#also the background is just taken from one of those studies haha i hope it doesnt seem too incongruous

[littlebluejaydraws]

Juliet Appreciation Week: Jan 25th- Soul Playtime :)

@juliet-hellhound-week

ID: Two images showing a digital drawing of a couple of hellhounds playing with a soul. The second image is a close up of the first. The hellhounds appear as wolves with two sets of eyes. The hound on the left is smaller and brown-grey. The one on the right is larger and black. The soul is a ball of blueish light. They are outside in a green field on a sunny day. End ID.

[retrievablememories]

show me love | jaehyun

title: show me love pairing: jaehyun x reader genre: fluff request: “I have a fic idea for Valentine's Day 💀 Jaehyun's gf is busy trying to prepare a really sweet bday gift while Jaehyun is busy trying to prepare a really nice Valentine's Day gift for his gf?” word count: 2.2k warnings: alcohol use a/n: writing pure fluff is not as easy as you’d think, but maybe that’s only an issue when you’re emotionally constipated like me...💀 anyway, here’s to the birthday boy. 🌹

You want to be sure Jaehyun’s birthday gift is perfect this year, which is why you spent so much time saving up for it. To you, it often felt a little hard to measure up to all the lavish gifts he gets every year for his birthday from fans, friends, and family members—especially since it’s on Valentine’s Day—but he always claimed that you could get him anything and he’d love it.

You and Jaehyun haven’t met up very frequently this week, partly because you’d both been busy preparing your gifts for each other; you for his birthday, and him for Valentine’s Day. You weren’t too upset about that, though. Being able to see him when the day finally came around would make it even more special after the time spent away from each other.

It’d been a lot harder than you’d anticipated to keep your gift secret, but only because you’re so excited for him to finally know what you’d gotten for him. You’re eager to see his reaction to it and hear what he might say about it. You’re also wondering what he might be planning for you, but you’ve done your very best not to pester him about it too much—even though you really want to.

The day of his birthday, you’re so jittery that you even get up earlier than usual so you can get dressed and make sure your look for the day is perfect. You end up calling Jaehyun while you put your makeup on, not wanting to wait any longer to talk to him. It’s not too early in the day when you call, because you know he won’t like getting up at that hour, but maybe early enough to cause a small complaint.

“Hi Y/N,” he answers after a few seconds, voice a bit deeper than usual—probably because he just got up. You grin at the sound of his voice.

“Good morning! Happy birthday, baby! Did I wake you? I’m sorry, haha.”

“Y/N.” Jaehyun repeats your name and smiles on the other end. You can’t see this, but you can hear his laugh, which is full of happiness at your greeting. “Thank you, sweet girl. It’s fine, I don’t really care, I was gonna get up soon anyway.” You hear the sheets rustling in the background and figure that’s him getting up now. “And of course, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“The day for lovers, how could I ever forget.” You smirk to yourself, sifting through your makeup bag for a certain highlighter. “By the way, you’re gonna come over today, right? I have something for you,” you tell him in a singsong-y mischievous tone.

“Oh?” Jaehyun perks up at that. “You want me to come over now? Because...I have something for you too, for Valentine’s Day, but it’s here at my place.”

“Ah, really?” You laugh. “Come to my place first, it’s your birthday and you should get your present first.”

“But since it’s my birthday, shouldn’t you come here? Do it for me~”

You almost roll over with laughter. “Aw, Jaehyun! I can’t believe you’re using that cute tone with me, I know you hate aegyo.”

He sighs, and you know he’s probably blushing from embarrassment. “Hmm, okay, okay. Never gonna do that one again. Should we flip a coin on it, then? If I win, you have to come over with whatever your gift is.”

You chuckle. “Flip a coin? You serious?”

“Dead serious. Get on FaceTime.”

“Now?” You snort and look at yourself in the mirror, makeup only half-done.

“You don’t want to? What are you hiding?” Now his voice takes on a sneaky note.

“I’m not hiding anything, but if that’s what you want, then prepare yourself...”

You both hang up and Jaehyun calls you on FaceTime a few seconds later. You smile when you see his face on the other end, still bare from just waking up. One corner of his mouth tugs up in a smirk when he sees you, then he bursts into a full grin, giggling at your half-made-up face. 

“Well, that was unexpected.”

“Yes, yes, laugh it up! My own boyfriend clowning me on Valentine’s Day, how sweet of you.” You pout for good measure.

“You laugh at me nearly everyday,” he points out, and you must admit that he’s right. “Anyway, you always look pretty to me.” Then he pulls a hand through his hair in a way that he knows can always make you swoon, and you sigh in defeat.

“...Okay, you’re forgiven.”

You see him rummage around for a moment before the phone straightens again; now he holds a coin between his fingers. “So. What side do you want?”

“I guess heads.”

Jaehyun snickers momentarily before affecting a nonchalant expression again. “Yeah, I’ll take tails then.”

“Stop being dirty-minded,” you complain, rolling your eyes.

“I’m not, Y/N,” he insists, though his tone suggests otherwise. He flips the coin into the air and points the phone camera to where it landed on the ground—heads.

“I won! Now you have to come over,” you cheer.

“Fine, fine.” He shakes his head and laughs. “I’ll be over soon. Wait for me.”

“I wouldn’t go anywhere else, now would I?”

Jaehyun arrives at your place a little while later, and he’s a bit starstruck when you open the door. Now with your makeup finished, you’re wearing a red dress with heels to match and your hair is styled prettily, falling over your shoulders. You smile happily at him, pulling at his shoulders to get him to come inside.

“Hi Jaehyun,” you say, closing the door after him and hugging him. He squeezes you back tightly, leaving a kiss on your bare shoulder and breathing in the scent of your hair.

“Y/N. How do you manage to get prettier everyday?”

“Because you love me so much.” You give him a kiss and tug his hand to guide him into the living room. You lead him to sit down on your couch, though you don’t sit next to him just yet. “Okay, before I give you your gift, you gotta close your eyes first.”

“Close my eyes? What is it?” Jaehyun keeps hold of your hand as he asks this, grinning up at you.

“You won’t know until you do what I say, silly!” He relents, although a bit reluctantly, and lets go of your hand so he can close his eyes. You go to get his gift from your bedroom and come back into the living room with it, holding it out in front of him. “Open your eyes now.”

When he does, he sees you holding a small wrapped box. “Why’d I have to close my eyes? I still can’t tell what it is.” He chuckles as he takes it from you. “The suspense is gonna kill me,” he jokes as he begins unwrapping it.

When Jaehyun finally gets the wrapping off and gets the box open, his face softens as he sees what’s inside and takes it in his hand. You clasp your own hands together, your skin warming at his smile. “It might not be what you’re used to in terms of like, luxury, you know...but it looked nice and I thought it’d look good on you.”

“Y/N…you must’ve spent a lot on this,” Jaehyun murmurs, examining the shiny new face of the watch in his hand. He holds it as if it were a rare jewel, turning it on all its sides to examine it. It’s mostly black leather and silver, but it was still more than usual for your budget, costing you a few hundred dollars.

“I did save up for some months...and still had to use a payment plan for it. Good thing we never broke up in that timespan or I woulda been shit outta luck.” Jaehyun snorts and shakes his head at your statement, knowing you’d say something like that to lighten the mood.

“Thank you baby,” he says, sliding his new watch onto his wrist. “You know this means the world to me.” He goes over to the window to see it better in the natural lighting, holding it up to the light to see it sparkle. You go over to him and peek over his shoulder, grinning softly. “I’ll have to pay you back.” You raise your eyebrows.

“What? It’s your birthday present, why would you—” 

“You’ll see later,” he says mysteriously, and you give him a curious look. “Meanwhile, we should go somewhere. The day’s still early, so let’s enjoy it.”

“You’re right,” you say, glancing at the new watch once more and then kissing him on the cheek. “Let’s go, then.”

It’s evening by the time you get back to Jaehyun’s place, having already eaten at an upscale restaurant that he’d reserved. You’d had no idea about it, and you were glad you’d taken the initiative to dress up today. Both of you spent the earlier part of the day going out to brunch and then exploring the city for a few hours, which even included taking one of those romantic boat rides that the nearby lake always offers on Valentine’s Day. You thought it would be kind of cheesy at first, but it turned out way more fun than you could imagine.

When you step inside his place, you’re surprised to see everything is decorated pretty lavishly; the overhead lights are dimmed, leaving a bunch of small tea lights as the main illumination. There are rose petals spread everywhere, too, and the sitting room is set up with pillows and blankets and a nice spread of chocolates and wine on the coffee table.

You gasp, studying the surroundings. “How did you arrange all this? We were together all day.” 

“Had some help from the guys; they came while we were gone. Hope they didn’t take anything, though...” Jaehyun shrugs as if this whole setup is no big deal, but his dimples poke out from the gleeful smile on his lips. He picks up an unlit candle from the coffee table, and you notice there are a few more spread around. “Now that we’re here, we can light these. Safety first, you know.”

“Of course,” you snicker, taking your jacket and shoes off so you can sit down on one of the pillows. You take up the bottle of wine and inspect the label while Jaehyun finds a lighter for the candles. “Considering that we already drank at the restaurant...don’t be surprised if I’m off my ass by the end of the night.”

“We don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to,” he suggests, raising one eyebrow.

“Oh no, I want to!” Jaehyun laughs at your enthusiasm as you open the wine and pour a glass for each of you. Once he’s done lighting the candles, he goes into his room. You lean back on the cushion and take your glass in your hand, waiting for him to come back.

Jaehyun returns soon with his blazer discarded and the first few buttons of his shirt undone. “I see you’ve gotten relaxed, too.” You smirk, crossing your legs. “You look so handsome with your new watch. I’m glad I got it for you.”

“Then I think you’ll like this even more.”

“Hmm?” You turn to Jaehyun as he sits on one of the pillows beside you. Your eyes widen when he pulls out a velvet case you didn’t notice before. It’s not a ring case, though, which really would’ve caused you to fall out; it’s the kind you use for bracelets or necklaces. He places it in your hands, and you gingerly take it from him like it might vanish if handled too roughly. “Oh...what is…?”

“You have to open it.” He grins, mimicking your earlier teasing of him with his own gift. You set down your wine glass and open the velvet rectangle to find a delicate necklace lying inside. At the end of it is a small circle with tiny diamonds embedded in it.

“Oh wow...it’s perfect,” you whisper, taking it out of the box and looking it over with enamored eyes. “Is this what you meant by ‘paying me back’? Because, Jesus, this is Cartier. I think you’ve done more than enough.” You smile wistfully and shake your head.

“Let me put it on you,” he says, and you give him the necklace so he can do so. You turn away from him, and you shiver a little at the feeling of his breaths on the back of your neck and his fingertips brushing your skin. You face him again when he’s done fastening it and throw your arms around his neck, hugging him closer to you and smiling against his dimpled cheek.

“I love you, Jaehyun. Thank you so much.”

Jaehyun’s lips curve up at your words, and he tucks his face against you, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of your jaw. “I love you, Y/N.”

[morkofday]

ah thank you @yibobibo for tagging me ^^ these are always so much fun! also am avoiding going to sleep lol so here I go

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? umm this dark berry red? idk it’s a very old one and i should probably get a new one :’D

2. Name a food you never eat. hmm, am really not that picky with food. but i had an disagreement with meat loaf for a long time bc once as a kid i got sick while eating it and well. let’s say it came back up :) so i was a bit traumatized lol 

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? too cold! definitely ;; that’s why i hate living here when summer is like maybe two weeks and otherwise am freezing 24/7

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? umm watching ultimate note i think lol it has taken over my weekends

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? wow hmm. i think fazer’s dark choco + chili bar is amazing? otherwise maybe kinder’s bueno 

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? yeah, a couple of times :’D to watch ice hockey lol bc it’s probably the only sport i enjoy... oh, and karate once too! that was cool somehow :o 

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? “how are you like this” to heihua in ultimate note bc i dunno why but they keep. flirting with each other while bullying other ppl???  

8. What is your favourite ice cream? chocolate! (or if it’s available, i absolutely adore sorbets or some very nice and sour berry flavors!) 

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? peppermint tea ^^

10. Do you like your wallet? oh yeah :o i love the flower pattern on it and several ppl have complimented it a lot too? i can’t remember where i bought it but it’s nice and i always feel so fancy when i flip it out haha 

11. What is the last thing you ate? some chocolate :’D why does every other answer seem to be somehow related to chocolate... (ah yes, bc i love it) 

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? hmm no. but am actually waiting to go shopping after christmas so that i can get new stuff ^^ 

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? ummmm does street dance of china count? 

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? uh, the normal? is that butter then??? i don’t even know any other flavors

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? i’d say @i-am-just-a-kiddo who always has to suffer from my continuous screaming over. everything, basically (i am a very hyper person when it comes to things i love) 

16. Ever been camping? not specifically but i’ve slept in a tent a couple of times and done some hiking lol also i think i would love to try?

