#sometimes I stumble upon polls like this but there are a lot that I just don't see in the tags or on my dash

[onepiece-polls]

theres a pathetic poll and perona is in there!!

Could you please @ me in a comment or reblog of the poll? I'm afraid I won't be able to find the specific poll with just this info 😅

[wonwoosthetic]

just reread the mimiwon smut pt 2 and was just wondering what was the stuff that wonwoo found in minnie’s search history? 😳

< masterlist

Hehe

Alright, SO

since the whole poly!mimiwon (feel free to vote and help me make a decision ˙ᵕ˙) discussion isn’t finished yet and I’m still not sure about writing it since the poll is still very very even for both ‘no’ and ‘yes’, I’m just gonna tell you what I thought of when I wrote it ˙ᵕ˙ :

So basically, as mentioned in the chapters, the three of them had been VERY aware of the slight tension between each other. They’ve obviously been good friends for a while and stuff, and moved in together for that exact reason. But even before that, they would sometimes joke around about being together all the time and, especially when drunk, be extremely clingy - like even more than seventeen already is with each other. Even member started commenting on it jokingly saying how they’re basically attached by the hips at that point, which eventually lead to them moving in together bc they just got along extremely well and had great chemistry as friends.

If only they knew that them being together even more and closer than ever (since they lived in different dorm before) would just enhance the tension.

A lot more ‘awkward moments’ happened where one would suddenly be on top of the other after a play fight, seeing each other in underwear accidentally suddenly felt much more intimate than before, etc. etc.

Now, since they all started noticing ‘it’, Minnie got very interested in what ‘that’ exactly was. She wasn’t sure if she should feel bad that there was this tension all of a sudden, or if there actually was this slight bit of excitement in her stomach whenever Mingyu got just a little too close to her since she was in a very happy relationship or if she was just imagining it.

So, what do you do if you’re not sure about what you’re feeling or supposed to feel/do? Exactly. You ask the internet. So she did. She searched different things until she stumbled upon something people would describe as a “sexual desire” rather than “romantic desire”, basically meaning you can have romantic interest in someone (like a boyfriend or girlfriend) but still be sexually interested in someone else.

That only awakened her interest even more, making her fall into a rabbit hole of stories of people who were in a poly!relationship, reading tips on it, even though she didn’t really need it, but was just interested in it. That went so far until she landed on a website, showing her the best sex positions for those couples that wanted to experience in a sexual poly!relationship (even if just for a one time only threesome).

Too bad that in exact that moment, her mother called her, wanting to catch up, which turned into them talking for HOURS. Minnie closed her laptop and left it on the coffee table in the living room, not really thinking much of it. Then she started walking around the apartment, ending up in her bedroom, still on the phone. What she didn’t realise was that the guys had gotten home and Wonwoo had made himself comfortable on the couch. Once he saw the laptop in front of him, he wanted to look something up himself, remembering that Minnie had complained about a problem a few days prior. So, he took it, opened it and oh well… he saw everything. All the open tabs, everything she had looked at. He did feel guilty at first, definitely feeling like he was maybe stepping too far into her privacy, but he started getting intrigued and it slightly amused him, knowing that she was interested in such a thing - his jealousy definitely did make an appearance though as well haha

Not wanting to snoop too much or put her into an uncomfortable position, he closed the laptop again, put it back and didn’t speak about it again until they went through with her fantasies.

Girly had the biggest heart attack when she found him sitting on the couch, but since he didn’t say anything, she brushed it off and thought he didn’t go on her computer.

What Minnie had looked at didn’t leave his mind though for DAYS, up to the point where he himself started looking up positions and just stuff in general he remembered seeing on her laptop screen and he was definitely getting interested. And well, you know what happened then ˙ᵕ˙

Taglist: @shrynkk @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms

[queenelleee]

elleeee. hi!!!!!! i just wanted to pop in and say hello :’)

i was clearing out my camera roll today, and stumbled upon the little drawing you gave to me before about an edelweiss flower. it reminded me that although life sucks sometimes, im surrounded by a lot of love and i shouldn’t take it for granted. it was so lovely to come across it again and be reminded of that. so i wanted to say thank uuuu. you’ve been here for a while throughout my tumblr journey and it really does mean a lot to me — i love knowing there is someone who is as down bad for oiks as me hehe.

anyway — i hope ur doing well!!!!! and i hope that wherever u are, u are also surrounded by love <333

Ari 🥺🥺🥺 my heart feels so full right now because it's been a long time and you still have my little drawing. You know what? I realized I've been here in this app for almost 2 years (or was it already two? almost 3??) and you've been one of the first people I interacted and made friends with. We don't always talk 24/7, but just like I've been with you on your journey, you were also with me on my journey here in this app and I can't stress how much you made an impact on me especially when we were all stuck during the peak of the pandemic. The part where we're both Oikawa truthers are just a bonus ☺️

To know that you're doing well already makes me happy. I'm also doing well and I'm lucky that I'm surrounded by people who love me. Though this week is exhausting and mentally draining I've been dealing with quizzes and laboratory activities left and right, your sweet message actually lifted my spirits. So, thank you 🥺😘

Did you know Oikawa won the Twitter poll about the Top Villains? Lmao that was hilarious coz why are people comparing him to murderers?? 😂😭 he just wanted to go to the Nationals 😭😭😭

[swiggity-swexual-i-am-asexual]

I came back to tumblr after a long while (we've been mutuals since like 2016/17?) and wow! Lots of danny phantom, I love it 10/10 show

Ayyyyyy welcome back to the hellsite, we have polls and PvP enabled now! And, ha, it was…. Not intentional that I have a lot of Danny Phantom right now but I am on a kick and there’s some NICE content I keep stumbling upon (and I also know some mutuals and followers found me through Danny Phantom, so sometimes I’m just like ‘I bet they’ll LOVE this!’). And I’m trying to get myself to just write the little blurbs in my head, because I do enjoy writing, so those are also a thing I do sometimes now, I guess? It’s a great show, but the phandom is really what makes it special to me! And my crossover loving heart is THRIVING on the increased popularity of Danny Phantom crossover ideas, oh boy.

Thanks for stopping by!

[espressokiri]

Can I request Aizawa with a popular hero s/o? Class 1-A loves them and goes crazy when they find out he’s married to their idol.

Aizawa x GN!reader

In which reader is Aizawa's married partner and is popular with crowds and loved by class 1-A.

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Note: (H/n) = Hero name

Being a man who savoured his alone time, mostly spending it catching up with sleep due to his hectic scheduling of night patrol and teaching students, he was surprised to have fallen for a colleague who fell into the spotlight and enamoured everyone they came in contact with. They were the prime example of ‘opposites attract’ and it was oddly endearing. 

Y/n always emitted a comforting energy around them, their soft and nurturing nature drawing admirers and fans, hence shooting their rank in the Heroes poll right under the popular winged hero. Despite their popularity due to their personality, their strong ability to maneuver their quirk and quick thinking under stressful situations had gained them respect with both civilians and heroes.

Because of the awareness that Aizawa does not enjoy the spotlight, Y/n had always arrived to their shared home in secrecy to avoid paparazzi and crazed fans from finding out their humble abode, a comfortable one bedroom modern apartment that was perfect for the pair of them. Their odd schedules seemed to clash but the couple always made it work, sometimes sacrificing each other’s sleep to be able to spend time with the other -usually Y/n as they know Aizawa lacks enough sleep already.

“Sweetheart, it’s time for you to wake up.” Y/n whispers softly, leaning over Aizawa and tracing their forefinger around his facial features, easing him awake. A groan rumbles in the man’s throat before he slowly opens his eyes, a soft smile taking over as he’s met with the worried gaze of his partner. “Good morning.” Aizawa’s voice rasps out, throat dry from just waking up.

“Morning, my love.”

Aizawa takes their hand that was on his face and places it on his lips, giving it a peck before letting go.

“Breakfast is ready.” Y/n informs before trudging out of the room, leaving a sighing Aizawa as he dreaded dealing with a bunch of chaotic teenagers. 

When Aizawa came out freshened up and dressed in his hero uniform, he was met with Y/n leaning on the kitchen counter in their pyjamas, sipping on coffee in their favourite mug and focussing on their phone. Y/n had a late start in the morning for their shift in the agency, so they tried making the most of their morning.

Aizawa walked towards them, placing both hands on the counter, confining them in between his arms. Y/n raised an eyebrow at his approach, placing their phone away and looking at him while having the rim of the mug on their lips as they took a sip. “Need anything?” A smirk played on their lips as Aizawa scoffed at their question, swiftly swooping down and placing a kiss on their lips. 

Y/n placed their mug on the counter, besotted in the affection their partner was showcasing. Aizawa brought his hands to their hips and helped them up onto the counter, slotting himself in between them with both hands on their thighs. Y/n ran their hand through his hair as they gazed at each other with deep longing and understanding. “You don’t have much time.” Y/n murmured, leaning their head onto his shoulder, placing a soft kiss on his neck, making goosebumps arise on the touched skin.

“I know, I’m enjoying while I can.” Aizawa sighed, grabbing the mug Y/n had placed aside and taking a sip from it. Y/n let out a sound of disapproval, “you have your own coffee right there!” They pointed at the steaming mug placed on the kitchen table.

“Just giving yours a try.” He shrugged, a smile on his lips as he grabbed his mug and leaned back against the counter in between Y/n’s legs. Y/n ran their fingers through his hair, untangling the knots he seemed to not have brushed out. “I have patrol till six today, I won’t be home when you come back from work.” Y/n spoke.

Aizawa had his eyes closed as he savoured the warm beverage and the calm feeling of his partner working on his hair. “That’s alright, be sure to eat dinner early. Stay safe.” Aizawa was upset that they didn’t even get weekends to spend together to do normal couple things, it was a rare occurrence for both their schedules to align.

When Aizawa did enter his homeroom classroom, facing the rowdy students of class 1-A, he stumbled upon a conversation between Mineta and Kaminari, “(H/n) is so cool! I can’t believe they aren’t higher up in the hero rankings, they have an amazing record of defeating villains!” Kaminari gushed. 

“Forget that! Do you see how sexy they look? With that sweet nature of theirs, I’m sure they must be so submiss-” Bindings wrapped around the short grape boy as Aizawa held a menacing glare, the class hushing with the sudden change in mood.

“It would do you good not to speak of my partner in such a vulgar manner.”

A beat of silence was held before the class erupted in excitement and confusion, “partner?!”

Ashido raised her hand up high and wiggled it around before Aizawa sighed and beckoned her to speak, “sensei! Are romantically involved with (H/n)?!” 

There he’s done it, Aizawa was aware of his class idolizing Y/n and now he’s gotten his privacy breached. “Yes, we are married.”

Ensue more shock and raised hands.

After a gruelling day of being interrogated by his students and teaching, Aizawa made his way home before he would start his nightly patrol. Shoving the keys in the lock, he opened the door and let himself inside, upset that he would be home alone for the remainder of his time.

“Ah, shit!”

Aizawa froze as he heard the sound coming from the bathroom, eyes glancing towards the clock in the kitchen. Y/n wasn’t supposed to be home yet. He rushed his way into the bathroom to come across Y/n with a gash on the side of their head which they were tending to.

“What happened?!”

Y/n jumped at the sudden loud noise, turning around and finding their husband with a worried gaze settled onto their wound. “Nothing serious, I got caught off guard because of that stupid birdbrain of a hero.” Y/n waved it off, scoffing when they mentioned Hawks. Aizawa held their face in between his hands as he inspected the wound, it wasn’t deep but it would need to be cared for.

As Aizawa cleaned the blood around the wound and disinfected it, he brought up the incident today. “My class also really wants to meet you.” 

Y/n was aware of how much Aizawa adored his class, despite not wording it and pretending they were a lot of work. “I’d love to meet them too! I’m free tomorrow if you’d like.” Y/n offered. Aizawa swallowed nervously, “tomorrow sounds good.” Y/n had never visited U.A. while Aizawa was working, and he was nervous about the whole ordeal. 

To say he was nervous was an understatement, Aizawa kept glancing at the classroom door as he was teaching, wondering when they’d come in and how things would go. It wasn’t like him to be nervous but perhaps he wanted to show Y/n how well he could handle kids like they could.

As he monitored the class doing their worksheets, the door slid open revealing Y/n holding a small bento in their hands. “It’s (H/n)!” The class were bouncing with excitement and squeals could be heard. Y/n gave a friendly wave to the class as they made their way to Aizawa, giving him a kiss on the cheek, riling the students up more, before placing the bento box on his desk.

“Hello class 1-A! It’s great to finally meet you!” Y/n gave their brightest smile as they were excited to meet Aizawa’s ‘problem children’. They seemed to be a lively bunch with unique appearances, it was very endearing to see teenagers with bright smiles and a strong heart. 

“How’d you meet Aizawa sensei, (H/n)?” Ashido had questioned, buzzing with excitement as she gazed over what the hero was wearing. “You guys can call me Y/n.” Y/n winked, “also we met back in high school, but we were acquaintances until he started working with an underground agency and I gained the courage to ask him out.” 

“If Aizawa sensei can get someone like Y/n, then there’s still hope for us!” Kaminari wailed, a glare pointed at him by his teacher.

Y/n snickered, “despite his rugged appearance, he’s quite the charmer.” They praised, causing the girls in the class to swoon at the sweet words. 

“So Shota, are you going to show me how strong your class really is?”

Ground Beta never seemed to get awfully torn down when Y/n was in U.A., but it seems that Aizawa’s class held destructive and strong quirks that left their mouth wide open at the power a bunch of teenagers held. Especially the three Aizawa had mentioned once or twice in passing; Todoroki Shoto, Bakugou Katsuki, and Midoriya Izuku.

“Here dear, let’s get you hydrated.” Y/n handed Uraraka a bottle of water as the girl looked nauseas from the overuse of her quirk. “T-thank you!” Uraraka bowed timidly before shakily grabbing the bottle, Y/n just gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair, “you were so cool Uraraka, and your hero suit is adorable.” A fiery blush erupted on the girl’s face at the compliment and affectionate touch.

“What do you think of my quirk?!” An overexcited Kaminari ran over to the two, seeing his idol praise Uraraka had him craving for approval from the hero. “It’s very powerful, Kaminari! You’re doing great with the limited usage as well to not overwhelm yourself!” Y/n pinched his cheek, a slight static grazing the pads of their fingers as the blonde was jittering with joy. 

“Stop hogging her Denki!” Jirou had shoved the blonde away, “Jirou! I’m so excited to be seeing more of your quirk in use! I love how calm you are while IN action!” 

