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lady-of-lyon · 4 years

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So, I made one post a while back about how awesomely feminist the show Wild Kratts was, with how its two main female characters were women of color in engineering and deserving roles of power, female villains who weren’t motivated by spite or quest for youth, etc, but today I wanted to talk about something slightly different, that I’ve wanted to cover for a while now, because I also think it’s very good - and that’s how the show portrays masculinity, in a way that’s really positive!

First, we have our two main characters, Chris and Martin Kratt. Keep in mind these two are basically self-inserts - and there are plenty of creators, especially males, who have used self-insert characters in really scummy ways - all I have to say is Powerpuff Girls reboot and you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even if they weren’t literal self-inserts, male characters, superheroes especially, oftentimes serve the male power fantasy, being just the strong, stoic, all-powerful person so many boys are told they’re supposed to be. I could get into a whole discussion about how the male power fantasy is present even when males are not (ever look through a fashion magazine and wonder why there are so few men? Sure, part of it is that the industry thrives off exploiting women’s insecurities, and men aren’t as concerned for their appearance, but another part of it is so that the guy, looking through it, can feel like he has no competition for these women - there’s a reason so many comedians have jokes about fashion magazines being their sexual awakening as kids. It’s really scummy) but that’s not what this is about. So, the bros had every opportunity to do just that - make themselves these traditional heroes who aren’t actually really good role models, like batman or what have you. It’s certainly not uncommon for celebrity cartoons to do stuff like that. But Martin and Chris chose a different approach. They’re pretty strong standouts for positive masculinity. They’re openly affectionate - both with eachother as brothers, and with their friends. They cry, sometimes over little things - most of the time when big superheroes cry, it’s ‘cause they lost the girl they loved or their mentor or something like that, only in the big, most agonizing moments do they shed a tear. But here, Chris or Martin will cry just because they’ve had a bad day, or because they’re overwhelmed and overjoyed that someone named a mantis after them! In a lot of shows or movies when a guy cries over something little, it’s usually played for laughs, or to emasculate him, but here it’s casual without being unreasonable or overdone. The brothers cry just ad much, maybe even more (haven’t gone back and counted or anything) as the girls do. Not to mention, it’s a very nice depiction of a loving, healthy sibling relationship. As the youngest sibling myself, it’s refreshing to see a pair who don’t abuse eachother with noogies or cruel and snarky remarks. When they do fight, it’s never a screaming match, and also because they had a conflict of interest or disagreed over a fact, not because, say, one of them stole the other’s shirt or is neglecting the other’s feelings. Kids, being very impressionable, get exposed to a lot of abusive sibling relationships played as normal in media, and start thinking this is how siblings are and should act. For instance, my sister (who is now my best friend and has gotten over all these bad habits over time) when she was younger watched a lot of Kim Possible, a show that is great, but has a bad family dynamic with Kim and her little siblings. The “tweebs” as she calls them are always irresponsible, destructive, and making Kim annoyed to no end. My older brother was one of the most polite, reserved, kind little kids, but she still treated him like he was a brat and a nuisance, because that’s what shows like Kim Possible taught her little brothers were. Additionally, I was always treated like a spoiled crybaby who just wanted attention and got away with everything - I was not any of those things, ever, but that’s what shows teach you little sisters are. Sure, Wild Kratts has a smidge of that, with Chris seemingly being the stereotype of the know-it-all little sibling, but instead of being constantly looked town upon for being too “perfect” like with Hailey Long in American Dragon, Martin often praises his brother for his abilities. Sure, Martin gets annoyed when Chris tries to correct him on things, like in the episode Wolf Hawks, but everyone else does too, so it feels more like a take-down of mansplaining than a sibling spat.

I talked too in the feminist post about how refreshing it is that Chris and Martin more or less willingly put themselves under the authority of Koki and Aviva, two women of color. I don’t think it’s possible to say any one character is the “leader,” they all work as a evenly balanced team, but it’s safe to say that Koki and Aviva make the more responsible decisions. The bros try to get out of their calls a few times, but the show plays it more like they’re being irresponsible, and less like they’re renegade cool dudes who don’t take nothing from nobody, especially not two girls. They are pretty much always punished via karma for their reckless choices, most especially in To Touch a Hummingbird, where their arrogant attitudes blow up in their faces rather spectacularly. We also never see the narrative most present in sitcoms, where the male leads mess up and go out of their way to cover it up and ultimately gets away with it - after all, you have to root for them, right, because sure they messed up and had no consequences, but aren’t they just so lovable? No, here Martin and Chris always have to fix their wrongdoing, and it’s always deserved when they get comeuppance. Another aspect of the show I like is that, many times, when the bros get captured or are in peril, they are saved by the women - and most refreshing of all, there’s never a moment of “wink wink nudge nudge wow I can’t believe I had to be rescued by a GIRL” or even “wow you saved me you’re pretty good honey guess I shouldn’t have underestimated you, you go girl!” No, when the girls save them, it’s just - you know, relief? Because they were saved? It’s never a scenario played as an exception, or any more dire than when the bros need to rescue eachother. The bros are genuinely happy to have them as teammates. The show even did the standard “boys vs girls” episode in the form of When Fish Fly - but instead of being actually girls vs. boys, it’s engineers vs. adventurers. There’s nothing really gendered about it - the girls happen to be engineers, and the boys happen to be adventurers. And the episode doesn’t end with the boys being “wow gosh darn I shouldn’t have doubted you girls are better at everything,” it’s a mutual agreement that both parties have hard jobs. Basically, the bros are very naturally respectful of women. That plays more into their feminist narrative too, but either way, it’s refreshing.

Then, we have Jimmy! Jimmy, the lovable gamerboy pizza man. At first glance Jimmy seems like the stereotypical cowardly, pathetic, emasculated loser. He’s frightened of most things, as of yet has no power suit, and he BAKES for crying out loud! But none of these things are framed as terribly bad traits. Sure, we laugh when he screams and runs from an animal, but though it happens over and over, the crew doesn’t get sick of it. They don’t berate him or belittle him because he’s so gosh darn cowardly. There’s a great scene in Rattlesnake Crystal where Jimmy has to deliver something to the bros alone, in the middle of a spooky desert. He is terrified the whole time, sprinting off after he delivers the goods. When Martin and Chris run into him, they don’t laugh at him for being spooked, they just greet and then bid fair well to their friend. To them, this is just Jimmy, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Jimmy isn’t coddled, but he is reassured many times that he’s a valuable member of the team. I love that little message, that you’re just as important of a person even if you can’t do as much or have greater limits. When his friends do try to get him over his fears, it’s not because they have to, that the day will somehow be ruined by Jimmy’s incompetence p, but because they’re his friends, and want him to experience fun and wonderful things that he would otherwise miss out on. But what Jimmy CAN do is just as important! Jimmy is a gamer, which in a lot of shows, is portrayed as a lazy, useless, mindless hobby. But here, because he plays video games, it makes him essential for piloting the ship and teleporting important items. There’s always the joke that video games improves your hand/eye coordination, but recent studies have shown it has much better effects. It can make you much better at keeping track of multiple moving objects and processing technical but variable information- two traits which, fittingly enough, are really really important for air traffic controllers and airplane pilots! He also demonstrates a lot more courage behind the wheel of the Tortuga, which makes sense - in an impersonal setting, he would have more sense of calm and control and courage, because it’s so similar to a video game world. It’s not all too different with how I feel more emboldened to pick fights with people on the internet, but get crazy anxious if a real person so much as looks at me. So Jimmy’s love of video games isn’t because he’s irresponsible, it has real benefits. A quick last point - Jimmy also eats a lot, but they thankfully don’t make him fat or greedy or anything like that. He never takes food from people, he actually bakes, and shares it with others! Having the baker be a boy is a lovely touch.

I might do another post about the toxic masculinity of the two villains, (or four villains, I guess, if I wanna discuss the minions) but I’ve got other work to do, and this post is long enough already, so I’ll get around to it later. I’ll sum it up with this - Wild Kratts is a show that teaches boys it’s not only ok to be kind, but essential. The brothers protect defenseless animals, advocate for things “icky” and “weird,” like bugs or snakes or worms - not because they’re boys, and boys like icky things, but because they genuinely see the beauty in all life, and are encouraging us to slow down and do the same. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world not by being the strongest or smartest or coolest, but by looking after those who are exploited and vulnerable, who are essential to the world, even if they can’t always do everything. In Wild Kratts the only weaknesses a man can have isn’t what he can’t do, but what he does do that he shouldn’t have. Sure, it’s a cute show about two funny guys who have cool powers, but it’s also a show about accountability, compassion, respect and trust. The show says “boys will be boys” in all the right ways - Martin is a lovable goof with a heart of gold, but he still has to get his act together when he messes up, and he’s still creative and smart and openly sensitive. Chris is a bit of a know-it-all show-off, but he can also mess up as much as his brother, and is still bold, brave, adventurous, and can put his money where his mouth is. Jimmy is a cowardly, napping, eating machine video-gamer, but he’s still a valued member of the team, has incredible skills and talents, and will always help his friends, even if he is really, really scared. It is so important to have role models like these, in a world dominated by unhealthy machismo. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world - both animated, and real.

All they need now is a canon queer character, and I’ll stan them forever! My money’s on Aviva!!

#wild kratts #chris kratt #martin kratt #long post #hottake #feminism #meninism #positive masculinity #toxic masculinity #jimmy z #wk jimmy #kratt brothers

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fitzs-trained-monkey · 2 years

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Hi!!! I absolutely love your Kol Mikaelson x reader first! They are amazingly written!!! 💕💕

Do you have any tips on writing reader insert fics?

AWW THANK YOU!!! You are so sweet and I am HONORED! Okay, first thing you should know is I've only really been writing reader inserts for like... a year. So FYI I'm probably not the BEST person to give advice but I will try my best. I am by no means a professional writer but I do have a lot of things that drive me crazy and ranting is fun so here we go!

1. Pay attention to spelling. If you're on a computer with any form of spell check, there's really no excuse for a crap ton of errors. Use grammarly. The free version is free and pretty good. Also, re-read your work 15,000,000,000 times.

2. Paragraph breaks. They're important. I once heard a great tip and I'll share it here. Imagine your fic is a movie or TV show. Every time the camera "moves" there should be a paragraph break. EVEN IF IT FEELS A LITTLE ANNOYING TO YOU. Seriously. Do it. Also, every time a new character speaks there should be a paragraph break.

3. DIALOGUE. I cannot stress how important dialogue is. The only way characters will actually come to life is through dialogue. Period. Yes, it will make your word count enormous. Don't be afraid. It's a good thing.

4. Since dialogue is so important, it needs to be formatted correctly. If you don't know how to format dialogue, then go learn please. Improper dialogue KILLS a story. It's really not hard so just go look it up on Pinterest. PLEASE.

5. Yet more on dialogue. People don't talk like books. They say weird crap like wanna, sorta, kinda, and my personal favorite... Gonna! When the reader character is talking, they should sound like the narration. If every other character sounds like the narration, that's a no no. Pay attention to where a character is from and make sure to write them that way. If a character is British they're gonna say British words! All this dialogue stuff may sound daunting but it's honestly fun - at least for me.

6. Oh, POINT OF VIEW! Holy crap, point of view is important. I get so annoyed when a reader insert switches from second person (the "you" format) to first person. I hate it. Readers shouldn't have to go from being themselves to getting shoved into someone else's brain space. It's mentally exhausting. Instead, it's better to always use a limited third person point of view if you want to do a point of view switch. You can look at Limited Third Person as a ghost who's watching over a character's shoulder and describing what they see. They don't directly state the character's thoughts, but they do paraphrase them. It also helps readers take the story more seriously. So yeah. Don't use first person in a reader insert or I will hunt you down. (Jk Ily)

7. Avoid alliteration always. (See what I mean, it's annoying.)

8. Use a gosh darn thesaurus. Honestly, it's the best thing you can do for yourself. Vivid verbs are EVERYTHING. Adjectives are beautiful so please use them to their fullest potential.

9. Be honest with yourself. If you absolutely cannot see yourself doing a certain thing, don't make the reader character do it. Nobody wants to feel stupid.

10. HAVE FUN!!!! As cliche as it may be, this is your party so if you want to dance on top of the table, then go right on ahead. Don't talk yourself into hating what you write. It's awesome and you're awesome and you don't have to be a professional right away. Heck, I know I'm not. Do whatever makes YOU happy and if someone complains BLOCK EM'! That's the glory of the internet. Have a freaking blast, that's why reader inserts exist.

Now, you better tag me when you finish writing whatever it is you're thinking about. I can't wait to read it.

#cas says stuff #fanfic #reader insert #reader inserts #writing advice #am I a professional? NO #Do you need to be a professional? NO!

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ninja-knox-ur-sox-off · 3 years

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me: (sees one post of you answering an ask) me, rolling up my sleeves: time to send Knox love and appreciation again hi yes you have literally lit up my life in such a good way, like theres no way id have written as much as i have this year if it wasn't for your constant enthusiasm keeping me going- simply knowing you and interacting with you got me like a whole list of new friends to talk to and interact with, which has been overall amazing since i havent been able to see my real life best friend in over a year. but you and your content and enthusiasm and creativity and just. sheer joy has managed to fill some of the hole that i'd been feeling. you're literally such an amazingly good person, im constantly impressed with every single piece of content you post, and how you seem to just be able to make people lives better just by existing your content is always such a joy to see, like its the highest tier of content. you're always so nice and positive about things, you come around and you just drop everything just to spread love and its incredible, i have no idea how you manage to do it. everytime you send me a message or mention me in a post or something im just filled with the highest level of serotonin, your friendship means so much to me, especially since when i was first joining this fandom becoming friends with you felt literally impossible. you're a light to this earth/fandom and just. i hope you maintain that energy and light wherever you go, and that only the Goodest Of Things happen to you, because you fully and truly deserve them.

