interdicted Dutch shipping and English captains raided places along the coast. The most famous case occurred on 20 August 1666, when Vice-Admiral Robert Holmes (1622-1692) burned down the village of Ter Schelling on the island of Terschelling and sank 140 to 150 merchant ships anchored in nearby Vlie. This event became known and celebrated in England as Holmes's Bonfire. Afterwards, the English fleet retreated to its own waters.

The raid of the Medway, by Willem van der Stoop (–1665) (x)

War weariness grew in the States General as the costs strained the national budget and confidence in the ally France had waned. After the catastrophic losses of the merchant ships at Terschelling, the Dutch opened peace negotiations under Swedish mediation. But English finances were also exhausted. The war had not brought the hoped-for profits, and Parliament refused to grant new funds for warfare after it emerged that some of the money granted had gone to the king's expensive court. Added to this were the losses caused by the severely impaired maritime trade, the great plague epidemic of 1665 and the "Great Fire of London". Against the opposition of Admiral Monck (1608-1670), King Charles II therefore ordered in the winter of 1666/67 that the large ships of the line be dismantled and decommissioned. The war was to be continued only with privateers in order to damage Dutch trade.

Meanwhile, at the peace congress in Breda, the English envoys had been instructed to reach as advantageous a conclusion as possible. Against the background of the last successes in 1666, Charles II dragged out the negotiations in order to end the war with a profit, even though he had had his only means of pressure, the fleet, de-rigged. The United Netherlands were not prepared to make concessions. Soon, however, they came under pressure from elsewhere. King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) declared war on the Kingdom of Spain in May 1667 and began an invasion of the Spanish Netherlands to appropriate it. The United Netherlands was now forced to bring peace negotiations with England to an immediate conclusion so that it could concentrate on containing French expansionist intentions. To this end, it seemed necessary to Johan de Witt (1625-1672), the council pensioner and head of Dutch policy, to increase the pressure on England by directly attacking the island of Great Britain.

The Plan

The idea of landing troops on the British Isles was not new. Such plans had already been worked out after the victory of the Dutch fleet in the Battle of the Four Days. In the summer of 1666, Admiral Michiel de Ruyter (1606-1676) had taken about 6000 soldiers to the Thames estuary in addition to the fleet, in order to be able to intervene in a supportive manner in the event of a local uprising of the English population against Charles II. But such an uprising failed to materialise, and the transport ships were sent back to Dutch ports after a storm. Only a brief landing on the Isle of Thanet was achieved.

The burning of the English fleet off Chatham, 1667, likely painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger, 1670 (x)

In the summer of 1667, Johan de Witt was well informed by spies about the financial shortages of the English crown and also knew about the decommissioning of most English ships of the line, as well as about the situation of the sailor and dockyard employees who had not been paid for months. Despite his own financial strain, he now prepared the equipment for a Dutch expedition. They were to sail into the Thames Estuary, enter the River Medway and sail to the great dock at Chatham, where many of England's proudest warships lay. Once at their destination, the raiders were to sink or burn as many ships as possible, taking care to capture the best ships as prizes. Such a raid would be a severe blow to the power and prestige of England, for the Royal Navy was the pride of the island nation. Chastened and humiliated by defeat, the English might accept peace on Dutch terms.

The designated contingents of ships were gathered and prepared in various Dutch ports, while in April a squadron under Admiral Van Ghent attempted to enter the Firth of Forth. The main purpose of this enterprise was to provide cover for the main fleet, which assembled at the island of Texel in early June 1667. Admiral de Ruyter sailed along his own coasts, taking in the various contingents as he went. In the end, his fleet consisted of 64 ships of the line and frigates, 15 fireships, 7 escort ships and 13 galliots with a total of 3330 guns and about 17,500 men.

The attack begins

The Assault on Sheerness

The Dutch fleet reached the English coast at Harwich on 7 June 1667. The following day it sailed south along the coast and anchored off the Thames estuary. While doing so, she ran into a storm that forced a large number of ships to cut their anchor ropes and drift. This mainly affected troopships, which were no longer available for the following operations. At a council of war on board the flagship, the further course of action was discussed. Admiral de Ruyter had reservations about sending the entire fleet up the river, as he was not precisely informed about the whereabouts of the smaller English fleet units. Should they return unexpectedly and close the mouth of the Thames, the Dutch fleet would be trapped. Cornelis de Witt proposed that the main force itself should remain off the mouth of the river and a small detachment should guard the English Channel, while a squadron under Admiral Willem Joseph van Ghent (1626-1672) should advance up the Thames. There, this squadron was to attack some West Indian merchant ships at Gravesend, which had been reported by an intercepted Norwegian trader. Admiral van Ghent's squadron consisted of 17 smaller warships, four fireships, some yachts and galiots, and 1000 marines under Colonel Dolman. The squadron set off on the morning of 9 June and initially occupied Canvey Island. However, the wind then shifted and the English merchant ships, which in the meantime had been warned of the approaching Dutch warships, escaped upriver.

Sail to Chatham, Willem Schellinks, c. 1668 (x)

Cornelis de Witt now urged Admiral van Ghent to enter the Medway and attack the English fleet lying there. The entrance to this river was controlled by a fort still under construction at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. However, to defend this key position, the English had only a weak Scottish garrison, 16 guns, the small frigate Unity and two lightships at their disposal. On 10 June, Admiral van Ghent attacked the fort. The Unity fired only a single broadside and then fled up the Medway, pursued by a Dutch fireship. The Dutch ships took the fort under fire for the next two hours and eventually landed 800 naval soldiers under Colonel Dolman. The fort garrison fled without offering serious resistance to the landing troops and the whole of the Isle of Sheppey was occupied by Van Ghent's forces. The battle for this important position had cost the Dutch about 50 men. The value of the 15 cannons and other goods captured in the process was 400,000 livres or four tons of gold, according to contemporary estimates.

Informed of the events on 9 June, George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670) received royal orders to organise the defence. Monck first inspected the installations on the Thames at Gravesend Fort and on the morning of 11 June went to Chatham on the Medway. There he found virtually no organised defence. At Gillingham an iron chain had been drawn across the course of the river, but it was too low. There were only three smaller ships to protect them: the Unity (44 guns), the Charles V and the Matthias (former Dutch merchantmen Carolus Quintus and Geldersche Ruyter). Otherwise, panic reigned. Of the more than 800 dock workers, almost all had fled or refused to help because of their unpaid wages. Out of thirty boats and ships, only ten were still to be found because refugees had used them to escape or local officials had evacuated their personal belongings on them. The Duke ordered the soldiers and officers he had brought with him to set up two coastal batteries on the shore by the chain, but even for this they lacked the necessary tools. To create further obstacles in front of the chain, Admiral Monck ordered fire ships to be sunk there. Two ships, the Norway Merchant and the Marmaduke, were successfully sunk, but the great Sancta Maria, which had also been designated as an obstacle, ran aground. Also on the scene was the large warship Royal Charles (88 guns), but it was completely unarmed.

Stern decoration of the Royal Charles, anonymous, c. 1663 - c. 1664 (x)

Admiral Monck ordered them upriver to safety, but there were not enough personnel to do so. When the Dutch attack came later, she was still lying unmanned on the shore. Among the more than 1100 workers in the docks at Chatham, there were few willing to help. Their pay was months in arrears, as the King lacked the financial means, and now they too refused to serve.

The breakthrough at Gillingham

On the morning of 12 June, the Dutch units began their advance in the Medway. The narrowness of the channel forced the ships to sail one behind the other in a single line. In the lead was the Vrede under the command of her captain Jan van Brakel. The captain had been placed under arrest two days earlier for allowing his men to plunder on the Isle of Sheppey. In order to restore his reputation, he had now voluntarily taken over the top position. Brakel's ship soon came under the crossfire of the three English defensive ships and the two coastal batteries.

However, he steered straight for the Unity without firing and gave her a broadside at point-blank range. The English crew then fled the ship and left it to the Dutch. Under cover of the powder smoke, the two following brander under Brakel's command also approached and sank the English ships Charles V and Matthias in quick succession. The iron chain was subsequently broken during the first ramming attempt (there are some discrepancies in the tradition here, some historians also think that it was simply sailed over because it lay so far in the water and were actually useless).

From the left ; "Agatha" , "Beschermer" , "Charles V" , "Propatia" , The "Royal Charles" , "Matthias" and a Dutch Admirals yacht, by Jan de Quelery (x)

The Dutch ships now had free passage up the Medway, because behind the chain there was a wide gap between the sunk English ships, which should have been closed by the sinking of the Sancta Maria. The following Dutch frigates soon silenced the English coastal batteries with their fire, whose fire had been almost ineffective anyway due to structural deficiencies. The biggest prize of the day for the Dutch fleet was the Royal Charles which had often served as a flagship for the English fleet commanders. Btw the Dutch did not take her into naval service because it was considered that she drew too much water for general use on the Dutch coast. Instead the Royal Charles was permanently drydocked near Hellevoetsluis as a public attraction, with day trips being organised for large parties, often of foreign state guests. After vehement protests by Charles that this insulted his honour, the official visits were ended when she was auctioned for scrap in 1673.

Raid at Upnor Castle

Meanwhile, the English were making defensive preparations at Upnor Castle. The Duke of Albemarle and Peter Pett, the commander of the docks, put the castle's guns on standby and set up another battery on the far bank. The attempt to stretch another chain across the river failed. Now they wanted to bring the warships towards Chatham, but again there were not enough men. To at least save the largest warships from capture, the Duke of Albemarle ordered them to be sunk in low water where they could be raised again later.

The Dutch before Upnor Castle, by Jan de Quelery (x)

Late in the afternoon of 12 June, the Dutch advance was halted by the state of the tide. On board the captured Royal Charles, Van Ghent, De Ruyter and De Witt met to discuss further action. These three commanders decided to push further upriver the following day and attack the Chatham Dockyards and the large warships located there. At midday on 13 June, the remaining Dutch braders, protected by four frigates and a larger number of smaller ships, attacked the English positions. They were soon caught in the crossfire between Upnor Castle and the battery hastily raised on the opposite bank of the river. A detachment of naval soldiers landed and moved to attack the English ammunition magazine at Upnor Castle, which they successfully blew up before withdrawing again.

The bombardment of Upnore Castle by Arnold de Lange (x)

In the meantime, the Dutch ships fired on the English gun batteries. While the battle was still going on, a calm set in, forcing De Ruyter and other officers to transfer to longboats in order to direct the actions of their units from them. After a fierce firefight, the Dutch fireships succeeded in attacking the three large warships lying on the shore, Loyal London (92 guns), Royal Oak (76 guns) and Royal James (82 guns). The water in which these ships had been sunk by the English themselves was not shallow enough to offer protection even against an arson attack. All three ships fell victim to the Dutch fireships after their hull crews fled. The Duke of Albemarle, meanwhile, tried to tow the remaining warships upriver under the protection of Chatham's guns. He lined up battle-ready warships on the banks and gathered militia troops to halt the Dutch advance. In fact, the Dutch ships went no further against the stiffening English resistance. Late in the afternoon they retreated with the rising tide as far as Gillingham. There they made the captured English ships Royal Charles and Unity seaworthy and left the Medway on 14 June. The losses from the battle in front of Upnor Castle amounted to about 500 men on the English side, while it is assumed that the Dutch lost between 50 and 150 men.

The aftermath

The Dutch raid on the English ships in the Medway became the biggest debacle of the war for the Royal Navy. It lost more ships than in all previous naval battles combined. The Royal Charles and the Unity had been captured by Dutchmen and the Loyal London, Royal James, Royal Oak, Charles V, Matthias, Marmaduke, Sancta Maria as well as five fireships, two ketches, a fleute and a smaller ship sunk or burnt. In contrast, the Dutch had deployed a total of ten fireships. In addition, there were further indirect losses of the Royal Navy. The Vanguard, for example, had drifted while attempting to ground her and eventually wrecked at Rochester so that she could no longer be lifted. Further north, beyond Gravesend, Prince Rupert had wanted to block the Thames to a possible Dutch advance by sinking the Golden Phoenix, House of Sweeds, Welcome and Leicester there. This turned out to be a sheer waste of important warships, as the Dutch never advanced further than Gravesend. All in all, these losses - especially those of the three large warships - changed the strategic balance between England and the United Netherlands in favour of the Dutch for years to come.

After this success, the Dutch were able to display their unrestricted superiority. One part of the Dutch fleet took action against the English merchant ships on the Channel coast, while another under Admiral Van Nes continued to blockade the Thames for English shipping. In smaller operations, Dutch troops still landed in some places or sailed warships up the Thames in the following weeks.

In London, the events on the banks of the Medway led to a severe economic collapse and panic among the population. Rumours said Chatham was on fire, as were Gravesend, Harwich, Queenborough, Colchester and Dover. Dutch landings at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Dartmouth were reported, and even claims that the king had fled; the Papists were about to take power. Even an imminent French landing was expected.

After the Raid on the Medway, Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, Admiral van Ghent and Cornelis de Witt each received a golden cup from the States of Holland (x)

The Dutch had taken up a position in the Thames by which they cut London off from trade. Coal supplies from the Tyne in particular were failing, and soon the price of coal increased tenfold. The English fleet was weakened by the raid and there was hardly any money available for its replenishment. King Charles II therefore had little choice but to instruct his envoys at the peace conference in Breda to conclude the treaty as soon as possible. The Peace of Breda was signed on 21 July 1667, and on 16 August the Dutch fleet abandoned the blockade of the English ports and the Thames estuary in accordance with the treaty. But England’s desire for revenge helped motivate another Anglo-Dutch War the following decade. But also an upgrade of the Navy as well as a change in the pay and living conditions of the Sailors which laid the foundation for one of the most powerful navies in the world.

#naval history #raid of the medway #12-14 june 1667 #age of sail #event overview #and it is a very long post #sorry

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tarisilmarwen · 2 years ago

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Rebels Rewatch: “Empire Day”/“Gathering Forces”

It’s the midwinter two-parter where Shit Gets Real and I realized for the first time, “Oh. Oh this show is playing for keeps.”

I don’t envy TV writers, I really don’t. It is a hard-ass balance sometimes between serialized and episodic entries, which is what most media seems to want to be, as opposed to completely serialized or completely episodic.

(The difference being that full episodic shows are “Jump in any time, there’s no overarching plot, you can just be here for the ride.” and serialized shows rely on you watching nearly every single episode to understand the continuity.)

What a lot of kids shows will do, I’ve found, to strike that balance, will be to have mostly episodic disconnected episodes (”fillers”) with a few “event” episodes here and there to advance the plot. (For the best example I can think of, see 2003′s Teen Titans, majority episodic with a handful of plot arc episodes.)

Rebels is... not quite that because as I’ve said I really don’t consider any of these lead-up episodes “filler”; they’ve all contributed in some fashion to the overall Season One plot, all been woven pretty tightly, a testament to the strength of the writing.

It’s hard to know how to classify Rebels. The episodes are independent enough that you can miss a handful and still have the general plot but truly episodic writing doesn’t bother to reference the events of previous episodes, or--especially in the case of kid cartoons--keep character growth in place across the seasons. Rebels falls closer to Avatar: The Last Airbender in that regard, no surprise given the creative crossover behind the scenes.

All of this is sort of a roundabout way to say I was not expecting us to get into some really serious meaty plot developments seven episodes in.

[Insert Palpatine’s “A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.” as you please.]

It was really quite a delight to see Rebels striking out with such confidence at big dramatic events early on, and it sticks the landing excellently.

Anyway, apologies for that long rambling prelude, let’s get into the episode proper.

Jhothal always seems a lot smaller in wide shots than it does on ground level. It throws me.