“Y/n! Can we train together?”

“Yeah! I wanna see what it’s like fighting a real pro!”

Y/n grinned at their enthusiasm and agreed, all of class A seemed to have brightened up and tried their best to show off to their idol.

Aizawa was watching from a distance, a soft smile on his lips as he watched his partner interact with his students. They were always good with kids, especially teenagers, as they claimed all the kids ever want is someone to listen to them and understand their thought process. Maybe he would bring Y/n along often to training during their off days. 

[imaginepirates]

Modern! Jack

Another modern au where Jack stumbles upon your house in the woods. This is an outdoorsy one for everyone who loves Jack being Jack. You try to convince Jack that the mountains are just as beautiful as the sea. (Poll: which do you like better?)

@emdrabbles​ @tesserphantom​ @paljonkaikenlaista​ @viper-official​ 

~3000 words

~~~~~~~

          The wind whispered through the trees, the light dappling through the leaves to fall across the ground in mesmerizing patterns. You stood under them, watching the movement in the undergrowth. Mice scuttled through the bushes, insects skittered across the ground, and a thrush took flight from its place in the grasses. You walked along a path that led away from your small home and out into the woods. You lived in a secluded area, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It was nice, out in nature. It was relaxing, and your walks always took you somewhere new.

          You stepped off the path, letting your feet lead you. You knew the area well enough that you wouldn’t get lost. You made your way to a small brook, using the stones jutting out from the water as a pathway across. The stream burbled up at you as you crossed. You were glad to have this space to yourself. Sometimes, hikers came along, and you held pleasant conversation with them. They came down from the hills behind your home, a beautiful range of white-topped mountains that stretched for miles, carved out by glaciers. You could swear that they were the most beautiful land formations on earth. A bird cawed somewhere nearby, taking off from its perch. You watched it fly overhead, admiring its deep blue coloring.

          You noticed the man not long after. He came stumbling through the trees, looking disoriented. He carried no pack, and you worried that something might have happened to him while he had been out hiking. Your fear was amplified by the fresh bloodstain on his shirt. You both stared at each other a shocked moment before either of you moved.

          You moved toward him, taking his arm. He must have been one of those modern hippies; his dreadlocks reached his lower back. There was some sort of dark makeup around his eyes, and his clothes were strange, too hot for hiking in. You brushed the thoughts of his strangeness out of your mind, intent on getting him some help. “I live not far from here. I can help you.”

          “Thank you, love. But may I ask: where exactly is ‘here’?”

          You glanced over at his face, realizing that he was sincere. Surely he had to have some idea of where he was. He’d likely gotten lost while out on the path, but there was no way that he could be utterly confused as to his location. “You’re by the Cascade Mountain Range.” Seeing his still-confused expression, you decided that the injury on his chest might be taking more out of him than you originally thought.

          You rushed him back to the house, a little surprised to find how steadily the man walked across the rocks in the stream. Once inside, you sat him on your couch and went to the bathroom for your first aid kit. You kept one around just in case, especially considering the fact that accidents like this did, in fact, happen.

          When you stepped back into your living room, you saw that the man was standing in your kitchen, casting a curious glance at your toaster-oven. Seeing the kit in your hands, he nodded, stepping back over toward the sofa.

          You pulled his shirt to the side to find a long gash. It was shallow, but it had bled a concerning amount. You bandaged it as best as you could, making sure to apply generous amounts of disinfectant. With the bleeding stopped, you took another look at your patient.

          He wore a bandana around his head with trinkets dangling from it, including a rather large piece of what you assumed to be plastic, though it looked convincingly like bone. His outfit was…interesting, to say the least. He wore what appeared to be a worn waistcoat over a billowing shirt, and he had thick belts around his chest and middle. The very personification of a swashbuckling pirate, you thought. He was the strangest person you’d met in the woods to date.

          “I know you might feel a little confused,” you said, carefully folding a bloodstained washcloth. “You seem to have lost some blood. Would you mind telling me what happened?”

          “Confused is a bit of an understatement, love. I’m baffled. Bewildered. Befuddled, if you will.”

          “And why is that, Mr…”

          “Sparrow.”

          “Mr. Sparrow.” Sparrow? you thought. Certainly not Sparrow as in Jack Sparrow, fictional pirate and dashing rogue?

          “Because I have no idea where I am. In perfect honesty, I have no idea when I am.”

          You almost laughed. The notion seemed so ridiculous. Then you realized he might have passed out somewhere, and was probably asking for the day of week. “It’s Thursday,” you said. “March thirteenth.”

          He nodded.

          “Do you mind telling me how you got hurt?”

          “Oh! That.” He looked down at the injury, as if analyzing it for the first time. “Swordfight.”

          “Swordfight?” At this point, you were fairly sure that you were hallucinating. You’d heard of strange things happening to people, encounters that left people shocked, but you’d never thought that you would have one. You couldn’t tell if the man was a very good actor, or if he was simply insane. You realized that it would be best to call the police. “You should get some rest,” you told him. “You look tired. When you wake up, I’ll have some food ready.”

          He thanked you, sprawling out across your couch to take a nap. You moved over to the kitchen, picking up the phone on the way there. Any man who claimed that he had been injured in the middle of the woods in a swordfight wasn’t the type you wanted to be around. You looked back at Sparrow, who had his thick leather boots slung over the edge of your sofa.

          A glint of metal caught your eye. There, resting by his hip, was a belt. A large sheath hung off one side, and a sword seemed to be inside it. “Excuse me,” you said without thinking. “Is that a real sword?” The pommel looked lovely, and you wanted to know where he might have gotten something so convincing.

          Sparrow cracked an eye. “Of course it is.” He flashed a glint of steel, then returned to his nap.

          You put down the phone. Maybe he's not crazy. You busied yourself making a snack, trying to calm your panicking mind. The man laying on your couch was too much like the actual Jack Sparrow, and you were afraid that you’d hit your head in the shower, or that you were still dreaming.

          By the time he woke up, he seemed very thankful for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that you handed him. He ate it with gusto, eyes widening with what you knew was the unusual taste of peanut butter.

          “Thank you, love.” He licked the jelly off his fingers. “It seems that I’m in need of a place to stay. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to provide?”

          “Of course,” you squeaked.

          “Unfortunately, I don’t know my way home, and I don’t know how long I’m supposed to be here. I hope it’s not too inconvenient.”

          “Not at all.” It really wasn’t, but it was certainly odd to keep a strange man in your house for an undetermined amount of time.

          The next few days passed blissfully uneventfully, leaving you to tend to Jack’s injury and introduce him to modern technology. Hilariously, the bed was probably the thing he enjoyed most. You had a guest bed, and he flopped into it unceremoniously all the time. You supposed that if this truly was Jack, then he hadn’t slept in a proper bed in ages.

          He was wary of the shower, but you convinced him that scrubbing some of the grime off his face and body would make him feel better. He admitted, later, that it did.

          His wound healed up nicely. It hadn’t needed stitches, which you were thankful for. It had been a shallow cut, but it had bled a lot in the beginning, which had concerned you for obvious reasons.

          He kept flicking open a compass that looked suspiciously like the real one, staring at it before snapping it closed again, annoyed.

          “What do you keep looking at your compass for?”

          “Nothing.”

          You raised an eyebrow. “I doubt that.”

          “Look, lassie. I appreciate the hospitality, but the compass is my business.”

          You frowned. You hadn’t realized that Jack probably kept the compass a secret. From most people, at least. You supposed the people who knew about it were exceptions, given that they had known him for a while.

           You could tell he was growing fidgety, and that he needed something to do. He paced around the room sometimes, and he kept toying with some of the beads in his hair.

          “Do you want to go for a walk?” You asked. “You seem like you could use something to do.”

          He agreed. You left the house with a backpack full of food and water, just in case you needed it. Always better to be safe than sorry. You walked back along the little path you’d found him on. Again, he was surefooted crossing the rocks in the stream, and you wondered what would make his balance so good. The mountains rose up ahead of you, a hundred trails splitting off into the wilderness.

          “How can you tell where you are with all these trees?” Jack asked.

          “I suppose you have to know the paths. Or get a map. Or look for landmarks. It’s pretty easy to tell where you are in comparison to what mountains are around.”

          He looked up. “All your mountains look the same.”

          “That’s not true.” You pointed out the jagged rocks at the top of a mountain to your left, and the smoother top of the one to your right.

          “It’s easier to see things on the open ocean. The sea is the most beautiful thing in the world.” He spoke with such reverence, you could tell that he really believed it. He must love the ocean.

          “There’s nothing out there!” you said. “There aren’t any landmarks to tell you where you are.”

          “Stars, lassy.”

          “That’s only good at night,” you pointed out. “And I think the mountains are more beautiful than the ocean.”

          Jack made a face.

          “Have you ever hiked up to the top of one and looked off at everything down below?”

          “Why would I?”

          “Because it’s amazing. I’ll prove it to you.”

          Jack looked up at some of the towering peaks. “I’m not sure I can make it up there, love.”

          “It’s not so bad, I promise. We won’t go all the way up to the top, anyway. That requires rock-climbing gear.” Jack still looked dubious, but you kept on. “You can’t say that something isn’t beautiful if you haven’t experienced it. I’ve been to the ocean. I know it’s pretty, but not as lovely as the sight off the top of the hills.”

          “If you say so.”

          You led him up a dusty path that connected to the base of one of the mountains. There was a ledge of rock that you could climb up to and look out at all the things down below. You started leading him up through the trees and bushes.

          Jack looked around at all the foliage. His eyes followed flying birds, gliding butterflies, and flowers lining the path. He stared, wide eyed, at all of it. As you climbed higher, he looked out between the trees to see the view. You enjoyed the look of surprise on his face when he gazed out over your home.

          “I don’t think I’ve ever been this high up before,” he said.

          “We still have a ways to go, too. You’re going to love it when we reach the top.”

          He looked back at you with a silly grin. “You’re right: this is beautiful. Not sure it beats freedom on the ocean yet, but it’s something.”

          You couldn’t wait for him to see it all sprawling out underneath him. The true views were something else. You loved looking down over the little valley you were in, trying to find your house in the trees, looking across at more towering mountains, the sun framed by the peaks.

          When you finally reached the top, the afternoon sun hung overhead in the sky. Jack stopped a moment to catch his breath before walking out onto the shelf of rock that extended from the cliff face. He sucked in a breath as he looked out at the view.

          The trees had fallen away behind you, and the shelf of rock gave you an unobscured view of the valley below. You could just pic out your small house among the trees far beneath you. The sky seemed to stretch on forever, over the mountains opposite you, bright blue in the midday sun. Everything looked so small; the stream you’d crossed earlier was a winding ribbon, and the road leading up to your house was no wider than a finger from where you stood.

          “This is…there aren’t words, love.” Jack gazed out over the expanse. “I’ve never seen anything like it. And the air is crisp, crisper than on the sea, even. And there’s no sound. It just...disappears.”

          “I know. Now you can see why I love it so much.”

          “I do.”

          You sat on the rock, enjoying the view and eating snacks. There was the occasional bird whistle, but other than that, you were in complete silence. No sounds from the road traveled up to greet you, and you were there all alone. Jack couldn’t stop staring. Obviously, he’d never hiked up anything in his life.

          He flipped open his compass with a practiced flick. Chewing on a granola bar, he looked down, almost lazily, and the expression on his face changed at once. He was on his feet in an instant. He stepped out off the outcropping, back onto the trail, and took a few short strides to the left. Then, he turned in a few circles, finally stooping down to pick something up.

          He brought it back to you, inspecting it carefully. It seemed to be some kind of broach. Why his compass pointed him to a broach, you couldn’t understand, but you were beginning to understand that this was, in fact, the real Jack Sparrow in front of you. He sat back down, and pulled at a piece of string attached to the object. It had some paper on the end of it. A note, probably. His eyes widened, and he cursed under his breath.

          “What is it?”

          “Nothing.” He shoved it in a pocket.

          You looked at him suspiciously, but decided to leave it. He’d tell you if he wanted to. Besides, you had to head back down the mountain if you wanted anything to eat for dinner.

          You headed back with Jack in a dark mood. He glared testily at the trees and shrubs. Obviously, whatever he’d found in the woods was bothering him. You didn’t want to pry, but you were curious to know what made his mood change so quickly.

          You arrived back at your house just as the sun was beginning to sink over the opposite mountains. The air conditioning felt blissful against your warm skin. A shower was in order, you knew, but you decided to clear the air first. Jack had dropped onto the couch, and you walked up, sitting down beside him.

         “What was it?” You asked gently.

          “What was what?”

          “You know what.” You sighed. “The thing you found while we were out hiking.”

          “My ticket home, is what.”

          “Your ticket home?” You didn’t understand.

          He moved closer, showing you the broach. It was a silver ship, and the light bounced off the reflective surface. Then, he grabbed the note, holding it up for you to read.

          Jack, it seems you’re doing well where I put you. You were never very good at facing your problems, so I decided to give you one you couldn’t run away from. You seem to have acclimated to the future, and you deserve a way back. Just rub on the ship and think of home.

          You stared, flabbergasted. What did it mean? The initials at the end caught your notice. T.D. Surely that had to be Tia Dalma. Was Jack going already, then? Was he leaving you to go back to your everyday life? You’d enjoyed his company, and the more you thought on it, the less you wanted him to go.

          “Damned woman put me in the future herself! I can’t believe her, sometimes. But that’s women for you.” He turned to you. “Well, not all women, I guess.”

          “Are you leaving, then?” You asked, a little afraid of the answer.

          “I do want to get back to my Pearl,” he said, “but I like it here. It’s a nice rest from the ship. Besides, Tia said I needed to do some learning. I don’t suppose it would hurt to do a little more.” He grinned cheekily. “So, tell me about yourself.”

