#no offense but it was literally the greatest show I’ve ever seen them put on

[heloiseattheplaza]

.

[makeste]

save no matter what.

so this is going to ultimately be a post about Deku. however, if you’ll be so kind as to indulge me, I would like to start things off by making a point about Bakugou. specifically, I’d like to point out that back in the day before this kid got Character Development no Jutsu’d, people weren’t always so inclined to view his attitude towards winning in the best light. which is a nice way of saying that he came off as unhealthily obsessed, not to mention more than a little unhinged.

sorry for the image spam btw, I just think they’re funny. he’s so demented lmao. KILL DIE CRUSH.

anyway so we’re gonna do the rest of this below a cut before it gets long. but I promise it really is a Deku post lol. don’t let the pre-readmore stuff fool you. I PROMISE THERE IS A POINT, AND WE WILL GET TO IT.

anyway! so yeah, we really didn’t have the best impression of Bakugou’s whole winning fixation at the beginning there. and I mean, it’s not like we had the best impression of Bakugou himself at the start of things either. we were already primed from the very first chapter to see this kid as an adversary to Izuku. the story goes out of its way to paint him in pretty much the worst light possible. which is why what happens next is so interesting.

because one might see all this and think, “holy heck, this kid is off the shits, somebody needs to set him straight pronto and get it into his head that winning isn’t everything.” because that’s almost the natural conclusion to draw. “look at this kid, he doesn’t care about helping other people at all, all he cares about is winning, someone needs to come along and show him that he’s got it backwards.”

except that’s not what happens, is it? because this is where, much to my delight, Horikoshi came along and started subverting expectations. because not only is Katsuki not rebuked for being so obsessed with winning -- it’s pretty much the exact opposite.

the one and only time Deku ever straight up hands Katsuki’s ass to him is when he says he doesn’t want to win. Deku is IMMEDIATELY all, “THE FUCK KIND OF BULLSHIT DID I JUST HEAR OUT OF YOUR TRASH MOUTH,” and that’s when he sets him straight.

the important people in Katsuki’s life never tell him, “hey you need to cool it with the whole winning thing.” All Might and Aizawa never scold him for it, or tell him that he shouldn’t try with everything he has to win, or that wanting to win is a bad thing. on the contrary, they both commend him for it. and ultimately, he’s told by All Might that this desire is actually one of the two fundamental qualities that every great hero needs.

he completely turns the whole thing on its head. not only is it not a bad thing, it’s actually crucial. essential. because what the desire to win really is, at its core, is tenacity. it’s the fiercest kind of determination. it’s not something he should be ashamed of; it’s something that sets him apart, something that makes him worthy. he is someone who refuses to back down no matter what. refuses to give up, no matter what. and this quality, which is initially misunderstood by some to the point where even the villains mistakenly take him for one of their own in the making, is eventually validated to the fullest degree by the person that Katsuki looks up to the most. his desire to win goes from being this awkward “son wtf are you doing” thing to being one of the core philosophies of the series. and ever since then, we pretty much don’t question it.

so why do I bring this up now? well, the answer to that can basically be summed up in one word.

“parallels.”

so here’s the thing. there’s been a lot of talk lately about Deku’s ridiculous, reckless, and absurdly self-destructive desire to save others while having little to no regard for himself. currently he’s lying in a hospital bed, having broken approximately 218 out of the 206 bones in his little hero body (yes, somewhere along the way he found an additional dozen bones to break). it is worrying. it is Concerning. and it’s raised a lot of questions, such as “???” and “wtf is this idiot doing.”

and a lot of people have been pretty critical of him! this is, of course, an ongoing thing with this child, and people have been giving him grief over it going as far back as chapter 6.

while others have been bothered by it going even further back than that.

and I’ve seen these sentiments being echoed pretty frequently in the fandom as well. and there are basically two talking points that I want to address here. the first is the idea that Deku’s aggressive brand of selflessness stems from an inherent lack of self-worth. in other words, because he prioritizes other people’s safety and well-being above his own, and is willing to go to such drastic lengths to save them, there’s this feeling that he doesn’t value himself enough, that he must not care about himself.

but I don’t think that’s quite it. let’s go back to those parallels first, though. let’s take another look at Kacchan.

what I mainly want to call attention to is the intensity here. again, it’s something that at first strikes most readers as being absurdly over the top. the truth is, I think a lot of people simply can’t relate to it. Katsuki cares about winning with a ferocity and a fervor that most people, for better or worse, simply don’t have. I certainly don’t, lol.

but he does. to him it’s not a shallow, superficial thing at all. it’s important to him, perhaps the most important thing. I think we often talk about it in terms of it being a desire, but imo a more accurate way to define it is not as a want, but as a need. in other words, it’s the opposite of the question “what is it this character wants” (i.e. “what is it they can’t live without”)? instead, it’s a question of “what is it they don’t want” (i.e. “what is it they can’t live with”)?

and in Katsuki’s case, the thing he can’t live with is feeling like he hasn’t tried his absolute best. he needs to give his all in everything he does. he wants to win, but winning just on its own is not enough.

it has to be earned. he has to prove to himself and to everyone else that he deserves it. anything less than that is unacceptable. anything less than that, and he can’t be at ease. he can’t be settled. he can’t rest. and so he puts everything he has into winning, even if it means going to extremes. because it’s that important to him.

it’s something that’s at times alarming and even disturbing for others to witness. but nonetheless, it’s a part of who he is, and at the end of the day his teachers accept that, and the story acknowledges that it’s his greatest strength.

so now, to finally bring this back around to Deku, this is what I keep seeing in his character as well. only in his case, the thing he can’t live with is knowing that he didn’t do everything he possibly could to save someone. or to put it another way, Deku, at his core, is someone who cannot rest until he knows that everyone is safe. simple as that. it’s not just a desire to protect people; it’s a need. he needs to know that everyone is safe and protected. otherwise he can’t be at ease. it’s no different from how normal, everyday people aren’t able to feel at ease unless they know that they are safe and that their loved ones are safe. it’s just that in Deku’s case, this same fundamental need extends to everyone, not just himself and his friends and family. everyone. he can’t live with himself knowing that someone was in trouble, and he had the ability to do something to help, but didn’t. and so, if you literally can’t live with not doing something, you basically have no choice but to do it.

and this is what in my opinion defines Deku’s character. Kacchan, in trying to understand it, noted that Deku doesn’t seem to take himself into account. but I think OFA Prime summed it up a little more accurately. “he rages for the sake of others. for them, he does his best until he can do no more. this young man is possessed by a drive to save others that eclipses all common understanding.”

so yeah. it’s not that he doesn’t care about himself at all, it’s that he cares about others even more. he has that same intensity and ferocity towards saving people that Katsuki has towards winning. and just as it was difficult at first for fans to understand Katsuki’s feelings, it’s hard to fathom the sheer depth of that “save everyone” feeling that compels Deku to break his own body in that pursuit. it’s scary, not to mention extremely destructive and dangerous. and so really, it was almost inevitable that there would be some backlash.

but just like Katsuki’s desire to win was ultimately validated in the end, I think Deku’s desire to save others will be as well. in fact it already is being validated, for starters by the other denizens of OFA, led by Lil Bro as mentioned above. let’s go back for a moment to that same scene.

here we get a huge hint that “Deku gets taken down a notch and chewed out and scolded for his recklessness” is not, in fact, the direction that the story is going in. because in general, when the main villain starts mocking the hero and saying that they’ve done something wrong, that’s a very good sign that said hero is actually on the exact right track. like, no offense, but as far as character critiques go, AFO is probably the least qualified person in the entire manga to start offering those up lol. so yeah. if AFO is denouncing Deku for something, and OFA Prime is praising him for that exact same thing, I think it’s safe to say that means he is in fact doing something very, very right.

“okay but makeste, he nearly got himself killed and broke all of his arms AND legs and is now lying in a fucking coma,” you say, gesturing emphatically to the last page of chapter 298. “so I mean, that’s all well and good that Wonder Boy has the best of intentions and all that, but at the end of the day he’s only one kid. he literally can’t save everyone, and if he pulls one or two more stunts like this, he’s going to get himself killed.”

and okay, but this here is the other talking point that I wanted to address. because it’s true, Deku does need to learn a specific lesson here. but that lesson is NOT that he can’t save everyone. this is a superhero story, guys -- “you can’t save everyone” is never going to be the underlying message, ever. it’s the OPPOSITE of the message. Deku is the hero because he tries to save everyone. because he doesn’t give up on saving people no matter what. that is literally the core of the story. it has been since the very first chapter.

so then what is it that Deku actually needs to learn here? well, once again, it all comes back to those parallels.

btw, I really just love how he’s carrying Katsuki there lol. he’s just so done with him.

but anyway. so, the final exam arc. Katsuki initially wants to win at all costs -- but there’s a hitch. because even though he wants to win, he refuses to do so while working with Deku. enter Deku’s left hook, and one impromptu Rival Encouragement Speech later, our boy has thankfully come to his senses.

but here’s the point -- the lesson here wasn’t “you can’t always win.” rather, the lesson that Katsuki needed to learn was that you can’t always win alone.

yeah. so now you can see what I’m getting at here.

“...on your own.”

that’s the key. this is the one and only thing that Deku actually needs to get into his head. wanting to save everyone is fine! his will to save others has never been a weakness -- it’s been the most admirable thing about him from day one. it’s what makes him strong. it’s why All Might chose him. it’s why OFA has chosen him. it’s what sets him apart, and I firmly believe it’s what will ultimately help him save the day and defeat AFO as well. because what other character would look at Shigaraki Tomura, the person who just impaled his friend and destroyed an entire city, and instinctively reach out a hand to try and save him? and if you don’t think that’s going to wind up being key to the final battle, you and I have very different ideas about this series’ endgame.

Deku’s determination to save everyone isn’t arrogance or futility. it is and always has been his greatest strength. but what he’s missing now, what he needs to learn, is simply to trust. y’all might have seen that theory about the Fourth’s quirk, and why All Might was so hesitant to tell Deku about it. basically, the theory (which is based on an attempted translation of the crossed-out parts of All Might’s OFA notebook) goes that the Spidey Sense was so overwhelming that the Fourth -- whose cause of death was one of the things crossed out -- eventually couldn’t bear it, and went to live alone in the middle of the woods somewhere. and possibly wound up killing himself?? all of which is just speculation right now of course. but it makes sense. and it would certainly explain why All Might, being all too aware of Deku’s self-destructive tendencies, would keep that from him.

but if this is the case, that means it’s clear that the Fourth’s solution didn’t work. “give up and accept that you can’t save everyone” clearly is NOT the answer to be had here.

the answer is trust. trust that his fellow heroes have his back. trust that they’ll be able to help him reach the people he’s not able to reach on his own. trust that they can work together to save everyone. that he doesn’t have to rest the entire world on his shoulders alone.

it’s the one lesson that All Might, his predecessor and his teacher, never learned himself until it was too late. but of course, All Might never had a prickly and determined rival who was ready to step in and deal out some tough love if need be. a rival who, perhaps, just might soon get a chance to repay an old favor.

“I don’t wanna hear you say you can’t save someone.”

I’m just saying. just as Deku has been watching Katsuki all this time, and admiring his determination to win, and emulating it himself, so has Katsuki recently begun to emulate Deku’s determination to save others. we’ve seen it not just in his recent act of self-sacrifice, but even in little things like his habits and tricks of speech. just like Katsuki is Deku’s image of victory, Deku is becoming Katsuki’s image of saving others.

and so I’ll bet you anything that if Deku ever starts to doubt himself, or starts feeling like his dream and desires are futile, Kacchan will be there to set him straight with a good old fashioned Rival Encouragement Speech of his own. possibly with his own left hook to match, though his left shoulder is currently out of sorts atm so he might need to modify that approach a little bit. but the point is, he’ll be there. and he will not allow Deku to give up on himself. he will be there to remind him that he doesn’t have to face this alone.

so yeah! finally managed to wrap up my giant Deku meta which I’ve been working on for ages and rewritten like fifteen times lmao. just in time for this to be relevant for all of a day, probably, depending on what happens once chapter 279 drops lol. but yeah. tl;dr, local boy tries to do too much, but his heart is in the right place, and hopefully all he really needs is a good pep talk from his tsundere bff to set him to rights again. r.i.p. to the Fourth, but he’s different.

[thanx-idonttry]

Mineta Being Disrespectful to (Y/N) HC Bakugou/Shinsou/Kirishima/Mirio

Katsuki Bakugou:

Bakugou is a very protective Of you

He loves everything about you like your skin regimen, your hair regimen, and everything you do to take care of yourself.

His secret guilty pleasure is doing facial routines with you and washing your hair. Don’t tell the other students shhh!

He also loves your taste in music, your taste in fashion, he also loves when you dance when you “think” you’re alone.

He also truly loves when you stand your ground against him and his crappy attitude. You shut everything down telling him that you are not the one to be a messed with, and tell him to check his attitude.

You are his queen, and a King should always protect his Queen.

So he basically walks with you everywhere, you only get your alone time when he’s off training.

When he walks with you, he holds your hand and he’s always close to you so other males realize that you are with him. He gives them glares, warning them and basically telling them “Don’t even try it.”

It seems like a Certain purple hair short monster didn’t get the picture.

When Mineta Approached you two in the hallway with a cocky smirk, you and Bakugou realize that you were about to hear some very offensive shit.

“Hey you Beautiful Curvy, Black, ThunderBolt! You know what they say: the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. Can I get the chance to test that theory?”

Your Face was in pure disgust.

(You know like in Anime their eyes are shadowed over and your lips were a straight line as the background is like a dark blue lol)

Like everything he said to you was so disrespectful that you couldn’t even think of a comeback.

Bakugou grabbed Mineta by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to the level of his raging eyes.

“Why you 3ft little ingrate! Apologize!!!! Do it now or I will regret the day you were born!” Bakugou threatened.

Mineta, who was shaking in fear, begged for his life and pleaded to the blonde to not unleash his explosive wrath on him.

“Mineta.” You started. “If you ever step to me with that weak ass game or any other game you like to play, I will step on you neck as I pull out your purple orbs until you’re bleeding and probably won’t stop after. Do you hear me you sorry excuse for a hero?!”

Bakugou stared with wide, proud eyes at you. He never seen you like this, and he have to say that he loved it. The whimper that Mineta gave snapped the Blonde back to reality.

Bakugou slammed Mineta against the lockers, giving him the same glare that he gave earlier. “I still didn’t hear an apology.”

Mineta apologized repeatedly, but Bakugou’s grip only got tighter around the grape student. Upset that Mineta KNOWS you to are the rice and still tried to shoot his shot.

“Listen here you little failure of a human, you know (Y/N) are together and you still came up to her flirting. I can’t stand a lot of things you do but what I really hate is the fact that you had thee AUDACITY To do try. If you try this again, Class A will have 1 less student. Got it?!”

Mineta fearfully nodded before Bakugou rolled his ass down the hall like he was a bowling ball. Adding a tiny explosion for extra push.

“I’m so sorry Teddybear..” Bakugou sighed to you. “Don’t apologize Babe, you did nothing but protected me. Thank you for making that runt apologize to me.” You said.

“No problem, but that can we talk about that sexy, angry, dark side of you? I never seen that side of you and I wanna know have I been rubbing off on you?” Bakugou smirked.

You chuckled as you rolled your eyes, you lightly pushed him off you and started heading to lunch.

Hitoshi Shinsou:

Shinsou has always been the laid back type, pretty chill and tamed. Like it’s kinda hard to piss him off.

But if you do want to piss him off, there are a few ways to do so.

Call him a villain because of his quirk. He hates when people misunderstand him and don’t want to try to understand, he will be highly pissed off.

And mess his beautiful (Y/N) A.K.A his Kitty Kat. He treasures the hell out of you, you’re his sunlight to his gloomy days. His sulking lessened when he met you.

He loves laying on your chest as you play in his hair. He loves to hear your heartbeat, he loves how soft and warm you feel. You’re like a dream to him, and hearing your heartbeat makes him realize you’re real.

His favorite pastime with you is letting you braid his hair as you two chat. He feel so lucky to have you.

So imagine how he felt when he was walking to meet you at your locker, and saw you and Mina there, looking creeped out by the short purple pervert.

“How you doing today you nesquik milky chocolate queen?” He said with such a cocky smile. Did he really think that was appropriate?

You and Mina scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Mineta, you better run.” Mina said as she saw your Boyfriend standing there.

Shinsou stood there with a death glare, fist cleaning hard, he was trying so hard not commit murder. How dare he say those to you, his Kitty Kay?! Oh he’s gonna pay.

“Hey Mineta, How’s your day?” Shinsou said in a happy voice.

“Oh it’s going-”

Got him.

“Beat yourself up.” Shinsou command.

While the graped fucker beat himself, and Mina watched and laughed. Shinsou came up to you, putting his arm around your waist, pulling you close. “Are you alright?” Shinsou asked you.

“Yeah, but I think you should stop him before he beat himself into a coma.” You said. “He’ll deserve it.” He said. “Agreed.” Mina said.

“Babe.” You said looking at him, he groaned. “Apologize to (Y/N).” Shinsou demanded Mineta.

“I apologize (Y/N).” Mineta said. “Punch yourself one more time.” Shinsou ordered with a smirk on his face. When the bell rang, Shinsou released his quirk.

Mineta was groaning in pain, Shinsou bent down to his eye level, and looked him dead in his swollen eyes.

His glare was scary, and cold. “Don’t you ever approach my girlfriend like that ever again if you want to continue breathing. Got that Grape Shrimp?” He muffed him then walked back towards you.

“I see I’m going to have to escort you to classes with this grape menace running around.” Shinsou said

“Shinsou that was funny! Can I get you to do that to some people for me?” Mina asked as she walked away with you two

Eijirou Kirishima:

Just like Shinsou, He’s kinda hard to piss off. I mean just look at him! He’s always smiling. (Oh smiley Magee head ass! Ik I love Kiri.)

You and Kirishima was close, meaning you two had feelings that either one of you were afraid to admit. So y’all hang out a lot because y’all like being around each other.

He loves when he listens to your music. You always have the greatest songs from Beyoncé to Chance the Rapper.

Whenever you pass him in the halls or around the dorms, he’ll pause his conversation or whatever he’s doing to come talk to you

And you, always loved talking to him. You loved his fangs whenever he smiled. You two would shyly flirt and talk to each other, you can basically hear Bakugou’s eye rolls.

“JUST FUCKING ASK HER, YA’ PUSSY!” Bakugou yelled from behind. He was tired of Kirishima talking about asking you out but never had the guts to do so.

“Ignore him, so I was wondering-”

Then Mineta came up to ruin this beautiful conversation, like he literally came out of no where.

“Excuse me Kirishima but I have something to say to (Y/N). How you doing, you Hershey Kiss beauty?”

Oh no he didn’t.

