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103oclock · 4 years

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[FULL ENG TRANS] 2020.04.20 W Korea’s May edition : Stay happy, cool and strong (Baekhyun)

EXO Baekhyun’s strong identity is driven by his happiness in enjoying music.

We’ve met before through an interview with EXO, many years ago. I clearly remember something you said then, which was, ‘Before entering SM, I thought I was the best singer in Bucheon.’ Baekhyun at that time did say that (laughs). He had so much ‘confidence.’

Thanks to what you said then, when I see you slowly improving ever since you said that, I think about those stories where a kid who is good at studying enters a science or foreign language high school* and becomes crestfallen after realising where he ranks in the whole school, so he studies with all his heart and becomes the top in school. Ah, my trainee days was when my confidence took a big blow. It just felt like my song would never get picked since there were so many other people who could sing so well. When you enter as a professional, you can’t be sloppy for even a second, and they will demand for you to be perfect, even down to every detail. I stopped thinking that singing is my specialty, and I had to reevaluate my thoughts on music. *=Science or foreign language high schools are prestigious schools in South Korea.

Even when you were discouraged, at some point your confidence would come back again, right? That’s right, to some extent. Also, I’m not the kind to let someone else dampen my spirit just because they said so (laughs).

I’m aware that you are planning to release your solo album soon. Because of the current situation, changes were made to the initial plans which could make things a little vague now. There are several activities I was scheduled to do but now can’t, but this situation now is not easy for everyone, and there are many people who are working very hard. There are still more to be done in several aspects, album-wise, but you can look forward to it as it will be different from the previous solo.

Did you have any desire or goal when you were working on your first solo album <City Lights>, which was released in summer? Since a long time ago, I’ve been wanting to do songs with city pop vibes. Also, it is meaningful to have the album comprised of just my voice. I hoped for people to hear the album and at least think, ‘So this is the kind of voice Baekhyun has.’ I’m glad it received such a good outcome.

What do you mean by ‘good outcome’? I got a lot of positive feedback. There were people who recognised the effort I put into the voice and vibe I wanted to express. The album sales were also good thanks to my fans.

What kind of voice did you want to express? Something that’s a little dreamy (laughs), and I guess I wanted there to be sexy vibes even with just my voice?

I was a little dubious when I first heard that the title track was called ‘UN Village,’ because it’s the more luxurious version of ‘Samsung Raemian’ (laughs). However, after listening to it, it seems like ‘luxurious’ was the keyword that was the main theme of the entire album. Even on stage, your performance is relaxed and doesn’t require much of an angle (as in a certain kind of look/style/theme), it looks like you wanted to portray that sort of laidback appeal. Oh, that’s very accurate. Because EXO has themes and we do powerful performances, I wanted my solo to be different. I wanted to pull out something I think of as my weapon, something that is relaxed rather than strong, and more focused on my voice itself.

It’s rather difficult to be relaxed if you don’t do a lot of preparation. Between what you do best and what you like best, which of the two do you think is closer to the composition of your first album? At first I matched the make up of the album to what I like, but I think it slowly became what I do best as I practised and did my studies. I’m always like that. I always do what I like instead of what I do best. There is almost nothing you are good at from the start. It starts of as ‘This is so hard, but I like it’ and at some point when I get familiar with it and master it, it feels really exhilarating.

This is sudden but it’s always fascinating to me when I see singers like you that start off with the position as a vocal, and become a dancer that does dynamic performances on stage. Could it be because SM is originally known for it's unrivalled training system, or is it because that person actually has dance DNA but simply never had the opportunity to draw it out? From the aspect of whether one knows how to use their body and muscles, it looks like I have the influence of the DNA. From moving your chest to doing several other movements. For example, there are people who find it hard to do detailed movements like ‘lift your right shoulder, and then pop your chest, bring down your right shoulder and lift your left shoulder.’ On top of that, SM’s environment, which has many people that started off as choreographers and have a command of high quality dancing in nature, also contributed to my progress. Looking around at my surroundings, I followed suit so my abilities got better, and there were many things I could learn and many things I was motivated by.

Soon it will be the 8th anniversary since EXO debuted so shall we talk about the time that started history? How did you feel at the start when you had to digest and do difficult dance moves even though you were a vocalist? I just had this desire. ‘I don’t want to remembered as the person who can’t dance.’ Thankfully, the members taught me and Chen, who entered the group late, until the wee hours of the morning. Kai took care of Chen, and Sehun took care of me. All the while competing who taught better, and who mastered the dance better. I improved a lot during the time we practised together.

Looking back, after debuting, was there a critical period where you felt like you were growing too fast? Around summer 2016 ‘Monster,’ my performance skills definitely improved. Choreographer Shim Jaewon hyung actually included a solo performance for me at the start of the song. There wasn’t supposed to have a solo performance but he said, ‘Baekhyun, you have a talent in dance too, you just have to work a little bit harder, let’s start building up your confidence now,’ and he choreographed a solo performance and encouraged me. From then on, I thought, ‘So I’m not someone who can’t dance,’ and I gained confidence in expressing myself through my body while doing my best for that solo performance. What I never knew, or what I suppressed, up to that point, I then started to express naturally.

Oh, that was around the time the special cover edition ‘EXOclusive’ you did with <W Korea> was produced! Was there a period where you were in a slump, music-wise? At the start of EXO’s activities, when we’re going from ‘MAMA’ to ‘Wolf.’ I achieved the reality of debuting and suddenly received a lot of attention, so the kid that was full of confidence became scared of singing. I doubted myself, that my singing might be weird. It was around then that my interest in vocalisation peaked, and I studied a lot. As I did that, my fears disappeared little by little and I started to anticipate how my voice would sound like when I sing live. I put in a lot of effort in ways like thinking if I should do it a certain way this time so it could sound different, and if I like the sound of my tone in a certain song, I could apply a part of it to another song.

Then before EXO, when did you first vaguely feel that you had something similar to a talent? The first time I ever went to a karaoke. Might have been grade 6 of elementary school.

What song did you sing? It was Yarn’s song. What was the song called... Can I quickly search it up?

Yarn’s songs are one of the tests for high-pitched power, and have made many guys fail miserably in karaokes. Exactly. Yarn’s ‘Run.’ Weirdly, I sang the song comfortably as how I heard it, and my friends’ reactions were huge. Ever since then, I thought ‘Oh? I didn’t even learn how to sing yet everyone says I’m good? This must be my greatest strength!’ and I started to like singing.

Your audience then reacted to your mic and your acoustics, which made that the moment you became a celebrity. So that’s how the history of ‘Bucheon Prince’ came about (laughs). My friends wouldn’t sing songs that are high in pitch. So I thought, ‘Huh? Why?’ I was still young then so I didn’t even know what a vibrato was, I just thought that the note was “vibrating.” When I hear that the end of the note doesn’t vibrate, I would think, ‘Why don’t they do the vibration thing? Isn’t it kind of flat?’ It was a time when I was young and ‘snobby’ (laughs).

If you were to introduce a distinct characteristic of your vocals, how would you say it? Um. Smooth yet at the same time robust.

You possess everything good... Hehe, I don’t have an entirely beautiful voice but I have a kind of baritone voice that is saturated with tenderness. So it is an advantage that I don’t have to limit myself to one genre and can challenge myself extensively.

Still, is there anyone’s vocals that you wish to have? Kim Bumsoo sunbae. Recently I am realigning my vocals. From my breathing to my vocalisation, I am remodelling everything. So I think about vocals a lot, but when I hear Kim Bumsoo sunbae’s songs, I feel that he has quite the stability. I think of stability as a power that allows the audience to listen comfortably and enjoy the song, and to people who sing, as players of the game themselves, would either want to show off or have the freedom to express a bar of the song any way they want. He has amazing stability, and he has a great voice, and he possesses several different tones. There are many things to look up to him to.

Instead of changing just one vocal aspect, you’re changing your style from the basics. It’s going to be a tough process. It’s not easy. I’ve been learning from my current vocal teacher for about a year now, but luckily, he’s like a saviour to me. Singer Im Hanbyul hyung introduced him to me. He not only teaches me vocal skills, but also helps me to find peace mentally. He’s like a doctor that does a full check-up on whatever I am uneasy about. He’s really grown up. [A/N: there’s no pronoun for Baekhyun’s vocal teacher but I used a standard pronoun for ease of reading]

Do you have any aspirations as a member of SuperM? We began our activities last fall and we were the first of Asia Artistes to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with our debut album. I’ve said ‘We will show you another kind of K-Pop’ in an interview in The States before, but there is another meaning behind the face value of what I said. No matter how I look at it, isn’t now the era to turn the impossible possible? It’s the same for SuperM. The fact that members of different groups have come together to form another group is entirely a whole new system. We were the pioneers to give it a shot, and that in itself is a step that creates synergy. With this in mind, I have the desire to make K-Pop widely known.

In the 2000′s, K-Pop started to gain popularity when SMTOWN was having their world tour, and in the recent years, K-Pop has once again taken another leap. Have you ever felt that it’s true while you were on tour? Of course. When we do interviews overseas, journalists would say things like, ‘If we were to define K-Pop, we can’t forget about the perfectly synced dance choreography, right?’ The style of group dance choreography, which has been around since long ago, is what shaped K-pop and I think of it as K-Pop’s important trait. When they know and point out that aspect, I feel proud and grateful.

SuperM brings EXO’s Baekhyun and Kai, SHINEE’s Taemin, NCT’s Taeyong and Mark, WayV’s Lucas and Ten together in a team. How is it like when you’re all together? They’re all really, honestly, very nice and innocent kids. They transform on stage but when I see how they’re like together off stage, I wonder how they could be that innocent. I want you guys to know that side of the boys before showing you our music and performance.

Are they like innocent boys behind the cool and handsome men that glare when they sing ‘We will burn on this stage’ during the performance? These guys also possess everything good... Superheroes normally conceal their own identity and show a mild appearance but when nighttime comes, they apprehend bad guys. Ever since I was young, I’ve always thought that somehow that was what true justice was (laughs). I feel like if the duality of how the boys are like daily and how they are like when they concentrate on stage was known, all the members are able to shine more brightly.

In today’s photoshoot, you went from bright and impeccable Baekhyun to Baekhyun with a dark charisma. And Cartier’s jewelry shone just like EXO Baekhyun, who symbolises ‘light’ (laughs). If you were to have dual personalities, what would it be? Though I am mostly nice and well-mannered, I am the type to be straightforward and be firm when I think ‘This isn’t right.’ Even when people who think ‘this person belongs to me,’ when they treat them badly, my firmness will appear. When that happens, I will step in and say something.

Listening to your stories, you seem like a person who is motivated by yourself. That’s right. I always find faults in myself. Whether it is on stage or my treatment towards other people, I frequently think about whether I had any drawbacks. I always think about questions like ‘Why do I keep doing the wrong move these days,’ or ‘Am I not focusing, or am I lacking practice for that part?’

What is something you need in order to continue and live a long life as an artist that has debuted in an idol group? First of all, I think the answer to that is finding out what you really want to do. Because if you don’t go through that process and simply follow the trend or what other people want, it’ll be easy for you to be left behind as an artist. If you look at idols who have been in the industry for a long time, their own colour is very clear no matter what. I could also soon become Baekhyun version 2. A life where I find out whether I can succeed with just my voice.

Would you have a (however) big ambition inside of you? Ambition, I definitely have it. There’s a saying, ‘In for a penny, in for a pound’ (laughs). However, I’m not the kind that is full of fighting spirit and think I have to achieve a certain goal. I do not want my huge desire for success to eat me up. To me, doing things happily while laughing is most important to me. That level of ambition would be more like ‘I hope they recognise my hard work’ I guess? When you work hard on something, it will still shine no matter what, and no matter how bright. And I want to show off what I am good at anyway so, hehe.

Translation by 103oclock (Source)

#trans #baekhyun #wkorea #w korea #exo #superm

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dwellordream · 3 years

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“In the mid-1910s, when the modern fashions were first introduced on the Danish scene, they provoked relatively little controversy. Even though the vast majority of fashion commentators found the new styles unfortunate, and fashion pioneers—such as the woman at the new year's party—met with gossip and disapproval within their own social circles, short dresses did not trigger much public opposition. After all, wealthy women were known to be given to extravagances, making them the easy victims of any designer whim. That a few working-class daughters adopted similar styles was not surprising either, given their notoriously "poor" taste and unfortunate propensity for flashy outfits.

