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yannowhatigiveup · 4 years ago

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My One And Only - Chapter 9

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So this chapter is longer than chapter 8 and I think from next chapter, they got longer. As we get closer to the chapter I’m currently writing, the frequent updates will unfortunately die. Just letting you know so you won’t be too disappointed! Oh and my Wattpad name is the same, ‘yannowhatigiveup’. If you know any way I can improve my writing please do tell me!

Gabriel Agreste stood in his observatory after recently detransforming. 'She can control her emotions well but when she's angry, it's incredibly strong. This girl could be one of the strongest in Paris, she could be one that senses auras. I must find a way. I will use her to eliminate all of heroes. All I need is time'.

————————————————————

The bluenette sat in her uncle Jagged's hotel room, tapping a pen against her lips while watching the conversation, well it was more like an argument, between Jagged and his manager Bob Roth. Bob was stating that they should leave the song writing to the professionals while Jagged protested, saying that his niece was overflowing with talent and that she could do it no problem. Penny was on the phone with someone but Marinette didn't eavesdrop in her conversation. She stated at the blank notebook in front of her, eyeing it suspiciously. Then she got an idea and began scribbling down the lyrics she had in mind, not knowing that she had unintentionally gained the attention of everyone in the room. She managed to write the whole song in one sitting which was very impressive even for professional song writers at the time. "Did it" she said putting the pen down. Penny then came over to take the notebook and read what the bluenette had written. 'I hope it's ok'

"Wow Mari, this is great!" Penny said her mouth agape. She passed it to Jagged but Bob had snatched it out of his hands, only to give it back when Fang looked at him hungrily.

"Yeah, this is rock'n roll Nettie!" He praised her while giving his manager a 'I told you so' look.

"Yes this is exactly what we needed, a little change in the album. Thank you for this Marinette. We shall produce the song while you can sing the lyrics-"

"If that's alright will you of course" Jagged said, interrupting his manager.

Marinette nodded hesitantly. "I can give it a shot" she murmured.

Marinette walked home after visiting Jagged and showing Damian the designs she had in plan for his brothers, without showing the design she made for him. She was careful not to shake her purse too much as Tikki was sleeping, it was a busy day for the kwami as Marinette had let her go visit Plagg for some 'Kwami business'. Marinette didn't press for answers though. Soon she entered her parents bakery to find them already there, waiting for her.

"Maman, Papa what is it?" She asked.

"Your father and I are discussing if we should open a second bakery" Sabine answered enthusiastically.

"There's a few spots available in Marseille, we already booked a flight and a hotel to stay at" Tom answered, maybe even more excited than his wife.

"That's great! But isn't Marseille far away? It's closer to Italy than Paris" Marinette answered.

"Well surprisingly, we're already well known there" Tom replied.

"Oh cool! When will you be leaving?"

"On Saturday at 2 am" Her mother replied. "It's late but it was the next available flight. We'll be gone for a week maybe longer depending on all the paper work"

"Well you better start packing then!" Marinette said happy for both her parents. "I'll be going to bed now. Good night!" She hugged both her parents before going upstairs to change and finishing up her designs.

~~~

Adrien sat in front of his computer early before school, looking through all of Kagami's recent posts and he liked the photo that she posted yesterday, the photo was of when they went for ice cream earlier today. Alya and Nino were also in the picture, smiling for the camera but Adrien noticed someone else in the background. 'Marinette...' She was eating her ice cream, unbeknownst to the picture being taken, with the spoon still in her mouth. Adrien felt distracted by the way the sun reflected off her hair. He loved Kagami truly but his new love for Marinette shadowed it. "Plagg" Adrien said. "I think I have a thing for bluenettes".

"So your type is blue-haired girls? What makes you say that?" The kwami replied, not really enjoying the conversation.

"Well I like Ladybug, Kagami and Marinette and they all have one thing in common. They all have blue hair" Adrien sighed. "The last thing I need is another blue-haired girl to come into my life"

"Ughhh this is too cheesy, I much prefer actual cheese" Plagg groaned while looking around for Camembert.

Adrien sighed, smiling while going back to think of the girls he liked. He liked Ladybug for her quick, sly and smart nature. Kagami was incredibly skilled and very easy to relate to. And Marinette had a kind personality as well as unmatchable beauty. He couldn't decide which one he liked most as all the options were as great as the others. Then a notification on his computer distracted him from his thoughts. It was a notification that Jagged Stone had posted something. 'Huh, I wonder what it could be'

~~~

Jason was flicking through the channels on the TV, looking for something interesting to watch when a notification appeared on his phone. 'What's this?' He then realised that it was a trending post from Jagged Stone and went to view it. "HOLY SH-"

"Master Jason, language"Alfred reminded him.

"Oh yeah sorry" he whispered before shouting again. "HOLY MOTHER OF UM SOMETHING!"

Dick and Tim then entered the room, wondering what Jason was talking about. "What?" Dick asked.

Jason then connected his phone to the TV and showed the post he was talking about.

@official_jaggedstone

(Photo of a blue-haired girl with a medium long braid and her back facing the camera, writing on something)

Wonder what MDC is writing up for the bonus track? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

All three of the boys then fanboyed over finally being able to see what their favourite designer, and idol, looked like. Alfred then sighed while exiting the room.

"She's pretty!"

"She looks smart!"

"What's she writing?"

"I'm gonna call Damian, that room looks similar to the room he's staying in"

"Yes do, I want to pester him"

Dick then dialed a number on his phone. After a few rings, the phone finally answered.

"Tt, Yes?" A stern voice came through on the other side.

"HAVE YOU SEEN JAGGED'S RECENT POST!?" Tim shouted into the microphone.

~~~

Damian had already seen Jagged's post, he smiled to himself. He was about to go back to reading his book when his phone rang. He would've picked it up straight away if he hadn't see the name, it was Dick. He let the phone ring for a little while before answering.

"Tt, Yes?" He said in a stern voice.

"HAVE YOU SEEN JAGGED'S RECENT POST!?" Luckily Damian had the phone further away from his ear otherwise Tim would've exploded his eardrums.

"What about it?"

"He posted an image of MDC, the very first one ever on the internet!" Dick answered excitedly. "There aren't any pictures of her anywhere".

Damian smiled to himself knowing that he had seen MDC before his brothers, he had seen her smile. "There aren't?"

"Yeah! Weird right? She doesn't even show up to Jagged's live performances!" It was Jason's turn to speak now.

"Well I'm sure she goes to the performances, she's just never seen" Tim told his brother in a matter-of-fact way.

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tt, bye now" he said, immediately turning his phone off not allowing any of his brothers to protest. He then texted Marinette.

Me: Just got off the phone with my brothers, they were fanboying over you.

Surprisingly Marinette replied straight away.

Angel: They are too? Everyone is fangirling over MDC

Me: Because of Jagged's post, he posted a picture of you. The back of your head specifically

Angel: Oh hah I see it now, I guess that has to be my signature hairstyle as MDC now.

Me: It looks great on you though

Angel: You really think so?

Me: Mhm

Angel: Aw, thanks

~~~

Marinette had blushed when Damian said she looked good in that hairstyle. She really liked him. Then Marinette looked at the time, she was early for once. She decided to make use of this and get ready for school. She had finished getting ready quickly and she was able to walk instead of run to school like she usually did. When she entered, she noticed that there was barely anyone here. 'Perfect! I can work on my designs' that was until a familiar face showed up.

"Hey girl! You're here early wow!" The sound of her best friend made Marinette laugh until her facial expression changed from surprised to smug. Marinette was about to ask but Alya had brought her to the locker room where they were alone. "So girl, spill"

"What?"

"Do you like Chat Noir?"

Marinette giggled but she saw her best friend's face. "Oh you're not joking"

"Nope, now you can tell me so that I can get you both on a date." She blushed profusely. "And I ain't backing down, I've spent too much time on trying to find out who he is. Don't think I haven't noticed how you're jumping at anytime to be with this boy." She said the last statement with a soft voice.

Marinette sighed, grateful of her best friend but hesitant to tell her without Damian's permission as he never seemed like one for social interaction. "I'll ask" she said while taking her phone out.

Me: Shaytan, my best friend found out that I've been sneaking off to go see you.

Shaytan: Césaire?

Me: Yeah

Shaytan: You said she wanted to be a reporter right? Well then I guess this is expected, she did a good job.

Me: So should I tell her your name?

Shaytan: That's up to you

Me: Ok thanks!

Marinette put her phone away and looked at her best friend.

"So?" Alya asked. "Can you tell me?"

Marinette nodded. "So um, his name is D-Damian"

———

Taglist: @little-bluestar, @miracleofadisaster, @frieddonutsweets, @jjmjjktth, @genderfluidmoma, @starlit-dreaming, @icerosecrystal

#daminette #damian x marinette #marinette x damian #maribat #mlb x dc #ml x dc

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lesbianrobin · 3 years ago

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I’m soo happy that you responded!! And ahh I agree with everything. Also lol I forgot to say this but I love your season 4 Steve picks as 2048. I literally only play that version now. Also omg you are so right about that hill thing in season 3. I didn’t even think of the fact that he was literally safe and yet decided to do that anyway!! Also yesss with the Steve and Lucas. I feel like they have such an insane potential for a friendship especially with what looks like that’s the route they’re going with Lucas’s character. Please just let them be shooting hoops or something and then they have a heart to heart. I don’t feel like any of the characters talk enough about the trauma they went through and that would be so interesting with these two characters. Especially because (in my opinion at least) they seem so similar but also soo different!! Ughhh, you are literally right that him interacting with mike, Joyce, Will, and etc would be sooo amazing. I also hate that we will probs not see them like their snippets of interaction mean everything to me. I live for Steve and El’s first meeting like El just comes in looking all badass and saves their asses and Steve is sooo fucking confused. I feel like they told him about El but still seeing his confused face in the background is everything. Also you are so right Steve needs a friend that’s his own age. Him and Robin are perfect but also I believe Robin is a year younger than him. Am I remembering that wrong?