“Boy you better come correct when it comes to me!” You held your hand up, about to slap him when Kirishima stopped you.

“Mineta, I’ve put up with your constant creepy hook up line but I refuse for you to hit on (Y/N) like that. It’s not manly at all! Now apologize to (Y/N)!”

“Or what? You’re going to hit me? That’s not like you. That wouldn’t be manly now would it?” Mineta mocked.

That hit a nerve for Kirishima, he took in a deep breath, looked at Bakugou, and signaled him to come over.

“Apologize or Else.” Kirishima said. Mineta, who is unaware of Bakugou being behind him, folded his arms and refused. “Or else what?”

“Or else I’m gonna stomp you into the ground and create grape jelly out of you. You fucking short creepy fuck.” Bakugou said as tiny explosions popped from his hands.

Mineta stood frozen, looking between the three of you guys terrified. “Well, She’s waiting.” Kirishima said.

“That’s not fair! She’s not even your girlfriend!” Mineta whined.

“She is now, and she still hasn’t got her apology!” Kirishima said pulling you close. Butterflies are just flapping in your stomach as he held you in such a protective and claiming way.

“B-But.” Mineta tried.

“Bakugou…” Kirishima said, ready to send his feral friend onto the Grape Trash.

“Fine! Fine! I’m so sorry (Y/N)! I will never do it again! Please don’t send Bakugou on me!” Mineta begged.

“(Y/N) do you accept?” Kirishima asked. Kirishima will sick Bakugou on him If you didn’t.

“I do, but I still want Bakugou to beat him up.” You said. Bakugou smiled wickedly as he started his attack on Mineta.

You and Kirishima started walking away, and you looked at the red head with a cheeky smirk. “So, where we going on our first date since we’re a couple now.”

Kirishima blushed hard, tripping on words, he rubbed the back of his neck. You thought it was so cute. You grabbed his hand, “Don’t worry, I’ll pick the date.”

“No, I’m the guy. So I should show you an amazing time. I think I already know a place.” Kirishima said grabbing your other hand.

Mirio Togata:

The most powerful student in the school.

And he is your boyfriend. And the Best and sweetest boyfriend you could ask for!

Just like Kiri, he’s Smiley Magee! But because he’s so positive, I don’t see him getting angry…

More like Stern seriousness, and when he’s like that, you better take him seriously.

You and him have this game y’all play. Where he pops in randomly, through a wall, ceiling, floor, door to drop some words you probably need to hear.

He isn’t a stalker with it, it doesn’t bother. You think it’s fun, trying to predict where’s he’s going to come from.

He loves popping in on your down time when you just relaxing and being natural. Popping in when you’re watching a movie or tutorials. Helping you learn, while learning himself.

He is a master at putting on False eyelashes and he loves brushing your hair as you talk about your day.

He never invade your space and you get particularly bored when he’s not around. Be looking around, hoping he pops up.

Anyways, back to main thing. You think as a 3rd, certain first years wouldn’t have the balls to talk to you. But One Small Menace thought otherwise.

Here we have Minoru Mineta, trying to shoot his shot with you, not realizing it never even made it in the basket. Especially with the disrespectful pick up line he opened with.

You and your girls were stretching in the yard and when Mineta and Dennis came up to you girls. “ How you are doing! My black thunder beauty?”

You face went complete stale, even his friend knew that wasn’t a way you talk to you or any female period. And he thought he was cute with the nickname because your quirk is Sonic Thunder.

Next thing you know, you see a strong hand come from the ground and grabbed Mineta by the leg. You smiled, you knew that hand! Then instantly, Mirio pops up from the ground like a fucking daisy!

“Is this seriously how you talk to women? Also, you do know (Y/N) is my Girlfriend right?” Mirio asked as he held Mineta by the leg. Mineta started babbling and begging to be put down.

“I don’t like what you said to her, and I suggest you apologize before it really becomes a problem.” Mirio threatened. Then out a small bit of smite, he shook the little shrimp a couple of times.

“I-I-I’m sorry (Y/N)! I never meant to offend you! And please tell him to put me down!” Mineta begged you. You and Mirio had playful smirks on your faces. You two tortured him for a couple more minutes by shaking him, making him dizzy.

“Alright Miri, let the little shrimp go. I think he learned his lesson.” You smirked. As Mirio dropped him, Mineta was a bit Dizzy.

You thwacked him on the head, for your payback. It knocked him down, but not out. So he could still listen.

“You should never approach someone like that ever again, that is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister! Treat them like they are humans.” Mirio told him.

You and your friends got up and surrounded Mirio, thanking him. Then you wrapped your arms around him, planting a kiss on his lips, making him blush bashfully.

“You girls wanna hit up a restaurant? I’m pretty sure you want to forget this just happened.” Mirio asked once he cleared his throat, he had to regain strength because you make him so weak.

“Now you know I love me some food!” You beamed to him, he grabbed your hand, smiling back at you as you start telling him how much you missed him.

[bigskydreaming]

Okay, so its no secret that I detest fandom’s obsession with Dick’s temper and how its one of his biggest character flaws, and that I looooooooooathe how much people fixate on that fight with Donna in NTT, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anyone post the FULL scene with Dick and Donna rather than just selectively pull the panels in which Dick makes Donna cry, so I’ve included them all here so people can decide for themselves.

And keep in mind, as the last page I’ve included shows (with it taking place a mere THREE issues after this Dick and Donna fight)....Dick was quite literally NOT IN HIS RIGHT MIND at the time. This was a PLOT point, NOT a CHARACTERIZATION. The entire ‘road’ to this storyline was Dick deliberately and consciously being written as being more and more OUT of character, to SHOW that something was literally wrong with him. 

This includes his reaction to Kory when she got married on Tamaran - literally the issue BEFORE this fight with Donna, his abrasive attitude to Alfred when he visits Bruce, Alfred and Jason at Wayne Manor briefly upon returning to Earth, and this fight itself.

And lol, all anyone around him wanted to do was talk about how he needed ‘tough love’ from them and to be lectured on everything he was doing wrong rather than a SINGLE ONE OF THEM bothering to ask themselves - let alone him - WHY he was behaving so erratically and again, LITERALLY out of character. Why, no matter what personal problems he was having, they were having him react THIS way, lashing out at everyone around him, when Dick has ALWAYS had a lot of personal shit going on and yet this is absolutely NOT his standard, in character way of USUALLY dealing with that.....

Despite people both deliberately and unknowingly calling back to stories whose entire POINT is showing this behavior as out of character....

And using it to describe THAT VERY BEHAVIOR as being IN character.

So, please read these pages with that context in mind, keeping a firm awareness of the fact that Dick is literally battling mental conditioning he’s unaware of through all of this, while Donna on the other hand is NOT. And has NO excuse for the things she says and DOES.....

And yet, this fight only EVER comes up in demonstration of DICK’S temper and how its this great character flaw of his, and NEVER to say, DONNA has a temper and this is one of her character flaws.

Please ask yourselves why the fuck a fandom has spent thirty years since this issue framing this fight as Dick’s fault, proof of how cruel and awful HE can be, instead of....how even his closest friends are TYPICALLY characterized as having no patience with him when he’s acting out of character....even when there might very well be - and usually IS - a REASON he’s acting out of character, beyond ‘he’s going through some shit.’

And ESPECIALLY ask yourselves why the hell this fight comes up so often with it being cited - and panels provided as proof - that Dick makes Donna cry with the things he says (again, while brainwashed).....

But with ZERO mention of the facts that:

a) Dick told Donna from the outset that he wasn’t in the mood to have this argument and asked her to leave HIS apartment

b) Donna refused and said they were going to talk about this now whether he liked it or not

c) Donna - a character with super strength - physically manhandled Dick into staying put when Dick still insisted he didn’t want to do this now

d) Dick AGAIN makes the effort to de-escalate or break off the argument because he knows or feels strongly its going to get even LESS civil than it already has been, given the mood he is (and not knowing that this mood is again, at least partly due to turmoil from constantly fighting against brainwashing he himself isn’t even aware of)

e) When Donna STILL refuses to do him the COURTESY of listening to his repeated efforts to NOT DO THIS RIGHT NOW, Dick tries to go past her and leave his OWN apartment just to get away from her

f) Donna STILL refuses to allow this, physically shoving him back again to keep him from going anywhere until SHE’S good and ready for him to

g) only THEN does Dick go on the offensive (but also kinda the defensive, if you consider the fact that he’s repeatedly expressed HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE HERE OR DO THIS WITH HER and has tried more than once to get her to go or remove HIMSELF from the situation)....and its only at THIS point that Dick says the admittedly cruel things that make Donna cry and are the source of the ONLY panels from this whooooooole scene that I’ve ever seen provided in posts about how this demonstrates Dick’s temper

h) Donna - far from being a helpless victim of Dick’s cruel temper, the way its usually framed - responds with her OWN offensive, not just in the form of words, but - and I can not express enough how fucking uncomfortable it makes me that Dick is so often framed as the aggressor here, the one with the temper, the one OUT OF LINE when this happens in the same scene - Donna responds to what Dick says by LITERALLY PUNCHING HIM THROUGH A WALL

i) Donna then REMAINS just as much on the offensive as Dick himself, but whereas Dick’s offensive is in the form of words he’s saying to Donna - after being pushed and provoked despite repeated attempts of his to de-escalate or disengage (and again, WHILE brainwashed) - Donna’s offensive remains in the form of PHYSICAL AGGRESSION, as she repeatedly tries to attack HER FRIEND with her super strength, clearly not holding back as we see her demolishing the parts of HIS apartment her attacks actually connect with

j) Despite Donna changing the nature of their conflict from being just about words to being one of outright physical aggression - well not really changing, if you keep in mind the fact that Donna used physicality to force Dick to remain in the apartment long before they reached this point to begin with - Dick STILL makes ZERO effort to respond with any physical aggression of his own, despite her having ALL the advantages in a straight up physical conflict between them, and the fact that even ONE of those hits from her is going to do FAR more damage to him if it connects than ANYTHING he could do to her ever would, and instead, Dick remains committed to simply EVADING her physical attacks while doing zero to reciprocate with anything other than words

k) the conflict only concludes when Dick FINALLY - and despite Donna’s repeated and continued efforts - manages to get out of his OWN apartment and leave just to get away from her - as he was trying to do ALL ALONG

l) in the aftermath of the conflict, we only see Donna sitting on the floor of his demolished apartment, clearly upset but with no indication if that has ANYTHING to do with anything SHE actually did throughout it or if she’s still only focused on what he said to HER, whereas we’re treated to a full internal monologue from Dick where he’s clearly confused and upset with his OWN behavior and trying to justify it and make sense of it even just to himself, which again, plays right into the fact that from here he sets out to find Raven, which leads him straight into the clutches of the Church of Blood as it turned out he wasn’t sneaking in but rather being lured back in via....

m) the mental conditioning its revealed Dick’s had implanted thanks to them all along, and the ultimate SOURCE of all his erratic, OUT OF CHARACTER, and volatile behavior over the past year, as he’s been battling against it internally with no idea that’s what he was doing or why he was having dramatic mood swings and shifts in priorities and decision-making

But again.....the only thing that EVER gets mentioned about this entire conflict, and the only pages which are ever posted from it....

Are the ones where Dick makes Donna cry.

So. Yeah. THAT, and the fact that this particular fight is FOUNDATIONAL to the whole “Dick has an awful temper and lashes out at even his closest loved ones at times” characterization that’s influenced not just fandom, but other later writers of canon itself....

All without ZERO mention or awareness of the larger overall framing or even the fact that there were TWO people involved in this fight, but only Dick has the excuse of “I was literally brainwashed at the time tho” for what he says and does and he STILL wasn’t the one who initiated, escalated, repeatedly refused to take what the other wanted into account, and oh yeah, physically attacked him....

Like. This would be why I 100% can not stand talk of Dick’s temper and how its one of his greatest flaws, while literally every single character can be shown to be written as an asshole at times or having a temper when lashing out or hurt - such as say, Donna in this very same scene....

And the much, MUCH more consistent and frequently appearing pattern in canon is NOT Dick being this volatile jerk who often makes his friends and family the victim of his temper....but rather Dick himself is the victim of THEIR tempers and physical aggression, with this repeatedly and consistently glossed over and DELIBERATELY EXCLUDED FROM THE NARRATIVE in order to just focus SOLELY on Dick’s part of a fight and whatever he did or said that was wrong.

Also also also, just to reiterate, like I coincidentally (or is it a coincidence) have to keep doing with the Ric Grayson arc to get people to remember to be sympathetic to how DICK is affected by all this rather than how he’s VICTIMIZING his loved ones through all this, ALMOST FORTY YEARS AFTER THIS SCENE (lol my how things have changed).....

OH YEAH. AND HE WAS BRAINWASHED THOUGH.

Anyway, the pages in FULL, below the cut:

Skipping ahead to a mere THREE ISSUES LATER and the brainwashing reveal:

[mrallnight57-blog]

The Crystal of Mordokia

Chapter 17

    

      Jenny and Litias stood there silently. At this point, Jenny wasn't sure what to say, or what to do. Suddenly Litias broke her silence. "Meaah! Damn it! I shouldn't have told you that pretty one. Now you will just use that against me."

      Jenny took offense to Litias's comment. "I don't want you to die!"

      Litias was becoming more angry. "Oh you will. You will betray me just like the people of Mordokia!"

     Jenny was trying to think of something to calm Litias down. The last thing she wanted was to be on the receiving end of Litias's wrath. She also wasn't fully convinced that Litias was as evil as she said she was. Something about the way Litias acted made Jenny think there might be some good in her. After a moment of thinking, she remembered something Litias had said about The Hero. A hero that Jenny was pretty sure Litias secretly admired. "Didn't you say The Hero believed in giving people second chances?"

     Litias frowned. "I've had way more than two chances."

     At the moment, Jenny wasn't concerned about what Litias had done on another world. It wasn't like she could arrest the creature for it anyways. In fact besides conspiring to break into a government facility, the only real crime Jenny could arrest Litias for was literally being a illegal alien.

       Jenny was about to tell Litias that at the moment it's past didn't matter, but before Jenny could say that. Litias got right in her face, and started talking. "You think I can be redeemed pretty one? You know nothing about the terror I can bring."

     Jenny tried to say something, but Litias put it's hand on her head, and said. "I will show you." Suddenly Jenny lost consciousness, and began seeing visions of another world.

*************

       The Story of Litias.

      I was discovered by the Drow Elves. They came from a matriarch society. Their society leaders were elven priestess, who obeyed their gods. Their weak pathetic gods. I changed all of that.

     I started my reign of terror by destroying the drow churches. Of course by doing this, I had angered their gods. As each one came for me, I put them down, by the end I made The Drow worship me. That's when I turned my focus to the rest of Mordokia.

      Years ago before The Legendary Hero, The Drows were at war with the High Elves. The Legendary Hero had brought an end to the war. It was time for me to start it again.

      I took attacked every major kingdom of the High Elves. Me and my dark forces, tore down their castles, took their leaders out of power, and enslaved their people. With in a few years. I had taken over their entire world.

     For centuries I ruled. Leaving Drow in charge of The Kingdoms. Eventually the High Elves rebelled. They sent their heroes, and every time I took them down, and forced them into servitude. Their was one hero though who ended up earning my respect.

       His name was Cage, he turned out to be one of the High Elves greatest warriors. Some even compared him to The Legendary Hero. He was rather intelligent too. Instead of coming at me directly, he and his group of warriors hunted down several magical artifacts. One of them was a sword, that could apparently cut through anything.

      When his group finally did come attack me, they were successful in defeating my armies, but when the final showdown  came between me and Cage. All hell broke loose.

      He discovered that the sword he had could not harm me, but it did block my magic, so it made him a worthy foe. Then the unexpected happened. During our battle. Something crashed in the side of the mountain where we were battling, which caused a cave in. Me and Cage were trapped in side the cave. Which meant we had to work together, if we wanted to make it out of the mountain.

       Once the two of escaped the mountain, we both saw something we had never seen before. I know of it now as a star ship, but at the time, I had no idea what it was. When me and Cage opened the vessel. We found a girl, unlike any girl we have ever seen before.

     The Girl was elven like, but smaller. She had a tail, and a face of a yellow fox. I could tell right away, that Cage had become smitten with her. So I made a deal with him.

     I allowed him to take the girl, but I kept the craft. Once he agreed to this, I made him the ultimate bargain. I told him if he wanted the lands of the High Elves, he needed to give me all of the magical artifacts he had collected, and in exchange he could take the land of the High Elves on the condition that his people stayed out of the Drow Lands. Cage agreed to this, but before I could celebrate my victory. The girl from the sky, who had been unconscious this entire time. Awoke and gave me a dire warning.

      The girl from the craft was named Sarabella, and she said that she came from a another world, and above Mordokia was a space station being ruled by a Powerful Woman, and eventually she will come looking for her, and that there was no way to stop her. Once she arrives she will take over Mordokia.

     At first I didn't take this warning seriously. Why would I. I had never been defeated in battle, and Mordokia still belonged to me. Even though I gave some power back to the High Elves, I still ruled Mordokia. There was no one more powerful than me, but I was wrong.

       Several days later I met Ravenerress. At first she tried to cut a deal with me. Saying if I returned her ship, and the girl who was inside it, she would leave my world alone, but I was arrogant, and challenged her to battle. This was a mistake. She annihilated me. It was the first time ever felt pain. Once she was done beating me. She said I had five days to bring her the girl, or she would destroy Mordokia.

       Beaten, and broken, with a army that had been decimated, I found myself turning to the High Elves for help. I told them about Ravenerress, and discovered that she had been on our planet before, and she was the one who defeated the Legendary Hero. At first the High Elves weren't sure what to do, but Sarabella had a plan. She said her people were on the the skybase, and if we could get up there, we could save her people, and destroy the Sky Base. It would weaken Ravenerress, and with the help of her people, we could defeat the Red Tyrant.

     At first I wasn't sure how her people would do in battle, but discovered that after only being on Mordokia for five days, Sarabella had already mastered several advanced sword techniques, and several different fighting skills. She claimed she had never battled in a day of her life. These skills just came naturally for her.

    After seeing Sarabella's skills, I decided to go along with her plan. We would wait for Ravenerress to attack, then as Cage and his warriors held them off with the magical artifacts I returned to them. Me and Sarabella would take her craft and go to the stars.

     On the Fifth day, Ravenerress attacked, she brought her army, and brought her army. She left the skybase defenseless. Me and Sarabella went to the base, and it was nothing like I expected. I saw things that I have never been exposed to before. Technology that would make your world seem like it was still in the stone age.

      Finally me and Sarabella found her people, but when we found them, I was once again left speechless. They weren't captured, in fact they had been left free to roam the ship. It appeared that they had no hardship thrust upon them. When Sarabella asked them to join us. They refused, they acted as if they were brainwashed, but they were under no spell.