          “I don’t think that’s what she meant.” You smiled in spite of yourself.

          “You’re right. She wanted me to face my problems. And you’re certainly not a problem, love.”

          Oh dear. You rolled your eyes. It was going to be different, if he decided to stick around. Different, but decidedly worthwhile.

          “Tell me one thing,” he said. “Does my not-problem kiss? They’ve certainly deserved it. I mean, they’ve patched me up, and given me a place to stay, and shown me some beautiful views.” With that statement, he raked your body over with his eyes. “I think we can do more beautiful things, too.”

          You blushed furiously. “I suppose that depends. Are you a good kisser?”

          “You’re going to have to come over here to find out.” He winked.

          He was. And he insisted on proving it to you quite a few times. Not that you minded.

[a9saga]

Sojin from girl's day is really hot. That's the post. No but ive been low key on a girl's day binge since around the time I posted expectation in September. I just really miss that time for girl groups, there was so much good music coming from all directions and they really mastered a particular image in the early to mid 10s. Think anywhere from miss A to 9muses. You didn't get a lot of plain cute, sexy, or girl crush style groups, you got a variety of groups whose styles musically and aesthetically could be described as some of those but had a cool, fun, stylish, feminine personality attached to whatever they did. And I think a lot of girl's day's big hits capture that time pretty well. And also sojin is gorgeous and mayhaps I was looking at pinterest boards of her and admiring that 🙄 don't you? But anyway. I stumbled upon something... something in my heart I knew must exist but I had never seen it with my own eyes on this side of international fandom. The photo I had found the link from, for the record, was not anything terribly racy. It was Sojin in a backless dress, nothing too exaggerated in the shot. But it had come from an "NSFW 18+" girl's day thread on... I don't know, it was any one of those forum sites for Korean or general Asian entertainment that I don't use. It must have been like 7 years old and most pictures in it were not available anymore.

There was a poll at the top, or two actually. The questions were "which girl's day member do you most want to sex up" and the second one was just for your second choice. And the replies were like, sexy fancams and gifs and screenshots of boob/butt/all right even some tiny up-short shots and no I don't mean upskirt shots I mean the tiny gap between the shorts fabric and thighs? Someone took those from a fancam of Minah dancing Female President. And in between this content people were talking about which members of the group they like to jerk off to the most and which one they were about to jerk off to right now. It suddenly occurred to me, like!!! Oh!! There are men here. Yall like girl's day? Um.. okay. Some people said some pretty rude things about Hyeri too. She was apparently the least favored of the guys in the thread.

See, 5 years ago or so, I had fucking had it with the sexual objectification of kpop boy groups by their own fans. Like, people can recognize misogyny. And sometimes those people would still post bulge compilations and make assumed dick size rankings and even estimated measurements! It crossed a line well beyond that of mere smutty fanfiction. Its dehumanizing to post close ups of guys' junk in their skinny jeans to attract the attention of any number of people looking to see that. Like you're kind of supposed to find boy groups sexy. Its not wrong or unnatural for boy bands to be a sexual outlet for you when you're young, if you haven't got a boyfriend your own age to explore with you might be fascinated by your new favorite kpop group. Fanfiction about real people is iffy but smut fanfiction is an inevitability of boy band fandom and that's one thing, as long as you don't take it to the real guys themselves. Bulge shots? That's not your imagination. That's not pretending Jungkook is your boyfriend. That's public objectification they definitely didn't agree to and that has to be really uncomfortable and embarrassing. I made a post about all that years ago that still gets the occasional note. But initially back in the day I got people who seemed to think I was just being a prude.

I always figured a Fei's Jiggling Tits compilation wasn't commonplace on tumblr for a lot of reasons but reason #1 is that it would obviously be offensive and disrespectful. Seeing just one page of that thread with most of the pictures removed was so surreal it was like I couldn't be offended. I felt an absence of shock, a real absence of reaction essentially. Given this was not the type of fandom I was acquired to, I could still understand it. Fanbases for late 2000s/early 10s girl groups on tumblr were not as common to fangirl over even in comparison to the newer ones like twice, red velvet, or even ioi, gfriend, or other already disbanded girl groups of the new generation. It's cause most girls like boys. Most kpop fans were girls. More thirst is targeted at boy groups. Some of those girls liked girls (🙋‍♀️ mee~ 🙆‍♀️ I did). Sapphic girl group fans have their thirst but I gotta we're a lot more respectful to the kpop idols of our gender overall. Men are out there liking my girl groups but to what extent do I trust them with that?

It also makes me wonder at what point is the line crossed? Like.. girl group marketing does not necessarily object to guys jerking off to the members. I certainly don't even think it's a crime to do it. Do what you want with it, I don't care. It's the public discussion and the attention drawn to this on the internet that I think is disrespectful. If I were dancing Female President in tiny shorts and you took a close up looking up those shorts I wouldn't be happy for you to post it. This is clearly looking into something intrusive. The line is somewhere before that point, I think. But it's not like they're sending this whole thread to the girl's day members and asking them directly for something. It's still in public. Is the line being crossed when you ask your own small corner of a kpop forum which members of girl's day you most want to "sex up"? How much thirst can you have in public? How horny on main can you be if it's not wrong to like the group as it's marketed to you? I don't fricking know. I wonder when my issues of philosophy class is going to begin this topic of kpop, fandom, and sexuality. This week we're on Marx.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 254: Who the Hell Is Bucky

Previously on BnHA: All Might welcomed 1-A back after the new year with a pun he’s probably been working on for the entire winter break, the poor man. Aizawa received a call :’) and drove down to Tartarus with Mic to meet up with Naomasa and Gran Torino. Nao and Gran were all “so you’ll NEVER GUESS, but we found out that Kurogiri’s quirk is apparently a FAKE QUIRK which was created from a bunch of other quirks -- AND GUESS WHICH ONE WAS THE ORIGINAL QUIRK?” and Aizawa was all (ಠ ∩ಠ), and Mic put a hand on his shoulder, and Nao was all “YEAH YOU DID GUESS, IT’S YOUR OLD DEAD PAL SHIRAKUMO, FROM CHAPTERS 59 THROUGH 65 OF VIGILANTES!” And okay, so (1) OH MY GOD, and (2) I originally thought this meant that Kurogiri is straight up a zombie!Shirakumo, but others pointed out that he might be some random other dude who just has Kumo’s quirk, among others. And like, okay. SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH.

Today on BnHA: Y’ALL HE REALLY IS A ZOMBIE!KUMO, AND NAOMASA AND GRAN BROUGHT AIZAWA AND MIC TO TALK TO HIM AND TRY TO RESTORE HIS MEMORIES SOMEHOW. Aizawa is all “this isn’t some fantasy world with happy endings, this is THE REAL WORLD WHERE MIRACLES DON’T HAPPEN!” but Gran is all “sometimes they do!” and Aizawa is like “!!” and so they sit down to chat with Kumo. Aizawa launches into a passionate speech about how great Kumo was and how he pulled him along and inspired him, and how he (Aizawa) is strict with his students now and -- get this -- FAKE-EXPELS THEM IN ORDER TO PUT THE FEAR OF GOD INTO THEM JUST ONCE LMAO, BUT IT’S BECAUSE HE CARES, and because he wants them to be great heroes and not hapless redshirts who get killed offscreen. And by the end of it he’s crying and imploring Shirakumo -- “if you’re still in there somewhere” -- to become heroes with him and Mic just like they always wanted. All of it is exactly as emotionally devastating as you would figure, btw.

you guys I have been playing hopscotch on my dash since yesterday trying to avoid spoilers about the popularity poll until I actually had time to write down my reactions! all I know is that of course Bakugou is #1 again, because this fandom always comes through lol. my other predictions are that the rest of the trio will receive lots of love again as well, and Hawks will once again be high on the list, and Aizawa too because of the Vigilantes flashbacks (at least HE BETTER), and probably the villains will get a big boost as well after their arc, Tomura in particular. and Endeavor might break the top 10 again too with the newest arc, although I can’t quite remember whether or not the poll was still going on by the time that started (ETA: actually I don’t think it was). but yeah. anyway so there’s a real possibility that most of the kids will actually be shut out of the top ranks because of these GROWN-UPS and VILLAINS stealing all their glory, smh. your time will come, kids

“more than anyone, you were a hero” oh is this chapter going to play with my feelings yet again. is this just going to happen every fucking week now. okay

HELL YEAH MY BOYS ON THE COVER

@unboundednamelessfuture, to answer your ask about whether I’m planning on watching Heroes Rising, the answer is a resounding YES, POSSIBLY EVEN MULTIPLE TIMES IN THEATERS IF I CAN SWING IT, because I’m pretty sure it’s actually just going to be All My Dreams Come True: The Movie. and yes I have seen some spoilers for it, although I’m not clear on whether or not they’re actual spoilers or just rumors. so because of that I won’t post my thoughts just yet, except to say that if it is true, see above re: All My Dreams Come True: The Movie, and also add a bunch more exclamation points at the end of the title omfg

anyway so my sons are famous now. they’re in Hollywood. good for them

AND NOW THE POLLLLLLLL YES

oh shit, I heard about “Deku & Bakugou Rising”, but is that out this week?? shit I’ll have to do a separate post if that’s the case. I’m assuming it’s more of a bonus chapter than an actual spinoff, kind of like the All Might chapter we got for the last movie. either way, to say I’m hyped would be a massive understatement, needless to say

(ETA: okay so I’ve seen Korean scanlations of this -- which I didn’t look at closely because spoilers -- but no English scans yet. so stay tuned!)

so I was wrong about the kids being shooed out of the top 10! I have never been so pleased to be wrong! so we have Kacchan at #1 (I love his face so much. ghlkhf), Deku at #2 (he beat Shouto this year! good for you!!), Shouto at #3 (wouldn’t be surprised if he and Deku were neck and neck again though), Kirishima at #4 (we stan one bright ray of sunshine), Iida at #5 (YOU DESERVE IT SO MUCH SWEETHEART. I’M SO GLAD FANDOM ISN’T SLEEPING ON THE ACTUAL BEST CHARACTER IN THE SERIES), Tomura at #6 (DID YOU NOT GET THE MEMO ABOUT WEARING A NUMBER ON YOUR OUTFIT? MAKING ME FIGURE IT OUT FROM THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION IS A REAL BASTARD MOVE. THEY SHOULD HAVE PUT YOU AT #8 TO MATCH YOUR CURRENT NUMBER OF FINGERS YOU STUPID SEXY JERK), Aizawa at #7 (THANK YOU FANDOM, YOU’VE REDEEMED YOURSELVES FROM LAST YEAR), Ochako at #8 (I LOVE YOUUUU), Toga at #9 (LADIES!!!!!!), and Momo at #10 (YES GIRRRRRL)

I think this is the strongest showing of ladies yet in the top ten (ETA: actually no, the second poll was slightly better) and I’m all about it. also can they all please keep these costume upgrades because YES. I don’t care if Horikoshi would get sick of drawing them. THAT’S WHAT ASSISTANTS ARE FOR. KATSUKI HAS A FUCKING BULLET BANDOLIER, COME ON, YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS JUST A ONE TIME THING YOU ASSCLOWNS, THIS IS FOR THE PEOPLE

lol here’s the abridged version of the Shirakumo flashbacks, I guess. everyone was saying last week how Vigilantes was now required reading, and like, I get that everyone’s excited about the crossover, but they still have to make this comprehensible for people who only read the main series. I’m guessing we’ll get the short version here, but Vigilantes gets to provide the more in-depth story for people who want to know more about everything, which is more or less what Vigilantes’s role has been in general

anyway so here’s Kumo doing his usual Naruto impression and cheerfully dooming himself by being ceaselessly optimistic and tempting fate’s sense of irony

you sure can! just so long as that crisis doesn’t involve big, heavy rocks, or gravity. I’m sorry kiddo

“‘let’s all form an agency together.’ it happened just after he said those words.” well there you have it, the BnHA equivalent of “one week left till my retirement.” hero training should really include a mandatory course titled Death Flags: The Silent Killers. there are children’s lives at stake here

lol yeah this really is abridged

“once upon a time we all wanted to be heroes and then Shirakumo got crushed by some rocks the end.” yeah, so maybe not quite the full emotional impact of the original lol

OH SHIT SON

so it is his reanimated corpse, then! which means the potential for him somehow dramatically regaining his memories is very high. since this is a shounen manga, I’m gonna go ahead and put it at... 100%. is that too low

guys I don’t know what to do when Present Mic is making faces like this

when even the Comic Relief Guy is getting all traumatized and serious, you know it’s bad. sob who will I turn to now for comfort. Horikoshi’s really just gonna go full dark no stars here and leave me just stumbling around lost

OH IF IT ISN’T THE ORIGINAL PIECE OF SHIT HIMSELF!!

yeah it makes perfect sense actually, you bastard. you steal the bodies from the crematorium and then give the families fake ashes or something. holy shit you really will not stop until you find the lowest possible level to stoop to, and then grab a fucking shovel and start digging so as to GO DOWN EVEN LOWER. just. god everything about this is just so wrong

oh btw, now seems like a good time to bring up this ask I got last week!

anon you blew my mind, just so you know. you’re absolutely right. so that’s one mystery down! though the way that this is going, I’m not so sure I’m gonna like any of the other answers that the Noumu arc is gonna provide us sob

holy shit look at this fucking simile

dead children = leftovers. sure why not. just in case we all forgot how evil he is

and also, YEAH BUDDY THAT’S WHAT I JUST FUCKING SAID, PLEASE KEEP UP. and who even knows how many other times AFO has done this. I hope they’ve started investigating crematoriums, then. I’m just waiting for them to make some connection that leads to them finally finding out about Ujiko, but that might take a while still

(ETA: although if they actually can get Kumo to talk...)

and did he really just solemnly call Mic “DJ” because omfg. Gran, are you the comic relief. do you even know. are you even aware

oh hey look another dagger to my heart

ouch. that was cold. and... not necessarily true, though, is it? because he was kind enough to Tomura. idk, I know my villain mom has done some horrible things, but you’ll be hard pressed to get me to think of him as all bad, even so. he was the one keeping Tomura from going FULLASS MURDER MODE!! for a long time

HEY WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF COP-OUT IS THIS

well then WHY DID YOU EVEN BRING THEM IN HERE! DID THEY NOT SEEM TRAUMATIZED ENOUGH TO YOU?? “well idk they seem pretty shaken up already, but just to make sure they grasp the full repugnant horror of the situation why don’t we make them visit him face to face.” OKAY THEN YOU SADISTS

son of a bitch and speaking of twisting the knife, Horikoshi keeps showing us these increasingly wrecked glimpses of Aizawa lowkey falling apart and I can’t

at this point the shadows under his eyes have their own shadows. and god dude, I know you’re rational, but it’s really hard to watch you just outright dismiss any and all possibilities of hope just like that :(

what the fuck Gran

so you really are the one in this scene who’s trying to lift everyone’s spirits now. well all right then, just what are you alluding to

OH SNAP

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD NOUMU BACKSTORY AT LAST! jesus christ, do Nao and Gran just know everything already, and they’ve just been keeping it all to themselves for the hell of it?? how long before they casually swing by U.A. and are all “oh and by the way, the traitor is...”

ANOTHER AIZAWA FACE BUT THIS ONE IS SOFT OH GOD!!

HEY WHAT’S UP I’M GONNA CRY. SOMEONE TURN ON SOME SAD MUSIC. AND I WON’T GO, AND I WON’T SLEEP, AND I CAN’T BREATHE, UNTIL YOU’RE RESTING HERE WITH ME