Sabine is in a much better mood this episode and also seems... unusually interested in what Ezra and Kanan are doing.

She looks very purposefully to the side as she’s following Zeb, takes her helmet off, and stares across the field towards them. Eyes soft, lips slightly pinched.

Recall if you will that one of the music tracks in the finale is called “Sabine Sees Ezra”. It’s a bit of an undercurrent theme and visual motif with them. She sees him. She’s always kind of quietly watching, observing, noticing things with and about him. Something I’ve always loved about their interactions is that for all the stubborn walls she has around her own emotions she’s always very dialed in and attuned to Ezra and how he’s feeling. (And vice-versa.)

More to develop on that end later in the episode. :)

ALSO NO ONE TOUCH ME WITH THE KANERA “You could always see me.” PARALLELS IMMA CRY GKGFSKJH.

Dropping in closer on Kanan and Ezra’s Jedi lesson, and Kanan is trying to teach one of most core fundamental principals of the Force, via a bit of practical Beast Control.

“Step outside yourself.” “Make a connection.” “You’re not alone.” “You’re connected to every living thing in the universe.” “You have to let your guard down.”

It recalls Obi-Wan’s “Reach out with your feelings.” In order for Ezra to progress any further in his training, he has to be able to reach out and connect with the Force. But to do that, he has to let down his self-protective walls and be vulnerable and open, he has to be at peace within himself, he can’t have a messy ball of unprocessed emotions and traumas tangled up inside him.

The Force is your ally, but you have to be open to it. Let go of the past, of your fears and whatever is holding you back, and make the connection.

It would be a hard enough lesson on a normal day, let alone one this significant for Ezra.

But he’s trying, dammit.

Love that all it takes is a stern, “Excuse me?” from Kanan for Ezra to back down from his outburst and apologize, and explain why he’s having trouble with this particular lesson.

Remember what I said about Ezra’s tendency to hug his arms self-protectively when he’s feeling insecure?

Yeah.

Also, for no particular reason, Loth-kitty meows:

CUUUUUUUUUTE. <3333

Kanan can tell that something’s up with his padawan, and probes. And Ezra, unlike a certain other emotionally constipated character we could mention (*COUGHANAKINCOUGH*), doesn’t deflect but apologizes again and explains that Empire Day is never a good day for him.

Before we can learn the significance of why, exactly, the plot arrives. Heralded by the opening notes of the Imperial March and just a bit of the Death Star leitmotif. (An interesting choice. An oblique allusion to the idea or element of a theft of secret Imperial plans perhaps? Tseebo stole valuable information about future construction projects from the Empire and needs to be smuggled to the Rebellion after all.)

Love this shot of Ezra starting to reach for his slingshot.

And this is a new music cue and I like it!

Wow, that TIE pilot just smacked away the drink Jho just made for him, rude.

Not gonna lie, Ezra has a really nice death glare. Do not get this boy angry.

No really, don’t, it uh... involves the Dark Side.

Imperial propaganda hooray! Palpatine using old archival footage of himself pre-wrinklification for the holonet broadcast here, projecting himself as haler-looking than he actually is.

Given that Trayvis is actually an Imperial plant, I wonder if his encouraging the citizenry to make trouble was actually a ploy at getting Rebel cells to reveal themselves by protesting.

Kanan letting Ezra go be alone and decline to participate in the shenanigans is remarkably understanding.

Luke’s theme excerpt and then... oh shoot, I know this one but I can’t remember where in the OT score it is. I think it’s part of the end credits? Fittingly melancholy anyway.

Ezra kept his old house key. :(

And there’s his theme piping in here.

We know his parents are still alive at this point so this bit is either Force-assisted memory recall of things they said in the past, or the Force taking their voices on to gently spur Ezra into action.

Either way the Force is basically nudging him with a toe like, “C’mon... have character growth.“

I want to know whose idea it was to make the Imperial March into a diagetic (in-universe) song and tweak the harmonies into major key to turn it into a jaunty parade tune because that was genius.

“Governor Pryce sends her regrets.” Lololol that bitch doesn’t regret ditching her backwater homeworld for a minute, she’s probably already schmoozing with Thrawn right now.

Budget constraints showing just a little bit in the copy/pasted extras there. (The money went towards the animation in the second half of the two-parter I’ll bet lol.) Fortunately they don’t linger long on the shot.

Rudor about to have his day ruined personally again. XD

Okay some of the budget probably went into the firework effects, let’s be honest.

It’s so pretty.

Kanan acting drunk to diffuse suspicion is both hilarious and hurtful given the whole former alcoholic thing.

Ezra pretending Kanan is his dad. <3333333

Sabine sounding genuinely concerned when she asks where Ezra went, which immediately makes him light up and tease her. And Zeb’s the one that scoffs about it, interestingly.

After the events of “Breaking Ranks”, it seems like the Inquisitorius has figured out the Spectre Cell stays pretty close to home base on Lothal and since Grand was already there he’s been lurking.

Man, if Zeb could’ve just aimed a little lower...

Hard to tell what the black marks on Ezra’s house are. Some of it looks like graffiti but some of looks like carbon scoring. Or age? Mold? Cracks? IDK.

Either way this whole scene hurts.

Ezra bluntly talking about the sterile facts of his past while shunting away any attempt to go into how he feels about it emotionally. And meanwhile Kanan is just all:

*CONCERNED DAD NOISES*

Sabine, meanwhile, gets this wonderfully understated look of dismay when Tseebo reveals that it’s Ezra’s birthday.

I kind of wonder if Ezra maybe has a touch of psychometry? Because him touching significant items like the disc and his house key and hearing voices from the past through the Force seems awfully like he’s experiencing Force Echos.

Fanficcers please write more Cal and Ezra meeting okay, I need it.

One of the biggest questions I still have about Ephraim and Mira is, did they know? Could they tell? I like to think they did. I know it probably wouldn’t matter either way, they still would have spoken out, but I like the extra angst it generates. Speculating about the fraught conversations they must’ve had--If they speak up will they paint a bigger target on his head? How long can they hide it? What could they do to make sure he’s safe should the worst happen to them?

Fanficcers please write Mira and Ephraim escaping with Ezra on The Path AUs, again, I need it.

Sabine makes her way down to call Ezra back up, asks about the disk, and my gosh she has such pretty concerned expressions this episode.

I adore her for this. Ezra dismisses the disc as probably only having one of his parents’ broadcasts on it and she pockets it anyway, takes a look at what’s on it later. Was it curiosity or was she hoping to find something encouraging on it to cheer him up with? Or maybe both?

OH WOW I NEVER PICKED UP ON THE EMPIRE HAVING BLUEPRINTS AND PLANS FOR AN UPGRADED T-7 ION DISRUPTOR. T-8S, A WHOLE BRAND NEW MODEL. THAT’S HORRIFYING.

The “five year plan” for Lothal and every other Outer Rim world pinged fandom’s alarms like right away, because Rebels starts five years before the Battle of Yavin, so again, we were all assuming Death Star shenanigans. Given the whole scope of the show and the construction modules in orbit by the finale I still think it fits.

Since a bunch of other worlds were involved as well, the “five year plan” could very easily be the timeline of when certain milestones of the station needed to be completed, how much raw material needed to come from where and when it needed to be delivered, what parts get built over various worlds, and how many TIEs needed to be manufactured to outfit it.

As the episode established earlier, Lothal is heavily involved in the development and construction of new kinds of TIEs. Thrawn probably advocated for his Defenders to be made there because of the convenience of the existing factory infrastructure.

That and the fact that there’s a Jedi Temple and an apparently inordinate amount of Force Sensitive kids, and the kyber shipment they disrupted earlier, and Lothal was definitely also supplying kyber crystals for the laser.

LOLOL Tseebo running into walls like a glitching NPC.

Whew the transports are pretty sturdy, it just sheered off the AT-DP’s foot and upended another transport there.

Ezra’s laugh right here is so pure.

I’ve always wondered... where exactly does this highway go?

Underrated Papa Wolf Kanan moment: Kanan just smacking this bike trooper into the wall and wailing on him when he dares to raise a fist towards Ezra.

Oh! And followed by him yanking that same bike trooper wholecloth out of the transport with the Force and yeeting him into the other one.

*sees bike troopers smack into the street light poles* Oh they dead. They 100% dead.

Takes like five shots from the Ghost to upend that pursuing transport, man these things are sturdy.

Holy crap the lighting in this sequence, did y’all notice???

Kanan’s badass leap onto the ramp. <33333

“I have to man to nose guns!” And yet! The moment she hears something happening back inside the room with Ezra she turns around.

Stays in the doorway long enough to translate. And immediately realizes the significance of it.

Cut to black TO BE CONTINUED, I think I might have actually given an indignant Big No the first time I watched this.

One downside of this rewatch, I am noticing all the little moments where character pathways through the Ghost aren’t in cohesion with the actual ship layout.

Inside the galley, and Sabine has still not gone and got on the nose gun despite how supposedly urgent that is lol. Hera has to yell at her over the comms.

And then Ezra has to poke her about it as well. But she shoots back because dammit he has a chance to get closure about his past traumas, possibly reconcile with and see his parents again why is he not immediately jumping on this? Doesn’t he know what she would give to have the same chance?

Ezra insists, through gritted teeth, that he already knows they’re dead, but there’s a flash of vulnerable uncertainty in his eyes.

But he won’t budge, he won’t talk about it, not to Sabine, not yet, and snaps at her to go, giving her his best death glare. She’s stung a moment but finally gets moving.

But as soon as she’s gone the glare drops off his face and he turns around and shakes Tseebo for the answers and oh my gosh the fear and hurt flickering across his face here sfksjfhk.

Instead of answering, Tseebo starts babbling apologies, because apparently Ezra’s parents entrusted him with looking after Ezra and, for whatever reason, Tseebo couldn’t or wouldn’t take Ezra in.

I know I keep gushing about the animation for people’s expressions on this show but seriously, just watch Ezra’s face here, look at the disgust when Tseebo asks Ezra to forgive him, the tiny jerky little head movements.

He’s so hurt. And it’s understandable, but it’s the reason why he’s blocked, why he can’t connect.

The Ghost, meanwhile has been trying to outrun TIEs and get into the clear long enough to make hyperspace calculations this whole time. Modern Disney Lucasfilm sometimes has trouble remembering the franchise’s own technical lore and rules so I’m always appreciative when a writer remembers them.

Ezra does his best repair job to the navicomputer (even though it’s not his specialty) but implant-enhanced Tseebo is the one who actually saves the day, finishing the job in seconds and uploading coordinates directly into the computer. If that’s what those cybernetic implants are capable of, no wonder the Empire’s fond of them.

Ezra plasters on a smile and hides behind his trademark snark to cope.

Side commentary on technical lore and mechanics because *plays the ~“Everything TLJ did, Rebels did better”~ record on a loop* the way ship tracking usually works in Star Wars is that your tracking device will send out a ping once the ship it’s attached to exits hyperspace, which assumedly beams out your location to the receiver. You can’t track through hyperspace. You can travel in hyperspace along the same general trajectory you saw the target ship leaving in (because hyperspace lanes are a thing) but you won’t know where it is specifically until it drops out to realspace, whereupon you can adjust your course accordingly.

The big thing in Last Jedi was supposed to be “Oh no, the Empire First Order can track us through hyperspace, we literally can’t escape them!“ which would have been a neat twist if Rebels had not literally already done that first and better. The plot device here in Rebels is small, unobtrusive, and can easily be installed by an ace pilot with great aim or by a saboteur who knows all the good hiding spots on a vessel. (Speaking of, was there ever actually a spy in the Resistance Fleet I don’t know if that was ever followed up on?) It’s not overcomplicated, and it accomplishes the same general effect.

TLJ on the other hand...

...Yeah I’m not going into that mess.

Tl:dr- I cannot stress enough how it’s really really important for your writers to talk to each other.

Off that tangent now.

The first thing we’re treated to in this scene is Sabine and Ezra playing I’m Not Looking At You.

(But I Totally Am)

Sabine’s silent concern is palpable, but she stays quiet. Kanan, the other person who knows why Ezra’s upset, on the other hand, comes right out and grills Ezra directly.

And Ezra chooses to hide in one of his nicked cadet helmets. (That Sabine painted for him.)

Kanan dishes more Basic Jedi Lessons 101: You have to be honest about what you’re feeling. The Jedi practice a common therapy technique called mindfulness, which is all about being aware of your thoughts and feelings and why you’re feeling that way. Mindfulness is important to help Jedi keep themselves in check, keep a level head about things, and understand themselves, which in turn is what enables them to understand and use the Force. Serenity within self leads to serenity with the universe.

Needless to say, Ezra--with all his messy complicated feelings, unprocessed trauma, and layers of denial and defensiveness--is having trouble with that right now. His sharp, “What’s that supposed to mean?!” recalls Anakin in The Phantom Menace, irritably asking the Council, “What does that got to do with anything?”, about the fear of loss they can sense festering inside him.

Kanan discerns the truth, that in spite of what Ezra claims, he does have empathy for Tseebo. This bit recalls Ezra in the pilot, vehemently denying that he cares about anyone but himself while the selfless heartbeat of the Light still quietly pulses through him.

Ezra points out the reasons he shouldn’t care about Tseebo and that’s when Sabine stands up with her theory that Tseebo volunteered for the implant specifically to make up for all that, and set things right.

That conversation is interrupted--yet again, it’s a running trend with them--by Tseebo announcing that they’re being tracked through hyperspace.

The crew confirm this in the next scene and lore appreciation moment, remembering that forcible ejection from hyperspace is violent and dangerous and could very well destroy your ship.

And also CONTINUITY APPRECIATION, we’re gonna drop by the fyrnocks again! :D

And hinting at the idea that some of the Inquisitors (Grand at least) can track Jedi across distance. (One wonders if this was how Fifth and Seventh kept finding them.)

Ezra decides to go sulk in the kitchen and Sabine seeks him out.

God I love this scene.

Sabine asks him if he really thinks his parents are dead, Ezra confesses he doesn’t know (more honest already!) but acts like it doesn’t matter and Sabine gets unusually agitated, pushing for Ezra to talk to Tseebo before he goes.

She’s almost personally offended by Ezra’s seeming lack of desire for closure.

(It’s because she understands how much it hurts.)

Don’t mind me I’m just looking at their pretty faces.

Hngl, this is such a wonderful moment of Ezra being guarded and yet vulnerable. He couldn’t let himself believe his parents would come save him, or he wouldn’t have been strong enough to survive, and this is the part I think Sabine relates to. She probably had to do something similar after her own family cut her loose.

She still doesn’t want him to leave things unresolved, though, urges him silently with her eyes right here.

HELLO SAD FINALE THEMATIC PARALLEL FEELS HOW YA DOIN’?

Kanan has to stop Sabine from arguing further with small subtle hand gesture, and it’s only then that she backs down.

It’s been pretty quiet in the score up until this scene, but this cue is interesting. It sounds like a disjointed, fragmented variation on Ezra’s theme, soured, quiet, and hesitant, the melody barely breaking over the background strings.

“Strap in.” To what, Kanan? These seats don’t have restraints.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Ezra puts a hand over his face apprehensively in the background while Kanan’s talking.

Love how Rebels depicts forcible ejection from hyperspace.

Yeah some of the skimped budget from last episode definitely went into this sequence. XD

The music track we heard associated with the fyrnocks back in “Out of Darkness” creeps back in, returning us mentally right back there.

And Kanan tells Ezra he’s basically throwing him in the deep end, revisiting the lesson he was trying to teach last episode, only in a more mortal peril context. Fly or Die, as the trope goes.