      It was at that point, Sarabella begged me not to destroy the sky base, and I finally agreed. Only because if I did defeat Ravenerress, her skybase would be mine. So we returned to Mordokia, and found that the Armies of Mordokia had surrendered, with very few casualties, and Ravenerress had made a deal with Cage. Ravenerress decided to spare Mordokia, and even let them keep Sarabella, but in exchange Ravenerress would take me in her place. I would now and forever have to serve Ravenerress.

       Litias ended the vision. Jenny stared at Litias for a bit trying to think what she should say. As she was thinking, Litias began speaking. "Now you see what you are dealing with. I am a conqueror, and with me I bring darkness. So now that you see what I am. You probably want to destroy me."

        Jenny sat silent for a moment, then shook her head. "No. Everybody has darkness inside them. When I was a young, I was bullied alot, especially when I came out of the closet. When the other kids at school, discovered I was gay. They made my life a living hell. If I had your powers when I was younger, I would have destroyed everyone, and everything in my path. My sister helped me through, the tough times though. She was a loving and compassionate person, and when she died, I dedicated myself to law enforcement. I didn't do that just to find her killer, but I did it because, I wanted to help people just like she did."

       Litias stared at Jenny for a moment, then the creature stood up and placed her hand on Jenny's shoulder. Jenny smiled and looked up at her, that's when Litias said. "You know everything you just told me about yourself?" Jenny nodded, she thought her words had gotten through to Litias, and she would reconsider giving the contract to Gothic Mirror, and find another way to break it's bound with the Demon. Then Litias said. "I knew that already, but thank you for sharing."  Jenny's jaw dropped, and Litias went back to her desk.

[thebookkeeperslibrary]

Lost Time: Ch. 6

Fandom: Time Warp Trio

Author: The_Bookkeeper_96

Rating: T

Summary: Another summer at Horae Manor begins, but before Joe and Tessa get the chance to train, they are sent out on a mission to explore the magic capital of the universe, Mancika. Rumours of illegal magic conversion spread throughout the city, and Joe and Tessa need to locate those responsible. But after the events of last summer, Joe isn't eager to work with his Aether partner, and the two are struggling more with each other than with their enemies.

A/N: Look who's back ;) I promise, I'm not dead, and I still very much want to keep the small TWT community going. Hopefully, my updates will be more consistent going forward.

P.S.: Thinking about starting a tag list for story updates. Let me know if you're interested/want to be added.

Read on AO3

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

"In reviewing the tragic incident that occurred at Horae Manor last week, the Great Council has decided to revise the current requirements for acceptance. From this point forward, for the safety of 'lesser magic' users, Horae Manor will only be open to current Warp and Aether wizards and their potential successors. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families of those affected by last week's events, and we hope this change will prevent such things going forward." - Excerpt of Great Council Decree 57 from the year 1908

"You can't be serious. He doesn't know anything!" Tessa exclaims, then suddenly remembers that I'm now standing right next to her. "No offense."

I bite my tongue. No point in arguing in front of Rowena and Cassius, they'd just punish us in some other way. Though forcing us to work together when we were clearly not on good terms seems cruel enough. I force myself to shrug like her little outburst doesn't sting at all.

She'd said that with no hesitation. So what if I didn't do my required reading? What good would knowing the history of magic do for me in a battle?

I briefly picture myself fighting a game show host who keeps shouting trivia questions at me. He demands to know who the first Warp Wizard was, and if I get the question wrong, his powers grow stronger. Three wrong answers and he can turn me into a mouse with the snap of his fingers or smite me with a single bolt of lighting.

I snap out of my daydream, hoping I haven't missed anything. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that could never happen. Knowledge wasn't one of the nine magics. Right?

Maybe one chapter wouldn't hurt…

"Tessa," Ro sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, "this is a partnership. Warp and Aether wizards rely on each other. Your magic cannot exist without the other half. Your independence is admirable, but from now on you two need to be working together every step of the way."

"I know that, but shouldn't you at least teach him some basic magic first? How to put up a shield or shoot some energy balls?" Tessa frowns and stares at the floor. "This is serious stuff. He could get hurt, or worse."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." I cross my arms. Ready now more than ever to start this fight. Why is she acting as if she cares about me getting hurt? She certainly didn't seem to mind last summer in Paris or Cealus. The concerned expression on her face is almost enough to make me believe her, but after last year, I know better than that. What game is she playing here?

"We have spent the last year trying to come up with exercises for the two of you to learn how to cooperate. I had hoped that once we revealed the time decay, you would understand the brevity of the situation. Clearly not." Cas crosses his arms, giving me the impression of a disappointed father.

I remember from our conversation last summer that Cassius is married. Did he have kids too? And had he really spent the last year focusing on Tessa and me instead of his own family? We can't be that special. I wonder if his wife ever came to visit here at Horae. Where did Cas live anyway when he wasn't here? I doubt he'd answer any of my questions about his personal life, especially since he wouldn't answer any of my questions about magic.

"Okay, so maybe our teamwork needs a little improvement," I relent. "But how are we supposed to work on that if you make us fight each other?"

"You're not fighting each other." Rowena flicks her wrist towards us.

I blink. Without warning, Tessa and I are standing on the far side of the gym facing down our mentors. This gym really is bigger than I thought. Or at least, Rowena made it seem that way.

"You're fighting us."

My heart plummets into my stomach. This has to be some weird test. They won't make us fight them. They're professional wizards who had years of magic experience. They are literally the greatest time and space magic-users alive. We would never be able to beat them. I have no training and Tessa only has a year under her belt. She did pretty well against Rowena alone, but with Cassius fighting her too? This would be a disaster for us.

"You guys are really on it with the jokes tonight. But seriously, what's the plan?" Apparently, Tessa is just as stunned as I am, which does nothing for my hopes. We really would be getting crushed. So much for having a good start for the summer.

"We are serious. Don't worry, we'll take it easy on you." Warm purple light glows around Rowena.

"You don't necessarily have to beat us, just knock us out of the arena. As long as we see a decent showing of teamwork from the both of you, we'll consider that a win for you." Cassius' body begins to glow that signature time magic green. "And we won't end this until you do."

Is it my imagination or is the room shifting in size and shape? And why does everything feel like it's moving a lot slower now? Ro and Cas couldn't be using their magic like that already, they weren't even doing anything except standing there. Just how powerful were they?

How powerful could Tessa and I become?

The thought gives me a burst of excitement. This battle could actually be a great way to learn what I will be able to do someday. Maybe there's some way I can trick Cas into showing off all his moves and tricks.

"We're starting now? You're not even going to give us time to strategize?" Tessa holds her arms out in exasperation.

"You will have very few fights in your life where you will have time to strategize. Besides, you know nothing about each other's strengths and weaknesses or fighting styles. And you've only seen Ro fight, not me." Cas cracks his knuckles, the green mist slowly curling farther and farther up his arms.

Okay, so we're doing this.

I try to remember how I felt every time I used my magic before. My hands would always tingle and my chest would feel warm, but the only time I'd ever been able to do anything was in high-stress situations. Like if my life was in danger or the life of someone I care about. But Cas and Ro had already said they'd be going easy on us, so there's no real danger here.

I feel nothing. No tingle. No warmth.

Great, maybe my magic is broken. Which means I have to rely on Tessa during this. Even better. I inwardly roll my eyes. Is that why they were doing this? To build my trust in her by forcing me to lean on her during a fight?

"We can win this if we play it smart. But you need to listen to what I say." Tessa snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Why do you get to be in charge?" I cross my arms. Even if that is Cas and Ro's plan, that doesn't mean I have to follow it. I can prove to them that I know what I'm doing.

"Because I'm the only here with any experience."

"So? You don't know what I've been up to this past year. Maybe I've been practicing my magic non-stop."

"Have you?"

"Well-"

My world turns green as Cas blasts us with magic. "Not off to a good start, you two."

I cringe. I can hear the disappointment in his voice from here. I guess it won't hurt to at least try to cooperate with Tessa. As long as she doesn't betray me again. If Cas and Ro think we're so important that they're spending all their free time thinking about us, the least we can do is try to live up to their expectations.

"Fine. What's your plan?"

"I need you to distract them."

"Distract them how?"

Tessa runs a hand over her face. "I don't know! Just think of something, and fast."

Before I can even blink, she throws up a shield in front of us, blocking another attack from our mentors. I can't help but cough as the smoke clears around us.

"Magic combat lesson number one: move."

Tessa winces and waves the smoke away. "Cas is right. Standing still like this is a death sentence. We have to run or hide."

"There's nowhere to hide."

"So run."

Just like that, she bounces away, using the last remaining smoke as cover.

Okay, distract two super powerful wizards. I can do that.

How do I do that?

My mind races as my feet start to carry me away. I have to get them to focus on me so Tessa can do… what exactly is Tessa planning on doing? I try to find her, before realizing that that's probably not going to help her.

The room shakes, and suddenly I'm running into a wall I'm pretty sure wasn't there two seconds ago.

A stinging pain flares up above my eye. My hand reaches up and pulls away with blood smeared across my palm. Okay, apparently 'go easy on us' doesn't mean we won't get hurt. Noted.

"You need to pay attention. Especially when your opponent can manipulate the battlefield," Rowena calls out.

Well, at least I had their attention. Hopefully, Tessa can go do her thing now. I want this fight to be over with as soon as possible. Cas was right. I'm nowhere near ready for this. Magic only came to me on accident or when someone was in serious danger. Even if I could, there was no way I could focus enough right now to summon any amount of power.

I laughed. "I meant to do that."

Both Ro and Cas raised their brows at me. "Really?"

"Totally. We definitely have a plan, and we are definitely going through with it." Another nervous chuckle escaped my throat. If I can keep them talking to me, Tessa should be able to go through with her plan. I tried not to frown or show any irritation. Of course, it really would help if I knew her plan.

Our mentors' hands begin to glow. I gulp down a bubble of air. This isn't good, but I can't let them see me panic.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tessa scaling the wall towards the seats where Cas and I had been earlier. Wait, is her plan to escape and leave me here while I get attacked? My fists clench. I shouldn't be surprised. This was exactly the kind of behavior she had shown last summer. A list of crude insults runs through my mind. I shake them away. No time to think about that. I have to focus on what's happening right in front of me.

A familiar warmth built up in my chest. Was it magic? One way to find out.

I lift my hands and close my eyes. Just push it out. That's all I have to do. I take a deep breath, feeling the warmth swirl deeper within me. My fingertips tingle in anticipation.

Without warning, the room shakes again, and my body flings to the side. I just barely manage to stay on my feet, but the warmth in me is suddenly replaced with nausea.

My arms wrap around my stomach. I bend over and try not to vomit. Damn space magic.

I look up to see Ro and Cas looking confused, and I understand why. They're no longer near me where they were. Instead, they're a hundred feet away from me on the other side of the arena. Had it always been this big?

I try to find Tessa, but I can't see her anywhere. So she really did leave. Great.

Ro's eyes scan the edges of the arena and land on something in the far corner. Try as I might, I can't see what she sees.

Pointing at the corner, her fingers curl into a fist, and she pulls her arm into her side.

The corner flies in closer, but there's nothing there.

Rowena frowns. "What?"

I see a flash of movement off to my side, but don't dare look at it. Maybe Tessa didn't abandon me after all. But looking at her wouldn't help her. It would only reveal her location to our opponents.

Now, Ro and Cas are both frantically looking around the room, trying to locate Tessa. But they're not having any luck.

Our roles had reversed since the start of the fight. Tessa was now serving as the perfect distraction. Both Cas and Ro were completely focused on her, which gave me the opportunity to strike. And how could I not?

All I have to do is summon one burst of magic and push Cas and Ro out of the arena. No problem. Not at all.

I tried to bring back the warmth that I felt earlier. Surprisingly, it did. The heat and tingling flare back to life, making me shudder. An uncontrollable grin splits open my face. Maybe I am good at this magic thing after all.

The heat increases and my whole body feels electrified. Had it always felt this intense and painful? Whatever, me and my magic were ready to go.

My hands are already glowing by the time I pull them up. I can't contain my excitement. I'm doing it! I'm really using magic! Focusing everything I have on my hands, I point at Ro and Cas who are both conveniently placed near the edge of the arena. They must be so focused on Tessa, they don't even realize where they're standing.

I smirk. This is too perfect. I could feel my magic ready to burst. With one final breath, I let my magic loose just as a wall of purple appears in front of me.

And my world goes white.

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

My hearing returns first. A sharp ringing echoes in my head. As it slowly fades away, the sound of voices filters through.

"Do you know how difficult it's going to be to repair this gym?" The first voice is stern, angry.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know he would do that. I- I didn't want this to happen." The second voice sounds panicky and raspy. Had they been crying? "Why would you think that fight was a good idea? He could be dead!"

"He's not dead." A third voice, one very close to me, says. They didn't sound angry or panicked, just calm.

What's happening? I struggle to regain consciousness, my body fighting me the whole way. The last of the ringing in my ears disappears and all I can see is blurry lights. I hear a pained groan. Was that me?

"See? Not dead. A little battered, but that's to be expected." Something next to me stirs and moves away. "You didn't do anything wrong. We can repair the gym easily enough." A pause, and I think I hear someone huff. "Your shield didn't do this, Tessa. I think he depleted his magic when he blasted off there at the end."

Oh, right. The battle. My memory came back to me in a rush of bright images. Did Tessa and I cause some sort of explosion? That must be Cas talking now. Did he just say something about depleting my magic?

A bolt of alarm zips through me, pushing me back into consciousness. I shoot straight up, gasping for air.

Instantly, Ro, Cas, and Tessa gather around me, but I can't get my breathing under control enough to hear them. Deplete my magic? Like, all my magic? I couldn't feel any trace of the warmth from earlier. Did I just waste everything in one stupid fight? No, no, no! I never even got to do anything cool like stop time or warp without The Book. How could this have happened?

"Easy, Joe. Just breathe. You were knocked out for a few minutes, but everything is fine now." Cas's face fills my view and he puts my hand on his chest. "Breathe with me. In and out. In and out."

I match his breathing as best I can, and eventually the world comes back into focus. I manage to say a few words, "Is my magic gone forever?"

Cas's head jerks back in shock. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you said I depleted my magic." My chest constricts and my breathing picks up again.

He laughs with a shake of his head. "No, your magic is not gone. In fact, I would say your magic is a lot stronger than I expected it to be at this stage. But that stunt you pulled did expend all of your energy. You'll need to rest for a day, but you'll be fine. I promise."

"Stunt?" I took a moment to look at all three of them. Rowena was frowning, but not at me. Her focus was on Tessa, whose eyes were red and locked onto me. "What exactly did I do?"

"You nearly turned yourself into a bomb!" Tessa threw her arms in the air. "I told you to distract them, not attack them!"

"I did?" For the first time, I take in the scene around me. The gym is completely destroyed. Black scorch marks cover the floor all around us and smoke still hovers in the air. Part of the seating had collapsed. Even the ceiling had cracks branching out from where I had been standing before I blacked out. "Oh. Uh, sorry?" What were you supposed to say when you nearly blew up a building?

Cas suppresses a smile. "It's really not that bad. This place has survived a lot worse, trust me. But no more magical attacks like that, until we've got you trained. Okay?"

I mutely nod, not sure what else to do. To be honest, I don't think I could summon any magic now even if I wanted to. I've never felt so exhausted in my entire life. Everything in me ached, and it took a lot of effort just to sit upright.

"Did I really do this all by myself?" The damage in the gym is intense. And what about that flash of purple I saw right before I tried to shoot at Cas and Ro? My magic did feel a little uncontrolled at the end, but surely I'm not capable of this kind of destruction.

"No, but Tessa's force field blocked your magic from going out." Rowena crossed her arms, still clearly upset with Tessa. "It bounced off the shield and shot straight back into itself."

"But I didn't know he was going to do that! I didn't mean to hurt him." Tessa turns to me with wide eyes. "Please, believe me, Joe. Even if we're not exactly friends, I would never try to hurt you like that."

I want to snap back and tell her I don't believe her, but something in her eyes makes me stop. She looks on the verge of tears and has clearly cried at some point already. Why did she care if I got hurt? She'd made it clear that she didn't care about anyone but herself.

Instead of saying anything, I simply turn away and glare at the ground.

"I-" Tessa starts, but is quickly interrupted.

"Enough." Cas puts himself between everyone. Stopping any fights before they can start. "We all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and we can all use a good night's rest."

"What's happening for us tomorrow?" I ask. He had mentioned he and Ro had a council meeting tomorrow, but what were Tessa and I going to be doing? Were we going to sit in with them?

"We'll talk about that at breakfast," Ro said in a tone that implied if she told us now, we wouldn't sleep at all tonight. Great, so something not fun was happening tomorrow.

With help from Cas, I got to my feet, and after an awkward good night to everyone, I stumbled to my room. I was asleep before my head even hit my pillow.

[gothighunicorntolerance]

Fields of Gold- A Deal

AO3 link

Roman stood at the edge of the woods, watching a dark haired mortal girl sulk with a small bouquet of flowers in her hand. Just moments before, she had seemingly been working up the courage to talk to another mortal boy, yet she now sat on the steps leading to what Roman assumed to be her house, her head between her knees and the hood of her cloak pulled over her head to guard against the chilly air.

Roman watched as the mortal girl threw the bouquet beside herself and began to pick at a loose thread on her sleeve. As sunset turned into night, and the other mortals left for their own homes, the dark haired girl with the sad bouquet stayed sitting, head between her knees and hair in her face. 

Seeing his chance, Roman glanced around to make sure there were no spectators before stepping out of the woods, double checking that his disguise was in place. He immediately felt the headache that came with being farther from the woods as he walked down the cobblestone path to where the girl sat. She would likely fulfill Roman’s needs, and if she didn’t, he could simply wipe her memory and find another that would. 

Reciting the script in his head, Roman walked up to the girl and cleared his throat. 

“Excuse me? What’s your name?”

The girl looked up and hesitated for a moment before replying, “You can call me V.”

“Well, V, I have a proposition for you.”

She eyed him suspiciously, and Roman couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t everyday that a stranger came up to you with the intent of making a deal. 

“And what would that be?” She asked, not taking her eyes off him. 

“Well,” Roman paused for drastic effect. “I need you to marry me.”

There was a beat of silence in which he could see the disbelief in V’s eyes. Then, she did something Roman didn’t expect. She started laughing. 

“Me? Of all people, you walk up to me and ask me to marry you? Surely someone as haughty as yourself can find someone much nicer than me, both in looks and tone.”

Roman sighed. This was definitely not going the way he expected it to. He snapped his fingers and dropped his disguise of the son of a well-off lord or something to show his true form, deciding that it was time to be serious. 

The girl abruptly stopped laughing and gasped, open-mouthed at how Roman truly looked. 

She took in his pointed ears and long, pointed teeth, his flowing silky robes and red-and-gold insect-like wings on his back.