AND I WON’T LEAVE, I CAN’T HIDE, I CANNOT BEEEEEEEE

hey Nao. you know what really would have helped with getting him to talk. NOT KNOCKING HIM UNCONSCIOUS. ??? move over do you need someone else to do your job for you or

-- OH THEY’RE TALKING TO HIM NOW LMAO OKAY

“go ahead and do your thing guys. don’t be afraid to make it real gay”

this would be even more dramatic if Kurogiri actually had a face. but even so... OH I AM WHAT I AM. I’LL DO WHAT I WANT. BUT IIIIIIII CAN’T HIIIIDE

oh my fucking god Aizawa is all “but what about his family?” and Naomasa is literally “if you two are unsuccessful, then...” like straight up acknowledging that the three of them were so fucking gay in high school that their odds of getting through to Kumogiri are stronger than that of his OWN FUCKING FAMILY. wow

chin up my sexy man. you got this

OH SHIT AHHHHHHH

LDSKFHL EASY THERE CHAMP, THAT’S TOO MUCH SEX TO BE CONTAINED IN A SINGLE PANEL, PLEASE TRY AND DO ME A FAVOR AND FUCKING HOLD IT TOGETHER HERE FOR THE KIDS WHO ARE READING THIS!! [frantically googles ‘can a shounen manga get you pregnant’]

so Aizawa is all “I’ll be damned if I let his family hear this sickening story” and like, I’m sure he means that in a “they don’t deserve that pain” kind of noble and principled way, but if it were my child I sure would want to know regardless. and aren’t they going to find out either way?? either you do get through to him, in which case obviously you would want the family to know “HEY, GOOD NEWS!”, or you don’t manage it and Nao has to call them anyway as we just established. but you go ahead and get all fired up then, Shouta

now there’s a panel of him staring at Kumo and Kumo is just a big shapeless blob of black smoke just sitting there lol. don’t tell me he’s still unconscious?!

oh

thank you

anyway so Aizawa, did you know that while you were off being an underground hero, Kumo was studying at Oxford to get his medical degree while bartending on nights and weekends to make ends meet. the two of you have so much to catch up about

Mic’s thinking that even with Aizawa using his quirk, the fog isn’t dissipating, so it means Kumo’s body is now made up of fog. well but then what about the metal neck thingy! huh??

and Mic’s opening his big mouth to complain that Kurogiri is far too polite and classically educated to really be their old pal, but before he can finish, Kumo is interrupting to ask about his son!!

he’s. uh. I guess you could call it “well”? maybe a little too well [marge simpson noises]

well Mic is clearly back to being the comic relief here. but Aizawa is keenly spotting those mom instincts that have remained in Kumo to this day!

yes Aizawa the core of your friend is still in there deep down!

OH MY GOD

LMAOOOO. “EMO PUNK... WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE -- !!” [AUDIBLY GASPS AND LOOKS DIRECTLY AT AIZAWA]

oh my lord. like, I don’t think this is actually meant to be funny, but just the fact that he immediately associates “emo” with AIZAWA FUCKING SHOUTA so strongly that it makes him go (•̪ o •̪) all knowingly has me fucking deceased right now good grief

so Kumo says he doesn’t resent his mission at all. some people like looking after emo punks, Mic. you should know

AND NOW MY FEELINGS ARE BEING TOYED WITH AGAIN!! JUST STRAIGHT UP OUT IN THE OPEN!! THIS ISN’T FAIR

heh. don’t mind me I’m just looking for some sort of emotional support to cling to here for my breakdown that’s about to happen about 0.2 seconds after Aizawa starts crying, if he indeed starts to cry. which it looks like he might. oh god I’m not ready for this at all. my hatches are not even remotely battened; my shutters are just gonna go flying right the fuck off

by the way what the fuck is up with the chairs at Tartarus. why do they look like swiss cheese

hmm, Nao and Torino are all “no reaction”, but to me it looks like there clearly is a reaction, though? he can’t even look Aizawa in the eye all of a sudden. it’s clearly getting to him. Nao seriously, do you need someone else to do your job

oh Aizawa

(ETA: Kumo really first-named Aizawa two seconds after meeting him. this man knows how to adopt his introverts.)

okay but Present Mic in a summer uniform is the most punchable version yet, SORRY I JUST HAD TO SAY IT I’M SORRY MIC I LOVE YOU. it was just gonna come bursting up out of me if I didn’t

anyway so Aizawa is gaying it up just as promised

him using his quirk is definitely making the scene more intense, but I’m not really sure why he actually is using it, since we’ve established it’s not having any effect. unless he’s trying to possibly undo some of the brainwashing somehow??

(ETA: so it occurred to me that just because his quirk isn’t dissolving Kumo’s mist body doesn’t mean that it’s not having an effect on his warp abilities. this way they can interrogate him without fear of him trying to use it and them having to knock him out again.)

so Kumo’s continuing to try and play it off all smooth while Aizawa unleashes the full force of fifteen years of pent up grief and trauma!

starting to think Aizawa never did go to therapy after that whole thing. typical U.A. “so you saw your best friend die suddenly and violently right before your eyes and subsequently suppressed it and hallucinated his voice talking to you to avoid facing that reality, huh? eh, you’ll be fine”

oh no a close-up of Aizawa that doesn’t show his face completely. this kind of thing never ends well

BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT THEM TO END UP LIKE YOU [sobs forever]

wait are we really going to talk about this?? omg

wait what. so do you mean to tell me he expelled them but then continued to guide them afterwards so they would have long, happy and healthy careers but more importantly would be safe omfg I’m not fucking ready for this shit

we’re cutting to U.A.’s class 2-A! Aizawa’s former class? does that mean he literally expelled EVERY SINGLE ONE of his students last year omg

so then. does every single standout characteristic of the Aizawa we know and love stem from his tragic past and his relationship with this boy then, or what? meanwhile the feelings continue to torrentially lash against my house while I huddle in the basement

I can’t fucking believe we’re actually getting a legit reveal about the “Aizawa expels all his students” gag holy shit

re-enroll!? what?? and “expel” in quotation marks?!?

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS -- HE DID IT JUST TO SCARE THEM!? AND THEN WHAT, WERE THEY PICKED UP AFTERWARD BY THE OTHER HERO CLASSES INSTEAD? SO HE TEACHES THEM A POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING LESSON AND THEN GETS TO LAZE AROUND THE REST OF THE YEAR, LOL WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. THIS MAN IS A GENIUS

(ETA: and by this logic, Deku really ought to have been expelled half a dozen times by now. don’t ever try and tell me that this man doesn’t play favorites.)

so Aizawa is taking his goggles off and saying that he’s strict with his students because he wants them to live long, fulfilling lives

OH NO

SOMEHOW HORIKOSHI MADE KURO’S FACE LOOK SOFT?! I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW, IS THERE ANYTHING HE CAN’T DO

AHHHHH

OH NO HE DID IT AHHHH THE TEARS, FUCK. WELL MY HOUSE IS FUCKING DESTROYED, I’M CLIMBING UP TO THE ROOF TO AWAIT RESCUE

wow. anyways that really did get gay as fuck at the end, didn’t it. given the meaning that those goggles have to Aizawa, can this be taken as a form of marriage proposal? no? well I’m taking it that way anyway, so. congratulations you two. I’m off to go sob into a pillow now

[deniigi]

Hi! So in sidebars you've mentioned stuff like Louis is a lot of peoples Spidey Ideal and that Miles is the favorite Spidey in Brooklyn, so I was wondering if you would be willing to expand on how the general public sees the spidey team?

Hi anon!

So the spidey team in general is pretty popular in the state, but the copy cats (Miles, Louis, Angel and Dave) are especially popular in the city. It’s kind of how people tell who is and isn’t a city local these days like, you ask them who their favorite Spidey/Team Red member is and if they start stammering or immediately choose the original Spidey, you know they’re a poser.

Those city people who truly pick Peter as their favorite Spidey catch loads of flack for it because like, everyone loves Peter. Peter’s the obvious choice. Most folks can find something in him to relate to.

But Peter can often be a little skittish and aloof when it comes to certain interactions, problems, and people. For example, if someone just grabbed Peter on the street while he was in the suit, he might try to punch them first before realizing what was going on--he’s got a lot of trauma that people aren’t aware of and his nice-friendly persona sometimes contradicts with the reality of his situation which is that he is a man with superstrength, lethal abilities, and years upon years of fighting experience. All that can make him a little unpredictable and that, in turn, can make him frightening at times.

This all works against his popularity, especially with middle-aged folks and authority figures.

So in terms of popularity based on community engagement, Louis is by far the most popular Spidey; some of that is because people mistake him to be Peter all the time. Many folks think that Peter is taller than he looks online (Pete is like, almost scraping 5′10″. Louis is about 6′1″/6′2″. Peter looks tall next to Angel and Miles, but between the others on Team Red, he’s still the shortest) and so they fall into the trap of giving him height he absolutely does not have.

Those who do recognize Louis as distinct from Peter (from the slightly toned down color of his suit and his lace-up boots) love him because he’s the gentlest Spidey and it shows in the ways that he will take time to talk to people who are committing crimes or who are victims. He sticks around to chat after a situation has been deescalated to figure out where the victim or perp is and if/where he can refer them for help if they’re calm enough to accept it. It’s a little thing that makes a big difference in terms of feeling cared for. While Peter will walk someone home and make them laugh to feel less scared in the moment, Louis has a list of community service orgs or resource centers, etc, which he keeps fliers and numbers for, so if one of his perps is say, struggling with an addiction problem or seems to be acting like they need some mental health support, he’ll offer them a place and a number. or if they ask, he’ll walk them to the location in question.

Louis is a great Spidey for connecting with people, even though he’s not the most skilled fighter on the team.

Miles is stupid popular in Brooklyn. Ever since someone caught him and his little accent whooping around the city on video, he’s been their favorite. He brings such a bright energy to the place that he kind of fits in with the busy-ness of the world around him. He makes people excited and he inspires pride in them as a symbol of hope. He’s really proud of his community, too. He does a lot of his work in the south and he wears sweaters and shoes and hats with the word ‘Brooklyn’ written on them. He takes loads of selfies and participates in a lot of memes and playful street heckling/games and has even wormed his way to the top of the polls with that tricky demographic of 8-17 and 35-50 years-old in his home borough. He’s much less popular in Manhattan and Queens than the older Spideys and is virtually unknown outside of the city (he’s getting there though, as people see Peter giving him more and more responsibility.)

Now Angel is super popular with girls, women, and femme folks of all ages, but she’s especially beloved among the femme-tending sort from about 5-15yo. Because she speaks Spanish, she also has a substantial popularity among Latine folks. She’s sassy and she’s brash and she’s not even a little apologetic for what she does or how she does it. She holds her own between the two big Spideys and has even proven herself to be able to bully Daredevil and Deadpool on occasion. She’s got a lot of ‘fuck with me and I’ll fuck with you twice as hard’ energy, which people in Mahattan and the Bronx love. She’s probably the third most popular Spidey, after Peter and like Miles, she also has a social media presence, only hers is less community-based and more for her entertainment.

Her twitter consists largely of her and Miles fighting and taking the piss out of Peter while he can’t defend himself.

People love this drama. They learn a lot about the other Spideys from Angel’s twitter and a lot of what they think they know about the others comes from there.

The man who is really shit out of luck here is Dave.

Matt’s identity as Daredevil was kind of an open, but unconfirmed secret in Hell’s Kitchen. Since he packed up and shipped off, and since Daredevil seemed to vanish with him, only to be occasionally sighted on the other coast, he accidentally confirmed the theory for a lot of folks. And in a way, a lot of them were delighted by Matt’s whole two-faced persona and his extremely bad attempts to keep the two faces separate. They got fond of him. So Dave faced a shitload of resistance at first. Even more so when there were these other shitty Daredevils running around, being dramatic and murder-y. The team all thought that after those guys were chased off, Dave’s popularity would increase, but that has emphatically not been the case.

People in Hell’s Kitchen are very attached to their Matt-DD and they continue to look at Dave with harsh judgement. He’s not silly enough or acrobatic enough for their tastes. Matt was the kind of guy to crash through a bus window, stumble over a load of folks, and bolt out the other side. Dave is the kind of guy who goes ‘well that’s not nice--who has to clean up that glass?’ and so goes around.

Basically, he’s not enough of a Daredevil for them. He’s not stupid, reckless, or devil-may-care enough, so he just doesn’t scratch that same itch in terms of embodying a Hell’s Kitchen-er identity or attitude. The community tolerates him because he does good work, but they all know when Matt’s in town to visit and when he is and he’s out with Dave chasing after his heels, the residents find it in their hearts to soften their opinions of Dave for the time being. (the jury’s still out on Sam for Hell’s Kitcheners, although the folks in SF, who know Daredevil and Blindspot as a two-man team, are totally on board with him.)

Phew! That was a lot of explaining! Hope this helps, though, anon!

[multisfabulis]

The Road to Forgiveness Be Damned

Ripples of the Past (Chapter 2/7)

Word Count: 3793

As per a poll I ran on Twitter to see if anyone wanted chapter 2 sooner or later, I’m posting this now rather than after finishing chapter 3!

Not gonna lie, this will probably be the most lighthearted chapter of this story and, to me, that’s saying something. This won’t have the dark stuff I mentioned last chapter nor is it going to be an emotional rollercoaster like the next couple chapters will be. Enjoy it while you can.

As always, I hope you enjoy reading this and I look forward to any and all criticism you have!

Read on AO3 | Read on DA

     Dim morning light peeked through the vines as Ferreth waited up for Ven. Were it not for the noise outside, he’d have no idea how early it was. He needed to get better at waking up earlier. If they wanted to accomplish their task within the four day time limit, he couldn’t be sleeping in like this. It’d help if he knew how far they’d have to go to the swamp but nothing in life was that easy.

     He found it weird how Filaurel didn’t tell them of anything to look out for. Nothing of its appearance, its behavior. If he didn’t know better, it was almost as if she was setting them up for failure. By not telling them jack, they’d waste away the four days wondering what they were hunting for till they eventually gave in. It’d be par for the course for that sadistic bitch.

     The way she treated Ven yesterday infuriated him. Barely letting her get a word in, twisting her words around to seem as if she were at fault… She probably would’ve done way worse had he not stepped in. He already resented her for being the core of Ven’s issues but her actions yesterday cemented his hate for her. If only he could make Ven realize she wasn’t to be trusted at her word…

     Ven came out at that moment, struggling to tie her hair up. She seemed to be the same as ever, though that didn’t mean much to him today. With her tendency to hide how she really felt at times, she may be feeling worse than she let on. She proved herself to be a better actress than he gave her credit for sometimes.

     Despite his concern, he mustered up a smile and asked, “Hey, how’d you sleep last night?”

     “The usual,” she replied, becoming increasingly frustrated over tying her hair up without the help of a mirror.

     “Any nightmares?”

     “No more than usual. Hey, can you help me with this? I can’t seem to get it right…” She held out a brush and hair tie to him.