A bit of undue pressure on Ezra? Maybe. But also, Kanan was not going to let anything bad happen to Ezra. But he has to put Ezra in a situation where there’s the appearance of no other option, to blunt force his way into a breakthrough. It the same thing he would do down the line with Sabine, to help her work through the mental block that was preventing her from committing to the darksaber.

Ezra timidly confesses that he’s afraid and Kanan praises him for admitting it, HNGL THEY’RE BOTH ALREADY SUCH GOOD JEDI AND THEY DON’T KNOW IT.

I love this scene I love this scene I love this scene SO MUCH.

First off! The animation is really pretty in an understated way, not so much about the colors or light/dark balance (though the eerie glowing effect of the fyrnock eyes in the darkness is great) but again, the character animation and how much emotion and story it tells.

Ezra nervously peeking as he tries to connect, the panic that hits his eyes as his head whips around, realizing they’re surrounded.

Second! This scene is so cathartic.

Kanan is already right there, ready to step in and take over.

Pushing at Ezra to mentally work through why he’s afraid, what he’s afraid of. To let go.

Let go of the fear, the anger, the hurt, let go of all the barriers preventing you from reaching out.

And Ezra realizes he’s not afraid of the creatures, he’s afraid of the truth, afraid to face that potential loss all over again. The Force ring sound effect chimes out, across the galaxy Tseebo’s mind suddenly clears and...

Ezra’s unique ability to connect, blocked by fear and unlocked through forgiveness.

Kanan looks so proud asgaksjh.

(A little bit astonished it worked so well too. Lol.)

Back with Hera, dropping Tseebo off with the Rebellion, and a nice little bit of a follow-through with Sabine asking snarkily if they can meet Fulcrum now and being quietly disappointed but accepting when Hera says no.

It’s really sweet how Tseebo wasn’t even trying to access Imperial secrets, he just wanted to find his friends. <333

Hera hears what Tseebo knows but because of the semi-episodic nature of this show (and certain plot developments later in the episode), the answers to that mystery are tabled until Season Two, when it’s revealed that Kanan and Hera have been looking for the Bridgers the whole time.

Oh but because they didn’t tell Ezra they were looking that means they were keeping secrets and that makes them horrible peop--*shot*

And now it’s time for my other other favorite scene of this episode. :)

The rhythmic percussion of an Imperial leitmotif accompanies Grand’s arrival at Fort Anaxes, flaring into the chorals of the Inquisitor’s theme. Grand looks suitably intimidating.

Between episodes he’s apparently received instructions to take them in alive, as opposed to “Rise of the Old Masters” when he was happily ready to just kill them.

‘Course personally I think whether or not an Inquisitor kills you right away versus captures you for Mustafar depends largely on their mood in the moment.

Surprise!

Once again, connected through the Force, Kanan and Ezra move perfectly in sync, mirror-matching each other’s pose, expressions, and movement.

The soundtrack flares with a new melody here, overlayed over the chorals of Grand’s intimidating leitmotif. Kanan fares a LOT better this round, lighter on his feet, deflecting, redirecting the Inquisitor’s force and momentum, more confident in his Soresu.

Please appreciate how serene Ezra looks here with me.

The Grand Inquisitor still quickly overpowers Kanan, temporarily knocking him out of the fight.

Ezra’s eyes snap open and he rushes over, effortlessly Force Pull-ing Kanan’s saber to him (he’s already come so far from when he started!) and steps in front of the Inquisitor bravely.

*YOINK*

hetried.jpeg

Frick this is such a good shot.

Also not to run off into the weeds here but... given what happens moments later I kind of think this red-blue contrast is deliberate color symbolism.

They put Ezra on the literal ledge of a cliff for his big Dark Side moment after all.

Ungh this moment has such GOOD ANIMATION I can’t do it justice with the screencaps at all.

Just how the Force ring sound effect kind of goes off tune and all the tiny little rocks and pebbles start floating up and absolute icy fury in Ezra’s eyes, the feral way his mouth and shoulders curl, how tightly he clenches his teeth and fists, the way the great big mama fyrnock rises up from behind him...

Kanan’s soft horror. :(

Ezra’s movements almost mirror the fyrnocks, his eyes flare when it roars, he practically vibrates with rage beside it.

Even the Inquisitor is like, “Huh. Okay. Ooops.”

Ezra sics the mama on Grand, struggles to hold onto the overwhelming rush of Dark Side energy flowing through him for a moment, and then he loses his grip on it, eyes rolling up and falling over, senseless. And the loose pebbles drop just as lifelessly to the ground.

Something to point out, Ezra tapping into the Dark Side here was dangerous primarily because his body literally physically could not handle it.

Like, even leaving aside all the other hazards of tapping into the Dark Side, that’s horrifying.

Ezra, wide open to the Force, couldn’t control his fear and anger and lashed out, left himself vulnerable. The Dark Side rushed in and dumped a lot of raw power through him when he wasn’t ready for it (because it’s fast easy access to a lot of power very quickly, at the cost of yourself), and his body gave out and rejected it.

The junior novelization of this episode confirms that for a moment or two after this, when Kanan goes to check on him, Ezra wasn’t breathing.

No wonder the poor man looks so worried and frightened.

Can’t emphasize this enough, Ezra almost died. The Dark Side almost killed him the first time he touched it.

Aaaaand that is why the Jedi teach mindfulness and emotional control. XD If you aren’t in control of your emotions when you tap into the Force, your emotions will control and then consume you.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: Kanan holding his side from where the Inquisitor kicked him as he runs up to Ezra.

Kanan books it for the Phantom with his fortunately-still-breathing padawan as the soundtrack tolls with pounding bass notes of doom, leaving the Inquisitor pissed and foreshadowing the reason why he later drops himself into a ship reactor.

Cue this heartwarming conversation between our boys, in which Kanan once again feel waaaay out of his depth, scrambling just to keep ahead of Ezra as his abilities grow by leaps and bounds, and realizing just how unprepared they both are for this.

Kanan doesn’t even judge Ezra for tapping into the Dark Side or yell at him or scold him or anything, speaking gently and taking the blame on himself instead for not warning Ezra properly.

Ezra’s Troubled Fetal Position this whole conversation hurts. He looks so small. T_T

Hera sounds really relieved that they’re all right.

And Sabine’s brows noticeably pinch with worry when she spots Ezra. The smile falls right off her face.

Ezra goes to be alone in the nose gun and Sabine approaches him, commiserating about how it’s been “a rough couple of days” before gifting him with something:

The disc that Ezra dismissed, that she picked up anyway and took a look at, and then painstakingly cleaned up simply because Ezra was having a really bad birthday and she wanted to make it a little better.

The warm lighting is really pretty in this scene. Soft and comforting. This moment always feels like a calming balm after the drama of the episode.

I dare any of y’all to find another moment when Sabine’s smile is this tender and sweet.

Her prettiest smiles always seem reserved for him.

And it’s just what he needs to cheer up and feel better, look at him he’s practically glowing.

Ezra’s theme, mellow and warm, closes us out of course.

Gah, this two-parter is some of my favorite material of the season. Seven episodes in (eight if you count “Spark of Rebellion” as two) and there’s already been so much character development and growth, so much backstory, so many unveiled layers and depths to this crew; they’ve been put through the wringer and come out stronger.

Some of the best animation of Season One is in the climax of “Gathering Forces”, which is a serious No Context Signature Scene candidate. Every time I look at it there’s something new to notice.

I think this was the last episode I watched for my first initial binge and boy it was not enough to stop here.

(Fortunately the husband had waited until he could buy the whole first season on home video, no months-long hiatus involved. :) )

I dunno if I even have anything else to say, these episodes are amazing, I love them, I love how Kanan and Ezra’s relationship grows, I love the Sabezra moments, I love the animation and the tightly-written story, I love all of it.

It’s great.

The highlights of the season continue tomorrow!

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #sabezra #space dad and his precious pumpkin child #rebels rewatch #liveblog #~everything tlj did rebels did better~#~rebels did everything better than you~

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sleepingdeath-light · 4 years ago

Text

Yandere Headcanons | Edric, Emira & Hunter [Golden Guard]

this consists of general hcs to prelude two more specific requests made for this set of characters by establishing certain behaviours and traits of theirs as yanderes. so apologies if this seems incredibly vague.

reader is written as non specifically as possible

Edric Blight

In his daily life, Ed has been shown to be an incredibly clingy and dependent person who approaches any kind of relationship with open arms and an expectation of affection and acceptance—something that has seemingly pushed his twin sister away. As a yandere, these traits would likely be exaggerated even further; leaving him as an obsessive partner.

He tends to be attracted to naturally affectionate, friendly or otherwise kind people; whether they show those traits to him specifically or not

Generally he’ll start off small:

writing your name with hearts in his workbooks,

leaving notes in/on your desk

leaving anonymous love letters and gifts

And taking pride in your reactions, especially if you’re flustered and flattered by the attention you’re receiving from your “secret admirer”

But this will eventually escalate to much more extreme acts of affection

he’ll pay off members of the bard track to follow you around and serenade you for him

covering your desk in various handwritten notes, poems and confessions of love that get messier and less well put together the longer you let things continue

learning where you live and sending you dozens of bouquets of flowers and crafting illusions to entertain you

buying you jewellery and leaving it in your locker

stalking your penstagram and leaving various comments from burner accounts that start off flattering and slowly become more personal and threatening

etc.

After three months he knows basically everything about you from your family to your address to even what underwear you wear each day because of the illusions and devices he sends to your home

By the time he confesses you’re probably more terrified than enamoured but his behaviour but it doesn’t matter to him; by this point, even a straight no sounds like a yes or a “win me over”

It’s safer to just say yes and he’ll be more than happy with your answer, crying happily to Em that he’s finally with his soulmate and how you’re just so perfect

He’ll always be by your side, though, so unless you’re going somewhere that he physically can’t follow you, privacy is more of a question than a right

You’ll sleep in the same bed

He’ll wait for you outside of your classes

You’ll be together as long as you can each day until the days aren’t yours and you can’t even breathe alone

You’re his and he’s yours

And Titan have mercy on anyone that tries to get between you two because whilst Edric isn’t necessarily violent, he can be incredibly manipulative and he’s a talented illusionist

So, really, they’d be playing with fire; and nobody wants that

Emira Blight

Typically Emira is much more aloof and independent than her brother, approaching romance with skepticism and caution. In other words, she’d be much more subtle and calculating—leaving her as a very manipulative yandere.

She’d be most likely to become enamoured with someone that’s intelligent and compassionate; empathetic but able to help others in a very well thought out way—especially if they show that same kindness to her or her family

Em likely wouldn’t become particularly interested in you unless you initiated a friendship of sorts with her

But once she starts to get to know you, it wouldn’t take her long to get hooked

Unlike her brother, Emira would be much more open and traditional with her advances

she’d start off by playing with your hair and complimenting your appearance and clothing

then she’d begin to openly flirt with you, asking you when you’re free and conjuring illusions of herself to fluster you even more

she would also leave you the occasional flirty note and buy you flowers, but her efforts are much more focused on physical and verbal affirmation

It was only natural that you’d fall for her and that would be when she’d start to manipulate you and those around you

Whenever you turn her down or say you’re too busy to spend time with her, she’ll appear upset and downtrodden, leaving you to feel so guilty that you’d feel too bad to spend time away from her

She’d make your friends believe that you didn’t need them and convince you that they didn’t care, slowly isolating you until all you have left is your family and hers (she understands family is important and isn’t so cruel that she’d isolate you to that extent)

Em would even have your family believing that you’re safest and happiest with her than anyone else, painting herself as the perfect partner for you

Then she’d train you to view her as your saviour and soulmate to the extent that you may not even be able to function without her

She would break you down until you were completely dependent on her, but she’d try not to let you lose your kind and intelligent demeanour too much

Even if your intelligence meant she had to be a bit more careful about her actions than she would have to be otherwise

In a word, after a few years with yandere!Emira you won’t be able to function on your own or even consider a life outside of or without her

Hunter [Golden Guard]

Hunter is a very self sufficient person who tends to keep to himself for the most part; with all but the closest few people to himself only knowing him as the cocky and irritating “Golden Guard”. But as a yandere, he would likely become incredibly overprotective and dependent on his partner; in other words, he’d be a possessive yandere.

Hunter is most likely to fall for someone that is confident enough to challenge his cocky demeanour but kind enough to respect him as a person—someone that he can protect from the world

Initially he would regard you with his usual sense of superiority and cruelty; mocking and putting you down as an inferior witch (or even human)

But if you challenged his view in a kind but stern way it would completely throw him off and spark an unusual warmth in his chest—encouraging him to learn more about you through whatever means he has available to him

he’d have guards follow you around town and even buy off teachers and students to learn about your schooling

once he learns your routine he’d follow you just out of sight and keeping track of your behaviours, friends, family and even your home

After a few months of feeling watched and unsafe, you’d come face to face with the Golden Guard again as he’d offer you a place in the emperor’s coven (regardless of your own magical abilities)

Whether you accept or not doesn’t matter much in the long run; he’ll take you with him regardless and have you stay with him in his quarters

Only very small details about your dynamic would change:

if you came willingly, Hunter would be much more open to letting you wander around the palace with him; treating you with more warmth and letting you make more decisions about where you’ll stay

if he kidnapped you, he’d be much crueller and colder towards you—refusing to let you leave his room unless you actively need to and choosing everything from your food to your clothing to where you’ll stay

He’ll keep you entirely to himself, not even alerting his uncle about your presence and punishing any guards that find out about you

He’ll even act out with aggression if you mention having friends and especially lovers before him—insisting very sternly that you’re all each other needs and you need to stop talking about meaningless people

But if you accept him, he’d start to become more affectionate and lenient with you (even using pet names if you ask), but he still won’t let you socialise outside of him

In short, yandere!Hunter is much more aggressive and forceful as a partner than his usual self—though he’d be slightly conflicted about his behaviour, with part of him wanting to have a normal relationship and knowing what he’s doing is somehow wrong, whilst the other part of him draws on his uncle’s behaviour and believes that he’s doing what’s normal and right in a relationship

You are his and his alone, and that’s the end of it for Hunter; why would you need anyone else when you have each other?

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nautiscarader · 3 years ago

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Ladynoir 5

(Ao3)

In her young adult life, Marinette had to do a lot of running away. She has been chased by monsters, wild animals, sentient toasters, reanimated snowmen and many more outlandish foes. But perhaps the worst of them came from an unexpected source.

Marinette had to grow into becoming a public figure, becoming one almost overnight. And seven years later she has learned many PR tricks some politicians still had to. But it all suddenly changed last week, thanks to one darn photo that put her relationship with journalists, bloggers and anyone with a smartphone upside-down.

She was shocked when she saw it on Ladyblog, published by one of many independent sources. And even though Alya might have blocked publishing it, dozens other services already did. By next day, it was everywhere.

Ladybug and Chat Noir, hidden in a supposedly shadowed alcove above streets of Paris, kissing, their limbs entangled in what certainly wasn't just a friendly smooch, but a prelude to a much lewder act. And Marinette remembered it well, smiling every time as she remembered Chat's raw passion that followed… But now every time she looked at it, her heart sank, knowing their private rendez-vous spot has been compromised, and so was their relationship.

And now they were chased by the most ravenous group of monsters they have encountered: paparazzi. One would have thought that the ability to yo-yo oneself onto a rooftop, or perform spectacular pole jump with a magical baton would make their escape easier, but nope.

They had drones.

And while some of the journalists respected their privacy, the clickbait-hungry ones did not, eager to get even a piece of saucy moment between the two.

"My lady, do you have any idea where to hide? I don't mind showing my cute visage to the world, but too much love can kill you, as they say."

Marinette groaned and reached for her yo-yo, dialing Alya.

"Alya, we need some way to escape YOUR friends.", she spoke harshly into her communicator.