It was only when broader groups of young women began to adopt the new styles that public concern grew. Certainly, there were contemporaries who found any debate over this matter superfluous. As they saw it, the new styles were merely a temporary folly, doomed to vanish as quickly as it seemed to have appeared. But this was the view of a minority. Most people took the styles much more seriously, believing them to be a sign of more profound changes. In their eyes, young women who adopted shorter skirts, lower necklines, simpler cuts, and higher heels were doing more than simply altering the specific details of fashionable female apparel. In a more fundamental way, they seemed to be departing from older styles of proper and attractive femininity.

Although some observers welcomed the new fashions as charming diversions from the older, more formal styles of dress, most older adults therefore watched the emergence of the "modern look" with considerable unease. At a time when the values and virtues associated with nineteenth-century womanhood were already under attack and longstanding gender arrangements seemed to be crumbling, these changes in women's dress were interpreted as yet another sign of rebellion against the status quo. Still, it remained rather unclear to most observers what these new styles might mean and what consequences they might have; as more and more women adopted the new styles, their efforts to determine the answers to these questions intensified.

As a result, debates over women's fashions soared in the second half of the 1910s, and while some voices were risen in their defense, the vast majority of those who expressed their views publicly were deeply troubled and critical of the new styles. Although critics disagreed about which particular aspect of the new styles was more objectionable, they were unanimous in the complaint that modern fashions seemed to violate both gender norms and class hierarchies. The latter was not the least of their concerns. According to one observer, the new fashions obliterated "all differences among people. You can no longer tell who is the daughter of a common laborer and who belongs to the better circles."

Some observers blamed this on upper-class women's surprising preference for simplicity over adornment. Others faulted young working-class women and their inappropriate enthusiasm for "new fashionable finery." Less judgmentally, others argued that the erasure of visible class distinction was the inevitable outcome of readymade clothes. But no matter where they placed the blame, contemporary observers generally agreed that visual class differences were becoming increasingly blurred. The dangers of this were clear enough: Without the obvious visual clues of class status, an unsuspecting soul might inadvertently mistake a working-class girl for a young lady, or—worse yet—a young lady for a working-class girl.

In general, though, observers were more concerned about the new styles because they seemed to refute older codes of female virtue and modesty. What particularly troubled many critics of the new styles was the increased display of the female body. Even though hemlines would remain below the knee throughout the 1910s and 1920s, shorter dresses still revealed significant parts of women's legs, and sheer silk stockings displayed ankles and calves in more suggestive ways than did traditional wool stockings. Simultaneously, lower necklines and sleeveless tops also made women's upper bodies more visible, leading one Copenhagen city council member to conclude that the new styles of dress "obviously" did not "have the purpose of warming and protecting the body, but rather the opposite: to reveal as much as possible."

Besides, the fashions also seemed to call attention to the body beneath the clothing in new and disturbing ways. Even those parts of women's bodies that were in fact clothed seemed more exposed and accessible than ever before. As the amount of fashionable female underwear was reduced to brassieres, underpants, and light corsets, the fact that merely a few layers of delicate fabric shrouded the female body only furthered this sense. For other critics, the increased display of the female body seemed less disturbing than the sexually provocative nature of the new styles. While admitting that modern dresses carried the advantage of allowing a woman to dress herself without assistance, the fact that they also made it possible for her to undress "in the twinkling of an eye" was not lost on contemporaries.

According to some alarmists, this might well lead to unchecked promiscuity and even prostitution among young women. Other social conservatives expressed concern that the new styles eliminated the visible differences between respectable and disreputable women, or—in the parlance of the early twentieth century—between "ladies" and "women of the streets." In a public lecture, Copenhagen mayor Ernst Kaper, for example, decried that "the ideals that define the appearance of almost all women have completely blurred the distinction between professional prostitutes and respectable citizens."

"The look," he explained on another occasion, "short hair, lipstick, powder and make-up, the few pieces of clothing, is often the same." Adding to this argument, one newspaper editor noted that it would be most difficult for men to respect a woman when "she faces us in the attire of a whore." These criticisms notwithstanding, the more frequently voiced objections to women's new fashionable styles were of a quite different nature. While some (female) fashion columnists complained that they new styles were plain and unattractive, most men reacted quite differently.

Although historians, cultural studies scholars, and fashion specialists have often focused on the fact that the new fashions deemphasized womanly curves and removed visual attention from breasts, waists, and hips, arguing that this gave women an androgynous or even boyish look, it was certainly not an impression of juvenile asexuality that struck most Danish men at the time. In their eyes, the modern fashions seemed to endow young women with a new sexual attractiveness, which they flaunted in public and private. As one newspaper reporter noted, "They are everywhere— in the street, at the cafe, on the beach—presenting themselves in their new attire, unabashedly showing off their feminine charms."

Under other circumstances such displays of female beauty and style might have prompted appreciation, but in the second half of the 1910s it was the cause of much male resentment. The new styles, they complained, made women too attractive and too sexy, giving them an unfair edge in the ongoing battle between the sexes. As one journalist grudgingly noted, "Women are becoming more and more beautiful, and still more seductive under the devilish rule of his majesty King Fashion, and the rest of us are undeniably—only men." The underlying concern about the sexual balance of power helps explain the visceral response to female fashions that dominated much of the popular press in the late 1910s.

Because many men perceived the modern fashions as posing a more fundamental threat to a sexual order based on male control and initiative and female modesty and passivity, they responded with vehement anger. Some commentators warned that scantily clad women created a dangerously erotic atmosphere, where men aroused by the sight of female bodies would not be able to control themselves. Others claimed that they "did not mind that the ladies are dressed like that, but in return all sections of criminal law pertaining to rape ought to be abolished."

Surely, they argued, women's "undressed [appearances] entail a diminution of male responsibility—they appeal so openly and aggressively to the baser elements in man's nature that it becomes a directly extenuating circumstance if temptation becomes too strong for him." As more and more young women began to adopt the new styles, such criticisms became more and more intense. By the end of the 1910s, a host of journalists and literati, academics and politicians, and ministers and moral reformers publicly denounced the new styles and the women who wore them.

Yet, exactly at this moment when public opposition was reaching its crescendo, a counter discourse in defense of women's fashions began to emerge. After years of relative silence, fashion advocates threw themselves into the battle over women's dress, and surprisingly quickly they managed to quell much of the opposition. Ironically, it was the efforts of a group of older, reform-minded women to have the infamous garments removed from department store windows that first began to sway many critics from their otherwise adamant stance against the new styles.

These efforts first came to the attention of the public on November 25, 1919, when Carla Meyer, the charismatic and controversial president of the newly formed Housewives' Organization, published on open letter to department store owners in which she urged them to "halt the window display of half-naked women's costumes." Behind this initiative stood not only Carla Meyer but also members of moral reform groups and many feminists who feared that the new styles would throw into question young women's ability to make sound judgments and thereby potentially damage all women's claims to sexual equality. Jointly, these women had formed the Committee Against the Dissemination of Modem Apparel, which on November 27 published yet another official protest endorsed by twenty-six of its most prominent members.

Given the "irresponsibility .. . of our big, respected firms," they wrote, they felt compelled to express their objection, since "we cannot tolerate that such harlot's garb be introduced into our country and thus help destroy the sense of decency shared by men and women from all strata of society." Whether the members of the committee had actually expected business owners to comply with their request remains unclear, but they had certainly not anticipated the kind of backlash they would encounter in the wake of their action. Rather than support their efforts, many of the very same reporters and newspaper editors who previously had railed against the new fashions used these older women's action as an opportunity to denigrate and ridicule them.

Obviously preferring fashionable young girls as the embodiment of "liberated" twentieth-century womanhood over more serious-minded—and potentially more threatening—female reformers, Folkets Avis, for example, called their criticism a "comical act" and mockingly suggested that "some people may be entirely relieved to know that the leaders of the Housewives' Organization will not wear any of [the dresses]." The Social Democratic daily, Klokken 5, characterized the incident as "a protest of the old and the ugly, the holy and much too prudish ladies."

Even the otherwise sober Copenhagen newspaper Politiken joined the chorus. Lashing out at the grammar, intelligence, and appearance of female activists, the paper felt compelled to "call to the attention of the 'cultivated' hyenas that a costume cannot be half-naked; a woman, rather, is capable of that, even without being stupid, as long as she is attractive. On the other hand, it does not require attractiveness to be a competent housewife. It was, however, unknown to us, until the publication [of the protest] that stupidity was a prerequisite." Such tirades placed women struggling to protect and defend older styles of femininity on the defensive.

By reducing their concerns to issues of sexual jealousy and female competition over men, male journalists managed to challenge both their sincerity and the moral authority to which they, and other older women, laid claim. Faced with ridicule and accusations of dowdy unattractiveness, most of these women quite understandably preferred to withdraw from public controversy, and after their initial bold offensive, few of them ever commented publicly on the issue of fashion again. The 1919 incident had other consequences as well.

For supporters of the new fashions, the unprecedented attack on older, reform-minded women provided at least an indication of how they might construe an effective argument in favor of the modern styles. By latching on to the critique of female activists as frumpy, prudish, and self-righteous, they might be able to position fashionable young women as their positive contrast and thereby curb the harshest criticisms of their appearances. The media invariably portrayed the women who protested against the display of modern fashions, as dowdy and unattractive old maids. For that reason, fashion advocates quickly embraced the media's portrayal of older female activists as unattractive and unfeminine.

In the following months and years, they eagerly promoted the increasingly popular stereotype that feminists, female reformers, and educated women in general failed to take interest in their appearances and actually prided themselves in this negligence. "I was once honored with an invitation to spend an evening in the company of .. . brilliant and influential women," one young female journalist thus wrote in the early 1920s. "It would have been an delightful affair," she continued, "if all the ladies had been represented through the radio and had not been present themselves, as they were all to an extreme degree lacking in beauty. And it quickly dawned on me that they were proud of their careless appearance."

In comparison, young women who embraced the new fashions were obviously more feminine in their pursuit of beauty and style, and unlike older female activists who dared to be in the public eye without necessarily striving to be pleasing to look at, they would offer no such challenge to social conventions. To bolster the credibility of this argument and further distance fashionable young women from an older generation bent on women's emancipation, proponents of the new styles supported sharp distinctions between men's and women's clothing.

They assured critics that equality between the sexes, established with women's suffrage in 1915, rendered the masculine attire—such as jackets and neckties—worn by some older feminists both inappropriate and unnecessary. Sexual difference, they promised, would remain highly encoded in modern fashions. If young women wore clothes that could in any way be deemed inappropriate for their gender, fashion advocates continued, it was for reasons of comfort or practicality only.

Thus, when an American fashion designer in 1920 introduced a combined housecoat/pajamas, Vore Darner ensured that "it is exceedingly feminine, not the least bit mannish, and it does not appeal to any kind of desire for independence in the young lady who wears it. Rather, the pants . . . are reminiscences from the delicate Oriental women's costumes." From the end of the 1910s, fashion reporting thus concentrated on affirming the gender-appropriate nature of the modern styles.

Over and over again, in a seemingly endless litany to femininity, every single item of women's clothing from summer hats to walking shoes was characterized as elegant, graceful, charming, delicate, or refined, and the overall fashionable style as womanly and ladylike. Contrasting the appealing femininity of fashionable young women with the allegedly frumpy, unattractive, and occasionally mannish appearance of an older generation proved an effective strategy for advocates of the new styles.

While placing female critics on the defensive, it simultaneously provided a platform from which fashion enthusiasts were able to respond to male critics who interpreted women's changing appearance as a sign of the erosion of proper womanhood and a challenge to the established gender and sexual order, and within a few years they managed to convince most skeptics that the new styles were not a sign of rebellion or women's efforts to gain control over men. On the contrary, the new styles were, according to fashion advocates, the sign of a renewed and reinforced femininity that admittedly incorporated heightened attractiveness and erotic appeal, but did not endanger female respectability or conventional gender arrangements.