“You’re fae,” V said, matter-of-factly. 

“Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Yes, I am fae. I am Prince Roman of the Summer Court, and I have a problem that I would like your help to fix.”

“What could I,” V pointed at herself. “A mortal who isn’t even liked by other humans, do to help you,” she pointed at Roman. “An immortal magic faerie?” 

Roman noticed there wasn’t an insult laced with the description of him, likely because she knew what he was and what he could do. Luckily for her, though, doing something to her would mean that he would have to endure the teasing of the court and disappointed looks of his mother for far longer. 

“Well,” Roman began. “It’s a little complicated. Mind if I sit down?”

Not waiting for her answer, Roman sat next to her. 

“You see, I have to get married, and the thing is, that I don’t want to. I would much rather paint or sing than be expected to court a lady. No offense, of course.”

“None taken,” V grunted. 

“And so, I came up with a plan that I would get married for real but to someone who also didn’t particularly want to get married. This is where you come in. You seem like the kind of person who wants true love or what have you, so I’m going to make a deal. A geas, if you will.”

V sat up at Roman’s mention of a geas. It was a vow that came with magically bestowed gifts and could be given by a faerie to a human if the human agreed to the terms. 

“I will give you the freedom, once married, to sleep with or kiss whomever you would like, along with the thing you want most, be it riches or silks or immortality. Name what you want. The price is leaving this town and going through a marriage ceremony with me.”

V was silent for a minute, thinking, before finally responding. 

“What I want most and what you require I doubt can happen at the same time,” she said, deflating. 

Roman puzzled over her words. What could she possibly want that would make them unable to marry? The only conclusion that Roman could come to was death, but if that was it, there were many ways Roman could think of that she could have attained it already. 

“I’m not sure what you mean by that,” Roman replied. 

“I want to be a boy.”

“What- oh! Oh, I see-“

“Sorry to crush your dreams or whatever-

“No, no! This is even better!” It was Roman’s turn to laugh at the absurdity of it all. What were the chances of him coming across someone who was so perfect for the job?

“What- what do you mean?” V asked tentatively. 

“I like boys, and you want to be one! My mother expected me to get a wife, but I’ll explain the situation, and then poof! Both of our troubles will be gone!”

V sat in stunned silence. She- well, he, actually, seemed truly taken aback by Roman’s reaction. 

“So you- you can really turn me into a boy?” He asked, hopeful. 

“Of course! Stand up, and I’ll do the geas right now, as long as you’re willing to accept my terms.”

“So if I leave here and don’t come back and marry you but not really, I’ll get the body of a boy and the freedom to do whatever I want?”

“Whatever you want within the bounds of legality, yes, that’s exactly it.”

“Then let’s do it. Right now,” V stood. “The only thing is… I want to keep my body, but I also want you to make what’s already here more masculine. Do you know what I mean?”

“I understand. V, are you sure you’re ready? Because once you go through with this, there’s no going back,” Roman held out his hand.

V took a deep breath and took Roman’s. “I’m ready.”

“When I tell you to state your name, say the name you want. Your old name will be replaced by the one you say, so if you don’t know what you want to be called, I can wait for you…?”

“I told you, I’m ready. Let’s get on with it, Princey.”

“Alright, stormcloud.”

Roman closed his eyes and gripped V’s hand, and started to recite the words for the geas. 

“I, Prince Roman of the Summer Court, swear that I will give you your greatest desire and freedom to do as you please if you swear that you will go through a marriage ceremony with me. State you name, desire, and swear that you agree to my terms.”

Red mist-like tendrils of magic swirled around their hands, the first half of the binding oath. 

“I, Virgil Crowe, swear that I will agree to your terms. The thing I most desire is to become a boy. I will go through the marriage ceremony in exchange for that.” Purple tendrils of magic entwined with the red of Roman’s, swirling together to complete the oath. 

Then, as suddenly as it began, the colorful swirls dissipated. Roman and Virgil released their hands from each other. 

Virgil looked around and rubbed his hand, trying to get the feeling back. Who knew magic made you numb?

“That was- woah,” Virgil said, startled. His voice was so deep! “Hold on-”

He turned around and pulled the collar of his shirt down. 

“This- oh my god. Do you have a mirror or something?

Virgil ran a hand through his now-short hair, smiling. 

“This is… literally everything I’ve wanted. Thank you so much,” Virgil’s smile seemed to stretch ear to ear. 

“Well, Virgil, I’m glad I could do my part. But, ah, we still need to get married,” Roman replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Right. When does that happen?”

Virgil’s indifference towards the prospect of marriage, while it was almost exactly what Roman wanted, was still a little odd. Who was so casual at agreeing to spend the rest of their life bound to someone they didn’t love, even if both agreed that there was nothing romantic between them? 

Nevertheless, Roman replied, “I’ll expect my mother and the rest of the Summer court will wish to see me court you, and the next full moon after that is when I expect the ceremony will happen. In the meantime, we will pretend to be in love with each other when there are other faeries around, but I expect nothing from you when we are alone.”

“Fair enough. Do you want me to leave town now or…?”

“Don’t you want to say goodbye to your family? Pack anything?” Roman furrowed his eyebrow, quite frankly confused as to why Virgil was willing to leave so soon.

“Nope. My family doesn’t care about me, and I don’t have anything that I care about that I’m not already carrying.”

“Oh,” Roman replied, suddenly regretting asking. “Well, in that case, I guess we can leave now.”

“Great. So what, do you just… start walking into the woods? Are the magic horses? What happens?”

Roman chuckled. “We walk for a bit, and then I essentially take your hand and we walk through a tree.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“What, you make an oath, change your body, and agree to marry me, and it’s walking through a tree that surprises you?”

“Well when you put it that way… the answer is still yes. Getting married and walking through trees are two different things.”

“Fair enough. Shall we?” Roman asked, holding his arm out for Virgil.

“Let’s go walk through a tree, Princey.”

***

It was safe to say that being led through a portal in a tree was perhaps the strangest thing Virgil had done, except for maybe getting the body he had always wanted by promising to marry said man who took him through the portal. 

Stepping out of the hollowed-out tree, Virgil could immediately tell that this world, the realm of the fae, was different from his own, if even in the most subtle ways. The grass was a slightly different shade, the sun just a little too bright. The most unnerving, however, was the creatures who stared at him as he stepped into the thick grass with Roman, standing at the bottom of the hill in front of the largest building Virgil had ever seen. 

“Hail, Prince Roman. Is this who you are courting?” A faerie woman walked up to Roman and Virgil. Virgil could immediately tell that this was Roman’s mother- they had the same green eyes and tanned skin, and the same golden patches on their wings, not to mention that she carried herself with the grace and power of a queen. There was no doubt in Virgil’s mind that the golden-haired woman was the queen of the Summer Court. 

“Yes, mother. This is Virgil,” Roman replied with a bow.

“I must say I was expecting you to come back with a future wife, but no matter.”

She talked as if Virgil wasn’t present, the only indication that she knew he was there was a tilt of her head as she said ‘wife.’ Virgil cringed a bit at that word, but then remembered what Roman had told him. His old name would be forgotten and everyone would see him as he truly was- a boy. 

“A mortal boy?” Roman’s mother put her hand on Virgil’s face and brushed back his hair to show the rounded tips of his ears, not pointed like the ones of the faeries. She frowned, but continued. “I do hope that he has manners, at least?”

Realizing that she was finally talking to him, Virgil hastily replied. “Yes ma’am,” he attempted a bow, feeling somewhat foolish as he did so with his newly-short hair falling in his face. 

She ‘tsk’d’ at him before beckoning the two to follow her towards the crowd of Fair Folk that had gathered. 

“Folk of the Summer, I present to you my son and his future husband. Judge them as you will, but no harm shall befall either,” she raised her arms to gesture at Roman and Virgil, and a cheer went up from the hundred or so fae gathered. Virgil was about to give in and whisper to Roman that he couldn’t stand being felt like he was on display when the queen took them by the arms and led them into the large stone palace. 

Even there, Virgil wasn’t free from the stares of the fae. Most looked human, except for their pointed ears and sharper teeth. And, of course, the wings that sprouted from their backs. Some, like Roman and his mother, had butterfly-like wings, while others had the feathered wings of birds while still others had those of beetles, bats, moths,or dragonflies. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Virgil spotted the faeries who shared little resemblance to humans scurrying around as servants. The servants bore no wings for the most part, and had fur or scales instead of flesh and stood at only about three feet tall. Virgil caught a glimpse of one with the square pupils and of a goat as they looked up at him. 

The world of the faeries was so different from his own, yet Virgil didn’t find himself afraid. Instead he was… hopeful? Was that the correct word? He thought that perhaps things would be different here- there would be no mocking glares or whispered insults (though sometimes the other kids in the village didn’t even have the kindness to whisper). It certainly seemed that it would be different with the faeries, if the reception he and Roman had when his mother introduced them. Instead of outraged cries or calls to stone them, there had instead been a few confused whispers but none had made the move to ostracize them- or worse. So yes, Virgil supposed that hopeful was the right word to use. 

The queen snapping her fingers to summon a servant also snapped Virgil out of his thoughts. He couldn’t help but stare at the one who came up to them- a short, fur-covered faerie, it’s hair a rainbow of colors.

“Take Roman and Virgil to their room,” the queen commanded. The servant bowed and beckoned the two to follow. 

Once out of earshot of his mother, Roman spoke up. “Virgil, this is Talyn. Talyn, this is Virgil. My mother doesn’t like me to acknowledge anyone ‘below my status,” he explained to Virgil using air quotes. “But I think it’s rude. Also, Talyn is very nice.”

Talyn smiled as they opened a door for Virgil and Roman. Inside was the largest bed Virgil had ever seen. Realizing what whoever must have decorated the room intended brought a flush of red to Virgil’s cheeks. 

“Call if you require anything,” Talyn left with a bow.

Roman nodded and entered the room. Virgil stood awkwardly near a table as Roman collapsed on the bed, his red and gold wings taking up nearly half of it. 

“Well, I didn’t expect the fact that there would only be one bed, but we can work something out, right Virge?”

“Uh, yeah. Right.” 

Suddenly the consequences were thrown in his face. Granted, there were much worse consequences, but Virgil didn’t quite feel that sharing a bed with someone who was still almost a complete stranger could be classified as a good thing. 

Then Virgil realized that he didn’t have a change of clothes. All he had was what he was wearing. He voiced his concern to Roman, who stood up from the bed and replied, “Don’t worry about that. I’m sure my mother was planning on giving whoever I brought to marry an entirely new wardrobe anyways. The only thing you do need to worry about is what colors you like,” Roman chuckled. “She’ll want you to ‘fit in’ with the court, but they’re all painfully pretentious pompous partisans.”

“Wow, try saying that five times fast.” “Painfully pretentious pompous partisans! Painfully pretentious pompous partisans!” Roman said it only twice before he started laughing, Virgil joining him in a fit of giggles. 

Things wouldn’t be so bad with Roman if that was what he was like- Virgil could actually get used to living in the faerie realm, and maybe even get used to having to share a bed. 

[braindeadskeletons]

Hello!! Can I have a matchup please?? It seems like every time I ask someone for one, something happens in which they can't 😂😂 but that's fine lol,, I'm a cisgender bicurious female of which the curious part is aimed towards males! The only men I've ever liked are fictional smh,, my friends tend to think I'm bubbly and very open, and they relate me to the colours orange or yellow! I'm also British and I have a love for horror movies and psychology. I would go on but,, happy writing!! Love ya

I'm a very naturally femine person in appearance. My room is full of pastel colours, mainly pinks and purples, alongside plushies and lots of duck ornaments! Since my favourite animal is a duck (fuck geese they scare the shit out of me). Despite this, a lot of people don't expect this? Apparently I seem like the kind of person to have a much simpler or perhaps darker room. So I usually tend to shock people when they see what my room looks like lol. I love unique fashion! Stuff you see on cat walks - christmas themed dress, teacup shaped t-shirt, whatever! You name it, I've probably seen something like it! Because of this, I also have a love for weird decorations. My kitchen is flamingo themed, my bathroom is winter themed (yes, I have a santa clause toilet), and my office is fulled to the brim with 90s and 80s memorabilia. Stuff you wouldn't find nowadays without some digging!! I'm currently in college taking an accounting degree, also alongside business. After that, I also wish to take a literature course to help with my fanfiction writing (perhaps I could eventually write a novel? I don't know haha) Crude humour is the key for me to be happy. As much as silly humour and stuff is great, say something vaguely offensive and I'll crack up! As long as it's not meant to be taken genuinely, then I'll find it funny. Although I have to be close to the person for me to actually start laughing at stuff like that

Hey there! I'm so sorry this was a wait! I basically had some stuff come up and it delayed my work a lot. Plus the added time from the added information you gave me, which I thank you for by the way <3 I had a lot of fun writing this! I hope it doesn’t disappoint lol. Instead of delaying this further let's just get right into the matchup, shall we?

I match you with Undertale Papyrus!

This might've been a little too obvious huh? I just couldn't help it, you two seemed like such a natural pair! I try not to go with matches that are too obvious but sometimes you just have to go with it.

The first thing that naturally attracted Papyrus to you was how open and bubbly you are! He can relate a lot to that himself and seeing how much of a natural you are while interacting with others just convinced him further that he just had to talk to the pretty lady! Of course, the moment you two start talking you both hit it off. It’s kind of physically impossible for anybody to hate Papyrus or for Papyrus to hate anybody. You know those fanfics on AO3 that are slow burn, friends to lovers, 140+ chapters? That’s what this is. There is no better way to put your relationship before you both are dating. Papyrus means well, and by god is he a good person, but he’s a bit of an airhead when it comes to romantic attraction. You could literally tell him that you want to marry him and have ten monster/human hybrid children and he’d still be like ‘BUT,,,AS FRIENDS,,,?’ You’ll need to wait for him to understand his feelings himself. It’ll hit him at one of the dumbest times possible. For example:

----------

You: geese are just,,,,kinda,,,,horrible

Papyrus:

You: fuck geese

Papyrus: 

You:

You: Papyrus are y-

Papyrus:  I THINK I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU???

----------

Yup. Just like that. No warning, no proper build-up, nothing could have predicted this. It’s just silly moments between the two of you that make him so smitten. Like you’re such??? A dork??? How could he not fall in love with you?? It’ll be a huge smack in the face for him that he’s fallen in love with you. Probably it’ll be the same for you if you’re the type of person who is oblivious with love. If not, then it was horribly obvious he likes you and you were simply waiting for him to say something first. The blushing, constantly trying to impress you, his lovestruck gazes at you when you laugh at his antics, etc. The signs were all here if you’re able to spot them. Now that Papyrus is aware of the fact that he likes you he isn’t going to let this opportunity pass by. Time for the dating manual!

This part is actually going to be the worst. Yes, the hard work and effort are absolutely precious and you’re very flattered he’s trying to “court” you as he puts it but it’s going to be overwhelming. Unless you’re fully on board with flowers being left at your door, love letters, great “acts of love”, serenading you with a not so great voice, randomly inviting you out to “friend dates” that are actually regular dates in disguise, complimenting you every waking moment, and more you might want to stop him and just tell him you like him too. Once you tell him you feel the same way,  prepare for the most wholesome hugs and kisses from the big goober. Fully expect to wake up the next day and everybody already knows you’re his date-mate. Papyrus is going to tell everybody and their great grandmas that he landed himself with the greatest human ever. 

So you mentioned that your kitchen is flamingo themed? Uh,,,don’t get used to it. Not that Papyrus would ever openly try and change your home, he loves your decorating! He doesn’t really understand how people wouldn’t expect you to have such an adorable home! He has named all the duck ornaments, become well acquainted with your stuffed animals and the real animals, is slightly afraid of the Santa Claus toilet because Santa is the evil man sans told him about, etc, etc. But we all know how he gets in the kitchen. If you care about the wellbeing of your flamingo decorations maybe move them somewhere else? Papyrus swears that he won’t set fire to your home but we both know how that goes for everybody involved.

----------

Papyrus: HUMAN

You: Yeah?

Papyrus: HOW ATTACHED WERE YOU TO THE FLAMINGO DECOR

You:

Papyrus:

You:

Papyrus:

You: Hun, I love you

You: but if you fucked up the flamingo decorations I swear to god-

----------

This is a regular conversation you two need to have. Somebody, please stop him.

He really really loves your sense of fashion! Since the two of you have been dating, he’s actually gotten into it a bit himself. Papyrus tries not to invade your privacy but one time he stumbled into your office and saw all of your memorabilia dedicated to the 90s and 80s and immediately fell in love with the aesthetic. It’s all he could talk about for weeks and god knows he isn’t stopping anytime soon. Try introducing him to some more fashion! Papyrus probably won’t get enough of all of it. Watch him show up to your home dressed like the whole circus.

When Papyrus hears of how you’re studying right now, he’s going to go on a little bit of a rant about how he knows plenty of stuff about school! Not really. He just thinks he does because he has his face in a shrub at Toriel’s school. This isn’t to downplay his intelligence of course but monster education and human education have a lot of differences. When it comes to accounting Papyrus isn’t exactly going to understand anything, but he will be very supportive! He may not understand much about accounting but he surprisingly knows a lot about business?? Yeah, it’s a little strange but I guess you shouldn’t be that shocked. Papyrus is supposedly the ‘mascot of monsters’ and he’s also friends with the monster ambassador. To say the least, he’s surrounded by a lot of really important people. If you’d like, he’ll even take you to meet a couple higher-ups! Whatever he can do to support you he will.

As for your love for writing, Papyrus would probably have to redirect you to Alphys. Don’t take this the wrong way, it’s just that the humans on the surface have been a little…intense...for Papyrus and Sans. He’d like to take a break from any sort of writing for a long long time.

Onto the final section! Date nights! Which for Papyrus might as well be every night. His idea of an ideal date would probably be something extremely outlandish, but he knows humans can’t handle a lot of the stuff he can so he tones it down. Making dinner and watching a movie is good enough, right? Papyrus knows you love horror movies in particular. This poor guy is trying his very best. Please be patient with him. He wants to prove that he can protect you and be the bigger monster but he’ll end up clinging to you the whole time and maybe even crying?? Just a little. As a treat. 

Yeah, so go gentle on the horror movies. Poor guy is gonna pass out.

His main goal during the date will be to make you smile at every possible turn. You’re in luck with the crude humor! Now you may be thinking ‘but Papyrus isn’t crude, he’s such a sweetheart!’ and you’re not wrong really. Most of the stuff he says is entirely on accident or he’s just genuinely oblivious to the implications of what he just said. If anything that only makes it all the more hilarious to witness. If Papyrus catches himself with what he said he’ll try apologizing profusely only to be met with your adorable smiling face. He may not get what’s so funny but seeing how your smile reaches your eyes makes whatever he just said worth it.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #410

“oh baby, baby, does she take a piece of lime for the drink that i’ma buy her, do you know just what she likes?