"MY friends?!", Alya barked back, "You do know I have way more saucy dirt on you two than all the stations and sites combined?"

Marinette sighed.

"Right, right, sorry.", she apologised, "It's just-"

"Okay, girl, I got ya. Head down to Rue Buffonade, that's where I'm parked. There are no CCTV cameras there. That's why I park here."

The two heroes did a sharp turn and disappeared into the narrow alley, hoping their pursuers, both in the air and on the ground were left behind.

And when they reached a familiar news van, they saw… each other.

At the same time as they landed, fake Chat and Ladybug jumped into the air, with Alya following them, drawing the attention of a small crowd of bloggers and their flying equipment eager to snap a photo.

"Honestly, pretty easy to cloud people's minds", they heard Alya's voice as Rena Rouge emerged from the shadows, her flute still in her hands. "Now get inside."

She opened the back door to the van, nagging them with quick gestures.

"Thanks, Alya, we owe you one."

"No problem, Ladybug." Alya saluted her, and scooted away, only to turn back one more time. "Oh, and don;t make too much of mess inside…"

"ALYA!", Ladybug opened her eyes wide. "We're-we're not gonna-"

"Relax, I know how much trouble we gave you…", she giggled and left flabbergasted Ladybug and her boyfriend climbing into TV van.

Chat and Ladybug climbed into the cramped TV van, half of it filled with electronic equipment. And when Ladybug closed the door, she could finally take a well-deserved deep breath as she nested in Chat's arms.

"It's all my fault", he suddenly spoke, "If I wasn't so horny that night…"

"Don't blame yourself, kitty.", Ladybug reassured him, "Blame the stupid peeping Tom."

"Shame our place has been busted, I liked it."

"Yeah."

She turned her head and stroked his ear, and before she knew it, they were kissing, their lips seeking much needed solace and love.

But Chat very quickly realised Ladybug wasn't just in need of a kiss, as she climbed his laps, her hands already roaming his chest, as she got comfortable in swivelling chair Alya or one of her collegues would usually sit in.

"My- my lady!", Chat opened his eyes wide, "Here? Out of all places?"

"What?", she r eplied with a cocky smirk, "No one wpould think to search for cam era-avoiding folks in a TV van."

She gently pressed her crotch against his, already feeling his boner.

"Chat… I need you."

Before they knew it, her lips were on his, his hands on her ass and her legs firmly locked behind his back. Marinette did not mind when Chat pressed her against the cold metal of the desk, as it meant she could feel truly how much he missed her as well.

When after their long, ravenous kiss, she opened her eyes, Marinette was not surprised that their costumes were gone, their desires having gotten rid of the pesky layer of clothing separating their almost completely naked, horny, hormone-filled bodies.

And as she looked into Chat's green eyes, staring at her from underneath his black mask, she could see the raw desire and passion the two young adults have been depraved of, understanding each other without words.

Ladybug let out a short gasp when Adrien gently pushed her up, letting her legs spread more, as he slipped inside her without any difficulties, her pussy positively soaking from their abstinence and the sheer need of intimacy as if he spent an hour licking her in a form of meticulous foreplay.

But they didn't have time for that. They needed their quick fix, they needed to find their solace and fulfilment. And with Chat's first groan and move of his hips, they both knew they were on a path straight to it.

His fingers dug into her ass as he fucked her, sampling the moans from her lips coming with each aggressive, animalistic thrust as Chat claimed her. His kisses soothed the raw nature of their meeting, but Ladybug herself turned it back feral digging her nails into his back, and peppering his neck with kisses, letting her spill some carefully chosen words into his twitching ears.

"Take me. Fuck me. Please, Chat, I need you…" she repeated as pressure built up in her loins.

She did not care that the van was clearly wobblying with each of Chat's hard thrusts, nor the fact that he was taking her raw. All that it mattered was that they were together…

"La-Ladybug!", Chat suddenly announced, "I'm-"

"Inside!", she demanded at once. "Don't you thi-think of pulling out."

She cupped his face and spoke looking directly at him.

"Give me all you've got!"

And with his final grunt, he delivered exactly what she wanted. Her body thrashed and spasmed a moment before his tip erupted deep inside her, the first batch of his potent, virile seed only sending her further into quaking and shaking mess.

She was unabashedly loud, knowing she can be, praising Chat for his work, demanding more and more with each batch of seed he pumped as deep as possibly could, spraying it inches from her womb, his thick cock preventing any of it from spilling as long as he stayed inside.

And stayed inside he did. A minute, then two, then three… And all this time, his orgasm continued, his load strengthened by his animal powers, in turn making his lady go through equally powerful climaxes, walls of her pussy clamping down to sap every drop of his cum and lead it into her womb.

Once her voice was gone from all the shouting, their lips met again in long kiss as they climbed down their shared peak, gently collapsing onto the metal floor as the strength of their bodies have been sapped.

"You know…" , ladybug whispered, her breath still short from the powerful climax, "Maybe… we should just rent a hotel room and put on regular masks?"

"That… that sounds like a good plan, my lady", he wheezed back, "Or maybe we can just tie the knot and ditch masks? What do you say?"

"That will only bring MORE journalists and nagging questions…", she smiled, her voice cracking slightly at his proposition, "But I wouldn't say 'no'…"

And with that, the two kissed again, savouring the rare moment of peace and tranquillity.

In the next few weeks, just like she predicted, their life did not get any easier, especially with the two finally deciding to announce their relationship and engagement. And the barrage of journalists pursuing and asking them sensitive questions only worsened further down the line, as Ladybug's belly started growing with Chat's seed, only adding fuel to the fire.

There was no illusion to hide that, but at least Parisians finally got a definitive answer to whether the most famous duo "have done it". And oddly enough, one day, as the two posed for a new photo, with Chat closing his arm protectively around Ladybug's belly, pregnant with his kittens, Marinette found she was suddenly more than happy to deliver these news. She almost wished some asked her about the details…

And then there was Alya, with the biggest conundrum of her professional life. She had Chat Noir, not only kissing, but fucking and impregnating Ladybug, captured in stunning HD, in her own van, thanks to the camera they accidentally turned on on that fateful day.

And she couldn't do anything with it.

Maybe she will give it to them as their wedding gift… And they better make her the godmother!

#smutember2022 #smutember #ladynoir #lemon #day 5 #nautiscaraderfics #miraculust #mlnsfw

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beardedmrbean · 3 years ago

Text

Explosions were reported Monday at Russian air base that is home to the country's supersonic strategic bombers just days after satellite imagery suggested the site was being used to prepare for a massive new bombing campaign in Ukraine.

Writing on Telegram, Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region, appeared to confirm that several blasts occurred. "The incidents at military facilities [are] being checked by law enforcement agencies," he wrote, stating that no civilian infrastructure was damaged.

The Russian Ministry of Defense later issued a statement attributing the blasts a Ukrainian attack.

According to the ministry, Ukraine used Soviet-era "unmanned aerial vehicles" to strike at its Engels base, in the Saratov oblast, and another airfield, Dyagilevo. Two aircraft were "slightly damaged," the ministry claimed, from "fragments" of the attacking vehicles, which it claimed to have destoryed. Four soldiers were also injured, it said.

The Engels air base, located more than 370 miles from the Ukrainian border, is used by Russia's fleet of strategic bombers, including the Tupolev Tu-160 heavy bomber, also known as the Blackjack, which can travel at speeds greater than 1,500 miles per hour.

News of the explosion comes days after the German news outlet Der Spiegel reported on satellite imagery depicting an "unusual" amount of activity at the airport, which it suggested was a prelude to a "new heavy air attack on Ukraine." Images posted Monday by the commercial satellite firm Maxar shows the base hosting the Tu-160 as well as the Tu-95, or Bear, strategic bomber. Both planes are capable of carrying nuclear and conventional missiles.

Russian bombers have fired long-range cruise missiles as part of the intensifying barrages on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, while taking care to steer clear of Ukraine's airspace out of what military analysts believe are fears they could be shot down by the enemy air defenses.

In the separate reported attack, a fuel tanker exploded at the Dyagilevo airbase, southeast of Moscow. The base is also home to strategic bombers. The Moscow Times reported that three people were killed and two planes damaged by the blast, citing state and independent media.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, obliquely referenced the explosions in a post on social media, writing: "if something is launched into other countries' airspace, sooner or later unknown flying objects will return to departure point."

#nunyas news

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chaotic-queer-disaster · 3 years ago

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SO GLAD YOU LIKED THE SONGS ok so. let's start at the beginning.

Prelude: This is the history of the band, I just realized I talked for a REALLY long time here to feel free to skip this if you're not interested.

So Delta Rae is an amazing amazing band, just the most talented group of people you'll ever see in your life, they've been my favorite band of all time since I started listening to them six years ago.

From left to right:

Eric, the middle child who just does The Most for this band, he gets beat up in all their music videos, he sings and plays piano and sometimes guitar; Brittany, Eric's younger sister, the baby of the family and also of the band and she takes this role very seriously. also a witch and tarot reader and also always the one Doing That in all of their photoshoots, she sings the witchy songs and murder ballads; Grant, the bassist, he's very quiet but he's got style and also runs ultramarathons and also has a baby he can often be seen bouncing when they livestream; Liz, the siblings' (especially Eric's) childhood friend, she gardens a lot and shares recipes with fans, she sings and plays the tambourine like a badass; Ian, the older brother of Eric and Brittany, completely incapable of drinking water with the rest of them (I will show you the video if you want), he sings and plays the guitar; Mike, has goofy dad energy, plays the drums and also sometimes Chain On Trashcan.

The siblings, Ian, Eric, and Brittany, grew up in the south where their mom was a gay rights activist and where Ian and Eric started writing songs together when they were 12 and 10. In 2009 Ian and Eric decided to rent this run-down old house in North Carolina literally in the middle of the woods 20 minutes from all civilization and then call Brittany and Liz who were in California and New York City with jobs and lives and asked if they wanted to come live in the middle of the woods with them and start a band and they said "yeah sure we're in!" Mike and Grant joined after a few months. They rehearsed every single day and played gigs whenever they could to scrape together rent each month and recorded their first album in the kitchen of that house (you'd literally never know it sounds incredible), funded by kickstarter.

A different singer takes lead on each song and the others do incredible background vocals, their sound just blows the roof off it's incredible, they sing witchy songs, southern gothic, folk rock, protest songs, some gospel, soul, and blues inspired sounds, some country-inspired sounds, occasionally harder rock. Very hard to describe the genre because literally all of the songs are a different genre.

Going Independent: In May 2019 the band hadn't released a full-length album in 4 years due to their label limiting what they could put out. Sick of being stifled by the label, they left, went independent, and launched a kickstarter to raise the money to record and produce their next two albums that had literally been written for 5 years (some songs for 10) that they hadn't been able to put out.

And then. See, Taylor Swift had just left the same record label because of similar issues, so she retweeted Delta Rae's kickstarter announcement. And boy did that give them a boost.

The kickstarter blew through its main goals of raising enough for the two albums in hours. And then, over the following weeks, they hit their stretch goals. An acoustic album. Music videos. And finally. A Southern Gothic Musical.

The Musical: So this, as Liz puts it, "crazy band from the woods" is making a musical. A musical! It's called The Ninth Woman. It tells the story of a Puritan town in the early 1600s that has been overcome with a witch hunt. Children have been disappearing and, fueled by their fire-and-brimstone preacher, the townfolk have tried and executed 8 women as witches. But another child disappears, and they bring forward a ninth woman. Little do they know, this time they've caught a real witch, but her motives are not what they believe.

Also side note they've only released demos of the songs and only 1/2-2/3 of the songs. We don't know the ending yet. It's extremely distressing. Although the fact that they're demos means we get to enjoy hearing Eric harmonizing with Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, and Eric.

Here's our cast of characters, in addition to the townsfolk:

Diana: The Ninth Woman. The witch. She vanished when she was 13, mysteriously returned when she was 17, and has been living a little ways off in the woods working as a midwife/healer for the women of the village ever since. Played by Brittany, of course.

James: Diana's oldest brother. A real Javert sort of character, believes it's his duty to turn in Diana on suspicion of witchcraft even if it means betraying his sister. Played by Ian.

Aaron: The middle brother. A little more reticent about the whole turning Diana in thing and a little more sympathetic to her, but follows James' lead, at least at first. Played by Eric.

Preacher Haskett: The preacher. A real piece of work.

Miriam: A young woman about Aaron's age who was orphaned as a child, taken in by the church, and raised by Preacher Haskett. And she is keeping secrets... Played by Liz.

Robert Fell: He only has like one line in any of the songs they've released so far so I assume he must play a bigger role in the ending. From what I can tell he's a Giles Corey type of guy.

Ok now for the songs! I'll provide timestamps in this video for each song. I'll let the songs tell the story for the most part but explain what happens in between. In the video are little profile images that shows you which character is singing.

We open in a church in this small puritan town. The congregation is singing their morning hymn...

The Lord's Way (14:35)

As the hymn finishes, a woman bursts in, frantic. Her child has gone missing!

Another Child (19:44)

Preacher Haskett prepares the congregation for another witch trial.

Worthy (26:01)

There are two songs here that they've done demos of Behind the Door (it's like their personal Patreon) but didn't put in the video. Sad. The first, The Nine, describes the women they've executed as witches, for crimes like having birthmarks, teaching science, being disabled or mentally ill, living on the outskirts of their society, or for defending the other women against the unjust accusations. In the second song, Guilty, Ian and Aaron sing about their decision to bring Diana forward as a witch and their uncertainty about whether or not she could really do something so terrible. They bring Diana to the church in shackles, where she appears to willingly submit to the trial.

Try Me (32:37)

There's another song from behind the door that's been omitted from the demos here, called Spread the Word. In it, the women of the town knit clothes for their missing children while gossiping about the witch trial, disagreeing on whether Diana is guilty or innocent. Their gossip turns to Miriam, who is still not engaged despite it being clear that she and Aaron are falling in love. The song ends with one of the women whispering "Now you did not hear this from me, but Miriam is keeping secrets..." The scene cuts to Miriam walking alone through the woods to place a child-size sweater upon a small homemade memorial by the river, singing the following song.

What I Wouldn't Give (41:06)

Unbeknownst to Miriam, Aaron has followed her into the woods, trying to catch up with her. So they are both there when they look across the river (a wide, uncrossable river) and see in the distance the missing children. They appear to be happy, and well, and are singing, a song that Miriam and Aaron can hear from across the river. (The song, Follow, is also behind the door unfortunately.) Miriam and Aaron rush back to the church to stop the trial— the children are safe, the trials can end!

Back to the Blood (54:49)

Meanwhile, back in the church, Diana has been given a chance to speak in her defense. She uses this opportunity for... interesting purposes.

The Spark (1:04:56)

Miriam and Aaron reach the church and run in, telling Preacher Haskett and the congregation what they've seen. A confrontation ensues.

The Snake (1:19:37)

And we're left on a cliffhanger! Because I guess we just have to attend a show to find out the rest.

you know So Many things and it's great /gen

i shall listen to the rest of the songs and tell you what i think!!! like i said, i really liked the first two you sent me so I'm excited to listen to the rest (esp. because this plot sounds really really cool)

#asks #E!

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nelkenbabe · 2 years ago

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Ivy & Twine: To Confess

After a close call with some bandits on the road, Amaryll worked hard to keep Thom alive. In the aftermath, unbidden desires rise to the surface. But does Thom reciprocate?

full chapter on ao3: [x] or take it from the top: [x]

They went to bed without much prelude. Thom fell asleep as though he hadn’t gotten proper rest in days. Amaryll, on the other hand, could barely bring herself to close her eyes.