As a result, the controversies over modern fashions all but disappeared within a couple of years of the 1919 incident. Most contemporaries either lost their determination to battle the new styles, or they became convinced that they posed no real threat. And those who remained concerned about the implications of the new fashions soon had their attention drawn to another change in women's appearance even more disturbing than the modern dresses. In the mid-1920s, growing numbers of women began to discard one of the most cherished icons of femininity—namely, their long hair. After a slight lull in the early 1920s, controversies over women's appearances therefore reached a new peak.”

- Birgitte Soland, “The Emergence of the Modern Look.” in Becoming Modern: Young Women and the Reconstruction of Womanhood in the 1920s

#birgitte soland #becoming modern #1920s #fashion #history #gender #class

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serendipitybutterfly · 4 years

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BTS Tarot Valentines Day Special:

BTS' Future Marriages...

I know... Unusual for me since I tend to focus more on advice than predictions for the most part... But, as it's this lovey dovey season, I decided to do a marriage themed reading as a special treat as I've gotten asks surrounding this kind of question before... This is going to be a mammoth post... Omg..

This is my Valentines Day present for you guys who follow and like my readings! Thank you!!!! I 💜 you!

So, without further ado... Let's get it!

*Disclaimer- the way i see it, although this is a prediction reading, I'm only working with the energies of the present moment. If one of the boys wakes up tomorrow and firmly decides he never wants to get married, then his path will change and future readings would reflect that. For the most part, the future is in flux and can be changed... If something is a huge, fateful, set in stone kind of event then the cards will let me know. Also, in this particular reading, rather than focusing on the physical appearance of their future partners, I'm intending to focus more on personality and only mention physical appearance if something strongly comes to mind or their looks come forward as a major message of the reading. Ok done! Let's really get it! 💜

Oh wait... before anything else, I was going to call this future Marriages or life partners (because, obviously, not everyone gets married) but I just decided to ask first off if they'd all get married for the sake of clarity and got a resounding yes for them all so... Yeah... As of now, all of the boys are likely to actually get married in the future. Although... Some are closer to that future than others. Also, I was going to put all of the readings into one big post but then I realised how ridiculously long that would be and decided to split the hyung line and maknae line up into two separate posts. I'm starting with the maknae line and hopefully the hyung line post will follow soon...

Maknae line:

Starting with Park Jimin...

Character profile - The archetype cards that popped out gave me an interesting message... I'm getting the image of someone that had quite a hard life, possibly even a somehow traumatic past (cards like bully and victim in particular stood out to me as being indicative of a troubled past), but managed to retain a sweetness and childlike innocence despite it... I'm also definitely getting the image of an introvert. Someone quite soft spoken, gentle and who comes across as a bit shy. She might feel more comfortable with animals and young children than with most people. Physically I feel like she will be younger than him, and somewhat innocent and fragile looking but at the same time there's something kind of edgy and / or sexy in her style... She might wear a lot of dark colours. Yeah... I know I said I wouldn't focus on looks... But I'm definitely also getting East Asian features coming through visually... I'm also seeing long, straight, black hair and fair skin. This is the kind of person who tends to inspire protective feelings in others... But at the same time has a lot of inner strength that they can use to heal and bolster other people's confidence in themselves.

Relationship- With the Dawn card, I feel like she will give Jimin a whole new fresh perspective on life... I'm hearing 'clean slate' and 'washing away'... I'm just feeling a lovely, pure, soothing, watery kind of energy to this connection overall. I mean, the romance angels oracle deck threw out 'True Love' to describe this connection so... I mean, if Jimin still has those romantic dreams of meeting his one true love like he used to... He can definitely have that wish granted! It's just... Going to take some time... With the Chariot in reverse here, I feel like he will have to wait quite some time before they meet...hmm... How old will he be in another 7 years? About 32? Could be around then or after... But, at this point, it's unlikely to be before...

The tarot here couldn't paint a rosier picture tbh... I really hope Jimin does meet this person in the future because it looks like this marriage could genuinely be the making of true and lasting happiness for him. Just look at these beautiful cards! 10 of cups... Happy family with a loving home environment and playing children! The star because this really is a dream come true, a wish answered. Then you have a reversed queen of wands (👀 omg why does Queen of wands energy always come up with anything to do with romance with Jimin??). However... Interestingly enough, here I'm seeing her as a soft spoken young woman who comes across as quite shy and introverted but who possesses a great deal of inner strength and power... (which is why context matters in tarot guys... Cards mean something different to me basically every time!). This is next to the knight of swords who I see as our lovely libra boy Jimin himself... I'm literally see this as a Knight in shining armor rushing in to the rescue. That's how he'll feel in this relationship. Not at all in a burdensome way... But like that feeling gives him this great deal of strength and confidence in himself. She makes him feel strong and capable and in control... Like a hero. Why is this making me emo? ...

Anyway, then the high priestess is here to sum this connection up and I feel strongly that this is an extremely deep, intuitive connection... The meeting of souls... They can look at each other and just... Know what the other is feeling... Could even be a soul mate / past life connection I think... Wow.

All in all... This is great news for Jimin's future in terms of marriage at this point. Although I do think it'll be a while before they meet and longer before actually getting married... It looks pretty rosy from then on! I'm not saying there will be no bumps in the road at all (I can sense that there are certainly some deep personal issues on both sides that actually need to be dealt with through this union... Which is some soul journey stuff... ) however overall this seems like it will be an amazing match! I'm so glad! 💜 💜 💜

Kim Taehyung:

Character profile:... Uh... Haha... You just had to be different huh Tae... Lol... Ok... So here's the thing... Where marriage is concerned, Tae has that interesting fate where he actually has a choice (I mean, everyone has a choice... But most people don't actually recognise it as a choice... It just kinda happens because it's their fate. Tae has the opportunity to make a conscious choice here regarding his fate because it's like either way he can learn important lessons and grow... Both are fated partners for him. Like a real diverging path kind of thing. He will get to a point where he can choose one path or another with basically full awareness of this as a choice... This is really interesting actually. I mean, either way, he will get married and he can be happy either way too... Although in different ways for different reasons... It's very interesting...

As far as personality goes... I see two distinct personalities coming through... On one side you have someone quite mature, serious, artistic, intellectual, quiet and spiritual and on the other side I see someone very young, pretty, flirty, fun loving, popular and witty... Also very wealthy and a little bit haughty... But kinda 'cute' and funny with it?? Idk why I'm getting that... Like a kind of sly sense of humour...

Unfortunately... This is weirdly up in the air because of this aspect of choice. I can see that both will appeal greatly to different sides of him... If only they could be one person... But alas...

Relationship: Again... The tarot shows how up in the air this is because there is not yet a set path. Tae hasn't even met them yet. He's not thinking seriously of marriage at all yet. However, with the Wheel of Fortune reversed here we can see that though this is not yet set in motion, it is fated either way. Death in reverse and the Hanged Man are also giving me that up in the air, 'paused', kind of feeling... Like this fate is just waiting, biding its time to be set in motion... Right now he's on a solo path, pursuing his career and furthering his goals... It's when he's ready to let some of that go that this will be set in motion... It feels like a few years into the future to me... Not too far but not too close either... I'm not getting a definite time frame. It could be within two to three years or around him going into his early 30s...

You'll notice on one side of the 'up in the air fate' cards we've got the 4 of wands and on the other side we've got the 10 of pentacles representing the two different connections. Both are really auspicious cards for marriage. Both connections are also signified by the two of cups... Both are deep love connections... Again because this is up the air, I'm not getting specifics about the outcomes of either choice, but it does seem atleast like he has the potential to be happy in either marriage. However it looks like in one he can have the big family and legacy (in terms of children and grandchildren and leaving a home and inheritance to them) he desires, while the other relationship seems more quiet and more just about them as a couple being happy together.

I feel like the card Solitude: Island speaks of that connection (them being alone and peaceful together... Perhaps travelling to faraway countries together... And that calmer more serious vibe in that connection) while the card Playfulness is speaking of the other connection (way more youthful, energetic, playful, and flirty energy... And also literal children- and puppies!- incoming!).

So yeah *shrug*... Decisions decisions Tae... He can only make the right choice when the time comes at the end of the day (and he has a lot of spiritual guidance on his side if he chooses to tune in). It's quite likely that by then his priorities and desires for what he really wants out of life will become clearer to him and that will make the decision easier... At this point, it seems like neither of them are a particularly bad choice... Though neither is necessarily perfect either... That's what makes this such a big, fateful decision I suppose... Good luck Tae! 💜 🙏

Now for Jungkook:

Character profile: Wow... Whatta boss... Lol. I'm kinda blown away by this energy to be honest. This is like... The best way I can describe it after looking at all the cards is... This is the kind of woman that both men and women are really attracted to and tend to like (regardless of sexuality). Like... Total 'girl crush', role model, material but also super attractive and sexy... Especially to men who like strong, capable women who have that 'boss' energy... Which is apparently future Jungkook I guess...

Actually these cards really make sense just based on what kind of people Jungkook seems to like to associate with anyway... I feel a sense that she will be older than him by at least a few years (if not, extremely mature and successful for her age). This is someone wise beyond their years who actively seeks knowledge and also goes further to implement what they've learnt to help others who are vulnerable. Something else that's coming through strongly is that this person is extremely creative and artistic... They have to be involved in the arts in some way, even if it isn't their main job. Actually, what I think is that she may work in one creative field (like say, a writer cause Scribe is there) but also does alot of other artistic and creative things as hobbies, like painting, drawing, dancing, singing... This is someone who delights in expressing her creativity so it doesn't have to make her money... She just loves it. Actually there's a kind of free spirited, bohemian, hippyish vibe here which is an interesting contrast to the boss energy... (I honestly want to be her best friend??).

Again, I know I said i wasn't focusing on looks but here looks are coming through really strongly... Like her attractiveness is really a major thing people notice about her so it has to be mentioned. I'm seeing long, wavy or curly black or dark brown hair (although she might also sometimes colour it... Especially red or reddish brown). She has a really great body... Like really fit and toned but also curvy (look at that goddess card! like I said... She's sexy). Also, probably a bit above average height. I'm also seeing that this is someone who's likely to have tanned or darker skin or who tans really easily in the sun... Like in the winter she might get quite pale but then in the summer sun gets a lot darker. She's definitely someone really natural, active and outdoorsy who's likely to get out in the sun as much as possible... I think she probably doesn't wear a lot of makeup... I'm just seeing a really natural beauty... Wow.

Relationship- With the Dreamtime: Creation card I'm getting two things coming through strongly. One is that I really think these two (certainly Jungkook) will actively be manifesting each other before they meet and will (or have already) dreamt about each other. Two is that, once again, I'm getting really highly charged creative energy. These are two extremely talented artists getting together and their relationship and home will reflect that. They encourage and push each other to improve. Really unique and quirky relationship actually... In fact, you'll notice that these cards aren't exactly overtly romantic... And yet... I'm still feeling the love?? Theirs isn't exactly a mushy kind of love but it's still very strong and extremely confident and secure. It's based firmly in actions that show love in a more practical way...

With the Sun shining on this marriage it's clear that they'll be really happy with one another (I see happy children here too... Another aspect of their mutual creativity... 😏 ) but there's also a lot of freedom and space. I see a lot of travelling and a lot of respect and understanding between them. That they are forgiving and don't hold grudges is coming through. This isnt a 'tit for tat' kind of relationship where they hold things over one another or only are nice to each other if the other person is nice first... It feels like they work through arguments maturely, quickly forgive everything and move on to being loving again.

With the page and 8 of Pentacles I see that they learn and grow together as people and work hard to make their relationship and bond extremely strong and they're successful in that. With the engagement card, I'm seeing two things, both strong commitment and loyalty to each other and also that they'll probably get married surprisingly quickly after they start dating. This is another case where I think it'll be a long wait for Jungkook... With the king of swords here... I feel like he'll be a definite MAN when he gets married... Like fully grown, probably rocking both longer hair and a beard... Lol... Older and wiser... Like around his mid 30's or even a little later... However, because he'll have been manifesting and dreaming of her for years (probably even already started guys) he'll just know from the time they meet that she's the one... So why hang about?