17. Do you take vitamins? nope, not really? should i?? maybe i should, at least some d vitamin... i miss seeing the sun, where is it ;o 

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? nope, not really religious 

19. Do you have a tan? umm no our summers are short as mentioned and i usually try to avoid getting tanned ^^’ 

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? chinese bc i get tired of pizza very fast

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? yeah! i love the feeling of using a straw :’) also love it when they are funny colored or fancy or just very silly looking? 

22. What color socks do you usually wear? very basic gray/white/black but then i have these random colorful socks too? and something like,,, deep turquoise. and dark wine red. and socks with flowers??? 

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? no i am a very law abiding citizen jfghjf (tho i drive very rarely bc i don’t own a car)

24. What terrifies you? ummmmm. let’s say randomly that i would absolutely freak out if one day i was closing my curtains and someone was looking at me through my window (which is highly unlikely bc i live in the third floor but my brain insists on this one on a daily basis) 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? my empty tea cup, waiting to be taken away. so that i could sleep. sigh

26. What chore do you hate most? umm. vacuuming? it just feels like such a waste of time 

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? i feel like the first two things that just pop into my head when someone mentions australia are troye sivan and @ashenwren ♥ 

28. What’s your favorite soda? coke or pommac (it’s this fruity soda? i used to call it as kid’s beer when i was young lol) 

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? would usually go to the place but i guess for now it would be safer to go to the drive thru? idk 

30. What’s your favorite number? i have no idea what i’ve answered previously to similar questions but let’s go with eight 

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? physically talked to? my parents probably

32. Favorite meat? chicken but i could also say shrimp or any fish tbh 

33. Last song you listened to? dpr ian - so beautiful x (this song is so addictive somehow??? and the mv is amazing!) 

34. Last book you read? uhhh this book related to men’s studies where the author talked about his own experiences and views on being a man in this society that really much supports toxic masculinity and those toxic ways to show it (i cried) 

35. Favorite day of the week? probably thursday currently bc ultimate note :’) 

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? uuuhh not right now probably but if you give me a moment i promise i can

37. How do you like your coffee? just like i like my men so,,, no. (lol that was an opportunity too perfect not to use) 

38. Favorite pair of shoes? my pair of combat boots! or whatever you can call my black boots that make me feel badass but also fancy and comfortable 

39. Time you normally get up? i try to make it around 10am but i just laze around in bed and i might actually get up at 11am-12pm 

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? both tbh, sunrise has its own vibe that’s completely different from sunset and both are just breathtaking! (no wonder my xicheng fic is very much full of/based on this day cycle symbolism smh) 

41. How many blankets on your bed? one, i surprisingly enough get very hot during night (and not in the sexy way) 

42. Describe your kitchen plates. light blueish gray? square. the smaller ones have these blue shapes on a white background, circle. 

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment. clean too! i cleaned it yesterday :’D

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? i’d say long drinks. or just,,, i dunno, vodka with orange juice? always works 

45. Do you play cards? oh i did nothing else during the summer but play cards with my mom jfhgfghk it’s very relaxing somehow (also i love to teach ppl new games even if i know like,,, maybe five) 

46. What color is your car? don’t own one 

47. Can you change a tire? absolutely! i used to join my dad as a kid when he changed his tires :’D so i know the process and would be able to handle one i suppose

48. Your favorite state or province? i. don’t really have one? maybe the one on our west coast, i like the dialect over there 

49. Favorite job you’ve had? i’ve only had like two? maybe? and i didn’t really enjoy either but does doing theater stuff as a hobby count? bc i’ve enjoyed that and it felt like a job at certain points :’) 

wow this got so long wth ;o i didn’t even realize it was 40 questions jdhgkfg but it was fun! i hope this tells you something about me :’D and i’ll tag the two ppl who i’ve already tagged into these answers :’D so go for it you two! and then i want to tag some of the ppl i always bother aka @kholran @stebeee @manhasetardis @aheartfullofjolllly @leonzhng @lzswy (i know some of you have been tagged already but i hope it’s fine. also no need to if this feels like too much!)

[liberolove]

Meeting Noya (pt. 3)

Pairing: Nishinoya Yuu x shy, smart, inexperienced reader

Summary: you and noya are both in the same english class and he asks you for help with studying the material. this causes you two to get closer until he cant handle it and ends up confessing. now you get to know him in a different way.

Genre: crack, fluff

Warnings:  noya being his cute self (人◕ω◕)

Masterlist: click here

Fast forward to my third year at Karasuno High. I was still helping out Nishi with his studies and we regularly had study dates. Sometimes I would wait for him until after practice so that he could come over to my house and study. While I’d wait, I liked to help Yachi with volleyball management stuff. I didn’t really know what they were doing, but it felt good to help out. 

I didn’t hang out much around the volleyball club since they were just acquaintances to me. Also, I think it’s funny that noya’s become such a common part of my life that my mom doesn’t mind him over anymore. It’s really nice. Sure, she teases me about him being my boyfriend, but that’s just what moms do, haha.

Today was just like any other. I waited til he was done with practice so we could go to my house. Once practice was over, we walked to my place. 

Noya always told me about his day, with most of his day being consumed by volleyball. “Oh, (y/n)!! Did you see the way I received that super tough ball from Hinata! I’m getting better everyday,” he practically yelled out. After saying this, he winked at me. 

His flirty demeanor didn’t faze me anymore. I was used to it by now. I mean, it’s been three years of this…

We finally arrived at my place and we were greeted by my mom. “Hey, honey. Hi, Nishinoya! Did you two have a good day at school today?” 

“Yeah, mom. Just the usual.” I sighed. School was getting so tiring and it was eating me alive. 

“I made some food for you two. Hope you guys are in the mood for some ramen.” Noya’s eyes shined. Of course this meant he was starving. “Gee! Thanks Mrs. (L/n)! You’re the best.” 

We sat down at the dining table. I blew on the ramen, making sure it wasn’t too hot. I look over to Nishi and he’s practically swallowing the noodles whole. “Nishi, you’re going to choke!!” He mumbled with food in his mouth, “i.. dont.. care..,” he somehow managed to say.

Noya finished and washed our dishes. It’s his little way of saying thank you. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t cute. 

“Now, let’s review the stuff we went over today. Finals are coming up and you NEED to pass if you want to keep doing volleyball.” “Yeah, yeah, I know, (y/n).” I looked at him and he looked more tired than usual. 

I asked, “are you okay, nishi?” He stayed quiet for a while.. The only sound playing was the television in the background. My mom was in her room getting ready to go to bed, so it was only the two of us in the living room. He finally broke the silence by repeating my name. 

Something in my gut was telling me that there was definitely something wrong. I stared at him and eventually just decided to give him a big old bear hug. I didn’t know how to help, but I knew he needed me.

I had never hugged him before. I’d barely even touched him.. Only those rare times when our hands would brush past one another’s while we walked side by side or when we both reached for the same pen. This was strange and new, but it felt good. And I knew that he liked it too, or else he would’ve pushed me away. 

I had wrapped my arms around his neck and I could feel his breathing slow down and he eventually leaned into me. I hugged him tighter. “Nishi… please tell me what’s going on.. this isn’t like you.. Let me help you.. please…” 

I could hear his quiet breaths. He finally lifted his head and pushed his forehead against mine. “(Y/n)..” It seemed like my name was the only thing he could say.. I got so afraid that he might have gotten a concussion or something. Then he spoke softly, “i’m so scared.” 

I tried to pull away from him to look at his face clearly and try to process what he said, but he pulled me in closer. I couldn’t believe that this man.. I’ve known for 3 years now just told me he was afraid. He’s never admitted that he was afraid before.. 

He’s the life of the Karasuno Volleyball Club. He’s the guardian deity of the team. His eyes have always glimmered with hope and happiness. This couldn’t be the same Yuu I knew. No way.

“I’m so scared over what’s going to happen.. I don’t want you to leave. I want you here.. with me.. please, (y/n).. I’m begging you.. please don’t leave me..”

His words hurt me. I didn’t understand. I was just his tutor and friend. Sure, we grew closer over the years, but I wouldn’t consider him a close friend. And I never thought that he considered me a close friend. Then, it hit me again. 

Those feelings I had bottled up years ago. The way he made me blush and made my stomach feel weird when we first met. His beautiful eyes seemed to contain multitudes of stars within them. Those same eyes that seemed to look through my very soul.

 I had forgotten about all of it. I suppressed those feelings and those memories so much that I had forgotten they existed and now here they were again. Back in full gear. 

I pushed myself up to him as far as I could to feel him closer to me. I buried my face in his neck and refused to let him go. 

“(Y/n). Please say something.. don’t leave me hanging like this..” I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I had forgotten to tell him how I feel.

“Yuu. I didn’t know you felt like this. Don’t worry, I’ll always be here for you. We’ll keep being friends no matter what.” 

Calling him a friend did hurt me a little, because now I realized that I wanted more, but I knew he could never see me the same way. Or so I thought..

“(Y/N)!! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!” He sprang up and released me from our tight hug. I was taken aback. I didn’t really know what to say. I stared at him in disbelief.. What was going on..

“(y/n).. I know you’re super smart at school and you’re awesome in every respect, but what the hell are you saying.. Do you not realize what I mean?? Damn, I thought I was oblivious, but you really are dumber than I am. (Y/n). Why do you think I’ve been around you so much? Why do you think I buy you food almost every day? Why do you think I’m afraid of what’s going to happen after high school?”

I could see his eyes starting to well up with tears. I’d never witnessed him like this. I was still in awe. Could he be saying what I secretly hoped he would say for years?

“I like you. I’ve liked you since I first saw you in my English class. You didn’t notice me, but I noticed you. You were always the first one to turn in your exams, and always the one at the top of our classes. I don’t know how else to make you understand. I couldn’t care less about studying, and I’ve always had decent enough grades to keep myself in good standing. But.. This was the only way I could get to you. The only way to keep being near you. I can’t believe it’s been years and it took you this long to figure it out..”

“Yuu. I don’t know what to say.. except.. I like you too.”

[masterlist]

[jawnkeets]

hi! i hope ur well :) ik ur probably suuuuuuper busy with the oxford life but i just wanted to let u know that i sent in an ask a little while ago about books and ox interviews and idk if tumblr ate it (like it sometimes does!!!) but i’d rly appreciate it if u could answer it whenever u get round to it. thank u sm and p.s. ur blog is goals and i love it!

hi! hope ur well! i’m an oxbridge applicant and i was just wondering, from ur personal experience do they care about what kind of books you’ve read? i’ve read quite a few classics but i also rly like ya fantasy and stuff, does that matter? could i talk about them or does it have to be all books from the canon? i don’t mean for this to come across as rude i’m just genuinely curious! p.s. ur blog is amazing :)

Yo random question: when you knew you were applying for Oxford and were choosing books did you pick ones particularly for Oxford or ones you wanted to read and would have read regardless? Just wondering because I’m a big fan of fantasy novels (particularly young adult) and I don’t think I can talk about those at interview, unless I’m mistaken?... Would love to know your thoughts! Thank you :) p.s. if you could give some advice on choosing good classic books or recommend some that would be great!

hey! so i’m pretty sure the two asks above are both from u (but lmk if i’m wrong!!), so will answer these together ☺️ and really sorry it’s taken so long - has been a very hectic few weeks. and also thanks so much for being so nice about my blog! it’s also almost 1am so hope this response makes sense haha

so, the aim of the game in my view is always always to get across your passion about what you genuinely love to read. it’s possible to just read books you think will please an oxford academic, but it’s 1) it’s naturally a guessing game, and different academics have different tastes and interests anyway and 2) your love of literature is more likely to come across if you’re talking about stuff you’re genuinely interested in. and btw in reference to the first ask you can absolutely question ‘the canon’ when applying to oxford, and whilst at oxford!!

that said, you do need to demonstrate that the course will be a good fit for you, and indicate that you fully appreciate its range (oxford english’s span is brooooad). this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have read old or middle english lit before you came (i didn’t), though it doesn’t hurt, but more that if you’re going to choose to discuss books you probably won’t be studying, it would help to demonstrate that you’re thinking about them critically in a way where the skills can then map on to books you will be studying (which i’m sure you will do anyways!). it might also help to just add a little something that shows you appreciate what you’re getting yourself into range-wise, if it’s not self-evident from the personal statement throughout (e.g. you mention beowulf and paradise lost and mrs dalloway) - i put something about looking forward to studying earlier periods of lit at uni too in my penultimate sentence (though obviously do it in a way that’s natural for and authentic to your particular personal statement).

you also don’t have to see the two as super separate, and can integrate ‘classic lit’ and ‘young adult lit’ into one discussion/ paragraph (and actually, this is good to do)! so if you like medieval-inspired YA fantasy, you could read around actual medieval works, or see what someone like tolkien has said about the medieval period. if you like YA vampire novels, you could delve into gothic texts. i wrote a post that’s kind of about choosing fun classic books if you love young adult too (though it’s great that you’ve read quite a lot already), which is hopefully helpful.

something to finish with that you might find comforting and perhaps surprising - i worked on the UNIQ summer school at oxford this year (a week-long residential, though it was online this year, that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds put forward a strong application and gain confidence - side note, would be really worth seeing if you’re eligible bc it’s soooo good), and for one talk an oxford academic talked about how you might go about putting together a great personal statement. and she used circe by madeline miller as an example! she suggested putting it together with greek lit and older english lit referencing the same characters etc, how things are shaken up and which things stay the same and why, etc.

hope this helps! also, you might want to check out my FAQ if you’re applying for other tips ❤️

[ad0xa]

Shot story / dream.