She listened to her friend’s breath in the darkness of their tent, afraid each one might be the last. Each time a snore was delayed, she sat up with a start, ready to do whatever was necessary to bring Thom back to life. Fear clenched her guts and twisted them inside her until dizziness and nausea threatened to overtake her.

She wished for Vivienne to be here and accelerate Thom’s healing like she had done so many times before. She wished, desperately, that she had been less stubborn and included Cassandra into the mission. How hard would it have been? How hard would it have been to ask a mage from the tower to accompany her, as well? Perhaps then the attack wouldn’t have presented as close of a call, perhaps Thom wouldn’t be in danger.

Your pride. Your fault.

If he died in his sleep as a result of complications caused by the hypothermia, it would be Amaryll’s fault. She would have to explain it to everybody. How her friend died an unnecessary death because she had been set on independence.

But thankfully, Thom kept breathing. And each time a delayed snore ended up coming, tears of relief pricked her eyes.

Two hours of that routine frayed Amaryll’s nerves like little else could have; eventually, she couldn’t take the loneliness of the situation anymore. She clumsily moved her bedding closer to Thom’s, close enough that she could see, even in the dark, strands of his long hair streaming down onto the pillow.

Amaryll felt too awake to lay down, but sitting cross legged right by his back was soothing her a little. If only…

The discomfort in her belly subsided as a different type of ache spread in her chest. She didn’t consider the gesture at all, yet her hand reached forward to smooth over Thom’s hair. His next snore resembled a silent groan and Amaryll pulled away until he descended deeper into sleep.

If only…

If only he knew how dear he was to her. There was something about him, something she couldn’t put her finger on, that filled her with a hunger. She felt like a canyon when beside him, ready to hold whatever he was willing to give. All that dedication, the devotion, if only it could be directed at her and not at her title. These past few days, it had felt like it could. As if he could love her, truly love her, and embrace her as she was.

She would have done anything for him in this moment, anything at all.

If only…

A push inside her had Amaryll lean over him, press her lips onto his stubbled cheek. He stirred like he had before, his head jerking upwards a little, even with his eyes still closed. Amaryll raised herself a bit though she didn’t completely pull away, and instead started to caress her friend’s hair again. Brushing a few long strands out of his face, letting her fingers scrape over his scalp.

“Inquisitor-” a sharp sigh interrupted what he was going to say. “My lady. What are you-”

“I just wanted to check on you,” she said quietly. “Is this alright?”

Another low, long sigh escaped the sleepy man as she massaged the back of his head in circular motions. A sigh that spoke of comfort and of the daze of sleep.

“It’s nice,” he finally replied, voice husky and deep.

Emboldened, Amaryll pulled her fingers from his hair and lowered herself to place another kiss on top of his cheekbone. She saw and felt him turn, a little, as if to look at her in the darkness. As if to turn his face closer to hers. He said nothing, but neither did he pull away.

Amaryl swallowed, hard, and ignored the the heating of her breath to bring her right hand over and cup Thom’s bearded cheek. To push a few strands of hair behind his ear. To pretend that she wasn’t aching for closeness.

It would have been easy. It would have been so damned easy to kiss him now, to claim what she wanted. What she had been wanting.

If only…

“Thom-”

If only he could call her by her name. Three syllables strung together in that gravelly voice, and she would be his. Damned be the consequences and the complications. Damned be her fear of being known, of being a disappointment, of becoming a hated little thing.

Please, she begged silently. I am here. See me. Pull me closer.

“My lady?” she heard him rasping, voice as heady and heavy as she felt herself.

She had half a mind to tell him. Say my name. And the spell would be broken. She needed to hear it, hear him say it, so that she could know that she existed.

But she couldn’t ask for it, now could she? If he didn’t come to her willingly, then what was this but a manipulation? An abuse of power? What were her feelings worth if they were pushed onto somebody else?

Thom was still looking up, inches away from a would-be kiss, pressing his cheek into Amaryll’s palm.

“-I was so worried for you,” Amaryll finally said, somewhat dejectedly, with a soft breath out.

Thom’s body softened with his next exhale as well.

“I will live, my lady. Thanks to you.”

She smiled.

“I love you, you know that?”

A sharp inhale in the darkness.

“I- my lady, I am not sure...”

Amaryll once again leaned forward. She pressed her lips on his for a chaste, quick kiss.

“Lift your head, will you?”

He did as he was told, and the woman shifted her body in a way to snake her left arm under his nape, to place his head on her chest. Chivalrous as he was, Thom draped his blanket over her to share along with his arm, and so they laid together. Awake for far longer than they would admit to each other, yet aware that the other was not yet sleeping.

Amaryll stroked Thom’s hair as if she’d never done anything else, until the light outside tinted the tent’s canvass a lighter beige.

“You’re so comfortable,” Thom heard her mutter into his hair before she drifted off to sleep. “I’ve never lain with anyone so comfortable.”

He swallowed everything he could have said in response. Every humble or dismissive response, every proclamation of passion that could have made its way onto his tongue.

Birds outside started to announce dawn, and he could not for the life of him fall back asleep. His ear and cheek pressed against the Inquisitor’s chest, he realized that which he had kept from himself for so long.

“I love you too,” he whispered to the woman whose fingers were still buried in his hair. “Amaryll.”

She didn’t hear.

#ivy & twine #amaryll #inquisitor lavellan #lavellan #blackwall #warden blackwall #thom rainier #nelke writes

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stuckinapatriarchalbullshitland · 4 years ago

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Hi, Stuck! Same anon with the big post you liked the other day. I have another one I’d like to share if that’s ok with you.

So far from what I understand when the group went on hiatus Lauren signed solo for Columbia. Then she spent 3 years basically shelved with them to simply walk away to be independent. This got me thinking why would they release her so easily? Without profiting? Or it was just a short contract? Maybe they never intended to release her album and was just a away to Epic to keep her under control for the time somehow? We’ll probably never know.

But I was listening to her interview with Baazar and she mentioned that she choose not to use male or female pronouns when she writes so anyone can relate with the lyrics and that caught my attention. I mean, if she’s so free and also out of the closet and proud as a bisexual why not use both pronouns?

Yeah this could’ve been a matter of choice, but have you noticed this EP is kind of generic romantically speaking? I know it’s a Prelude, but still… After the podcast I was waiting for the story of how she was in love with the same woman for years. Or that narrative simply changed when she left Columbia?

All this adds s to my ideia about her independent era. Also the ‘Mix Rio FM’ interview when she cried talking about those years when she was told what to do and not do and how she didn’t want to be a part of the making hits techniques or play the industry’s games and how she really had to fight to be in this position she’s now.

If she had to fight she must definitely was still under contract, right? So if she was able to walk away maybe she gave them something in return. Like not using female pronouns on her lyrics. Like doing some PR. Like agreeing to that podcast back then. Like accepting and posting Yawn’s stuff on her stories. What if all this is already part of the walk free deal?

She already said the album is coming in 2022 and we will understand the complete story told by Prelude and some people think that when it comes she’ll have to do another PR, but what if she managed to give something they wanted (like support the circus) so she could walk away a little more free? Owning her masters and having at least the power to chose where she wants to go artistically is a huge deal.

I can’t help but think what the price was.

Thank you!!!

Hello dear anon! First of all, thank you for trusting my blog again to share your theories and how good they are, I'm going to tag you. From today you will be #anontheory. So whoever wants to read your theories can look for this tag and read directly what you have postulated.

Now entering your theory fully, the truth is that what you say is not something crazy. Ever since I entered this fandom in 2018, I've always been told that the girls had plans for their careers, but they couldn't get both of them out together. One had to be pigeonholed by the other so that she could succeed and it was really what we saw since Camila left the band and launched herself as a soloist.

Lauren sacrificed herself for Camila to succeed with CC1 and she did. From 2017 to 2018 and early 2019 we saw Lauren bad. She caught up in a fucking PR that she didn't do well for while Camila did her thing to her music. We saw that and I remember that it was the first thing I complained about when I joined the fandom, sending the bastards who were behind the artistic careers of the girls to hell.

What is happening now my dear friend?

That the tortilla turned and it's Camila who's caught in a shitty PR. It is Camila who sacrificed herself to make Lauren really free and that is what we are seeing now.

And if this is fully confirmed, then that sacrifice was agreed upon a long time ago.

Because we have always said it, the music industry is big business even if you are indie, you still sell your music, your art to your audience and we know that girls still have ties that tie them to the big labels. Especially Sony Music.

However, I also know that Lauren had to make her own sacrifices on her own to have what she has just as Camila did the same to have what she has. This is how she works in the shit hole dear anon. Adapt and fight for what best serves you and you can enjoy.

Even if the girls had different visions for their careers, I think that that bond they have of sacrificing for each other will always be there even if in the future they are no longer together.

Thanks again for the trust my friend, have a good day 🤗❤😘

#camren #anontheory #theories #anon #ask

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musicjunkie71315 · 3 years ago

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Artist Highlight - Chase Atlantic

Band Name: Chase Atlantic

Debut: 2014

Band Members: Mitchel Cave, Clinton Cave, Christian Anthony

This week's artist highlight is one of my favorite bands of all time, Chase Atlantic. Chase Atlantic is a 3 member Pop, Rock, Alternative, and Indie boy band. Two of the members, Mitchel and Clinton Cave, are brothers while Christian is a long time friend of theirs. All three boys are Australian and first came together as a group in 2011. Chase Atlantic creates sensual pop that veers between emo-electronic, SoundCloud rap, and modern R&B. Before releasing their self-titled full-length debut in 2017, the group originally gained notoriety with their wildly popular 2014 single "Friends." Friends is a really great song that I highly recommend listening to. Phases, their second album from 2018, attracted additional attention, peaked at number one on the Billboard Independent Albums chart, and secured them a spot on the Warped Tour. Their seductive sound has been refined, as heard on 2021's Beauty in Death.

Mitchel and Clinton Cave were raised in Cairns, Australia and were educated in both jazz and classical music. Mitchel joined the boy band What About Tonight while still in his teenage years, where he first met guitarist Christian Anthony. The group competed on The X Factor Australia for a brief while, but soon disbanded. Before getting back in touch with Anthony and starting Chase Atlantic in 2011, the Cave brothers continued to make music throughout the following few years and released music on their YouTube page. The group started revamping their sound, fusing parts of modern hip-hop and trap production with inspirations from catchy pop and emo-rock. They released the Dalliance EP in 2014, followed by Nostalgia in 2015, which featured the hit song "Friends," that I mentioned earlier.

Two individuals by the name of Joel and Benji Madden of the rock band Good Charlotte were interested in these early releases and hired Chase Atlantic to work for their MDDN development firm. Following a deal with Warner Bros., the group released three EPs, all of which served as prelude to the arrival of their self-titled full-length debut in 2017. Tours in the US and Australia were followed by appearances at Bonnaroo and the Reading/Leeds Festival, as well as a spot on the 2018 Warped Tour. Phases, their second album, was released in 2019 and featured the singles "Her" and "Love Is (Not) Easy." (Side note: I literally listened to Love Is (Not) Easy twice a day for about 2 months, the song is just that good.) It debuted in the Top Ten on the Heatseekers chart and peaked at number 24 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart.

Chase Atlantic traveled extensively in 2018 and 2019 before returning to Los Angeles to continue writing music. Because the MDDN, owned by the Madden Brothers, was temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, they primarily recorded at home. The band released their third studio album, the Billboard-charting Beauty in Death, in March 2021. A deluxe edition of Beauty in Death was released in 2022 and featured the follow-up songs "OHMAMI" and "ESCORT."

I really love Chase Atlantic's music so much. Their music is perfect to listen to when I'm doing homework or when I'm on a nighttime car ride. I really hope that the next time Chase Atlantic comes to an area like Charlotte or Atlanta that I can go because it is one of my ultimate dreams to see them live in concert.

Do you think you would like Chase Atlantic? If so, you should listen to one of the songs I attached to this post. They're really great and I think you would like them too!

9/18/2022

#Spotify #chase atlantic #mitchel cave #clinton cave #christian anthony #alternative #music #beauty in death #indie music #alternative rock #pop rock

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years ago

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Personnel are policy: The Dems may do something to materially improve voters' lives. Maybe.

It’s hard not to freak out, watching Biden get punked by Joe Manchin over Build Back Better. Manchin’s transparent ruse — splitting the infrastructure bill from BBB — was obviously a prelude to a betrayal.

Thanks to Dem leadership’s foolish error, the party that holds the House, the Senate and the Oval Office will go into the mid-terms and the next presidential election having failed to deliver on the vast majority of their campaign promises.

Having failed to deliver material improvements to voters’ lives, they are going to struggle to win elections. Joe Manchin seems hell-bent on electing Donald Trump president again in 2024. It’s hard to say whether this is more disgusting or depressing. Maybe both.

The sole thing keeping me going is the action in the administrative agencies, where genuine progressives with real political acumen have been promoted to positions of real power. Personnel really are policy, and the administrative agencies are where the rubber meets the road. In a typical day, the average American is unlikely to feel the effect of a Congress-made law, but the agencies’ policies dictate everything from their working conditions to the quality of their air and water to the conditions in their kids’ schools.

Here’s a great example. Biden’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is poised to turn worker misclassification into an “unfair labor practice,” which will give it scope to punish employers who treat their employees as contractors.

https://prospect.org/labor/nlrb-looks-at-independent-contractor-scam/

As Harold Meyerson writes in The American Prospect, NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo has asked the regional attorneys working under her to submit cases that raise the issue. If she sets a precedent on the matter, it will instantly transform companies from Uber to Lyft to FedEx into lawbreakers and force them to reclassify all those contractors as employees at the stroke of a pen.

This is the kind of thing that would vastly improve the lives of millions of workers and restructure whole industries in durable ways. For example, the 12,000 misclassified truck drivers servicing the Port of Los Angeles would become employees, entitled to pay for the hours they spend sitting in traffic waiting for their bosses to figure out the gridlock. That way, the truckers who just skip work on days with long tailbacks would show up and the ports would unfreeze (and their bosses would be incentivized to fix the gridlock).

As Meyerson points out, US labor law has been frozen since 1947’s Taft-Hartley; this administrative action takes a step towards updating it for this millennium. I don’t know if I believe that this will be enough to keep Trump out of the White House in 2024, but maybe in combination with other executive actions?

I know that 2024 is hard to predict. Statistically, Biden and Trump are both at high risk for all-cause mortality between now and the general election. But the ongoing failure to deliver a progressive agenda is a recipe for continued Trumpism, if not Trump.

Image: Tarcil (modified) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_Brea_Tar_Pits_Elephant_Statues_1990_right.jpg

CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic

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deus-ex-mona · 4 years ago

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Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 1

Hi, this is Chapter 1 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♡

Previous part (prelude)

Next part (chord 2)

~Misaki’s Feelings ~

It was a Saturday near the end of June. As classes had ended early that day, Misaki brought her trombone to the back garden of the school and began to play. Her club practice was scheduled to begin in the afternoon, though she had wanted to get some independent practice in before that. The song she was playing was a dull, basic practice song.

The sounds resounded towards the calming blue sky.

Sounds drifted out of the open windows of the school building, probably because other club members were practicing there. The music competition was drawing near, so it seemed that everyone was enthusiastic about it.

It seemed like the Wind Ensemble Club was not the only club that had a nearing tournament or competition, as the Drama Club students were practising their vocalisations on the roof, and students of athletic clubs were running around the schoolyard.

Misaki had promised to eat with Tsubomi during the lunch break, but she still had some time before then.

It was when Misaki had set up the trombone, thinking about getting a little more practice done, that it happened.

A group of boys was laughing as they walked towards her. One of them raised his voice upon spotting her, with a smirk on his face. “Oho?”

(I… I hate this…)

To make matters worse, they were her upperclassmen, a fact that she could visually discern, as the colour of the line of their school slippers was different from hers.