Conclusion... I kinda want to be bestfriends with Jungkook's future wife... She's really cool... 😭

OK... This has been the maknae line future marriages reading... I will try to drop the hyung line's readings before, on or just after valentines day so stay tuned! Hope you guys enjoyed!!! 💜 💜 💜

#So... This was interesting...#Here's to me doing the hyung line readings before valentines!#This is my Valentines pressie to my followers so i hope you like it... I purple you!#Bts tarot reading #Maknae line future marriages reading #Bts marriage reading #bts tarot reading #tarot reading #Tarot #Bts #maknae line #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook

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themockingcrows · 4 years

Text

Home Run Movie Night

Davepetasprite/John This is NOT SFW! AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25475938 cw: nooks and bulges, nook eating, nook fingering, anal sex, interspecies sex, First Time, bodily fluids, sloppy makeouts

After a delightful first date (Second Base Desserts), the plan had been made for a movie night. Though now that the movie is playing and the scene is set, it's not nearly as important as the attractive sprite that's already got a plan of their own in mind!

Popcorn? Check.

Soda? Check.

Movies? Double check, he had them in spades thanks to his previous years of collecting only the finest in cinematic entertainment.

Comfy spot? He’d made a blanket fort earlier, encasing the television area in sheets and blankets and pillows aplenty so it was soft and cozy to cuddle up in. And probably to make out in, if he was being honest and hopeful.

Everything else…? A bit of a tossup. While John didn’t want to be presumptuous, his time in the scouts as a young child and being his father’s son had entangled within him a strong sense of preparedness. After the intensity of his date with Davepeta before, the grinding, the making out, he had no idea when the time would be right to go further beyond that. Supposedly when the time was right he’d know, but what about being prepared? He had some lube, and some condoms but there was a problem.

What kind of genitals did Davepeta even have…? Did they need something special for them? What anatomy was going to be worked with? Did they both need condoms? Were sprites able to get pregnant or anything? To add to the mystery, there was bird DNA and troll DNA at work as well, so who the fuck even knew what all there was in play. Maybe, just like the rest of the sprite, it’d be something one of a kind and special only to them. Which was all well and dandy but it really fed into his lingering anxiety about what to anticipate. It was like a really sexy Christmas present lurking under his tree, waiting for the eventual day that he might get to peek inside of it and see what had been teasing him for so long.

Would it be like his daydreams of the last few weeks since their date? Though even that data was limited. He registered warm and soft and wet but as soon as he tried to see what he was dealing with down there his mind blanked out and focused on remembering their face instead. Which was nice, considering it had been what had driven him crazy to begin with, but not the nicest when he was trying to think of different things while getting himself off. Fap fodder was plenty with his imagination normally when he needed it, but the specifics of the sprite eluded him as much as a fae on a summer’s night.

John paced his living room double checking everything for the fourth time before the doorbell rang, making him jump out of his skin and scramble around the corner at breakneck speed. He froze in front of the door, collected himself, smoothed his hair back, checked his breath and finally opened up with a grin.

Perfect.

They were absolutely perfect, even dressed down casual, and John couldn’t wrap his fucking head around how it was even possible. Davepeta was wearing some basketball shorts that hung loose around their muscular thighs, flip flops, and a baggy tie dye t-shirt that complemented their opalescent skin. They also, John realized after the initial hug of greeting, weren’t wearing a bra this time. Absolute comfort was in mind here obviously, yet John couldn’t forget the feeling of their breast from their date or the way their lips tasted.

Today they tasted like iced mocha and caramel sauce when they kissed him, taking their time in the greeting before pulling back with a curled grin.

“Thanks for having me ofur today, John. I’m sure we’ll have an ameowzing time!” they said excitedly, wings ruffling in excitement before folding against their back.

“If I’ve got anything to say about it, it’ll be ama- uh. Ameowzing,” John said, gesturing grandly for his datemate to enter. Datemate? Were they dating now? He’d never officially asked, and Davepeta never mentioned it, but this was two dates in now so… probably? Maybe?

Fuck, why did he overthing so many things at the worst possible time.

“Ohhhh shit look at this, you really purrpared didn’t you!” Davepeta said, kicking off their sandals before racing to the pillow fort, leaning down to peer inside. “Wow, there’s even light inside…”

“Yeah, I don’t want to toot my own horn here but I’m a pretty much a pillow fort master,” John said, thumbs hooking into the front of his own t-shirt as if he were holding suspenders. He caught side of Davepeta’s tail disappearing into the canopied space before dropping the act with a laugh and following them inside. Davepeta had already secured a comfortable spot near the snacks, curling up on their side in view of the television while leaving plenty of space for John to nestle good and close. Presumably, based on the fact one hand was patting the pillowy ground invitingly, he was indeed meant to be that close.

The first movie was selected by John, Davepeta too busy giggling at all the choices and saying they sounded terrible to be of much assistance, but they didn’t wind up watching much of it. Ten minutes in and there was a hand on John’s thigh, kneading at the flesh rhythmically and distracting him. Fifteen in and Davepeta had crawled onto part of his lap, resting their head on his thigh. Twenty, and Davepeta was settled on their back on John’s lap like a cat who’d successfully snuck onto a comfy spot, and at some point after that they’d started to kiss and he lost all track of time. Who needed time when someone this attractive wanted to lock lips with you? They could always watch the movie over again, but for now it made for a nice background noise in the cozy nest he’d made.

“Did you miss me?” they breathed against his mouth.

“Of course I did, it’s just not the same without you around,” John admitted, stroking at their bright hair, the strands aglow with neon hues.

“Did you think about what we did before?” they teased, that predatory grin sliding so easily across their face that John had to flush and bite his lip. Of course he’d thought about it. He’d thought about it daily. Nightly. It was impossible to not hyper-focus on, being a first of its kind for him.

“Yeah. A lot,” John said, trailing a finger from their hair to their delicately pointed ear, stroking along the point and the length of it till he was stroking the side of their face instead.

“You know I’m not wearing a bra,” they said matter of factly, almost out of the blue were it not for the distinct link to their previous encounter. “But do you want to know a secret?”

“Sure,” John said, throat feeling a bit tight. Okay, they were being pretty bold already, maybe more touching was in his future.

Davepeta perched on their elbows and curled their long body upwards towards John’s ear, whispering a warm breath into it.

“The panties match.”

John’s throat ran dry. He swallowed once, twice, three times before he had enough saliva to do it properly, and then pulled back to look down at Davepeta on his lap. They were grinning and waggling their eyebrows playfully before breaking out into a laugh like bells, pushing up from their comfy spot on his lap to rise up onto their knees. Their palms soon rested on John’s knees, keeping him from adjusting his position as they leaned up to kiss him gently once more.

“Do you want to see…?”

“I.”

“You?”

“I uh. Y-. ...Yeah,” he finally got out, kicking himself mentally over and over for stammering. Stupid! Stupiiiiiiiid! You’re supposed to be suave and in control of the situation, or at least participating better! Where did all the preparedness go?

“Let’s have some snacks and watch some of the movie, and we can play it like a game,” they suggested. “Every so often, I’ll ditch a piece of clothing, and you have to do the same. Eventually the whole kittenkaboodle’ll be gone.”

“Wait, what?”

Davepeta grinned that same calculating grin again, fangs glinting. “John, my end goal is to both be naked and the only reason I’m not taking it all off in one go is to see mew squirm a bit.”

“Th-! That seems like cheating!” John said, mind racing. They weren’t wearing much to begin with. Naked. Both naked. Oh, God, was this really happening?

“Seems pretty fair to the person only wearing two pieces of clothes. Here, I’ll start,” Davepeta said before reaching back behind themselves to tug at their shirt. John could hear the gradual give of velcro before the shirt was loosening and coming off. They held the loose fabric in front of their chest for a moment, eyeing John closely before letting it drop.

Though John had only felt them previously, seeing was an entirely different prospect, and his hands dropped immediately to his lap to quell the response it invoked. Davepeta’s breasts were lovely, really, better than pictures of normal humans John had sneaked peeks of online. Part of it was because of the pearly sheen their skin had, highlights brighter and shadows softer, nipples perky in the cool air of the living room. Or were they like that because of what they were doing together...? The thought that, somehow, John was responsible for that perkiness was appealing.

“Well?” Davepeta said, setting their shirt aside.

“Well what,” John asked. Fuck, was he supposed to do something? His hands lifted and hovered as if he were going to grasp both breasts at once, but went no further. Something wasn’t connecting properly in his brain and he knew it, think think think Egbert come on!

“Your shirt…?” Davepeta said. “Mew need to ditch yours too meow. Follow the leader, remember?”

John’s face flared red before he scrambled to tuck his head down into his shirt like a turtle, hands rushing to the bottom to rip it up over his face and toss the bundled fabric aside. There wasn’t nearly as much of interest on John as Davepeta, thin chest flat, edges of his ribs visible. John had always hoped that someday he’d be as strong as his father, as wide, yet so far he hadn’t filled out like that. Muscle mass just wasn’t in the cards yet.

Davepeta seemed comfortable being shirtless, which made sense considering half of their makeup was someone who’d been able to be shirtless any time he wanted in his life. ...Was Nepeta able to do the same? John didn’t understand a lot of things about trolls, maybe troll girls were able to go shirtless all the time too on Alternia. Was that a weird thing to ask? It was probably a weird thing to ask. And probably weirder that he couldn’t help but keep gawking over now and then at what rested above the popcorn. It was boobs John, grow up. It’s not like he’d never seen boobs before, he’d even felt them before!

…

Boobs.

“Can we start the movie over?” Davepeta asked, reclining leisurely onto the blankets and cushions beside John after grabbing the popcorn bowl. They took a handful and fed a kernel at a time into their mouth, crunching idly. “I wasn’t paying attention before. Whoops.”

“Uhm. Yeah,” John said, taking a few seconds too long to go and fetch the remote control, clicking back through the scenes to the beginning. What movie even was this? He had no interest in the film anymore, not so long as the sprite lay beside him half naked and tempting.

What would happen if he just moved the popcorn bucket and rolled over on top of them for a kiss? Would they be happy? Annoyed? Would he ruin the mood, or make it even better? Augh, Davepeta was being a tease and this was so confusing to decipher! It didn’t help that every time he peeked over seemed to be the time Davepeta was casually eating popcorn and looking right back at him with a grin. They knew the power they held, and they were using every inch of it for evil it seemed.

John reached for some popcorn, though he wasn’t in the mood for snacks anymore. All he wanted to do was kiss Davepeta again, and lose himself like he’d started to earlier. Or did he? After all, the sprite was only wearing shorts now. There was apparently nothing on underneath them. When those came off, Davepeta would be naked, and he’d be stuck in his underwear a bit longer unless he could man up enough to yank them down too. Or had Davepeta planned that as well?

With thoughts running through his head, John barely even noticed at first when Davepeta’s hand crept back to his thigh and began to knead as the movie played. They spread their fingers out, feeling along the fabric of his pants now and then before curling up to squeeze repeatedly, working from his outer thigh to his inner thigh and-

That was a hand on his dick. Oh, God, that was a hand on his dick and one glance down at Davepeta proved that it was entirely intentional and holy shit it felt nice. John bit his lip to keep quiet, not wanting to groan immediately, and closed his eyes instead. Don’t pop a boner. Don’t get a boner immediately. Come on, John, don’t get a boner immediately. Don’t. Do not. Resist. RESIST.

He failed, and Davepeta’s grip grew gentler, a fond stroking through the fabric of his pants instead of the heavy kneading of before.

Mercy?

No. Not from the look on their face, it wasn’t. Davepeta was glancing at him from beneath hooded eyes, calculating, gauging his reactions to different pressure up till he started to softly pant. Only then did they remove their hand and set aside the popcorn bowl.

Dry mouthed, John watched as Davepeta hooked their thumbs into the hem of their shorts and tugged downwards, exposing the flat, muscular plane of their stomach and abdomen, the crest of their hips, and…

What was that.