WELL FIRST OF ALL how dare you come into my inbox and be this kind and incredible and wonderful and gh;GH;LASIJEOFWMEF ;A;

LUPIN, MY DUDE

MY DUDE

Knowing that something I wrote inspired someone as creative, incredible and enormously talented as you actually makes me wanna cry.

You just exploded into this fandom with a somehow constant stream of ideas and fics and I am amazed by EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Each of them are so original and incredible and SO MUCH FUN TO THINK ABOUT, whether it be angsty or SO FREAKING FUNNY AND JUST HGAKSFMOHGWE

Seeing you post stuff and recognizing you for the first time was like seeing someone from across a really popular cafe interacting with some people I know and I literally saw you and was like oh gosh, dunno how I missed this person because they are so freaking cool and are literally one of my favourite creators and it's been three seconds--

FROM LIKE, DAY ONE, I saw you and DESPERATELY wanted to interact with you and be your friend but HECK MAN, how much you created was so intimidating and so freaking cool and I just accepted yeah, we can just interact from a distance, i can be cool with that

AND THEN YOU FREAKING DM'D ME AND I FLIPPED A MOTHERFREAKING TABLE (not literally, but I did stim for an unreasonably long amount of time)

Having you here, having you around is just... sometimes I get really discouraged when I create. Sometimes I don't know if I want to post things because I suddenly get extremely self conscious, but then you're there like a fiery ball of hype and I get excited to share stuff. Even on days when I feel like I have no energy left, I see OH LUPIN DROPPED NEW AU HECK TIREDNESS I HAVE TO SEE THIS--

Every time I go to write a new longer fic I get so excited because gosh the last one got LUPIN into the fandom. DUDE, IT MAKES ME FEEL FAMOUS AND LIKE I CAN DO ANYTHING, TO KNOW I INSPIRED SOMEONE AS INCREDIBLE AS YOURSELF

I am rambling now and that is A-OK. HGAOWEHF

I love you a lot dude, and I'm glad you exist and it means so much to me that you share that you care, and I'm so happy that I was able to give you a little bit of good amongst all the crazy. You deserve hype, you deserve friends and care and love and *hugs* gosh darn it if I ain't gonna be one of the people smart enough to give it to you

I am simply very glad you exist, and for real <3 thanks for coming into my inbox and attacking me with affection. It really does encourage me to keep doing what I'm doing when I know it affects others in a good way, so thank you so much, dude <3

LOVE AND CARE FOR U, KEEP BEING INCREDIBLE, YOUR EXISTENCE BRINGS ME JOY *picks you up and spins you around * I HOPE YOU GET TO VIBE WITH IRL FRIENDS SOON, YOU DESERVE ALL THE HUGS IN THE WORLD <3

#knox rambles #asks #animemoonprincess #thanks for this dude <3 #Think I needed it today ghkasdfomawe <3 #I saw you and my brain instantly slapped 'Fandom BIG' on you hGKIAMOWEF #Me: WELP ITS HARD FOR FANS TO CONECT WITH CREATORS SO GUESS I'MA JUST SEND HER ASKS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE #Me now: *emotional blubbering about how much I love my friend*#U COOL DUDE #Man I didn't even talk about how much I love your writing huh #hGKAMFWEOAHWEF #OR YOUR DOODLES AND ART #AND YOUR OC'S #SKKSDMFOWE #YOU'RE JUST A WELL OF CREATION AND INSPIRATION #HAVING YOU AROUND IS PART OF THE REASON I STILL WANNA WRITE AND CREATE IN GENERAL SO HGKSDFMSKDLFJS <3 #*spins you around*#thanks for reacting to the things I share and leaving tags and sharing ideas and ;-;#yeh i just lov u a lot <3 skksfjoawhef #*hugs*#long post #I WILL TAKE TEN PARAGRAPHS TO RAMBLE ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE PEOPLE THANK YOU VERY MUCH

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hqwritings · 4 years

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Tsukkishima, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Sugawara’s Reacting to Their S/O Cheering Them On

@nikki--han requested: so so, can you make headcanons for Tsukki, Tanaka, Noya and Suga when their s/o cheering them during a match?

A/N: First official request! Hello everyone! Rules, about me, and (possible) masterlist will be posted shortly! I really went ham on this I wanted to go real big to start everything off. Requests are currently open so please feel free to send one in (please remember that this post is an exception and that requests can only have a max of three characters)

Tsukkishima Kei:

-He’s honestly really caught off guard by it?? He’d expect something like this from his brother maybe, but you? One of the things he likes about you is that you’re relatively quiet, but hearing you call out his name in the stands with his brother makes his heart swell more than he’d like to admit

-He quickly looks away and feigns annoyance when in reality he’s just super flustered. Yamaguchi knows exactly how he’s feeling and because he’s your local Tsukki expert and Sugawara knows because he’s that much of a little shit

-Tanaka and Noya hear you calling out for Tsukki and when they see that his face looks slightly annoyed it pisses them off, but when Yams tells them it’s because he’s flustered and embarrassed they don’t stfu. Tsukki doesn’t even have it in him to say his usual “shut up Yamaguchi” because he’s right and he knows that if they see his blush it’ll only add more fuel to the flame

-He does his best to carry on like usual but his teammates quickly notice that he’s actually putting in more effort than usual? It’s really off-putting but when they put two and two together that it’s because of you they all low key go soft because awww Tsukki is being a soft boyfie!

-Hinata doesn’t know how to stfu either and makes a direct statement abt this “Hey Tsukishima! You’re playing a lot better today! … Is it because Y/N’s here?”

-Tsukkishima gives him a hella death glare for this and Hinata cowers in fear because he doesn’t understand why he got him so angry. He was just pointing out the obvious Tsukki, don’t be a meanie!

-After Karasuno takes the win he meets up with you and Akiteru. He acts like he’s annoyed at you two but when Akiteru sees the way he’s looking at you he leaves you alone. The rest of Karasuno can see it too and as much as Noya and Tanaka want to stick around for the tea, they’re dragged away by Ennoshita who tells them to mind their business

-Unrelated, but Kiyoko is also especially entertained by all of this and gives a giggle and a knowing look to Tsukki as he makes his way to you (much to his embarrassment)

-When you two are alone you’re looking up at him questioningly. “Tsukki? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong by coming here? I’m sorry I just wanted to-“

-He’s hugging you. He’s hugging you so freaking tight and hiding his face in your shoulder because he can’t fathom how absolutely in love he is with you right now. He’s embarrassed and happy and angry because his heart is beating fast and he doesn’t get it and

-He forgets all of that when you hug him back. You two step just a little closer to each other and when he’s ready he’s gives a soft little kiss to your cheek and quietly whispers a “thank you” in your ear

Tanaka Ryuunosuke:

-Mans sees you and he. Is. HYPED! They’re doing their whole “walk dramatically to the court to assert dominance” thing and he’s all focused and has his gangsta face on but the moment he hears your beautiful voice shout “Tanaka(-senpai)!!!” He’s done for.

-He sees you and suddenly his gangsta face is now a puppy-that’s-desperate-for-attention face and he wants to cry on the spot he loves you so much?? You’re even out there with his sister and both of you have Pom poms and stuff and maybe even color coordinated your outfits to match w Karasuno’s colors and he is on cloud 9 you look so freakin cute!! (And he’s gotta have a pic of you in that outfit)

-Immediately grabs Noya (who’s also doing an Angry™ face) by the shoulder and stops him just so that they can admire the two of you together. Noya is obv your bestie and he absolutely loves seeing you and his other bestie happy and he really likes the outfits you're wearing! They’re crying happy tears and Tanaka’s going “I’m so lucky man” and Noya’s agreeing saying “We both are” because who gave you the right to be so gosh darn cute

-You notice Noya and wave to him too, which gives him happy tears as he’s waving back to you and Tanaka’s blowing you kisses and at this point everybody in Karasuno is looking at them in disgust because they’re so weird but they also think you’re cute and appreciate you being here to cheer them all on, especially since you’ve been so supportive even before they made it this far, offering to get snacks and even find ways to increase the budget.

-Eventually though they have to start the game and Daichi begrudgingly starts dragging them “Cmon you two, you can talk to Y/N later after we take our victory” Noya and Tanaka immediately snap out of it because as much as they both love you, you and them both know that the game is what takes top priority right now. Tanaka looks up at you in the stands and shouts “I’ll talk to you after the game, ok Babe! This victory’s gonna be for you!” And he blows one more kiss to you before resuming his walk to the court, now 10x more confident

-needless to say he is on F I R E the entire time, absolutely destroying the opposing team and doing so knowingly, giving an evil smirk every time he blocks or spikes a really nasty kill. At this point the other team is absolutely pissed off with how cocky he looks (some even knowing about his whole encounter with you in the stands getting jealous; “the only reason why he’s good is because his s/o’s here”)

-Ukai and Takeda are especially pleased with him and everyone on the team knows that this sudden boost in morale and confidence is thanks to you. They also notice that Tanaka’s actually quieter now, focused on the game and on listening to what his teammates have to say when they’re discussing strategy off the court.

-Now even though Tanaka’s an amazing player, he’s human and he makes mistakes sometimes. But knowing that you’re up there pisses him off even more but when he feels himself getting really stressed, it’s Kiyoko who says to him “Tanaka, you’re getting carried away. Remember, Y/N’s cheering for you. Would they really wanna see you lose your cool like this?” Everybody’s so surprised because A)Kiyoko’s saying words and B)Shes being nice to Tanaka??? But Tanaka appreciates it and they share an agreeing nod that this is something he can easily make up for. He goes back into the game and everybody’s telling him not to mind and just to carry on

-And carry on they do, all the way to fucking victory. They’re all exhausted and ready to just go out and eat and sleep but when Tanaka sees you waiting for him outside the doors he immediately runs to you and picks you up (regardless of whether or not you’re taller/shorter than him) and is peppering you with kisses, not caring who sees or gags (*cough*Tsukki*cough*) and you’re congratulating him and the team (who all thank you)

-side note: even though you give Noya plenty of attention too, the attention of your bestie still isn’t quite the same as the attention of a partner. Both Kiyoko and Yachi notice this, Kiyoko giving him a good pat on the back and a “well done” and Yachi giving him a high five and a hug. It’s still not quite the same but he relishes in it anyway because girls ((this is me vicariously living through Kiyoko and Yachi bc I too want to smother Noya in hugs))

-After eating out and celebrating and finally getting home (your parents allowing you to stay with Tanaka so long as Saeko sticks around to make sure no funny business is going on) Tanaka and you are cuddling on the couch, still pressing soft kisses to one another as he also pats your head telling you how much he loves you: “Thank you for coming Y/N, you really make me feel like the luckiest guy in the world”

Nishinoya Yuu:

-Another hyped boy!! Holy shit he loves you so much that he’s bouncing up and down on the closest person (which just so happens to be Asahi, who is terrified right now because he’s being shaken like a rattle) and pointing at you aggressively while also waving “GUYS GUYS GUYS OMG ITS Y/N GUYS ITS Y/N HI BABY!!!”

-Hinata sees this and probably says something like “Wow!! Noya-San’s s/o came to support him! That’s so cool” to which Noya absolutely just basks in because hell yeah he’s the cool guy of the group that got an s/o before everybody else. Tsukki gives an annoyed groan and Tanaka’s hyping his buddy up while also giving a wave to you. Asahi wants to wave too but is too squeamish from how much Noya’s shaking him. Suga has to get him off of him because no. The only person allowed to emotionally and physically scar Asahi is him (re: literally every time Suga hits Asahi as motivation)

-He’s jumping up and down in front of the crowd, not caring who sees or hears him as he shouts to you “This win’s gonna be for you baby!!” You laugh and reassure him that he’s gonna do great and that you’ll see him after the game, but you know that look on Daichi’s face and quickly advise Noya to go back before Daichi sends him to an early grave.

-He gives a pout and goes back but not before flashing you one more big grin that absolutely melts your heart. Tanaka’s giving him a pat on the back, assuring him that they’re gonna win this and he’ll be able to smooch your beautiful face the moment they get off the court. Noya’s extra pumped now and the whole team is ready to take home the win

-Cheering Noya on not only inflates his ego but apparently it boosts his speed as he’s receiving balls left and right, not even giving the opponents a chance to score a point. He can receive even the nastiest spikes and he’s loving the way his arms are burning (he makes a note to show them off to you later, almost as if they’re battle scars he got while fighting heroically. Ofc you reassure him as such when you’re praising him later)

-During timeouts or anytime he’s out of the court and just resting on the bench getting his thoughts together he’s also looking at you. You both give each other encouraging looks and when you make a little heart at him with your hands, he’s blushing extra hard and he’s thinking his heart is going to jump right out of his chest. He’s grabbing the nearest person (Probably Narita or Kinoshita, poor bbys) and clutching his heart while saying “My Y/N is so freaking cute look at how cute they are oh my god-“ “Yup, mhm, absolutely adorable Noya now please let go of me-“

-At one point he does rolling thunder (yes, and he says it out loud while doing it) and for a hot second everything goes kinda silent because why tf did he say that out loud that’s so stupid- but to you that just makes him extra cool as you’re cheering him on in the stands shouting “YEAH!! GO ROLLING THUNDER!!!” Noya has selective hearing and only hears you praising him so his ego is inflated even further

-When Karasuno inevitably wins thanks to everyone’s hard work, but especially Noya’s incredible receives and the Kghn quick attack, everyone is cheering and laughing and when Noya and Tanaka do a really sweet chest bump, Noya’s immediately looking up to you in the stands going “See! Told you I’d win for you!” You give a soft smile and laugh quietly as you get up to go down and congratulate the rest of the team

-Noya jumps on you the moment he sees you, smothering you in kisses and love and while he is cute it’s also low key gross because he is sweating really really bad and he’s getting it all over your clothes. You know if you push him off though, he’ll be pouty and upset so you let him do it anyway because what’s one happy boyfriend compared to some slightly sweaty clothes?