Also what career do you think Steve would fit best with? I’ve seen the hairdresser Steve and musician Steve floating around and I LOVE THEM!! Idk if I saw it on your blog though but I feel like I have (I look at Steve content a lot so I don’t exactly remember where I saw this stuff from sorry). I have another question for you because I am always on the hunt for these but: what is your favorite or comfort Steve centric fanfics and why?

omg i forgot about steve 2048.... and yeah robin is younger!! she, nancy, and jonathan are all a year behind steve in school, but they never specify what the actual age gap is between any of them. it’s kinda negligible either way, but the fact that steve specifically said robin’s “still in school” rather than saying she’s too young or stating her age when dustin was trying to set them up makes me think he and robin are probably only a few months apart?? also i’m the captain of team hairdresser steve <3 i feel like as he got older he might end up being like a stay at home dad or working in education/childcare/social work in some capacity bc he cares a lot ab children but in terms of like 18-19 year old steve i want him to get his cosmetology license and gossip and make people look pretty all day. it’s what he deserves.

this is gonna sound so bad but like all my favorite/comfort steve fics are either my own or by sarah @steveharrington. nothing against anybody else i’m just very picky and those are the ones i go back to. so this is my ao3 and this is hers. a beautiful day in the neighborhood is very nice it’s about steve watching mr rogers <3

#asks

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whats-the-story-tc · 5 years ago

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31st of March, 2020

"The One with the (Mainly) Pas de Deux"

Many of my teachers setting timers is the exact reason I turn anxious at the mere thought of it being 8 AM. Not V. As per usual, she's unpredictable — you never know when to expect her. Now, she showed up a little before 8 with an essay topic, aka how to draw comparisons between two poems. One of these being last week's poem, the other something also quite important over here.

I checked my results from Friday and was utterly surprised at the fact I got 20 points out of 22. Guess we can safely say I nailed it.

Soon as I entered the call at 11 AM, V left. I had a laugh about it with my classmates, that she just blipped like that, but not to worry, she came back.

"Good evening?" she asked Know-It-All, who greeted her with that. "I'm still drinking coffee, don't make me laugh." Darling. You always are. But anyway. In V's words, "We all need a little foolery, or something." Her audio was a bit fuckish of quality at first, prompting Know-It-All to say it sounded like she "drank too much alcohol". Naturally, V reassured us that she didn't, in a bit of a matter-of-fact tone. And on we went with the class I can barely remember now because...

...well, reasons. Ahemm. So.

First thing about drawing a comparison is always checking the title. But these two titles don't reflect the topic of the poem. "What do they reflect, then?" comes the question from V, only to be met with an eternity-feeling amount of silence. I started feeling bad, so I turned my mic on and said the first thing I could think of, only for it to be correct. What can I say, I'm good at bullshitting.

I was glad to hear her chuckle so much all class through today and just generally to hear her voice again. Then, she asked us something again, which I can't for the life of me remember, silence falling on the voice channel. "I'm... expecting answers for that." V reminded us, me saying an incredibly uncertain "Not really..." to whatever she asked. (It really irks me that I can't remember it ughhh) "Well, yeah, not really..." she repeated, as we went on. But third time around, not even I could save her ass. Sorry, love, shit happens.

"[The new poem] talks about it in depth, [the earlier covered poem] doesn't mention it." I chimed in immediately when V asked us about the two works' views on the future, as some kind of consolation for earlier. That "Exactly." was everything I needed to hear today and more. At that point, I really started feeling like this class was just one long dialogue between V and I. Some people said things occasionally, sure, but her explanations and my occasional inputs made up most of it.

At some point, I moved back into my room, seeing my mum left, and that's when things started going hazy.

You see, The Boyfriend showed up again in the background, working away, much like last week. I did mention he has a very pleasant speaking voice. V did apologise and explained things a little, but I barely listened, along with most of what she said. I was too busy paying attention to the sensory heaven I suddenly got catapulted to, what with these two speaking at the same time. Bandana Friend and I texted back and forth how we couldn't concentrate in conditions like that. You know, I used to be a bit jealous of this guy, though I really repressed it, but now I'm out here stanning both people in the relationship. Anyone with a voice and English proficiency like that immediately gets a way to my heart. Also, I heard that sigh he let out after ending a call. He's one of us. Lmao.

The universe knew it needed to get me out of the bisexual daze, and that V saying shit like "Word of encouragement: don't die." and chuckling at her own joke wasn't enough, so... something quite interesting happened.

"Last week, someone very smartly stated, that (...) [our countrymen] committed crimes and they needed to be punished for it." As soon as V said that, I snapped out of it, gasping. Familiar words, yes, they might be. Because they were mine. My lame joke, the very first thing I said in last week's class, that she even repeated later. Somehow, me being the jokester I am left this much of an impact on her, that she even included it in today's class. Unreal, I tell you. I was beaming with pride. V just indirectly called me very smart. Was it intentional, to see if I'd listen? I'll never know. But I was over the moon.

There's a theme of death in both poems. The earlier one metaphorically, the other quite literally. V talked about the metaphorical one, but this time, I spoke without being asked, and added the comparison myself. "That's exactly what I wanted to say." responded V. Guess even our brains are the same. Then, she started going on about elaborating on this in the future essay, using singular you, so talking to me, before she added: "— this goes for everyone by the way."

She kept prompting me, until I said: "Miss, don't give me ideas, I'll give you too much to read again!" "No problem." And as she kept talking about word limits, I sat there, trying to comprehend how she just encouraged me to keep writing. "No problem." she repeated it again, in a different tone. There was a warmth to it, but also... there was an unwavering calmness and comfort in how she said it. And I really needed to hear that.

Class ended soon after, V telling us to take care of ourselves and I haven't heard from her since. All I can say now is: no problem.

~ S ♡

[Every story I share here, no matter how specific I get with my wording, depicts actual events from my own life.]

#tc #tcc #teacher crush community #female tc #female teacher crush

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tuwasduwillst · 5 years ago

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Shadowbringers (pt 4/end)

This just has spoilers for everything, basically. :U I finished it and don’t feel like splitting stuff up because I have over 1k screenshots to go through...

Katana-bearing Centurion: Besides, there is but one hand that can make me whole again. My enemy... my friend...

He probably just says “friend” there in Japanese, but I don’t have my whole game switched, so I don’t get to know for sure. Good to know you’re still being weird, Zenos.

Don’t you smirk at me like that, mister.

Here’s Urianger being handsome, as usual

I hated fighting this old dude as Thancred.

1) I still can’t believe he can easily take out the WoL like he did

2) Stop making me be sword dudes!!

3) I get why they wanted people to see the dialogue here, but it was so slooooow and I died once near the end and had to do it all over again and ughhh, just go away

Ryne looks cute with her new hair and eyes, at least. :) Thancred is still a bad dad, but at least he’s doing better now... I guess.

Also, Urianger’s reaction to finding out that Thancred was paying attention to some of his talks about pixies was really good, haha.

...I wanna listen to Urianger give a pixie lecture...

Wow

This was something the game threw together when I asked it to pick recommended gear. It’s... some kind of look.

The Exarch/G’raha Tia is a qt. Y’know, I figured it was probably G’raha Tia, but I didn’t remember him being so short... and the lack of cat ears also made me doubt myself, haha.

I’m really glad I did the Crystal Tower stuff, though, because otherwise I’d... well, I’d still think that G’raha Tia/the Exarch is cute and like him a lot, but it wouldn’t have had the same impact.

I took a bunch of screenshots of Mikh’a. :U

& Emet-Selch, ofc

that one old dude: If you would pass me, you must endure all that I have learned on the battlefield... For I am a weapon forged in the fires of war!

~*oooh, I’m so scared of you and your tiny amount of health left*~

My MP doesn’t even have a dent in it, really. This is why I had such a hard time believing this dude could take out the WoL!! Even the first time we fought, I had tons of MP available to me and could’ve made a full recovery from being brought down to 1 HP. (...well, I have Benediction which is kind of cheating, but still.)

At least this was the last time I had to deal with him. He’s probably the worst thing about the expansion, which I guess I can deal with since the rest of it was so good.

Lots of really pretty screenshot opportunities in this expansion. c:

Mt. Gulg is something I thought was common to a bunch of FF games for some reason, but apparently it was in the original Final Fantasy, FFIX, and some random spin-off games. Weird.

How did Mikh’a hear him talking from that far away??

Emet-Selch has such a good design and you can tell that a lot of work was put into him. The expressions he makes, the way he stands and walks--it’s all unique to him and it makes him stand out a lot.

Even after everything that happened in the expansion, I’m really fond of him. They made the right move in having him kind of forge a more personal relationship with you/the WoL, because if he hadn’t been obnoxious in the background throughout most of the expansion it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as interesting/good as it ended up being.

I obviously chose to say that they were all Alphinaud’s assistants. :P

This little scene was so cute... lali-hos for everyone...

Crystal Exarch: Ugh! I would thank you not to shoot me!

I’m sorryyyyyy ; ~; You were there and I wanted to see what would happen!!!

Crystal Exarch: Ah heh... It may interest you to know that Mikh’a is a great hero in the land whence he hails. Some would say the greatest.

This little venture made me feel like I’d suddenly gotten married and adopted a child

(Which I’d be totally fine with, tbh.)

I loved this thing, actually!! I got to heal G’raha Tia, he healed me, we both healed our new tiny dwarf child, it was great.

I’m still using the Mogrod. I’m never going to stop using it. Give me another thing that has a flower and swirly rainbows all over and maybe I’ll switch weapons, but until then? No.

...unless there’s, like... a really, really pretty plant weapon, especially if it matches Mikh’a’s outfit... but I don’t think there is.

I got to put my bubble on them. :D

He’s so cuuuuuute. And Mikh’a clearly agrees with my thoughts on him, considering the expression on his face when he looks at him.

One of the reasons I keep Mikh’a wearing the WHM gear is because I really like the contrast I get--a lot of the major characters wear black, so it looks nice when they stand next to each other. :D

Katana-bearing Centurion: The whereabouts of my one true friend, however--they interest me greatly. I but hope the beasts of this “First” are providing him proper sport.

Zenos is so funny to me. He just pops up like “did someone mention my friend” while his dad and Elidibus are having a serious conversation.

Innocence has beautiful hair and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I’d never believe that he was Vauthry.

You can kind of see @tarifu in this screenshot! :D

You can definitely see her here--wait... why is half the party wearing dwarf beard outfits...

This is probably weird to say, but I genuinely like when characters I play in games like this suffer/are in pain. Not, like... constantly. I just like it when NPCs get to express concern and you aren’t some kind of unbreakable hero 24/7. >_>

Obviously I was going to say his name, who wouldn’t.

This made me cry!! I thought he was dead. :C

But thankfully Emet-Selch didn’t want him dead, so he did not die.

...why’d he even need a gun? Has he always had a gun?

I wish I could just float off into the sky after ruining everything and being a big jerk

sad kitty

I died when I came here with Jack and Mari because I didn’t realize I was being targeted by the boss until it was too late. :,)

I got to practice using my shield, though!! I’m not used to having one so I’m not super great at remembering it exists and using it; the tether thing is a good visual for “this specific person is going to be damaged soon and a shield would be Good”. ...unless everyone’s bunched up and I can’t tell who has it until it’s too late, I guess.

I know I’m level 80 now, but there’s still a lot I haven’t done and I’m still trying to figure out what the best way to do things is sometimes... I still need to mess with my hotbars and stuff, actually. I think I might switch some things around more than I already have, because some useful things aren’t as easy to use as they could/should be and I’ve been wanting to mess around with stuff for a while. The Trust dungeons should be a really good opportunity to test new configurations! Or the squad dungeons, I guess. :/a

I’m still not Ardbert’s biggest fan, but I don’t dislike him.