     Although she said that nonchalantly, he was worried. She may be used to the nightmares but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to. Seeing how she acted when they arrived, he hoped being here wouldn’t exacerbate those bad dreams at some point. The only thing he could do was lend an ear, though he wished it wasn’t so.

     Brushing through her hair, he asked, “Ven, you’d tell me if the nightmares got worse, right?”

     “Would that be okay with you?” she asked, the tone of uncertainty he’s heard times before present in her voice. “I don’t want to be more of a burden to you than I already am…”

     “Yeah!” He gathered all of her hair and tied it up into a ponytail. “I know I can’t do more for you than just listen but… I’ll always be there for you, you know?”

     She barely responded to his words. He couldn’t tell if she believed him or wanted to, in any case. His mind flashed back to the time they had to wait out rain in a cave nearby during one of their missions. He promised her she could rely on him in times like this and no way in hell would he back out on that now. Not when she might need him to help her through this.

     Putting an arm around her shoulders, he bumped his forehead against hers and said, “Remember, you can lean on me whenever you want to. I can’t offer much but I’ll be there for you. I promised you that and I’m sticking by it.”

     The smallest glimpses of a smile rose up on her face. Smiles were rare to see from her, making this moment mean more than it usually did. He loved her smiles just as much as he loved her and wanted to make her as happy as she deserved to be. No matter how long it may take him, he was determined to see her smile without anything holding her down.

     Upon leaving, they made their way over to the outskirts. It was considerably busier today, with carts going in and out at the gate and several guards checking the insides of each one. If they were worried about someone bringing in contraband, that person would be pretty stupid to do it in plain sight.

     He felt hands grab onto his arm, knowing them to be Ven’s. This was something she did whenever she felt there were too many people around and needed to ease her anxiety. She was like Eric in that they absolutely hated being in or around crowds because it’d overwhelm them to the point of panic attacks. Unlike him, she still hadn’t gotten a handle on it yet. Being in this place probably didn’t help.

     He also felt as if there were eyes on them. Someone watching them from a place he couldn’t see, no matter how many times he looked. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was Filaurel making good on her threat through one of her lackeys. Nice to know the bitch didn’t trust them to carry out her “assignment” without any supervision.

     Getting through the gates was surprisingly easy. He thought, for sure, they would be stopped and he’d have to waste time convincing the guards to let them go. Instead, they just saw them off without a word. Whatever the reason was, he wasn’t complaining and went on his way. Once they were far enough away from the village, she let go of his arm and walked alongside him.

     Making their way westward, he hoped to find a high place to scout from. It wasn’t necessarily a requirement but it’d be nice to have one all the same. At least it’d prevent him from going into his Dradnach form and waiting a while to turn back once he was done. If he were an Air Dradnach, none of this would matter and he’d just be able to fly up. Just another thing to add to the ever-growing list of “why being an Earth Dradnach sucks”.

     “Ferret, could you… not help me so much with this?” she asked out of the blue as they trekked up a steep hill.

     Taken aback by her question, he stopped walking and replied, “W-what do you mean? I can’t just not help you.”

     “I know, it’s just that…” She stopped at the peak. “I feel like if I depend on you for anything I could do on my own, it won’t feel as if I’ve truly earned my forgiveness. It’s hard for me to explain and I know it doesn’t make any sense but… I’m only asking that you not help me a lot with this task. Not until I feel as if I’ve put in the work. Can you do that for me, please?”

     How could he just not help her with this? It wasn’t that he doubted she could carry this out on her own or saw her as a damsel in need. He knew better than anyone how strong she was and how extraordinary her abilities were. It seemed like she was only asking this because she believed it’d get her into Filaurel’s good graces. Knowing her, it still wouldn’t be enough.

     Even so, he begrudgingly gave in and said, “All right but I’m not promising anything.”

     “It wouldn’t be right of me to ask you to promise something like that.”

     They continued on till they reached a field. A couple dead trees were over to their left while their right had nothing but tall grass blowing in the breeze. Despite the sun bearing down on them, it was a nice day today. The perfect day to do some reconnaissance, he thought.

     Unfortunately, this would be where they’d stop. He didn’t know how much further the swamp was and they needed a good view of it to proceed onwards. No way could they risk stumbling in there blind only to get ambushed. Too bad it meant turning into his Dradnach form but it couldn’t be helped.

     “Hey, Ven,” he called out to her, “I think I know how we can do recon.”

     Tilting her head in confusion, she asked, “We’re not moving ahead?”

     “Nah. We don’t know how close or far we are from the swamp and I’d rather play it safe than risk falling into a trap.”

     “Okay, so what’s your plan?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

     “Well, since I’m about 20 and a half feet tall as a Dradnach, I could just turn, have you on my head as lookout, and turn back in the span of… 10, 15 minutes.”

     “We’re really desperate, aren’t we?”

     “It’s better than nothing. Besides, I know you’ve gotta be dying to see what I really look like. It is a pretty rare occasion, you know.”

     A snort and roll of her eyes gave way to a small smile. He liked making her smile, whether it be through cracking jokes or playful teasing. Her laughs were even rarer than her smiles and he managed to do that twice this trip. Even if their mission came out as a bust, today wouldn’t all be in vain.

     “All right, I’m gonna go change,” he said, heading into the field on his right side, “Don’t freak out if you see a big, fat, brown lizard in a few minutes!”

     The grass was about chest-high as he pushed past the golden blades. He needed to be a good distance away for this. His transformations always took quite a bit of space and there was no telling how much room he had in this field. He wandered down a straight line for some time before stopping.

     This spot was as good as any. He did some warm-up exercises, such as stretching his arms and legs out and cracking his bones, to prepare himself. The last time he did this was in Thornewind several months ago, back before he met Eric. At least the reason for it was different this time around. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of any and all distractions, and underwent the transformation process.

     He grew to thrice his size, flattening the grass around him. His skin hardened, causing scales that felt rough and rigid to grow over. Steely claws made to dig through the toughest of rock replaced his thin fingers. A stubby tail sprouted out from his backside, resembling that of a docked animal. Despite his grand stature, he was smaller than others of his kin, due to not being a pure-blooded Earth Dradnach. His brother loved to lord that over him when he could.

     Bringing his head down for Ven, he asked, “So what do you think? Pretty cool, right?”

     “If I can be honest, you seem more like a dog than a dragon.” She placed a hand on his snout. “A very scaly dog.”

     “How do I look in any way like a dog?”

     “Well, aside from the both of you being cute, kind, funny, lovable, and protective, you’re very huggable in this form, like a dog. If you just had fur, you’d be even cuter!”

     She let out a laugh as he nuzzled her. Only she could get away with comparing him to a dog and making it sound good. He wished this kind of thing happened more often, though without the “being compared to a dog” part.

     “I’m still cool, though, right?”

     “Very.”

     She climbed up and sat atop his head, waiting. He slowly stood up on his hind legs, carefully raising his head so as to not let her fall. Without any horns or spikes for her to grab on to in case she did, this was especially important. Once he was in an upright position, he could breathe out a sigh of relief. She was still perched on his head, meaning the hardest part of the job was done.

     With that out of the way, they saw what laid beyond the field. A dark forest still miles away from their current location sat before a marshy region. Tall willow trees were scattered across black water, decorated with green lilypads and algae. He hoped to see their quarry roaming about but luck wasn’t on his side. Well, they had the lay of the land now, which was all that mattered.

     Despite knowing all this, he let her relay the information back to him. He stayed silent, remembering what she asked of him earlier. Things of this nature, such as giving her a boost without taking away her instrumentality, had to be fine by her. Although he couldn’t show it, he was beaming with pride.

     Half a day’s travel was his best estimate for the swamp. If he were right, it’d mean they could be out by noon, finish the mission, and be back before dusk. They wouldn’t even need the fourth day if everything went to plan. The deed would be done, they’d report it to Filaurel, and head home the next day.

     Soon as he put her down, he turned back to being human. His body shrunk and became more compact, a far cry from his Dradnach form. The scales that grew over him receded, his skin once more smooth to the touch. His claws straightened, thinning out to human fingers again. The stubby tail he had only in this form vanished, as if it never existed in the first place. Now he was back to regular, human-like Ferreth, with the exception of one last thing---

     Excruciating pain erupted from his arms, as if someone was jamming several knives into them all at once. He muttered an expletive through gritted teeth under his breath as the pain ebbed. That was the one thing he hated about shifting in-between the two forms. Every time he turned from one to the other, he had to endure the pain that occurred in his arms. No matter how much time had passed from his accident, it still hurt like it happened yesterday.

     A hand on his shoulder, Ven was crouched down next to him and asking, “Are you okay? Do you need to rest?”

     “I’m all right, I just need a minute and we’ll go, okay?” he replied, giving her an assuring smile.

     He looked down to see if blood was beginning to seep into his wrappings. While his arms dully ached, the cloth was still a pristine white. Thank god for that, because he’d have a hard time trying to explain why he was suddenly bleeding. She didn’t need to know the reason why he kept his arms bandaged up. It was an unrelated matter, nothing she needed to be worried about.

     Once his small break was done, they began walking back. Cool wind blew in from behind them, ruffling their hair and clothes. It was somewhat reminiscent of Thesriden, a place he didn’t think too fondly of. The times of him being tormented by his brother far outweighed any of the good memories he had of that place. He doubted he’d ever go back there, now that he had an actual home.

     “Has anyone else seen you as a Dradnach yet back home?” she asked.

     “Nope. I prefer staying in this form--” he gestured to himself-- “since it’s just easier doing stuff than it’d be if I stayed as a dragon.”

     “I must be pretty special, then,” she said almost jokingly.

     “I’d say being the girl I’m in love with counts as being pretty special.”

     A roll of her eyes and a warm smile were all she gave in response. This wasn’t the first time he professed his love to her and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. He didn’t need her to reciprocate his feelings because he just liked being her friend. Not like she’d want to be with someone like him, anyway…

     “Oh, I just realized, would your powers be able to work in swamps?” she asked.

     “Maybe?” While he did work best in the kind of environment they were in now, swamps were like gray areas. “I mean, if there’s earth around, I can work with it. With swamps, though, everything’s practically mud so it may be tricky…”

     “You never tried?”

     “My mother died before she could teach me. Trust me, if she were still alive, she’d conquer that swamp for sure.”

     Memories of his mother flashed through his mind. He remembered how strong and confident she was, the way she used the water and earth around her so effortlessly as if they were tools for her to create with. She was a woman he was proud of being a son to and he loved her so, so much. Then she died, leaving him alone with his father and brother to deal with. Years have passed since her death yet the scar it left on him still festered to this day.

     “I wonder if she would’ve been like her…” He heard her mutter under her breath. It was easy to forget she didn’t have such a thing growing up. She had it so much worse than him and he needed to keep remembering that.

     The sun was beginning to set when they made it back. People were either closing up shop or returning home, a scene carried over from yesterday. Quick glances at Ven revealed a face full of melancholic nostalgia. He’ll never understand why she’d want to remember every bad thing that happened in the past when he’d rather just forget it all. Maybe it was just a difference of opinion on how they wanted to cope with the effects of what their crappy childhoods burdened them with.

     Having to stay in her childhood home for the duration of their time here made him apprehensive. Despite her assurances of its security, he felt inclined to say otherwise. How the hell was this rickety old house in any way safe, he wondered. Still, he kept his mouth shut so as to not upset her. This was once her home, even if he didn’t have a good thing to say about it.

     “Oh yeah,” he said suddenly, remembering what he discovered last night, “did you know anyone named Thessalia?"

     Her eyes widened in shock and she replied with, “…That was my mother’s name.”

     “I’m only asking because, after you went to bed last night, I got bored and decided to explore a bit. I found this old journal in a drawer and when I opened it, the first page had the name Thessalia on it.”

     “Could I see it, please?”

     He went over to a dusty cabinet and pulled out the drawer. An old leather book full of yellowed pages sat inside. If this really was her mother’s journal, then it’s been laying in that drawer for about twenty years. The fact she hadn’t known of its existence meant this would be the first time she’d see this.

     As he handed the book over to her, she said, “I’ve wanted to know about my mother and who she was for so long and the answers were here the whole time.”

     Several different emotions flickered across her face as she held the book in her hands. She took off a glove to feel the crinkled leather from underneath her bare fingers. Then she opened the cover to touch the first page, only to quickly flip through the rest of the musty pages. This was easily the most excited he’s ever seen her and, considering how she was normally, it’s become a big highlight of the trip so far.

     Still holding the journal, she hugged him and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

     The sudden hug rendered him speechless. Not noticing his lack of a response, she bid him a good night and walked to her room with a bounce in her step. He patted his cheeks to get rid of the blush, flabbergasted at what just happened.

     Despite how dazed he was, seeing just how happy she was right now put him in such high spirits. That journal was a goldmine of answers for her, who had been wondering just hours ago what her mother was like back then. No doubt she’d be reading through that book all night tonight.

     Even if it ran the risk of her being tired for tomorrow, she deserved this. Hopefully, they didn’t die tomorrow and she could be forgiven for her crime. So long as they kept their wits about them and protected each other, it’ll be smooth sailing. Then, when the four day time limit was up, they could go back home.

[fiercyy]

if you can't hold on, hold on [3/?]

Sakura always wished she could relate to her teammates better. She wishes she could take it back.

In which Sasuke acquires some unwanted roommates and a team becomes a family.

Chapter 1

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.

With Naruto gone, the apartment has become quiet.

Sasuke feels awkward and unsettled; he doesn't know how he's supposed to act. The three of them have an established dynamic and routine. With Naruto gone, that balance has been upset. Naruto fills most of the silence, especially these days.