John squinted a bit, confused. At first glance, he thought he was dealing with a normal human vulva, albeit tinted shades of green and orange. Yet… the longer he looked at it, the more it appeared that something down there was moving.

“Like what you see?” Davepeta asked, striking a pose as they dangled their shorts off one foot showily, the angle of their leg and thigh drawing John’s line of sight before it reverted back to the focus point of his interest. Yes, something was definitely moving down there, gently peeking out of their body as if it had a mind of its own before withdrawing once more.

“I uhm. Well. Yes, just. ...Uh,” John stammered, not sure what to say. Davepeta was naked, of course he liked what he saw. He just. Didn’t know exactly what he was liking in that moment.

Grinning broader, Davepeta suddenly rolled and settled half atop John’s torso, hands fussing at the front of his pants. “Your turn!”

Wait, he was still hard. Oh, God, wait, he was still hard!

A tussle, half wrestling half resisting later, and John was left in his underwear with his pants around his knees. Davepeta was settled astride his thighs proudly, tail whipping left and right over his shins, the top of their head propping up one of the droopier blankets of the fort. This wasn’t ideal. Or maybe it was, considering John had breasts in his face and a clearer view of what he’d been gawking at before.

A tentabulge, he thought it was called. It sounded familiar at least. A slim tendril was shyly peeking out and feeling around Davepeta’s skin before sliding back into its bodily sheathe the longer John looked. A part of him had expected a humanoid dick considering Dave was involved, and he’d steeled himself for that, but this was definitely new. Prehensile and new. Intriguing. Shyly he reached a finger forward and watched as the reaching tendril wrapped around it for a moment before retracting again. He felt Davepeta shiver on his lap and bit his lip anxiously.

Holy shit, this was really happening wasn’t it. His first time and it was going to be with some fairly alien equipment. A glance up towards Davepeta’s face made any apprehension disappear though. They were smiling at him lovingly, apparently glad that he approved of what he saw. Maybe even relieved. Had anyone else done anything with the sprite…? Was this a bit of a first for both of them?

Without thinking, John reached up and hooked his arms around Davepeta’s narrow hips, resting his hands square on their ass for stability and for the chance to give a knead of his own. They hummed throatily and shuffled their wings before leaning forward, resting their arms around his neck.

“Do mew have any idea how long I’ve wanted you to see me like this…?” they asked. “The only reason I didn’t jump you in the forest was because it felt better to wait. And look now! We’ve got a fort all our own!”

John’s cuddle cave was apparently going to be used for much lewder purposes tonight, and all he could think in the moment was to praise himself for the lights and the television placement that kept the pale, pearly flesh in front of him in perfect lighting to savor and enjoy. They were warm beneath his hands and against his chest, and when they kissed him again it was sweet and tender.

Shit, they’d really wanted this hadn’t they. Well. At least the feeling was mutual. Davepeta sank down so they were sitting on John’s thigh and he blinked in confusion when he felt something wet against his skin. Apparently the bulge wasn’t the only thing Davepeta was in possession of, though it took John an embarrassingly long time to try to remember the name he’d heard before for it. If this was a part of troll anatomy and not something entirely different, it was a nook, right? Was that the same as a vagina? Or entirely different? It was at an angle that John couldn’t exactly see it, only feel it against his thigh, which wasn’t enough.

Davepeta seemed to read his mind, and kissed against his nape for a moment.

“Would mew like to see what you’re dealing with…?”

John swallowed briefly before giving an excited nod. Yes, he wanted to get a clear look. And maybe a touch. And maybe more. He’d seen porn before, yeah, and he had some ideas of what he wanted to do already on his own, but it all would depend on what there physically was on the field. What would feel good and what wouldn’t to them?

If he could make Davepeta feel good, he’d call it a successful night.

Scooting backwards and freeing John’s legs, Davepeta glanced to a free space on the pillow fort’s floor and took it, reclining carefully to avoid damaging their wings. They propped up on their elbows to watch John’s face before parting their legs and giving him a full view of their genitals, the bulge unfurling further than before in excitement. It coiled against itself, a shimmering green with orange highlights here and there along its length, and spread some kind of a liquid that John could only assume was similar to lubrication or pre-come. It had to be something after all, right? The nook rested below it, a much more benign and inactive opening that seemed to have traces of the same fluid from the bulge that restlessly coiled and reached above it. For a brief moment it looked as if the bulge was going to probe that nook on its own, and it was enough to snap John out of his stupor.

This was real.

Davepeta was naked in front of him, showing their most intimate parts, and he’d not even commented. Jesus, where were his manners. Fascination aside, he was grateful to be gifted like this in the first place. John cleared his throat and shucked his pants the rest of the way before crawling closer to Davepeta’s legs, tracing a hand over their shin and calf a few times.

“You’re gorgeous.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say, judging from the neon glow of a blush that dusted their pearly cheeks.

“Can I uhm,” he started, then took a breath and let it out. “...Can I touch you?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

With permission obtained and Davepeta already parting their legs a bit further to accommodate him, John sank down to his elbows and scooted closer. He pressed a kiss to their thigh a few times, spangling their skin with it, before approaching the focus of his interest. The bulge was even larger than before, more of its girth emerging even as John drew closer, till it finally stopped and stood proudly on display.

Davepeta was bigger than him, and while part of John was a little embarrassed about it, the realization was also… kind of hot? What would that feel like inside of him? Oh, fuck, was he honestly thinking about tackling that monster tonight? He reached a hand forward to gently grasp the bulge, taking in the slick texture of it, the tense coil that was all muscle grasping at him, feeling his fingers and palm. The sprite shivered again and curled their toes. ...Hmm, apparently he didn’t really need to do all that much to make it feel good.

Yet, not satisfied with that alone, John leaned forwards bravely to give the bulge a lick. Oral was standard as foreplay, right? Touching and tasting was what he’d seen in porn, the fact it felt like something was trying to taste him back was just a bonus apparently. Whatever fluid coated it had a neutral flavor, the scent being entirely Davepeta in origin. It was kind of addictive really. John held still as the tentabulge stretched and reached for his face, feeling around wetly before he tipped his head and opened his mouth in offer.

“A-ah!” Davepeta twitched harshly as John closed his lips, giving an experimental suck on the appendage. Eager, he tried to figure out how to allow more into his mouth, before having to yank back with a cough as the bulge headed straight for his throat.

“Fuck,” he hissed.

“Sorry,” the sprite mumbled, biting their lip. Shit. They looked almost shy like that, so different from their normal in-your-face attitude and existence. Loud and proud.

“No, no, it’s okay. Let me just…” he murmured, wrangling the excited bulge with one hand and giving an experimental squeeze before dipping his head down lower to explore the nook with his tongue. A lick to the outside, a few flat lathes of his tongue, and he was pressing harder to breach the opening.

Sweet. Sweet and moist and pliant, and oh God he could feel Davepeta’s thighs against his ears as their legs swung closer, squeezing at him encouragingly. He felt hands in his hair, combing gently, petting at him. He didn’t need to be told twice. Closing his eyes, John busied himself with Davepeta’s nook with his mouth and fingers of one hand while his other fist dealt with the muscular bulge, alternating between squeezing and just letting it explore and rub against his fingers.

“John,” they crooned, voice sweet and higher than usual, breathy. “John, John, John, John…!”

Apparently just feeling the situation out was the right thing to do. And honestly? He could get used to this. Every time he licked or probed with a finger, the sprite twittered and convulsed against him, squeezing his head with their thighs. Every time his fist moved they were trying to spread their knees apart, winding up in this rhythmic writhing motion that felt so natural John couldn’t imagine anything better.

Eventually though, he pulled back to look up at Davepeta, up past their flat stomach and beautiful breasts to their upturned, breathless face. He just sat there a moment, taking it all in. Savoring it. Stamping it on a part of his brain that would never forget how that pearly skin looked with multicolored lights from a long forgotten movie flashing over it, how his name had sounded coming from their passionately parted lips.

Beautiful. Handsome. Striking.

Perfect.

...Mostly perfect. The situation did have one down side John realized, shifting till he was on his knees. His underwear was in the way, and by now was uncomfortable. A damp spot at the front of the tent showed the amount of restraint he’d had till now, finally wiggling them down and off. The relief he felt was immediate, making him wonder why he hadn’t ditched them sooner to join the sprite in the nudist party.

Wait.

Shit.

Preparedness.

This was the moment, wasn’t it? This was that moment where things went even further that he’d been warned he’d recognize, and now that he recognized it John didn’t know what to do. He looked from Davepeta to the makeshift doorway of the fort to the table drawer where a few things lay inside in waiting. Did he need any of the things in there? That bulge wouldn’t fit a condom, and it seemed to be making its own lubrication, but-

“John,” Davepeta suddenly cooed, drawing his attention back. “You look like a deer in headlights.”

“Sorry, I’m just… I don’t know what I need next,” he admitted. “I mean. Condoms and stuff. I don’t know.”

“I can’t get pregnant,” Davepeta said. “At least I’m pretty sure I can’t. There’s too much blended up inside of me to manage that, especially when you add the game code in there. And trolls don’t work that way either. So I think we’re good on that front,” they promised, shifting their legs. John hadn’t noticed it till now, but the fluid the bulge was leaving behind had a faint green tint to it, as if a tiny drop of food dye had been placed in a bucket of liquid. “As for me needing something… all I need is mew.”

Davepeta was up and moving again then, coming closer to John and placing a hand on his cock, hand giving a few strokes till he shuddered and twitched, more than willing to lay back when pressed. Their bulge snaked forward and wrapped around his length once they removed their hand and shuffled even closer, squeezing it like a python before beginning to wiggle excitedly, tip probing here and there to try finding a waiting nook instead of testes and a taint.

“How uh-,” John started, only to be cut off when Davepeta kissed him, pressing their bodies against each other warmly and tangling their legs. There already seemed to be a plan in motion, he just needed to catch up with it and try to think of anything other than the bulge that was continuing to squeeze and writhe against his dick.

Oh.

Oh, okay, that was something he could think about.

Being braver, John deepened the kiss and rolled Davepeta to their back once more, pressing them down. He felt their knees against his hips tighten and hold on, bulge squeezing harder along his dick. This might work. The bulge was long enough that it could probably reach his ass while he was exploring their nook. They could both enjoy themselves at the same time, right? Or would it have been easier to have them be reverse cowgirl..?

No.

This felt good, this felt right. The squeeze of legs at his hips, the encouraging scratch of nails against his upper back and between his shoulder blades, the warm press of their tongue against his own and the way they were already trying to grind together without words felt natural. John’s hips hitched briefly when the bulge unfurled from his length and went lower, squeezing at his testicles before slipping between his legs and probing at his entrance.

“Take a breath,” Davepeta murmured softly when they felt John tense up, kissing him again till he relaxed.

It wasn’t as bad as he’d worried it might be, not by far. Thanks to the gradual increase in size, the slickness, and the gentleness of the appendage, what started as a few slick passes over his hole soon gave way to what felt like a small finger, expanding upwards into something more arousing as he adjusted bit by bit to the intrusion.

Davepeta moaned softly against his lips again, and John decided to make his move, hips rocking gently as he blindly probed a few times, missing the nook by a mile. The sprite reached down to grab hold of him and adjusted their bodies together, aligning him smoothly. The situation sank in again. A forgotten movie played in the background, some heroic line or another being said to an audience that had much better things on their mind. Popcorn rested in its bowl on a cushion nearby, clothes lay abandoned in piles, and two naked bodies rested in the center of a blanket fort that had been made with care.

John held his breath and sank forward… and groaned with bliss as warmth enveloped his cock, the bulge pressing deeper at the same time and stiffening reflexively. They were plenty wet, allowing him to slide in bit by shaking bit as they continued to lazily kiss, the entire affair leisurely and sweet. When they were flush together, John went still to let the bulge probe deeper, giving a jerk when he felt the firm brush against his prostate. Radio static ran down his spine in a harsh tingle.

“Keep doing that,” John gasped urgently against Davepeta’s lips as he shakily pulled his hips back and pressed forward again. A few steady times of this and John felt confident enough to start thrusting in a pattern, pace staggered occasionally as the bulge began to imitate him, withdrawing and thrusting deeper before squirming in place wetly.