When Misaki stopped playing her trombone and lowered it, the boys looked at each other, as though wordlessly agreeing that it would be interesting to approach her, before walking up to her.

“Hey, aren’t you the girl who practised in our classroom a while back?”

Misaki flinched a little at his words. The Wind Ensemble Club usually practised in empty classrooms. She was probably seen by the boys at a time when the club had been practising in the classroom of a Third Year class.

Hoping that the boys would leave soon, Misaki pretended that she was unable to hear them.

(Geez, why are they talking to me…?)

Truth be told, Misaki was rather bad at dealing with boys.

Ever since she was a kid, her face would naturally turn red whenever she got nervous. When the boys in her class saw her reddened face, they bestowed the nickname of “Ripe Tomato” upon her, which left her completely traumatised.

Owing to them, Misaki still wanted to escape instinctively whenever she saw a boy. Even though she knew that she should not care so much about that incident, she found it difficult to forget the mental scars that still remained from the hurtful experience.

The boys would soon grow mean and say unpleasant things to her.

That was why, if she just ignored them, nothing bad would---.

“Come to think of it, I saw it too. You’re that trumpet-playing girl, right?”

(It’s a trombone!)

“You’re a Second Year, yeah? From what class?”

“The face on this girl has become real red.”

“Whoa, you’re right. She’s so cute. Just like a tomato.”

When Misaki ducked her bright red face, the group of upperclassmen became even more interested in her and started to tease her further.

“P-please let me pass…” Misaki whispered as she got up from the bench, though it seemed that the boys did not intend to let her leave. When she tried to forcefully push her way past her upperclassmen, she was immediately grabbed by the arm and pulled back.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Don’t run away.”

“Yup, yup, play one song for us? Any song’s fine. You’re from the Wind Ensemble Club, no?”

(Because they’re my upperclassmen, I’d probably be in trouble if I just did as I wished!)

Misaki tried her best to resist them, all while cursing them out in her heart, though it seemed unlikely that they would release her hand.

(It hurts… I’m scared. I don’t want this!)

That was why she did not like boys. It was when she was about to cry that---.

“Hey, seniors. That’s a dangerous position to be in, right?”

Misaki was surprised upon hearing that laid-back voice of a male student. It was a voice that she knew well.

“Ah?!” the upperclassmen all looked up towards the second floor window of the school building.

The face poking out of the window belonged to Akutsu Kaname, a classmate of Misaki’s. With a refreshing smile on his face, he turned the packet of juice in his hand upside down and squeezed it tightly.

The juice spilled down all over the uniforms and faces of the upperclassmen, and they let out a loud scream. “Gyaaah!”

Misaki’s eyes widened at the sight.

(Akutsu, what are you doing?! Don’t you know that these are our seniors?!)

The upperclassmen seemed to be faring badly. It would be bad if they got angered and remembered the faces of Misaki and Kaname. Whether he knew it or not did not seem to matter, as Kaname looked down with a sly face.

“What the hell are you doing?!!” the upperclassmen yelled angrily as they stood up and glared at Kaname.

(Ah, see, I knew it. They really did get angry!)

Misaki’s face paled as she stood still like a pole, unable to do anything else.

The corners of Kaname’s mouth curled up slightly, as though he was enjoying the situation a little.

“I’m real sorry. I thought it was a garbage dump, because there was a ton of garbage piled together,” Kaname said, throwing the crushed juice pack at the group of upperclassmen. The item perfectly hit its mark, and the upperclassmen turned red, to the point where it looked as though they were about to burst into flames.

“We’re going over now. Don’t you dare move from your spot!”

“What class is he from?”

“Wait there!!”

“Don’t wanna!” Kaname stuck his tongue out at the hollering upperclassmen and slipped back out of the window.

Misaki took advantage of the fact that the upperclassmen were no longer interested in her, and quickly made her return to the school building.

“What should I do… I have to tell someone!!” Misaki impatiently ran with her trombone in her hands.

✿~♪~✿

Misaki went to the staff room to report the incident to either her homeroom teacher, Ms. Yagi, or her club advisor teacher. However, she seemed to have arrived at a bad time, as there was an ongoing staff meeting.

“Ah, geez… At a time like this!”

As Misaki ran down the corridor, looking for Kaname, she heard an angry voice yell from outside the window. “Oi, wait!”

She turned to see Kaname sprinting through the back garden, pursued by the upperclassmen. He seemed to be heading for the gymnasium.

“Akutsu!” Misaki jumped out of the school building and chased after them. If the boys started fighting seriously in the place where they were going to, they probably would not be able to stop. Plus, there were many opponents to defend against.

However, Misaki was unable to just watch in silence as Kaname got beaten up by the upperclassmen. If that happened, she would have no choice but to call someone, anyone, for help.

When Misaki finally caught up to them, Kaname was captured by the upperclassmen near the gym equipment warehouse.

“You’re terribly stupid, aren’t you?!” one of the upperclassmen stood up and made a grab for Kaname’s chest.

Misaki, thinking quickly, grabbed her trombone and blew into it with all her might.

“Puwaaaaa--n.”

Everyone stopped moving at the echoing sound. They all turned towards the source of the sound. Misaki hurriedly hid herself in the shadows.

As she held her breath, she heard the door to the gymnasium open.

“What, is this a fight?”

As they spoke, members of the boys’ Basketball Club curiously came out of the gymnasium. A large number of them were Second Year students, like Misaki and Kaname.

The upperclassmen probably realised how bad the situation looked for them.

“Remember us, you bastard,” they spat out such a cliched line as they ran away, with only a single glance back.

Misaki relaxed as she watched them leave, shakily sitting down in relief.

(Thank goodness…)

“What’re you doing, Kaname?” a member of the boys’ Basketball Club called out to Kaname.

“Nothing much, just killing time.”

“What’s with that? If you’re free, play basketball with us.”

“Don’t wanna. I’ll get all sweaty. I didn’t bring a change of clothes either.”

“Kaname, quit the Wind Club and join the Basketball Club. You’d just be a helper, but it’s fine, right?”

“Then it’d be fine if I asked you to join my club and play the trombone, right?”

“Impossible! The only thing I can play is the recorder.”

As they laughed together for a moment, someone called out to the members of the Basketball Club with an order. “Get back to practice!”

When the members of the Basketball Club returned to the gymnasium, the surrounding area was finally quiet.

“Hey, Sakurai.”

Misaki quietly raised her face, to find that Kaname was standing beside her without her realising it.

“What was that just now?”

“Eh? ...Eh?!”

“The sound cracked a lot, and the pitch sucked!! That’s just regular noise, isn’t it. B♭, do it again!!”

“Eeeeh, here?!”

(And he’s criticising me?!)

Kaname stared at Misaki with his hands on his hips, looking as though he would refuse to let her leave until she blew her trombone.

Having no other choice, Misaki picked her trombone up, putting the mouthpiece to her mouth. As she fearfully blew into it, the sound that emerged was a weak sound that seemed to show off her lack of confidence.

Kaname furrowed his brow as he listened to it.

(He looks like he’s given up!!!)

“Hey Sakurai. You only started playing the trombone after entering High School, right?” Kaname asked, to which Misaki nodded her head. “It has been over a year then, right?”

Misaki hugged her trombone as she nodded again.

(Akutsu’s eyes are completely fixed on me!)

“Even Middle School students who joined the Wind Club as complete newbies would be able to play decently by their second year, right? They’d also play at music competitions, right?”

(Urgh… My chest hurts… But that was an emergency earlier. The sounds I make are usually a little better though?!)

Just the other day, during club practice, their teacher had told Misaki “You’ve improved.”, and Kaname himself had praised her with a “Your sounds were better than before.”.

She had no excuse for it… It was true that the sound she had made earlier was terrible.

“Sa. Ku. Ra. I. Are you listening to me?!”

“Y-yes! I’m listening!!” Misaki replied, correcting her posture. Kaname sandwiched her cheeks with both of his hands. “Uh…”

Kaname’s hands were hot. Misaki’s cheeks warmed up as well.

“You lack practice! Redo it from your long tone practice!”

“Yesh…” Misaki answered with a strange voice, a consequence of having her cheeks squished.

Kaname played the trombone, like Misaki did. He was also the one who had been guiding her, who was a complete beginner at the trombone. Owing to him, even though Misaki was unable to participate in music competitions the previous year, she would be able to do so that year, which she was really happy about.

Plus, she admired Kaname’s playing, and thus decided to try her best to get a little closer to him. She wanted to try her best, however, Kaname’s spartan practice made it difficult. He would not forgive her for her mistakes, even though she was inexperienced.

Even so, Misaki was well aware that Kaname was hard on her because he did not want her to drag everyone else down with a subpar performance, but---.

“Alright,” Kaname nodded with satisfaction and dropped his hands from Misaki’s cheeks. “Then, let’s return to the music room right now and get practising. I’ll train you hard so that you won’t be an embarrassment to the trombone section!”

“Eeh, right now?! I promised to have lunch with Tsubomi though…”

“Sakurai, you have to practise harder than anyone else to catch up to us, right?”

“Uh… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s fine as long as you understand.”

When Kaname reached forward to grab Misaki’s arm, her head was muddled in disarray. Her heart rate increased when she felt the warmth of his body temperature as his hand touched her skin.

Kaname did not seem to care at all, but Misaki was nervous--- and troubled by it.

“Though, are you even tuning it properly?”

“I am! Its sound is perfect!”

“Hm… Then can I borrow it for a bit?” Kaname extended his hand out, to which Misaki instinctively moved her trombone away from him.

“Why did you make such a strange sound just now? Sakurai, are you actually a genius?” Kaname lifted Misaki’s trombone to his mouth as he spoke.

(...Eh?)

As Misaki stood there in confusion, Kaname blew a B♭ note.

“Eh… eeeeh, w-wait a min. Akutsu. That’s!!”

(I was using that till just a while ago…)

As Misaki stood in bewilderment, Kaname glanced at her with the mouthpiece on his lips, a mischievous smile gracing his mouth. With the situation being what it was, when he slid the slide of the trombone forward, a soft and pleasant sound echoed towards the sky.

(Aah, he’s really good at it… Unlike the lousy me, his sound doesn’t crack or waver at all.)

The sound Kaname made was clear and seemed to be able to spread forever---.

Misaki looked downwards as she listened to the sound.

Even though she was a complete beginner, even though she had no experience with playing musical instruments, the main reason why she had even considered the thought of joining the Wind Ensemble Club was because she met Kaname.

It had been when she was still undecided about which club to join upon enrolling in the school. By chance, the door to the music room that she had happened to pass by was left open, and the sound was drifting out into the hallway.

She had peeked into the room, curious to see who was playing the instrument, to see Kaname playing the trombone in his hand, all by his lonesome. He was producing a gentle, quiet sound, with each and every note being played with precision.

Even Misaki, who was not familiar with music, knew that he had been tuning his trombone. Tsubomi, who played the flute, did it as well, after all.

He used a machine called a tuner, which had the important task of matching the misaligned sounds.

Misaki had been unable to take her eyes off of him for a while…

He was cool, the sounds he played were very beautiful, and she had strongly admired the way that he had played the instrument.

On that day, she had called out to Kaname.

“Can complete newbies play the instruments as well?”

“It’s fine if you do,” Kaname had replied in response to Misaki’s question.

When Misaki had first joined the club, she found it much harder than she had expected. However, she was now able to keep up with everyone else. She still had a long way to go, but she felt like working harder every time she heard Kaname play.

She really wanted to improve her skills, so that she would be able to perform with Kaname.

Kaname lightly checked the sound, and started to delicately play the trombone right there and then.

(This song… It’s the one we’re practising for the Summer music competition.)

Kaname played sharp sounds at a light tempo. He even managed to handle difficult portions smoothly.

(Yeah, he’s really good…)

As Misaki listened to Kaname’s performance, she herself felt happy, and her heart felt light. When she was listening with utmost focus, Kaname’s performance came to a perfect end.

(Huh, why didn’t he play it till the end?)

When Misaki looked at Kaname, their eyes met.

“Did that make your heart pound a little?”

“Eh?!”

“Just kidding,” Kaname returned the trombone to Misaki, and headed back towards the school building with light steps.

Misaki’s head was burning, as though steam was about to pour out at any moment, and she gripped her trombone with all her strength. “It, it didn’t, you idiot!”

Kaname laughed with his back turned to Misaki. Though, truth be told, her heart had actually already been pounding for a while.

(He doesn’t even know his effect on others…)

Misaki pressed her lips together and looked downwards.

Kaname probably did not see it as a big deal. He was just joking with his usual light and easy-going personality.

Meanwhile, Misaki’s heart was about to burst. She was the only one who was overly conscious about it.

To Kaname, she was probably just a regular classmate, as well as a friend from their club. That was why he definitely did not care about it.

“Ugh…” Misaki crouched on the spot and groaned softly. “Dense idiot! There should be a limit to your obliviousness!”

She wondered why he was unable to notice it.

Even though it was so easy to understand, as it was written all over her face, and in her attitude.

She briefly considered the possibility that he was just pretending to be oblivious.

(No, that’s not it. He probably honestly doesn’t know it at all. I don’t think Akutsu has even realised that I like him.)

“He won’t realise it until I say it, huh…” Misaki mumbled weakly as she stood up with a sigh. Just like that, she shifted her gaze towards the sky.

Misaki felt as though the sounds Kaname had played still lingered around.

Misaki had had an unrequited crush on Kaname since they were in their First Year. A year and a half had passed since then. Only half of her High School life remained.

Their relationship would not change---.

Misaki wondered if they would stay that way forever.

She wanted to take a step forward. However, she was unable to take that step.

With the Summer of that year drawing closer, Misaki found herself remaining in an ambiguous relationship with Kaname.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

“Huh… Where’s Misaki?”

Natsukawa Tsubomi had gone to the back garden of the school to meet with Misaki, though there was no sign of her on the bench that she would usually sit on.

(...Did she return to the classroom?)

Tsubomi took out her phone to text Misaki, but she received no reply. The fact that the message was not even marked as read probably meant that Misaki was not even looking at her phone.

“Hmm… Maybe she ran away after getting caught up with some weird boy.”

When she began to head back to the school building, she heard the sound of the trombone coming from the direction of the gymnasium.

(Huh, this sounds like Kaname’s playing.)

Tsubomi turned and started to make her way over towards the source of the sound. If Kaname was there, Misaki may have been with him.

She wondered if they were practising throughout their lunch break.

Walking over with such thoughts in her mind, she found the two of them near the gymnasium.

(Aah, as I thought…)

If Tsubomi wanted to find Misaki, it may be faster to locate her if she were to look for Kaname instead. The two of them were often together.

“Idiot!” Misaki yelled with all her might, her face a bright red. It seemed as though something had happened between them. Kaname just laughed her shouts off, his back turned towards her.

“Ah, Natsukawa,” Kaname noticed Tsubomi’s presence and approached her.

“What did you do to Misaki?”

“Hm, nothing much,” Kaname replied vaguely with a laugh. “I’ll be heading to the music room, so tell her to come over for practice once you’re done eating.”

“Tell it to her yourself.”

“Well, if I talk to Sakurai now, she’ll definitely chew me out.”

“You made fun of her by saying something strange again, didn’t you? It’ll be your problem if Misaki comes to hate you.”

“Then, see ya later,” Kaname laughed as he ran off, effectively avoiding Tsubomi’s line of questioning.

“My goodness,” Tsubomi put her hands on her hips as she saw him off.

All three of them were from the same Middle School. Tsubomi and Misaki had been friends since Middle School, though they only started talking to Kaname once they entered High School. After being allocated to the same class, Misaki and Tsubomi both joined the Wind Ensemble Club, as though they were dragged in by Kaname.