Before I went to bed I had watched "Enola Holmes" on netflix and also a documentary about triplets separated at birth. And my brain did a really cool mashup. So I dreamt about this sort of... big complicated spy plot? Where one girl (it was me and not me at the same time) were investigating where her twin sister had gone. And she met a boy at the way of her investigating. And they fell in love while doing this search, they talked to and met up with professors and teachers and stuff. Also running from the "bad guys" who were trying to capture her. The thing was, that she and her sister had "special powers". She could like slow time? for short amounts? Or more like having super good reflexes so she could fight really well. Do these amazing jumps and balancing acts. And her sister was much weaker than her physically she had a power to "dream" about real life places and she and her sister could explore these places like they were real. (She could bring other people in to the dream) and when you woke up you would be back in your bed. This had made the two of them the "best spies ever" And they were working for the government or something similar. But now that her sister had disappeared she was suspicious about this government or organization or whatever. Some clues pointed to it being an inside job. And eventually she found this big place like a prison. But it labeled itself as a school? All of the girls were being trained in disguise, social shit and logical puzzles and stuff. And the boys were being trained just to be strong and fit. And I think all of them had some sort of small power of sorts? No power were like "I shoot fireballs!" it was more like things that were hard to explain but might be natural or... something? And so she found her sister there, but she was so weak she were just staying in this room in bed. It was like she had gotten weaker being away from her sister. Then, PLOT TWIST. The guy she had been with this whole time who she thought was just this random cool dude, was actually working for this organization. Not only that. But he had a twin too. I don't remember why this was clever tho. But something about them switching places and being able to be at two places at the same time and stuff like that. I had flashbacks where she would realize it was one or the other of them. 

This whole time the clues and things she found out had made her think that this organization had formed their “school” out of the dynamic she and her sister had. One really smart and clever one and one who was more fitted for fighting and action. (tho she obvs was clever too just not AS clever.) But it turned out that they had plans bigger than this. The twin boys were actually the "golden pair" they were PERFECT. Both could do action and had skills and cleverness. They had tried to kidnap the girls to train them to be as good as the boys and then have them couple up as a four-man operation. They had just realized that it was too hard to capture her bc of her powers, without it being a big scene somewhere. So they decided to just take one sister and basically hope that she would find her way to the location , but without actually knowing what was going on being mislead by the boys.  The school and how they trained the girls and the boys were just due to sexist stereotypes. The twin girls dynamic had nothing much to do with it. They might've inspired the scientist who came up with the plan but... it wasn't the reason they had wanted to kidnap them.

Now with this betrayal from the boys and everything a big fight ensued. One of the twin boys were actually in love with her and switched when he realized he couldn’t go through with this. He got hurt but retreated to where her sister was sleeping to help her escape.  She was stuck in this epic fight with the other twin. Who were much more cold and psychopathic for some reason. Typical “evil twin” plot haha. 

She managed to flee or subdue the guy, and joined up with the "good" twin brother and her sister. And they fled. They found some place to hide out and her sister did her dream thing for them to find out more. The twin brother twin sister project was a side project. The real big thing was this training school they had going. Were they were trying to "make" super spies. Making them pair up eventually. Not like romantic couples. But you got the feeling that they might've planned for people to actually fall in love and maybe have children.... so they could take those children eventually. But if this was a real plan it wasn't mentioned to anyone. Just that it was almost encouraged to date people from the "other" training camp. (Boys / Girls ) I remember a small sideplot about this big muscular dude who was gay and felt pressured to date a girl “just because” and how sad it was for both of them.  They clearly didn’t care about anything other than straight.  It was very cult-ish and strict in the school other than they were allowed to date.

But it went even deeper than that. They were also trying to "enhance" the natural powers of people. And sometimes it went wrong... They had this theory of everyone having a "true nature" and that it was from there the powers came. Like someone being a supernatural good swimmer had a "true nature" of being a fish or something. More of a soul / feelings thing I think. Not like otherkin but like... a natural aptitude?  But this feeling and state of being could take over and and change people.... horribly. So we found out about this one scandinavian girl (this all took place in the uk) that they had kidnapped bc she had powers. And she had turned in to this mermaid creature thing that needed blood to survive. She wasn't like, a conscious human anymore. But she could understand humans somewhat. She also laid a lot of eggs and it was super nasty bc they had unborn babies in them. (dunnu how the fuck that happened but..... ) And they had to keep killing off these creatures before they hatched. But they also wanted to study them. So she was mostly just laying in this pool of blood with weird wines coming out from under her, like she was this mix of different sea-creatures. Half of this information was found out by the dream snooping and half was talking to one of the doctors / scientists that were just like "I'm trying my best to treat these kids. Obvs I can’t expose the organization I work here, I think my time is best spent on trying to help these kids. " I was like... mmm I'm not sure but ok. And then he told me the bad news. He said "You know how your sister has been being weaker and weaker? Well... She's actually turning in to one of these beings. Her "true nature" is a sort of moth. She will be sleepier and sleepier until she becomes her "true nature" and then she will be lost forever. " Obviously this wasn't very nice to hear. But he promised to take care of her best he could if I brought her there, without the organization knowing. Bc her powers were sought after. So I / we did. Cause we didn’t know any other option. Also, I would totally kill the guy if I found out he was lying.  Then I set out to "destroy" this organization. Now I was working with the "good twin" like before but I didn't really trust him so he was mostly in the background doing small work. The organization was trying stuff with hypnotics and mind control. On the kids and on the public. They for one thing had this ad out for a big event they were going to have at disneyland? "Become a real princess"??-kind of thing. It was marketed as this event and club submission were they would choose "the best" out of all the people to take in to the club. It was really just a way to get as many people gathered at one spot so they could mind control them to be ok if their children were ever taken by the organization in the future. The princess stuff was like a plus for them, getting to maybe find some more subjects for the "school" they had since they had a shortage of girls. And I was working against the clock. I had infiltrated the "school" and had gathered some of the more critical students in a small club of sorts. The mind control was very prevalent in the school. They didn't want people to question why they were learning or doing these things. They certainly didn't want their full grown super-spies to think too much about what they were doing eventually either. But this small group of students wasn't effected by the hypnotic mind control shit, and they were questioning things. So I made some sort of plan (I think I drifted out and in of sleep some here, or I just wasn't interested in that part) and it was about to be carried out. But surprise surprise! The evil twin brother found out about it and epic fight scene ensued! I remember how weird it felt fighting someone I loved, and how alien it was like... he looked like him... but he wasn't him. And he almost defeated me but ofc.... his brother came to my rescue. And so they fought while I was trying to continue with the plan. (Pretty beaten up) I just remember going up and down these cold stone stairs in the castle (school/prison) and seeing in the distance the lightshow that was being done at the "princess" event. (I guess it was really close to disneyland haha) We shot something at the place like a laser or something? To shut down the tv-screen central thing that was doing the hypnotic stuff. And the event continued like planned but without the hypnotic thing happening to the public. Which they "the bad guys" didn't know about until it was over. We couldn't save the people who willingly had entered in to the "club" however. But we planned on rescuing everyone eventually. Shutting down the school. So it was a good win anyways. I returned to my sister to tell her the good news. But the doctor warned me that it wasn't looking good. He showed me to a barn outside of the sciency-building. And a small ladder lead up to a small attic space. It was light and the small dust particles made everything look weirdly glowy and fuzzy. My sister sat in the far end corner of the small space surrounded by big moths flying everywhere. It was creepy and beautiful at the same time. She had this cocoon like thing around her, looking very sleepy. But smiling at me. There were silk threads all over the place. She was soon going to cocoon herself in this silk thread completely. What she would turn in to... no one knew.

After that the dream basically ended. Or rather, it flowed in to another dream that had nothing to do with this plot.

[lindalevanimamm]

Reality- Chapter 8

After they left I sat on my new couch and took in my surroundings. Everything is new...and I mean literally EVERYTHING. I tried not to overwhelm myself. Step one is done, I’m moved in and settled, now I should do the other...it’s not too late is it? What do I even send? What if they don’t like me? I pulled out the phone Saeyoung had given me. I smiled when I looked and realized he had changed the phone’s background to a selfie. I don’t know when or how, but apparently he had taken it and done this. Not gonna lie, the photo was cute, but he always is. I know that I’m not ready for a relationship right now though. I’m incredibly thankful for Saeyoung giving me this opportunity. I’m thankful he cares. He does care right? He’s not just doing this because he feels like he has too? Does he really even like me? I’m different from the ‘MC’ he met in the game, just like he’s different...does he care about that? What if he changed his mind and now just feels like he’s stuck? Why would he like me? I’m average. I have no friends. I’m just extra baggage. I can’t completely pay the rent here, I have no job here, no degree, it's all just baggage I’ve thrown onto him...even my feelings are baggage. People say they would want to know how a friend truly cares, until that friend tells them about their anxiety or depression. Once they hear that they’ll tell you to just ‘get over it’, but that’s just not possible. It’s the same with sexualities. People say they love and accept everyone, until you tell them that you’re not straight and then they say they’re going to have to ‘get used to it’ or some other stupid crap. That’s why I can’t tell anyone. I’ll just keep the tears and feelings away for as long as I can, then explode on my own. That’s how it’s always been and that’s what will continue to happen. The phone buzzed in my hands, bringing me out of my thoughts. I had opened up the RFA app, and noticed that almost everyone was in the chatroom. I decided now was the time to start getting to know everyone and went into the chatroom.

Zen: Jumin no.

Jumin: Jumin yes

Jaehee: -__-

Zen: that’s not how it works

Jumin: well why not, that’s how it should work

I hesitated before letting them know I was there. I don’t want to interrupt whatever is happening right now, but I also want to talk to them. Oh well here goes nothing.

(Y/N): hi everyone :)

Zen: (Y/N)!

Jaehee: hi (Y/N), glad you could join us

Jumin: hi

Zen: How's everything going?

(Y/N): it’s going well, I think. Saeyoung and Saeran just left so I’m all settled in my apartment now, but it’s a little weird being here.

Zen: well no one would blame you for that

Jaehee: we all went through a similar thing. All of us here took a while to adjust to being in a reality

(Y/N): you’re right! I never thought of it that way, but you all basically went to a new universe as well lol

Jumin: we're here to help

Zen: yep! So if there’s anything you ever need, we will be there!

Jaehee: I also agree

(Y/N): so, if you don’t mind me asking, what is everyone up to now that you’re free?

Zen: I’ve started acting again. I pretty much had to start over, but I’m gaining a following now here

Jaehee: I’m very proud and amazed at how quickly his following has grown

Zen: well, a lot of it is because of your support Jaehee!

Jaehee: I’d do anything to support a friend

Jaehee: I run my own coffee shop now, thanks to your encouragement in the game. It's nice to be your own boss

(Y/N): Zen I hope I’ll be able to see you in a show one day! And Jaehee I’m so glad! But Jumin, what about you? Saeyoung didn’t really tell me anything about you...does C&R even exist?

Jumin: well…

Jumin: to keep it short, no, C&R doesn’t exist here

(Y/N): I’m sorry

Jumin: It’s fine, it’s allowed me to really think about what my passions are

Jumin: So I started from the bottom working under people, once I had enough I opened up a new business for cat food and products. It’s going well

(Y/N): that sounds like a perfect match for you! I hope it continues to go well….was our cute little Elly able to come too?

Zen: I’m going to sneeze

Jumin: thankfully yes. Saeyoung managed to find a way

(Y/N): ooooh I want to see her!!

(Y/N): please :D

Jumin: I trust you more than Saeyoung, so yes I’ll allow it

(Y/N): yay!!

(Y/N): and while we’re talking about meeting...I’d really like to see everyone in person...I know it may seem weird, but I feel like I’m already kinda close to you all…

Jaehee: yes! We all agree we would love to meet you in person, we just didn’t want to overwhelm you, we will set up a day and time as soon as you’re ready

(Y/N): I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be haha

Jaehee: well, to start we could meet at my coffee shop?

*Yoosung* and Twin2 has entered the chat

Yoosung*: sorry guys I just got out of class what’s happening?

Yoosung*: omg (Y/N) hiii!!

Yoosung*: oh sorry, I totally interrupted Jahee. I think that’s a good idea!

Jumin: I can make it work

Zen: I’ll have to check my rehearsal schedule, but it should be fine

(Y/N): ok how about on sunday? Just a few days from now…

Zen: someone’s excited

(Y/N): :D

Zen: works for me

Jaehee: me as well, I can close the shop for a day

Jumin: I as well

Yoosung*: I’m free….I just won’t study haha

Twin2: saeyoung and I can make it work

Twin2: wait who the hell changed my name

(Y/N):....