Poor Urianger, getting stuck with the role of the only other person to know the Exarch’s plans. :(

& then everyone died going to the bottom of the sea and the game ended

I got to help put dwarf helmets on sineaters :U

I also remembered that I have fancy wings now, wheee

I got a nice new outfit after doing my last Healer role quest! :D I like it a lot~ The whites are brighter than the last outfit, and the bit in back accommodates his tail much better than the corset did.

I might play around with mixing and matching some pieces once I get newer stuff, but for now this is what I’ve got! c:

...and I refuse to wear the hat. 100%. I’m not making Mikh’a look like a weird nun. :|

Amaurot was really good, even if being there mostly just made me sad. >_> The not-people were so cute and nice, though...

Big

The WoL hanging out on this giant bench is so cute.

I liked getting to talk to Emet-Selch’s friend. c: Well... kind of, anyway. Since it’s not really his friend...

tiny

Emet-Selch: I have broken bread with you, fought with you, grown ill, grown old! Sired children and yes, welcomed death’s sweet embrace.

I still don’t 100% understand how Ascians work, but I guess it’s canon that Emet-Selch fucks :/a

I regret typing that, I think, but it is apparently true

i think your fireplace has something wrong with it

Really though, this dungeon was excellent.

Alisaie decided that she wanted to LB right as one of the bosses was doing one of those “hide behind a rock Or You Will Die” things so she died & I accidentally walked right off the edge near the end of the last boss fight (oops), but other than that things went okay!

ardbert could you please clean your axe somehow before you point it at me like that. tia

This was a really neat moment :U

I’m not calling Emet-Selch Hades ever. Sorry, Emet-Selch.

I was kind of afraid to do this trial and almost waited until someone would be able to do it with me, but it really wasn’t that bad in the end!

...except for when I died five times to the same attack... orz It was that arm-sweeping one, too, so it’s not like it’s not obvious that it’s coming. My problem was that I kept getting Raised in bad places right before it happened, so he basically just kept smacking me down over and over again.

(Which was partially my fault, because I should’ve waited to accept the Raise until I knew it was safe to be alive, but... I don’t like leaving the other healer alone and I don’t want to just be lying there uselessly if I can avoid it.)

Fortunately(?) the party wiped due to something completely unrelated (a failed mechanic I had nothing to do with) and I didn’t die at all the second time around! So at least there was that.

I liked this bit in the dark. c:

I also liked when I got trapped in the bubble and didn’t have to do anything. Thanks, Emet-Selch!

Genuinely though, it was a nice little chance for me to calm the hell down because my anxiety was getting real bad before/during this fight. >_>

Poor dude. :c Obviously he’s responsible for some absolutely terrible things and I’m not going to try to deny that or anything, but he’s lived for so long and he’s had to deal with the loss of basically everyone he ever cared about for that whole time. He recreated that entire city and all of its people, that’s how much he cared.

Still no excuse for basically trying to kill all of the people he didn’t consider “real”! But also still sad, IMO.

This made me go “awww” out loud and start to tear up, haha...

I didn’t want to leave him ; ~;

Estinien said a full sentence here about how these guards were dead, too (in a way that implied he assumed that’s what they’d find), and the localization translated it as “hmph”. Kind of a weird choice there, but okay.

Zenos basically went Full Yandere since he killed his father just because he could potentially get in the way of his thing with the WoL, so... that’s something that’s going to have to be dealt with at some point.

I’m interested in seeing how things go, but I’m also a wee bit concerned that other people might get caught up in whatever this obsession is. I don’t want anyone to get hurt or killed because of Zenos’s yandere tendencies. :(

Elidibus is being Boring on the moon.

But who cares about that! I got to lead a Girl Scout meeting for my level 80 WHM quest.

Oh! Almost forgot about the story I got to tell the girls: “The tale of a man who crossed time and space to save the world... and me.”

I think the second one is about (original) Minfilia, maybe? :/a I wanted to tell them about G’raha Tia, though.

Aaaand that’s all I’ve done! \o/ I unlocked a new dungeon and I know there’s more than one post-80 dungeon, so I’ll probably check those out when I get a chance... but I finished the main stuff.

Which is kinda weird, because now I’m done again, haha... but I’ve got plenty of stuff to do before the next new stuff comes out. Especially since I discovered that Vamo alla Flamenco is the “dancer’s theme”, apparently. Need to dance ASAP >:O

#game: ffxiv

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riviae · 6 years ago

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just venting abt my own indecisiveness lmao:

i’m so stressed rt now :/

i’m graduating which is great, but i honestly don’t know what to do next. i’ve got a few viable options but i’m frozen at the crossroads of my education out of sheer indecisiveness. what’s the right choice?? is there such a thing as a ‘right’ choice?? should i fight for the hardest path or should i take the easier path, the one with the least remaining schooling? if i make a standard cost-benefit analysis then of course the easiest option is the best--but it feels like i’m giving up on my original dream.

option 1: med school. that’s what all this work’s been abt--there needs to be doctors that are knowledgeable & supportive of lgbt+, neurodivergent, and disabled ppl as well as poc & understand how these identities intersect/overlap. the state of biomedical ethics is absolutely awful right now--it’s not a required course/topic in the majority of medical schools & so doctors are never really challenged to think past their inherent biases or how they should treat their patients or how knowing a patient’s background can aid in the patient-doctor relationship. patients aren’t a commodity, yet i can count on 1 hand the amt of doctors who know the 4 established virtues of medical ethics or can even explain them: beneficence (you must do what is best/good for the patient), maleficence (”do no harm”), justice (i.e., appropriate rationing of health care, services, supplies, & actively keeping historically-targeted groups of medical malpractice from harm), & autonomy (arguably the most important imo--the patient has their own autonomy & a doctor can /never/ take that away/do things against the patient’s will, which, by definition, makes mental health institutions unethical but i digress).

rt now i’m interested in working as either a neurologist, psychiatrist, pathologist, or specializing specifically in rural medicine (i.e., underserved populations/small towns), but can i really devote the next 8 yrs of my life to an occupation wrought w/ sky-high suicide rates, 36 hr shifts, & all the emotional trauma that comes w/ a field so intertwined w/ death?? idk if i’m strong enough for the demands. i don’t have any interest in money or prestige (i’d prefer to have no attention at all honestly), but i just wanna use my love of science to do some good, no matter how small.

option 2: PhD in neuro. makes logical sense since i’m getting my MSc in a month & also neuro is my fave science of any subfield. i could do a lot of good w/ my research interests (that being of neurodivergent populations--seeing as i have adhd myself). understanding the neurological mechanism(s) behind neurodevelopmental disorders, for instance, can help in reducing harmful symptoms of certain disorders ((note: i do not mean wanting to ‘cure’ autism or anything that obtuse. more like providing pharmacological or genetic-based approaches to therapies. so for instance, i’m a big supporter of the cortical excitability hypothesis of autism which basically states that difficulties in sensory processing, insofar as being especially attentive to stimuli i.e., hypersensitivity/hyposensitivity is concerned, is due to the cortex’s inability to mitigate excitatory signals. so an ASD individual will experience sound or touch/texture aversion bc their brains are truly experiencing the sensory inputs at an incredibly high or low signal, as if their brain is a radio stuck continuously at a volume of either 100 or zero. it’s also why ASD & epilepsy are so often found to be comorbid--hypersensitivity to stimuli is more common & cortical excitability/excess firing of neurons outside of phase synchrony can explain the mechanics behind epilepsy too. oh, & this could also explain adhd symptoms since adhd and autism have considerable overlap both in symptoms as well as brain structure pathology). long story short, academia is great for me bc i love teaching, learning, and putting my brain to use (studying other brains). it’s a good fit & i’d be happy......... but i still have my own hesitations bc academia, esp science, is historically a field wrought w/ misogyny, racism, classism, u name it. it’s a mess™

option 3: pathologists’ assistant. the easy road. i could matriculate in jan (assuming i’d be accepted) & complete the degree in 2 yrs. i’d be able to teach, do clinical stuff (tissue sample analysis, post mortem autopsies, etc.), all w/o having to do all the paperwork, patient-juggling, & long hours that doctors do. i could specialize in pediatric pathology (by applying for a job at a children’s hospital) and really feel like i’m doing good work, helping to make accurate diagnoses of samples & leave it to the docs to tailor their treatment to my diagnosis. i love puzzles/solving things. this would give me a lot to do & it’d be good, honest work. it’d be behind-the-scenes so i wouldn’t need to overextend my naturally shy personality too much either. & the starting salaries are a real nice bonus (insofar as paying off my current student loans are concerned). but idk if i’m as passionate abt tissue sampling as i am abt the brain. i don’t wanna settle for a job simply bc it’s arguably easier than my other academic pursuits and makes good money or is ‘safe.’ ughhh can someone make the decision for me lol?

& all this doesn’t even touch upon my own inferiority complex/inability to recognize my achievements as actual achievements. like sometimes i wonder if i’m even smart or capable of reaching any of my academic goals :/ as they say, u are always gonna be ur biggest critic. 2019 was supposed to be the yr i learned to love myself (or at least my brain), but i fell off at some point & i’m struggling to see my self worth as more than what i ascribe by default to myself & others (since all humans have intrinsic value no matter what imo).

#hannah rambles into the void #// don't rb pls #just a casual thursday night vent post explaining my current job-based woes #these are the thoughts that i struggle w/ on an everyday basis ://///#will likely delete later bc this is just an emotion-fueled post abt nothing #full of sound and fury signifying nothing <-- me & my bs #congrats to anyone who manages to read thru all that & doesn't get a headache cause that's where i am rt now #not tw3

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perfectisme-georgette · 7 years ago

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Summary: All about Georgette pretty much ahaha I had started this when I was trying to figure out who in the world I was going to end up with and finally finished it completely todayyy!!!!

Trigger Warnings: Rape

ORIGINS & FAMILY:

Name: Georgette Ryelyn Midler

Nickname: Close friends call her Georgie and are the only ones who are allowed to do so (she’s very particular with who can give her a nickname). Her dad calls her his Princess.

Reason for name: She was named after her paternal grandmother, who passed away when her father was very young

Birthday: October 25th, 1993

Age: Twenty-Three

Gender: Female

Place of birth: New York City, New York (Manhattan specifically)

Places lived since: Up until now that she lives in Swynlake, Georgette has only lived in NYC. She has vacationed and traveled practically every where though.

Parents’ names, backgrounds, occupations: William and Addison Midler. William is a famously known news anchor in NYC and Addison is currently a stay-at-home mother/wife. Addison was in the pageantry life and had won Miss America two years straight. It was in an interview about her win that William and Addison met and they had hit it off since then. On top of their careers, both of Georgette’s parents hail from old money.