Tsubomi’s family owned a music instrument store, and her mother taught music lessons. Due to that, she had been playing the flute since her childhood, though she only joined the Wind Ensemble Club in High School.

Kaname had been a member of the Wind Ensemble Club ever since Middle School. He also seemed to have visited Tsubomi’s music instrument store several times since then.

Had Kaname not invited them to join the Wind Ensemble Club, neither Tsubomi nor Misaki would have joined it.

Tsubomi walked over to Misaki, who was crouched down. “Mi. Sa. Ki.”

When Tsubomi called out, with her hands folded behind her back, Misaki finally raised her face.

(Huh, her face is bright red…)

Tsubomi wondered if Kaname had made fun of Misaki. It had been a long time since her face had turned this red. Tsubomi thought that Misaki was cute like this, though Misaki herself was conscious about it because her memories of being teased by boys in the past still remained.

When they first started High School, Misaki was unable to talk to Kaname at all. However, being seated next to each other, the two of them started to pass notes to one another. Owing to that, Misaki gradually became able to talk to Kaname, and, as a result, joined the same club as him.

The two of them had become so close that they were able to be frank with one another, and their relationship was occasionally the subject of rumours spreading around the class.

To Misaki, Kaname was different from other boys.

He was her first love--- a special person to her.

“Tsubomi~,” Misaki clumsily stood up, tears beading at the corners of her eyes.

“Have you eaten your lunch?” Tsubomi asked.

Misaki shook her head a little.

“I have pudding, wanna eat it?” Tsubomi showed Misaki the plastic bag she was holding in her hand. She had bought it at the school store before making her way over.

“Tsubomi, I love you!!” Misaki hugged Tsubomi tightly. Tsubomi gently stroked Misaki’s head in response.

Kaname seemed to still be oblivious to Misaki’s feelings for him. He was dense, and he was only interested in club activities and the trombone. Even though he had absolutely no clue about romance, he was oblivious to how charming he was, and the number of fans he had only increased by the day. It really was troubling.

“Ah, that’s right. Kaname told me to ask you to go to practice once you’re done with your lunch?” Tsubomi said, turning to look towards the back garden.

“Fuwaah!” Misaki blurted out nonsensically.

“There, there,” Tsubomi giggled as she patted Misaki’s back. “Let’s hurry up and eat!”

✿~♪~✿

Tsubomi had no idea as to how Kaname felt about Misaki, as she never heard about his thoughts on her. However, among all the girls, Misaki was the one who had the most interest in Kaname.

(I don’t think it’s a bad thing, though.)

Tsubomi quietly thought to herself as she sat on a bench in the shade with Misaki.

Misaki remained unable to confess her feelings, and the relationship between the two of them had not progressed at all, even after they became Second Year students. As someone who had been supporting Misaki’s love from the very beginning, Tsubomi found herself biting her lip as she watched from the sidelines.

“...Misaki, you’re not going to confess to him?” Tsubomi asked as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

“Eeh?!” Misaki yelled flusteredly. Her voice was a semitone higher than usual. “I’m not, I’m not gonna, why’re you asking?!”

Misaki flailed her limbs around while shaking her head quickly, and the lunch box she had on her lap looked as though it was about to fall. Misaki quickly stabilised the lunchbox, though she had an odd look on her face, as if she had just eaten something sour.

“Doesn’t love have an expiration date as well?”

“Eh, really?!”

“I read it in a magazine last time.”

“What, a magazine, huh…”

“Take it easy,” Tsubomi looked over at Misaki, who was stroking her own chest.

Kaname was very popular. He was confessed to about once or twice a month, and he occasionally found love letters in his shoe locker and desk. No girl had succeeded in confessing to Kaname because he had no interest in them. However, if there were to be a girl that he was interested in, he would probably go out with her soon.

It was something that Misaki knew as well.

“Misaki, you’ve had a one-sided crush on him for over a year now, right?”

“Yeah…”

“If you don’t say it, he won’t ever notice it for the rest of your lives, no? He’s so dense.”

“I know you’re right, but…”

“Say you don’t confess to him. And because you don’t, someone else may get ahead of you. Are you really fine with that?”

“I… I’d be troubled! But confessing is impossible for me. Akutsu is not aware of me at all… I’d only be rejected by him.”

“So you should confess to him, right? When you do, at least he’ll be aware of the fact that you like him, right?”

“Will that really be the case?” Misaki asked uncertainly after pondering over it for a moment.

“That will be the case… as was written in the magazine.”

“That magazine again? It seems unreliable…” Misaki’s head drooped as she sighed heavily.

As Tsubomi ate her sandwich, Misaki remained silent for a while, seeming to have something troubling her mind.

“It really is impossible…” Misaki mumbled pitifully when she finally opened her mouth. “I mean, I don’t even know how I should confess to him.”

“Method 1, give him a love letter. If you can’t say it to him outright, you’ll be able to effectively convey your feelings to him through a letter,” Tsubomi advised, raising her index finger.

“That’s as good as telling him that I love him if I gave one to him, right? Isn’t that more embarrassing than saying it directly?!”

“You can just leave the letter on Kaname’s desk, right?”

“He won’t read it if it looks too suspicious!”

“Method 2… Text it to him. Smoothly.”

“He’d just think it’s a joke and brush it off…”

“That’s true… Why not do it over the school broadcast, then?”

“That’s not a confession anymore, it’d be a public execution!”

“Then… isn’t saying it outright the best way to do it after all?” Tsubomi lifted a pack of coffee-flavoured milk to her mouth as she glanced at Misaki, who was holding her head in her hands.

“If I could do that, I wouldn’t have to worry like this…”

“I’ve got it!” Tsubomi quickly stood up. Misaki’s eyes widened as she looked up at her. “I’ll catch him and tie him up somewhere, then you’ll be able to confess to him, Misaki!”

“N-n-n-no way, no way no way no way no way!” Misaki flailed her arms around, a deep blush on her face.

“Really?” Tsubomi shrugged, her fist raised.

“Sometimes, you say the most ridiculous things, Tsubomi…”

“It’d be easier if Kaname confessed to you instead. Something like this,” Tsubomi placed her hands on Misaki’s shoulders and turned to look at her. “Misaki… I… love you.”

Tsubomi spoke with a serious expression on her face, lowering the tone of her voice. Misaki audibly gulped and leaned away as though she was trying to escape.

Just like that, Tsubomi returned to the bench. “Huh? Misaki?”

With both of her hands covering her bright red face, Misaki swung her legs, as though she was in agony.

“By the way, did you fall in love? With me, that is,” Tsubomi joked.

Misaki suddenly stood up. “Tsubomi!”

“You just imagined it, didn’t you?” Tsubomi laughed as she looked at the awkward expression on Misaki’s face.

(Misaki really is cute.)

“Tsubomi… Do you have someone you love?” Misaki asked as she sat back down properly onto the bench.

“Hm? I love you, Misaki.”

“I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about boys…”

“Boys, huh…” Tsubomi pressed her index finger against her chin and stared vacantly out into the distance. She had received several confessions. However, she had yet to meet a boy that she loved enough to date.

Tsubomi wanted to date someone who was fun to be with. Kaname was one such person. They were able to speak without hesitation with each other, and they occasionally played games and went to karaoke together. They even went to a fast food restaurant after school together.

However, Tsubomi felt that her feelings were different from the kind of “love” that Misaki had for Kaname. She felt as though she just liked him as a friend. She still had yet to understand the difference between having “love” for a friend, and having “love” for a potential romantic partner.

That was why Tsubomi felt a little envious whenever she looked at Misaki. She wished that she could find someone who would make her heart pound, who would share her happiness and sadness with her, who would share a mutual “love” with her with all their might.

“I wonder when people fall in love,” Tsubomi voiced her question softly.

(This is Misaki’s… first “love”, huh.)

Misaki’s first love began the moment she was assigned the seat next to Kaname when they first entered High School.

“Tsubomi…” Misaki trailed off, quickly turning her face back to the front. She ate her omelette, being unable to calm herself down.

Tsubomi lifted her last egg sandwich to her mouth as well.

“I wonder if Akutsu’s waiting…”

“If he were here, there’d be wrinkles between his eyebrows, right? ‘Sakurai, what’re you doing?’.”

When Tsubomi and Misaki looked at each other, they began to laugh softly together.

~Misaki’s feelings~

Even after club activities were over, Misaki remained in the classroom. The sky beyond the window was starting to darken, and fluorescent lights illuminated the otherwise quiet classroom.

She was seated lightly on a chair at a space at the back of the classroom, facing the music score. On the score, the indications that were pointed out to her during ensemble practice and section practice were written down in detail. She looked at the indications as she reviewed the entire piece from the beginning.

The needle of the metronome, which was placed on a desk, swayed from side to side, making a clicking noise as it did so. It was moving at a relatively slow speed.

Even so, Misaki still made a few mistakes. She was still unable to play the sound with the required power. Her pitch was off at some parts. She returned to the beginning of the song, stopping her hands once she reached the “Da capo” symbol.

“I really suck at this… Even though I’ve been warned many times, I still tend to miss the cues.”

After draining the water accumulated in her water valve onto a towel placed atop her lap, Misaki looked back at the music score. She smacked her cheeks and picked up her trombone again.

After she had played two bars, the door to the classroom opened with a clatter. When she stopped playing and turned around, she saw Kaname enter the classroom.

“It really was you, Sakurai. Are you still at it?” Kaname walked up to Misaki, carrying his bag and instrument case.

(Could it be that he heard my terrible playing from earlier?!)

Misaki quickly flipped through the music score in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Tsubomi’s still practising as well, so I thought I should get some more practice in.”

Misaki had thought that Kaname had gone home, though she now wondered if he had been practising independently in a different classroom. Or, alternatively, he may have been chatting with someone instead.

“Akutsu, are you heading back now?” she asked nervously.

“Hmm…” Kaname thought as he set his instrument case and bag down on a desk. He rewound the metronome, which had stopped without Misaki’s knowledge, and returned it to the desk. It began to tick away at a monotonous tempo.

“I thought of doing so, but decided against it.”

“Eh?”

“Where did you stop at?” Kaname asked, peering over at the music score from the side.

Misaki tensed up in nervousness when Kaname’s face unexpectedly got closer to hers. “I’ve gone through it from the beginning, but… I can’t play it well from the 17th bar onwards at all.”

“Ah… You do tend to lag behind there, don’t you, Sakurai?”

(Ugh… He’s right. It’s just as he says.)

Kaname glanced at Misaki and smiled mischievously. “Then, start playing from the 17th bar.”

“Akutsu, won’t you be late if you accompany me for my practice…? Your little sister’s waiting for you, right?”

Kaname had a younger sister. With his parents being abroad, Kaname was responsible for the care of his sister, as well as the housework. That was why Misaki felt bad about holding him back for too long.

“It’s fine. Our aunt is taking care of her today. Anyway, I’m more concerned about you now, Sakurai.”

With that said, Misaki found herself unable to say anything in response.

“Alright!” Misaki muttered, correcting her posture. Kaname was watching her practice closely. She picked up her trombone and took a deep breath.

Misaki was conscious about the fact that Kaname, who was standing behind her, was holding the back of her chair. Even though she was unable to calm down, she decided to focus on her practice instead, and began to play from the 17th bar as she was told.

Fifteen minutes passed---.

About 10 minutes remained until all the students were to leave the school. As Misaki played the trombone, Kaname tapped his feet to the rhythm. The tempo of the metronome remained the same as before, but it seemed to be ticking away more quickly and more impatiently than when Misaki had been practising alone.

Even though Misaki was doing her best to play without making mistakes, she was unable to catch up with Kaname’s instructions, which came flying out one after another. Kaname was always hard on her during practice, but he was unwilling to overlook the smallest of details that day.

With every mistake Misaki made, her confidence dropped, and the sounds she made decreased in volume.

(I’m even worse than usual today!)

“Play that part fortissimo.”

Immediately heeding Kaname’s advice, Misaki blew into her trombone strongly.

“That’s still too weak. It’s not even forte… You’re too slow at that part. Add more sharpness to your sound.”

(I-I know, but… I can’t keep up at all!!)

Misaki nodded, and began to play again, as if she was desperately chasing after the notes. The music score was spinning around in her head, and she felt like screaming.

When she eventually played the music piece to completion, Misaki collapsed on the music stand.

“Akutsu, you’re merciless…” she mumbled weakly, heaving a deep sigh.

(He had to give me so much advice, how depressing…)

“That’s a given. We’re in the same section, after all. I’ll be troubled if you don’t try your best, Sakurai.”

It was just as Kaname said. Even the First Year students were better than Misaki, as they had prior experience from their Middle School days. Misaki did not want to drag the others down forever.

(I have to do some self-reflection…)

As Misaki wallowed in her misery, Kaname’s usual smile returned to his face, a change from the serious expression he had on till then. “You really do start playing the 17th bar late. Do you find it that difficult?”

“It’s hard for my arm to reach the 7th position. I already have to try my hardest to reach the 6th position.”

“Hmm,” Kaname folded his arms in thought as he looked at the long tube, which was called a ‘slide’. The trombone had 7 fixed positions, and the sound it produced was changed by moving the slide. The positions were not marked out on the trombone, so they had to be estimated with a general sense.

“Try playing an E note.”

Misaki moved the slide to the 7th, and farthest, position and played the note as she was told to. Then, her body leaned forward, to which she was pulled back by Kaname.

“Posture.”

(Yeah, I know…)

Without the correct posture, the correct sound would not be made.

Misaki managed to stretch her arm forward, and although she was able to reach the position, the fact that she could not reach it easily frustrated her.

“Is that the most you can stretch out to? Can you try a little harder?”

(Easy for you to say, Akutsu, my arms are not as long as yours!)

When Misaki had first enrolled in the school, her hands were hidden by the sleeves of her uniform. However, her arms had now grown to the point where the ends of the sleeves fit perfectly around her wrists. It could be said that she had been doing her best.

(God, I beg you… Please let my arms grow a little longer!)

Such was an absurd thought that plagued the depths of her heart---.

“You have to stretch this much to get to the 7th position,” Kaname moved behind Misaki and guided her hand and the slide a little further forward.

(Eh…)

Misaki’s heart pounded wildly as she felt Kaname’s chest touch her back. Her body instinctively stiffened in her nervousness, and her breath hitched.

“Sakurai…?”

When Kaname called out the time signature, the slide slipped out of Misaki’s grasp.

“Ah!”

“Uwah!!”

The both of them grabbed the slide, which was about to fall, at about the same time. The two of them involuntarily exhaled deeply.

“That was close… Be careful. If the slide drops and gets dented, the cost of the repair would be quite high.”

“But, I was sur...pri...sed…” Misaki trailed off as she turned around to find Kaname’s face right next to hers. She was unable to move, as she found herself to be in the position to be hugged from behind.

Only the sound of the metronome continued to ring out in the quiet classroom.

Without looking away, Kaname exhaled quietly and slowly. His lips began to move.

“...Sakurai… Are you nervous?”

(I am… Isn’t it a given? Because you’re… so close… to me…)

Misaki subconsciously tightened her grip on her trombone.

Her heart was beating incessantly loudly.

Kaname suddenly dropped the serious expression on his face and began to laugh as though he could not control himself.

“Eh, why’re you laughing?!”

“Because you look so flustered, Sakurai.”

“A-Akutsu, you’re making fun of me again!” Misaki blushed deeply as she stood up quickly.

“Sorry, my bad,” Kaname apologised, though his laughter did not cease.

“You really are bad with boys, huh, Sakurai?” Kaname finally stopped laughing and straightened his posture back out. Then, he stopped the metronome and looked at Misaki over his shoulder. “Let’s leave. Natsukawa’s practice should be wrapping up soon, right?”