Do you put candy canes on your Christmas tree? Ye. Have you ever written/drawn/painted random stuff on your bedroom wall? No. What do you currently hear? A slowed w/ reverb version of "If U Seek Amy" by Britney Spears. Yes, I have a serious thing for these edits of childhood songs, ha ha. Actually, no shame, I still love Britney lmao. What's your favorite flavor of Doritos? Cool Ranch. Do you like bagels? Yep. Do you ever worry about what the world will be like when you have kids? I ain't having any of those, so I don't have to worry about that. Have you ever seen a hippo in person? At a zoo, yes. Are you any good at HTML? Noooo. When was the last time you did something you knew was wrong? Recently, because I'm awful about downloading things illegally. What was the last thing you downloaded on your computer? A picture. Do you ever cry just to get your way? Hi, I'm 25. I at least have SOME adult traits. Have you ever been to any professional sports games? Yes. What's the most boring sport to watch? The only sport I enjoy watching is dance, so. I think golf has to take the cake for the absolute worst, though. Do you like lip rings on the opposite sex? UGH I just love lip rings on anybody. Do you have good or bad vision? Literally awful. Have you ever parked in a handicapped spot when you weren't supposed to? Hell no. That is so fucking inconsiderate and lazy. Have you ever been to a different country? No. When was the last time you finger-painted? Nooo idea. Probably not since I was a little kid. Do you say car-mel or car-A-mel? "Care-uh-mel." When you get out of the shower, do you use one or two towels? One. Are you uncomfortable with changing clothes in front of others? Absolutely yes. Hell, I don't think I ever really changed in front of Jason back in the day, so that says something about how self-conscious I was with a FIT body. Never mind this catastrophe I own now. Which is worse: Runny nose or stuffy nose? Both suck, but stuffy drives me absolutely INSANE. Who's been the most influential person in your life? My mom. Do you have any tan lines? Ha, yeah, no. How many different schools have you gone to? Six. Do you know how to slow dance? I mean, yes? It's not complicated. Have you ever taken The Impossible Quiz? (If not, you should Google it. :D) No, and I'll never waste my time doing that shit. I've watched people play and beat it, but it seems like such frustrating, pointless madness with zero rhyme or reason behind it. Has someone that you liked told you that you are a waste of their time? No. Who is the last person you were in a car with? Mom. In the next 6 months, what are you looking forward to most? Ummmm Christmas, maybe? That's always exciting. Is there anyone who hates you? Probably. Who were you with the last time you went out for food? Mom. If your boyfriend or girlfriend smoked pot, would you care? Eh... I guess if it was for medicinal purposes, I would be okay with it. I'm not keen on dating a smoker of anything. Do you want to start over with anyone? Just Jason, at least sometimes. It'd be really, really nice if we could be friends again and just forget about who we were all those years ago, but I genuinely doubt my ability to be "just friends" with him. Even though I haven't spoken to this dude in over FOUR YEARS, and I'm sure he's changed a lot, just like I have. We might not even be compatible anymore. As much as I may want it, I think it's probably for the better we remain unassociated. Do you eat the crust of your sandwiches? It's what I eat first. Are you completely over your last relationship? Not "completely," no. I still love her, but I'm in a headspace of accepting that now is not the right time with unfit conditions. What hoodie did you wear last? My Pikachu one, which is the one I pretty much always wear. Do you listen to Incubus? Probably surprisingly, no. I don't know if I've even heard a song. Do you wear flip-flops during the winter? More like always. Do you like the smell of Axe? If you don't use an obnoxious amount, yeah. What do you think of feminists? Absolutely necessary as pilots for change. HOWEVER, I do believe some can take the concept waaaay too far. Who was the last person to smoke a cigarette in your presence? Dad, probably. When was the last time you ate a cupcake? Oh my god, GUYS. It was my niece's birthday last month, and she did the CUTEST shit. She used to be very, very opposed to getting even slightly dirty (I mean like a speck of dirt on her would make her cry), and this kid decided to just C H O M P into her cupcake and get the frosting ALL over her face. She had two and got so messy, and that angel was just laughing hysterically about it. That girl is such a damn gift. Safe to say she was bouncing off the walls that night. Did you hug one of your parents today? No. Do you tan in the nude? I don't tan, period. Have you ever put a lot of thought and effort into a gift for somebody, only for them to act like it didn’t really matter to them? Oh god, no. That would really, really hurt, because I genuinely do try to be very thoughtful with my gifts. Do you follow the ‘five second rule’ when you drop food on the ground? NOOOOOOO. It's just a bullshit myth. I am NOT eating food that's been on the floor for a millisecond. If you had to describe yourself using a colour, which colour would you be? Maybe like... navy blue? Kinda dark and somber, but also has a calmness to it. Have you ever had to use another person’s toothbrush before? What were the circumstances? I WOULD FUCKING NEVER. Omg that is so gross. Have you ever crashed a car? No. Do you have a garden? Does it have flowers, vegetables, or both? No. Where do you want to raise your kids? I don't want kids, but if I did, absolutely surrounded by nature and animals. Have you ever been to Cracker Barrel? Yeah, I love it there. Damn, now I want some, lol. Have you ever seen a ghost? I sure as fuck saw something. As soon as you find out you are pregnant, who will you first tell? Who says I'm ever going to BE pregnant? 'Cuz it sure isn't in my plans. But hypothetically, the dad. Have you ever won a game of Minesweeper? Like ever? I've never played it. Who is your best guy friend(s)? Girt. I really should chat with him soon, it's been too long. If you had a tiny scar on your face, would you get it removed or just keep it? I'd keep it. Make me look more badass. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ What is your hair naturally like? Brown and kinda-sorta wavy. Have you ever stared at a stranger and they said something to you about it? No; I don't stare at people. Is your father very protective of you? I wouldn't say "very protective," no. What would you do if your hero died? ffffffUCK THIS QUESTION HOW ABOUT NO HE'S NOT ALLOWED THAT'S VERY ILLEGAL Where was your first date at with your current lover? I don't have one currently. Are you friendly in the morning, or are you barely awake? Depends on how much sleep I got, but I'm generally in my best mood in the morning. Did your parents force you to go to church? Mom did. What made you pick up the last book you started reading? It was the next book in the series I'm reading, Wings of Fire. When was the last time you went somewhere for the first time? Hm. I dunno. Hypothetically and generally speaking, how would you go about breaking up with someone? Is there anything you would make sure to say, or perhaps not say? I mean it would really depend on WHY I was breaking up with them, but I guess in most situations I'd try to meet them face-to-face and explain why I wanted to cut things off. I think it'd be important for them to hear my tone of voice, and I think physically meeting somewhere would show that I care enough for them to cut time out of my day to see them and try to hurt them as least as possible, given the situation. What do you find particularly offensive? Would you say you’re easy or difficult to offend? DO NOT in even a minor way ridicule mental illness or belittle victims as "weak" or pull the "it's just in their head" bullshit. The misuse of the term "retard(ed)" also genuinely offends me. I wouldn't say I'm easy to offend, either. What was the last chore you completed? Changing my cat's litter. When was the last time someone saw you naked? It's been a loooong time, and it would've only been my mom when I was like, going into a shower or something. If you could bring someone back from the dead and spend an hour with them, who would it be and what would you do/say? Probably Steve Irwin. I'd go on and on about how his family has carried his legacy so brilliantly, and show him aaaaaall the public pictures of Bindi and Grace, especially. God, that man would be so proud of them all. What is the greatest lost you’ve endured? My first "real" boyfriend. How would you describe your current mood? A mix of tired and anxious. I don't feel like going to bed yet, and the storm we've got passing through has me nervous about tornadoes 'n shit. Do you ever drink or get high alone? I've had some light drinks alone. What is the “worst” drug you’ve done? Are there any you will never try, or any you want to try? I've never done any illicit drugs, and I don't want to. What is the most personal thing you’re willing to reveal? Probably that I've had a pilonidal cyst. It's awkward to explain, but I'll share it anyway if there's a good reason to/I'm asked or something. What made you stop talking to the last person you cut out of your life? Her just being the most toxic, drama-filled person with the biggest victim complex of any human I've ever met. Who was the last person to yell at you? Did you yell back? Mom, and my voice was raised. Where do you like to be kissed? This depends on how serious we are. Can go from just the cheek to a lot of places. Which season is your least favorite and why? Summer, because it's too goddamn hot and humid. Who, if anyone, do you compare yourself to most? Probably my little sister. She's on such a successful path, and then there's like... me lmao. Do you have a night-light in your bedroom? If so, what does it look like? No. What is your favorite breakfast food? How often do you get to eat it? Cinnamon rollssssss. I have 'em very rarely, though. I'll eat too many of them, which I definitely don't need. What is your favorite thing about autumn? What about your least favorite thing? AHHHHHH EVERYTHING. I love Halloween and the decorations that come with it, the changing leaves, the crisp air... just all of it. :') Who was the last person you asked for help? Mom, I'm sure.

[kinetic-elaboration]

December 14: 1x28 The City on the Edge of Forever (Also I’m 32)

For my birthday, I watched an ep of Star Trek, because I can. It was very good and I enjoyed watching but now I’m starting to get some pretty bad evening anxiety, so!! I’m going to try to ignore that.

Here are some thoughts:

I love this wavy camera work. Space turbulence.

I recognize that this intro really doesn’t have anything to do with anything but it’s still really, like, sudden--weird time things are happening and the ship keeps shaking!

Sulu’s looking damn good today. (I say this in every ep with a closeup of Sulu.)

That was a real rookie mistake on McCoy’s part there, stabbing himself with the hypo. (Harlan Ellison voice lol.) (Still better than the original script.)

“They’ll never catch me!”

Sulu and Spock have been trading eye shadow secrets obviously. It’s a real shame that the AOS movies didn’t give people awesome makeup. I mean heck if you couldn’t force yourself to give men obvious makeup (the horror!) you could have at least done something cool with Token Girl Uhura.

Kirk sounds very formal today. Idk why, but his tone is just slightly different--calling Scotty “Engineer” and something about his log... Probably just me being weird or an effect of there being so many writers on this thing.

Damn, McCoy was almost as good as Spock, the way he knocked that guy out so efficiently.

I’m pretty sure this is Uhura’s first landing party. And she barely gets to do anything because this is the Kirk and Spock Show today.

“Unbelievable.” / “That’s funny.” Is it though?

Legit laughed out loud when Bones popped up from behind that rock, right after Uhura said he wasn’t there.

I don’t think Spock likes the Guardian. “Primitive science knowledge? Excuse you, Sir.”

The Guardian really is just like hand-wave-y sci fi lol. Uh it’s really old and really advanced so it can’t really explain itself, the point is, time travel!!!! I mean I don’t hate it but still.

Kirk is very quick to want to play with time. A little vacation away from his usual work. Getting to satisfy his curiosity and be his nerdy self and learn things. Can you even imagine TOS Kirk in AOS???

Love the dramatic moments: Kirk looking very suddenly when the Guardian says “Behold.” Jumping into the sand as he fails to catch McCoy.

Kirk’s biggest fantasy--a vacation that’s also exploration--turns into his greatest nightmare--loneliness.

“No star date” Can you even imagine Starfleet HQ getting this? “Whoops we just destroyed literally everything. Don’t worry, we’ve probably fixed it if you’re reading this.”

History nerd Kirk. Correctly identifying the Great Depression. If Spock thinks THIS is barbaric, what would he think about today?

“I’m going to be difficult to explain in any case.” Truly, only Kirk, and his love goggles, would choose the ONE alien in his crew to take with him on the first expedition into the past. This was completely foreseeable guys.

Spock’s like “That’s a cool car. Let me examine it now. In the middle of the street. While people yell at me.”

This ep starts out so dramatic and now all of a sudden it’s a comedy, right down to the music. (Again, a sign of how many writers had their hands in this.)

“I’m going to like this century. Simpler, easier to manage.” LOL.

“You’re a police officer. I recognize the traditional accoutrements.” Spock is having such a good time watching this.

Really relying on American racism to explain the alien, huh? “I know you don’t know what Asians look like so.... he’s Chinese.”

“I double dog dare you to put together a computer, Mr. Spock.” Effective.

Put on the hat, the hat!!!!

Starfleet’s greatest Captain couldn’t come up with a fast fake name for Spock.

Kirk looks good in this outfit. Actually the outfits in general are great.

Honestly what does Edith think of these weirdos?

Kirk hears trash talk: “Shut up. SHUT UP.” No talking badly about women in THIS house.

She should have been living in our time. I wonder if she always thought space was cool or if Kirk (and uh literal actual alien Spock) inspired her.

Spock’s eye roll at “I find her most uncommon.”

Kirk definitely did manual labor in high school.

Spock really is building a whole-ass computer.

“I’ve brought you vegetables? What else do you want??” Is this the first reference to him being a vegetarian?

And there was only one bed...

Edith’s reaction to Spock’s sass is hilarious. She’s really not confused by him at all.

When Spock’s straightforward, honest answers about why he stole the tools don’t work, Kirk steps in with the charm offensive.

“By his side, as if you’ve always been there and always will” is basically the toast at their wedding.

Favorite thing about Edith remains that she meets an actual alien and says eh, not so weird, and then looks at the Iowa Farm Boy and is like ????????? does not compute.

“Why don’t you want to talk about the war? Are you a war criminal?”

I feel like Kirk gets a weird kick out of saying he and Spock “served together.” And like it’s literally the truth? But he has this little smile like he’s getting away with a cool lie.

Only about 10 years until we get the cool alien book about love!

Spock bringing out the big guns with today’s requisite “Jim.”

Imagine meeting McCoy like this: weird-ass uniform, rambling and paranoid. Thinks he’s met a humanoid alien. Getting so upset about 20th century hospitals he starts crying and rolling on the ground. He’s so empathetic. I love him.

What a way to go, killing yourself accidentally with a future weapon you steal from a 23rd century time traveler you mistake for a drunk.

Bones is so good at not being seen. That’s straight up comedy how he just passes by behind Spock. There are really weird, random comedy elements in this.

“She was right but at the wrong time.”

Kirk’s in love with Edith... I mean he’s not lol but that IS what a romantic such as him would say.

“I’m a surgeon, not a psychiatrist,” says the man who testified as a psychiatrist at a court martial in a previous episode.

How convenient that U.S.S. is an abbreviation she’d recognize.

“I don’t believe in YOU.”

I know this isn’t actually true, but it feels like Spock literally just came out of the room to be jealous while Kirk and Edith kiss.

Spock’s lesson “do[ing] as your heart tells you to do” is wrong.

So McCoy just got over it, I guess. Kirk was all ready to manipulate time to stop the accident but all they needed to do was find him, catch him, and sedate him a while I guess.

“My young man.” So cute.

The reunion hug with McCoy is adorable. I watched it 4 times.

Yet another Kirk vacation fantasy foiled.

No final talk on the bridge... Very dramatic and sad.

This IS a really good episode but I just still can’t get behind calling it the BEST Star Trek episode. To me, it doesn’t feel enough like Star Trek to be the best. It’s a really great story, and it’s entertaining to watch, but it’s not representative. Too few of the crew--not even really that sci-fi-ish at the end of the day. Like I said, the Guardian is really generic and ill-explained, just a prop for the main story. And while that main story is obviously all about time travel and the effects of time travel, even THAT is incidental to the real point, which is the moral question: save one or save many? But it’s not even a conundrum, like in TWOK/TSFS,because there is no real choice. Obviously Kirk is going to let Edith die. To do otherwise wouldn’t just damn many more people in the 20th century to death, it would damn his crew and his ship and, in a way, himself. So it’s more like, well, inevitably, she will die, and he will let her, but it will be really sad. So the point is just this tragic, doomed love story. Which is not a bad story in any sense, but it’s not what one generally primarily associates with TOS.

I’m not sure this is making sense because I’m just working out my thoughts as I type.

I do think there’s some interesting stuff here: I think one could do a lot with what this ep does for Spock’s development, since we don’t hear too much from him but he’s pretty intimately involved in all this. And the lessons it’s teaching him about feelings and vulnerability are...not great.

Also Uhura saying “at least be happy” in the beginning ties in interestingly to the rest of the narrative--he could have chosen his happiness, in a way, at least fleetingly. Perhaps it would have been more interesting if Kirk had ever really considered letting Edith live--but then, would he be Kirk if he ever considered it, seriously, out loud? Am I being dense by thinking the narrative should have said this in so many words, when it’s obvious enough as is?

I’m also not totally sure about the... message. I’d prefer to say there isn’t one, honestly, because of the way the conundrum is set up: as a non-conundrum. Because, obviously America should have entered WWII; if ever there was a war that was worth fighting, this would be it. Hence there’s no need to really interrogate whether or not Edith’s death was right. There’s no way it was not right. There’s no complication there, allowing the story to focus on the tragedy of Kirk’s inevitable decision instead. It could have been a different story, about weighing the pros and cons. And then possibly also a story with a moral lesson attached to the decision Kirk makes: about the many versus the few, for example, or about war specifically, since obviously this is airing with Vietnam as a background.

It could also have been a story about fate. Obviously, McCoy can and does change time. But you have all 3 of them ending up at the same place/time, right near this Big Event. You have the almost-fall on the stairs, implying death is out for Edith. You have the total set of circumstances around her death: as it actually plays out, she’s only there BECAUSE of Kirk and Spock. Were they always there? Does she get killed in a slightly different circumstance in timelines without them? The way the story plays out, all of these details seem so beside the point--again, the story uses time travel but isn’t really ABOUT time travel; it uses sci fi tools but is not telling a sci fi story--so it’s not even really worth interrogating.

(Other than just now, when I did.)

I think it’s pretty obvious that a lot of people had their hands in this story: Kirk’s very IC romantic nature is first and foremost and I like seeing this part of him, but the Command part is kind of hidden; there are moments of tragedy, in the traditional sense of the word, but also other parts that feel like Tomorrow Is Yesterday in terms of the style of comedy; the sci fi stuff is really random.

None of this is really criticism, just thoughts. It’s definitely a really interesting episode.

Next is the FINAL EPISODE of S1, which is RIDICULOUS imo. I’m fairly sure Operation Annihilate was one of the first TOS episodes I saw. I have a real soft spot for it so I’m looking forward to watching.

[lillabelle]

BNHA World Analysis ?

A bit of a world/character analysis on how much value BNHA society puts on Quirks, to quite some toxic degrees. You see this very prominently in Midoriya and Bakugou’s relationship, as well in Kirishima’s insecurities about his quirk. While Bakugou treated Midoriya horribly and there’s no excuse, it’s not often address the reasoning and how enabled he was to behave that way.

Flashy quirks>”boring” quirks>quirkless. Your quirk is your worth in this society.

Putting under a read more since this will likely get kind of long

While it’s always easy to say, “Well, I wouldn’t have ever treated Midoriya badly,” since you’re from an outside POV, I think it’s safe to say that Class A wouldn’t have treated Midoriya the same way had they known him while he was quirkless. Not saying they’d bully him, but differently for sure.