Number of siblings: None, Georgette is the only princess

Relationship with family (close? estranged?): In the beginning, Georgette was very close, especially with her father (she was such a daddy’s little girl). Now, however, with making her stay quiet about her trauma and then practically shipping her off after their master plan of keeping quiet severely screwed their daughter up, Georgette has no relationship with either one of them.

Happiest memory: Her happiest memory was her very first pageant win because after that very first win Georgette practically took the pageant world by storm and even broke the record for the most wins to date.

Childhood trauma: Georgette’s childhood was absolutely beautiful. It was full of glamour, luxury, everything. There really wasn’t any kind of trauma in sight. That came later in life.

Children of his/her own?: None

If so, relationship with their mother/father?: N/A

Age he/she gave birth/became a father: N/A

PHYSICAL

Height: 5’ 7” (wow she’s actually pretty tall)

Weight: 120 lbs

Build: Slim

Nationality: American since she was born in the states.

Disabilities (physical or mental, including mental illnesses): Georgette is currently suffering from PTSD, but she’s not exactly aware of it since she’s never been formally diagnosed with it. She is unstable as far as her spiraling is concerned haha. She’s taking into drinking, wouldn’t say she is an alcoholic, but the drinking does help her forget about her trauma.

Complexion (freckles, acne, skin tone, birth marks): Georgette has clear and clean skin, currently without acne or any blemishes. She’s very into skin care and keeping on top of her own skin.

Distinguishing facial features: Her eyes!!!!!!! Ughhh Georgette has gorgeous, and beautiful ocean blue eyes!!!!!

Hair color: Blonde

Usual hair style: Georgette’s hair is usually up, most of the time in a very pristine ponytail, but lately it’s been down and loose in waves which is her natural hair.

Eye color: Blueeeee

Glasses? Contacts?: None

Style of dress/typical outfit(s): Georgette always dresses to impress. Never has anything less than designer clothing on. She has a very clean-cut, classy look to her. Comfortable for her means a pair of heels. She’s very into skirts and dresses prefers those over pants, but is definitely not oppose to jeans as you’ll see her wear them when she goes out, that or a cocktail dress.

Typical style of shoes: Heels!!! Louboutins, stilettos, pumps, you guys get the deal haha

Health (is this person usually sick? or very resilient?): Physical wise, Georgette is very healthy. She’s extremely into keeping fit, and goes to the gym daily. She has a gymnastics history on her. A talent is needed for pageants and she has been doing gymnastics since very young.

Grooming (does she/he wear makeup? shower daily? wear only clean clothes? pluck her eyebrows?): Georgette never steps out of her place without looking completely immaculate from head to toe. She is hugely into make-up. In fact, she does her own make-up, rarely did she like when make-up artist had to do it for her during photoshoots and/or commercials. There is never a hair out of place or a nail undone. Her clothes are pristine and Georgette showers a lot!!!! Ever since the trauma she can’t find herself clean enough.

Jewelry? Tattoos? Piercings?: The standard two piercings on her ears. Her parents disapproved of anything else. Now, she does have a long dream catcher tattoo that covers her entire right torso. It’s covering a scar she had gotten during the night of the rape. She got it done much to her parents disapproval when she began her spiral. She actually really likes it and ended up getting another tattoo, a star, on her left foot that could sometimes be seen depending on the heel she’s wearing.

Accent?: A New York accent if that counts for anything? But she’s really good at turning it off.

Unique mannerisms/physical habits (bites nails, talks with hands, taps feet when restless): Georgette is very expressive with her hands and talks with them a lot especially when angry. She’s very horrible with having patience (we are working on that haha) and you can tell when she’s reaching her limits because she starts tapping her fingers on the nearest counter. If she’s very nervous, aside from the normal body tensing, Georgette tends to incessantly turn whatever bracelet she has on on her wrist.

Athletic?: Actually, yeah she kind of is haha. Georgette makes an effort to hit the gym daily because she does believe in keeping her body fit. She also has a long gymnastics history behind her. After the trauma, she took up kick-boxing and self-defense classes.

INTELLECT

Level of education (high school drop out, undergrad BA/BS, PhD, MD, etc.): Georgette graduated from Columbia University in New York. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business and Chemistry. Business was more so for her parents who pushed towards making sure she had something such as that under her belt. Chemistry was her own personal choice. Georgette is very into make-up so she became interested in the properties involved with it. She needs to make sure whatever she puts on her skin is healthy and would not cause her damage!!!!!

Level of self esteem: To the public eye, Georgette appears to have an extremely high self esteem. She always has her head up and exudes confidence. She can have a cutting bite to her words when necessary and could appear very full of herself. Inside, however, Georgette feels like extremely used goods, and basically hates herself.

Gifts/talents: Georgette can singggg. Shocker hidden talent there haha. She took singing lessons around the same time she started her gymnastics because she didn’t want to have just one talent to present while doing her pageants. She can actually sing pretty damn good!!!

Shortcomings: Homegirl doesn’t exactly have the best of patience. She can also have quite the temper and be very feisty. She has no problem barking back when the temper hits and Georgette can be pretty spoiled. (It’s some thing that is also being worked on haha)

Style of speech (loud, mumbler, articulate, etc.): Georgette is articulate with her manner of speech, at the same time though when that temper gets spiked the woman can get loud. Rarely does she curse, but again get her angry at just the right angle and she’ll give two flying shits about cursing not being lady-like.

“Left brain” or “right brain” thinker?: Ummm, she’s probably a bit more of a left brain person, but not all the way, so maybe sort of a mix.

Artistic?: Aside from her musical talents in singing, nope not at all. She can appreciate all forms of art, but she can’t draw for shit or do anything along those realms.

Mathematical?: Now math she is very good at, probably ten times better then me!!!! Which means I’m screwed, but like she majored in Chemistry so that sharpened her math skills tremendously.

Languages? Georgette can fluently speak French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. She knows Latin as well, but you know that’s a dead language soooo. Her parents thought it was very important for her daughter to have a variety of languages under her belt.

Makes decisions based mostly on emotions, or on logic?: Emotions. I really wanted to say logic because she has been raised to do so, so like it’s second nature to her, but Georgette can be very impulsive and will react to emotions in a heartbeat.

Neuroses: None

Life philosophy: If you want something done perfectly, you have to do it yourself.

Religious stance: She doesn’t have a particular stand

Cautious or daring?: Daring. Maybe in the beginning she might have been a little more cautious because she had the media constantly behind her tail, but not really anymore.

Optimist or pessimist?: Probably a bit of both. She’s more so of a realist than anything, at least now she is.

Extrovert or introvert?: Extrovert!!!!

Level of comfort with technology: Very comfortable!!! Georgette basically grew up around technology.

RELATIONSHIPS

Current marital/relationship status: Single

Sexual orientation: Heterosexual

Past relationships: Georgette has been in a couple of relationships here and there. None lasted super long. She definitely had her flingsss. Her last relationship was her longest and she thought that her ex would be like the #one and yeahhhh umm things went bad haha.

A social person? (popular, loner, some close friends, makes friends and then quickly drops them): Georgette is like a social butterfly. She does love talking to people, especially those that giver her attention hahaha. She’s not so much like that now. She’ll talk to people, yeah, but she keeps a little distant too because of the trauma that she has been through. Plus, she use to be heavy in the media and now that she ran off she’s not trying to have that many people know her.

Most comfortable around (person): Right now she doesn’t know a whole of a lot of people in Swynlake, so she’s probably the most comfortable around Perdita since they were close childhood friends.

Oldest friend: Tiffany is her oldest friend and her best-friend who funnily enough she isn’t speaking too right now haha. Aside from her, her oldest friend would have to be Perdita.

SECRETS

Life goals: Ummmmmmm right now she’s in the process of trying to figure out what exactly that issssss since her life has been turned COMPLETELY upside down. Before though, she wanted to be successful in her pageantry career and then settle down with like the perfect husband and all that jazz. Now she barely believes that there is such a thing as a healthy and sweet, genuine relationship and she finds love to be all bullshit.

Dreams: Georgette’s biggest dream was to become Miss America and even beat her own mother’s run, but it doesn’t seem like that dream will be happening what with everything that has occurred.

Greatest fears: That would currently be that what had happened to her could end up happening again.

Most ashamed of: Georgette’s the most ashamed of the fact that she had listened to her parents when she had returned home after the rape had occurred. She’s ashamed of the fact that she never reported it, never went to the police and essentially allowed a criminal a free card to what had happened to her.

Compulsions: Every time Georgette drinks wine or even champagne, she needs to gently twirl her glass cup three times, or she won’t drink it.

Obsessions: Chocolate, she loves chocolate. Any kind makes her very happy. Georgette is a chocolate addict okay, just like shower her in chocolate!!!!

Secret hobbies: Georgette actually loves scrapbooking!!!!! And she looovvessss dancing.

Secret skills: Georgette is extremely flexible. It stemmed from her gymnastic background, but she’s also double jointed on her arms and legs since she was young. It was the reason her mother had placed her in gymnastics, since Addison realized the potential that could bring for her daughter.

Crimes committed (and was he/she caught? charged?): Let’s seeeeee, well she was never charged for anything. Mommy and daddy Midler were good at paying off who ever needed to get paid to keep things under wraps. She really only started going cray cray after what happened to her. She has driven while drunk, gone skinny dipping, has tried prescription drugs, and ummm anything really stupid that a person would do while being very drunk Georgette has most likely done. Yeeaappp.

What he/she most wants to change about his/her current life: That the night of the rape had never occurred!!!! It ruined her life and Georgette wishes for nothing more then it to be erased from existence.

What he/she most wants to change about his/her physical appearance:Nothing actually, Georgette loves her physical appearance. She finds herself to be divinely beautiful. Errr well we’re having issues with that right now because presently she hates herself and can hardly even look at herself in the mirror because of it, BUTTTTTT before hand pffttt Georgette was like in love with herself hahaha.

DETAILS/QUIRKS

Night owl or early bird?: Night Owl

Light or heavy sleeper?: Heavy

Favorite food: Italian food, anything Italian she loves. She kind of has a guilty pleasure for pizza. I mean NYC does make the best pizza aroundddd, but you know for a rich girl who’s suppose to be eating healthy and whatnot, Georgette would stuff down a pizza asap. Screw eating ettiquteeee.

Least favorite food: Sea food. She does like shrimp though, but other then that Georgette isn’t a fan of any sea type food.

Favorite book: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Least favorite book: The Great Expectations by Charles Dickinson.

Favorite movie: Mean Girls hahahaha I am so mad too that that is her favorite movie

Least favorite movie: She’s not that much of a fan for comedy movies. They hardly ever make her laugh, and half of the time she finds them more pointless then anything.