For all the times that John had imagined his first time, it had been nothing like this. He’d always imagined he’d wind up with some girl or another, that his first time would be in a bed, that he might even be married first in some cases. The living room floor was never going to be the same for him again.

Davepeta had begun to make needy, throaty sounds whenever the kisses broke, gasps and moans, soft cries. Begging. Their voice split occasionally, sometimes a bit lower like Dave’s and sometimes higher like Nepeta’s must have sounded like, sometimes two at once before blending back together properly to Davepeta’s usual range.

John braced his legs and did the best he could do, hammering forwards and pulling back, trying to keep his movements smooth despite the assault against his prostate, fucking hard enough that Davepeta’s breasts bounced against his own chest hypnotically. They kissed messily, wetly. They bit. They scratched.

Salty. Sweet. Bitter.

“Horns,” they begged, rolling their head till John reached up and caught hold of them, bracing his weight on his elbows to accommodate the grab and hold maneuver, rubbing his thumbs along the ridges.

The sprite tensed and babbled a warning against John’s mouth, too many words and not enough breath, but John couldn’t stop even if he wanted to right then. He bowed his head and thrust harder and faster, giving a guess as to what was coming.

He wasn’t prepared.

No sooner had John come with a strangled cry, Davepeta did the same. ...And they came. ...And came. ...And came.

John felt fluid down his thighs and against his dick, felt Davepeta biting his lower lip and their knees squeezing his hips to trap him in place. No worries there, he was too sensitive to move anywhere fast, and even though the bulge had stilled it was still a firm presence in the back of his mind until it slowly withdrew. More wetness on his legs had John shakily propping up on his hands to glance down, taking in the green tinted mess on the pillows and sheets before he lay back down atop his datemate and sighed.

“Is that normal? Like. Does that happen every time?”

“It’s normal,” they promised, breathless, hands reaching up to toy with John’s messy hair, the tufts winding up even more wild thanks to their ministrations.

He felt… the same. Somehow, John had assumed that losing his virginity would make him feel different. Instead, he just felt sticky and tired and warm and so full of love for the person beneath him that it felt like his heart was going to explode. John rolled to his side and pulled Davepeta with him, pulling one of their long legs up over his hips to stroke at while they lazily kissed at his face and lips, basking in afterglow together.

The movie had reached its own climax apparently, but it was just noise. The popcorn lay abandoned, forgotten, the soda untouched. They had the entire night to themselves, with nobody to interrupt them.

“...Wanna do it again?” Davepeta purred, smirking wickedly despite the tiredness.

“Already?”

“Yeah. I’ve gotten a taste of mew and I’m purroud to say I want more,” said the sprite, licking their lips. “Though this time… I want to be on top.”

Dazed and still more than a little out of it, John could only nod.

Yeah. Sure.

Why not.

Sex was nice, he’d like more when his dick cooperated with him again.

“You’re not letting me get any sleep tonight, are you,” John said, realization sinking in.

“Nope.”

“I’m gonna be sore tomorrow, huh.”

“Purrobably,” they said, shifting their weight to get John onto his back, hands sliding along his chest and arms till they reached his wrists, pinning them down easily.

“...Will it be worth it?” he asked, lips parting as the sprite leaned down for a kiss, licking his bottom lip playfully.

“Absolutely.”

#davepetasprite #davepetasprite^2 #Davepeta #John Egbert #Homestuck #davepeta/john #not sfw #my fic

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celtics534 · 5 years

Text

Señorita

A cute little Muggle AU to calm down the vibe after Doom Days this week :)

Thanks @thedistantdusk from some awesome edits, @gryffindormischief for being so encouraging with this fic and @bluestwitch for the Spanish help :)

Inspired by Senorita by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, South of the Border by Ed Sheeran, and Nothing on You by Ed Sheeran. This may become a two-shot, I haven’t decided yet.

Read on: FF.net and AO3

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Harry slid himself into the small corner booth in the back of the cafe. He hadn’t wanted to leave his temporary flat, but coffee had become necessary. For the past two weeks, he’d been assigned to watch a potential sex trafficking ring leader. Harry’s team had discovered the man’s operations in London, but within the last month, word had spread that Norman Zello had gone to Spain for “business.” After gaining clearance from the CNP, Harry and his five-man squad had hopped on the next plane to Barcelona.

After two weeks straight of long nights and even longer days, Harry’s lieutenant had ordered him to take forty-eight hours without stepping foot in their base of operations. In other words, Harry now found himself a two day holiday in Spain.

He wasn’t much of a tourist; just the idea of going to those crowded spots gave him a headache. No, he’d rather act like the locals and pretend those prime locations didn’t exist-- which was why he’d picked this little hole in the wall cafe.

A waitress walked over with his croissant de almendra and café con leche. She gave him a flirtatious smile as she leaned over his table. Harry couldn’t help but look down her deep v neck, his face heating to near the temperature of the coffee. When she walked away, not without a wink and a helpful offer to get him anything else, Harry started researching places to visit.

When the little bell over the front door rang out, Harry looked up at the noise. Three beautiful women walked in. One was a tall blonde with blue eyes that reminded him of the ocean around the area. Another was dark haired with legs that seemed to go on for days. But Harry forgot all about them the minute his eyes connected with warm brown ones.

She was a petite redhead with freckles that covered every inch of visible skin. She clearly wasn’t from Spain. Her creamy white complexion gave that away. She had a mischievous smirk on her lips that told him he was already in trouble. His heart started to race as her eyes assessed him. Typically Harry wasn’t a vain man, but in that moment he wished he’d spent more time that morning trying to tame his unruly hair.

Harry had always had a thing for redheads, and she was already driving him crazy with her long hair and white shirt and blue jeans that skimmed her figure perfectly. When she winked at him, all Harry wanted out of life was to find out her name.

It took all of Harry’s will power to turn his attention back to his phone. Staring at someone was not an ideal way to make a good first impression.

He was reading the tour times for Camp Nou Stadium when someone cleared their throat near him. He looked up and was hypnotized by those coffee-colored eyes again.

The redhead was smiling down at him. “Hola.”

Harry’s brain chose that moment to forget everything. Knowledge of how to breathe and speak officially became things of his past. “I - Uh - Hi. I mean.” Harry knew he must have turned the shade of a tomato. “Hola.”

Her smile grew wider. “Oh good, you speak English. I thought I recognized a fellow kinsmen in you. Mind if I sit here until my order is ready?” She gestured to the empty booth across him.

“No,” Harry said, a little overzealous. Fucking hell, Harry! Stop making yourself look like a dunce He cleared his throat, before trying again. “No, feel free.”

“Thanks!” She slid in gracefully. “So, what are you doing in Spain?”

“I’m here for work.” He was semi-proud of himself for completing a sentence without stuttering.

She nodded. “Me too. My team and I are in the quarterfinals against Barcelona.”

“Your team?”

“Yeah. We play for England’s national team.”

As if she wasn’t hot enough already, but now she’s a pro football player?! Was it appropriate to propose to someone after only saying ten words to them?

Instead of maying a complete fool of himself, Harry used his brain before speaking. “Whoa, that’s amazing! What position do you play?”

“Forward.” She gave him a cocky grin that turned him on way more than it should have. “One of the best too, if I do say so myself. But what about you?” She propped her elbow on the table and placed her chin in her open palm. “What do you do?”

“I’m a detective for the MET.”

Her red brows scrunched together in an all-too-cute way. “For the MET. Then why are you in Spain?”

“My team and I are following a suspect. We’re hoping to uncover all his -- ill-advised -- activities.

“Wow!” She looked impressed. “Makes my job feel invaluable, doesn’t it?”

“No way.” He shook his head. “Being on the national team -- that’s fucking incredible.”

She smiled brightly, her brown eyes dancing with pleasure. “Thank you. It’s been a lot of hard work.”

Harry was about to pluck up some real courage and ask if he could come and see her play, but before he could open his mouth the redhead’s friends called her over. They held all their takeway bags.

“I’m sorry.” She stood “I’ve got to go. We’ve got practice soon.”

Harry stood as she started to make her way back to her teammates. He wanted to call out, ask for her number, but his bravery seemed to leave with her. Fuck ! Why couldn’t he grow a pair when it came to talking with women?

“Hey.” She had turned around halfway between him and her companions. “I was planning on heading to the beach this evening.” She cocked her head to the side. “If you’re free, maybe you’d like to meet up?”

His mouth couldn’t open fast enough. “Yeah, that would be great.”

She beamed at him and pulled out her phone. “What’s your number so I can text you when and where?”

Harry quickly relayed his number, watching her efficiently type in the digits. “Perfect.” She smiled at him. “I’ll see you later.” Before Harry realized what she was doing, her lips were on his cheek.

He could only watch as she turned back to her friends. It took a few moments for his brain to start running again. They were almost out the door when Harry yelled, “Wait, I don’t even know your name!”

She turned to look over her shoulder. The smirk she sent him made his whole body buzz. “It’s Ginny.”

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Ginny walked across the beach, her bare feet sinking into the sand with every step, warming her toes. Harry walked beside her his hand tucked neatly in hers. They had deserted the little fire Ginny’s team had crowded around in favor of a few minutes alone. When she glanced back, she’d been able to see flickering sparks rising into the air.

“I’ve always liked the way the moon reflects off the water,” Ginny said, her focus now on the crashing waves. “It’s like a picture out of a book. It’s beautiful.” She turned to look at him was blinded by his intense eyes. Fuck , she’d seen that emerald green across the cafe and had been instantly sucked in.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Ginny got the distinct impression he wasn’t talking about that moon. The idea made butterflies flutter through her stomach. She was used to men trying to chat her up (she was a professional football star, for fuck’s sake), but typically they didn’t do anything for her. Harry, however, wasn’t like the rest. He wasn’t using pick-up lines, asking for tickets to her games, or staring at her chest. No, he was following the flow of conversation, asking her about her interests, and only verging away from her face every so often.

There was a real fire between them, and Ginny really liked it.

Before she could act on her feelings, a man and woman approached them. The couple stopped in front of them, talking in rapid Spanish. Ginny’s understanding of the language was extremely limited (ranging from hola to adios). Harry, however, nodded at the couple.

“Sí.” He pointed off towards the mainland. “ son unos veinte minutos por ese camino .”

The couple thanked Harry profusely (using another word in Ginny’s limited vocabulary) before heading off.

Ginny was impressed. “You speak Spanish?”

Harry turned back to her, his hand jumping to the back of his neck. “I’m fluent in Spanish, French, and German.”

“Really?” Ginny hated how fucking sexy she found that.

“Yeah.” Harry’s sheepish smile almost made Ginny kiss him right there. He had no idea how adorable he was, and it just increased his appeal.

“Can you tell me something in Spanish?”

“Uh… sure.” He paused for a moment. “Er. Estás arrestada . Pon las manos en tu cabeza.”

Ginny blinked. “What did you just say?”

“You're under arrest. Put your hands on your head.”

“Spanish makes that sound so much hotter. I’d be more than happy to be arrested if an officer talked to me like that.”

Harry laughed.

“What’s another thing you can say?” Ginny asked, not wanting the Spanish lessons to end.

“Uh.” Harry looked around the beach, his gaze focusing on the water. “¿Te gusta nadar?”

Ginny raised an eyebrow until he explained.

Harry’s cheeks flushed, making his complexion darker in the minimal light. His hand jumped back to his neck. “Do you like swimming?”

She beamed at him. “I love swimming.” She paused, considering the temperature, before reaching for the hem of her shirt. She tugged the white cotton over her head. “Care to join me?”

Harry’s eyes drifted south, taking in her black bra that she was planning to use as a bikini top. She saw his tongue come out and run along his lower lip, seemingly unconsciously.

“ Sí, Señorita. ” If his husky tone and sexy Spanish weren’t enough, Ginny practically started drooling when Harry removed his shirt. Fuck , the MET kept their men fit.

Ginny undid her jeans and stepped out of them. At this point, she needed to get into the water to cool her fucking hormones down. If he said Señorita like that again… Ginny wouldn’t be at fault for what happened.