For starters, notice how Midoriya hasn’t been shown to have ANY friends from middle school beyond Bakugou. I doubt that everyone in his school bullied him, but it was clear he was all alone. Midoriya is a sweet and friendly boy and we see how quickly he makes friends at UA, so it’s safe to assume this happened purely because he had no quirk. Maybe they thought he was weird for being quirkless, maybe they feared getting bullied for hanging out with him, who knows. But in the end, he had no friends.

Now look at Bakugou, someone who was rather nasty and put others down (not just Midoriya). The series even starts off with him insulting his classmates and bullying another kid (in the very opening scene). So despite all this, he has friends, people that hang around him. Why though? Because he has a cool quirk ofc!

The show doesn’t hide how these two are on different ends of the spectrum. When Bakugou discovers his quirk, he’s surrounded by his teachers and classmates, all of them praising him on the sole basis that he has a cool quirk. He hadn’t done a single damn thing to earn it, but he got it. Midoriya on the other hand was shown to be sitting all alone. He was clearly devastated. But you don’t see his classmates or teachers trying to comfort him.

From the moment he was declared quirkless, society deemed him worthless. You see this time and time again.

You see their middle school teacher, who knows Midoriya is quirkless, go “haha you’re all going to become heroes with your quirks, so this aptitude test is pointless!” and then proceed to do nothing while Midoriya is being bullied by Bakugou and the rest of the class. He doesn’t say a word about it, he doesn’t address their nasty behavior. An adult in a position of power lets it happen. And I doubt it’s at all of a stretch to say likely most adults in Midoriya’s life acted similarly. He’s worthless in their eyes.

Now, let’s take another look at Kirishima. The moment he talks about his quirk, he’s putting himself down about it not being “flashy.” With S4 (I’ll try to be light on spoilers) we see his anxiety over it even more promptly. He puts a lot of his self worth in his quirk. 

We see this with other characters’s too. Mirio’s classmates not being all that nice about him not being able to use his quirk is a brief example. The UA entry exam also shows how much the value flashy quirks, Shinsou--who has a very powerful and useful quirk--is shunted off to the side and had to rely on the written portion of the test just to get in. It’s not flashy, not something he can show off. I’m sure there’s more examples of this, but these are the ones I most strongly remember.

People in this society are so strongly judged based on their quirk alone. Their worth, how useful they are, whether or not they are a hero or a villain.

With that in mind, let’s go back to Bakugou. Imagine, people think you’re the greatest thing ever and they treat you like you are. And then this person who is a nobody, worthless and useless, doesn’t treat you like that??? In your 5 year old little mind, who wouldn’t take offense to that. Of course Bakugou would be offended by Midoriya trying to help him, by treating him like just another person. At that point, society had already swelled Bakugou’s pride and ego and had told him that Midoriya was nothing. While the other kids thought Bakugou was fine and could handle himself, Midoriya still ran down to ask him if he was okay. Hence Bakugou feeling looked down upon. 

None of that was Midoriya’s fault, of course, but I think it’s important to understand why Bakugou acts the way he does, and that there’s honestly no guarantee anyone in Class A would’ve defended Izuku or been his friend if they were put into the same situation.

I’ve never watched the Two Heroes movie, so I can’t use that as a frame of reference concerning Melissa, but we’ve never seen how quirkless people beyond Midoriya are treated. We don’t know if all these characters we love had shut down their quirkless classmate’s dream, if they avoided being friends with someone quirkless or stood by and didn’t help them.

All Might, someone who was quirkless himself, had told Midoriya to not pursue his dreams. And maybe he had some right to say that (maybe it stems from his own self doubts to become a hero if he had never met Nana), but he had still told a quirkless child “yeah, no, your dreams are not achievable.”

Stain wasn’t really wrong about how fucked hero society is.

And I’m so glad we see Bakugou constantly overcoming his over inflated self-worth concerning his quirk. The one that society gave him. How much he has to learn to stop looking down on people he thinks are weaker. He’s great, stan Bakugou Katsuki, pls and thank u.

I don’t really have a conclusion to all this, but this whole ramble has been on my mind for literally 2 years and it’s taken me THIS long to type it out lmao.

[erikahenningsen]

My 15 favorite theater experiences of 2019

In no particular order:

1. Choir Boy (Samuel Friedman Theatre, New York, NY): I say in no particular order, but if you know anything about me, you know that Choir Boy is my number-one show of the year. I saw it four times on Broadway and twice in Boston. Tarell Alvin McCraney’s writing is so beautiful, human, and fearless. He puts works of art on stages, television, and film that nobody else does. Jeremy Pope’s performance as Pharus is easily in the top three greatest performances I’ve seen on a Broadway stage. If your local regional theater is doing this show, I cannot encourage you enough to go and see it.

2. What the Constitution Means to Me (Helen Hayes Theater, New York, NY): This show was unlike any other play I’ve seen before. Heidi Schreck, who wrote and starred in WTCMTM, wrote a deeply human, poignant, and timely play about a document written by a bunch of rich, white men a few centuries ago and made it gripping, engaging, and relevant. It’s a show I believe every American should see. As an added bonus, Heidi is genuinely one of the kindest people I’ve met.

3. The Wrong Man (MCC Theater, New York, NY): I saw The Wrong Man for the first time three weeks before it closed, and I immediately fell in love with it and went back several more times in those three weeks. The Wrong Man is only ninety minutes long and has only three main characters, but it presents an engaging story about forgiveness, mercy, justice, guilt, and innocence. Ross Golan, the composer/lyricist, began performing The Wrong Man as a concept album thirteen years ago and turned it into a full musical. The score is beautiful and has some really great bops, and the choreography is probably the best I’ve ever seen.

4. Waitress with Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel (Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York, NY): I’m personally not the biggest fan of Waitress, but this was one of the most fun nights I had in a theater this year. Sara and Gavin had amazing chemistry, and I have never laughed so much at Waitress before. 

5. A Strange Loop (Playwrights Horizons, New York, NY): A Strange Loop is unlike any show I’ve ever seen before. It’s unlike anything anyone has seen before. How many shows center around a fat, black, queer character? I can’t think of any. Michael R. Jackson, the book writer/composer/lyricist, has an incredible ability to write satire that has you laughing at the same time you’re being punched in the face emotionally. A Strange Loop grapples with the intersections of racism, homophobia, and fatphobia. It’s meta at the same time it’s grounded, and gets more and more intense as the show progresses. I walked out of the theater in a daze after I saw it. My fingers are crossed it comes to Broadway.

5. Mean Girls, Taylor Louderman’s last show (August Wilson Theatre, New York, NY): Going to Mean Girls is a routine thing for me, and I’ve seen the show dozens of times, but every once in awhile something special happens that reignites my love for this show. Taylor’s last show was obviously incredibly sad for me, the cast, and everyone who loves this show, but I also laughed more and harder on this evening than I have in a very long time at Mean Girls. Everyone, especially Taylor, was giving this performance their all, and I’ll never forget it.

6. The Secret Life of Bees (Atlantic Theater Company, New York, NY): I had suspicions I was really going to love this show before I saw it, but I absolutely fell in love with it. The music is gorgeous (thank you, Duncan Sheik), the performances are stellar, and the story, though set decades ago, is as timely and relevant as ever. I do cry at shows pretty often, but rarely do I tear up because of how overwhelmingly beautiful a show is—but I did that at Secret Life of Bees. I’m still impatiently waiting on that Broadway transfer announcement.

7. Beetlejuice (Winter Garden Theatre, New York, NY): Despite all its flaws, I love this crazy, loud, obnoxious, wild show so much. I had seen it in DC and counted down the days until first preview on Broadway. I rushed first preview and ended up with front-row tickets, and I had one of the most fun nights in a theater I’ve ever had. The performances really make the show, and I’ve been very vocal about how I strongly believe Leslie Kritzer was snubbed by the Tonys. Beetlejuice also has my favorite scenic design for any show. I also have a uniquely personal connection to this showL Beetlejuice used to have a joke in the show I felt was offensive, so I reached out to Eddie Perfect and Alex Timbers and explained to them why I was hurt by it, and they actually listened to my feedback and removed the joke. I’m hoping Beetlejuice can find another home after June, because I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.

8. Next to Normal (Ground Floor Theatre/Deaf Austin Theatre, Austin, TX): For years I had been wanting an ASL production of Next to Normal with Sandra Mae Frank as Natalie, so when it actually happened I knew I had to fly to Texas to see it. I don’t think I’ve ever cried more at a show. Sandy made me look at Natalie in a whole new way, and the ASL interpretations of the lyrics added so many new layers to the show. Megg Rose, the Deaf actor who played Diana, gave one of the best performances I’ve seen, and I want her to be on Broadway immediately. This production really was a dream come true for me. 

9. Six (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago, IL): We drove to Chicago from NYC to see Six, and it was definitely worth it. I was in the front row for the first time I saw it, which was a terrifying but incredibly fun experience. This cast is so incredibly talented, and the show is so much fun, and being there with almost all of my closest friends was such a memorable experience. I’m so excited to see it again when it comes to Broadway.

10. Little Shop of Horrors (Westside Theatre, New York, NY): This was my first experience seeing LSOH, and I had an absolute blast. The performances were incredible, with Christian Borle being just off-the-wall crazy. I haven’t laughed that much at a show in awhile. The Audrey II puppets are fantastic, and what they’ve done with the scenic design in such a small space is amazing. I’m excited to see it again with Gideon Glick.

11. Indecent (Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, MA): Indecent is and always will be my favorite play, and I’m so incredibly grateful I got to see it again in Boston. Huntington recreated the Broadway production with many of the original cast members, and it was such a special show. I never thought I’d see that production again live, and Huntington gave me such an incredible gift with this play. 

12. Freestyle Love Supreme (Booth Theatre, New York, NY): FLS is just fun from start to finish. It’s completely improvised with special unannounced guests every night, so it’s different every time you see it. I loved seeing how they made the show more inclusive between Off-Broadway and Broadway (by asking people their pronouns, for example), and I have a blast every time. 

13. Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations (Imperial Theatre, New York, NY): I saw Ain’t Too Proud mostly for Jeremy Pope, and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I genuinely loved the show. Derrick Baskin is one of the most hardworking performers on Broadway—he literally does not leave the stage. The choreography is so much fun, and each person in the cast is so incredibly talented. It’s also one of the most pleasant stage doors I’ve ever experienced; everyone at the stage door just really genuinely wants to congratulate and thank the performers, and the actors are so kind. 

14. Teeth (National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival, New York, NY): It’s wild even to me that I’m putting a staged partial reading on this list, but that’s how good Teeth was. I spent the entire time laughing, and the songs are constantly stuck in my head. Everyone at the festival was talking about how much they loved the show, so I’m hopeful there will be a full production of it sometime soon.

15. Slave Play (John Golden Theatre, New York, NY): It’s hard to talk about Slave Play because it transcends descriptors like “good” or “bad.” Slave Play is important. It’s complex. It’s necessarily provocative. And it’s shaken up Broadway like no show has in recent memory. It’s a show I think every American adult should see. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I saw it. It only runs for a couple more weeks, and if you haven’t seen it, you need to. 

[dixbolik-lovers]

Anooooooonnnn I love you!!!! ;w; This is the first Girls of Virtue ask I’ve gotten in ages and now I really just want to hug you,,, I’m working on the story more too!!! I wanna get three more chapters out this month, and just to remind everyone, I have a link to the full story in this blog’s links.

And as for what you’re wanting to know, ramblings below! Some of this is repeated info, but it’ll serve as a good compilation. :3 Thank you again for asking about them!!! I’m very very happy now!!!

Selfishness:

-She’s the tallest of the Girls at 5′9, and her horns add a good five-ish inches to that. She aggressively lords this over the others at every chance she gets, and loves using her height to push people around, but isn’t quite stupid enough to point out that she’s got three inches on Judgement herself. 

-She has absolutely no volume control when it comes to her voice, which is very arrogant and booming. She also tends to shout when she’s excited or angry, and can work up quite the racket when she tries. 

-She adores heights and tends to jump or climb up to the highest places she can find just for the fun of it. Power lines and tall buildings are her favorites, but she’ll take just about anywhere that puts her above everyone else. She likes feeling literally above the people around her, and she’s more than agile enough to get up and down from just about anywhere with grace. 

-Because of her claws, she’s ridiculously clumsy. It’s hard for her to grip objects properly, and she struggles with anything small or delicate. Her hands are big, her claws are long, and everything just gets in the way. She hates things with little details because she gets frustrated. She has a bad tendency of breaking the things she touches because she’s stronger than she can control, and all-around way too rough with things. 

-That said, her body is very nimble and graceful. She’s athletic, with a lot of agility and skill. She’s good at complex maneuvers and staying on her feet, and outside of her clawed hands, she’s extremely coordinated. 

-Physically speaking, she’s among the strongest of the girls. Her body is powerful and she knows how to use her strength well. 

-Intelligence-wise, she’s very, very stupid. Her intelligence is among the lowest of the Girls, and it shows. She’s poor at complex thinking and making difficult choices, and this stands out greatest in her just... not understanding how to think ahead. She gets taunted a lot for being stupid. 

-She absolutely never thinks of how her actions will affect other people. As in, the thought never enters her head that others have feelings she can hurt. She doesn’t care what happens to anyone around her– she just does what she wants no matter what. Even when she’s not actively trying to be mean, she usually winds up hurting people out of sheer ignorance as to other people having feelings.

-The closest thing she has to a home is what appears to be an abandoned power plant a ways outside of the main town. She likes it because of all of the high-up wires and towers she can climb on, and spends her time practicing acrobatics out there. She considers the area to be her personal territory and guards it viciously against the other Girls. 

-She loves violence in general, but especially the idea of killing humans. Hurting people gives her a thrill like nothing else– but less because of their suffering and more because of how powerful it makes her feel. She feels like killing enough humans will make sure she’s remembered in their world. 

-She can’t stand being seen at anything less than perfect. She’s the strongest and the biggest and the best, and having anyone see her at anything less than that is a wound her ego can barely take. She’d die before being seen in tears.��

-She’s dimwitted and self-centered to the extreme. She barely remembers the names of the other Girls (aside from Judgement) and honestly doesn’t care to try. In her mind, everything revolves around her, and she wants it to stay that way. Other people don’t matter, especially not to someone like her. She’s strong enough that she doesn’t have to care. Everyone else just thinks she’s stupid and annoying, though, something of which Selfishness is barely aware.

-She’s a bit of a sadist and enjoys seeing other people squirm. She likes to be intimidating, and having people afraid of her makes her very, very happy. She’s a cruel person who takes pleasure in getting her way– no matter what the cost to anyone else. 

Cruelty:

-Surprisingly, she has an amazing memory and good attention to detail. The reasons behind this are mostly relating to her remembering how to hurt people the most, but the fact still stands that she’s got a knack for remembering things. Her attention to detail is downright impressive, and she’s naturally very good at things like puzzles and memorization problems. 

-Adding to that, she’s a lot smarter than most people give her credit for. Despite her... everything, Cruelty is actually very intelligent, especially when it comes to people skills. No one really expects her to be so smart either, so she gets away with a lot just because people don’t see it coming. 

-She’s bitten the majority of the Girls before. And not gently. With her mouth, that is far from a pleasant experience. The only real reason behind this is that she just likes to see people in pain. 

-Speaking of the unpleasant disaster that is Cruelty’s mouth; it stretches up to her ears, slit, but not an open wound. It’s filled with sharp, awful teeth, and she can unhinge her jaw like a snake. Blood drools out of her mouth when she talks, which makes for an awful mess, and everything she wears gets absolutely covered in it. Of course, Cruelty has no problems spitting blood all over the people she talks to, and talks through the bloody mess without a care in the world. She lives for making people uncomfortable. 

-Her hair is also a disaster. An awful, matted disaster that a brush would probably stick in. Her hair is short, white, and choppy, ridiculously tangled up, and thick enough that untangling it would be one impressive feat. She also tends to have quite a bit of blood in it. 

-Even though she’s one of the smaller of the Girls, her strength is above average. Her body is strong, especially her legs and large, clunky hooves, and she greatly enjoys using her strength to push the others around. She’s very physical and touchy, likes getting in people’s space, and bullies anyone weaker than her. If she did try to show affection to someone, it would be through rough, physical means like biting them or shoving them. 

-Despite her intelligence, she’s very, very impulsive. For all she’s capable of thinking through things, when she starts getting excited, she doesn’t really use her head. She’s prone to making stupid, violent decisions on impulse that get her into a lot of trouble later, like pissing off the wrong people, or far too many people at once for her own good. 

-Her personality is high-spirited and intense. She’s filled with wild, strong emotions that consume her entirely but never seem to last for long. When she does get upset, it’s a messy occasion, but for the most part, nothing ever seems to be able to keep her down for long. 

-Judgement is the only thing she’s ever found that legitimately terrifies her. Cruelty isn’t really one for fear, and generally remains remarkably resistant to panic, but Judgement scares the absolute life out of her. 

-She has no particular love for herself or anything else. While she certainly doesn’t hate herself, there’s not a lot she really cares about in the world beyond hurting people. All that matters to her is having fun– she simply doesn’t have it in her to think introspectively or look at herself carefully enough to find any real love or hate. She’s far from arrogant, and really just amounts to a person who loves hurting others more than anything. 

-She’s very rough and crude, from her actions to the things that come out of her mouth. While she’s not too much of a curser, she manages to say some pretty horrible things without so much as a swear word. Almost everything that comes out of her mouth is hurtful, hateful, or somehow offensive. There’s really no way to keep her from saying the worst things she can think of. 

-Her laugh- a high, shrieky, braying sound– is considered to be remarkably annoying. No one really likes Cruelty to begin with, but her laugh is one thing that everyone can agree is downright aggravating. 

Negativity:

-She’s very clumsy and accident-prone, for no real reason beyond being Like That. She shouldn’t be trusted with anything important, partially because of this and partially because she just doesn’t care if she breaks stuff. 

-She has a bad habit of biting her nails. It’s not exactly a nervous habit, but one that she picks up when she’s bored or frustrated. She’ll chew her nails down to the point of blood more often than not, completely uncaring of how she’s tearing up the skin. Her sense of pain is pretty dulled in this regard... but she’ll still vocally complain at the slightest injury caused by anyone else. 

-She holds long, one-sided conversations with herself when she’s alone, mostly because she finds it weird not to actively have something to complain about. She’s not above talking to herself but gets sort of flustered if anyone else hears her. She’s not exactly a lonely person, but she needs to always fill the silence. 

-She has a love of order and organization and likes coming up with complex systems for keeping things organized. She enjoys systems, plans, and careful details, and is surprisingly good at putting things in complicated orders and patterns. She likes having things in their proper place, and would greatly enjoy cleaning and organizing things– the more complicated, the better! Messes get on her nerves, and she tends to start messing with things without really thinking about it when she’s stressed or anxious. 