-Even though everybody is really tired and exhausted Noya somehow isn’t? Or at least it’s not showing as he’s happily stuffing his face and going on and on to you how amazing he felt while playing today, pulling a Hinata and giving weird sound effects while he’s eating (“mmfmmfandWOOSH-“) literally nobody can understand him but because he’s your boyfriend and you’re a certified Nishinoya Professional™ you understand him perfectly and eagerly add on (at this point nobody’s surprised because they all know how whipped you two are).

-The moment he gets home though he is OUT and immediately falls asleep as soon as you two are cuddling on his bed. As you’re stroking his hair and he’s slowly drifting further into unconsciousness in your arms he whispers to you before completely going out “I love you Y/N, thank you for cheering me on”

Sugawara Koushi:

-Now one might think that because he’s one of the more “mature” ones of the group he’d be more calm and collected right? WRONG, mans is absolutely freaking out. You all saw the way he was when Kiyoko held his hands, how do you think he’d react to his beautiful s/o calling his name in the stands? He’s absolutely going to be flustered as hell

-He’s so happy and he feels so grateful that you’re here to cheer him on and he needs Daichi and Asahi to hold him for a quick sec because he’s just so happy that you’re there. Asahi and Daichi are high key making fun of him but Sugawara doesn’t give a shit and knows it’s just bc they’re jealous they don’t have an s/o yet (totally that and not because he looks like a tomato, yep absolutely)

-You give your hellos to Asahi, Daichi, and Kiyoko too and they all promise that he’ll be fine and will definitely have his time to shine today. Even though you don’t mind whether or not he actually gets to play, you nod and continue to cheer them on.

-When Ukai actually subs him in Suga is on fire, utilizing the signals to the max and scoring so many points for the team. He even does a few setter dumps! He can’t quite put his finger on it but he feels especially in shape today and like he can take anything on. He definitely has you to thank for that.

-He actually stays in the game from then on nearly all the way to the end of the match, only being subbed out for Hinata when Ukai wanted to use his and Kageyama’s quick attack. It’s only when he finally reaches the sidelines does it dawn on him that oh shit he’s going to pass out- his energy today has been fueled x10 and when he finally gets to calm down and focus on himself, he’s gasping for water and dripping in sweat. He looks up to you and you’re concerned face because you see how absolutely wrecked he looks but he gives you a cute smile to reassure you that he’s completely fine and even blows you a kiss and mouths an “I love you”- shit you’re so soft for him (even when he’s a sweaty mess)

-Soon he’s out back out there and it’s a little concerning how easily he was able to go back into his Uber focused mode. Nonetheless it was especially useful, as he immediately pulled off a setter dump and got the team to match point. At this point you and Yachi are clinging to each other in the stands, anxious for the result of the game.

-Karasuno wins! And you’re all jumping in the air and the team is hyped and everybody’s happy and patting Sugawara on the back for being the absolute MVP of the day. He’s just so happy that he managed to be out there for so long, especially since it’s a game that you, his beautiful, wonderful s/o came to attend.

-He’s low key limping out of the doors because damn is he so freaking tired and almost collapses on you the moment you come in for a hug (doing so after he first cups your face and gives your forehead a kiss). You’re holding him by the waist and he has his arms wrapped around your shoulders as he’s giving you soft kisses to the neck and cheek and it’s all low key embarrassing and you’re blushing but also giggling because he’s cute and it tickles

-He’s absolutely clinging to you after the game, always with a hand on your waist/hip or maybe even on your ass (“Koushi not in public-“) but either way he can’t keep his hands off you and has to have his head on your shoulder as you’re all waiting for the food to come. Nobody except Daichi says anything because they all know that he’s absolutely dead at this point but Daichi’s teasing him for being so clingy (“wow, you really can’t keep it to yourself today can you?” “Shut it Daichi-“ “Koushi, be nice!”)

-He doesn’t even finish his food because he’s so sleepy, so you pack it up and Takeda offers to drive you two to Sugawara’s house, which you accept. He falls asleep in the car and you’re carrying him out by the shoulder when you get home (Takeda says he’ll help but you insist it’s fine). When you close the door behind you he gets up and lazily kabedons you against it. He lifts his head from your shoulder and gives a tender kiss to your lips, which you happily accept and cup his face for. When you two separate he’s giving a sleepy smile, his eyes lidded but still so very in love with you. One more kiss to your lips before he says “Thank you for being there for me”

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu imagines #sugawara koushi #tsukkishima kei #tanaka ryuunosuke #nishinoya yuu #tsukki x reader #sugawara x reader #tanaka x reader #nishinoya x reader

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emachinescat · 3 years

Text

II've decided to watch MacGyver from the beginning (again), and I'm live tweeting the experience with every tweet tagged with #savemacgyver. I thought it would be fun to share my collected thoughts from the episodes on here as well.

My Thoughts on S1E3, "Awl"

You're not only going to make it to 30, Mac, but you're going to make it to season 6. #savemacgyver

I love that Jack's bucket list includes finishing the Harry Potter books. Guess he's not a one-trick pony after all with sci-fi. A healthy blend of science fiction and fantasy is just what the doctor ordered.

Dylan Thomas reference! That poem was written about the poet's own father, and is about how everyone, no matter who they are or what they stand for, fights against death in the end. He's begging his dad to "rage, rage against the dying of the light," to not give in to death so easily, to keep fighting. Just taught this poem, actually, so I'm vibing with this reference super hard. Though to be fair, I'd be vibing with it anyway. Love Dylan Thomas.

Oh my gosh, this is the one with the fire extinguisher and inflatable escape! I'd forgotten which episode that came from, but I see GIFs of it all over Tumblr. Poor Mac especially, that looks like it hurts. Why is Lucas Till so good at being whumped?!

Jack hugging the fire extinguisher: Iconic.

I'll never get tired of seeing that polar bear! Do we know if he has a name?

I cannot get over how small and excited Bozer is, not a care in the world except for his movie. It's exciting to think about what's to come for his character growth, though I do wish he wouldn't have to go through all the things he does. :(

Jack's conversations with his dad at the grave are just everything. And I feel cheated that we haven't gotten to see Mac have the same kind of conversations at Jack's grave (though I firmly believe it's a regular occurrence off-screen).

Seriously, the way he talks to his dad is so familiar, so comfortable, so natural. It's like Daddy Dalton is right there with him and it fills me with so many emotions that I can't even.

The smile on Jack's face and the pride in his voice when he talks about Mac to his dad is the purest thing ever.

Also, that's a big-ass tombstone Jack is leaning against.

"Hi, Mr. Dalton. How's... life?" MAC! 😂

I can't tell you how much I love it when other characters talk about how smart Mac is. "He's a genius..."

First mention of Mac's dad. It's sweet how invested Jack is in Mac rebuilding his relationship with his old man. Also, I really wish we would have gotten a flashback of Jack's dad at some point. He seems like such an amazing man.

"If I could have one more day to sit and talk to my dad instead of that hunk of rock, I'd do anything." Jaaaaaaack 😭😭😭

Good old Ralph Kastrati. Single-handedly the most annoying character in all of cable television. Y'all have no idea what you're getting into with this one, dream team.

PUNCHFACE.

"My mom dated a guy like that once." Ouch. I'm about to start a Riley Zinger Counter for each episode. Her comebacks are 🔥

It's not just his face, Jack. Everything about this dude is punchable. Especially the way he says "yo."

Ewwww tightie whities no thanks imma head hom now byyye

Mac just snatched that can right out of Jack's hand as he was about to take a drink. Classic.

If I didn't hate Ralph before (spoiler: I did), then I extra hate him for the foie gras comment.

Yes, Jack, "asshat" is the perfect descriptor for this guy.

Is Mac seriously about to just make him some noise-canceling headphones? Who am I kidding? Of course he is.

I need more of Mac punching people in the face. For science.

Poor Jack didn't get to punch the punch face.

🎵 Snipers gonna snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe, snipe 🎵

Between the foie gras and the calfskin, they are really making this guy so easy to hate just sayin'.

"As soon as you're done saving his life, I'm gonna kill him, you hear that, smart-ass? I'm already dressed for the funeral." 🤣🤣🤣🤣

"He's g-good. He just... got kinda shot." Is that the medical terminology, Mac?

Jack using country music as a form of torture 🤣

"You're going to be seeing Yelp stars if you don't shut up!"

Have I mentioned how much I love the music in this show?

"I don't wanna die listening to country music!"

I love how bossy and grabby Mac gets when he improvises.

Another belt grab! I can’t get over Jack trying to keep his crazy partner from falling out of the window – it gives me life!

Actually makes me wonder if he does it because Mac’s taken a tumble out of a car window before. *fanfic brain engaged*

“You know how I feel about your puns.” C’mon, Mac, pus are the greatest forms of humor, bar-pun. (Geddit?)

Mc made a C in biology? I’m not buying it.

Dwwwwwww the sounds of the surgery. No thanks.

Though I will say this is one of the coolest (albeit grossest) things Mac’s ever done on this show.

What the heck is with that elevator door? It took a whole 10 years to close! I wouldn’t trust it. (To be fair, I don’t trust any elevator, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Sir Bleeds-a-Lot lol

Riley stepping in and taking charge once again. No idea how these two functioned before she came along.

Some seriously cool MacGyverisms in this episode. The whole process of “killing” Ralph and bringing him back with office supplies is so OG MacGyver and it gives me all the warm fuzzies.

Ralph: “You’re not a scientist, you’re not a doctor. So how the hell do you know all this stuff?” Mac: “...I read a lot of books?” I love Mac so much.

“Now go die.” Lolololol

The moment with Ralph wanting to call his mom and grow the hell up is surprisingly genuine and heartbreaking. Character development for a character in only one episode, hello, is that you?

“He’s dead, but he’ll get better.” MacGyver, 2016

Riley’s comeback about Jack’s plan to take out six guys if Mac takes out two is another winner. (Riley: 2, Jack: 0) Still, I love the whole, “Sure it does [count as a plan]. First, I’ll take two. Then, I’ll take the other four.” This is why Mac is the plan guy, not Jack.

“Or I can take them all out.” Mac’s confidence = 🔥

I might need to start a Mac sass counter too. Jack: “You seriously want me to put this on my face?” Mac: “Only if you like breathing.”

Jack’s left fist getting jealous 🤣

They really liked choking Mac in the early episodes, didn’t they? Not that I’m complaining. Actually, why did that stop? That strangled, panicked cry of “JACK?!” is music to my fanfic writing, hurt/comfort obsessed, whump-loving soul.

That cough - it actually hurts me to hear it! They should have given us some more repercussions or aftercare for Mac breathing in that gas!

Ralph fell asleep. Of course.

“You know, it’s weird. I’m glad he’s alive… but I still want to kill him. 🤣 I’m with Jack on this one!

Ralph: “A fresh start. I could use one of those right?” Riley: “Or a whole new personality.” ZZZING!!! Riley: 1 million, the world: -10

Oh he did not just call Riley “little hottie.” I’m back to wanting to kill him, character development be darned. So diminutive, dehumanizing, and objectifying. This guy has more than won the douchebag lottery. Riley can more than stick up for herself, but still. The way he speaks to her here makes me feel all kinds of gross.

He just said “ya heard” unironically. Can we let Jack punch him now, please?

Jack offering to let Ralph keep the cash he lifted if he gets to punch him is great, but even better is Mac and Riley offering to chip in money for The Cause.

Oh, yeah, Bozer was in this episode. I’m excited for when he is utilized more!

Bozer’s monster Mac is nightmare fuel!

“A letter? That you put in the mail? It’s 2016.” Hey, as someone who has an actual, old-school type pen pal, step off, Jack.

Mac: “You just gonna watch?” Jack, offended: “Not anymore.” How is it Jack is like Mac’s dad but they also bicker like 5-year-olds? This relationship is so strange, so wonderful, and the heart of the show in so many ways. I love them.

Mac’s words of wisdom about the nature of life are actually super encouraging and exactly what I needed to hear today.

I’d forgotten how much I love this episode – t’s so fun! Although the Codex storyline in season 4 is probably my favorite plot-wise, coming back to these early episodes is like a breath of fresh air! Excellent, excellent episode with so much to offer!

What are your thoughts on "Awl?" I'd love to discuss! :)

#macgyver #jack dalton #riley davis #wilt bozer #macgyver rewatch #my thoughts #episode review #save macgyver #we can still save our show #emcatreviews #spoilers #s1e3 #awl

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hamsterrivals · 4 years

Text

ok, so.

I made a youtube video, of me narrating Ashita no Joe episode 4.

I was wondering for awhile if it would be ok to upload a video that’s just directly an anime episode of Ashita no Joe.

I thought partly, maybe it would be ok, since that anime came out like before 1970 or something so maybe it’s free domain,

but nah. It is blocked. I can’t find the video at all.

but, that isn’t going to stop me..

I will do the impossible, (even though I am depressed, about someone I know. irl)

and narrate Ashita no Joe episode 4.