When he said something stupid, Sakura could always be relied upon to share a longsuffering look. Hers being generally more fond than his.

She's quieter these days, but not this quiet. With Naruto gone, there's one less major distraction. He thinks she must be dwelling. He keeps catching her looking out the window, or past the television set.

The best solution he has is to keep her on a schedule. It's what he did, after it happened. So Sasuke conscripts Sakura into his Don't Think About Your Feelings, Only Vengeance regimen.

He wakes up at 5am and kicks her door.

She stumbles into the kitchen, bleary eyed. The first day she'd whispered, "what's going on?" Now she knows to come to the table, dressed.

He hands her a protein bar, takes one for himself and they head out.

They train. They take a water break. Train some more. They spar. They go home.

It's a quiet existence. And it's unnerving because of how unnatural it feels.

Sakura likes to talk. She has so much to say. She should feel comfortable enough to talk. Sasuke isn't equipped for this. He doesn't have the language to console her or explain his issues even to himself.

He hasn't processed his own trauma, he doesn't know how he's supposed to help her with hers.

Even so, he feels closer to her than he ever has. And isn't that sick?

In the past, he's told her and Naruto that they could never understand him or his pain. They hadn't gone through what he had. Now Sakura was the closest anyone could come. And they cannot commiserate. He cannot manage to pass on anything to her. Because nothing makes it easier.

On the third day, as she pants in the dirt after their spar, he asks if she wants to go for ramen.

"Yes," she says, too quick.

Teuchi asks them where Naruto is, Sakura smiles brightly and genuinely at him, "He's off to find our next Hokage! It's a really important mission, but hopefully he'll be back soon." Teuchi responds with pride of course, he likes Naruto a lot. He takes their orders and retreats into the back.

Sasuke is jealous of Naruto. His and Sakura's situations are the same, but it's Naruto who is able to reach out to her and make her feel better. He's always able to tell what she needs; be it a distraction or a shoulder or a blanket fort.

He feels inept. He's never wanted to talk about feelings, but his teammate is hurting. And he has no way of fixing that.

It occurs to him that night, as intrusive thoughts sometimes do, that this whole thing is a distraction from his revenge. He's worrying about Sakura, and his team is living with him. He's concentrating on her pain instead of his. He needs to be single minded if he wants to accomplish his goals.

He physically bats those thoughts away and presses a hand to his forehead. He turns to look at the empty bed by the window and growls. He knows what the right thing to do is.

Tomorrow he'll try harder.

The next day he wakes her up and they train as always. They go home and prepare dinner together. Sasuke asks her some leading questions while frying up the vegetables.

For his efforts, he receives a sweet and wobbly smile.

After dinner they sit on the couch and watch tv, Sakura's woolen blanket spread out over their laps. They fall asleep like that, on opposite sides, feet tangled together in the middle.

.

.

Things never remain simple for long.

.

.

Sakura comes to life in her panic, grabbing Sasuke's hand and dragging him out the door in a way that he would never allow under normal circumstances.

They'd just got word that Kakashi was in the hospital.

In some ways, they always believed their teacher to be invincible. It was so easy to forget that he was anything but.

She needs to keep moving, or else she's going to sink into the earth. Sakura is barely keeping her head above water these days and if something happens to Kakashi… She doesn't know what she'll do.

The hand in hers is dry and warm. She glances back at Sasuke, who doesn't let the worry show quite like she does, but it's there. She squeezes his hand in assurance. He doesn't squeeze back but he nods at her and doesn't shake her off. That's enough.

At the hospital front desk, a paternal nurse with bushy eyebrows and grey streaks at his temples guides them to Kakashi's room in intensive care. It's already crowded. Asuma, Kurenai stand propped up against the wall by the window. Gai occupies a chair by his eternal rival's side.

Sakura gasps and her hands fly to her mouth, "What's wrong with him?"

He doesn't seem that injured, but he's unconscious.

Gai glances back at the other jounins before answering, "He keeps fading in and out. He was under the influence of a very powerful genjutsu. The aftereffects are…concerning."

Kurenai, being the genjutsu expert, averts her eyes as if fearing she'll be caught in one. "It's trying on the mind. None of the medics in the village are equipped to handle a case like this."

"Will he get better?"

Kurenai's heart goes out to the girl. Kakashi told her about Sakura's parents. He asked her for advice that she didn't have. The best she could do was treat a traumatized girl the way he would one of the boys. Having met Sasuke though, she wasn't sure he had the best grasp of that either.

"We're not sure."

"That means no Sakura," Sasuke's cutting interruption startled everyone.

"You don't know-"

"Yes I do," red eyes shifted between all the adults in the room. "Who did this?" If Sasuke knew one thing, it was vengeance.

Kurenai and Gai exchange a look, but Asuma stares at the boy impassively.

"TELL US!"

Sakura winces at the volume and anger in his voice. Gai's immediate instinct is to mitigate that. "Everything's going to be-"

"Don't lie to us!" Sakura surprises them all by siding with

At that very moment a nurse walks in, staring at his clipboard, concentrating deeply, "I'm sorry to say that we're not quite sure how to mitigate the effects of the Magekyou. We haven't had the opportunity to study it before-"

Like an anchor tied to his chest, dropped into the ocean. Sasuke can't breathe. He's being sucked downwards, spiralling into feelings he can't parse. Anger, shock, confusion.

"Why. WHY WAS HE HERE?!"

"Who?" Sakura whispered, worried.

"-I'm so sorry!" the nurse cries.

Asuma pushes off from the wall. At this point, he already knows too much. They'll have to find out this part eventually.

"Your brother is part of an organization called Akatsuki. They were after Naruto."

.

.

"Wait, STOP!" Sakura shouts, running after Sasuke. "You have to think about this!" She catches his arm and holds fast.

"There's no time to waste," he wrenches his arm from her grip. "I have to find my brother."

"But why? What's going on? And if he took out Kakashi-sensei, how are you going to beat him?"

"Shut up!" He doesn't want to hear logic. This is the first word he's heard of his brother in years.

"I will not! You're going to get yourself killed."

Bravery keeps her knees from quaking, determination stops the hyperventilating. She can't lose him. She can't lose him. She grabs his arm again, but this time he shoves her. By now they're a block away from the gate. He pushes her up against a telephone poll. She's taller than him still, so she manages to stay on her toes. Sakura winces, the rusted staples from old flyers dig into her back. There's a dangerous and unhinged look in his Sharingan eyes. "Stay out of my way."

Then he's gone. Too fast for her to ever hope she could catch up.

.

.

Sakura isn't done yet. She is a hurricane, blowing into Kakashi's hospital room. A storm of anger and accusations.

"Who have you sent?!" she demanded, "Who did you send to warn Naruto, to protect him?!"

As the adults around her exchange looks, abdicating responsibility, she wants to scream. They've failed him. More and more, Sakura is noticing the way adults seem to fail them all. She spoke to her social worker about it. Who looked after Naruto his whole life? He never had parents, did he always live alone? Who fed Sasuke after his family died?

Her social worker responded that they only had two allotted sessions left, is she sure she wants to spend them talking about her teammates?

This is fucked up. This is so fucked up.

"Who would we send?" Asuma asks.

"Anyone!"

"We don't know where they are," Kurenai adds, "Besides, Lord Jiraiya is with him and he's a legendary Sannin. There's literally no one better to protect him."

"If it's so hard, why has Sasuke gone off to find them just now?"

.

.

A knock at the door of his hotel room elicits a grown from Naruto.

"Got shut down already Pervy Sage? When are you gonna-" he swings the door open and comes face to face with a man in a black cloak, with red clouds. This would have left the bigger impression, were it not for unnervingly familiar, glaring, red eyes, pining him in place.

.

.

Next

(x)

a/n: Been slow on updating because I've been working on another fic at the same time. The other one had a clearer direction in my mind (and has a really fun dynamic to write) so I got a little sidetracked. I've found the thread of this one though! Reviews are always loved and cherished.

PS: You can find me on tumblr as fiercyy! I love getting asks and prompts for oneshots or just to say hey.

- Fi

[c-is-for-circinate]

Some thoughts on the very final boss battle of Persona 5

It’s in those very last moments--that final instant, that flash that is as still and infinite as eternity, when all the voices of every soul below reach up to them and their final battle against the God--that Akira knows himself to be a slave.

He’s a rebel.  He’s fighting god himself, has struggled his way through hell and up to heaven for it.  He is here to champion the cause of free will for every single soul on Earth, and he has no choice in the matter.  He never did.

This is what he’s good at, where he excels: fitting perfectly into whatever situation comes upon him.  He’s the Trickster, the man of a thousand masks.  He can wear any face he likes, and in return, he always wears the face he needs.  It’s a bargain of sorts.  Akira knows a lot about bargains by now.  He has known a lot about rules for his entire life.

Once upon a time, that was a quiet life in a small town where he kept to the middle of his class and hid his face behind glasses and obeyed every rule.  Nobody up here with him would believe it, but he was just like everybody else.  He would have willingly given over rule of his life to somebody else.  He did, every single day--his parents, his teachers, the will of society as a whole.  He would have let Yaldabaoth rule over him without hesitation.

He did.  That’s the secret that isn’t a secret at all, only he doesn’t think any one of his friends have realized it.  They all stepped into the life of a Phantom Thief, one by one, to rebel against whatever force was holding them back.  Akira stepped into it because that was the door open in front of him.  Because he was chosen.  Because it was fate.

He spent a long time in that cell in Yaldabaoth’s Velvet Room.  He’s been playing his role for a very long time.

It was a rigged game, Lavenza said.  So why play a game at all?

There are rules.  Yaldabaoth always meant to take the world, but he’s bound by rules.  He’s created by the collective will of the entire world, to be the incarnation of rules, and that means he has to follow them, too.  That’s how the story goes: two opposing sides.  Order and chaos.  Bless and Curse.  The God, and the Trickster.

That’s what it means, to be the Trickster.  It’s a role.  The story requires it.  Every story needs an antagonist.  Every fate demands an opponent.

It’s been a long, slow, arduous path up to the top of this summit right now, but there is no other path he could have walked.  None.  He chose the ‘how’, sometimes--picked their days to storm into palaces, certainly, but whether or not they stormed in at all?  No.  It was never a choice.  The door was open in front of him, and he walked through.  From the very first moment--he could have stumbled along the way, but there was never any other place he could have ended up besides right here.

He could have turned right instead of left and fallen off a cliff at Akechi’s hands.  He could have taken the false Igor’s deal, maybe, and left the world enslaved.  Supposedly.  He could have left the woman to Shido’s attentions and turned the other way all the way back at the beginning, a year ago almost to the day.  That might have been the only real choice in all of this, the step that started him down this path, except there was no choice at all.  It was a foregone conclusion as soon as he set foot on the street that night.

He knows about bonds, now.  He can feel every single unbreakable chain that he’s forged this year, tying him to his fate.  He’d never understood, back at the beginning, the chains tying Arsene’s arms to his--which of them was the puppet, the prisoner, and which of them was supposed to be the will?  Even back then, all the way back at the beginning, he was bound--to himself, if nothing else.  To his own code.  To his own justice.  He could not have turned the other way on that first night any more than he can turn around and leave the battle in front of him right now.

He’s the Trickster, after all.  Yaldabaoth created him as such, and gave him to the world, because the collective will of humanity demanded a rebel.  The collective will of humanity demands freedom and hope and revolution every bit as much as it demands order.  He can feel it this very instant.  He can feel it right now, the light and the power from every person in Tokyo, in Japan, on Earth who believes in this moment in the Phantom Thieves.  

The Trickster is every bit as much a creation and a slave to the will and desires of humankind as Yaldabaoth is himself.  He thinks, fleetingly, of online polls and Kunikazu Okumura.  He thinks about choices.

He could surrender right now and let Yaldabaoth kill him, destroy his friends, enslave the world.  Akira Kurusu is a human being with a human’s free will.  He can choose.  He can give in--

He told me to go to his place.  You know what that means.

Whenever I acted out of line, I was made to sit calmly in that corner.

I’m just a burden to her.

This place is my tomb.

I think it’d be useless.

He can give in to Yaldabaoth.  Or he can give in to the rising, rushing tide of hope and determination that demands he win here.  Surrender or surrender.  Submit to a god, or submit himself to the rules of becoming one.

Shall we make a deal?  The ring of his own thoughts echo in his own head, through all the bits of him that Yaldabaoth never quite managed to execute.  He’s been killing bits of himself since the very first week he stepped into the Velvet Room, murdering himself by inches in exchange for power, a few more steps down this path that chose him.  But some bonds can’t be broken.  Arsene hasn’t quite left him yet.

A deal.  One last deal, with his own self.  One more vow.

Maybe it’s possible for humans to go through life unbound by rules and bonds and the will of society.  He’s here to defend that possibility.  It doesn’t exist for him, but.

He can choose which bonds to forge into unbreakable steel.  He can pick which side he surrenders to.

It’s not in him to break a promise.  One last promise, then.  Arsene flares up inside him for the first time in almost a year, behind his mask.

He’ll take the power.  He’ll be the Trickster, the Joker.  He will be Satanael, the Rebel, the Devil Himself.  He won’t falter.  He won’t fall.

And when this is all done, he’ll just be human, that’s all.  This will be done.  No path, no story, no more fate, just the wide World spread out full in front of him.  He’ll have his own freedom, then.

He raises his gun and gives in to fate just one more time.

[hockeyandhorses]

Heartland rewatch - 1x02 - After the Storm

> Where in that conversation did I hear Amy say to call Swallow’s owner, Lou? If Amy said he was ready to go, then she wouldn’t have just said “Fine.”

> No, really, who reads Forbes magazine? I don’t think I know anyone who does!

> Mallory is 12 years old in season 1, just in case those die-hard fans were wondering.

> “I don’t do horse poo.” - Classic Mallory line

> Soraya! 

> Funny how Amy’s in a spaghetti-strap tank and Soraya has a sweater on! Alberta weather must be crazier than I’ve learned.

> Pegasus! *sob*

> The very subtle pail kick...nice, Jack.

> Mhmm, I’ve missed Ty’s early seasons hair.

> “I thought you didn’t do horse sh-- manure>” Nice save, Jack.

> Soraya being a supportive best friend telling Amy she can do what her mom did. Find a “Soraya” in your life, because sometimes life throws you curve balls and it helps to have a support system to cheer you on.

> Oh my God, Ashley, did you not hear your mother?! No means NO!

> The set decoraters did such a good job in the barn office. All the pictures, ribbons and general clutter just make it seem even more real.

> Poor Ty, wrong place, wrong time. If he hadn’t walked in, I’m sure Amy would’ve just picked up the tack herself, but instead she chooses to be snotty to Ty.

> That *is* a lot of work for just one ranch hand, Amy. Cut Ty some slack.

> But at least you apologized.

> I wouldn’t say no to honey and bananas! Slap it between two pieces of bread with some peanut butter and I’m a happy camper.