-Her hair– sleek, black, and thigh-length– is long enough that it tends to get tangled up in things. She’s used to getting it caught in branches and sharp bits of debris, and is well-accustomed to having to rip chunks out. The other girls like pulling it too, something which Negativity despises. 

-Her eyes are a brilliant red with no distinct sclera or iris. They glow in the dark– something which sort of freaks out a lot of the others. Many times, her eyes are the first thing people will see coming. 

-She spits up thorns when she talks. The vines are long, black, and resemble barbed wire. They’re remarkably painful, tearing up her throat, and she’s very used to the pain of it all. She always has some blood around her mouth and down the front of her dress, and she’s ready with a snappy comeback for anyone who tries to insult her for it. She’s well aware that it’s gross. 

-She’s extremely skinny and gets cold easily because of it. Her body is petite and her build is slender, but she’s also bordering on emaciated. She’s not very strong, as much as she resents this, so her verbal beatings are kind of her only means of self-defense. She tends to carry herself hunched-over and huddled in on herself, and her posture is downright terrible. Deep down, she’s kind of trying to hide... not that she’d ever admit that. 

-Her entire personality is pessimistic and bitter. She never has anything good to say about anything, and only knows how to spew negative remarks no matter what kind of situation she’s in. She’s disdainful towards herself and everyone else, and is never without some awful comment to bring people down. She tries to drag people down with her because she always feels miserable and alone, hating seeing others with the happiness that she can’t have. The only joy she gets is from seeing someone else feel as bad as she does. 

-One of her talents is making people cry. She’s good at personalized jabs against people– not to Cruelty’s level, but relentless enough that people have trouble keeping up. Her sheer barrage of pessimism is enough to make most people feel bitter and depressed. This is something she’s proud of. 

[jarmes]

Blind Shield Nuzlocke Notes 10 (Finale)

-Starting off the tenth and possibly final session

-Current Team: Freight the Coalossal, High Voltage the Toxtricity, Nosferatu the Dreadnaw, Riot the Falinks, Snowball the Frosmoth, Warrior the Grapploct

-I updated Warrior’s moves in preparation for Raihan, he now knows Drain Punch Waterfall Superpower and Ice Punch

-Even though Raihan is a dragon specialist, I’m not using Snowball. Last time he led with a Gigalith so I’m leading with Nosferatu and Warrior

Raihan

-Oh god he reworked his team for one on one battles there goes my plan

-Why the FUCK does he have a torkal

-Like, from a story perspective, why would he try to take out Charizard boi with a drought Pokémon?

-Whatever I’ll just use rock side

-OH FUCK IT MISSED AND NOW NOS HAS NO HEALTH SWITCHING TO FREIGHT

-Okay, it tanked a solar beam and it tanked a rock slide

-Second rock slide killed

-Raihan switched to Flygon, I switched to Snowball. Flygon Used sandstorm

-I’d use quicker dance, but I can’t risk a stone edge so I’m using Aurora beam

-Well, it used dragon claw so I messed up

-Turtonator? Time to switch back to freight and take no damage from that fire blast

-Rock slide, sunny day, miss, dragon pulse, rock slide, dead

-He sent out Goodra, dynamaxing and using Max rockfall

-Raihan Used rain dance? This team has a lot less synergy than the last one. Whatever, canceled it out with max rockfall

-Raihan made it rain, AGAIN, and died to a third max rockfall. Which made it sandstorm

-Unfortunely, dynamax wire off and he switched to GM Duraldon. Switching to Tiot cause freight is low

-Tanked a Max rockfall and Max knuckle, took half with a Brick Break

-OH GID MAX DEPLETION PUT ME AT 8 HP AND THERES A SANDSTORM

-Thank god, Close Combat killed and the battle ended

-Now for champion Leon and/or Tesla CEO Rose

Leon

-Dont know what he’ll use except Charizard and possibly Sobble. Putting Snowball up front because I know Charizard will be last and I may be able to sweep with quiver dance

-The cheering of the crowd fills you with determination

-“Wait, hold on!” Goddamn it rose

-“It’s time I brought about the darkest day, for Galars future of course” it’s called the darkest day you can’t be an antivillain and still call your plan the darkest day

-I knew dragonville tower was evil plan place

-“But you’re terrible at directions, what if you get lost along the way?”

-Hop acknowledges the fact that he sucks good

-Hell yeah! Going back to the slumbering weald to catch god!

-Oh sweet a life orb giving it to Warrior

-I’m glad they brought back the evil team interrupts the elite four thing from black and white

-Shield dog is in front because it is important

-Sonia can’t see god dogs because Sonia isn’t a stand user

-Getting Zelda vibes

-Honestly, the Shield is more fitting for a Nuzlocke than the sword. You aren’t trying to destroy, you’re trying to survive, to protect the team members you care about

-The dogs are dead, aren’t they

-I’m actually surprised I’m not just fighting Shield dog, this is different

-The leaders evacuated Hammerlocke, making themselves useful

-How did hop get past Oleana?

-Hey! It’s good mook! I forgot to mention her earlier but she’s cool

-Rampaging dynamax pokemon in the power plant hell yeah

-Eternatus! The least kept secret in the game! I’ve seen this thing and it’s cool and I’m glad I get to fight it instead of waiting for ultra Shield

-Leon’s fighting on the roof like a badass

-Is that an egg

-Ooh summoning Satan to use as green energy what could go wrong

-THAT CHOIR

Rose

-I still have Snowball out front

-And he’s using escavalier. Time for freight to continue carrying this team

-Uh oh swords dance

-Nevermind, outsped it ant took it out with heat crash

-“You’re go tough that’s not fair” life isn’t fair bitch

-Ferrothorn, really?

-It survived a heat crash. Operative word being A, because the second one killed it

-Rose, I know why Leon beat you as a kid. It’s because you exclusively use steel types and he has a goddamn Charizard

-Klingklang got off two wild charges but it’s dead now

-Freight’s at half health and can take out purrserker, but I don’t want to switch into Rose’s GM anchor so I’m going to Riot

-Took a lot of damage in the switch, but took it out with a Max knuckle

-“I’ll show you a move that hits so hard you’ll be speechless” I doubt it

-OH GOD FAIRY MOVE

-Whatever it’s dead now

-That chuckle and clap, gg mate

-“Leon is just like a knight in shining armor coming to rescue the princess from a dragon!” Glad pokemon is finally giving lgbt representation

-Leon caught eternatus doggie doggie what now

-Side note, I just realized I haven’t used any of my dynamax candy yet. Used them all of Nosferatu for obvious reasons

-And Leon hasn’t defeated eternatus yet great

-A fucking pokeball, Leon? Really?

-Okay were fighting this thing now I guess

Eternatus

-Snowball dodged a flamethrower out of love and took away half of eternatus’s health with aurora beam!

-Switching to Freight, tanked a dragon pulse. Almost died to a crit dragon pulse, but got it into red with a rock slide

-Switched to Nos, took slightly less than half damage from a dragon pulse

-Killed it with ice fang

-OH GOD IT DYNAMAXED

-Time for round 2?

-ITS A RAID BATTLE WIRH HOP!

-Oh god Snowball can’t attack and Eternatus is storing power

-Time for sword and shield

-The gods dogs jesused and teleported to us! They saved Snowball!

-And now we’re in box art form!

-Now it’s a real max raid battle! We got four fighters, three of which exist solely to take hits for Snowball

-It’s potswick! Wait, no, it’s everywhere!

-God dogs have abilities that buff each other that’s cool

-Shield dog uses light screen and sword dog used howl!

-Good job Snowball, tank that G-Move

-Eat Ice, dragon fuckboy

-Quiver dance time!

-Behemoth blade and bash!

-Snowball, put this mother fucker on ice

-Okay it would have been cooler if that killed but sure that’s fine

-And sword dog steals the kill!

-Oh, I have to catch it? I’d prefer to kill it but this is fine I guess

-I used an Ultra ball, Leon. Take notes

-Welcome to the box, Eternatus. Or should I say, “XD lol haha”

-Yeah I gave it a lame name because it’s evil

-Bye bye doggies

-Time to take on Leon, for real this time. I could swap someone for XD lol haha, but that isn’t my style. I’m winning this with the team that got me here. And also Warrior

-No major changes for the final battle. Swapped Freight’s Rocky Helmet and Nos’s Assault Vest, replaced Tar Shot with Giga Impact, and evened the team out to level 61 with rare candies

-I’ve loved this game and it’s climax, but the end is here. Let’s look over who we have with us. Also the only girl which is weird

-Freight, the longest lasting member of the team who’s carried me through countless battles

-HV, who I raised from a baby and is our greatest offensive powerhouse

-Nosferatu, who was brought on after the deaths of his brother Dracula and JORSTIN. He quickly proved himself a vital member of the team

-Riot, who fought his way on by killing Mondo and proved to useful to hate

-Snowball, a late member who I spent hours bonding with the evolve

-And Warrior, who I have literally never used in battle

-It’s time to take on Leon

Champion Leon

-He’s starting with an Aegislash, so I’m swapping Snowball for Freight

-Side note, the champion wielding aegislash is so fitting

-I love this theme

-Ha! It used King’s Shield!

-Sacred sword hurt, but Heat Crash took it out

-Swapped to Haxorus, I’m swapping to Snowball

-Good thing I did, cause he used earthquake

-Risking a quiver dance

-And he killed Snowball with iron tail fuck

-Time for Warrior to justify his existence!

-Almost died to outrage and only did half hp with ice punch good job buddy

-Now, this may seem mean, but I’m not going to switch. Letting Warrior die gives me a free switch to HV, who can take out Haxorus and sweep most of Leon’s team

-With Choice Scarf HV boombursted Haxorus to death

-Inteleon! Yes! He kept it!

-Critical hit! It’s dead now

-Mr Rhine tanked a boomburst and killed HV with psychic

-FUCK I THOUGHT IT WAS ICE NOW

-Going to Nos and Dming. Max rockfall crushed it

-Okay, Dragapukt is definetly a dragon flying. It paralyzed Nos with thunderbolt, but he’s still in the green

-Enter The Charizard

-You know, I mentioned my feelings about GM Charizard earlier and I’d like to reiterate it. I hate Charizard spam, but it is a cool design and I like the idea of the champion having a Charizard as a starter and having won at ten

-OH GOD MAX OVERGROWTH NOS IS DEAD

-Switching to Freight, it used Max Rockfall but I survived and got off a rock slide. I won’t survive another one so I’m switching to Riot

-Okay, Riot is in the green and Charizard isn’t giga anymore. Now what?

-And it killed Riot with Fire Blast

-Leon Used a full restore because he’s a cunt

-Okay, this is it. I’m ending this with a rock slide. For Apollo and Dracula and Bob Murray and Idol and JORSTIN and Ophelia and Mondo and Chaos and Pluck and Echo and Snowball and Warrior and High Voltage and Nosferatu and Riot and every Pokémon in the box and Freight and for me, I’m taking you down!

-It survives with a sliver of health

-And it died to the sandstorm I created

-It’s over. It’s finally over

-I mean, I know there will be a post credits battle because every game in the past six years has had one, but it’s over

-Ten days, ten posts, fifteen fallen friends, and it is finally over

-And what a final battle it was

-“Thank you for the greatest battle I’ve ever had” same brah

-To think that I, Blinkin, a young blind British boy with a dream could defeat every powerful trainer in the country in less than a fortnight

-Okay, while the credits roll I’d like to talk about this game. This isn’t a formal review, just some thoughts. This has been the most contentious pokemon game in a while and I’d like to say that I...absolutely loved it. The new Pokémon were creative and fun, the wild area was a great idea I’d love to see expanded in future games, dynamaxing was surprisingly tactical, the characters were surprisingly engrossing. This game was amazing. It wasn’t perfect (linearity, exp share always on, lack of turning animations), but most problems I can think of are nitpicks. But, of course, there is the Cufant in the room: Dexit. Dexit was horrible for collectors and some competitive battlers, I’m not denying that, and there are deeper conversations about game freak as a company that I’d like to have on a later date, but honestly? Dexit didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game at all. I almost exclusively do challenge runs, so I rarely care about the national dex or post game. And, as a game for challenge runs, this game is amazing. X and Y are actually some of my favorite Pokémon games to play just because there are so many different Pokémon and team combinations to try. I think those games had ~450 Pokémon in their regional dex and this game had about the same, and that really goes a long way. Take Black and White, for instance. How many Pokémon were in that game. You might say 500ish, but I don’t see it that way. There are 150 Pokémon you can catch. Less than that, counting version exclusives. So yeah, there were more Pokémon programmed into that game, but you don’t see most of them without importing them from another game. Even with Dexit, this game felt like it had more Pokémon than any I’ve ever played. And again, I feel for the collectors, but I’m not going to not enjoy a great game because of an aspect that doesn’t effect me at all. Let’s get off Dexit. There are two aspects of this game that stand out as especially good. The first is the Galar region. This region was filled with so much charm and care that I could barely put it down. I love Galar, this beautiful country filled with so much goddamn British culture that I can barely breathe. The second reason I love this game is the League. This game breathed new life into the series and featured hands down the best league in any game. I felt, more than in any game, like pursuing the title of Champion was my goal. The stadiums of cheering crowds, the tournament at the end, that brutal champion battle, I loved this league.

-Anyway, lets make fun of the credits

-Oh right, the art director was the Englishman

-Legit, the other guys at Gamfreak call him the Englishman in interviews. Anyway, that explains a lot about this game

-Rock band!

-Okay, these Pokémon are all based on the idea of hardcore British rock and the credits theme is very much not that

-Hey, gym banners.

-They have the fighting banner even though she is sword exclusive

-Side note, when the mentioned minor league leaders I hoped that they would be fightable. Maybe in the post game

-Oh right, in sword the ice towns leader uses rock types. Maybe a Coalossal for the steam theme?

-Oh hey Leon banner

-Yeah I don’t have a lot to say about credits

-WOLLOO

-Huh, no post credits battle

-Okay, Full disclosure, I was spoiled that you fight Hop in the forest and assumed that that would be the post credits scene. When I booted the game up again it showed the forest so I’m going to go check it out

-Thank you for the master ball old lady foster

-Okay Hop, lets go. You vs my remaining team

Hop

-Dubwool did jack shit and went down to two Heat Crashes

-Snorlax killed Freight with a High Horsepower

-You know what? Good job, kid. You earned this

-Now to send out XD lol haha end exterminate Hops fucking bloodline

-Oh, you used a full restore, Hoppy boy? Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t use the thirty full restore in my bag to destroy everything you love

-Eat shit Hop

-“Congrats on Beating Leon” “It was nothing”

-Oh Sonia’s the Professor now okay

-Thank you for the book, it is going on eBay

-These men have sword and shield hair what the fuck

-You gave Sonia’s book one star? I’ll fucking kill you

-Who the fuck named their sons Sordbord and Shielbert

-I hate these men and want them dead

-Oh, you’re princes? A shame I don’t have any Pokémon who know guillotine

-Okay, Nofumi but somehow even more insufferable, I’ll take you out with my god

-So were doing the aftergame now extra long post I guess

-Of course he has a sirfetched

-What is a king to a god fuckboi?

-The god is me, by the way. Not Eternatus

-Goddamn it Hop

-Okay, fuck it. I can’t beat this losers with only Eternatus. Time to sacrifice XD lol haha to Ghiratina to bring my whole team back yes this is in the Nuzlocke rules

-Are they not going to give Sonia’s girlfriend a name?

-Dynamax In trufield better be something new and cool

-Ugh, it’s just leggy onion. Whatever, lets raid it

-That sounded better in my head

-RARE CARDS I WANT THEM

-God I hate these guys

-I can exaggerate? Hell yeah!

-Piers is an ex leader? So Marnie’s a leader now cool

-So am I just going to visit all of the leaders again? Well that part can be skipped in the notes unless something cool happens

-Okay, it was only the first trio

-Good time my team are immortal zombies because Sword jackass oneshoted freight with his golispod and shield bro one shotted Echo with his Falinks

-Nameless assistant! How dare you betray us!

-Okay, I’m out of battery. Delaying this post til tomorrow so I can finish the aftergame

-What’s up It tomorrow I killed a frosslass and Haxorus and dusknoir. Saved Bede for last because he’s a prick.

-Okay, Bede beat the dynamax pokemon on his own and wants a fight cool

-Side note, Rapidash and Hatterene are both psychic fairy and it’s a miracle I didn’t loose Echo to Bede in session 9

-Burn up is such a cool move

-It was fun beating you again Bede eat shit and die

-Yamper is a good boy

-Oh, douchebags are evil because we revealed historically accuracy that makes them look bad

-Stop being mad to god dogs

-Kill him sword dog! Do it!

-Side note, it’s interesting that this game features both legendaries pretty equally

-Okay sword dog is dead now where’s the real dog god

-Shield Dog! I’m glad you’re hear, but you don’t have to waste your time saving Hop. A little stabbing could help the boy

-Also both god dogs have messed up ears that’s interesting

-Eat the bad man, Shield Dog!