Yoosung*:...

Twin2: saeyoung is running ill be back after i take care of him

*Twin2 has left the chat

(Y/N): LOLOL

(Y/N): I see those two get along well...but if that works for everyone then I’m glad! But Yoosung you should study, how much more school do you have left?

Yoosung*: T_T

Yoosung*: too much

(Y/N): aww I’m sorry, I know how hard university is! I need to decide if I’m going to go here or what T_T

Yoosung*: good luck T_T

(Y/N): you too T_T

After that we all got to know each other more. Everyone is pretty much the same as they were in their endings. I’m excited to meet them all. I’m going to spend the next few days settling in and learning about this new universe, then Sunday I’ll get to meet everyone. I hope they all like me. I hadn’t realized how long I had spent talking with them. I decided it would be best to get some rest, I’m still adjusting. I got ready for bed and got on my phone. Normally, I would scroll through social media, but I don’t have any here and I don’t know what social media they use...or who I’d even follow. Just as I was putting my phone on the table next to my bed, it vibrated. I tapped the notification, it was a text from Saeyoung.

God707: Have a good night (Y/N)! Don’t hesitate to call me!

I smiled. I didn’t know how to answer, so I didn’t. I decided to get to sleep thinking that maybe, just maybe, someone actually cared about me.

[danganronpedits-archived]

Hello! Could I please have a kin matchup with characters from DR1, SDR2, DRV3 and BNHA? Thank you! I am a very mixed person. When I'm out talking to people in public it's very obvious that I have nothing to say and that I don't want to be there. I'm a complete hopeless romantic and can catch romantic feelings quite easily. I'm a lot more talkative when I talk to people online and I always laugh at the dumbest things. I love the color pink and lovecore in general. I'm also quite insecure- haha

you can absolutely have a matchup!! hehe,, you sound really neat, i’d like to talk with you myself anon... only if you’re okay with that of course!! your kin matchup can be found under the cut, thank you for requesting!! i’m sorry that it took a bit for me to write this one,,

oh, also... i want to clarify something before we start. i was originally going to make peko pekoyama your second dr kin assignment, and i still agree with that. it’s just that writing out the explanation was rather energy sapping,,, it’s not your fault at all, but i hope you understand!!! i can definitely add it on if you’d like though, anon!

-mod tsu (mikan shift)

first off, from danganronpa: goodbye despair, i match you with...

hajime hinata!

this matchup contains spoilers for super danganronpa 2! please proceed with caution, if it’s not too much trouble! i was kind of torn between him and himiko, actually...! but i think you’re a bit closer to hajime! i think that hajime is... very mixed. there are times when he can come off as cynical or even cold, and times when he’s very genuine and determined. these sides of him don’t clash together, but rather make up him as a whole... and i think you’re a little similar, anon! maybe you have traits that don’t really seem like they fit together... but you make them work! i think that unless hajime is close to others, he can struggle to fit into the conversation at times. this is especially clear at the beginning of sdr2, when everyone is just relaxing on the beach, not really seeing them randomly being there as a big deal- but hajime is more hesitant and concerned about their circumstances... plus, this is especially clear in despair arc around the ultimates. he’s very much taken aback by the main course students as well as staff, and... during those scenes it doesn’t exactly seem like he dislikes the interaction. however, it does seem like he’s uncomfortable,, maybe you can relate to that haha. you also seem a little serious, anon! not to assume that you don’t have a sense of humour... but there may be times when you take a joke too seriously. um, if that’s true,, there’s no shame in that haha.. in general... your typing just had a really similar vibe to him, though it may be closer with the hajime at the end of sdr2! i know that’s a bit of a weird, intuition-based point, but... the two of you seem a little awkward, but you have good intentions and it seems like both of you are... rather motivated people. at least, when it comes to the things you really want,, i admire that !! in hajime’s specific case, you may feel a little jealous of people who can do things outside of your comfort zone really easily,, for example i don’t think hajime is very insecure in his ability to study- but people like peko or fuyuhiko, who have talents that are rather niche, i think he would kind of be in awe of how... not normal they are. and you just kind of... strike me in a similar way! sorry if this doesn’t make much sense haha.

while we’re not super sure on how much hajime gets crushes on other people... we can speculate in a way? other characters like monokuma and nagito have compared him to a tsundere, and he’s specifically said to be romantically inexperienced. i don’t think this inherently means he doesn’t have crushes on other people,, it’s implied that he’s interested in chiaki, as well as komahina being... um, a popular ship. a lot of hajime’s feelings about the sdr2 cast are left up to interpretation, and he can technically have feelings for all of them in the bonus mode. at least, that’s how i interpret it,, point is i think that he can have many crushes.. depending on how you see him, haha. sorry that it’s not too conclusive but, in general, i think that while he may be a little uncomfortable with it, hajime may also be a sort of ‘hopeless romantic’ in that... if he sees it as being the best for his friends, he’d also be willing to play a matchmaker !! i think that hajime, without the border of being face-to-face, would be a lot more willing to talk online. in a chatroom, i think he would be more prone to rambling on about something. hehe.. i kind of see him as someone who can accidentally send essays when he texts. i’m just guessing.. but maybe you do that too. hehe, it’s um... maybe a little too literal of me, but i think hajime does laugh at... absurd situations. it’s nice how in a lighter conversation with fuyuhiko, the two are able to just... laugh and have a good time together. i bring this up because... it’s because those smiles are from fuyuhiko suggesting that hajime’s the ultimate counselor. i like their banter a lot, and maybe there are silly inside jokes like this between you and your friends too !! um, lastly.. while i don’t know exactly what your insecurities are, i think that hajime is rather insecure..! he’s visibly upset about the fact that he doesn’t have a talent, and i’d say his seriousness partially comes from this. he does strongly dream of talent, and he puts a strong emphasis on being busy and studying ingame- i’d say that this can make up his seriousness in a way? like, he takes things very seriously in order to learn from them the most. ah, but back to insecurities!! hajime does see himself as inferior to main course students like chiaki and even chisa,, and whenever other people point out his talentless-ness, it is a very sore spot for him. he gets somewhat defensive, and mostly doesn’t know how to react... you may kind of short-circuit like this too, whenever someone hits a sore spot for you..!

and lastly, from boku no hero academia, i match you with...

mashirao ojiro!

okay, so...! i realise that he’s kind of a minor character, so we don’t know much about him. however, from what we do know, i think he suits you well! like always, you had a similar kind of vibe to him in your ask. he would definitely be the type to use proper grammar in my eyes... and the two of you just have similar word choice imo!! second off, mashirao is kind of... mixed or in the middle, in terms of personality. he seems to get along with denki, a guy who’s definitely up there in eccentricity. maybe your friend group is rather versatile... like hajime, the two seem to be able to get along with many kinds of people. more specifically, they’re able to handle the oddities and ‘quirks’(haha. funny bnha joke) of their other classmates/friends. ah, but that’s off topic! so sorry .. i think that mashirao does kind of struggle in conversation, as he tends to not really like the spotlight, and other students describe him as sheepish or bashful. i think that despite his calm demeanor, he would shy away from conversations, especially ones where he has to play a large part- and i think that’s the most important part of him not really ‘liking’ to have in-person talks with other people. the two of you may be able to hold up something one-on-one, with one of your friends... but with a group of people, you’d just blend into the background. maybe that ‘mixed’-ness can make you feel like you don’t have much to say, too... i don’t think he really tries to hide this/can hide this either, like you. i think that the two of you are generally friendly and trustworthy, and maybe you both have plenty of loose acquaintances, the way that mashirao is on generally good terms with all of his classmates. i think that it’s easy for people to have a high view of you, but maybe not know you too closely or deeply. you seem generally nice!!!

...please excuse this second half being really short. like hajime, we don’t really know his status on crushes,, but i honestly headcanon him as bi due to him having... ‘softer’ friendships with other people, if that makes sense? not that that inherently means attraction... i just think that he could be very interested in and enjoy other people, leading to crushing of varying intensity. he kind of has a pink... vibe to him if that makes sense? ghgghgh we’re not sure about what colours he likes, but he seems to have a lot of lighter ones in his overall design and outfits... maybe a baby pink would fall under that! i think he would also be a lot more talkative online. um, my explanation for this is very similar to hajime’s. he may not feel such a strong need to be polite or accommodating through a screen! though i think he still would be out of respect. mashirao also seems like the type to find the more strange antics of his classmates funny... once again, he seems rather close to denki, and is described as a “straight man”(like, composed or deadpan in contrast to their more eccentric partner). maybe you’re also the type to go along, but have a more level head as things get ~weird~. lastly, like hajime, mashirao does seem rather insecure. he doesn’t really get why he got into UA with a quirk “like his”. he’s rather humble and doesn’t like to accept results he feels like he doesn’t deserve. in fact, he even dropped out of the sports festival because he felt as though he didn’t properly earn his placement in it. maybe you’d be more or less active in voicing this than he is, but the two of you generally have underestimating your own abilities in common. at least, that’s what i gathered, haha.

-

you all know what time it is, hehe... from dr, you also remind me very strongly of peko pekoyama, and somewhat of mukuro ikusaba, himiko yumeno, mahiru koizumi, toko fukawa, and kazuichi souda. from bnha you also remind me somewhat strongly of fumikage tokoyami, ibara shiozaki, and kyoka jirou, as well as lightly of toru hagakure and shoto todoroki !!

i hope this helped you out anon!! thank you again for requesting,, if you need anything about this changed or edited please let me know!! i’m happy to edit this, it’s not a bother at all... getting requests kind of makes my day, hehe..

[churippudesignsbynu07]

👑Princess Party ~

Another post, my friends!!!!

Over the past weekend, I was invited to a cute little “Princess Party” in Animal Crossing New Horizons. 😱🌸 It was my first time going to an island with multiple players, and so of course I was hyped and nervous!

All of these pics (except for the last one) were taken by me on my Nintendo Switch, and decorated with my favorite app “Line Camera”.

So the excitement was obviously meeting new people and seeing the lovely island, worked very hard by twitter user Courtney. Very lovely person, and I was sooooo flattered to be invited to come visit her island! All the players had lovely and extravagant dresses on, and it was so nice being in an all girl group to do things with (unfortunately I don’t have many friends in real life 😭). I was late 😂 and so everyone was waiting for me before the “party” began! I was mortified! I was busy trying to grab gifts and get my dress, and drop off whatever I didn’t need before “flying” over!

So the island is simply one word: gorgeous! My jaw literally dropped! Miss Courtney really worked hard on her island, and it just came out sooo amazing, I’m so jelly but happy for her regardless haha! 💕 Here I am on a girl date with one of the lovely players (I couldn’t remember all their names! 😭), in one of Courtney’s tea tables near the entrance. All of us were just “wowed” by everything we were seeing! It was like really from a princess movie! You know with the big courtyards, flowers everywhere, and elegant furniture set up!

So Courtney led us to the main part of the event, tables filled with party favors to take (only took one lol), and they were wrapped in pink paper. The table cloths were all in pretty girly colors and patterns, and there was a cake, and plates and a jug of cut up slices of fruits! The detail this girl did for the party! I wish I had the time!!! Lol!

We did get to walk around the island led by her, and we were busy snapping pics and commenting, (I was sooo nervous I could not spell for the life of me! I’m 31 and I was spelling like a 4 year old, my goodness they all must’ve thought I was some illeterate human😂). This is by the beach where we tried to take some photos, looks like a whole wedding photo shoot set up!

There was also a stage, and we all pretended to watch Courtney sing, and I believe someone else was playing the drums. I loved the fact that we all synced together to do stuff, it was like we all connected lol. I love the Palm Tree lights it really gives off an island concert vibe haha (duh basically you are in an island 😂).

One of my favorite photos! I don’t remember this player’s name, but she was making me laugh sooo much throughout our princess venture! We both were sitting down at a little picnic area, and I guess she’s waiting for me to pass her the salt hahaha. Love the picnic blanket, I can’t tell if Courtney made it or it’s made that way for the game, but it’s so kawaii!

Another favorite photo of mine! We were playing musical chairs and so terrible about it! I lost immediately, (because you know I’m a noob), and so as the game progressed, the zelda player was mad because someone cheated or something and she lost! I could not stop laughing in real life! They’re all good people though, and I loved thinking how this would’ve played out in real life! 💖😂

Another part of the island that I loved was the “Princess Booth”. I love Sleeping Beauty aka Princess Aurora aka Briar Rose and so the pink dress in the background had me screaming with joy! It’s a straight replica from the movie! Courtney really thought of everything for this party! 👑👑👑

This was around the time before I left the island, as I had eating and studying to do. However, I wanted to take one last photo, and this was one of the last shots I got. My character obviously, (and I say obviously because she’s in every photo posted), is the one wearing one of my designs, the pink and yellow dress with turquoise hair. Look at all those cute booths tho! 😍

This photo was posted by Courtney who was the host of the party (she’s the one in the middle in purple with a rose in her mouth). Honestly, it was a fantastic little party, and I hope to join many more of different types of parties! It’s good to know there are people like myself that love to just game and love having fun! I didn’t know what to expect, but this venture turned out amazing! It was fun meeting new people as well!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

And that’s my Princess Party Adventure! 👑 Please find me on twitter: msnu07, to check out Animal Crossing New Horizons content, and retweets and follow the rest of these lovely players that were in the party as well!