She ran to the crashing waves, Harry shouting to wait up as he ran in behind her. The chilly water hit her like the iceberg that hit the Titanic: Hard and sharp.

Ginny, however, refused to be beaten by a liquid. She moved into the water up to her waist, her body trying to adjust from the temperature of warm sand.

When Harry’s arms finally wrapped around her from behind, the warmth of his body lessened the icy chill His lips were right next to her ear. “ Deberías haberme esperado, preciosa .” Gooseflesh rose across her body, and Ginny knew it had nothing to do with the cool temperature

She spun in his arms, their eyes locking. “You keep talking like that I won’t be able to control myself.”

Harry grinned. “Haz lo que quieras. Soy tuyo. ”

“Okay.” Ginny gave him her most charming smile. “Just remember I warned you.” She pressed herself to him, placing her hands on his shoulders, turning so he was out deeper in the water. Moving up to her tiptoes, she nuzzled her nose to his before using all her might to push him in.

Harry had not been expecting her attack -- or perhaps more accurately his defenses were down. His grip on her waist loosened and he fell easily, his body causing a dramatic splash. Ginny stood triumphantly, arms crossed.

When he surfaced, his hair was plastered to his face as he sputtered. Ginny smiled down at him. “That will teach you to mess with a Weasley. Only the bravest dare to try and handle us.”

Harry wiped the water away from his eyes and nose as he stood. His gaze never leaving hers. Ginny was surprised the water wasn’t boiling from the ardent look he was giving her. She sure as hell felt hot all over.

He moved in close, his hands sliding back over her hips and waist. His mouth hovered over hers, his breath warming her face. “Oh, trust me, I’m up for that dare.”

Ginny’s body hummed with anticipation. She could already imagine how his lips would feel on hers. Then, instead of having her imagination satisfied, Harry changed course. He backed away just enough so his arms could wrap around the back of her legs and shoulders. Before Ginny knew it, she was in his fireman’s hold.

“Whoa!” Ginny’s arms went around his neck. “Now, Harry, let’s talk about this.”

Harry smirked down at her. “What do you have to offer, Señorita ?”

Oh, Ginny really did love the way he said that . She leaned up and kissed him. She couldn’t have stopped it, even if she’d wanted to. It took Harry a second to realize what was happening, but he responded with enthusiasm. When his tongue ran across her lower lip, Ginny let out an embarrassing moan. She didn’t even realize he’d lowered her back into the water.

When oxygen became vital, Ginny pulled back. She remained on her tiptoes, not wanting to separate more than what was required to breathe.

“Harry.” She ran her hands into his soaked hair.

“Yeah?” His voice was low and all too inviting.

“How do you say wanna come back to my place in Spanish?”

“¿Quieres volver a mi casa?”

Ginny kissed him again. “ Sí, señor .”

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Harry’s woke slowly, refusing to open his eyes. He was so warm and comfy, the idea of ever moving seemed impractical. Giving in to the desire to get closer to the source of the warmth, Harry pushed backward, his back snuggling into the heat.

“ Harry .” The sleepy voice made memories flood back to him. Taking Ginny back to his flat. Kissing up against the front door. Lifting her up so she was at the perfect height…

He opened his eyes and turned in Ginny’s arms. Her mouth was twisted in a smile and he could see to the top of her breasts peeking out from under the sheet. He grinned. Last night had been… well, the best he’d ever had.

The urge to kiss her became overwhelming. He pressed his lips to hers lightly.

Her smile grew as she smacked her lips “Who do you think you are, prince charming?”

“If the shoe fits.”

Ginny’s laughed, her eyes opening slowly, herr brown eyes luring him back in. “Quite sure of yourself, hmm?”

He leaned in and kissed her again. “Well, the way you were talking last night…”

“Who says that was for you?” Ginny’s hands came up into his hair, spiking through it.

“Well unless you changed your name to ‘ oh, Harry ,’ I’ll take it as a compliment.” He paused loving the feel of her hands massaging his scalp. His eyes closed on their own accord. Then a horrible seed of doubt spread throughout his mind. He looked back into her smiling chocolate brown eyes. “Ginny, what was this?”

“I thought it was pretty self-explanatory.” Ginny’s lips curled in a smirk. “It’s called sex, Harry. Do I need to give a visual example?”

“That’s not what -- Well ,” He mentally shook himself. Focus, Potter . “I mean, was this just a one-off or --” His voice broke, betraying his nerves.

Ginny blinked at him like that was the last thing she’d expected him to ask. Her hands tightened in his hair, and in the next instant, as she flipped them. She straddled his hips, her lips coming to hover just over his. “Boy, I never took you for a one night stand. So don't make plans for anything but me and a little romance.”

When she kissed him, Harry couldn’t think of anything other than her. “ Sí, Señorita .”

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Spanish Key:

Sí, son unos veinte minutos por ese camino - Yes. It's about twenty minutes that way

Estás arrestada. Pon las manos en tu cabeza - You're under arrest. Put your hands on your head

¿Te gusta nadar? - Do you like swimming?

Deberías haberme esperado, preciosa - You should have waited for me, beautiful

Haz lo que quieras. Soy tuyo - Do whatever you want. I’m yours

#hinny #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fan fiction #harry X ginny #hinny fanfic #senorita #nothing on you #south of the border

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sumonrwb-blog · 5 years

Text

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Toddler and youngsters Photos

This is a quite attention-grabbing genre for the artist WHO has chosen it as a part of its profession. Capturing the birth of the kid and its each growing stage square measure the foremost crucial moments for the oldsters and therefore the artist should shoot them nicely. Taking inventive and masterpiece photos of the youngsters don't seem to be thus straightforward for the artist and for it the artist should adopt a special approach by infusing his skills, creativities, and imagination to possess the excelling shots. value more highly to have the sunshine and bright colours, smart trying props, kid’s smile, parents; hold and plenty of apply to possess the excelling pictures of the youngsters. target showing the link, the tenderness, love, and care in your shots.

Nude Genre

Another genre of the sphere of the photography that the artist will prefer to have the appealing shots is that the nude genre. that creates the photography the a lot of inventive and intimate method wherever there's no place of timidity. this can be the genre better-known with 2 words that square measure secrets and mysteries. Basically, the capturing of this genre needs the mixing of the many factors to shoot the amazing photos just like the choice of model, co-authorship, mutual cooperation and lots of others to possess the great photos during this genre. it's up to the artist that it will divide the genre into subgenres like sexy, form and perhaps the opposite one. Product Photo Editing

Conclusion

These square measure the distinct genres that the artist will opt for relying upon the abilities, interest, and keenness of the artist. visit here

#clipping path #remove white background #product photo editing

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jacereviews · 5 years

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Review: The House in Fata Morgana

Visual Novel PC Also known as: Fata Morgana no Yakata, FataMoru This does not cover the content included exclusively in the collected edition. Consumed in English

I’m very new to visual novels, for the longest time I was put-off by the medium for their pacing and insistence on being pornographic. However I found myself to be small-minded so I’ve tried sampling the medium to see what lies within. During this time a friend of mine approaches me with a rather interesting looking vn, one which I shall discuss today. I present to you the Utsuge, The House in Fata Morgana. Let’s rock.

PLOT: There’s a dark manor in the woods. Legends speak of a witch living in it. You awaken in this manor by the fireplace, utterly alone except for a single maid. The Maid informs you that you’re the master of this house, but unfortunately you don’t remember who you are. She takes your hand and guides you through the the memories of the house, as you look into the past to find out who you are. In a lot of way this feels like a Framing Story in the beginning. The story is told through “doors.” Each door containing a different time period and story behind it, only sharing their being set in the manor. However over time you see the stranger pieces begin to connect and unfold into a grander tale. This grander tale was quite emotional and fascinating, while not shockingly complex or new it was incredibly effective. The real problem lays in the doors prior to everything coming together. While they’re all individually fine they are rather weak. The first door in particular felt rather mediocre until the ending of it. While better than many vns these do server as a buffer, even if they do pay off in the long run. They’re paced fine enough that it’s no real problem to get through. On the other hand some of the later doors are borderline perfect, being tightly paced, impactful, and intriguing. No piece of Fata Morgana is unimportant, even if they initially seem that way.

9/10, a bumpy start but a fantastic ending.

CHARACTERS: Any MAL friend of mine will notice that a Fata character is on my top 10. However I will not be able to talk here much as many of the later characters are cloaked in spoilers. I will simply rapid fire use some names and attach brief opinions. Michel is an absolute joy and a pleasure to read, I adore him. Giselle is very loveable and warm. Jacopo hurts my heart in good ways. Needless to say there’s a lot of powerfully done characters here, not too many but enough. One of my favorite characters I can’t even talk about at all without going into spoiler territory, but if you’re read up on the VN you can guess who she is.

10/10, I actually can’t talk more without ruining the experience, trust my number here.

VISUALS: For many people this might be the initial draw. Moyataro‘s art is very distinct and has this gothic allure that’ll intrigue. The character designs I found to be quite good, with most characters having distinct and interesting appearances I shan’t soon forget. The art quality however can be hit and miss, though I did find it to improve over time. The first sprites you see in door 1 are the worst sprites in the game in my honest opinion, and the first 3 doors have some hit and miss CGs. Some are quite beautiful, while others are anatomical errors. However towards the end I found it evened out and was generally appealing to look at. Another thing of note is the design and style of the more VN/Game aspects. The menus looked great and the ADV boxes were also quite interesting to look at. The boxes changed with the doors to keep mixing things up and I much appreciated this. While the menus and text boxes did feel kind of cheap, they were made up for by how much effort went into their design. The menus were so dedicated to the aesthetic that “start” was enter the manor and load save was “inspect your memories.” If there’s any more complaints I must have, it’s that you can tell with a character or two that the artist wanted to show off how sexy they were. One of the girls basically had the ‘camera’ focused on her breasts the whole time and I found this a tad obnoxious.

8/10, while the diegetic art would earn somewhere between a 6 or 7 the other aspects of visual design fantastically made up for such shortcomings.

SOUND: Fata Morgana comes with quite the distinct soundtrack. The composers put in a lot of effort to emulate the eras being shown down to the languages some tracks were sung in. You won’t find boopy j-pop here, just old European music and spooky pieces to build the atmosphere. Some of the stereo mixing I found to be a bit off, and I don’t think there’s much here I’d listen to on its own but these are very, very minor complaints all things considered. Throughout the VN I found the music added immensely. The sound effect design was also rather great. Many things that occured were pleasant to listen to. I’d like to give a specific kudos to the sound of the beast. The chilling squeak-like sounds were incredibly nice.

9/10, sound is used to full advantage here.

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Fata Morgana, while not flawless, is a rather fantastic piece that I’d recommend to fans and non-fans of VNs. In a way it feels more like a play or novel than your stereotypical VN fare. I can’t tell you the secrets of the House in Fata Morgana, but I can tell you I found them well worth discovering.

#visual novel #vn #fata morgana #the house in fata morgana #FataMoru #michel bollinger #Giselle #morgana

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nomoreslutshaming-blog1 · 7 years

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Written Analysis

Slut shaming? Does the concept ring a bell? Whether you’ve been victimized by slut shaming or inflicted pain on a woman for slut shaming, this modern day dilemma of labeling sexually liberated women negatively and then punishing them socially for “possessing” this identity NEEDS TO END. So what is slut shaming exactly? According to the English Oxford Dictionary, it is “the action or fact of stigmatizing a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative.” To be more specific, this flawed concept certainly touches base with a gender double standard and the oppression women have to face. Women who partake in any sort of expression revealing sexiness or seduction is completely irrelevant to the intelligence they might possess. Nonetheless, if you consider yourself as provocative and wear a professionally attired skirt that seems to be a little short, you are shamed and judged for it instantaneously. This topic goes as far back into the 1940’s where philosopher Simone De Beauvoir published “The Second Sex,” yet, the only difference in present time is how normalized and omnipresent slut shaming is.