I made a whole video of me narrating it with my voice. but it’s blocked aaaa. I refuse to let it go, though.

giga..drill...breakeriswhat I’d say but I am too depressed about someone I know irl.

Ok so anyways, this was gonna be a YouTube video, especially cuz-- [had to delete the explanation] anyways here:

[deleted stuff.....] ...

anyways here:

oh shizzat its 4am I’m fluffin’ tired. so I’m just gonna skim the episode and post screenshots argh my foot is pulsating as I type that as if my entire body is thinking “wow I know you re-watched Ashita no Joe episodes again yesterday but you should watch the whole episode again its godly” I’m sorry ewotjwte its just almost 4am and I had to wake up at 10am yesterday.

the opening plays. and then:

that one guy that is like my dad reads about my stuff

Jebus freakin’ RICE I’m tired. But I need to do something productive today cuz after I woke up at 10am for my social worker I was tired and drained all day from hearing the voices of the people upstairs and the noise in the wall.

my dad I mean Danpai keeps reading the newspaper (like how in -- gah nevermind [deleted cuz I’m paranoid about what [NEVERMIND deleted the explanation]] and

my freakin’ dad I mean Danpai gets mad at Joe just like

I DELETED [can’t say] like 8 years ago cuz of that time when I [=/ Can’t say the details]

GOSH DARN IT this is just like something irl and I can’t even say what it is because I’m too paranoid about people [deleted explanation here]

ok so basically Joe is super successful and doing good things in this world but no one believes him cuz his stupid azz danpai adopted dad figure is a dumb bummie, and then

and then I wanna explain 99 lines but we’re not even 2 minutes into the episode, so I guess I have to skip some parts; I mean it is 4am after all

and then

ok so there’s this snobby lady (at the time ? perhaps she changes at the very very very very end but I won’t give any spoilers about how the very final episode goes itjewiot btw I literally watched this anime starting from the very last episode cuz someone said this series has best ending in anime/manga of all time, and then I started back at early episodes after that, when I first watched this however years ago,)

and then

yes we printed this article cuz .. you’re trustworthy and popular but Joe is just an unpopular guy who helps out orphans and gives his money away to help out orphans

ya know how when I watched the first 11 episode with [won’t say but the guy that begins with Sau and ends with ce that I was friends with for 15 years and he kept making fun of it multiple times in the chat saying “More like a shit a joe.”] well these guys are like wow Joe is a delinquent cuz he is helping out orphans

wow Yabuki Joe used an alt account or some shiz and made a complete lie to try to help society for the better like making a peaceful game and then I mean boxing I mean waterver and then

no one believes ni the main character Joe who is LITERALLY helping out local orphans; and they’re basically like just jealous of him and twisting the truth to make him look bad is what these snobby popular people are doing t hat actually have friends unlike the wondering loner Joe Yabuki,

this very popular snobby lady who actually has friends unlike ab- Yabuki Joe doesn’t care that Joe is actually being helpful and wants to make projects that will bring peace to this world, she will not give him a chance because she cares more about appearances and keeping up her reputation.

....She takes on the full pressure and responsibilty. But can she handle it?

they’re basically like “uhhh do you have [deleted in case it comes off as offensive, since I know some others that make fun of that stuff >=\ which I don’t like either cuz I get made fun of [the deleted thing] too . It shouldn’t even have to be deleted >=\ but I was in a [DELETED] and they made fun of [the deleted thing] so I guess it has to be [deleted] which is so sad for this world ??] and so

the really cool person who *doesn’t reveal spoilers of the end of the series aa* says please leave Train- Yabuki Joe to me !!

i have faith in him he totally will not somehow break this faith that I vaguely have in him and am kinda too shy to publicly admit..

I wonder what Joe is feeling like right now and doing:

s o anyways Joe keeps laughing 99 times in this episode, and, cuz he knows he’s right and just helping out orphans and people that aren’t popular and too afraid to join the b- never mind.

some of his followers don’t respond to his long rants and are like maybe he is going too far and should back down fro mthe very popular snobby lady

Yabuki Joe laughs again

he says What’s the matter with you!? Stop siding with the very popular lady that actually has friends and a good reputation who is a stuck up and like do what is right instead of what . will make people think better of you even if you know in your hear that maybe it might be wrong.

The snobby lady posted on Twit- I mean irl the anime known as Ashita no Joe the they posted a screenshot of me saying “I have family.....” and they mocked him saying “Um.... I have family too....?” as her followers mocked Yabuki Joe on twitter in the 1970s anime or something,

but family isn’t what matters, everyone has family,

what matters is that you all still have a poor reputation because you have no friends which I think is 100% ok but the stuck-up lady who hates Joe for some reason atm just cares about how they’re rich in [deleted snarky remarks] reputation.

stop caring about the dislikes and haters and appreciate the supporters that you do have;;.

yabuki Joe says F THE HATERS THIS IS Just the beginning of [would say but I wanna here but X_X; [deleted the reason why I won’t] because of [deleted] because of [deleted]]

,y gpa; s 1 million followers cuz then they at least know what is right

in this world.

and then joe is like

and then;

then he’s like yea in my heart I know its good to have that many followers cuz I know the true true truth about Yabuki Joe the anime and manga character from Ashita no Joe, he just wants that many followers to program an indie game about- I mean anyways

they say

[OK WHAT THEH ECK I SERIOUSLY DID RECORD A VIDEO OF ME JUST NARRATING THIS ENTIRE EPISODE AND I uploaded it yesterday on a video sharing site but it is blocked cuz of copyrighted content aaa even though this was from before 1970 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa now I gotta explain in text instead of voice like I already did last night AAAAAAAAAAaa]

they say But what would you do with that much power, that many internet I mean irl followers in 197o in Ashita no Joe the anime/manga series?

and then Yabuki Joe says teh

then he’s like What the gosh darn shiz in yoshville mans,

and then

and they’re like Look Yabuki Joe lives in a Terrible place with Terrible living conditions wher e brick dust keeps falling down and then

and like Joe has no problems like getting kawaii innocent ppl to follow him, but the others are a bit suspicious.. of Joe and his behavior..

Joe is like i’m gonna build a huge online hamster game soon.

and then someone tells Abu in tumblr messages I mean they tell

Someone tells Yabuki Joe as you can see if you flippin’ watch the episode yourself (I don’t blame you. I hope someone will check this series out, though. It’s my favorite anime series, to be honest.) anyways and then someone from his fandom of - anyways someone says

He’s so full of himself.

I guess you suffer from delusions of grandeur?

the bully who is even in the same exact fandom as ab- Yabuki Joe of being an orphan says that, and because they’re so big inside, people blindly listen to them.

the true actual innocent follower that knows trainerab- Yabuki Joe is actually honest and truthful is like, wow shut the fak up brah, and then:

Then the “Are you sure you don’t suffer from delusions of grandeur?” doubtful follower who is keeping an eye on Ab-Yabuki Joe I mean and watching over him to try to keep the orphanage safe falsely then says “This is a clown. See this clown? Abu is hiring th I mean Yabuki Joe had this younger person defend him” Wow and then

one of the only innocent ppl in this show besides Yabuki Joe and a bunch of later characters in this series in later episodes that happen soon, know Joe really is telling the truth and that he really is honest and she’s pizzed awf at that hater troll person trying to Provoke joe and such on [deleted] anime & manga series Ashita no Joe the anime/manga series, and then

then they’re like, uh oh maybe Joe does have some loyal followers who know the real truth and we should hold our distance and see what he does and what he is truly like, first, and then

so, then

so then Yabuki Joe shows them their steam profile and the gam I mean the BY- I mean

Joe is like ok I played retro games my whole life and watched cool cartoons like the Rugrats and I play cool games and twisted trolls like the snobby girl try to make it look like I “change my interests to appease others” but come into my YouTube channel office and c the truth that I really DID play a lot of SNES games and then

I mean Yabuki Joe says this is my office and this is where I live,

I live in a factory that rains brick dust,

and then,

AND THEN I WANNA NARRATE THIS ENTIRE EPISODE BUT IT IS FREAKIN’ 4:35am and I gotta get up soon

I mean I flippin’ already narrated this entire episode and commented on it etc. and made a cool video of it but YouTube blocked it AAAAAAAA even tho it was an anime made in

1970 I thought it would be free domain by now and o.k. to upload a video of it to YouTube with audio commentary GOSH AAAaaaa GOSH I WANNA NARRATE THE WHOLE EPISODE

AS I SAID IN THE youtube video that is blocked on YouTube I think it is a requirement cuz like it really pejeroyjoirjyorejijioe

ok have a nice night.

#Ashita no Joe #anime #manga #Megalo Box #screencap #screengrab #screencaps #screen caps #boxing #series #1970 #best #relatable #The best series ever #imo

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bergarachan · 5 years

Note

A proposal for the fluff prompt,,, I would Weep™️

So this is gonna sound really weird but ive literally never written established relationship before it was so much fun!! the boys, if they were together, would be lovey-dovey goofballs. :”””D enjoy!

“You ready, Shane?” Ryan asked, coming out to the living room. The two were gettng ready to film an episode of weird wonderful world. Ryan saw Shane waiting for him in the living room and gasped. “Woah, you look...” He looked Shane up and down. His boyfriend was wearing a white button-up with patterned navy blue pants. He had a jean jacket over the button-up. Shane looked good. “...Wow.” Was the only thing that came out of Ryan’s mouth.

Shane laughed. “Is that all you’re gonna say?”

Ryan giggled along with him. “Well, yeah, you usually don’t wear stuff like this.” Okay, that was kinda an exaggeration. But usually Shane would wear something more casual than this during filming. Shane and Ryan had been spending the entire day inside, watching movies and playing board games. They had all day to get ready, and he’d even seen Shane planning his outfit about two hours before he had to leave.

“I think it looks good.” Shane said goofily, smiling to himself and making Ryan laugh even more.

“You look look amazing, hon.” Ryan smiled, going on his tip-toes to kiss Shane on the cheek, making his tall counterpart’s smile grow even wider. His boyfriend was such a fucking dork.

The two boys got into the car, Shane immediately sliding in the front seat, a sunny smile on his face.

“What’s got you so happy?” Ryan asked.

Shane shrugged. “It’s a nice day outside.”

It was a nice day outside. Shane and Ryan never got tired of the sunny streets of LA (okay, Shane did sometimes, but they went to Chicago for most holidays, so he didn’t get to complain) and it was a lovely day in August. The sun was out, kids were playing, people were laughing, and it reminded Ryan of why he loved this city so very much.

As they drove, they smiled as the sun started to set. “When’s the crew gonna get to the set?” Ryan asked, staring at the scenery outside.

“They’re gonna be a little late, Ry-guy, so I decided to go out to dinner first.” Shane said. “That alright?”

Ryan frowned. “Late? Why?”

“Brittany texted me a couple hours before we had to leave, she, uh, she said that a couple of the cameras stopped working.”

“What?!” Ryan exclaimed.

“Yeah, crazy, right? They just stopped, all in like, the same night.”

“Maybe there’s something wrong with the camera brand... or some shit,” Ryan muttered to himself. He was fairly happy with dinner, though. Dinner sounded lovely. “Is this why you took the time to pick out your outfit, fucker?” He asked Shane teasingly.

Shane snorted. “You saw me do that?” He hesitated, “Maybe...”

Ryan giggled. “You’re such a sap, you know that, big guy?”

“Only for you, babeyyy!” Shane exclaimed, then he launched into song, “I been cheated by you since I don’t know when!”

“Nope, Shane, no, we are not singing Mamma Mia right now-” Ryan tried to cut him off, but Shane continued, of course.

“So I’ve made up my mind, it must come to an end!” The Mamma Mia soundtrack was special to both Ryan and Shane. It was kind of their anthem when Shane was there for Ryan after a horrible breakup, and then the breakup after that. Singing the songs terribly while dancing around a dimly lit room was one of the steps to realizing that they were in love with each other all along. So as much as Shane does sing it, Ryan can never get sick of it.

Ryan stuck through Shane’s horrible rendition of “mamma mia” all the way to a restaurant beside a beach. It was a place that the two of them had never been together, however they were both familiar with the place. It was minimalistic and atmospheric, and it had bitchin burgers.

When they were both seated and had both ordered burgers, Ryan caught Shane staring at him with what their fans loved to call “heart eyes”. As he always did, Ryan smiled bashfully under Shane’s gaze. Shane always had an effect on him, even after dating for two and a half years. Shane always made him blush, giggle and swoon like a highschool girl. And he knew it was the same for Shane. “What’re you lookin’ at,” Ryan snorted, flushing more under Shane’s stare.

Shane sighed. “Even before we started dating I always wanted to take you here.” Holy shit, what was up with Shane and being a sap today? He told Shane as much. Shane just took Ryan’s hand in his and said, “Just love you, is all.” Ryan was surprised. Shane wasn’t the kind of guy to be gushy and lovey-dovey. He more loved to show people that he loved them, without really telling them so. This was different.

Ryan smiled. “I love you too, Shane.” He squeezed his hand tightly.

Shane and Ryan got into their normal banter over dinner, almost getting louder than the families with children with their usual arguments and bits. They were laughing and giggling the entire time, though, and once again Ryan was reminded why he loved Shane Madej so gosh-darn much. From day one, since filming unsolved, Shane was always Ryan’s best friend. There was no separating them. And then, years ago, with the creation of Watcher, and working every day beside him, Ryan rarely got sick of him. If anything, it helped him realize his feelings even sooner.

After paying the check and getting up from their seats, Ryan asked, “The crew ready, Shane?”

Shane checked his phone, and, after a moment, shook his head. “They’re getting in the car. On their way over. Wanna take a little stroll on the beach?”