Until next time! Much love to you all reading this! 💕💕💕

Nu is signing out! 🤞🏼💕🌸

#twitter #blog #acnh #animalcrossingcommunity #animalcrossingnewhorizons #love #princess #party #friends #friendship #acnhblog #kawaii #cute #prettyinpink #linecamera #nintendo #nintendoswitch #churippudesigns #tumblr #gaming #fashion #fun #amazing #videogameadventures #florals #acnhdesign #islands

[creatingnikki]

Dearest Samantha,

You were the first person to participate in The Love Project but I’ve waited so long to write your letter because I love reading your answers. I kid you not. I’ve read them about 5 times over this month and they majorly make me feel two things. First, like the universe it opening up all these channels of hope, strength, positivity and sweetness for everyone who is willing to give life another shot. Second, what if…just what if the eerie poem ‘The Egg’ by Andy Weir is true? I don’t know if you have read this before but if not, please do. It blew my mind in an unexpected way.

Once you read the poem, what I say now will make sense. Everything you said about what you’ve been feeling and experiencing is 100% true for me. If not all at this moment but in fragments at different points in time. And the form may be different but the feeling that washes over me, for some reason I believe that it’s the same that washes over you.

I’ll share something with you that I haven’t really with many of my friends but there’s this thing…Ever since I was 14 years old I couldn’t wait to move out of my parents’ home and live by myself. No, they are great parents and my sister is the best too. I don’t know if it was the romanticisation of living by yourself or the emo phase that made me feel like I can’t live my true life unless I move out. Now, when I finished high school, I didn’t get to move away for college. The best college for what I wanted to study ended up being in my home city and I got in and it didn’t make sense to give up that opportunity for a sub-standard college elsewhere. After I got done with college, it made no sense to leave Mumbai – the city everyone from all over the country dreams of coming and living in –and move to some random city for work. So, I never quite left home. It’s never going to be acceptable to live in the same city as my parents and not live with them. It’s an Indian thing. And until even last year, I was like ugh how can I move out? But something changed over those last few months.

Now, somehow, over the last few months I started to notice things and realised what you did. The exact same thing you did: “My life, right now, is the epitome of ;perfection. From a ‘fight’ with my sister, I have learned what has been true all along. That my immediate family really would do anything for me. Mum’s favourite song is ‘Grenade’ not for the melody but for the words, the lyrics. She, dad and my sister really would do anything for me. How has it taken me this long to fully realise this.” Other than my mom’s favourite song, haha.

I can’t explain it to anyone else what changed and why. And I realise that I don’t even have to. People look for people who will genuinely care about them and love them unconditionally all their life. And I, and you, we have those people, we had them right from the start. I’ve never quite had that luck with friendships or romantic relationships (as of now), but that’s fine. I think, and it’s a silly childish belief, but I think everyone has at least 2-3 people in the world who are theirs.

Ever since I was 13, I have been looking for people to have interesting and meaningful conversations about the things that matter. And it took me forever to realise that I had that person all along – my sister.

The way you described, “The decade(s) that will be successful, joyful have started. Nevermind the twentieth century, this decade will be my roaring twenties and I really hope all of my relatives, friends and peers will have the same.” makes me highly recommend this song to you: Start by Gaho. It’s Korean but it has English subtitles and gosh. I think if I had to choose a song to run in the background of your letter as the theme, I would pick this. (I am listening to it on loop while writing this, btw.) This song is used in my current favourite Korean drama – Itaewon Class – about a boy who is 100% determined to make his life be everything he wants it to be no matter how much resistance he faces.

Another way I relate to you?  “I make up new words all the time. For example, electronically….” My sister was literally teasing me about it yesterday when I was speaking gibberish to annoy her. I usually just combine stuff from the three languages I know and it’s fun. Cracks me up all the time, if not anyone else. But, hey, electronically is, in fact, a word, so am I missing something here? O.O

One thing that’s totally different is that I have never been to a concert. I don’t think there’s any one artist that I 100% love to go to a crowded place with hyper-excited people.

How is it that the people who we don’t want us to hurt ever are the ones who end up doing it so masterfully? I understand the need to be guarded. And I am so glad that nobody has ever shattered your heart again. But I do hope when someone can make you feel loved – romantically and wholly – you can let them in. It’s no fun at all…going through life guarded.

Emotionless

A wall between emotion and intellect Analyse the behaviour of others, Analyse the wrongs of life, Soon you will feel a disconnect You can never be hurt behind your wall You can never be whole behind your wall

That’s a poem – not verbatim, out of my memory – by someone I cared about deeply years ago. He ghosted me too. The question of why can make me go crazy even now if I let myself go down that rabbit hole but I don’t. I try to retain this poem in the most positive light. Because he, his behaviour, his interactions with me, meant something and this poem of his that he shared with me just always stayed with me. I could never become emotionless, I could never feel a disconnect. I was hurt, often, yes. But I was also whole. I am, for the most part. I know you are too.

What you said about love - Love has no gender, no binary, no stereotypes. If you look at humans behind an X-ray screen kissing, you see the same skeletal frame each time – should be poetry. Sounds like it to my heart.

Sending so much love to you, and to your fur siblings, Darcy, Chloe and Poppy. Let’s live our roaring twenties the way they are meant to be lived – fully, fiercely, and earnestly. Nikki

PS No, daebak is not a word I made up, haha. It means awesome, cool, impressive in Korean. And you honestly are daebak! <3

I wrote this letter for Samantha based on some questions they answered. You can read the questions and their answers here.

Guys - I have received 29 people’s responses for The Love Project - 29 days of love letters. So I won’t be accepting anymore, however, you can read other letters here.

I may do this again later in the year and if you would want to receive a love letter from me then, you can drop in your email ID here xoxo

[voicedaily]

Hey, thanks for this blog! I see you post about the japan remake recently. I don't watch it yet, is it worth watching? How about Mo Tae Gu? Kim Jae Wook set a high bar so I don't want to disappointed with his japan counterpart if I watched it..

Yo! Thanks for stopping by. Of course, I have to keep making this blog active with content [laughs]. And right after season 03 is over, we’re lucky that Japan airs the remake of season 01 just in two weeks. As for your question, I plan to write a review after the series is over. The last episode will be aired on Sep 21.

But for short, I can say it’s worth watching. Well, the remake version of Kang Kwonjoo isn’t satisfying but It has much better, better storytelling than the original has. Jdrama always has the strength of story-wise better while K-drama tends to focus on conflict and sometimes makes the story draggy, and it happened too with Voice. I still remember I did grumble of some aspects in the original haha. But before you decide to watch it, I hope you don’t have the same standard because both Jdrama and Kdrama is naturally different in values. J-drama values more in a down-to-earth/realistic approach to visualize while K-drama tends to make beautiful cinematography with a higher budget. For example, the death of Hwang Kyungil and Nam Sangtae in the remake is more realistic for forensic points to camouflage it as suicide (so I don’t feel the cops are very stupid), the murder of Madam Jang (replaced with Inspector Okihara, equivalent with Inspector Jang character) also more make sense there that you can’t imagine how the culprit in the original did it all in short time and even carried the body outside from 2nd floor to his car on park area without being noticed by anyone; but you feel more chill and horror in the original when you saw a body is burned down, a room full of blood with eyeball taken out, and a body hanging on the tree right when you open the curtain. Same with the villain’s basement; the remake makes it dark, dull and dusty as what basement is used to be while the original made it bright so we could see the red blood stained clearly everywhere. 

This “realistic” vs “beautiful” also applies to their drama characters. I can say Korean people shown on TV dramas are better-looking than Japanese ones. I believe it’s a major influence on how Mo Taegu becomes the most stunning villain in Kdrama history. The beauty shots accommodate the perfect combination of the villain’s elegance character and the actor’s handsomeness despite the brutal murders and the amazing acting ability to be a psychopath. Probably those are the 15-30 extra minutes of visualization that the remake does not have (despite the fact of J-drama always having shorter episodes). But it doesn’t mean the remake version of Mo Taegu, Hongo Shizuku, is more lacking in his character. They rewrite their own version while still keep some aspects from the original as follows:

Mo Family runs a public transport company, Hongo Family runs a construction/civil engineering holdings.

While an image of Taegu having the ability to play grand piano as he loves classical music is only mentioned in Kim Jae Wook’s interview, the remake realizes it.

Shizuku is more independent than Taegu when playing a “game”, there’s no his dad’s secretary helping him to flee after he killed Hikari’s (Kwonjoo) dad and to abduct Toru (Daeshik), it hints he takes or abducted them all by himself before killing them in his basement. He also ordered Toru, all by himself and save his contact.

Taegu collects a suitcase of the victim’s hairs still on the bloody scalp (but then, I imagine his random victims on street are women because the hairs he collects are long), Shizuku collects a glass shelf of blood-stained kettlebells. In both of their collection, the name of our hero and heroine are written as he plans to murder them later.

The remake doesn’t include the demon aesthetic that Taegu sometimes underlined his murder as the words of God by citing a bible chapter written on the victim’s blood. Taegu also used other weapons to kill Sangtae (rope and knife). And there’s also a narration that he loves mutilating a body, too (implicit said by Sangtae that Taegu killed his dad that way, explicit when it was shown Taegu keeps the old lady‘s tongue and when Kwonjoo found Madam Jang’s crime scene). However, Shizuku is more consistent in his actions, he left the body in one piece and only collects the kettlebells he just used, whoever his victim is. 

Point 4 and 5 make me conclude that the original built Taegu like the star in a slasher/cult horror movie, it was so random (I’m sure even the genius Spencer Reid from FBI Behavourial Analysis Unit in CBS Criminal Minds series would hardly find the connection LOL) while the remake designs Shizuku more like a common serial killer with specific behavior as a crime/procedural series always use to be.

Now, as Kim Jaewook set a high bar, there’s no other counterpart to play the same character who represents the coexist of beauty and madness better than Iseya Yusuke. Both of them starts their career as a fashion model in catwalk and magazine when they were studying. Their physical appearance, their lean body structure and height, and their sexiness/attractiveness are very alike. You even almost can’t differentiate Hongo Shizuku with Mo Taegu when you see them in suit from their back. Well, Iseya Yusuke is as old as Jang Hyuk (born in 1976), so he might be not as handsome as Kim Jaewook in fangirls’ taste. But for acting ability, he’s still the perfect cast balancing Kim Jaewook for these reasons:

Both of them are graduated from the University of Arts. Kim Jaewook is from Seoul Institute of Arts, major in music. Iseya Yusuke is from Tokyo Institute of Arts, major in design. Tho’, Iseya Yusuke achieves his Master’s Degree and exchange program at New York University (major in film).

With that background, both of them aren’t just an actor, but more an artist. Kim Jaewook has a rock band and also plays in theatre as a foreign musician biopic, Iseya Yusuke directed a few movies that were invited to the international film festivals. 

Both of them are hardly known popular as TV drama star despite their talents. Kim Jaewook loves indie projects and took supporting role/second lead role in some TV dramas, it took 17 years after his debut that he finally pick a lead male role in popular TV drama genre, rom-com (Her Private Life, 2019). Iseya Yusuke is known better as a movie star, he also took various roles in historical dramas in public channel, it took 19 years after his debut that he finally plays for a commercial broadcast in a TV drama (Prison Princesses, 2017) more in comedic role.

Both ever performed in Korea-Japan collaboration movie. Kim Jaewook in Butterfly Sleep (2017) with Miho Nakayama, directed by Jeong Jaeun. Iseya Yusuke in The Tenor Lirico Spinto (2012) with Yoo Jitae, directed by Kim Sangman.

Both of them ever acted to make a passionate gay kiss scene in the movie. Kim Jaewook in Antique (2008) with Andy Gillet. Iseya Yusuke in Tonde Saitama (2019) with Gackt.

Nah, Idk whether this is the script one that wrote Hongo Shizuku like this below or that’s Iseya Yusuke himself who interprets his character differently from Kim Jaewook:

Remember the scene in the basement that Taegu could hear the sound of the people he murdered? Taegu felt haunted while Shizuku enjoyed it that he even made a gesture of an orchestra conductor conducting their haunting voice. And when his mother’s voice is echoing, yelling at him to not witness that his dad killed someone in the basement; Taegu felt like the trauma strikes him while Shizuku is bothered at first, but then he smiles and waves at her.

So… I think the original shows that Taegu still has a human side and weak point (although his murder methods are the most brutal among three VOICE’s villains) while the remake is like telling us that Shizuku’s madness level is at Kaneki’s level.

[chelleaslin]

Rare pair month day 1- New Years revolution (Lukanette)

@mlrarepairmonth

It was New Year’s Eve, 2019 was in a few mere minutes and the party on the Couffaine’s ship, The liberty, was in full swing.