Favorite song: I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston. Georgette is such 80′s trash when it comes to music.

Least favorite song: Anything that’s basically Heavy Metal. She just has never been able to get into that she feels like it’s all basically screaming.

Coffee or tea?: Coffee annnddd of course Georgette always has some complicated ass order when she asks for a coffee.

Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?: Smooth

Lefty or righty?: Righty

Favorite color: Pink!!!!!!!!!! That shouldn’t even be a question for Georgette hahaha

Cusser?: Georgette was brought up to be an absolute lady hahahaha sighhhhh, buttttt get her angry enough and she’ll forget all of that and will start cursing.

Smoker? Drinker? Drug user?: Never smoked, but she does drink. Drinking has sadly become like a medicine of sorts for Georgette. She isn’t a drug user, but she can’t say she hasn’t tried some prescriptions during parties she has hopped into. Wow Georgette you are a mess…..

Biggest regret: Georgette’s biggest regret is the same as her biggest shame. She wishes that she would’ve reported her rape, spoken up, ANYTHING. She feels like it’s too late to do anything about it now and it’s a guilt that eats at her a lot!!!

Pets?: She has a POODLE!!!!!! hahahaha I couldn’t resist I’m so sorry!!!!! Her name is Peaches, you know like Georgia peach hahahahahaha sighh I think I’m funny xDD

#knowing georgette #this thing is soo long idk why I found such a long character sheet #let's seee if I actually go around doing this with any of my othersss hahaha

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thegazeofficial-blog · 8 years ago

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Our Favorite Videos of 2016

“I Am Chemistry” - Yeasayer

Released: January 7, 2016

Director(s): New Media Limited

Hunter: Okay. First of all, just look at this whole giving birth scene in the first 30 seconds of the video.

Kirk: They’re like “Hi, if you can’t handle this weird-ass claymation imagery, stop watching now.”

H: That’s the real allure of this video. What’s claymation and what’s digital animation? I don’t understand what I’m watching which automatically gives this video a psychedelic edge, but then it just gets weirder and continues to make sure I have no idea what’s happening.

K: It’s a great marriage of song and video. It made me like the song. I don’t even know how to describe what we’re watching except for we’re in some other-worldly acid trip. It’s very Adult Swim “Off the Air” stuff.

H: Yeah, don’t do drugs, but if you ever do drugs and proceed to watch music videos, pick this one.

K: No, do drugs. We’re condoning drugs. A smoking sesh would definitely be good for this video.

H: Well, we do get some interesting lights and dancing, which are common ingredients for a good music video, but what really sold me on this video is the amount of detail. I can’t even break it down to describe it in a meaningful way because there’s just so much going on.

K: Yeah! That’s what makes it great! Whoever made this music video... I don’t know what I’m looking at, and that’s true psychedelia. Like who are you? What’s happening? Can I join your cult? These are the questions I’m thinking.

“Chasing Shadows” - Santigold

Released: January 15, 2016

Director: Elliot Lester

H: Umm.. first of all, looks.

K: Looks!!! She’s so effortlessly cool. I love all of her looks... Like yes, work getting that orange juice from the convenience store, girl. I wish I looked like that when I was just running errands. I love the color schemes. It’s nice to see videos that embrace lots of colors.

H: I think people stay away from color because it’s hard to do well, but she knows exactly how to execute it well. I love this aestheticization of mundane everyday activities, causing you to read into them more.

K: I also love that it’s Christmas in this video, which continues to allow it to have lots of lights and be very colorful.

H: Yeah, she’s living this middle-class housewife fantasy, although it’s very dystopian. She’s always alone. Never happy. Just has her TV to keep her company...

K: And it’s actually just static on the screen...

H: Nobody’s at her dinner party. And in this one scene, she appears like a giant in this suffocatingly small room. I feel like she’s giving us this commentary on the emptiness of the “American Dream” sold to women..

K: I agree. And it’s just enforced in everything. The clawfoot bathtub, the classic beehive hairdo, that 50′s mod dress... everything.

H: Yeah, it’s all very... “look how unfulfilling the aspirations of femininity our society prescribes to women are.”

“Chasing Shadows,” is that like a thing? Is that like a phrase people say or did she make it up?

K: It’s a thing. It’s like Peter Pan... chasing something you can’t catch.

H: Oh... well yeah. Then there you go.

(Both laugh)

H: *sighs* Well, here it is then, the American Dream.

K: She’s got great decorating skills though...

H: Yeah, honestly I wouldn’t be that mad...

“Kill V. Maim” - Grimes

Released: January 19, 2016

Director(s): Claire Boucher & Mac Boucher

K: I don’t even have time to unpack all of the imagery that’s happening in this video. It’s like a post-modern... iconoclast.. like mish-mash of everything that Grimes is, and I’m obsessed with it. Let’s just say what she’s giving us. She’s giving me “Akira.” She’s giving me anime. She’s giving me “Kill Bill.” She’s giving me like... 60′s samurai movie? What else? It’s goth... It’s grunge... It’s 90′s rave... She’s giving us 80′s sci-fi... She’s giving us like Dolly Parton meets Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson... She’s like “Oh yeah, also here’s my art! Also, I directed this video! Also, I styled this whole thing!”

H: It’s steampunk... it’s vampires... My favorite part of this new era of Grimes is that it’s a very hyperbolized version of what she was before. So she really is just giving us all of the elements of Grimes in a big way.

K: If there was ever any restraint to Grimes, it’s gone. As someone who’s a filmmaker and who has a very specific inner world, I’m really inspired by Grimes. She takes everything she loves, throws it on the wall, and is like “Screw it. I’m going to include everything that I’m about.”

H: This mosh pit rave is such a a great ecstatic moment. I love the idea of this small white girl aestheticizing her aggression and highlighting this violent part of human nature in an artistic way that most people choose to neglect.

K: I love how bloody it is. She was definitely a goth in high school that would secretly listen to Mariah Carey and wouldn’t tell her friends.

H: It’s really every goth/emo nerds’ dream. I want to live in this video. It hits on a lot of subcultures that don’t get addressed by other pop artists... Look at those “Legend of Zelda” hearts on the top of the screen! Like, c’mon! There’s so many amazing outfits... like this guy in the same visor that Beyoncé wore in her “7/11″ video....

K: There’s also really only 3 or 4 settings... As a filmmaker, it shows you can make a great video with limited resources. This video probably didn’t cost that much to make.

H: Aside from the “Mad Max” caravan through some Tokyo-esque city, we’re really just getting a lot of fun dancing in great costumes in like 3-4 settings... and that’s all you need when it comes to music videos! Exhibit A.

“Wedding” - Poliça

Released: January 28, 2016

Director: Ryan Kron Thompson

K: Okay, obviously this comes off as a Sesame Street/Muppet-esque kids show. It’s even shot in full screen like an old TV show.

H: Yeah, I think it’s very much in vain of all the other forms of 90′s nostalgia that are trendy right now.

K: It’s like a dark beautiful PSA for the youth. They’re telling them things kids need to know, like police need a warrant to search you. I mean, these are things that I/any of us need to remember.

H: It’s very effective taking the format of a typically wholesome educational kids show and giving us some hard truths, especially for people of color. It’s like why doesn’t this already exist? Oh yeah, because mainstream media is tailored for a white audience.

K: The police brutality... The gas coming over them... I can’t handle this... But then again it still has kind of funny moments like Sesame Street. The juxtaposition helps with the dark undertones of the video.

H: It’s depressing, but these are conversations that should be normalized. I like how frantic and disorganized it is at the end. It takes it back to the idea that this is revolutionary subversive rebellion, even though the original presentation is very tame.

“Formation” - Beyoncé

Released: February 6, 2016

Director: Melina Matsoukas

K: What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this video? What’s cool is that this came out before Lemonade, and we’re getting introduced to this Southern Imagery. “Formation” is much more a portrait of New Orleans over the other videos in Lemonade though. From the opening shot with the police car, the mardi gras wear, the wig shop... we get to see a profile of the people of New Orleans.

H: A post-Katrina New Orleans, which really isn’t talked about enough. My main take away from Formation/Lemonade was how powerful the images were of Beyoncé occupying spaces that black women’s narratives are usually excluded from.

The swimming pool scene originally got me thinking about this, because it gave me a visual that forced me to think harder about what it was like back when public pools were segregated, and then about all of the other disgusting aspects of antebellum Southern culture in general.

And Beyoncé asserting the power of a black woman’s narrative continues throughout Lemonade. In the “Don’t Hurt Yourself” video, Beyoncé is this badass that you don’t want to cross in this parking garage, and it’s a total flip of the script of the way I, and probably most femme-identifying people, feel in parking garages, which is vulnerable to attack. I think it totally highlights the relationship between women and violence in that setting in a subversive af way.

Although the “Formation” parking lot scene did seem kind of random alongside all the other scenes from this video...

K: It captures a more modern mode of black representation, like 90′s hip-hop video. it’s trying to cover lots of different ground all at once which helps it be a good intro to Lemonade. The little boy breakdancing in front of the SWAT team is some of the most powerful imagery of the whole video. It’s so bold for Beyoncé.

H: That scene is amazing because it’s surface-level controversial, because nobody wants to talk about the way people of color and police are interacting, but it’s actually very sweet and pacifist, because they end up dancing and putting their hands up

K: On a superficial level, the looks and choreography and the aesthetic are all amazing and visually entertaining.

H: Oh, yeah. And there’s that.

“So Much It Hurts” - Niki & the Dove

Released: February 11, 2016

Directors: Gustavo Torres & Clara Luzian

K: I just want to say, as someone with tattoos of pixelated palm trees on their arms, that this video is everything to me. This is my dream pop dream come true. When I’m stoned in bed, this is the world I want to live in. Everything about this video is 80′s to tee from the old school supernintendo style imagery... the Tron-esque CGI...

H: The neon cityscapes... the record player... It’s also kinda giving us Windows ‘95 screensaver... It doesn’t matter what’s going on in this video, because it’s all aesthetic af.

K: Just make sure to include me going “Ugh! UGHHH!” a million times.

H: My favorite scenes are these psychedelic transition scenes with the shooting stars in the background, I’m a sucker for that kind of thing. Then, I love love love that she briefly emerges in one of those scenes as a neon power-ballad singing diva.

K: I think it’s a cool choice that she’s barely in the video. They concentrate their time on maximizing the amount of cheesy 80′s vibes. I love that it knows it, owns it, and pushes it.

H: Yes, and it’s funny how It seems like it’s going to tell a story in the beginning with these pairs of legs, but it’s mainly like let’s just party and dance.

“Upside Down & Inside Out” - OK Go

Released: February 11, 2016

Directors: Damian Kulash Jr. & Trish Sie

H: You can hate on it all you want, but OK Go are a band who really invests in their music videos, and that’s clearly what we’re about.