> At least Lou is taking the hit for her mistake.

> Soraya and her mom listening to Val conversation with another lady and they are totally not being subtle about it. Haha

> Nick Harwell!

> “Oh, he’s too cute.”

   “Down, girl.”

> Soraya is just too hilarious in front of Nick Harwell.

> I get what Lou is saying about sticking to rates for charging people, but I would rather know I’m getting my money’s worth. I wouldn’t want to spend a fortune and still have a horse with issues. And if someone is willing to work with a horse for as long as they need to in order to correct the issue the first time, then I’d be willing to pay whatever because then I would know that that person cared enough to spend all that time working with the horse and wasn’t just doing it for the money.

> Does that black dog sitting on the bench with Amy have a name? I think it was the only time I ever saw that dog, though.

> “I’m still trying to figure her out. I wish she was a horse. It would be a lot easier.” - Amy talking about Lou.

> Can always count on Jack for some sage advice.

> Finally Ty and Amy having an actual conversation without being snotty to one another. 

> And that is why you don’t approach a horse from the rear. If Ty hadn’t stopped he would’ve gotten kicked by Spartan.

> Maybe I should do T-touch on myself. My job is pretty stressful some days.

> You can just hear the gears working in Ty’s brain once he sees that Spartan won’t go in the trailer.

> Even Lou’s brave face can’t stay on permanently.

> I’d take that view of the Canadian Rockies over NYC any day.

> “Just a day at a time”. Funny how Jack gives her the same advice that Tim did in 1x01. 

> It’s good thing Mallory did stumble upon Ty. It’s not like he would’ve known how to set up the jumping course, Google or not

> More teenage Amy angst...Lou’s trying, Amy.

> Months have passed (I assume) since 1x01 and Clint Riley is just now coming to Heartland to talk to Jack about Ty?

> See, Mallory set him straight about the jumping course.

> This dream was shot beautifully. For a few seconds, you feel like you’re in a horror film.

> I’ve heard people speculate that they think Ty is naked under the bed sheets and that’s why Amy closes the door and leaves in a hurry. I suppose he could’ve been because barn lofts get super hot (all that heat rising) and the only thing to stay cool enough to sleep would be to do it your birthday suit, but I feel that Amy would’ve had the same reaction if he was just in his boxers (or briefs? I’m sure there’s poll out there in the fandom to determine which Ty would wear!).

> The first time we see Amy and Ty working together to help a horse. Makes me all teary-eyed. 

>  Mallory using T-touch on Lou and Jack almost spewing his coffee is the best scene in the episode!

> “It’s kinda difficult to sling mud and keep your own hands clean.” - Jack to Val

> Love Amy’s “cowgirl” tank. Hey, @Heartlandclothing did you ever find out where to get it or a tank similar?

> Ty’s advice helped! See, he’s not just a pretty face. 

> Hug it out, sisters....and then jokingly, Amy gets one last jab in.

> It’s nice to have your vet in your corner. 

> Jack, you ol’ softy not giving up on Ty.

> Love this end scene with this song by Kensington Prairie, “A Million Skies”

> Gah, Ty’s smirk is adorable!

> Amy’s so cute in braids.

[starwitness42]

I happened to stumble upon Shadowhunters and it's actually quite interesting. I tend to do some research before I fully dive into a fandom so I have some questions if you don't mind. Going through various forms of social media i noticed that Alec tends to be the fan favorite by the showings of posts, polls, and comments, etc. Malec seems to be the fan favorite ship by the same means. What's so special about Alec and Malec and this show in general?

How do I love Malec? I cannot actually count the ways…

So this is probably going to get wordy, mostly because in all my years of fandom and shipping, I have never come across anything like Malec. I was at the ground floor of Dean/Cas, I cooed over McShep, had high hopes for JohnLock, and dabbled in about a dozen other fandoms only to come up short and disappointed every time. So I wanted to start with what I feel is the most important aspect of this ship: They are canon. And not just “here’s our token gay couple let’s shove them off to the side” canon, but “these two characters and their burgeoning relationship is a fundamental part of the fabric of our show so let’s do right by them” canon and that, in my experience, is revolutionary. 

But that’s from a media perspective. And though it’s all well and good, what has really drawn me in are the characters and the thoughtful, heartfelt portrayals of them by Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr. Which is what I am going to word vomit about after the cut.

So here is my love letter to Alec and Magnus:

You are probably right in assuming that Matthew/Alec is the fandom darling (although my heart belongs equally, and sometimes even more so to Harry/Magnus). But I will admit that even for me, Alec was the first one I fell in love with, and I think that’s because I (and a lot of other people that find solace in fandom) can relate to him on a very deep level.

Alec is selfless. He is constantly putting others in front of himself, even in front of his own life. He will do literally anything for the people he loves, most notably his sister and his adopted brother. He is a soldier who has given his entire life to the cause he was born to believe in, but as the first season goes along he becomes conflicted. He sees not only that the organization he has sworn allegiance to may not always be as right as he always thought, or that the parents he has always battled to impress while constantly being told he wasn’t good enough might not be as squeaky clean as he always thought, but he sees that the life (his life) that he has been taught not to value apart from what good and use it can bring to others might actually mean something in and of itself. That maybe, just maybe it’s okay for him to want things. To want happiness. But in season one, that’s still a big maybe.

Because not only is he a soldier who thinks his only value is in the lives he can save by willingly sacrificing his own, but he’s a deeply closeted young gay man who very clearly despises himself for what he and the homophobic society he lives in deems as wrong. A man who also believes that he is in love with his very straight adopted brother. And so a man who thinks that the very baseline of himself is ugly and wrong. 

And this is when he meets Magnus. Magnus Bane, a centuries old warlock. A bisexual MOC who is quite literally both the most fabulous and most badass person in any room he enters. Magnus, who sparkles like a glitter-soaked sun but who also has an amazing depth that just makes you want to protect him from the evils of the world (even though you know he is strong enough to protect himself). 

A man who has lived through countless wars, fought countless battles, lost countless friends and lovers but who still manages to be kind and giving and generous and loving to everyone he comes into contact with, including Shadowhunters, who have historically been horrible and vile to people like him simply because of the fact that he was born with demon blood in his veins. 

In season one, we don’t get as much development with Magnus as we do with Alec, but Harry… my God, does Harry give us so much with even the smallest of glances. How he can smile while conveying with his eyes how much Magnus’ heart is breaking. And so when Magnus tells Alec that for almost a century he has closed himself off to caring about anyone, man or woman, but that Alec has somehow, miraculously, unlocked something in him, you believe it all the way into the core of your heart. And you want, more than anything, for these two to find a way to be together.

Which brings me to Malec. The pairing that is quite literally, at the moment, saving my life. Two people on the cusp of love that just happen to both be males in an entertainment industry that tends to shuffle this type of storyline to the side, if they even develop it at all. Which is why, at the end of season one, I remember thinking: I have no idea how they’re going to develop this, because their season one development is usually what M/M or F/F pairings get EVER. There’s buildup, tension, will they won’t they, then they kiss and that’s… it. They’re magically a couple, never to be heard from again until one of them cheats or they get married and try to adopt a kid. But that was just the START for these two, and if the season two premiere is anything to go by, we’re going to get even more revolutionary storytelling for them going forward.

Because when it all boils down, these two characters are being portrayed as people. As individuals. With their own stories, their own drives, their own histories and baggage. And so their relationship is one that is going to be very human. They will fight and make up. They will make mistakes. There will be days when they won’t be able to stand to look at one another, and other days when they won’t be able to stand being out of each other’s sight. And at the end of it all, they will continue to be totally relatable.

Alec Lightwood is a half angel demon hunter, but he is also a broken man, unloved by his parents, fiercely protective of his siblings, willing to lay down his very life for anyone that needs him to. A young man who has pushed a vital part of himself down for his entire life because he thought he was wrong to feel that way. And a young man who learned last season that it’s not wrong, that HE is not wrong, and that it’s okay to love someone. To love a man. To want love and be loved and try to reach out for love even though “Shadowhunters don’t have feelings” and “boys shouldn’t like boys” and “my parents have convinced me somehow that I am absolute garbage deserving of nothing but pain.” How many of us have had similar feelings? And how many of us have hopefully found that same strength to open our eyes and see, like Alec, that we’re worthy? Not because of what we do or who we save, but because of who we are. 

Magnus Bane is a centuries old warlock, but he is also a broken man as well. A man who has been told his whole life that because he is half demon, he is lesser. He is tainted. A man whose own mother killed herself when she found out what he was, and whose stepfather tried to drown him for the same reason. A man who helps Shadowhunters willingly even though the vast majority of them look at him like he is beneath them. A man who has been burned by love before, who has watched human lovers die of old age after living with them at his side for a half a century, and who has watched immortal lovers rip him to shreds from the inside out for foolishly giving his heart to them, but who still reaches out for love with everything he has. Who is pushed away by Alec so many times but still keeps coming back because he knows there’s something there, something potentially great, something worth it. Because he knows ALEC is worth it, and because he knows that he, Magnus, is worthy of something good like Alec. 

These aren’t just characters. They aren’t archetypes. They are living, breathing entities, leaping off the screen. The show in general is good, and it seems as if second season is going to make it GREAT, but there’s no denying that the scenes that shine the most are the ones with Alec and Magnus in them because Matt and Harry care, plain and simple. They care deeply for these characters, for the story they’re telling, the lives they’re touching, and that shows. That’s why I hold my breath every time they’re in the same room as one another, and that’s why I know countless other people do as well. And this season we won’t just get to see that, but we’ll get to see THEM, being “real people,” together and apart. Not a sideshow. Not a B, C, or even D plot, but vital. Integral. Raw and real and warm. And that’s all I have to say about that. :)

[celtfather]

How to Vote in Celtic Top 20 #438

How to vote in the Celtic Top 20, plus lots of great Celtic culture through Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

Mithril, Round the House, willos', Andy Law & Friends, Outbound Traveler, Jim Sharkey, We Banjo 3, Eamonn Flynn, The Prodigals, Kyn, Hard Green, The Wild Irish Roses, Brother Sea

I hope you enjoyed this week's show. If you did, please share the show with ONE friend.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is dedicated to growing our community and helping the incredible artists who so generously share their music. If you find music you love, buy their albums, shirts, and songbooks, follow them on Spotify, see their shows, and drop them an email to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

Remember also to Subscribe to the Celtic Music Magazine. Every week, I'll send you a few cool bits of Celtic music news. It's a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Plus, you'll get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free, just for signing up today. Thank you again for being a Celt of Kindness.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 With the new year comes a new votes in the Celtic Top 20. This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. Just list the show number, and the name of as many bands in the episode as you like. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2019 episode.  Vote Now!

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:07 - "The Trip To Skye/Brenda Stubbert's/The Hunter's Purse/Tommy Peoples" by Mithril from The Return Home

6:57 - WELCOME

7:37 - "MacLeod's Farewell" by Round the House from Safe Home

10:53 - "Pastures of Plenty" by willos' from 4th

15:25 - "An Diberdhyans / Dons Bewnans" by Andy Law & Friends from The Long and the Short of It

20:19 - "Vincent Black Lightning" by Outbound Traveler from Go On and Wander

24:52 - HOW TO VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20

27:44 - "The Old Piano" by Jim Sharkey from A Lovely Day

32:45 - "The Bunch of Green Rushes/Salt Creek" by We Banjo 3 from Gather the Good

36:48 - "Black Coddle" by Eamonn Flynn from Black Coddle

41:05 - CELTIC FEEDBACK

45:13 - "Jug of Punch" by The Prodigals from Brothers

51:16 - "Fata Morgana" by Kyn from Earendel

55:32 - "Whisky in the Jar" by Hard Green from Rare Old Mountain Dew

59:49 - "Garry Owen" by The Wild Irish Roses from Full Bloom

1:02:26 - FINAL NOTES

1:03:58 - "Curious Shore" by Brother Sea from EP

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. To subscribe, go to Apple Podcasts or to our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

  CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic musician and podcaster. This show is dedicated to the indie Celtic musicians. I want to ask you to support these artists. Share the show with your friends. And find more episodes at celticmusicpodcast.com. You can also support this podcast on Patreon.

Subscribe to the Celtic Christmas Podcast to enjoy hours of Christmas music by Celtic musicians.

HOW TO VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 We are near the end of the year. That means there are just a couple more weeks left for you to vote in the Celtic Top 20.

The Celtic Top 20 is a poll for you to pick the best songs of each episode of the podcast. At the end of the year, I compile the twenty most-popular songs of all episodes into one very special, extra-long episode.

Your last day to vote for your favorite Celtic songs of this year is on December 18, 2019. There are many ways you can vote. I will list two below.

The most-obvious way to vote is to just relax and listen to the show. Each time you come across a song or tune that blows you away, write down the show time.

Then head over to the shownotes at CelticMusicPodcast.com. I list the times of each song played in the show. If you wrote down 5:56, you can find exactly what song was played at that timestamp.

Just copy the band name and the show number. Go to BestCelticMusic.net/vote/ and cast your vote.

You can repeat this procedure with as many tracks as you want in the show.

That’s the basic way. But sometimes you want to give every song a solid chance to be heard. So now I want to share tips on how to make voting easier, using a method I use when picking my favorites.

Step 1. At the top of each episode of the podcast, I list every artist in the show. Copy and paste that list into a notes program along with the show number. I use Evernote. So that’s where I paste it.

Step 2. Listen to the episode. If any song or tune doesn’t impress you, look at the show time to find out the band name. Delete that band from the list.

Step 3. Repeat that procedure until you’re done.

Step 4. Go vote at BestCelticMusic.net/vote/. Post all of the band names that remain in your list in the voting form. Congrats you’re done!

I know. I’m a bit anal about voting. But sometimes I’m impressed by multiple artists. So I want to give each a chance to be heard again.