Ryan smiled. “Always.” This beach in particular reminded him of their first kiss.

___

“Shane!” Ryan caught up to Shane, bare feet slipping in the sand. It was nearly midnight, and the boys had finished filming season 7 of Unsolved Supernatural. After drinks, Shane suggested eating snacks on the beach. Only problem is, they had forgotten snacks. So they decided to run around like children and play games instead. Ryan panted, hands on his knees as he finally caught up. “I can’t keep up with your stupid long legs,” He wheezed.

Shane laughed. “One of the perks of being six foot four.” Ryan whacked him playfully on the arm.

Suddenly, Ryan noticed the moon, full, bright, and beautiful. He stopped to stare at it. “The moon is beautiful tonight,” He muttered, admiring the sight.

“Yeah,” He heard Shane say beside him. “Gorgeous.” Ryan glanced over at Shane, and his smile fell when he realized that Shane wasn’t looking at the moon.

He was looking at him.

“Shane,” He whispered, as if his name was something secret. Their relationship had taken a turn, recently. The stares had been longer, the touches had lingered, the smiles had been wider. It was unspoken. But now, Shane had spoken it.

Shane wrapped his arms around Ryan’s waist. Shane bent down a little, and Ryan went on his tip-toes. They gravitated towards each other.

Shane kissed Ryan like he was the most precious gift in the entire world.

___

Ryan smiled dreamily at the memory. It gave him butterflies in his stomach to this day, years later. “Remember that night when we played games in the sand? On this beach?” He asked Shane. The sun was nearly setting, just touching the horizon of glittering water. Not many people were around this part of the beach. It felt like a secret, just for Shane and Ryan.

“Yeah,” Shane replied. “That was a good day.” The two were silent for a moment, before Shane said something. “Ryan?”

Ryan laughed. Shane’s voice sounded serious. Probably a bit, Ryan assumed. “Yeah, big guy?”

“Can I ask you something?” The taller pulled Ryan close to his chest.

“Sure, shoot.” The latter giggled.

And it was like a movie.

Shane suddenly dropped to a knee. Ryan gasped, laughing all the way. There was no way this was happening. This had to be a bit; this had to be a joke.

And then he saw Shane getting something out of his pocket. “Shane,” Ryan tried, choking up.

“Ryan,” Shane held up a black velvet box. “You are my best friend. To the moment we started being friends, to the moment I fell head over ass in love with you, to now, I’ve realized that I always want you in my life. I always want you by my side.” Shane sniffled a little himself, wiping his eye with a finger, before continuing, “You are… an angel, Ryan Bergara. I know I don’t, uh, believe in that stuff, but sometimes I’ve seriously questioned if the guy upstairs sent me an angel… to… protect me, and whatnot.” They both laughed teary laughs. “I’m not one for saying my emotions out loud, and whatnot, but… I am so in love with you, Ryan. And I think we’re destined, if that even exists, to be together for the rest of our lives. So, Ryan Bergara,” He opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver ring, “Will you make me the luckiest, happiest man on the world, and marry me?”

Of course, by that point, Ryan was in tears, trying to stiffle his sobs. “Yes, fucking,” He sniffled, “Yes, Shane. I love you, yes, yes,” And as he rushed in to hug his partner, he heard a round of applause from behind him. He turned to see, of course, the fucking crew. Brittany, TJ, Andrew, Steven, Mark, everyone, all with cameras. “Wha-? Were you all in this?” Ryan asked, wiping his tears.

The crew all nodded, laughing, cheering and whooping. “Shane and I have been trying to put this together for months.” Steven spoke up, smiling.

“Months?” Ryan’s voice went up, like, five octaves. “Shane…” And, of course, being the emotional guy he was, burst into tears again and ran into Shane’s arms, earning an awww from the crew. Ryan and Shane shared a romantic kiss, and Shane slipped the ring onto Ryan’s finger.

“I love you, angel,” Shane whispered into Ryan’s ear, only for him to hear, and Ryan doesn’t think he’s ever been more happy. This is it. This is the best day of his life.

“I love you, Shane. Forever and ever. We took an oath.”

(Later, the video was posted on the Watcher channel, titled, “How I Proposed to Ryan”. Fans, of course, went fucking crazy. Ryan wouldn’t have anything any other way.)

#i cried writing this #imagine if this actually happened tho #shyan #shyan fic #proposal #proposal fic #shyan fanficiton #shyan drabbles #belle writes #belle chats #ask #answered

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, 3 (Branjie) (and background everyone else) - Ortega

a/n: hey fam!! we are over halfway through the rewrite so hopefully soon i can get a brand brand new chapter out to u soon, in the meantime enjoy chapter 3 all over again and see if u can spot the differences lmao?? idk but i hope u enjoy anyway!!

fic summary: Strictly Come Dancing enters its 18th series and its producers, after being goaded by a rival dance show on its inclusivity, commission it to be an all-female cast. Unlike Akeria who’s just here to bone her potential dance partner, dancer Vanessa is ready to act like a professional.

And then TV presenter Brooke Lynn walks into the rehearsal room.

***

28th September 2020

Vanessa has never been more excited in her life as she paces the rehearsal room, checks herself out for what is surely the millionth time in the mirrors and pulls a few strands of her dark hair out of her ponytail to frame her face. There’s a cameraman and a lighting person and a random producer set up in one corner too but Vanessa hardly acknowledges them, because it’s her first rehearsal with Brooke and in a moment she’s going to walk through those doors and they’ll get to start their journey together.

Saturday night had been a blur. They’d been rushed off to film their post-show reaction interview and Vanessa hardly remembers what she’d said. She supposes it couldn’t have been more incoherent than her immediate reaction. Or perhaps it had been. They’d swapped numbers excitedly, Vanessa’s heart dipping a little as Brooke insisted she couldn’t join for post-show drinks as she had to film early the next morning. With a pang of embarrassment, Vanessa remembers the text she’d sent to Brooke in the early hours of the morning as a result of Monique and Akeria’s shocking influence and way too much tequila:

V: iknow its 1am but im still so excited to be partnered wirg u and i cant wait for first rehearsal!!!!!!! x

It’s a miracle Brooke had still been up so her reply could come instantly and Vanessa didn’t have to wake up smelling of alcohol, kebab and regret the next day.

B: I’m excited too!! Have a good night, can’t wait for Monday x

It’s not like Vanessa has a crush- she’s just excited, as she keeps reminding herself, and Brooke is her first partner. It’s natural to look forward to seeing her as much as she is.

Vanessa inspects her reflection again, frowning and pulling out two more strands of hair from her ponytail to hang loose. She gives a cry of frustration as she realises she’s ruined it by pulling out way too much, so she bends over and hangs her head down between her knees to gather her hair up again.

She’s in this position when the door opens and she hears Brooke’s voice ringing into the echoey room.

“Good morning! Oh shit, am I interrupting something?“

Embarrassed, Vanessa flips her hair back and stands up straight, walking quickly over to Brooke as she dumps her gym bag at the door. “No, fuck, sorry, I was just fixing my hair! Hey!”

Brooke has her arms out ready to hug Vanessa and she accepts gladly. She smells all clean and of fabric softener. She probably uses in-wash scent boosters like an adult who has complete control of her life and more money than sense. They pull out of the hug and Vanessa fixes Brooke with a smile.

“So!” Vanessa starts, but there’s a noise from the other side of the room. One of the producers has stepped forward.

“Uh yeah, ladies, we can’t use that intro. We’re gonna have to film again.”

“How come?” Vanessa asked, realising too late that it’s because she was bent over with her hair hanging to the ground and that Brooke swore. The girls share a guilty laugh and Brooke retreats to the door. The good news is that they get to hug for a second time when they reshoot, and Vanessa gets another scent of Brooke’s detergent and the protected feeling of having the other girl’s strong arms around her.

“So, first rehearsal!” Vanessa chats cheerfully, leaning on the barre and tilting her head as she talks to Brooke. “How we feelin’?”

“Good! Excited. Ready. Positive adjectives,” Brooke says all at once, smiling at her. “How about you?”

“I’m happy. Kinda nervous, ‘cuz now I have to live up to your expectations.”

“And they are great expectations.”

Vanessa nods. “George Orwell style.”

Brooke pauses, fixing Vanessa with a funny look, then bursts out laughing. “Even Charles Dickens?”

Vanessa laughs, shrugging. “They both wrote books, I stay winning.”

She watches as Brooke doubles over clutching her stomach in hysteria, and feels a sense of pride at having made the girl laugh so much. Remembering the film crew in the corner, she smacks her hands together. “Right! For our first dance as a Strictly partnership, we are doin’ a…quickstep!”

Brooke raises her eyebrows and nods slowly. “Ballroom first, okay! I can do that. I guess I’m surprised we’re not doing Latin.”

Vanessa shrugs. “Ballroom ain’t my strong suit so I figured it’s better to get it out the way early while we got other, shittier girls we can hide behind.”

There’s a beat of silence as the two girls look at each other. They both speak at the same time. “…Farrah.”

“Reshoot!” the producer shouts over, Vanessa feeling herself roll her eyes like a teenager. Brooke snorts a laugh and Vanessa feels that little match spark up in her gut again. They reshoot, having the same conversation as before in so many words. It’s tricky remembering not to swear- Vanessa peppers fuck and shit into her daily language like she’s seasoning it, so it’s odd attempting to remove that from her vocabulary. She should probably be trying to give Brooke the impression of a mysterious and graceful woman who says gosh and darn but if she’s going to be working with her she’s going to be working with her, not a cookie-cutter picture perfect imitation.

“You wanna warm up?” Vanessa asks her, feeling a little bashful as Brooke rolls her neck slowly. She gives a small shake of her head as a long strip of her bare neck is exposed, her blonde ponytail falling over her shoulder. Vanessa feels like shaking her head herself, shaking all the thoughts that just entered her head out of it. Get a grip.

“Nah, I already did a bit before I came. We’ve got a gym at the flat, so it’s good for that kind of thing.”

Vanessa feels her eyebrows fly up her face. What kind of fancy-ass flat does she live in? “You wanna just do a bit of conditioning then? I saw you were good at it on the induction day, so you prolly don’t need to do much-”

“You had your eyes on me on induction day then?” Brooke interrupts, gives Vanessa a cheeky wink that makes her face hot. She thinks about making a jibe related to Brooke eyeing her up during squats, but she thinks it’s maybe a bit much. This is only the third time they’ve seen each other, after all. She doesn’t know why she’s acting like such a teenager.

“You wish, princess,” she sticks her tongue out. Brooke laughs and Vanessa joins her, trying not to think too much about where that princess appeared from out of nowhere.

Brooke shrugs in agreement and they do a bit of conditioning on the mats that are kept at the studio. They don’t really need to be doing too much- it’s a quickstep, it’s not exactly Cirque du Soleil- but Vanessa enjoys giving her muscles a proper stretch anyway. She doesn’t need to be the bendiest dancer in the world but she likes to feel as if her flexibility and strength are constantly improving. The film crew stay to catch some rehearsal shots but Vanessa feels as if it’s only her and Brooke in the room, their easy small-talk coming naturally as they stretch and chat over the chill R&B Vanessa’s stuck on in the background. Brooke’s been working that morning already, shooting for The Voice. They’ve moved filming to the morning so she can participate in the show. Vanessa says she hopes it’s not inconvenienced her too much and Brooke laughs and waves her apology away, saying it’s been her dream to get asked on the show ever since she rose to TV-presenter status.

Vanessa agrees, tells her about growing up watching the show with her Mom, how it inspired her when she began to compete all those years ago. She could get into other stuff, like the Summer when they couldn’t fly back to Puerto Rico because Vanessa had begged and pleaded with her Mom to spend the flight money on another term at dance school instead and it had caused a rift so huge it almost tore a hole in her family. But she doesn’t. As Vanessa reminds herself, it’s only their third meeting.

So why does she have to fight the compulsion to tell Brooke her damn life story?

Before Vanessa can blurt out any emotional moments from her upbringing (and she doesn’t exactly have a shortage of them), she slaps her thighs, stands up and rolls the mat away.

“Okay, let’s get started. Now obviously you’re good-”

“Oh, of course,” Brooke jokes. Vanessa’s heart gives a dip.

“- so I think we can maybe just start learning the full thing? If it’s too hard then we can just do some of the basics and go over lil’ techniques an’…stuff,” Vanessa clocks the cameras, changes the “shit” she was about to let out. “But the good news is we got two weeks to learn this one instead of one.”

“So there’s no excuse for it not to be perfect,” Brooke nods immediately. Vanessa freezes, taken aback. Brooke in turn looks almost as if she’s been caught out, and her face turns a little red. “Sorry. That probably seems way too keen, it’s just a fun dancing show-”

“Nah, keep that spirit. I’m a fan of that,” Vanessa smiles at her and Brooke, reassured, smiles back. The girl’s clearly a perfectionist. Vanessa adds that to her growing list of things she’s learning about her new partner. “Aight, I’m gonna show you how it’s gonna look. Lemme get my phone.”

Vanessa dashes over to her gym bag, scrambles about in it for a moment. She spent all of Sunday and stayed up all night finishing off the choreography with Crystal, who she’d also helped choreograph her first dance too, not that Crystal needed any help choreographing Latin. Or indeed ballroom. Or indeed any dance full stop. They’d brainstormed and drank gallons of water and chatted together excitedly the whole time. Being on the show with Crystal is nice because they practise their Spanish together so Vanessa doesn’t lose too much of it, and she understands what it’s like to be away from her huge extended family on days like Cinco di Mayo when the only real celebration of that in the UK is a display of Mexican party food in Tesco, and they moan together about the fact that neither of them have seen a single plantain on sale since arriving in the country. Finally finding her phone in her gym bag, Vanessa searches for the video she and Crystal took of the quickstep once it was all finished. Finding it, she plops down next to Brooke who’s sitting on the dusty floor and leaning against the mirrored wall. She hits play, holds her breath nervously and hopes Brooke will like what she’s come up with. Vanessa is relieved when a small smile grows on Brooke’s face.