K: It’s just all so precious and kitschy, but they do do a certain thing that nobody else does... I’m just not a huge fan. It’s not like they hugely influenced music videos, they’re just known specifically for doing this sort of thing.

H: I disagree. The “Here It Goes Again” video was hugely influential in the aspect that it got a lot of people talking about that music video. People who wouldn’t normally watch music videos. They definitely have mastered the art of creating something visual for their music, even if it’s not high art or using the cinematographic tools you admire/respect.

Of the two videos they released in 2016, I like this one more because the zero gravity allows them to create really original and exciting visuals. I don’t really like it when they spend half the video explaining the technique behind it’s creation.

K: I don’t care if it costs $20 million to make, if I don’t care about its aesthetic, then I just don’t care. That’s how I feel about them. It’s all very silly and like “Whoaaa! What are they gonna do next???”

H: ...it’s good.

(laughter)

K: It is impressive. No other comment.

“Voodoo in My Blood” - Massive Attack & Young Fathers

Released: February 23, 2016

Director: Andrzej Żuławski

H: Okay, who is this woman again?

K: Rosemund Pike. She’s probably best known as the woman from Gone Girl. Massive Attack is still huge in the U.K. and so it’s badass that they could have this Oscar-nominated actress to be in this weird/dark as f*ck video.

H: Yes, I love that it all takes place in the same setting of this underground train station, yet it’s fully enthralling. It makes me wonder more about the story, like what is the world above this? Where was she coming from? Where is she going?

K: The lighting, the colors, and her outfit are all great, but what really makes it work is her acting. She gives it some Oscar-level commitment for this weird sci-fi Massive Attack video that totally sells it. I love this abandoned underground London tunnel and this weird-ass avant-garde dance... I’m pretty sure this is drawing inspiration from this scene in Possession. God bless whoever choreographed this. This is like how I dance alone in my room because I have no dance moves.

H: The dancing’s my favorite part! I like the lack of control, such a beautiful aspect of dance, being connected to something violent and lack of control in a very dark dystopian way. The way she’s slamming against everything and sweaty and fearful and joyous at times... It really amplifies the song. It’s enticing in a violent and beautiful way.

K: The video really makes me like the song. It’s almost like the soundtrack that’s killing it to this very cinematic scene. It’s bringing cinematography to music videos, and not as many people are doing conceptual videos these days.

H: We’re getting some serious Black Mirror realness. It really makes you think about technology even if you don’t know what you’re thinking about it, but it’s fine because it’s also just pleasant and interesting to watch.

“Ablaze” - School of Seven Bells

Released: March 28, 2016

Director: Alan Del Rio Ortiz

K: So more straight music video aesthetic, but like... deal with it! Sad girl goes out in a shoegaze dream to a tee. It’s just like... us.

H: “Sad girl” is always my favorite aesthetic, which is why I’m obsessed with this. To me it is so similar to Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” video of her just singing but chopped up with all of this other imagery that fully embellishes on her aesthetic, but this is more of what I actually vibe with. It even has a blooming flower like the “Video Games” video... like, c’mon! I just want to have this song playing in my headphones as I’m riding the bus home late at night under the influence and staring out at the city while being pensive/sad.

K: I’m more into when she’s being sad in her bed, but with the cool lights on her...

H: I mean... that is what you’re into... but what I’M into is about being sad out on the town and drowning in the city.

K: Yeah, you’re a little younger than me... but you’ll get to where I’m at one day. Going out on the town does kind of have a cinematic feeling in real life too though. It’s mundane, but it makes you feel like your life is exciting and beautiful. It’s cool to see that captured.

H: I feel like this is tumblr youth culture to a tee right now, and it’s brilliant because it’s like... of course this is in existence, but it hasn’t been done quite to this level yet.

K: Yeah, it’s on the nose in the best way. What I love about nostalgia and throwbacks is that you can take all the elements that we connect to and you can put them back together again... like a shoegaze Humpty Dumpty.

“Your Best American Girl” - Mitski

Released: April 13, 2016

Director: Zia Anger

K: Tears streamed down my face the first time I watched this. I was so broken up by a breakup tbh...

H: Same! Well, not the tears part, but...

K: Like this is my moment of 2016... Yas, Mitski. Yas!

H: My moment of this video is when...

K: I don’t care! I want to talk about my moment first!

H: Lol. Okay!

K: My moment is watching her kiss herself while they kiss each other, and it’s passionate and she’s like feeling it too!

H: Yes. It’s such a self-love testament. Even if it is out of spite or heartbreak. Which brings me to my favorite part, which is just after that scene when it flashes to her in the gold dress, and she’s smirking like she’s plotting something, and then BOOM! The guitar comes in, and she’s striking her guitar. For me that takes the pain-turned-self-love moment to a whole other level, because she’s like “Y’all are over there f*cking, and I’m sad about it, but I’m going make some badass art out of it.”

K: Yeah, like “I’m going to make music, and be one of the best new artists of 2016. Byeee!”

The song is all about feeling like you don’t fit into this American couple paradigm, being mixed race, and we see this appropriative white girl wrapping herself and the boy in an American flag, further isolating Mitski from them and what being American entails. The separation is very distinct, because Mitski and the couple are never in the same shot until towards the end. Then Mitski’s like “I’m going to rock being outside of that. I don’t need y’all,” even though it still sucks.

The video concept is everything. We feel things, and we’re not even people of color. Plus, this video probably cost nothing to make, but it’s so layered and conveys so much.

“Daydreaming” - Radiohead

Released: May 6, 2016

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

K: The reason I like this video is because he always looks like he thinks he knows where he’s going in each of these settings, but he’s still sort of lost. It’s like this metaphor for life. He knows which door to go to, but he never knows what’s behind each door.

H: I mean... it’s a statement for sure. I respect it as an art piece, but I’m just like... if I have to watch him go through another gd door, I’m going to kill myself.

K: It’s so beautiful. Here’s a music video that is trying to be high art, like going to Cannes-shit. I like that it’s trying to be more than just a music video. It’s kind of like a film. It’s about his performance. Not to mention that it’s shot beautifully and it’s directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, which is cool that he’s still directing music videos even though he’s this highly accomplished director.

It makes you think about life being a series of choices, and that’s it. He’s never truly interested in anything even if it’s a surprising setting. It’s about knowing exactly where you’re going but simultaneously being lost. He’s not trying that hard, and it just ends in him dying.

I just have shivers for 4 minutes straight. i don’t even have much to say.

H: I appreciate the artistry being brought forth. I did feel things. It’s just a little... boring?

K: It’s not boring! It has momentum! It becomes more frantic, and you can see the discomfort in his face.

H: Okay, it’s an amazing powerful video. It’s just not a video I would go back and watch over and over again.

K: Okay, but this brings us to a broad philosophical question, which is that are things only good if they can be rewatched over and over again? Because I think some of my favorite films are films that I would never watch again. That’s what I like about it. Music videos tend to be fun and rewatchable, and it’s kind of cool to watch a video that is pushing the envelope more in an artistic direction. It’s not fun to watch, because it makes me feel things that aren’t super fun, but the level of thoughtfulness is way higher than most videos.

H: I do think it’s amazing. You’re right. That’s not sarcasm.

K: Okay.

“Easy” - Hinds

Released: May 18, 2016

Director: John Strong

K: Another great example of a cheap, easy...

H: EASY! Wink, wink...

K: ...easily made video.

H: I already like the smeared mascara looks. This whole sad party rocker girl that’s not here for your physical enjoyment is already pretty punk rock

K: Yeah, that could have been the whole video, and I still would have enjoyed it. They’re pretty girls too, but “let’s have streamed mascara because f*ck you.” Then they keep flipping the switch, because it’s basically a series of closeups with these revolving shots. Then UNH. Each time, we’re like “what is happening?” I love this spaghetti mouth look.

H: She’s like “I don’t give a f*ck if we’re gross.” They have cake and spaghetti coming out of their mouths, and as if that wasn’t enough, she slurps it back into her mouth!

K: Then there’s this girl smoking, which could also be considered not very feminine. They’re like stoner chicks. It’s such a video that Wavves or someone like that would do, but it’s so much punk rock that a group of girls are like “Hey, we’re stoner punks too, and we can be gross and smear shit on our faces all we want.” When they have the dicks and the post-party shit all over their faces is when the video really sold me.

H: And her vomiting as she’s singing! They just further keep on deconstructing their appearance. Each time emphasized by the trick of eye light flickers. So punk rock.

“When It Rain” - Danny Brown

Released: June 14, 2016

Director: Mimi Cave

H: We have interesting dancing, psychedelic special effects, and a cool VHS-filter... enough said.

K: It’s like video art. It’s got a great color palette. The dancing is cool. It’s also this portrait of Detroit. He’s like this fairly famous rapper, and it’s like he’s still presenting his real life in Detroit. That’s what I love about him. He’s keeping it real while keeping it very aesthetic at the exact same time.

H: I think Danny Brown’s iconic for not conforming to white-normative standards of what rap should be. He really keeps things at an avant-garde intellectual level.

K: Yes, he’s like “Yeah, I sold crack in Detroit,” but he’s still very intellectual, knows a lot about music, knows a lot about film, literally named his new album after a Joy Division album. He’s just very well-versed in everything. He understands hip-hop, understands the avant-garde, understands art, and just mixes them together.

H: I think it is really powerful. In my Beyonce/Rihanna feminism course I took, we talked a lot about how Rihanna embraces “ratchet aesthetics” and how that’s a subversive political tactic against white-normative media..

K: Especially because we have all these white consumers of hip-hop, we see this delineation between ratchet/gangster rap and “intellectual” mainstream-consumable hip-hop, and I feel like Danny Brown is like “I can do both, because both are just as important as the other. 2001′s A Space Odyssey is just as cool as Soulja Boy.

“Car” - Porches

Released: June 27, 2016

Director: Daniel Brereton

K: Okay, so basically this is my everything...

H: It’s very white people. That’s how I feel when I watch Porches’ videos.

K: But it’s good white people art. This is what I want white people art to be. I love it. I love his outfit. I love how self-serious and goofy they are at the same time. I love this 80′s/90′s setup, like we’re on a photo shoot with all the wires, but It’s also kind of like we’re in a museum.

H: Yeah, I like anything that gives me Andy Warhol’s Factory vibes. I love that idea of this performance art space that can be anything, and here they are performing in it. It’s like a GAP commercial’s take on The Factory.

K: Well, it’s produced by Urban Outfitters, so that’s pretty spot on. I love it. It’s just everything I want. It’s so much.

“Shut Up Kiss Me” - Angel Olsen

Released: June 29, 2016

Director: Angel Olsen

H: C’mon, tinsel wig!!

K: I just love how playful this video is. She’s hanging out of her vintage car in a letterman jacket. She’s at a roller rink. She’s skating around with those balloons...