 Juleka was hosting a party for her whole class on their ship because it had the best view of the news years firework display. Luka, being something of an introvert, felt extremely awkward with so many strangers around but it wasn’t all bad, he knew a few kids from playing in his sister, girlfriend’s band and then their was also Marinette Dupin-Cheng. Luka had meet the perky bluentte on multiple occasion and has been completely smitten with her from the start, she was just so brave, talent and selfless, Luka was positive there

 was no one else like her in the entire world. Unfortunately her heart was already taken by her fellow classmate, although he didn’t seem to appreciate her like he did.

Luka was snapped out of his thoughts by a small hand waving in his face. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion before looking down ito see the objects of his daydreaming standing right in front of him.

“Hey, Luka!” She greeted with a bright smile, Luka felt his heart rate pick up.

“Hey, MaMaMarinette.” He teased her in reply. Marinette face flushed slightly before a look of concern crossed her features.

“Are you okay?” She asked, concerned. “You been by yourself most of the night and I couldn’t help but notice you looked quite sad just now.” Luka look down and smiled softly to himself,Such a caring girl he thought.

“I’m fine just a little bit anxious with the crowd.” He emitted. She smiled softly at him before sitting next to him on the deck chairs.

“Mind if pick you brain for a little bit?” She asked, “it might help having a distraction.” She smiled lightly at him.

“I’d love it” he asked, his heart and stomach going crazy. “So, got any plans for the new year?” Luka asked.

“Hmm” She hummed as she thought hard about his question. If Luka started to blush when she scrunched her face up while she was thinking, well no one needed to know.

“I really want to work more on my designs” she finally answered. “I didn’t get to do quite as many as I wanted to this year” she finished sadly before perking back up and facing him. “What about you? Do you have any new year revaluations?”

Luka started to think about all the things he wanted to achieve next year. He knew he wanted to do more with his music he just wasn’t sure what yet, he wanted to work harder with his studies and he also wanted a job. He glanced back down at Marinette and felt this whole world freeze. She was staring up at him with her big, beautiful, blue eyes just waiting patiently for his answer, like she really cared about what he wanted the next year to bring. That’s when it hit him. He wanted her, he couldn’t just sit around anymore and watch the girl of his dream chase after someone so undeserving of her love. He wanted to pursue her and show her how a girl should be treated.

“I want to pursue something that I stupidly let go this year, I thought it was something that I could just let go of but once I parted with it, I just, I’ve regret it ever since. It’s so special to me, priceless even and the person that has it right now doesn’t even know it’s worth and I don’t ever want him to ever break it! or else my heart will be crushed, I just, I hope I’m not too late” he rushed out, a pink hue dusting his cheeks as he shyly looked at the ground.

Marinette put her hand on his shoulder, making him look at her. She was staring at him with such determination. “Listen Luka, you are an amazingly smart and talented guy! You can and will do anything you put your mind too. I know your going to get whatever it is back.” She then took a breath before letting go of his shoulder and stepping back out of his personally space.

Oh how ironic, Luka thought, a small smirk appearing on his lips. He was about to say his thanks but he was interrupt by a head of curly brown hair shoving its way between himself and Marinette. This head of hair belong to Marinettes, best friend, Alya.

“There you are!” She exclaimed, completely ignoring Luka. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! The count downs going to start soon and we need to get you close to Adrien, if your ever going to get a New Years kiss from him!”

Marinette whole face light up at the mention of a kiss from Adrien. Luka felt a sharp stab go through his heart at the mention of her getting a kiss from Adrien.

“Oh no!” Marinette suddenly yelled a worried and panicking expression acrossing her beautiful features. “Where is he? how long do I have? Oh no, I’ve already blew my chances of getting to kiss him and now will never fall in love and get married and have three kids and a dog- no Hamster! And-“

“Woah girl! Came down.” Alya yelled interrupting Marinette’s ramblings. Luka was very thankful for Alya because he couldn’t bare listening to another second of that. “He’s right there waiting for you because I told him you wanted to talk to him, if you go right now you’ll make it.” Okay scratch that, Alya was now the enemy.

“O-okay” Marinette stuttered. “Sorry Luka I’ve gotta go.” She quickly blurted out, already turning to leave.

In those few seconds, Luka made a choice. He wasn’t going to let Marinette walk away from him again, just to get her heart broken by the Agreste boy yet again, not this year.

“Mari, wait!” He called out before clutching her wrist and spinning her back around to face him.

“Luka what are you doing, I need to- Mm” She was cut off by Lukas lips capturing hers in a sweet kiss. She let a out a small squeak as a blush rose to her cheek. Holy cow! She thought, Luka is kissing me, My friends hot older brothers kissing me, the guy I’ve had confusing feelings for is kissing me and I’m kissing back? She closed her eyes and stretched up onto her tippy toes to deepen the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck. A clicking sound followed by a flash, broke them from their intimate moment, reminding them they are not alone.

Marinette heard Alya freaking out in the background while waving her phone around, but she ignore her, too busy staring up at Luka. So many emotions were running through her right now. Why did he kiss her? Does he like her? Does she like him? Why did she kiss him back? She opened her mouth to voice these concerns but things didn’t go as planned.

“You didn’t wait for the count down” was all that came out. A heavy blush crossed Lukas face and he awkwardly scratched the back off his neck.

“Haha, yeah.” He sheepishly said, “I couldn’t let you start the new year kissing another guy or my new years revolution would be ruined already.”

“Your revolution?” She whispered in confusion, what did that have to do with anything?

“Yeah that super prescious thing? It’s you, your heart I mean.” He confessed.

So many emotions were running through Marinette right now she didn’t know what to say. The loud beat of her heart and butterflies in her stomach were enough to prove she like him but what about Adrien?

Marinette was distracted by her mini crisis by the loud chant of her classmates as they counted down to the New Years.

10...

She looked up at Luka to find him already looking at her.

9...

A blush crept up get neck at the intense look he was giving her.

8...

She looked down a her fingers as she contemplated everything.

7...

She really liked Luka, she had since she meet him.

6...

But she loved Adrien. Didn’t she?

5...

Adrien...

4...

She turned her head to look at the blonde boy.

3...

He was laughing with some of their classmates.

2...

Her heart swelled a little but she found that she didn’t have the urge to run over their and kiss him anymore, there was another boy she wanted to be her New Years kiss.

1...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

She turned back around grabbing the blue haired boy by his collar, startling him, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Her compass had found its mark.

[writeandisconnect]

The Origins.

Since I have pretty much covered the basic of Astrology. Something came up to me recently. It’s time to rewind a little. 

In this post, I will be discussing the origins of Zodiac and the meaning of each Zodiac sign. 

The term Zodiac derives from Latin zōdiacus, which in its turn comes from the Greek, it means “circle of animals”. It is used to describe the circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the ecliptic path of the sun.

Every culture has its own beliefs systems, now, and in ancient cultures. The stars are just one of the many things that human beings have turned to for answers over the years. Travelers used the skies as a compass, and many people used the skies as a source of mystical direction as well. But who? Exactly who came up with this way of thinking? 

Astronomers and historians noted that all of these ideas came together when Alexander the Great conquered Eygpt around 330 BC. 

Mhmm. 

Here’s how NASA previously described the logic that led to the creation of the familiar zodiac signs known today:

Astrology - in the broadest sense - is the search for purpose in the heavens.

Note that there’s a difference between Astrology and Astronomy. For centuries it was considered basically the same thing. However, things changed around the beginning of the enlightenment in the late 17th century. Astronomy came to be known as a science and Astrology not so much. But its popularity in recent years seems to have increased. It relies on factors that numbers cannot compute. In a 2014 poll study by the National Science Foundation, it is shown that more than half of millennials think Astrology is science. Why is that? Bear with me, I’ll get back to that. 

Well, enough of the mundane history stuff for now. Haha. Let’s get down to the interesting part. 

The Origins of the Zodiac Signs

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

Aries is known as the Ram, and also the first of the twelve zodiac constellations. Aries is ruled by the planet Mars (drive and energy). In Greek mythology, the god of war was known as Ares. Those born under this star sign is passionate and energetic.  

TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

Taurus symbolizes a Bull, and in the Babylonian zodiac it was called as “The Heavenly Bull”. In Greek mythology, Taurus is linked with Zeus. Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus (love and attraction). Those born under this sign have a strong personality, and they enjoy the finer things in life.

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20)

Geminis is known as the Twins and it is taken from Greek mythology of Castor and Pollux. This sign is ruled by the planet Mercury (mind and communication). Hence the reason why Geminis are talkative. They are lively and curious. 

CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22)

Cancers are the fourth sign in the zodiac and it is represented by a symbol of a Crab. The Crab stems from the Greek mythology of Hercules fighting Hydra. This sign is ruled by the Moon (moods and emotions). People born under this sign tend to put the needs of others before their own.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)

Leos is represented by Ancient Greek mythology as the Nemean Lion. Leos is ruled by the Sun (individual and self-expression). They are expressive and impossible to ignore, they light up the room wherever they go. 

VIRGO (AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22)

Virgos is the sixth sign, this sign is associated with Demeter and Ceres, they were both goddesses of nurturing and fertility. The sign symbolizes by the Virgin indicates purity and innocence. Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury (mind and communication) same as Gemini. However, Virgo is endowed with the unemotional, logical and analytical way in things. 

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22)

Libra is symbolized by the scales or the balance. In Roman mythology, Libra was thought to symbolize the scales of justice held by Astraea (goddess of justice). Ruled by the planet Venus (love and attraction) like Taurus but, focuses primarily more on love. 

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21)

Like the name itself, Scorpio is symbolized by the Scorpion. They are ruled by the planet Pluto (power and transformation). In Greek mythology, a scorpion is sent by the goddess Artemis to kill the hunter, Orion. Scorpios love to uncover the truth in any situation. They are constantly building themselves to be the best version every day.

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21)

This is the ninth sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius’s symbol in Greek mythology is a Centaur, with an arrow pointing towards the star Antares. This sign is ruled by the planet Jupiter (luck, growth, and wisdom). Sagittarius is always thinking big, due to the planet Jupiter being the largest in the solar system. They are encouraged to expand their mind and heart. 

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 19)

Capricorn is one of the oldest constellations, also known as “the tail of Goat”. According to Greek mythology, Capricorn is associated with the demigod, Pan. This sign is ruled by the planet Saturn (discipline, fears, and challenges). Capricorns are serious hard workers. They believe you get out what you put in.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18)

Aquarius is symbolized by the Water-bearer. This sign is ruled by the planet Uranus (change and personality). People born under this sign, are more eccentric. Due to their ruling planet is the only planet that spins on a horizontal axis. They like to stir things up and they have a mind of an innovator. 

PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20)

Pisces, the final sign of the zodiac. Pisces symbolizes the Fish. This sign is ruled by the planet Neptune (dreams and healing). In Greek mythology, the fish is actually Aphrodite and her son, Eros. People born under this sign are intuitive and deeply compassionate individual. 

SYMBOLS OF THE SIGNS THROUGHOUT TIME

There you have it. A little background historical knowledge on the zodiac signs. If you want to read a more thorough history, check this out. To conclude my post, Astrology may not be ‘scientifically proven’ but the fact that people keep turning to the sky does come down to something very realistic. A psychological phenomenon called “the human tendency for ‘self-selection’”. That is the search for interpretations that match what we already hope to be true. 

An astronomer said that “Humans magnify the positives, they forget the negatives. That’s how we’re designed.” and I agree with that very much. 

Thank you for sticking with me till the end. Hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it! ☺︎

[speakingskies]

AO3 Meme

@nefertiti22002blog tagged me to do this (thanks!), so here we go!

Total wordcount?

133,576 - 2/3 of which is from one fic. I was always a bit of a one-shot writer until The Echoes Resound, when I went from an average of 2-5k words per fic to 88k and counting. Oops!

How often do you write?

Oh god, it changes so much and depends so much on life in general. When I’m on a good kick, it’s about all I do other than eat, work and sleep, and when I’m not all I can do other than work and eat is sleep. 

Short answer: “Who knows?”

Do you have a routine for writing?

Haha, noooooo! Sometimes I need to lock myself away and switch off the internet and all surrounding noises, sometimes I need to have a bit of background noise or music on. Whenever I find something that seems to work really well and try to implement that as a routine it fails miserably because my brain always rebels against the slightest hint of order.

While writing fanfic, I try not to read too much fic in that fandom bc my brain is very spongey and I am very paranoid and I worry about absorbing too much from other people; I grew up in the HP fandom where fanon started taking over from canon, so I prefer to reread the source material when I need a hit. (When I finish TER (hopefully soon!) I am going on an AO3 BINGE, let me tell you, nothing will be safe).

The only thing that I need is tea, preferably in one particular mug which holds almost an entire pint (below, with JSAMN for scale, in a picture that, surprisingly, I had anyway and was not taken specifically for this post). I love that mug.

What’s your favourite kinks/tropes/pairings?