Either of these methods of voting are great with me. Ultimately, I want you to just enjoy the show. But the Celtic Top 20 is something special. This is a chance for many artists to get extra special attention. The tracks are also added to our Top Irish & Celtic Music Playlist on Spotify. It’s a big honor. But these artists need your votes to earn it.

So go vote in the Celtic Top 20 today!

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through it's culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Join the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Your generosity funds the creation, promotion and production of the show. It allows us to attract new listeners and to help our community grow. You get weekly episodes of this podcast and you get them before regular listeners. When we hit a milestone, you get an extra-long episode. We are $26 away from a two-hour instrumental.

You can pledge a dollar or more per episode and cap how much you want to spend each month over on Patreon.

I want to send a huge shout out to our Celtic Legends. These amazing people pledge at least $25 per month to support Celtic culture through music. That is just incredibly kind. So I humbly thank you.

Raise a glass to Shawn Cali, Hank Woodward, Annie Lorkowski, Tiffany Knight, robert michael kane, Bryan Brake, Lynda MacNeil, Kevin Long, Nancie Barnett, Miranda Nelson, Carol Baril, Scott Benson, Marianne Ludwig, Patricia Conner

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast at http://songhenge.com.

Oh! And Song Hengers who pledge $5 or more per month also get an exclusive podcast where I tell you a little more about artists in the latest episode.

  I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can send a written comment along with a picture of what you're doing while listening. Email a voicemail message to celticpodcast@gmail.com

Tim Meushaw emailed two years ago: "Hi, Marc, I have been a listener for a very long time, but usually when I'm listening I'm doing fairly mundane things, like cleaning or driving.  But I was on holiday on the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides, for a few days last week, and listened to episode 332 while hiking north to Ardmore Bay, outside of Tobermory.  They say that on a clear day, you can see to the Isle of Skye, which reminded me of next year's Celtic Invasion.  I can't say I actually saw Skye, but the rest of the scenery was breathtaking.

To prove I was listening, I made a short video of the bay, with "Sláinte Mhaith" from that episode playing as background music.  Hope you enjoy!"

Tim followed up a few days ago and reminded about this email. So let me say first I am sorry Tim that I missed your email. I haven a much better system for including your feedback into the show. And hopefully, I won't run into that problem again in the future. Thank you so much for sharing the video too.

If you want to watch Tim's video. Head on over to the shownotes.

Fred Gilbertson emailed some photos in July 2018: "Hi Marc, I listened to your podcast for the 1st time yesterday. I had spent some time in the morning deleting other stuff from and then adding new stuff on my iPod. I think I stumbled upon your show doing an iTunes search for Natalie MacMaster. Anyway, I loaded the podcast on and later I rode my bike. My 1st new listen was to an NPR New music podcast, and when it ended I switched to your show.

I enjoyed it a lot, and I intend to listen again in the future. You read a note from the listener in Suffolk, England and told of the pictures he had attached for your viewing pleasure, and you welcomed “us” to send more. Right at that moment I happened to be at a spot that I thought you would find interesting. I was on the Colonial Parkway, near Williamsburg, VA. I stopped right where I was and took 3 pictures, rode another mile or so and took 2 more. It was a rather gloomy day, but it is always rather glorious out on this stretch of the earth.

On one 1 side of the parkway where I stopped, there is a farm that’s called “Gospel Spreading Farm”, which, due to its religious identity, is the only residence and farm that remained when the land was cleared decades ago for the construction of the parkway.

Same spot, looking to the southwest, you see the James River

Same spot, sort of northwest in direction, more of the James as well as the southern tip of Jamestown Island, where the colonists arrived in 1607.

About a mile away, the James w/ a look at the Surry Nuclear Power Station

Same spot, a selfie."

Brandon Ball emailed a photo in May: "Love the podcast First podcast I ever listened to, back in 2009. Keep turning them out! And please play Drunken Night in Dublin by The Mahones?

Here’s what I just built while listening to the most recent podcast. Whiskey you’re the devil is playing now. It’s a box for sprouts! Thanks Marc, Great listening,"

Kathy Levin emailed in March 2017, “Hey Marc, Hope all is going well.

You always ask what people are doing while listening to your Celtic Podcast - well I spend many days here at work (WD-40 Company) catching up on back episodes I have not listened to while working.

I use this to drown out the fact I work in an area with some very noisy people. Today I am setting the mood for an Irish Rovers concert we are going to tonight.

On another note:  Would you please send me the link for artists that would like to have their music on the Podcast?  I have a great guy that I met last year at an SCA event and then re-connected with last month who is interested. He is out of Canada and is also on Patreon.

Thanks for the great music!"

  #celticmusic #celtictop20 #irishmusic

Check out this episode!

[spanishpolishtranslations]

“I eat an apple”

Catalan- Jo menjo una poma.

French- Je mange une pomme.

Spanish- Yo como una manzana.

Portuguese- Eu como uma maçã.

“I sleep in my bed”

Catalan- Jo dormo dins del meu llit or Jo dormo dins mon llit (can also say Jo dormo al meu llit).

French - Je dors dans mon lit.

Spanish- Yo duermo dentro de mi cama (can also say Yo duermo en mi cama).

Portuguese- Eu durmo dentro da minha cama (can also say Eu durmo na minha cama).

“I want to talk”

Catalan- Jo vull parlar.

French- Je veux parler.

Spanish- Yo quiero hablar.

Portuguese- Eu quero falar.

As you can see, in these examples, Catalan greatly resembles French.

But let’s take a look at an article published in La Vanguardia last year:

Spanish

Por amplísima mayoría, los rectores españoles ratificaron ayer no ofrecer grados de tres años para el próximo curso 2016-2017 de formaciones universitarias ya existentes y mantener el modelo actual de formación de cuatro años de duración. El acuerdo aprobado ayer por la asamblea general de la Conferencia de rectores de las universidades españolas (CRUE), por 64 votos a favor, cinco abstenciones y dos votos en contra es vinculante a las 76 instituciones asociadas, que representan la casi totalidad del sistema universitario español.

Catalan

Per amplíssima majoria, els rectors espanyols van ratificar ahir no oferir per al curs 2016-2017 graus de tres anys de formacions universitàries ja existents i mantenir el model actual de formació de quatre anys de durada. L’acord aprovat ahir per l’assemblea general de la Conferència de rectors de les universitats espanyoles ( CRUE), per 64 vots a favor, cinc abstencions i dos vots en contra, és vinculant a les 76 institucions associades, que representen la gairebé tot el sistema universitari espanyol.

As you can see, despite having words that clearly resemble French, it does also look like Spanish. And if you pay further attention, you’ll also see a certain resemblance with Italian.

I actually looked online for further opinions and stumbled upon a Catalan speaking forum, which conducted this poll a few years back.

The poll’s title was, “What language do you think resembles Catalan the most?”

The person who posted this poll left Occitan out, as he stated that it was quite obvious that Occitan and Catalan are twin languages. The poll is also missing Aragonès and Aranès.

So, according to some native Catalan speakers on the internet, the language they feel that resembles Catalan the most is Italian. One person comments though, that a Japanese friend had told him/her that it resembled French the most.

But what does an actual linguistic source say about it?

According to Ethnologue[1], the language closest to Catalan (lexically) is none other than… Italian.

Lexical similarity: 87% with Italian [ita], 85% with Portuguese [por] and Spanish [spa], 76% with Ladin [lld], 75% with Sardinian [src], 73% with Romanian [ron].

Ethnologue does not talk about French, unfortunately. But I’d say that its lexical proximity to Catalan would be around that of Portuguese and Spanish.

I found this actual document [2]which exemplifies some lexical contrasts between Catalan, Spanish and Italian. If you can read in Spanish, you may find this an interesting and well thought read.

Phonetically, I think it resembles Italian and Spanish more, as well. I find French more “closed” than Catalan, and I also think that it (French) sounds more like Portuguese than Catalan, although I can’t deny that Catalan does share some phonetic aspects with French given its proximity.

In an answer of mine[3], I read the exact same text (Article 10 from UN Declaration of Human Rights) in English, French, Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese. I’m leaving here a couple audios of it. Take in mind that while I don’t consider myself to have a native accent in French, I do have a native accent in Spanish and Catalan.

In the first one I read in English, French and Spanish.

And in the second, I read the same but in Catalan.

(Sorry for the awful audio quality, by the way).

Overall, I’d say it’s more like a 50/50 between Spanish and French. Many times I feel like it resembles Spanish the most, but then I find myself reading texts in French and understanding words I had never seen before (in French) because they’re identical or nearly identical in Catalan.

As Adrià Cereto i Massagué has also pointed out in his super informative and extremely well thought answer[4], Catalan does resemble a lot of Romance languages, not only the ones I’ve mentioned.

Thanks for the A2A!

Footnotes

[1] Catalan

[2] Contrastes léxicos en catalán, español e italiano

[3] Mariana Ferreira Albuquerque's answer to Polyglot Challenge: Can you read and record a paragraph in these various languages that use Roman script?

[4] Adrià Cereto i Massagué's answer to Does Catalan share more similar linguistic features with Spanish or French?

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Is Catalan more closely related to Spanish or French linguistically?

Catalan is more similar to Spanish than to French but, paradoxically, is more closely related to French than to Spanish.

The reason for this strange statement is that, since Catalan is spoken predominantly in Spain, it has been heavily influenced - and some would even say corrupted - by Castilian Spanish. Catalan speakers frequently use Spanish words, imitate Spanish idioms (frequently to the despair of teachers of Catalan and Catalan purists) and conversations can often switch between Catalan and Castilian several times in the space of a few minutes.

However, although they are both Romance languages, Catalan and Spanish actually belong to different “sub-families” of the Romance group of languages. Spanish, along with Portuguese and Galician, belongs to the Ibero-Romance sub-group, whilst Catalan belongs to the Gallo-Italic language subfamily- along with French, Italian, and Occitan, and has a number of features in its grammar in common with French and Italian which are not present in Spanish.

Examples:

English: I’m going away:

French: je m’en vais:

Italian: (Io) me ne vado:

Catalan: (jo) me’n vaig

but

Spanish: Me voy (i.e. Spanish has no equivalent of the French/Italian/Catalan pronoun “en”/ ne/ en.

I’m going there

French: J’y vais

Italian: (Io) ci vado

Catalan: (jo) hi vaig

but

Spanish: voy allá. Spanish has no equivalent of the French/Italian/Catalan pronoun y/ci/hi.

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I’ll show an example sentence:

Son pare, mai no l’hi he vist interessat. Sa cosina, no la hi he vista gaire sovint.

Son père, je ne l’y ai jamais vu interessé. Sa cousine, je ne l’y ai vue guère souvent.

A su padre, nunca lo he visto interesado en ello. A su prima no la he visto por allí muy a menudo.

As you can see, some words in Catalan are closer to Spanish than to French (e.g., vist - visto - vu), although sometimes it’s just a spelling artifact (he - he - ai, Spanish and Catalan are spelled the same, but Catalan and French are pronounced the same, depending also on dialect/accent), but overall there’s much more everyday lexicon (pronouns, adverbs, etc.) in common with French than with Spanish. And many features of the grammar in the above sentence are just completely alien to Spanish or Ibero-Romance languages (the hi/y pronoun, the past participle gender and number agreement with the direct object, etc.). Actually, There’s even more lexicon in common with Italian than with Spanish or French, which is understandable since both Spanish and French have had more non-Romance influence than Catalan or Italian, so the latter two share more cognates without actually being more closely related.

The closest language to Catalan is Occitan, and together they form the Occitano-Romance subgroup of Romance languages. Some authors want to classify them under Ibero-Romance (With Portuguese, Spanish, Galician, etc.), but they are quite different from the rest of Ibero-Romance in many obvious ways; some others classify them under Gallo-Romance (with French, Arpitan, Romantsh, Lombard, Piedmontese, etc.), where Occitan fits perfectly but Catalan stands out as the only member with certain features and without certain other ones. Some others just give up and put Occitano-Romance at the same level as Ibero-Romance and Gallo-Romance, as a transition branch between those two.

As it stands, Catalan is flexible enough that it can be made to pass for almost any other major Romance language:

Cada professor meu pensa bons números

(Each of my teachers thinks good numbers. This may also be Portuguese, same meaning.)

El pescador busca una casa

(The fisherman looks for a house. This could be Spanish, same meaning)

Tu parles d’un petit restaurant

(You speak of a small restaurant. This could be French, same meaning. Also notice that the word restaurant in Catalan is not a French loanword, although its modern meaning as a place where people go to eat, is.)

La vostra gallina morta passa per la nostra finestra

(Your dead hen fits/goes through our window. This could be Italian, same meaning. It is also the case where the pronunciation in both languages is potentially closest, only differing in the “ll” of gallina).

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Catalan shares more features with Spanish, although sound arguments can be made for French and Italian lexical and grammatical similarities as well. Catalan’s lexicon possesses unique items, such as in:

“El gos l’ha mossegat la cama al noi”

“The dog bit the boy on the leg.”

Gos = dog

Mossegar = bite

Cama = leg

Noi = boy

Catalan’s pronominal system is the most complex of all the Romance languages.

Catalan personal pronouns - Wikipedia

As can be seen in the above Wikipedia article, they're bewilderingly complex.

The basic vocabulary of Catalan shares many lexical items with Spanish (with several major exceptions). If you know the Spanish word, you can pretty accurately predict the Catalan word: E.g., if you know the Spanish word for “bridge” (“puente”) and are aware of Catalan’s apocopy and lack of diphthongization rules for stressed O, you can successfully predict the Catalan word “pont.”

Catalan’s verbal system is very similar to that of Spanish, although the simple past is used only in literature.

Catalan phonology is most complex in the northern portion of Catalunya (including Barcelona). In Valencia, the vowels have pretty much the same value as in Spanish, although they do differentiate between open and closed “e” and “o,” as in Italian. In Catalunya proper, unstressed vowels are reduced: a and e > ə, o > u, hence “Barcelona” /bərcə’lonə/ and “Olot” (a village north of Barcelona) > /u’lot/.

Catalan possesses neither of French’s rounded vowels (ö and ü) nor nazalized vowels.

It's interesting to note that Catalan shares the liaison feature of French: “Has parlat amb ella?” (“Have you spoken with her?”) is realized as /as pər’lat əm ‘bεljə/, where the normally silent “b” surfaces.

Adrià Cereto i Massagué’s examples of French loans into Catalan do not hold up under closer scrutiny (no offense, Adrià!): “Son pare . . .” and “sa cosina” are no longed used in spoken Catalan, being replaced instead by “seu pare” and “(la) seva cosina.” Furthermore, the adverb “sovint” is a cognate in Italian, namely “sovente.” I'd wager that “gaire” and “guère” have counterparts in Italian dialects as well.

Catalan also possesses the personal “a” used when referring to animate creatures, such as in “Al Pere l’has vist avui?” (“Have you seen Peter today?”) /əl perə ləs bis təβwi/. Additionally — Has vist a la Clara avui? /az bis tə lə klar əβwi/

Only Spanish shares that feature.