H: It’s like classic video girl, but in an ironic way. She’s like “I’m in a tinsel wig, so I’m clearly not seriously trying to be this video girl.”

K: Right, there’s something very ridiculous about the whole thing. Look how pouty she is. I also love that it looks like it was shot on film. It’s just really pretty to look at.

H: I like her constantly acknowledging the camera. I feel like that’s kind of the whole point of this video, her being like “Am I the girl that you want yet? Clearly I can be the girl that you want me to be, but I’m trying to be Angel Olsen, so like can I live?” The continued eye contact just sends this “Are you entertained yet? ‘Casue I’m over it” vibe.

K: It’s very comedic in an old school silly way. Juxtaposing this with what she was before this album also adds power to it. Most of her songs/videos are very restrained but sad.

And then in case you haven’t caught on yet, she gives you the whole point of the video at the end with “Do you feel this attitude or...?”

“Nikes” - Frank Ocean

Released: August 19, 2016

Director: Tyrone Lebon

H: How many times are we going to say “90′s VHS filter?” Clearly that was a major trend in 2016′s music videos, and we fell for it every time.

Ugh. He’s so hot, and I want this white bedazzled bodysuit.

K: Ugh, yes, Frank. The eyeliner... Wear it every day. I bet it took days to get all that glitter off. It’s powerful to see a popstar be so feminine.

H: That’s what I love about this video. I feel like when Frank Ocean came out as bi, he kind of became this LGBT icon that he never really asked to be. Whether or not he asked for it, he’s very important to pop culture. People expect greatness from him, and he’s really owning it and stepping up to the title in this video. He’s very playful with his sexuality and masculine/feminine sides. He’s got glitter. He’s got eyeliner. He has naked bodies of people of different genders.

And as if this video wasn’t already political, he includes Trayvon Martin, and it’s just so good! This video highlights a lot of black people and seemingly working class people, including sex workers, which is really refreshing, especially in such an avant-garde way. Frank is here for black representation. He’s here for queer representation. This video really just highlights what all the hype over Frank Ocean is about, and why it’s justified.

K: Oh my god. I forgot about [the scene of the woman in the water tank]. That’s amazing. What makes film beautiful is that you can watch something and feel like you understand what’s happening based on context clues, but then they make you believe something like “we’re underwater,” and it turns out we actually have this stark minimalist setup of this woman being filmed in a tank.

H: That’s part of what gives this video a lot of power. It plays a lot of tricks on the eyes and the mind, like the subtle switch between men and women. It gives us the music video tropes of the lights, the partying, the women, but it’s done in a way that is very self-aware and somber about how constructed it all is.

K: Right. Like that meta-ness of showing them shooting it. They constantly remind us that this is a music video. We have all the elements of an R&B video, except they’ve been deconstructed, queerified, and taken to a very high art level.

H: The contrast between the shots of the film equipment and moments like the shining pussy gives you this mix of “Remember, this is constructed because it’s my art, but also this is what I’m trying to get across.” It goes well with the minimalist sound of the album too. He’s taking this just as seriously as the album.

K: Exactly, because this is the only visual we got for this album.

H: He waited so long to give us an album. He’s clearly very controlled about what he releases into the world, and in this video he really nailed it from every angle.

K: I agree. He’s giving you Frank, the R&B/pop-star, but he’s also trying to expose to you that he sees the big picture through all of this. He’s giving you something that’s cool to watch, but he realizes the place of power that he’s in and he’s here for us in more ways than mindless entertainment.

“Fade” - Kanye West

Released: August 28, 2016

Director: Eli Linnetz

K: This is another video that has already been talked about a lot, but I mean just look at this lighting, and the film grain...

H: Yeah, I mean, it’s Kanye West, and he debuted this at the VMA’s, so it had a lot to live up to, but honestly it’s just simple and beautiful. It’s a great choreography vid. Teyana Taylor looks great. It’s inspirational almost... like I need to get my ass to a gym.

Lol at how this debuted around the same time as Ariana Grande’s “Side to Side” music video that’s also set in a gym, and this just slays so much harder...

K: More interesting and artistic for sure.

H: I also just love the connection between exercise and dance. It emphasizes the beauty in being connected to your body.

K: This [shower scene] part of the video, I’m like eh.

H: No! I love it! I feel like Kanye’s always working on breaking down barriers. He gives us this dance sequence that’s almost sexual but not, and then here’s the full on.

K: See, I feel like I could have done without that.

H: I feel like it’s important. Like when else are you going to see black people, especially a darker-skinned black person, being so overtly sexual in media primarily consumed by a white audience?

K: It was like a connection to the last shot, which is amazing. So I’ll deal with it.

H: Well then he drops that last shot, and is like “BTW, I’m still Kanye and avant-garde af, so even though this is a minimalist choreography vid, here’s this.” And we’re all like “Wait... what?”

“Everybody Wants to Love You” - Japanese Breakfast

Released: September 20, 2016

Directors: Adam Kolodny & Michelle Zauner

K: Her in this Geisha wear at these dive bars being really silly is this cool juxtaposition of imagery that I have not seen.

H: Her emotion in it is great. She’s very campy and having fun, but also angsty.

K: Kind of similar to the Hinds video, it’s like girls doing drunk/stoner boy things like eating a huge sandwich and shotgunning a beer. Especially being in this geisha wear, it’s like “Just because I’m a girl, it doesn’t mean that I can’t do whatever I want.”

H: Yeah, even though on the outside she’s like this idealized representation of femininity, she’s a complex person who is not going to be what you intend for her to be. She just whipped out a guitar and is playing it on an 18 wheeler, she’s not here for your assumptions about her.

K: Yeah, it’s very much a masculine world, so it’s empowering to punk chicks. It’s really simple. Really well done. It makes me like the song and band more, which is the sign of a truly good music video.

“Cranes in the Sky” - Solange

Released: October 2, 2016

Director: Alan Ferguson

K: Everything about this is beautiful. Every setting. Every outfit. The camera angles. The lighting. Normally in music videos we have all these crazy light shows, and what we have is this classic cinematic lighting. The zoom-out/zoom-in staircase shot is so sick. This music video feels like a movie. It reminds me of a lot of avant-garde video art that I’ve seen, but done as a music video. We are getting into the world of what A Seat at the Table is trying to be.

H: It feels very classic, even though it’s the new era of Solange. The softness of the color palettes... It’s all very relaxing but at the same time, she just gives us SO much.

Like these dresses that are all connected... who’s done that before? This shot of them all touching and rolling around on each other is amazing. She has lots of moments of her seemingly isolated, but then she has these moments of sisterhood and connection. Throughout the video she maintains a very collected expression and direct eye contact with the camera. She’s the star of a pop music video, but she’s letting you know that she’s unamused and is taking it all very seriously.

K: What’s truly beautiful is when you watch something and you don’t even really know what it’s trying to tell you. I’m not even trying to analyze what’s going on, but it’s just beautiful. I feel like I’m totally being brought into Solange’s world, and I don’t understand it on an intellectual level, but I still get a feeling of how profound it is.

It all fits together. There’s a lot, but it’s very controlled. It’s such a good piece of art, because it’s clearly just trying to be a piece of art. It’s a beautiful integration of motion, sound, and image.

“After the Afterparty” - Charli XCX feat. Lil Yachty

Released: October 30, 2016

Director: Diane Martel

K: Another video shot in full screen. It’s a thing!

H: Umm... well first of all this crimped hair look is amazing. She looks gorgeous.

K: I love this zombie meets pastels meets “our organs are candy” thing that’s going on.

H: Yes! For me, it’s very reminiscent of Miley’s “We Can’t Stop” video. Dramatized soft but edgy party imagery, but this is apocalyptic and pink. It’s very Charli. It’s very femme power. It’s very early 2000′s nostalgia.

K: OMG. I love this golf-hoe moment. I love the makeup. I love how campy it is. I love the sugary sweetness.

H: That whole cropped sweater with the bra showing is so trendy right now as we’ve seen with Tinashe and Kehlani. My favorite part about Charli is that she’s very intelligent about acknowledging her references. Her inspirations are palpable, but still presented in a novel self-aware way.

K: She’s a hodge-podge in a good way. She takes all of her references and brings them up to date.

“Dope Dealer” - ScHoolboy Q feat. E-40

Released: November 4, 2016

Director: Ryan Staake

K: So the entire video is from the point of view of literal marijuana. Like even the scenes of ScHoolboy Q and E-40 smoking are from the tip of the blunt.

H: It’s genius! My first thought when I watched this video was “How has this not been made yet??” I think that’s the sign of a truly amazing piece of work, when you just think “this makes sense.” I loved every moment of it. It’s this representation of gangster life but with a lighthearted, comedic twist.

K: Yes. It gets dark, but it’s done in a very Quentin Tarantino way that is supposed to be funny and entertaining.

H: Even aside from this being from the point of view of the weed, we have funny moments like how these pretty L.A. white girls are the ones pushing the weed.

K: He presents everything in a very low-key not hyper-sensationalized way. He’s giving us some real shit, but instead of glorifying it or downplaying it, he’s just having fun with it. You get the sense that he’s being real in the presentation of his world even if he’s being comedic about it.

H: It’s also a fresh presentation of many classic hip-hop video tropes, because we still have smoking, partying, hot girls, etc.

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bullymagnetweek-blog · 8 years ago

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Hitball: The Musical - Bullymagnet Week Day 5

AN: so this is like super late and hardly even bullymagnet but *shrug* i listened to high school musical on repeat for six hours for this so here we go. i apologise in advance for the cheesy lyrics. also again the formatting bc what. - KindleSpark

SUMMARY: Retelling of the hitball arc, but everyone’s singing and it’s even more dramatic than it already was. Suzy has a blackmailing song. Johnny and Max have a theme. Jeff’s monologue is now a villain number. Enjoy. (I’m sorry).

Max is expecting a huge trumpet fanfare to start what is apparently a high stakes middle-school dodgeball game, but instead all Coach Oop does is blow a small ‘toot’ on his whistle

It still has everyone sprinting as fast as they can to get to the middle of the court, though. Max lingers back as Johnny and Isabel lunge for the balls, pulling off stunts no middle-schooler (or anyone for that matter) should be able to do. Someone’s already in the bleachers in the first two seconds.

Everyone’s taking this pretty damn seriously, Max realises. A ball comes spinning his way and he quickly side steps it. Well, at least dodging is his forte.

Thump. Thump Thump.

Speaking about forte.

Squeak thump.

Max should’ve seen this coming.

Thump. Thump thump.

Sneakers hit the floor, and balls whiz past rhythmically. There’s a beat humming through the gym.

“Burnhounds.” Menacing whispers come from the other team.

“Shockodiles.” The response is immediate, perfectly in rhythm.