As this is my JSAMN blog, I’ll keep this fandom-specific: 

Pairing-wise Childermass/Segundus owns my heart fairly completely (I’m a generally sucker for the people left over at the end and how they get on after everything, see also: my overriding love for Remus Lupin), but I’m down for more or less anything. I love all the characters so much, and they all have such different relationships with each other that anything is interesting (I have an Emmabella fic going on the back burner, and I adore Childermass/Lascelles as a hateship although I don’t trust myself to write it well). I also love Childermass being the fandom bicycle.

Tropes: I love the good old enemies-to friends-to lovers (*cough*johnsquared*cough*). Strangely, as my only jsamn fic at the moment is an AU, I tend not to read or write any of those (I don’t know what came over me), and mostly love fic that explores the source’s world.

Kinks: There’s not anything I hunt out regularly really. In fandom, for me, kinks are very much pairing based, and beyond that it just depends what kind of mood I’m in.

Do you have a favourite fic of yours?

Presently, definitely The Echoes Resound, as it’s really given me a boost in my own confidence. It’s the first time in probably over a decade that I’ve written something long and plotty which I have actually posted, and as such got close to actually finishing.

Your fic with the most kudos?

Between Eternities (a fic in The Raven Cycle fandom) has 459 kudos. It’s a YA series, and I posted it just after the last book in the series was released, so timing worked quite well for me. It’s also my second longest fic, at 12,087 words.

Anything you don’t like about your writing?

Erm, actually sitting down and doing it? (As someone somewhere once said, I enjoy having written more than I enjoy actually writing, or: “The practice of magic writing is full of frustrations and disappointments, but the study is a continual delight!“)

Generally I like my writing - especially when you get that odd nugget that makes you rub your hands together and think “ooh yeah, that’s good!” as you’re writing (which you then have to edit out because it doesn’t make sense in the story).

I think when you’re writing something and reading it and editing it and reading it and editing it, one can fixate a little on the negatives, but I hope I get rid of enough of what I don’t like before I post.

When writing fic I usually like to stick as closely to the source material as I can, but as TER is an AU (although I would argue not a total AU), I’m really concerned about my characterisation and keeping everyone close enough to their book selves, but also not too out of place in the modern world.

Also: Too many commas. Always too many commas. They breed when I’m not looking, I’m sure.

Now something you do like?

I’m not very good at being nice about myself so this one is a bit difficult, even though I’m very particular about what I post and don’t post, so I don’t tend to upload things that I don’t like.

I think I’m pretty good at getting a hold of moments and conveying atmospheres? There are moments and paragraphs that I love, but I can’t think of anything more general. Oh - I think my sex scenes aren’t too shabby?

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do it! I feel I don’t really know anyone here well enough to tag them outright, but please do it if you feel like it :)

[howterrifying]

This seems to be the year of Moliarty for me. That said, I'm so sad I've written so few stories this year. Guess it reveals a lot about the state of my heart and mind. Sigh. Let's hope 2018 will bring some sort of writing revival for me. That said, I was really inspired by @whyimmathere's Molliarty gifsets on tumblr and have stayed up all night to write this piece! Was most inspired by this one except I've only referenced two things very vaguely haha. The Christmas mood seems to have affected me too so we have some of that also. Hope everyone's doing well and happy holidays to you all. Wishing everyone health and happiness :)

::

An Exchange  (also on FF.net and AO3)

It was not often that Jim Moriarty paid a visit to the tailor's. Usually, tailors were chauffeured to his residences at his whim, fitting him with the sharpest suits only slightly less defined than his own dark, handsome features. This evening, however, after receiving a rather urgent (but well-paying) request for his services, he had decided to swing by the less bustling but no less expensive Conduit Street in London where the well-lit sign of a personal favourite glimmered in the slowly dimming evening.

"Westwood," he murmured to himself as he stepped out his car and made his way into what seemed a deceptively small shop space.

His people had made calls ahead, of course, which meant he was ushered swiftly to a private suite in the basement floor of the shop where only an elite handful of clients were permitted. Jim's preferred tailor was already there and waiting with patterns and fabric all lined up, ready for his client. There were very few pleasures Jim had in life that did not involve explosives, grand theft or the occasional mass murder. A brand new suit was one of those rare few.

"I know it's for work," Jim said with a smirk, stepping forward to study the luxurious array of fabrics, "but you know, no harm in an early Christmas present, is there?"

+++

The sky had darkened considerably by the time Jim was done. What with having had his measurements taken and having spent an arduously long time picking out every single detail, down to the angle of the lapels on his dinner jacket. Led by a member of his security detail, Jim finally emerged from the basement floor back up to the main shop space. Considering how near it was to Christmas time, there were surprisingly few people. Jim took a moment to scan the area briefly, noting the two shop staff standing politely by the door ready to see him out and the three random customers browsing.

As Jim made his way to the door, he walked past an oddly familiar dark brown ponytail. He paused and turned slightly to study the person who had caught his attention. She was staring intently at the glass cases of accessories that held watches, cufflinks and tie pins. There was a slight frown etched on her forehead as she studied each item, row by row, section by section.

Immediately, Jim took a moment to run through all the faces he had in his memory, trying to identify possible connections he might have to her that would have caused her to be familiar. It struck him in a matter of seconds who she was. Her connection to him was not an ordinary one and, as with all his little compulsions, Jim simply had to know if he was right.

"Excuse me," he asked in his politest voice as he flashed a shy half smile at her. "Oh, sorry, am I in your way?" she asked back. "No, no, it's just, um…"

Jim realised his little compulsion had failed to stop him from realising that while she was a familiar face to him, he was a complete stranger to her. Not wanting to cause her any alarm, he blurted the first thing his spinning mind could come up with.

"I…work at Barts' and just, um, thought you looked familiar," he said with a slightly awkward smile. "Oh!" she remarked with a friendly smile, "Have we met then? I'm not very good with names, sorry."

The warm and genuine response to his words caused his mind to stumble a little bit, much to his annoyance. His mind never tripped, yet here he was, suddenly incapable of parsing a proper sentence – again. She seemed so – and he had never found an occasion to use this word before – lovely.

"Oh, no, no we haven't, I…was assigned to do some software updates at the lab and, just remembered seeing your face…somehow," he said with an awkward laugh and inwardly relieved he was fairly casually dressed or this would have never passed. "I see, well, I don't seem to remember seeing you though…" she said, looking a little apologetic. "That's all right," Jim replied, "We IT people are used to being in the background, you know, doing all the small things when no one's watching…" "I do know, actually," she said, smiling, "It's the same at pathology. Well, for me, anyway."

It was her turn to chuckle awkwardly as she realised she was talking to a complete stranger about her work woes in the middle of her Christmas shopping. Jim watched her, slightly mesmerised at the cool, calm collectedness she seemed to exude. Not to mention, her impossible loveliness.

"I'm Jim, Jim from IT," he murmured, extending a hand without taking his eyes off her. "Molly. From, I suppose I just told you, pathology," she replied, receiving his hand and shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you," said Jim with a little nod of his head. "Same here," Molly remarked, "It's nice to know you recognised me. Not many people do."

This was the point where, after having had his compulsion satisfied by confirming her identity, Jim should have been making his way out of the shop. Instead, he found himself rooted where he was, trying, with some measure of difficulty, to make conversation.

"Why wouldn't they?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

You don't not remember loveliness like that, he thought.

Molly shrugged gently and did not seem to have an answer. It caused their conversation to plummet to a decrescendo which, to Jim's surprise, caused him to panic slightly.

"So, er, what are you shopping for then? Christmas presents, I suppose?" he asked, changing the subject "Yes, actually," she said, her eyes lighting up slightly in excitement as she returned her gaze to the display case. "For someone special?" Jim asked, moving to join her in peering at the endless rows of accessories resting on velvet. "Maybe. I don't know," she answered a little stoically. That frown he had observed earlier seemed to have returned.

Her change of tone caught him by surprise. Why did her spirits seem so low doing something people usually did in high spirits?

"Relax," Jim began, offering a gentle smile in her direction, "whoever he or she is, if they...what's the word, care for? Love? Yes, sorry – if they love you, it doesn't matter what you get for them in the end. A gift, is a gift, is a gift! And it'll always be wonderful…I imagine."

Jim was shocked at the deluge of words that came out of his mouth. The content, in particular, was what shocked him the most. The barrage of sentiment almost nauseated him and yet, he wanted so very much to see the light return to her eyes.

"That's…very nice of you to say," Molly replied, turning to smile back at him. "Thank you for the reminder."

Her smile caused his panic earlier to subside, sending a comforting, warm current under his skin.

"Cheer up, yeah?" said Jim, nudging her elbow gently, "You have nothing to worry about, unless of course it's for Sherlock Holmes, then you're in trouble."

A bad attempt at humour was probably Jim's best excuse as to why the detective's name had suddenly emerged in his conversation with Molly. Yes, Sherlock Holmes had been the initial connection between them but he was now no longer their only connection. It did not matter that Molly had a place in the organised sea of faces Jim stored in his head purely because he knew she was someone the detective had elected to work with. It certainly did not matter now. They now had their own connection – and it was devoid of Sherlock Holmes.

"Am I?" she answered a little too quietly. Turning to face Jim, her face was serious, almost pleading for an answer to a question she herself was not sure about.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked again.

Her expression troubled Jim. He had hit a nerve and it did not please him. He studied her face once more and realised he had underestimated her connection to the pesky detective.

"You are getting something for Sherlock Holmes," he remarked, a little aghast at himself for not having noticed it earlier. "I am," said Molly with a soft, resigned smile on her face. "I know I shouldn't. But I am." "Hm. I see."

In spite of the inexplicable displeasure it gave him, Jim decided he was going to help her.

"Well then, let's find a gift for the world's best detective, shall we?"

+++

Jim was seated in one of his lavish studies, reclined in an obnoxiously upholstered arm chair while his gaze flitted between a few glowing screens that hung on the wall. He was dressed to the nines, of course, in his new Westwood suit. There was a Christmas gala for London's elite that he had been tasked to rob, which meant he simply had to dress for the occasion. The events of the gala unfolded on one of the screens as several of his other Christmas 'jobs' played on the other screens.

Everything had gone to plan. All detonating devices had activated without a hitch, the safes that required breaking in were all broken into and the few politicians' wives that had to be kidnapped were all safely in their holding areas.

"A happy Christmas indeed!" he exclaimed to himself, popping open a bottle of champagne and for a moment, was tempted take a swig from the bottle.

"Not in Westwood," he said, smirking as he poured himself a full flute of golden champagne.

The mini-celebration was briefly interrupted by his phone buzzing. He glanced casually over only to pick it up urgently once he had seen whom it was from.

"Sir?" came the voice from the other end. "What happened?" Jim asked with gritted teeth. "We might have to come take the package from you, sir." "How bad is it?" he asked quietly, so tense he quite forgot to breathe. "I think you should see the footage yourself, sir. We're uploading it now to screen four."

Jim dropped the phone onto his desk and rushed back to his seat, ignoring all the flurry of activity and focused solely on screen four. The footage was short and when it was over, Jim picked the bottle of champagne up and flung it with all his might towards the screen, smashing both bottle and screen to pieces.

The screen was dead and shattered but the few minutes of footage played back like a nightmarish loop in his head. There was the image of the lovely Molly he remembered from the shop, in her perfectly over-adorned hair and far-too shiny dress, standing in that crummy old flat in Baker Street. Then the image of Sherlock Holmes came into view, holding his useless violin which he only used for showing-off. Then came the nightmare as Jim saw Sherlock reach recklessly for Molly's thoughtfully wrapped gift before opening his mouth, sending out a barrage of knives that stabbed Molly, lovely Molly, repeatedly in her heart.

"She spent so long… and so much of herself on it, Sherlock Holmes, you idiot," Jim cursed between sharp, angry exhales.

Then came a quiet knock on his door followed by the voice of one of his staff asking if he could come in.

"Yes, yes, come in. I've got it right here," said Jim, collecting himself as he went to one of several safes under his desk and opened it. From inside, he retrieved a small square box, beautifully-wrapped and with a satin ribbon tied around it.

"You know what to do?" Jim said quietly. "Yes, sir." "Good. Off you go. And no mistakes." "Of course, sir."

+++

It was probably three in the morning, three hours past Christmas when Jim Moriarty heard his phone buzz. He had been too worked up to sleep and dozed off fitfully in his study. Although partly inebriated from champagne, he was filled to the brim with anger and anxiety. With slightly clumsy fingers, he managed to swipe his phone screen, unlocking it to reveal the text message he had been waiting to receive.

I don't know how you found my desk and managed to sneak it in, but thank you for the beautiful gift and your Christmas card. Thanks for leaving your number too or else I wouldn't have been able to find you to thank you! I'm sorry for texting you so late, by the way. I was called in for an urgent autopsy, government business apparently. It was an unusually difficult autopsy, for various reasons… so I was really pleasantly surprised to find your lovely gift at the end of it all :) Thank you, Jim. I needed it. More than you'll ever know. I hope you had a good Christmas. x

There were so many things that rushed through Jim's mind. There was the thrill of hearing from her and knowing she was a little better, then there was the rage that came roaring back, knowing she had been the one called in for Adler's autopsy. After everything Molly had been through, the Holmes brothers had the nerve to call her in at midnight. Jim almost wished he had shifted his plans and faked Adler's death at a different time.