“Are we actually doing it to Pon De Replay?”

“Damn right we are!” Vanessa replies proudly. She got her song request in early and the producers approved it on Sunday morning. She knows that she’s not as good at ballroom but she likes the fact that she can use songs she likes and twist the style to fit, making it more comfortable for her. The dance she’s created is clever, even if she does think so herself. First week is all about showcasing your celebrity and what they do, what kind of person they are, so Vanessa wants to give Brooke a challenge. The first half is a straightforward quickstep and the second is the same but everything mirrored and in reverse. There’s a silly bit at the start where Brooke’s going to pretend to be interviewing Vanessa to reflect her everyday career. It’s cheesy, but that’s Strictly.

The video comes to an end and Brooke is smiling from ear to ear. “Oh my God. I love it.”

“Ah! Amazing. I’m so glad,” Vanessa beams, happy and relieved all at once.

“I mean, it looks hard. But I didn’t think any of this would be easy.”

“It’ll get easier, though! Just needs practise. And remember, we’ve got two weeks!” Vanessa reminds her, standing up and shaking herself out. “So we’ve got ages. I mean. In between all the press and social media madness, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Brooke laughs, pushing herself up from the floor. “Right, come on then, teacher. What do we start with?”

Vanessa begins showing Brooke the routine, the complex and intricate little steps and hops of the quickstep taking Brooke a little bit of getting used to. But by lunchtime, they’ve gone through a little chunk of the dance already and they’ve run it without and with the music. Vanessa’s pleased with their progress and when they stop for their lunch break they’re both exhausted, sweaty, and smiling.

“You good?” Vanessa asks Brooke, who’s taking a long swig of her drink. Her eyes widen as she nods quickly.

“Yeah! Christ, it’s so tough. You’re a good teacher, though,” Brooke says, finally finishing her water. The praise makes Vanessa blush; she’s glad she’s already red from all the dancing so it doesn’t show as much.

“You’re doin’ great. Makin’ my job easy,” Vanessa smiles at her. She bites her lip before speaking again. “Hey, you wanna come have lunch with me?”

Brooke pulls a face and pouts. “Aw, that sounds amazing but I’ve got a meeting with my agent at quarter past. To make sure you’re not committing human rights violations against me or whatever.”

Vanessa snorts a laugh, tries not to look disappointed. They promise to meet back at the studio in half an hour, and Vanessa heads to the canteen where she knows some of the other girls will be having lunch too. The studios that a bunch of them have had the foresight to block-book are great and modern, and Vanessa feels bad for girls like Jan who’s having to rehearse in a draughty church hall near Jackie’s sleepy Hounslow suburb. Pushing open the double doors, she finds Phi Phi, Jaida, Monique, Crystal and Plastique already sitting at a table and eating lunch. Vanessa dashes over.

“Beep beep, hoes! Winner coming through,” she shouts over to them cheerfully, Monique laughing and rolling her eyes long-sufferingly as Jaida shakes her head at her.

“Take several seats, bitch.”

“One’s fine, thanks,” Vanessa flutters her lashes at her, causing the other girl to laugh.

“How did you even get in through the door with your head this big?” Monique scoffs, as Vanessa chucks her bag down and rakes through it for her lunch.

“Hey, you’d be crowin’ as well if you saw what my girl can do,” she points out, ignoring the way Monique’s eyebrows fly up her face at the my girl.

“It’s not about who’s got the best dancer from the start, it’s all about the potential,” Plastique shrugs at her. Vanessa gives a laugh.

“Aw, Scarlet’s got loads of that, right?” she jibes, the other girls laughing. Plastique rolls her eyes.

“We spent half an hour on a step-ball-change. Every object in the room slowly started to merge into implements with which I could kill both her and myself,” Plastique put her head in her hands. She’d ended up being partnered with the soap star and Monique, to her badly-suppressed delight, had been given singer Monet.

“At least she’s trying to work hard,” Phi Phi sighed, her face taking on a sour expression. “Willam is killing me. She keeps doing shit wrong and if I point it out she just makes a joke about it. And she keeps dashing next door to show shit to Courtney! What the hell is up with that? Courtney’s got Blair to worry about, she doesn’t need a damn goofball interrupting her rehearsal every two minutes to add to that.”

“Where is Courtney, anyway?” Vanessa asked, taking a big bite out of her chicken and rice. She knows Courtney shares their studios too and she’s notable by her absence.

Phi Phi pulls a face in response. “Let’s just say her and Blair have a lot of work to do.”

“Well, I can’t relate,” Monique smiles smugly. “Me an’ Monet have been doing amazing.”

“So’ve me and Gigi! She’s awesome,” Crystal pipes up excitedly. Vanessa swears she can see her pupils turn into little hearts as she speaks. “She’s so hardworking. We’ve done, like, half our dance already.”

“No you haven’t, stop lying,” Phi Phi nudges her under the table with her foot. Crystal rolls her eyes, resigned.

“Okay, not half, but maybe like a quarter. An eighth? A twelfth.”

The girls explode laughing and Vanessa actually has to wipe tears from her eyes. When she calms down, she asks Jaida how her rehearsals with Yvie are going so far.

“Alright, I guess. The girl’s really great, she’s got so much talent. But the bitch won’t stop filmin’ shit for her fuckin’ vlogs! I’d leap out the damn window but our room’s on the ground floor.”

Another roar flies up from the girls. It’s always funny to see how they all gel with their dance partners, and Vanessa has never got to experience it for herself until this year. She’s so happy she’s been paired with Brooke.

After the girls finish their lunch, Vanessa and Brooke continue to rehearse. The days pass like that easily with hours spent in hold, out of hold, stepping, hopping, watching Brooke tear her hands through her messy ponytail in frustration when she can’t immediately nail a particular move. Vanessa learns that Brooke’s hard on herself and, though she never snaps or yells, Vanessa knows it annoys her having to really properly work at the tricky bits. Truth be told, Vanessa gets annoyed at herself too. She curses herself whenever Brooke struggles with something, becomes convinced she should have made the dance a little easier for her. If Brooke doesn’t pick something up quickly Vanessa is irritated at her own teaching methods. She knows Brooke wants to be the best no matter how much she plays the competition off as simply a bit of fun, and she gets annoyed when it seems like she’s not doing enough to help her achieve that.

On the whole, though, Vanessa tries not to beat herself up too much. They do seem to be making really good progress in comparison to some of the other girls, and they’ve more or less learned the whole dance by the end of the first week. It bodes well for their next few weeks together, as they both know the two-week rehearsal process is a luxury that’s not going to be afforded to them for the rest of the series. Besides, next week is full of social media madness and promo filmings and they’ve got their It Takes Two interview with Cheryl on Friday. It’s going to be exhausting.

“It’s going to be exhausting,” Brooke smiles gently, contemplating the week ahead and rubbing her eyes at the end of their Saturday night rehearsal. It’s 10pm and probably far too late and Vanessa should’ve let Brooke get an early night but she got carried away polishing up little sections with her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept you so late tonight,” Vanessa laments, frowning. Brooke frowns back, her face full of concern.

“Don’t apologise! I’m willing to stay as long as it takes. However long you think I need,” Brooke gives a small laugh, and Vanessa concedes and joins her laughter. The thought hits her that they’ve not shared too much on social media yet. Some of the pairs are giving round-the-clock updates as if they’re News 24 (she doesn’t think Aja and Farrah have stopped going live on Instagram since they began rehearsing but that’s what you get with a reality TV star as a partner), and Vanessa feels a bit guilty. She knows she’s got fans- it never gets any less crazy to say but it’s true- and she knows they’re as excited about her Strictly journey as she is. So she takes her phone out of her bag and waves it a little at Brooke.

“Hey. I know it’s late, but we’ve been workin’ so hard we kinda forgot about all the fun shit. Wanna take a few post-rehearsal selfies for Insta?”

She pauses as Brooke lets out a small laugh, suddenly feels embarrassed. “You know. If that’s your sorta thing.”

“I’m a TV presenter, Vanessa, I’m not the Prime Minister. I’m allowed to have fun,” Brooke laughs, struts up to stand beside her and faces the mirrored wall. “Go on then, Naomi Campbell, start the damn photoshoot.”

Vanessa laughs and her heart gives a little flutter as Brooke locks her fingers and rests them on her shoulder, leaning down and resting her head on them. She pouts and in turn Vanessa throws up a peace sign and sticks her tongue out. She takes a burst of five photos that will all look identical but she knows she’ll be able to find a tiny, minute difference in them all. Brooke leans over her phone as she scrolls through the photos, and suddenly jabs a finger against her screen.

“That one. It’s cute.”

Vanessa obeys orders and puts it on her Instagram story along with a timestamp and a little gif of a teddy bear falling asleep.

“Now do a video!” Brooke bounces on her toes all excited, and Vanessa has to laugh at how much she’s getting into the swing of things. Vanessa points the camera at them both, begins recording.

“Hey guys, Vanjie here with my girl Brooke Lynn, so it is…” she forgets the time, appeals to Brooke. “10.05? 10.06?”

“Way-too-late-o’clock,” Brooke chimes in, pokes Vanessa’s face teasingly. Vanessa rolls her eyes.

“We’ll go with that. An’ we have just finished a run of our full dance, you’re gonna love it, I can’t wait to show off this girl, y’all are not ready.”

Vanessa feels her face grow ever-so-slightly flushed as Brooke turns to her and smiles. “Aww. That’s cute, thanks! Oh, can we tell them what the song is?”

Vanessa faces her and laughs. “No way! We gotta wait til Monday, that’s when they all get released.”

“Please?” Brooke actually pouts. It’s too adorable and her face is so close to Vanessa’s in her attempt to fit into frame that Vanessa could totally lean forward and give her the tiniest little kiss if she wanted.

She doesn’t want to. Why the fuck did that thought just appear in her head?

“No! They’ll find out on Monday. And the dance too! No special treatment.”

“Ugh. I’m so telling my agent, this is definitely illegal. Should’ve stayed on the damn One Show.”

Vanessa bursts out laughing at Brooke’s joke, shakes her head at the camera. “I have to work with this diva. Jeez. Well, see you guys later!”

“Yeah, see you all later! If she hasn’t murdered me by then.”

“If I haven’t murdered her by then. Bye, love ya!” Vanessa signs off and stops recording, posts the video to her story as Brooke laughs. “You’re a natural at all this social media shit. Right, go get some rest. See you Monday, girl.”

“See you Monday,” Brooke smiles. Vanessa doesn’t miss the way she sort of hovers, lingering with the smile still on her face before looking to the floor and then leaving the room. Vanessa wonders what she was thinking. It couldn’t have been that important.

Before Vanessa begins to pack up she checks Instagram to see the reaction to the stuff she’s just dropped. There’s a few replies- she always gets them on her stories from fans and she tries to reply to most of them. One in particular catches her eye- a reply to the video which is peppered with heart-eye emojis and simply reads:

OHMYGOSH!!!!! You guys are SO cute together!!!

Vanessa doesn’t realise how long she’s been smiling until she’s left the studio and walking to the tube.

They both have a day off on Sunday- they all do. It’s been a long first week and they’ve all earned it. Vanessa has an ice bath because she’s forgotten how intense it is to be rehearsing all day every day with just one other person. It reminds her of the show she did that Summer with-

Well. It doesn’t matter now.

What matters now is Brooke, and Vanessa spends most of the daytime on Sunday sitting on the small sofa that’s squashed under the ceiling beam in her tiny narrow flat, curled up under a blanket and trying to figure out how to text her. She wants to make that connection with her partner, she wants her and Brooke to be close friends and to be able to go for lunch and talk about anything together and have their own little jokes and stuff like that. Lots of the dancers have that kind of connection with their girls already- Crystal and Gigi are averaging around two silly selfies a day on social media, Vanessa can hear Monique and Monet’s laughter ricocheting off the walls and down the stairs from their rehearsal room, and there is already some are-they-aren’t-they media speculation in the form of Jan and Jackie, who were papped going to get bagels in a break between rehearsals with their pinkies interlocked and small smiles on their faces. Vanessa’s not jealous of them, whatever it is they have. She’d asked Crystal about them, because she’s closer with Jan, and Crystal had laughed it off and said they’re just friends and they’re getting on very well. Vanessa has reason to doubt her, mind you. She knows chemistry when she sees it.

Vanessa finally decides to shoot Brooke a message at around six at night. She’s making a cheat meal of mac and cheese with a bunch of chorizo through it, because she damn well deserves a carb and some dairy and some oily meat. It’s when she realises that she’s made enough for a small village that she takes her phone out, messages Brooke before she can overthink it.

V: i’ve just made way too much mac and cheese, u wanna have a rehearsal room floor picnic tomorrow? x

The moment it’s sent she regrets how outrageously fucking pathetic she sounds. That is until she gets a reply around two minutes later, one that makes her face hurt with a smile.