Max suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Mayview is dramatic enough to have a song for a middle-school dodgeball game. He feels the beat instinctively, feet slipping side to side in sync. Sure, songs happened all the time, and he wasn’t against them or anything, but they usually only started up when it came to something significant. He vaguely wonders if it’s just a well-known hitball theme… but no, hitball was only introduced today. He shrugs. It’s probably just a Mayview thing. The drama never ends.

“Burnhounds!”

“Shockodiles!”

The chanting continues. Swung quavers and a shuffle-likebeat, Max notes. He shouts along as the music reaches its peak.

Thump. Thump thump.

“HITBALL!” The gym cries in unison. Max spoke too soon. Those were definitely trumpets.

He leaps to the side, dodging and twisting past the balls. Songs always push his movements along, it’s so much easier to step and move when there’s a beat driving you forward. The melody surges inside him, and he’s buzzing with expectation.

Isabel starts up, and Max grins. Most people have a specific style or instrument their songs most occur in, and she’s perfect for this. Of course, she wouldn’t be singing if she wasn’t, but he’s still impressed.

“Hey Burnhounds, we’re gonna tear you asunder,

‘coz us Shockodiles are lightning and thunder.

Hey Burnhounds, get ready to stop drop and roll,

‘coz the flames you’re holding’ll be reduced to coal.”

Max watches as she dances her way across the court, singing all the way. At the end of her verse, she pelts the Golden Switch she’s holding directly towards Lisa, hitting her just as she’s distracted by Ed.

“Haha, yesss! We’re stacked.”

Thump thump.

The chorus starts just as aggressively as the verse, and Max finds himself singing with the rest of the team as they taunt the other side, balls bouncing and stomps shaking the floor as the music roars at a peak.

“Get ready, get ready for hitball,

Burnhounds vs. Shockodiles!”

Max feels the title drop resonate through him. Ah man, he can’t deny he’s having fun. Max hides a grin as Johnny’s verse springs up from the other side, responding to Isabel’s threats in perfect rhyme.

“Hey Shockodiles, hope you’re ready for this game,

‘coz you’ll need more than water to put out this flame.

Hey Shockodiles, you’re up for a treat,

‘coz us Burnhounds ain’t afraid to turn up the heat!”

He whips two balls out in sync, and Max grimaces as he watches both of them hit their mark. The chorus comes back in, and now both teams begin to sing the chorus, lines whipping back and forth as fast as the balls are. Somewhere in between the chorus and the next verse, Max hears the raspy voice of… was that kid levitating?

“Dag, sons! These burnhounds are wiggity wiggity worse than homework!”

You know what, he’s just gonna ignore that one. The music pauses just as the bridge comes in, and Max finds himself itching to sing. Oh man, he’s one of the main vocalists? The songs hadn’t stopped coming since he moved here, and he much preferred background vocals.

“Hey Matrix, try contributing! The game’s not called dodgeball!” Isabel shouts at him.

Oh good, it’s a private conversation. He sighs in relief. At least these parts usually play underneath the main song, with the rest of the singers are often oblivious.

“Stop deflecting!” Isabel roars.

A ball collides perfectly into the one he’s holding, ricocheting to the side.

Max deadpans. “But clearly that is an important part of the spor-”

Isabel shoves the ball into his face. The music quietens, and the beat disappears, something more lyrical starting up.

“Max, are we clear on what I said on the train?

I hope I didn’t mislead you, I mean, I’m trying to explain…”

Max baulks. Nope. He’s not talking about this now. Thankfully, the music complies and his lyrics quickly interrupt hers.

“Most ghosts really can’t-“

“Looks like someone needs me over there.” Max shouts awkwardly, edging his way out of the song. “I’m just gonna go-“

“HOW DID YOU KNOW??”

The music screeches to a halt as Max comes face to face with a terrifyingly delighted Suzy.

———

Oh my god, she has a blackmailing song.

Collin’s slumped shoulders tell him this isn’t just a one-off melody, it’s an actual honest-to-god theme. Max cannot believe his own eyes. Or ears. Jagged string lines bounce eerily off each other, dissonant and harsh. Suzy sings along delightedly, and Max has a sense of incoming doom as she rattles off high-pitched lines and exposition. He tries not to let the panicky music get to him.

“You know what that means, Max? Don’t hold your breath.” Suzy sings, music stopping just before it reaches the final note. Max is sweating “It means jumping through a school bus is now punishable…”

Silence. Max is pretty sure he knows what’s coming.

“BY DEATH.” He was right.

“Suspension.” Collin interrupts. Max’s brain has zoned out, and he’s imagining all the horrible ways his dad’s gonna sacrifice him in if Max gets suspended.

“No, no! My Dad’ll kill me…!”

Suzy lets out a cackle. “I’m always right in the end, see?”

The song, unfortunately, doesn’t end there.

“Now now, Max, it’s okay, don’t be so hyperbolic.

It’s not like anyone knows you did it, I’m not that vitriolic.

No one has a clue, it’s just been rumours, don’t you see?

It’s not like anyone knows you did it… Well. Nobody…”

Oh. Max hates everything. “but y-“

“But me!” Suzy’s smile holds six different layers of evil, and Max is ready to embrace death.

———

“I hate people like you!

And you, and you!!”

Max recoils as Nega-Jeff actually begins to sing. There’s something different about his voice too, an underlying tone that doesn’t sound right. The accompanying music is all wrong and twisted, not like Jeff at all. Something’s very wrong.

“Self-centered, without a scrap of ambition,

Warriors of whim, without proper cognition.

You’ve still yet to reach your brains’ higher functions!

Honestly. What a waste of good violence.”

Max watches as Johnny flinches back, and he can tell that particular line was in one of Johnny’s songs as well. He scowls. Low blow.

“Kindness without a code, cruelty that isn’t calculating,

can’t you see it serves no purpose, your stupidity is infuriating!

The true power of violence isn’t just to entertain,

I hope you’re ready to learn a lifelong lesson in pain!”

Isabel’s up to something in the background, and Max really hopes she can come up with something while this Jeff imposter is singing. He lights up as Isabel flings balls their way, hope rising within him, well. Until Johnny catches one and sends her to the bleachers. Ughhh.

———

Max smirks. Johnny was pretty selfless when it counted. I mean sure, dismissing his friends did leave the two of them stuck with Jeff, but Max wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Hey, don’t let Nega-Jeff get too deep under your skin, okay?” Max says. “Everything else aside, caring about your jerk friends isn’t a flaw. It’s your sole redeeming quality.”

Johnny chuckles, smiling. “Heh.”

Something swells inside Max, and it takes him a second to realise it’s the beginning of… a theme. Just an instrumental, apparently, but it still surprises him. He doesn’t even have a proper theme with the activity club yet, and yet the moment he’s alone with Johnny… Weird. Stagnant ostinatos, melody on the bass, and… was that the sound of clashing metal as the beat? Unconventional, but it worked. It fits perfectly, and Max already loves it. He can feel himself buzzing with anticipation for the showdown, comforted with the thought Johnny was by his side. He makes a face. Oh man, that was cheesy. Songs really brought every embarrassing thought to the forefront.

“Ready to win this, Johnny?” Max barks, spectral energy igniting on instinct.

Johnny grins, all teeth and resolve. “Let’s show Jeff what-“

“That’s not Jeff.”

The music halts abruptly as Cody shoves the Golden Switch into Johnny’s hands, face dark and angry. Thunder crackles between them, and Max instinctively steps back. Something about Cody’s posture screams danger.

“Punish him.”

Thump. Thump thump.

Max’s eyes widen in realisation. A reprise. This was it then.

Squeak thump.

Johnny sends him a look, face determined. Final showdown. The people on the bleachers begin to whisper softly.

Thump. Thump thump.

“Burnhounds!”

“Shockodiles!”

Johnny jumps into the verse, lines reprised as Johnny lets out his anger, determined to bring Jeff down. Meanwhile, Max’s brain is racing, trying to piece together a plan as fast as he can. The likelihood of actually hitting Jeff is low, but there’s no way they could catch one of his throws, unless… No, that’s too dangerous. He grits his teeth. Well, that’ll have to be the back-up plan if this doesn’t work. He vaguely registers Jeff singing, but ignores him, grabbing Johnny quickly and dragging him back.

“Grrr, all I need is a single ball,

Just one, and I can finish this farce,

What the- there’s none at all?

Why, Guerra, ever a thorn in my-“

“HEY, JEFF!!” Max interrupts, breaking up his verse. “HEADS UP!!!”

He sprints up, bringing back his arm and aiming…

“PSYCH!!”

… for the ball golem. Max honestly has no idea why she’s still on the court.

It hits her perfectly, and the rest of the class cheer, music starting up again and launching into the chorus. The beat, with a lack of people on court, is picked up by the thumping of shoes and fists on the bleachers.

“Burnhounds vs. Shockodiles: Final showdown!”

“Not.” Jeff rises slowly, and Max tenses. He turns, and Max grimaces as he shows off the Golden Switch. Plan B, then. The background vocals are shocked into silence, and the music thumps silently as Jeff launches into his villain song again, this time with leitmotifs from Burnhounds vs. Shockodiles. Yikes, he really liked the sound of his own voice.

Max remains alert as Jeff walks along the court. The likelihood of him throwing the ball before his verse ends is low, but he watches anyway. Somewhere in the middle of it, Max perks up with incredulity, recognising the counterpoint. That was his and Johnny’s theme! Jeff hasn’t seemed to notice it, thankfully, and Max glares him down. It’s not over yet.

“Ha, you think I’d miss?

LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE THIS!”

Max grits his teeth.

“Johnny!!” He cries. Their theme breaks free from the harmony, playing high above everything, and overwhelming Jeff’s at the final note. He grins. “Look up!”

The music pauses.

Krak.

Foom.

Thwack.

SNAP!

The ball ricochets off his arm, arcing high over the court. He doesn’t need to look back to know Johnny caught it.

Max has a split-second to acknowledge darkly that the throw was in rhythm, before pain bursts on Max’s left arm, and he tears up, hissing as he tries not to cry. This doesn’t work.

“RRRRGGGHHHHH!!” He groans, curling up on the ground. Flippity flippin’ flip! His arm is on fire. He didn’t think it’d be this bad if Dmitri had somehow survived it, but it was.

“WELL WHATRYA WAITIN’ FOR?!” Johnny shouts. “LET’S GET ‘IM!!”

“YEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!” comes the cry, and the music starts again, playing a victory instrumental to accompany the cheers.

Thump. Thump Thump.

Well, almost an instrumental. Lisa steps up unnoticed behind Jeff, pinning him with a vice-like grip.

“Hey Shockodile, here’s some advice:

In this school, you should really learn to think twice.

Hey Shockodile, don’t make this a trend,

There are scary people here you don’t want to offend.”

#kindlespark #prompt: the musical #submission

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