“Ye… yeah…” Misaki nodded. She noticed that it was the final call for the students to leave the school, and the school bell started to ring.

Kaname picked his bag and instrument case up and left the classroom. Misaki hugged her trombone as she watched him leave.

“You’re wrong… It’s not that I’m bad with them,” she muttered, her softly-spoken words being unable to reach Kaname’s ears. Her cheeks, which she held with her hand, were so hot that she found herself at a loss for what to do.

Kaname knew that Misaki was not good at dealing with boys, and about why and how it happened. She had told him all about it when they were First Year students.

Misaki also told him about the incident when she had been called a “Ripe Tomato”. At that time, Kaname had---.

“Rather than a tomato, how about an apple?”

He had said, laughing without a care in the world.

Owing to him, Misaki was able to overcome her past memories a little, but---.

Not all her feelings of being bad at dealing with boys, of fearing them, of disliking them, were gone. Even now, when she spoke to other boys, she got nervous and unable to speak well.

However, Kaname was different. She did not get nervous in front of Kaname because she was bad at interacting with him.

(Because, other boys would not… make my heart beat like this.)

Holding a hand to her chest, Misaki felt her heart pound wildly against her palm.

“...Misaki, you’re not going to confess to him?”

Recalling Tsubomi’s words from earlier, Misaki slowly looked down.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #sakurai misaki #akutsu kaname #natsukawa tsubomi #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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april-is · 4 years ago

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April 30, 2021: In Defense of a Long Engagement, Mairead Small Staid

In Defense of a Long Engagement Mairead Small Staid He ringed my finger in the golden hour, late day Of a long winter, & it has been spring

Ever since. This isn’t true, I know, & still: I will say it. I will say it again: yes, yes. To marry,

My ancestors were first handfasted: A handshake, an assurance. The promise Was the more important ceremony, the word Given & received. After that, the wedding

Hardly mattered. Spring ever since—

The sun always about to set & never setting. Children bloom with the tulips, filling the empty street With their little shouts & bicycles. The couple, Once handfasted, were married

Upon consummation. We marry

& marry again, spent. The golden Hour glances off my hand, a ring

Of light. My coat unbuttoned to the sun-stroked air, & when he knelt, he rose steady as the perennials

Keep their yearly promise: all blossom & green. My hand in his fist, my fist in his hand, my betrothed, Engaged, affianced, intended—yes— My intended, for all I could not say

But meant & mean.

Today in:

2020: Lines Written in the Days of Growing Darkness, Mary Oliver 2019: Starlings in Winter, Mary Oliver 2018: Born Yesterday, Philip Larkin 2017: Thus, He Spoke His Quietus, Thomas Lux 2016: Trees, W.S. Merwin 2015: Today and Two Thousand Years from Now, Philip Levine 2014: from For a Long Time I Have Wanted to Write a Happy Poem, Richard Jackson 2013: Tear It Down, Jack Gilbert 2012: from An Atlas of the Difficult World, Adrienne Rich 2011: Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal, Naomi Shihab Nye 2010: from Pioneers! O Pioneers!, Walt Whitman 2009: from The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot 2008: from Five-Finger Exercises, T.S. Eliot 2007: Journey of the Magi, T.S. Eliot 2006: Preludes, T.S. Eliot 2005: A Song for Simeon, T.S. Eliot

As they say: the days are long but the years are short. And these Aprils sure fly by. I hope you are doing as well as you can be; I hope you found a couple of poems here this year that did something meaningful to your insides. See you here in 2022 (gosh!), same time, same place? And in the meantime, if you need a poetry fix:

- The Slowdown podcast shares one poem every episode (& is hosted by Tracy K. Smith!) - Pome tinyletter email by Matthew Ogle - poetryisnotaluxury, if Instagram is your timewaster of choice - This overstuffed Tumblr. - Finally, if you can, order some poetry from your nearest independent or secondhand bookstore; they could really use your support. (Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky we are, to have so many poems in the world to discover.)

#love #joy #marriage #poems for weddings #mairead small staid

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robin-nightwing-agent37 · 3 years ago

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Dear DC,

I have an idea for you! Instead of always replaying Nightwing’s greatest hits by allowing writers to push their fanfic into canon, how about addressing some of the problems Nightwing has historically has as a character and allowing him to grow first?

What is the point of pushing a Dick Babs wedding or even teasing it when for the past 20 years there have been no signs of them ever having a positive relationship. To top that off, her bad treatment of him during the Ric Grayson era which preludes the current run is still fresh in everyone’s mind. Not to mention he was actually thinking about and even told Alfred he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bea. Even if it’s just a tease, it’s the wrong way to get people to read your story!

Nightwing needs writing that allows him to branch out past the batfam and titans. He deserves writing that allows him to provide some introspection into his life. He needs new friends, new relationships and new direction. What he doesn’t need a repeat of the 90s that went absolutely nowhere in terms of character growth. Dick Marriage is the last thing Dick needs for his character.

Barbara is also not a prop! She has a history that can rival Dick in importance. Acting like her character only existed since the 90s is really a disservice to her. She doesn’t only exist to be in a relationship with Dick that will 9/10 end poorly. She is an independent person who had friendships with Kara and Dinah. Who went on dates with Clark. She was a congresswoman. She had a PHD. She was engaged to her high school sweetheart. She formed and lead the birds of the prey. She was able to move on from her disability and show that even though she was in a wheelchair, she can still be a hero! That’s the Barbara I want to see.

If you like Dick Babs as a ship, that’s fine! But don’t push it at the expense of these characters. That’s what gave us Devin Grayson’s run in the first place. That’s what gave us the the very poorely written Last issues of Dixon’s run. Its what gave us everything with Dick Babs so far. Give it a rest and let these characters be great without having to push them together. Both Dick and Babs deserve better than this and I hope the day is sooner rather than later that DC actually gets smart and allowed them to finally have an amicable positive break up that allows them to go their separate ways.

#My2Cents #Nightwing #antinightwingships #batgirl #dick babs #StopPanderingAndStartWritingWithRespectTowardsTheseCharacters #FanonIsNotCanonTheseCharactersHaveAHistoryThatShouldBeAknowledged

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beardedmrbean · 3 years ago

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I don't understand whatever the fuck is happening in Ukraine, but you look like you do, can you explain ?

I'm not 100% on any of it so it's all just a analysis of what I've seen.

TL:DR at the end

Russia and Belarus are doing military drills and both countries border Ukraine

You can see how close the Belarusian border is to the capital of Ukraine there so this kind of activity makes people nervous.

From what I've been able to gather NATO is super concerned about this since nobody wants Russia to try and annex more territory and there's been a whole lot of stuff moved into Belarus.

From a fairly independent news site that I use that's centered on Belarus. (found them while keeping track of the protests there)

Source: 200 trains with Russian military personnel and equipment to arrive in Belarus

That's a lot of people and stuff, so nerves are high in the west.

The president of Ukraine and other folks on the ground there, that live there government and military folks are trying to push calm what I've seen they don't see what's happening as an aggressive move...yet.

Everyone at least agrees that ya Russia is moving a lot of stuff into the area they just can't agree on if Putin means trouble or not.

I have a wild personal third option on all of this and that's Putin is doing this as a distraction so everyone's eyes are elsewhere while Pooh Bear over in West Taiwan sets up to invade Taiwan proper.

Which between the forces we have in Korea and the JDF and a few other friendlies (maybe India will join in) could probably keep that from happening but it'd be more difficult and we'd have to worry about lil kim in NK trying something stupid.

All that would hinge on Putin and Pooh Bear getting along, not sure how well they do that these days. ____________________

TL:DR; Russia is moving a lot of military equipment into Belarus bunch of NATO countries (not Germany) see this as a possible prelude to an invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine wants NATO to chill and not do anything stupid because they've likely seen this shit before and know better than to poke the bear giving it an excuse to attack.

But we're getting them loaded up just in case anyhow. __________________

This is my amateur analysis based on what I've been reading, please do not mistake me for any kind of expert.

#anonymous

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sunshinekidz · 4 years ago

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Impromptu

Chapter 5/17

Word Count: 1.7K

Genre: enemies to lovers, piano majors, series

Hyunjin x female reader ft. Stray Kids

To you, December is a month of miracles. The holiday season brought in joyous festivities along with an unspoken sense of hope. The falling snow transforms the dreary end of late autumn into a magical season of winter.

That December however, was a prelude to a very interesting expedition. Miracles were there, but they seemed to be hidden. You just had to find them.

The schedules in your planner were filled to the brim, packed with due dates of your papers, exam days, and of course, the newly altered evaluation that you highlighted in bright yellow.

You had been avoiding Hyunjin since that discussion with the department director. It took you a while to accept the fact that you were stuck with him for the rest of the academic year. But before coming to an acceptance, you were on alert, ready to turn the other direction when you caught the first few glimpses of his long dark hair. However, the chances of avoiding him continuously until the end of the semester was slim.

You were on your way towards the practice rooms of your department after one of your study sessions. As you walked down the corridor to your designated room, a nearby door suddenly opened and you ran straight into him.

“Whoa there, watch where you’re going.”

“Jerk.” You rolled your eyes at him, hoping that would somewhat cover your vision of his presence.

“That’s not how you treat your fellow colleague, Y/N.”

“As if you didn’t do the same.”

“I always greeted you.”

“Shut up, weasel.”

You had quite a few nicknames for Hyunjin, but the most fitting one was “weasel’. Thanks to Changbin’s meme the other day, you found an uncanny resemblance between Hyunjin and the animal. The realization sent you into a laughing fit.

“Aw, you’re giving me pet names already? Well, I guess that’ll make it easier for us to work together.”

“There’s no ‘us’ nor ‘together’, Hyunjin. Just you by yourself and me by myself. We’ll give each other a score and submit the assignment.”

“Aren’t you curious what score I’ll give you?”

“It’s not like you’ll give me a good score anyway. We can just complete the assignments independently. I’ve heard you play, you’ve heard me play. That’s more than enough information.”

“This is group work, Y/N.”

“Not anymore.”

You walked past him towards your practice room. Closing the door, you took a seat at the bench and stared blankly into space. What have you done that was so terrible in your past life to be paired up with Hwang Hyunjin from some stupid arrangement that was claimed to be a random draw? You wanted to relax to remove all the pent up stress. But exams were well on their way.

***

“Focus Y/N, you have to pass this semester.” You told yourself repeatedly just to keep things going until you completed the last exam. Then, there will be three weeks of freedom, where you could do absolutely nothing. But before that, you had to force yourself to study and to work on your papers. Just a little more to go before you were all set for the holidays.

And finally, that day has arrived.

<Hey Bin, how’s finals?> You messaged your best friend after walking out from the exam hall.

<Ha. Nothing good will happen when he’s around.>

You tucked your phone into your pocket, heading towards the music building. There was one more paper to submit and you decided to hand it in after your last exam.

The music building was nearly empty at that hour, as many were either writing exams or studying for them.

You walked towards your professor’s office to submit the essay. A mailbox with the label “Essays in here” was placed beside the door. With one quick motion, you dropped your essay into the box. There. You have officially completed the semester.

It felt great to have everything done and over with, allowing you to enjoy the rest of your day without much worry.

Perhaps you spoke a little too early, because ‘enjoyment’ definitely did not proceed.

You walked down the hallway, taking a shortcut towards the closest exit. The moment you opened the door, your heart sank and your blood ran cold. Dizziness managed to hit you like a freight train, spiraling you into something that resembled a domino effect. The world seemed to be collapsing right in front of you.

After all these weeks of looking for him, Kim Seungmin has finally appeared. But he was not alone. Rather, you found him standing before you, tightly embracing no one other than Miyeon.

You believe in karma. You really do. And karma had boomeranged its way back in the worst way possible. What have you done to deserve all the negativity? Was it because you felt relieved and somewhat giddy that Hyunjin had rejected Miyeon? Or was it because of all the monthly evaluations that you have won? You had no idea.

Before they had a chance to notice, you stepped away from the door and ran in the opposite direction. You felt sick, as if someone had punched you right in the stomach. You felt stupid as well.

The next door you opened was the one towards a staircase. Plopping down on the last two steps, you buried your face in your arms and wept.

All these years of harbouring a crush on Kim Seungmin, you never dared to confess your feelings to him. In fact, you told no one, not even Changbin. You were immersed in your studies and at the same time, you were too afraid to make a fool of yourself. When you finally did embarrass yourself in front of Seungmin and became somewhat ready for the confession, he was taken.

Timing was everything. In fact, it had to be the most important factor. On days when you really wanted to see Seungmin, he was not there. On days when you did not expect to see him or that you were not in the presentable state to see him, there he was.

And speaking of timing, the door to the staircase suddenly opened, welcoming the nearly six feet weasel. Would that be six feet long or six feet tall? Either way, it was not a surprise because everywhere you went, you seemed to run into him. Perhaps it was because you did NOT want to see him.

You quickly wiped away your tears and made yourself look relatively presentable.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“This is the music building. I can be wherever, whenever. In fact, I should ask you the same thing.” You responded.

“There’s issues with the elevator and- wait. Are you crying?”

Are you crying? Those words were more than enough to further break you down. The tears that streamed down your face were a combination of unfairness and embarrassment. Hwang Hyunjin was the last person you would ever allow to witness your vulnerable state. But there he was.

“What are you gonna do, laugh in my face? Honestly Hyunjin, I don’t know what I did for you to be so mean to me.” Your sobs were becoming more and more uncontrollable.

With your face buried in your hands, you missed the change in Hyunjin’s expression. His signature smirk disappeared. In its place was a look of sympathy and remorse.

“If you failed your exam, there’s nothing you can do about it because it’s already over.”

“Leave me alone. I’m not in the mood to talk to you.”

To your surprise, Hyunjin sat down next to you.

“Well,” he began, eyes focusing on the ground, “if it’s not about exams, then I’m guessing it’s something related to boy issues?”

You gave him an angry look.

“Why are you so darn ANNOYING?”

“Knew it.” Hyunjin let out a slight chuckle, shaking his head. “Y/N, how much longer are you going to sit here and cry?”

“Until you leave.”

“I can’t leave. I need you to be well enough so we can work on this project together.”

“I told you before, there’s no ‘we’ or ‘us’.”

“This is worth quite a good chunk of our final grade, you know. We need to do well.”

“Is that why you’re suddenly so stupidly nice?” You sighed. “There’s always an ulterior motive behind everything you do.”

He bursted into laughter. It actually sounded pleasant and carefree.

“Ulterior motive or not, they paired us up to be a team. We have to work together.”

“We’re opponents, Hyunjin.”

“Y/N, if you think about it, every single one of your colleagues in your department is your opponent.”

“So you're saying that we form an alliance?”

“Precisely.”

“What for?”

“For the competition of course.”

“And that absolutely makes no sense. Why are they pairing us up to form some sort of alliance, then compete like our lives depend on it?”

“Stirs up drama. It’s more fun to watch that way.”

He gave you a smile. It was the first time you saw Hwang Hyunjin genuinely smile at you. Before that, it was a collection of disgusted looks and smirks that made you want to slap his so-called flawless face.

“Go wash your face. I’ll meet you in the practice room. We'll need to hear each other play at least once before we go for winter break.”

You rolled your eyes.

“You're shameless, Hyunjin.”

#hwang hyunjin #stray kids #stray kids hyunjin #stray kids hwang hyunjin #skz hyunjin #skz hwang hyunjin #hyunjin scenarios #hyunjin stray kids #seo changbin #stray kids changbin #stray kids seo changbin #skz changbin #skz seo changbin #stray kids seungmin #stray kids kim seungmin #skz seungmin #skz kim seungmin

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