B: No chance you’re offloading your failed masterchef attempts onto me. How do I know it’s edible? x

Her reply is flirtatious. Vanessa tries to explain it away but she can’t, so she positions her phone in front of the huge earthenware tray she’s just taken out of the oven, the breadcrumbs giving a satisfying crackle as she sticks a serving spoon into it and takes a boomerang of the strings of cheese and billows of steam that emerge as she pulls the spoon out and a golden slice of the baked pasta with it. She sends it off to Brooke without any written reply and for a moment she forgets about any potential response as hunger overtakes her. She grabs a white bowl with a small crack down its side and piles the pasta high into it, sitting back on the couch and pulling the purple blanket over her knees as she scans the channels for something to keep her company as she eats. She settles on a rerun of some 90s gameshow and as it eventually finishes, so does her dinner. It’s only then that Vanessa remembers her phone, and as she dashes back across to the kitchen counter her heart gives a giant thump of joy as she sees four messages from Brooke.

B: Omg I take it all back, I will never doubt your cooking skills again x

B: Is that chorizo???????? I’m so hungry x

B: Are you mad at me because I said it wouldn’t be edible?? I’m sorry!!!!!! x

B: Please bring some for lunch tomorrow! I’ll get us a dessert, call it an apology x

Vanessa looks at the little “x” after each one. She’s blushing before she even knows it and it’s almost like Brooke has planted real little kisses on both her cheeks.

V: i’d say it’s a date but i’m not gonna give u the satisfaction x

A reply from Brooke doesn’t come but somehow it doesn’t bother her.

They have their picnic on the floor of the rehearsal room the next day, just as had been promised. Brooke makes ridiculous noises as she takes her first bite of the mac and cheese and Vanessa pokes fun at her for buying the cakes and not baking them (but Galaxy cake bars are delicious, so she doesn’t complain too much). They make a silly video for Instagram- “Hey guys! We’ve stopped for lunch and I brought a picnic!” “Hey, I made cakes!” “Bought cakes. Bought.” - and they’re almost too full to practise afterwards but they do, until late into the night, and the day after that and the day after that. They squeeze in their photoshoot for the title sequence and an interview for the Radio Times and the days pass in a busy blur. Vanessa’s smile grows wider with each rehearsal as they become better and better at the dance and on Thursday night they run it through with no mistakes at all, Vanessa so happy that she jumps into Brooke’ arms and squeals with delight and Brooke squeezes her tight and does the same. Before they know it it’s Friday, they’re the last It Takes Two interview of the week, and the first show is a little over twenty-four hours away.

“You nervous?” Vanessa whispers to Brooke as they watch Cheryl interviewing one of the past contestants they’ve invited on to give their insight. The sister show of Strictly isn’t watched by a huge number of people but it is watched by the hardcore fans, and Vanessa is anxious to make a good impression.

“A little. I’m used to conducting the interviews, not giving them,” Brooke frowns a bit, sweeps her blonde hair over her shoulder. She turned up to the studios in a smart blue suit and orange heels and Vanessa is amazed that she hasn’t dissolved into liquid form under Brooke’s gaze.

Brooke is so beautiful, and Vanessa wonders if she’ll ever stop thinking that to herself.

Vanessa drops a shy hand to her side and takes Brooke’s, lacing their fingers together and giving them a squeeze. They hold hands and press their bodies together and look into each other’s eyes all the time as part of the dance so it’s not weird, it’s almost routine. When Brooke smiles at her, reassured and at ease, Vanessa relaxes by at least ninety percent.

They’re soon called out while a pre-recorded VT of their rehearsal footage plays and they whisper an excited hey to Cheryl in all her fake-tanned, white-toothed glory, the very vision of an Essex girl-turned-professional. Vanessa’s been interviewed by Cheryl before, last year when she was on the bench and all she had to do were some silly challenges and goof around with the other pros. This is different.

Vanessa takes a quick breath in and holds it while she smiles maniacally at the camera and Cheryl does their introduction. “Alright, now, joining us for the last interview of the week- it’s Brooke and Vanessa!”

A cheer goes up from the production crew as they both wave to the camera, and it makes Vanessa’s smile turn more goofy than she’d intended it to be. She leans into Brooke’s side as she laughs and she notices that Brooke’s got an arm resting on the headboard on the sofa behind her.

“Now, Brooke, you’ve had a fortnight of rehearsals and had to work around your busy taping schedule- what’s that been like?” Cheryl asks, leaning forward with interest. Vanessa has always liked Cheryl, mainly because an interview with her feels like a chat with an old friend and she always genuinely seems interested in what someone has to say.

“Ugh, you know what? It’s been amazing,” Brooke smiles, and Vanessa’s heart lights up in affirmation. She turns to look at Brooke and she’s already smiling at her. “Obviously it’s been tiring at times, I think I’ve had a combined total of about 10 hours of sleep this week-”

Vanessa snorts, laughs at how dramatic Brooke’s being.

“-but I wouldn’t change it. I’ve learned so much, and V’s such a good teacher. I really struck it lucky with her.”

The production team let out an “aww”, and Vanessa tries to bite back a grin and fails. Brooke’s arm goes from the headboard to rest around her shoulders and Vanessa is scared to move in case she scares her away like a butterfly.

“Now speaking of- Vanessa,” Cheryl’s face breaks into a smile as she turns to her, and Vanessa’s stomach flutters a little with nerves. “You obviously felt you struck it lucky with Brooke too, let’s remind everyone of your reaction to getting paired with her.”

Vanessa lets out a wail of protest and buries her face in her hands as the clip of their pairing is played, and she can hear Brooke creasing with laughter beside her. Her embarrassment is rewarded with Brooke squeezing her shoulder in reassurance, and Vanessa supposes it’s sort of worth it. The clip comes to an end and, as Vanessa takes her hands away from her face, she knows she’s blushing hard.

“Now, you were…I think you were a bit happy?” Cheryl teases sarcastically. Vanessa playfully glares at her, and Brooke squeezes her shoulder again. “Are you still as overjoyed with having Brooke as a partner now you’ve started to rehearse with her?”

“Aw, I’m still as happy as I was on launch night. Honestly,” Vanessa smiles at Cheryl, turns and smiles at Brooke too because she can’t help it. “She just makes it so easy because- she doesn’t stop smiling, so rehearsals are fun, and she is just the hardest-working girl…that even a word? Hardest-working…most hardworking..I don’t know, but she’s it, you know?”

Her praise is rewarded by Brooke dropping her hand down to her waist, and Vanessa’s heart gives a judder. It’s not like she’s not used to Brooke’s hands on her, but the context is different, and it throws her off ever so slightly in the best possible way.

“I think what’s nice is- I’ve wanted to be on this show for so long and it’s V’s first year with a partner, so we’re kind of doing this whole journey together, and it’s special,” Brooke smiles, and Vanessa nods in agreement, as if the movement of her head will stop the blood rushing to her cheeks in a blush.

“It is nice! Because I suppose, Brooke, you ain’t gotta compare yourself to anyone because there’s not been any partners before you,” Cheryl adds with a shrug. Vanessa smiles at her words and nods, turns to Brooke as she speaks.

“Yeah. You’re my favourite.”

Brooke’s eyes have a twinkle in them as she smiles back at her. “Aw, thanks.”

The interaction is so quick that Cheryl’s already on to her next question before she can pick up on it. “Now, Vanessa, you chose a quickstep for week one, why was that?”

Vanessa sighs a little as she thinks about it. She doesn’t want to come across too cocky, come out with because my girl’s the best and I knew she could do it in her sleep with her eyes shut, so she instead tries to come across as humble as she can. “I think because- it’s a fast dance, and it’s good to go right in at the deep end on your first week. I can see Brooke Lynn’s potential, and I know what she’s capable of, so we just sort of went for it and she’s coped so well. She’s thrived.”

“Not survived, but thrived! I love it!,” Cheryl laughs along with her. “Now, this pairing, I have heard…through the grapevine…this is a bit of a linguistically challenged pairing, am I right?”

Vanessa blinks at her. “What’s that even mean?”

Brooke howls with laughter beside her and Cheryl does the same opposite, and Vanessa pouts. She doesn’t like to look dumb, and the wounded part of her wants to remind them both that she’s the only one out of the three of them that speaks more than one language, but she lets it drop when Brooke explains it to her softly. “Like…words and stuff.”

“Oh right! Yeah, so Brooke’s got lil words for all the steps we’re doin’.”

“It just helps me remember the timing!” Brooke laughs, her turn to feel embarrassed as she covers her face with her hands.

“Yeah, so we go, like…step, hop, beans-on-toast!” Vanessa explains. Cheryl’s looking at Brooke as if she has two heads.

“What is beans on toast?!” she exclaims. Brooke shakes her head, gives Vanessa a look of admonishment.

“It’s just a little phrase, and it goes with the timing of the steps of the dance, and it helps me remember them…I won’t do it on the night, you won’t hear me say it!” Brooke laughs. She’s got the slightest hint of a blush hitting her cheeks, and part of Vanessa feels warm with the fact that the stage lights are too bright to pick up on it and it’s like a secret only she knows.

“Well, Vanessa, there’s also a revelation I’ve heard today that I’m a little bit shocked by…” Cheryl begins, and Vanessa feels nervous, as if Cheryl’s about to rip the butterflies out of her stomach and show them to Brooke as some sort of proof of any embarrassing little feelings she’s got for her. “…you’re a Strictly pro that can’t actually say the name of one of the dance moves?”

“Oh my God,” Vanessa lets out a groan. She knows instantly what Cheryl is referring to, and Brooke’s hand is wrenched from its position on her waist as she claps her hands with mirth.

“Can you say it now?” Brooke teases, and Vanessa rolls her eyes at her.

“Girl, you know I can’t!” she whines, prepares herself to try and say the offending word. “Sash-ay?”

“No!” Brooke laughs, the twinkle in her eye almost blinding.

“Sash-ay?” Vanessa hears herself, and shakes her head. “No, wait, I already said it like that.”

“It’s not like a sachet of sauce,” Cheryl supplies unhelpfully. Vanessa raises her eyebrows at her. She tries again.

“Chassé,” she finally comes out with, and a roar of satisfaction erupts from the crew behind the cameras. She laughs as she protests her lack of pronunciation. “Leave me alone, I got two languages to try an’ speak in!”

“And you can’t say chassé in either of them,” Brooke teases, sticking her tongue out at her. Vanessa finds it hard to rip her eyes away from her partner as Cheryl speaks again.

“Well, you two, you’ve been a joy to have with us today, good luck for Saturday night-”

“Thank you!”

“- Brooke and Vanessa, everybody!”

A cheer goes up from the crew, and Vanessa can’t help but giggle at the silliness that was the end of their interview. As Cheryl introduces another section of the show, Vanessa feels Brooke slip her hand into her own, squeezing it once. Vanessa squeezes back, and Brooke meets her eyes in a calm smile. It’s Friday evening, they’re off to rehearse as soon as this is over, and then it will be Saturday and their first live show as a couple. Vanessa is the best kind of nervous, and she finds herself shutting her eyes for a second as if to check she’s not dreaming.

Another squeeze of her hand from Brooke Lynn brings her back to earth with a bump, but she doesn’t mind.

#rpdr fanfiction #bet you look good on the dancefloor #ortega #strictly au #lesbian au #branjie #vanessa vanjie mateo #brooke lynn hytes #monique heart #jaida essence hall #crystal methyd #phi phi o'hara #plastique tiara #cheryl hole #background jankie #background momo #background crygi

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frog-with-socks · 5 years

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The guy from reddit

So a bit of a backstory. I made a reddit account around the start of 2019. I had been wandering around it for a bit and I saw that there are subreddits where you can talk to and meet people. I decided to try it out cuz I wanted to practice and improve my social skills. I talked to quite a few people but after a month or so only one had stuck around. We've since been talking often and I'd say we've become friends. He's actually my first and only online friend atm.

So here's where the problem comes in. For the first three or so months we were talking everything was great. We had a lot of topics for discussion, we talked a lot, we got along great, we even shared some deep stuff with each other. But there was a point when I feel like we ran out of topics for discussion and our conversations weren't as "good" in my head. I worried a lot that the friendship isn't working out anymore, that I wasn't good at conversations and was failing, that he doesn't want to talk to me anymore, just anxiety shit. I did ask him back then what he thinks about me and about our convos not being the same, cuz I didn't wanna leave my anxiety take over, I wanted to find out how things actually are. He said he really likes me as a person and he just thinks we ran out of topics to talk about but not to blame myself for it. I was very relived back then but that was just at the start of our convos going downhill.

We've been taking for about 5-6 months now. I constantly have anxiety about talking to him. I always feel like I'm gonna mess up. That being said I do care about him and I'd like to remain friends with him, I think he's a cool person. I'be been waiting for the time when I'll be familiar enough with him that I won't feel anxiety with him anymore like it usually happens with me. I'm kinda getting hopeless tho cuz it's been so much time since we started talking and anxiety is still here. I'm pretty sure it comes from the fact that I'm not sure what his feelings about me are, I can't tell myself "I know for a fact that this person cares about me and won't care if I mess up" like I do with my other friends, but idk what makes me unsure of this statement about him. Maybe we haven't been friends for long enough? Maybe he hasn't shown any clear signs of caring about me yet? Maybe it's because I can't see his face? I can't tell. There's times when I wonder why does he even text me? It doesn't make sense to me, I don't feel like I'm bringing him joy, which is what I think friendships should be about.

I probably had a crush on him at one point so there's that. (Sidenote: I'm not sure about my sexuality but I'm pretty sure I'm at least into boys, I know that much) Here's the thing, not only do I not talk to guys often, I've never had a guy friend as close as him. The way he talked to me and showed interest in me made me think he likes me, which made me like him (probably, my feelings are confusing). I asked him not only once, but twice if he does like me. He said no both times. The second time I knew it was time to back off. I was fine with that tho, I can't change how someone feels. I just needed about a month or two to get over my feelings for him and that was that. Or so I thought.