Damn it, Jim, he thought to himself. You should have known. They would only call Molly in. Jim felt a sinking ache in his chest when he realised that after everything that had transpired that evening, Molly was also probably the only pathologist who did not have a place to be at during Christmas.

"You'll pay for this, Sherlock. And yes, you too, Mycroft," Jim whispered to himself, spinning his mobile phone in his fingers. "But not now. There are more important matters at hand."

Sounds like you've had a rough night. Where are you now? – JM

Still at Bart's. Sorting paperwork and frankly just too exhausted to get up to go home. – MH

Stay there. I'll pick you up and take you somewhere. Or at least take you home safely. – JM

Normally, I would refuse. But I think if I don't accept, I might actually stay here till New Year's. Hah. – MH

I'll be right over. - JM

+++

It was good to be a criminal mastermind sometimes. It certainly helped when Jim needed to get to a certain place in a very short amount of time. Before he knew it, he had been zoomed to Bart's and was soon charging down the corridors towards the pathology office where he knew Molly was. When he finally arrived, he found her with her head resting gently on her tired, folded arms as she slept quietly at her desk.

"Molly?" he said gently, touching her on the elbow ever so slightly.

Molly looked up with a start, only to relax into a smile when she saw it was Jim. She got up from her seat and moved to hug him.

"You were right," she whispered against his shirt, "I did get in trouble."

Jim had to constantly remind himself that she did not know what he did know. That he knew how Sherlock Holmes had left her in ruins. The cruel words of the detective still rang in his ears and it took all of Jim's willpower not to send for him to be murdered in cold blood. Not now, at least.

Hesitantly, Jim reciprocated her hug, carefully wrapping his arms around her. When he felt the full warmth of their bodies together, he almost laughed at how hesitant he had been to hold her just moments before. Slowly, but no longer hesitantly, he moved one hand up to touch the back of her neck, relishing how soft her hair felt against his fingers. Jim shut his eyes and took the moment in, breathing evenly as he tried to piece all this new sensory information together.

"Bad day was it?" he asked, turning slightly so he could smile against her hair.

Molly laughed quietly and then sighed, still not moving from where she had relaxed against his chest.

There was the temptation to kiss her gently on the top of her head but even Jim knew that would have been too alarming for both of them. Still, there was something so comforting about the soft waves of hair that cascaded all around her.

"Would you like to have coffee?" he continued, allowing his fingers to gently weave through the ends of her hair.

Before Jim could fully relish the sensation of her chocolate tresses between his fingertips, Molly pulled herself away from him gently, placing two hands on his chest and looked right at him.

"It's almost 4am, Jim…" Molly replied with a chuckle. "Sorry, I just thought –" "Perfect time for a black coffee, in my opinion…" she continued, smirking as a small spark seemed to return to her eyes.

That little spark was all Jim needed.

"Let's go then. I know a perfect place for black coffee actually," he said with a grin. "Oh? Where?" Molly asked, amused.

Jim offered his hand to Molly, which she took without hesitation. The spark in her eyes grew a little more each time he looked at her and it made him smile.

"Italy," he said, a bright grin spreading across his face. "Sorry, what?" "I'd been meaning to tell you this Molly but, I'm a criminal mastermind with jets at my disposal and I'm flying us out to Italy right now for a coffee because I think you deserve one…" he said, eyes shining cheekily at her.

Molly's eyes widened and she dropped his hand, perplexed, causing Jim to shake his head as he chuckled to himself.

"I'm pulling your leg, Molly," Jim said with a laugh, "The only coffee we'll find now is the one in the vending machine at Bart's." "I wouldn't have minded Italy actually" Molly replied, chuckling herself, "Sounds rather lovely to me." "Did you not hear the part about…criminal mastermind?" Jim joked, although a part of him was genuinely curious to know how she felt.

Molly shrugged her lab coat off and threw it on her desk. Sweeping her hair up into a quick twist, Molly looked right at Jim and smiled gently at him.

"As far as I'm concerned, Sherlock Holmes is the only criminal here," she said quietly. "And right now, a coffee in Italy with you sounds absolutely divine…" "Then Italy it is," said Jim, his own true spark slowly showing in his eyes. "What?" Molly exclaimed with a laugh. "There's a lot I should be telling you, Molly," said Jim, holding her gaze, "But do you trust me enough for a coffee together?"

Molly paused for a moment and studied his face. There was something she had not seen in his expression before, but it seemed neither foreign nor frightening.

"Yes," she answered finally, "I do." "Good," Jim replied, offering his hand to her again, "Then off we go."

END

[sonreiv]

i absolutely despise when ppl paint katsuki as an abuser when horikoshi doesn't even say he's an abuser. Bullying and Abusing has some similar aspects but they are different at the end of it. Katsuki is. a. bully. Izuku recognizes that Katsuki is a jerk and what he did was wrong/bad (and he actually has stated that he hates katsuki, twice) but still sees his strong qualities that make him admire him

(This ask has been sitting in my drafts for the longest time and I thought with the upcoming episodes it was the perfect time to stop procrastinating and finally finish it. Sorry for the wait, nony! I mostly agree with you, but I want to further discuss some points so I hope you don’t mind I got a bit lenghty. You got me an excuse to ramble up some meta haha.)

A TL;DR beforehand: canon analysis supports that Katsuki should not be interpreted as an abuser, but an early bully at most. I also did a little analysis on the early middle school chapter and how it shows BNHA’s society/the peers Deku and Katsuki grew up around set up a bullying enticing enviroment, and how bad translations have us interpret their relationship as more aggravating than it really is - Deku NEVER said he hates Katsuki, for instance. Not once.

I agree that Katsuki is not to be interpreted as an abuser. He does not want to pursue Deku in order to hurt him; instead, he wants to push Deku away from himself. There’s a difference between “I want to possess you, to make you stay around me and hurt you emotionally and physically” - and “I don’t want anything to do with you, go away, don’t interact with me or else”. The first one is abuse. The second one is what Katsuki felt about Deku for most of his life (albeit very simplified). At the times when Katsuki did hurt him - threatening him in middle school, getting out of hand during the heroes vs villains team trial, punching him during the end of the term exam, etc - was because he felt threatened; so his response was to push him away with violence, with an attempt at “teaching” Deku to stay away from his lane.

This is not to defend Katsuki’s actions; this is only a reasoning, not an excuse. His violent behavior towards Deku is still inexcusable. I only want to make clear there’s a difference between “I want to go out of my way to hurt you” and “I will smack you if you push me”, even if his concept of being pushed is distorted to his own experience and it still does not make his violent actions okay. He fears and despises what Deku did at those times: talking to Katsuki as if Katsuki isn’t on the pedestal he grew up believing he was on. This is the core of Katsuki’s feelings. He does not want to abuse Deku. He wanted him to go away, and he WOULD physically/verbally assault him if that meant pushing Deku away from him. And the rest of his threats/aggressive banter is just really how he talks to everyone else.

Even in canon it’s explicitly stated Deku was the one who insisted on following him because of his admiration, and that was what Katsuki couldn’t stand; he wanted him to be away.

And that was way before. The game is changing, and the development of their relationship is one of the core points of the series. Katsuki recognized him as someone who is not allowed to lose, someone worthy of All Might’s trust, and just very slowly started talking to Deku like he does to everyone else.

I also believe that affirming Katsuki would be an abuser in a romantic relationship with Deku misses the point if the person is okay with it if it’s a friendship/platonic relationship, or if they ship Katsuki with other people. Someone who is abusive does not isolate their behavior to one single person, nor does abuse happen only in romantic relationships. Abusive friendships exist. If one thinks katsudeku is okay as long as it’s platonic, if they believe in their growth and healing enough to believe they can start and share a healthy friendship, then the same should be applied to a romantic relationship. Also if Katsuki were to be an abusive partner to Deku, he’d be the same to other partners. If he were to be emotionally manipulative, possessive, constantly putting him down and hurting him while also keeping him - he’d do it to any other partners. The thing is people who ship katsudeku usually don’t ship it hc'ing that Katsuki keeps his ill behavior towards Deku in the relationship - we cherish the character’s growth and development. The canon Katsuki, the Katsuki with the bad behavior in the older chapters, as stated above, didn’t even wish to keep Deku around as a peer, let alone to form some kind of deeper bond. The romantic katsudeku ship I personally want is the kind where Katsuki grows and changes (as it’s slowly happening in canon) enough past his insecurities towards Deku to be okay with approaching him like he does to other peers. No possessiveness, no emotional abuse, because I personally don’t see that coming from him.

Since we got to this point, something interesting and relevant that I don’t usually see being pointed out is that in the very beginning of the story, it wasn’t only Katsuki opposing to the idea Deku could enter UA while being quirkless. The entire class laughed at him, and the teacher didn’t bat an eye.

This is not to gloss over the fact Katsuki did show unexcusable behavior towards Deku, but I think the scene was set up that way to show it was not only Katsuki’s isolated behavior, but the system, BNHA’s society is shaped to mock and discourage individuals who believe they can become heroes or achieve certain things despite the conditions of their quirk(lesness). The way the society is shaped was Deku’s childhood bully. He was mocked by his peers as young as 4, while at the same time Katsuki was put in a pedestal because of his quirk - which led to his massive ego complex. We can’t analyse their personalities and relationship without taking in account the context they grew up in. Many people frame Katsuki as the single-handed culprit for Deku’s bullying background without taking this whole context into account, while also casting Deku the role of a submissive, persecuted victim when he deliberately chose to stick around Katsuki, and just generally shows to be a character with a lot more agency than that.

And what’s interesting in this scene is that Katsuki didn’t laugh along with everyone else when Deku says he wants to apply and he might have a chance. Because Katsuki takes that seriously. He takes that as a personal offence. The whole point of Katsuki’s ill feelings towards Deku were always that he

feels as Deku is mocking his efforts by believing that himself, a quirkless boy who didn’t do any kind of physical preparation for a heroics course - has chances of becoming a hero as much as Katsuki, who is a born genius AND presumably prepared himself to apply to UA, with training and studying, going as far as scolding his colleague for smoking because he wanted a clean student record.

he feels threatened by Deku because ever since they were kids, as much as Deku admired him, he also saw Katsuki as someone who was able to get hurt and could have a hand offered to like anyone else; Deku saw him as superior in terms of skill, but an equal as a human being, while all the other kids did not. And that made Katsuki not stand him. Because he’s scared of being anything less than the very best, he’s scared of being someone who can be offered help - in his eyes, someone who can be pitied and looked down onto.

And that’s why he reacts with hostility. He wants to intimidate Deku out of even trying to apply to UA. It’s even stated by Katsuki’s colleagues he got out of hand this time, implying it’s not normal behavior for Katsuki (and I’ve seen people saying it was confirmed by Horikoshi himself, though I don’t have sources so don’t quote me on that). Again, he will only seriously smack Deku down if he feels threatened. He does not go out of his way to put him down on a daily basis because he doesn’t want to interact with Deku to begin with.

Also, Deku actually never stated he hates Katsuki. Not once. What he actually says is closer to “he may be a jerk, but-”, which is how the official english translation translated it, as seen above (stole the picture from this post by @kiraelric because it’s where I found it faster :P). Here’s a post explaining it, and I quote @sugarmagic who gently broke down the first panel - which FA translated as “I hate his guts” - for me:

Basically the word 嫌う, the verb form is “to hate” but 嫌な奴 is “unlikable/disagreeable guy.” So what I’m pretty sure happened is that they didn’t realize な was modifying the word to be an adjective. It’s not describing Deku’s feelings, it’s describing Kacchan’s character. The reading of the kanji is written as “iyana yatsu,” versus “Kacchan ga kurai” which really would be “I hate Kacchan”. Then again, even if they read it that way, the furigana explicitly shows the reading, so I don’t even know what they were thinking.

 The translation group Fallen Angels takes way too much freedom and completely distorts some lines, and the dislike of Bakugou/his relationship with Deku in the western fandom was heavily influenced by interpreting it via FA’s aggravated translations. I had people who know japanese tell me how gratuitously innacurate the translations are - as an example, FA translates Deku thinking Katsuki is difficult to deal with as Deku thinking Katsuki causes him to be aware of his own flaws (source). The translations paint Bakugou’s character and his relationships, specially with Deku, unnecessarily harsher than they really are. In fact, something the localisation usually fails to translate is how Bakugou’s “die!” and similar threats are not be taken as seriously in japanese as one would in english - but rather pretty immature and petty (source).

So! If you read up to this point and you’re interested in reading other meta on Katsuki and Deku’s characters and relationship, you should check @explodo-smash’s meta tag. They’re a pretty smart team and can explain/analyse things better than me - in fact their meta helped me a lot understand better their dynamics post my bloody Fallen Angel readings. That’s all for today, and thank you for taking the time to read.