-Okay, I can catch Zamazenta now

-You know what’s bullshit? If I hadn’t messed up the the naming convention Zamazenta would have a Z name. I mean, I could skip to Z, but then there’d be no Y

-The shields fixed his ear cool

-Okay, I know I caught XD lol haha here, but I’ve already dropped Nuzlocke rules so I’m catching this good boy with the master ball

-Welcome to the team, Yorrick

-Okay, lets go kick Hops ass for a final time

-Legit I would not be able to beat Hops final team if I was still Nuzlocking

-You want to be a professor, Hop? Isn’t that sweet, you think you can get a doctorate

-YES! I AM THE KING NOW. AS FIRST DECREE I ABOLISH THE MONARCHY PLEASE DONT GUILLOTINE ME

-I know that the Battle Tower and League Rematches are in this game but I’m going to end this here. Thank you so much for reading and following me on this journey

[in-tua-deep]

Thinking some more about the sort of training that the siblings would have gone through,,, Going to put this under a read more since it’s gon get LONG

LUTHER: Luther is deceptively the easiest one with the simplest and more straightforward power in my opinion? His powers are super strength and durability. So of course there would be general strength training, weights, etc. But endurance would have been a fucker. Having Luther hold massive weights for long periods of time until Luther physically couldn’t anymore. You can’t tell me that old Reggie would have been a good spotter, especially for the sort of weights Luther would have been on, so either Grace is stronger than she looks and helped out (possible) or Reggie just had Luther train without a spotter (depressingly likely). How often did Luther get hurt during his straining? Strain muscles? Drop weight or other objects on himself when he couldn’t hold it up anymore under the disappointed eyes of his father? Of course, I’m sure there would be shotput esque training. Luther hurls a bad guy out of a bank window, after all. He’s no Diego but I’m sure Reggie would have thrown in some throwing accuracy training for efficiency. And of course his power of durability - which I am actually afraid to theorize about? Are his bones more durable? I’m going to have to assume his muscles and bones are more durable due to the weights and shit he’s capable of lifting. Does he bruise? What sort of force is required to injure him? These are questions I am sure Reginald Hargreeves has written somewhere in that notebook of his but I am afraid to know how he found them out. DIEGO: Diego obviously has the power to throw things with incredible accuracy, curving them mid air and capable of manipulating their path. I’ve seen some things floating around regarding him being forced to practice with someone, usually Grace, as the target and having to throw the knives as close to her as possible. Which is, of course, unbelievably shitty considering how much Diego obviously cares for Grace. His training would probably also involve strength training? Though not to the same extent of Luther. But logically the stronger he is the more force he can put behind an object and the larger an object he would be able to throw to manipulate.  I can also see Diego having to do it blindfolded, having to rely on his memory of a room to throw knives at targets and having to do that repeatedly until he could bullseye every one to Reginald’s satisfaction. This would help him out in situations like when Luther was in his room and he tossed a knife through the crack in the door, relying on his memory of the room’s obstacles to curve the knives around to (almost) hit his brother. Also testing the general extent of his ability? Does he have to put the motion behind the knife himself in order to manipulate it (a la throwing) or would be be able to, say, drop a knife off a building where it isn’t him but gravity exerting the force on it?  I know in the comics(?) Diego has the ability to hold his breath pretty much forever but honestly the idea of Reginald Hargreeves testing and training that is really depressing for me and all I can think is him putting Diego in a water tank like he’s a glorified aquarium pet and then I get mad. ALLISON: Oh man, Allison’s power would be rough to train because it’s more about figuring out the limits of it than it is about training it to get stronger. On a related note, how did they even find out about her power which has a specific set of trigger words? Were they all just being little kids and teasing each other and it just happened? What was her first rumor? Okay anyway. SO because I think Reginald would have absolutely and expressly forbidden Allison from rumoring him (and I dread to think about what must have been the one time it did happen, because you know kids and pushing boundaries), I think Reginald either a) brought in strangers to have Allison use her powers on/took Allison out to have her use her powers (the former more likely bc controlled environment, at least at first) or b) have her test her powers on her siblings (depressingly likely). Personally I think both happened, I think she probably started out rumoring her siblings (it would have been fun at first, a game, like Simon Says) making one of the others do jumping jacks or dance. Then mood altering things (I heard a rumor you’re really happy today! I heard a rumor you think Klaus’s prank is stupid. I heard a rumor you want to play with me!) where she starts changing opinions and Reginald wants to see how long they last for, if she rumors for someone to forget something, will they ever be able to recover the memory? Do her powers have a time limit? Then, of course, she rumors Vanya into thinking she’s ordinary. Then I think for Actually Dangerous Things Reginald wouldn’t have wanted to damage the goods, so to speak, and would have started importing people for Allison to rumor. I feel like Reggie is That kind of asshole, so they were probably people no one would miss. Addicts, homeless people, criminals, etc. And then he’d have Allison rumor them to do things. He’d want to test to see if basic human survival instinct would overrule Allison’s rumors, right? Or maybe rumoring someone into doing something they’re so against they reject Allison’s rumors? Violence is something she was clearly comfortable of using her rumors for as a child. The first time we see her as a kid use her powers in the bank robbery, she smiles and tells the guy to shoot his friend in the foot. She doesn’t even blink at hurting someone, or using someone as a vehicle to hurt someone. And then in general, testing whether she would have to be face to face with someone to rumor them. Can she rumor people over intercoms? Over the phone? If she had a megaphone, would she be able to project her voice further to affect someone who wouldn’t be able to hear her without it? Can she rumor deaf individuals? If someone can’t understand the rumor (language barrier) will it still work? If someone is blocking out her voice with noise cancelling headphones, would it still work? Can Allison rumor people in other languages? If so, would sign language fall under that? I have a Lot of Questions, hello. KLAUS: My poor boy, my son. Okay, so clearly his ability is speaking with the dead and summoning spirits which really makes me question why the fuck Klaus was out running about on missions when his powers aren’t very offensively capable (barring when he manifests Ben to help out, which he Very Much Could Not Do when Ben was alive and kicking or literally anytime before that moment). Like, what the fuck Reggie? Was he the eternal lookout? Anyway, from what we can see in the show, Reggie’s focus seemed to be for Klaus to get over his fear of ghosts in order to access his abilities more. To be fair, Klaus’s power is a fucking difficult one to train for anyone without the powers. Klaus could deny until the cows come home that any spirits were present without Reggie being any the wiser, even if there were actually spirits present. Which is probably why fucking Reggie ended up tossing Klaus into the mausoleum and locking him in there, because he assumed that spirits would manifest in there for Klaus to see since it’s a house of the dead. Who let this man have children, again? Because surprise surprise, tossing children in with their greatest fear without any assistance or help and expecting them to get over it in fact traumatizes them even more! Before that though I think Reginald would take Klaus places and demand he commune with the dead and relay information to him. Or specifically take Klaus to like, a grave or something and try and make him purposefully conjure up a specific spirit idk. It probably wouldn’t work too well since, you know, Klaus is scared of the dead, but Reggie wouldn’t have cared. Hey, maybe he asked Klaus to summon up the people Allison presumably killed either via rumoring them to kill themself or rumoring someone else to kill them, two training with one stone amiright. Yeah, fuck Reginald Hargreeves for fucking up my son so badly. I wonder how many times Klaus fed him absolute bullshit answers or looking up murder stories and pretended to summon their victims and gave Reggie details that could be backed up just to get the old man off his back FIVE: Okay I have a lot of feelings about Five’s training bc,, he’s my fav sorry not sorry. First of all: his jumps. How far he can go, how many jumps he can make, whether distance is also a factor with how many jumps he can make (can he make fewer jumps if he increases the distance he is jumping). I definitely imagine that Reginald ordered Five to chain jump until he couldn’t anymore, and then tried to get Five to push through the block to jump even more. Did Five have set limits, or would training actually increase his spatial jump stamina? I also discussed in a fic about Five’s limits regarding movement and jumping. I think that ‘spatial jumps’ implies movement, and so if Five was immobilized and tied down I don’t think he’d be able to use his jumps to escape. Though if, say, it was just his hands tied together I think he���d still be able to move forward and jump he’d just take the restraints with him tbh. So I think as training, Reginald would probably try and figure out the limits of what conditions Five would be able to jump in. Can Five jump spatially in materials other than air? Aka, would Five be able to jump if he was in a body of water? Can he jump INTO objects other than air such as water? I’m assuming he has something that prevents him from jumping into solid objects and splicing himself (god or at least I hope he does) but would that extend to liquids etc.? Then I believe he was also trained in precision micro-jumps. Essentially, when having an object thrown at him he would be able to jump just a little bit to the side or in front of the object to avoid it hitting him without jumping across the room or something. Handy in tight quarters. In a fic I theorized that Reginald would essentially swing a cane at him to have Five jump to the other side of the cane before it hit him, and I stand by that. Then in general other testing, what can Five bring with him when he spatially jumps? What is the limitation of his ability? The size of an object? The mass? Composition? Five’s clothes clearly travel with him, but the only time we see him attempt to take a person with him that I can remember is when he tries to time travel with them, not spatially jump. Was he tested with animals before an attempt to jump with a human occurred? Could he jump with say, a hamster in his pocket? Does he have to be aware of what he’s taking with him or if something was slipping in his pocket would it travel with? Does he have to know where he’s jumping in order to do it? Does not knowing risk him splicing with a solid object? Would be be able to jump from a locked room into an unfamiliar second room, without seeing what or who might be inside? I have QUESTIONS. BEN: I feel like Ben’s power would just be straight up difficult to train tbh. Work on those core muscles man, get a regiment going. It caNNOT be easy to keep upright with a bunch of flailing tentacles coming from your person, I can barely keep my balance when one (1) small child attempts to climb my person. That shit has to be HEAVY unless there’s somehow no weight due to being otherworldly or something idk. They seem solid enough when they’re stabbing people, so I’m going to assume they have some heft to them. Ben must have abs of steel and the balance of the literal fae god damn.  So yeah I figure the only way to train that is?? To just do it? In a closed environment? Maybe getting rid of some of the people from Allison’s training? Try and control the other dimensional tentacles Ben and kill these people in a specific order or something! If you can order them to pick up that couch and throw it across the room then you get a treat! Literally I do not know. Presumably it is a very difficult power to control at least at first since Ben goes in a separate room to kill those bank guys without any of his siblings following him. They just wait until he’s done. Then as he trains he gets some more control until he dies? Bc he doesn’t kill any of his siblings at the theater there’s that, though idk if that’s because he’s dead or what - can Klaus aim Ben’s powers at people? Can he make Ben only corporeal to the bad guys to kill them and make him just go through the rest of them? But yeah idk how Ben trains smh VANYA: we see the tuning fork thing in the show, which presumably was pretty much the only training Reggie really managed to think of for Vanya to control her powers? I don’t know when their powers manifested but I’m assuming he didn’t know what they were from birth or anything. Allison’s at the very least requires speech. Diego’s requires throwing things which I’m pretty sure is a developmental milestone, being able to throw things. Can you even imagine a teleporting baby? Fucking anarchy for those poor nannies. So I’m choosing to assume they didn’t get their powers until they were at the very least toddlers with the vague ability to reason with them, because can you fucking IMAGINE Vanya weaponizing crying baby screams?? Grace would have been created a whole lot earlier lemme tell you that. Overall after he makes Allison fuck her up, Vanya seems to participate in training as an observer and recorder. He seems to care about her intellectual prowess at least and?? I don’t know, maybe was trying to fashion her into a sort of handler/trainer for the rest of her siblings? Maybe he gave her some of his data on the other siblings’ training to analyze. Maybe that’s what they were so angry about being in the book, idk. At least she had her violin as an escape amiright. That’s all I got for now lads, I haven’t read the comics or even looked at them so you know, I have no idea what that’s about, and I referenced exactly nothing besides the Wikipedia page idk how accurate that is so if there’s an answer to one of these questions hmu!!

[taenys]

🌙 tiffany’s magnetic moon tour fanaccount🌙

So, we got to the venue at around 1pm but only did a little drive-by to see if there was anyone already in line. There was no one, and my sister and I didn’t really want to be the ones to “start” the line, for fear of being kicked out by the venue staff. We instead just walked to a nearby café to have lunch and wait to see if more people showed up. 

After a couple of hours, we walked to the venue again and there was still no one there, so we walked around the block again, and when we got back to the venue there were 3 people “in line”/waiting around by the entryway, so we decided to just wait with them. This made me 4th in line for the entire event. This guaranteed that I was going to be not only at the front row, but also in the center. At this point it was 3pm, and the VIP meet and greet thing was supposed to start at around 5:45 so it felt like a good time to be in line. 

We stood in line, cold and nervous, but mostly just excited. I had replayed in my head over and over what I was going to say to her when I met her, but nothing sounded quite right. I’d seen from other people on twitter that they’d gotten hugs from her, and had time to say quite a few things, so I prepared myself for a similar experience. At around 6:20 (much later than the scheduled time for the VIP entry) staff finally called the VIPs and we all went through security. It was finally time to meet Tiffany herself

I gave the letter I wrote to her to her staff to give later. We were told meetings had to be done in groups of 5 or 6, so my sister, mom and I were in a group with the 3 people in line in front of us. When we walked in, Tiffany was seated on a bench by herself and her staff directed us to take a seat on the bench, 3 people on each side, and that they would take 2 photos and that was it. 

I wasn’t really listening to anything anyone was saying though because the sight of Tiffany left me in shock. She was so tiny, and so PERFECT. How a human could have skin THAT clear and smooth, and a smile that shining…it was unbelievable. The 3 people in front of me obviously got the seats next to Tiffany, so I didn’t get to see her as closely nor did I get to directly interact with her during this VERY quick little “meet and greet.” She directed us (in her typical Manager Hwang way) on how to do the poses; first we did the “magnetic moon” pose which was just making a crescent moon by making your hand a “C” and placing it over your eye. The second pose we did finger hearts. My hands were shaking and my heart was racing the entire time.

Afterwards staff promptly directed us to leave and head for the main stage area now, but the two fangirls in our group stopped to ask Tiffany for a hug. They both got a hug and Ruby and I just awkwardly watched and walked very slowly in the direction staff was trying to get everyone to go. It was clear staff didn’t want anyone getting hugs or any special one on one time with Tiffany, it was just supposed to be a sit, get your picture taken and go sort of thing. I didn’t want to leave without telling Tiffany SOMETHING so I said “You look so beautiful Tiffany” on my way out and she looked at me and gave me that cute puppy dog look of hers where she furrows her brows (y’all know the one) and blew me a kiss with her hands in the sweetest way. My night was made with that alone. I didn’t get a hug but I was the first fan to tell her that she looked beautiful that night. 

After that we all scurried to the barricade to get our spot for the show and, of course, I was front row right in the center. We considered going to buy merch before the crowd inside got bigger, but decided against it for fear of losing our spot in the pit. From then on out it was just time to wait for the show itself to begin. That moment when the lights go off and you know that means she’s about to step on stage, and the music starts up and the stage lights start swirling? Nothing will ever beat that feeling. It’s the best high there is. The curtain opened up and Tiffany stepped out. My heart literally stopped. Tiffany…was wearing…the tiniest tightest little red dress of all time. Ruby and I had discussed what she might wear for our show, since she’d been wearing something different each time so far. Never in my life did I imagine she’d decide to wear the ACTUAL SEXIEST OUTFIT OF ALL TIME for US. That TEENY TINY DRESS, hugging her curves in all the right places, paired with the black fishnet stockings and black boots, holy FUCK she came out to kill each and every one of us. My lesbian ass was DYING. No offense to anyone else who sees her at any of her other stops but, that outfit will never be topped. With her long black hair in those sultry loose waves, too? Iconic. 

RFYL was her opening song, and what an opening THAT was. I remember screaming to Ruby next to me, “her SKIN????!!!!” because it was absolutely mind-blowing how smooth and flawless her skin looked? Like literal actual porcelain. And then how tiny she is in real life?????? I know her profile says she’s like 5’4 or something but she’s 5’1 MAX. She’s TINY. And sooooo thin, but so RIDICULOUSLY beautiful. I couldn’t even focus on the music initially, I was still too mesmerized by her physical presence, and how absolute IN LOVE with her I am.  After RFYL she did Over My Skin which…singing that song, with those lyrics, with the sexiest choreography in THAT dress…just fuck me up Tiffany Hwang. What a win for the lesbians tonight, I swear :’) I recorded fancams of every song, and took a few little breaks to take pictures so I’ll post those after I post this. 

Heartbreak Hotel was next, and I was so glad she did perform some of her older Korean songs too. God, her voice though. She’s SO good live. The notes she was hitting, those runs she was belting? Legendary. I was scream singing along with her the whole show (my voice is gone now). She kept telling us to dance and seemed to give more fanservice to fans who were singing along and dancing too, so I made sure to…well, be myself I guess. I’ve never been the kind of fan who stays seated during a concert or just goes to “listen.”

One of my favorite things to do is blast kpop and dance around the house when I’m home alone, and one of the things she said during one of her talks in the show was that she wanted to see THAT kind of energy. A judgement free zone, so even though I didn’t hear anyone behind me scream singing or feel anyone near me dancing (the dude next to me was quiet and stiff as a board the entire time), that didn’t stop me and when Tiffany looked over at me (which she did A LOT), she’d get that BIG smile on her face, with her signature eye smile, and I’d MELT. It made her so happy to see us having fun along with her. Seeing Tiffany have fun playing around with us, nothing feels better. We made her smile, I made her smile, and you really can’t beat that feeling. 

So during the next song which was Talk, one of my all-time favorites of hers, she saw me signing my heart out at her and knelt down to sing to me and we just had this sweet perfect little moment where we were singing to each other and I just????? I have no words. Love. All I felt was love. Pure and simple. That’s my love up there, signing her heart out and I’m so proud of her. I’ll gif that moment but I swear, it was the most intimate and significant moment of my life. And it had to happen during my favorite song of course :’) I’m going to cry every time I listen to Talk now :’( She looked at me an absurd amount of times during the show; I can’t even count them all. But she came and sang to me again during Runaway, and it was again…INCREDIBLY intimate and sweet and magical and felt so special. I’ll probably notice even more little eye contact moments from here when I go through all my fancams, but for now those were the two most significant moments. 

My overall feeling now after replaying it all is…Tiffany is unquestionably one of the greatest artists of our generation.  More than just her being one of the best vocalists (that husky soulful voice of hers remains unmatched), she’s pushed herself in so many ways and it’s been so amazing to witness? She was teased about being an “awkward” dancer, so she came out with “I Just Wanna Dance” and proved everyone that she could be a fucking great dancer. She’s a perfectionist, she’s her own worst critic, but she’s never given up. God, I fucking admire the fuck out of her for that. She’s never stopped; she’s never given up, she’s kept her head up, kept smiling through all the bullshit she’s gone through because at the end of the day singing and performing is her entire life. 

I’ve never seen anyone as passionate about singing and performing as she is. When she’s on stage you KNOW that this is the whole reason she was put on this earth. There was never any other option for her, and that’s why she left home at 15 and moved to Korea, without the support of her family, not knowing anyone and not speaking fluent Korean. She went with the fiercest determination, the biggest dream, and an unstoppable spirit. She was going to sing, that was all that mattered to her. Training day and night, being under the nightmare of the Korean music industry, she was willing to tough it all out just for a chance to be on that stage, to share her voice, and eventually to share her own original music for people. 

And now she’s 30, doing her first NA tour. Baby Hwang Miyoung’s dream of inspiring the lives of millions has long since come true. The collective feeling of warmth and comfort we all felt when she sang The Flower was so serene and so breathtaking. Some of her songs make you feel like you’re being held in a comforting embrace. Others make you feel like you can conquer the world, some make you feel stronger than you are, and some make you feel the butterflies of a first love. I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with in the years to come, and I can’t wait for the next fucking tour!!!!!! 

And, to quote something I wrote about her over 5 years ago that holds truer now than ever, “Tiffany is an actual angel that came down from above to spread love and warmth and happiness and inspire us all to be the best that we can be and to never stop dreaming and fighting for what we want. basically, Tiffany is the epitome of all that is good in this world. Tiffany is a blessing to this earth. she encompasses everything good, everything positive, every good feeling, she just…she lives it. in everything that she does, she works hard, she never stops smiling, she never stops being who she is and finding a reason to keep going. she’s the most determined and the most driven and the most optimistic, and that inspires the fuck out of me. i just…i can’t believe someone as amazing as her exists in this mess of a world. she’s a reminder that there is good in this world, there is still beauty and love and laughter and light.” 

That’s what Tiffany is to me.