So we're back to present time now. I feel like I'm completely over him. We still talk often. I still feel anxiety about talking to him, tho it's not major. We were talking on sunday and the topic shifted to how he's lonely and wants a girlfriend. Now I'm in the same boat so I tried to relate to him, tell him I feel the same, yada yada. The only difference between us is that he has an ex and I don't. He was talking about how he wants to cuddle a girl, have someone to hold, and I was thinking "I'd hug you any day!", which he already knows cuz I've told him many times that I'm a person who loves hugs, and I'd hug him. He was talking about how he just wants a girl and all that and I was thinking "Well gosh darn I am one, aren't I?". I was trying to cheer him up, to make him feel better, cuz he was feeling really down about being lonely. I'd say I was getting kinda frustrated as well cuz he was standing by his point and he didn't seem like he wants to cheer up, and cuz I'm a girl right in front of him and he doesn't want me, which again is fine but I really wanted to make him feel good and wanted, which is usually how I feel about guys who feel lonely and unwanted. So at one point deep into the topic he said that the more he talks to me the more he feels it would be better to be a loner. Which is the exact opposite of what I was trying to do. I kinda didn't know what to say, I was crushed. I told him we can stop the topic if he wants to and he said that would be wonderful. And it crushed me even more. It would be wonderful for someone to stop talking to me. Do I suck that much? I said ttyl, he said yes and that was it. I was kind of speechless. My greatest worries came true. He didn't like talking to me, I was awful to talk to. I didn't help him through the hard times, I made him feel even worse. At least I'm grateful that he was honest with me, I really appreciate that. I'm not sure what to do from this point on tho. I can't move on like nothing happened, this had a big impact on me. I've left him text me whenever he feels like, I won't be texting him first after that. I'be been thinking and I think I want to ask him if he still wants to talk to me. This is a big question and it can end our friendship but I think it's worth taking the risk. I need to know. If he doesn't want to talk to me anymore than why bother him anymore. As I said I have asked him what he thinks of me but I think it would be good to ask again. I've been wanting to ask him many more times but I didn't wanna annoy him with my insecurity. And I'm hesitant on asking him again now for the same reason but I think it'll be good to know. I've gone through the scenario of him not wanting to be my friend anymore so many times in my head now I almost feel like I've accepted it already. I just really want to know what he feels. From my end, I care about him, I want him to feel good, but if I make him feel bad then I'm willing to get out of the picture.

Now I've written all of this and I'm thinking "He doesn't know any of it". Maybe I should tell him about the anxiety and everything. But I don't want to make him feel bad. Would him knowing this make him feel bad? Man, relationships are hard. We'll have to talk about hard topics anyway. I think all I need to know is if he cares about me like I do about him. And if he still wants to talk to me and if I bring him good feelings. I have to ask him. Communication is key. Always. I might (will definitely) cry a lot, I might end our friendship. But it's all a learning process. And I definitely learned a lot from this friendship so far. Life is tough sometimes, and I have to get used to it. Now the only thing left to do is to wait for him to text me.

#diary #online diary #journal #online journal #dear diary #personal #anxiety #social anxiety #diary entry #blog #personal blog

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ghostmartyr · 6 years

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Pokémon Black 2 Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 3]

With some interesting carnage leading us through it, the second badge has been earned. Better yet, we got a TM for a Special Poison move, so Caspet can now be a little more secure in her help.

Team as of the moment:

Stella (Poliwhirl)

Caspet (Gastly)

Okay then.

New routes please.

Hey me.

I have been invited to Pokestar Studios. It’s like Hollywood. Roxie’s dad ran off there to be a movie star. Roxie’s now running off there to talk him out of it. We’re going to run off there and have a terrible time with movies.

I don’t know why I remember the movie place. I think there was either some achievement or plot barrier there, and I hated the process but perfectionism insisted on trying again and... idk. Hopefully that distaste won’t be part of this run.

Can I please just be allowed to catch a third party member.

Is there any grass here. Please.

Stop dragging me to movies.

Stop dragging me to terrible movies.

Like there’s clearly some Emotions going on with Roxie’s father, but oh my gosh I do not play these games for becoming a movie star. ;-; Free me. ;-;

I have control of myself again, so I don’t know if I actually have to shoot a movie, but I feel like Roxie and her dad might require me to, and in any case, one won’t hurt too badly. I guess.

Wait, was it a medal thing? Is that why I made myself nuts over this?

Movie shot, script followed, yay, leaving.

Ahoy, plot!

Sequel Team Plasma is so very open about wanting to take over the world. How refreshing. They’ve gone from knights to pirates. Most excellent.

Pop Roxie is back to captaining, so it’s time to run off to Castelia and find another darn teammate.

And our first act of being in Castelia is a clown giving us a bicycle. Rocking.

A boat takes us to Liberty Garden. I think this is where Victini is if Victini is activated, but I’m not sure if that will be the case with this version. The important question is... does it also have other grass.

Fuckdamn it doesn’t.

Yay, entering random buildings in Castelia gave me an Exp. Share.

In keeping with me doing stupid things, I go to the Game Freak building and chat up some of the trainers who are not nearly as strong as they are post-game, thank goodness.

I really.

Really.

Would like.

More than two pokemon in my party.

I also finally gave in and talked to the medal guy in the Pokemon Center.

My achievement hunting tendencies are going to be the largest obstacle between me and any progress ever.

-whispers-

I want all of them.

Other conversations gave me an Eviolite, so that goes to Stella. ...Wait, no, Caspet. Uggggggh.

Burgh is missing from his Gym, which is fine, since I don’t think I’m ready for another round. I’m just walking around trying to check off whatever plot stuff I can that will let me catch something else.

Oh hey, I think talking to Iris opens up the sewers! I think that means I can catch something down there! !!!!

Pleeeeeease give me something.

Please, ominous guise of darkness.

Oh no.

Russell’s partnering with us, so. Uh. What’s the rule for this? I have to catch the first thing I see, but as long as I’m in a duo, I won’t be able to throw a ball very easily...

Fuuuuuuck.

Okay. We took out Panpour.

I have the ability to throw a ball, which means.

This is my catch option for the route.

Haaaa. And Russell’s Dewott is using Fury Cutter. Its damage will keep going up. I think I have two tries to catch it.

Yeehaw.

Try one is a bust.

Oh hey that’s neat! The Dewott used Razor Shell on Stella, because Stella has Water Absorb and had taken damage! That’s smarter than I expected from the partner AI.

And that means I can spare a turn or two trying to put Serperior to sleep. Since Stella still has Hypnosis.

Yo, it hit! And Dewott heals me again!

But. I need Serperior to be more damaged. I shouldn’t risk attacking. ...I’ll just keep throwing balls and wait for Dewott to hurt it a little more.

HECK YEAH WHO’S DA MAN.

Hot damn that was stressful.

Now I gotta give this girl a name.

Sylarana, wanna rock?

Also, now having Russell with me is a good thing, because this squad could use some levels.

What are you like, Syl?

She’s Careful and proud of her power.

Yeah, pride looks good on that sprite.

I don’t know what Serperior’s stats are with a neutral nature. That takes some stress off, since I’ll just go with the flow, but I prefer to know what I’m getting into, usually. Either way, Defense is stronger than Attack, and that’s just fine.

Female Nidoran are down here, too.

This is working out well enough. Yay for buddy healing. I almost don’t want it to ever end. It’s so convenient.

I shouldn’t do this forever, though. That would get boring fast.

My starter breathing. Also cool pirate outfits in Pokemon Go.

Mooks dispatched.

Gym Leader located!

Look at Burgh being all artsy with his tour of the sewers.

Huh, and Russell just hands us Strength. Because all our pals are true bros in this gen.

Then a dude with anime hair walks out of the hole in the wall.

YO NEW ROUTE.

‘ello there.

...I am possibly not going to be able to catch you due to lack of poke balls and you being remarkably stubborn.

Hey, there we go!

What to name you... what to name you... A magnificent sea serpent with a rainbow tail...

Nessy!

Without Russell healing us every fight, we can’t stick around. Back out of the sewers we go, to receive happy words from Iris. Well. Sort of happy words. She worries about Russell and tells us to challenge the Gym.

I, being a compliant sort, walk back into the sewers after healing.

Okay I guess it’s a cave. Sylarana out front, Nessy with Exp. Share while I contemplate what the heck this team does against a Bug Gym.

Ooooh, Forretress.

...

Is. is there anywhere I can go that can pave the way to me getting a Fire pokemon?

You know what, I don’t like things that blow themselves up at me. Guh, this is taking forever. I might need to buy a few Repels just so I can explore the cave properly... I believe there’s grass somewhere past the sewers, and if I could have a slightly more diverse team going into the next whatever, I’d like it.

Oh, and before I forget, Nessy!

She is Quirky and mischievous. She and Stella have half their personalities in common. Delightful. Marvel Scale is also a neat ability to have. Not one I can utilize properly because I’m a competitive failure, but still cool.

Neat, there’s Pidgeot down here.

Looks like there’s not much of the cave to explore at this point in the game. Ah well. Back to the sewers.

Hm. Would the desert north of Castelia be open to me yet? That could prove useful. Heck, is anywhere outside of this city open? I just need a little patch of grass somewhere new.

Bridge still being inspected.

A wild Bianca appears!

Dowsing Machine get!

Hello, this is new.

But there’s still spots of desert.

OH MY GOSH LOOK AT IT.

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh.

Caught!

Your new name is Itsy, and you are much beloved!

Itsy is Modest and somewhat vain, and ouch that is not a nature I think I like for this little one, but adorableness beats everything, so we’re good.

Butterfree is also in the desert. Oooo Pawniard. Back to the sewers, though. Easier training fodder.

Grass located!

...And if I were a better trainer, I would go back and buy poke balls before exploring, but I have the impulse control of a toddler. Oh, and it’s dark grass vs. light grass...

Decision will be made by rapidly running between the two and seeing what triggers an encounter first.

Dark grass it is!

Aaaaaaaa fuck off.

I love Lapras so much. So so so so so so so so much. But I have two Water pokemon already, as well as an Ice one. I. can’t focus on catching the Lapras. It would be a bad idea.

You have never seen anyone so sad to encounter a Dratini during a Nuzlocke.

The wild Lapras fainted.

Oh fucking hell the Dratini knows Dragon Rage and both my pokemon are under 40 HP. Caspet’s turn on healing Caspet, Sylarana’s turn on getting her out of there.

Okay. Confused and slept.

Now I just. catch it. With four poke balls and two great balls left.

...Three poke balls, and guess who woke up.

Great ball. C’mon great ball.

..One great ball left.

Also if Dratini hurts itself in confusion one more time it is dead.

FORTUNE SMILES ON THE CRIMINALLY STUPID.

Now let’s run everyone back through the sewers and--

Did. did I really hit the no nickname option.

Ffs.

Okay, run back through the sewers, hit the Pokemon Center, and then name the critter. The Name Rater’s somewhere in the city, I think.

Heh. The guy in the alleyway still gives us Flash.

Congratulations, Puff! You are now eligible for activity!

Puff is Quiet and alert to sounds. An adorable addition to our squad. He’s going to be temporarily up front thanks to Dragon Rage. The Game Freak fights are once a day, and it’s been a day, so!

I believe in you, Puff!

Dragon Rage is so op this early. Dreamor agrees. But Puff’s ours, so that makes it okay.

Hm. I have six now. They could keep each other out of trouble.

There are so many areas in these sewers I can’t get to. Or maybe I can, it just involves more maze work than I’m expecting. ...Yeah, it’s looking like that side. Hey, a nurse guy! Yay for less walking up to the Pokemon Center.

Oh, and Poison... might be super effective against Bug? I think the whatsit thing he has is Bug/Grass, so that isn’t actually much of a confirmation. Eh, I’ll find out soon enough.

I’ve found a room full of Zweilous. That’s a safe grinding area, right? Itsy’s got Ice and everything. Vullaby and Dwebble are also here.

Heeeeeey, Caspet’s evolving!

And wants to learn another physical Ghost move.

Bye Lick.

Okay, Gym it is.

...Wow Burgh. Really went full Art on the place, huh? Did trainers complain that you were forcing them to walk through honey before letting them fight you?

Puff’s up first. I don’t have much type advantage here, so it’s just going to be hitting things until they break.

Burgh.

Hey Burgh.

This Gym is creepy.

The cocoons just suck you in and zoom you up. Only think Willy Wonka style.

Mooks have level 20s, so this should be a little uncomfortable for a few of the younger members, but Caspet, Stella, and Sylarana should be fine. For now, Puff’s still in front and Dragon Raging all the things.

And we’re going to the Pokemon Center after every fight, but hey. Baby steps in all things. Puff is on one of the slower exp tracks, so every little bit helps.

...Burgh. Buddy.

You want to talk?

This Gym feels like a cry for help.

In true shounen protagonist style, I will settle your troubled emotions through battle! Even if none of the dialogue will admit to how concerning the aesthetics of your chosen arena are!

Everything is hitting critical hits.

...Oh wait, I’m supposed to narrate these fights, aren’t I?

Uh. Swadloon down, Dwebble down, Leavanny left, Leavanny’s level 24. Caspet’s out to deal with it after Puff handled Swadloon and Nessy handled Dwebble.

Caspet one-shots it like a champ, and on we go.

Burgh, this trinket in no way makes me less concerned for you.

Still, though! Everyone’s alive, and we have a team full of six! Nice work, ladies and Puff. Five more badges to go! Let’s hope they go well!

#Pokemon #Nuzlocke Challenge

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