Slut shaming is extremely correlated with Descartes theory of Mind and Body Dualism. I say this because of how prominent the idea of how the mind and body are two different vessels that exist apart. In the Sixth Meditation, Descartes calls the mind a thing that thinks and not an extended thing. He defines the body as an extended thing and not a thing that thinks. (Calef) In Descartes, Discourse on Method and Mediations on First Philosophy, he states “I am present to my body not merely in the way a seaman is present to his ship, but . . . I am tightly joined and, so to speak, mingled together with it, so much so that I make up one single thing with it" (Descartes,1980) Even though he argues that the soul is what conjoins the two, our functions of the body and mind are divergent. Yet, the significant problem in today’s society is the fact that people, mainly men, can’t or won’t differentiate between a woman’s mind and body. A large majority of individuals have been socially brainwashed to believe that whatever a woman shows on a physical level reflects her persona on a mental level. To be more specific, if a woman’s blouse isn’t buttoned to the top and relatively shows cleavage in a work environment, she can immediately be labeled as “the office slut.” To give a more general idea, we identify a woman named Valerie. As we identify her as a woman, we immediately believe she has no talent in playing football. This concludes to bad reasoning because there is no such idea or rule of being a woman and eliminating the chances of her being good at football. As this sexism occurs every single day, it’s important to educate those who have adopted this unintelligent, flawed logic. It’s 2017, and for some odd reason, it is still hard to believe that a woman can be SMART AND BEAUTIFUL, despite the mounting evidence that we can be or already are.

The beauty about all of this is how the other half of the world applies Descartes theory and has created numerous organizations, foundations, and movements to advocate feminism and terminate the misogynistic plague of slut shaming. Women started to notice how detrimental and serious this issue was when injustice and inequality reached its limit when intolerable disrespect and slut shaming extended all the way to the women who held powerful positions. The women who deserve a standing ovation were and are still sadly ridiculed despite their success. For example, when Katie Couric landed the monumental role of being the first women anchor on air, instead of questioning her capabilities, the media questioned and suggested things about her physicality. The moment a woman scores a position of leadership, they often get comments thrown back at them for their looks, body, and sexual appeal. Sarah Palin is another good example, who is still sexualized to this day. Amber Rose, Wiz Khalifa’s ex-wife, was exceedingly slut shamed due to her past and what she posts on social media, yet the overly-sexualized entrepreneur and mother has her own clothing line and television show. She decided to take a risky stand for herself and those who have been victimized, and generated a yearly event called “SlutWalk.” The walk includes an awareness walk, art shows, musical performances, celebrity guest appearances, and testimonials. The men and women who participate don’t condone in hateful language, racism, sexism, ableism, fat-shaming, or any type of bigotry. They value and afford a platform to the voices of those who have a deep desire to stop this downward social trend and seek resolution. Another prominent operation would be the #AskHerMore Campaign. The representation project created this popular trend to inspire people to call out sexist reporting and suggest ways to re-focus on women’s achievements. They have changed red carpet culture by encouraging reporters to ask celebrities more relevant questions rather than solemnly questioning their appearances. Actresses like Reese Witherspoon and Shonda Rhimes have engaged in this campaign to show the world and pop culture that they are more than just the fancy gowns they adorn. Womankind’s acknowledgement of the truth behind the distinct separation of mind and body has driven their motives to be heard nation-wide. Jennifer Siebel Newson directed a documentary called “Miss Representation” that was circulated globally and attracted viewers in an attempt to make a difference and change the stigma. The document focuses on how women don’t have a voice in today’s society due to the constant emphasis on their body, and body parts, which continuously dehumanizes them and send out a message that they do not matter as a whole in their complexity. The documentary’s credibility is owed to its content of factual evidence; making such an effective argument that it has now progressed into an organization and robust movement.

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mdxmacontextualstudies · 7 years

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‘No muscles, no tattoos’ originally appeared in issue 61 of Eye Magazine, a quarterly international review of graphic design and visual cover. The magazine is aimed at professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical information about graphic design and visual culture. There is a particular emphasis on type (every few issues they’re focus on that as a topic).

(Due to their distinct asthetics and design, Jop van Bennekom’s seem like the perfect material for them to cover).

The article is by Alice Twemlow, a writer, critic and educator who’s work focuses on graphic design. As well as being a regular contributor to Eye Magazine, she has an MA in design history from the Royal College of Art and V&A Museum. She is also a guest critic at the Yale University School of Art, MICA and RISD. In ’06 the New York School Visual Arts appointed her chair of its Master of Fine Art Arts in Design Criticism.

In this article Twemlow interviews Dutch editor, publisher art director and designer Jopp Van Bennekom about the three trend-bucking magazines he had created by 2006 (the time when the article was published);

- Re-Magazine

- Butt

- Fantastic Man

Each cover their own neich topic but there are running themes that unite them and make them feel like the product of their creator.

Re-Magazine (1997)- Initially started out as Van Bennekom’s thesis project while studying at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht in 1997 but was encouraged to turn it into a real magazine. Rather than be yet another fashion or photography magazine, Van Bennekom used RE to interview his friends about the minutia of their lives. Topics include home/bordom/sex. (After it’s 9th issue the magazine underwent a restructure but still focused on subjects such as ‘food coma’ and features with titles like ‘a stream of consciousness by the first member of generation not’.

‘Aesthetically and conceptually it was very much in tune with ideas about everyday life and culture at the time.’

- Andrew Blauvelt, design director at the Walker Art Center

It’s here we see the emergence of one of Van Bennekom’s main preoccupations; The idea of the normal and every day, and making the personal compelling and relatable. We see this even more when looking at his next magazine;

BUTT

In 2001 Van Bennekom teamed up with fellow publisher and editor Gert Jonkers to create BUTT, the critically acclaimed pocket-size magazine by, for and about homosexuals “where gays can speak candidly about their ideas, work and sex lives.”

Both in design and content BUTT is authentic representation of Van Bennekom experiences as a gay man (it has been described as “a reality gay porn magazine”);

Simple design and uniform layout (images as examples)- plain speaking aesthetic which also compliments the style of the magazine’s interviews (these are delivered in direct Q&A sessions and there is no editing around and awkward answers.

Deliberate font choices- Van Bennekom chose a rounded American Typewritter font for because it felt like it was a ‘really gay font’. The Compacta Used for the headings feels tough, speaking to things like leather culture. Against the pink paper Butt is printed this also plays with the duality of butch and femme.

This realism is also present in the photos featured in BUTT. Non of the portraits of the interview subjects feel like the results of over produced photo shoots- all the men feel like every day people in their own clothes. When we look at how the subjects are treated in other gay lifestyle magazines we can see the difference. The images are often glossy, glamerous and stylized with men appealing to different subcultures of taste (i.e. the leather daddy). This seems in direct contrast to Van Bennekom’s maniphesto of ‘No muscles, no tattoos .

All of this helps BUTT feel more relatable- it’s a real reflection of a common existence which possibly helps explain it’s appeal.

There are many examples of creators drawing on their own experience to create a familiar world within the field of independent comics. Two examples of creators who do this while working with LGBT themes are Alison Bechdale and Jeremy Sores;

- Bechdale’s ‘Dykes to Watch Out For” ran from 1983 to 2008 and was one of the earliest ongoing representations of lesbians in popular culture. The strip followed the lives of divers cast of characters from different points on the LGBT spectrum as they discussed day-to-day events, political issues and the way lesbian culture was changing.

- Jeremy Sores is another queer creator who produces work on this theme. In 2015 The Comics Journal commissioned Scores to work on their journal comics- a series of lo-fi autobiographical strips. Much like BUTT and RE-MAG these short, slide-of-life of life sotries deal with the modernity of Scores day to day life as a gay man.

Representation:

“I wish Butt had been around when I was 22 and insecure. Other gay magazines have cut-and-paste, retouched bodies unlike any you’ve ever seen in real life and certainly not like mine.”

- Van Bennekom

This quote speaks directly to the very human need to see accurate representations of ourselves in the media we consume (something which we touched on in our discussion of ‘Forever in Kente).

Since the 1960s, research has found expressions of unequal power in media can be “very dangerous” and “very damaging” to people watching (although we don’t need research to tell us that).

“I think the moral argument is self-evident. Stories matter… [they] affect how we live our lives, how we see other people, how we think about ourselves.”- Morgan, former professor emeritus at the University, Massachusetts at Amherst

“There’s this body of research and a term known as ‘symbolic annihilation,’ which is the idea that if you don’t see people like you in the media you consume, you must somehow be unimportant.”

- Nicole Martins, Indiana University.

At the time of BUTT’s creation there wasn’t anything like it in the market so Van Bennekom essentially created a magazine for himself;

‘Not being represented means you have to start something yourself that does represent you,’ – Van Bennekom

This quote from lines up with what the readers of BUTT say about the magazine;

‘For me Butt is important. It has given voice and visual presence to those of us who are trying to figure out our own worlds.’

One example of a contemporary designer who is also actively working to share his experience through his work is illustrator and comic book artist Ronald Wimbly;

Wimbly has worked on a number of projects that are outspoken about authentic black representation in the media. His critically acclaimed comic-essay Lighten Up (wherein Wimbly illustrates an argument with a Marvel editor about the skin tone of a character of Mexican/African American decent) and Black History in its Own Words both speak to this, however it is his latest project, LAAB MAGAZINE which most reflects Van Bennekom’s make-it-yourself attitude.

LAAB MAGAZINE is cartoon news paper which deals with black identity and how it is treated in the media ‘in an age of white supremacists in the Whitehouse”.

These ideas of authenticity and creating content for people like JvB’s are pursued further in his and Jonkers’ next magazine, Fantastic Man.

HM is mostly black and white, with its rule lines and two-column layout, it’s pared-back design and reams of text set it apart as a fashion magazine meant to be read and not just looked at.

“What’s more sexy than a handsome man with a whole page of text next to him to read?”

(JvB is his own audience)

Fantastic Man sets out to reject “fashion as fantasy”. Partly a rejection of the types of depiction of men that were appearing in current fashion magazines;

‘Seeing young boys dressed in expensive designer clothes isn’t sexy. It’s just disconnected.’

Fantastic Man is a throwback to the magazines of the late 80s (men rather than boys). When models are used they feel like real people, shot naturalistically.

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vitalmindandbody · 7 years

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Ronaldo and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers: a Florida soccer project swerved sour

When the Strikers were bought by an ownership radical that included the World Cup winner, hopes is very high. But many are nows disenchanted with the project

Few calls in American sport spark a reaction like the original North American Soccer League of the 1960 s, 70 s and 80 s, a subject to be revisited each time the motivation arises for a reading on how badly things can go wrong for football in the United States.

The kitschy sexiness of the age-old NASL essentially collapsed under its own weight, a failed attempt to ramp up notoriety for a very European label of football in a recalcitrant United States. Some of those unit calls still cling on to life, in the MLS and modern incarnation of NASL: the New York Cosmos, one-time dwelling of Pele. The Tampa Bay Rowdies, who played host to prolific English striker Rodney Marsh. And the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, a late 70 s playground of Northern Irish great George Best.

The Strikers, these days are limping along for the purposes of the stewardship of a Brazilian ownership group is presided over by Paulo Cesso, an education and technological sciences entrepreneur, and Ronaldo, the Brazilian World Cup winner, is a minority partner.

Except the Brazilian merger of the distinctive blood-red and gold hoops seems to have foundered. After a season of woe that has included the ignominy of players being paid late and checks bouncing, the Guardian understands the society has been put up for sale. Whether that amounts to an intention to seek a partial or full auction remains unclear as does the future character of Ronaldo. Nonetheless, in a statement to the Guardian, the associations managing board, Luis Cuccatti, said the Strikers future was under discussion. We are examining our present owned statu and speaks with potential partners so that we can workmanship the best strategy possible heading towards our objective of building a world-class soccer society, told Cuccatti.

Still, bulletin that one of the NASLs flagship labels appears to be in turmoil detonators a difficult month for the tournament. In some quarters, it might be seen as another question over the vitality of the NASL. Just last month, ructions emerged in Oklahoma City as Rayo OKC, in their very first season in the league, were submerge into crisis as international disputes developed between the majority ownership radical, the owners of Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, and their neighbourhood minority partner. The controversy escalated to the point where one minority owned apparently removed gras from the field.

In Fort Lauderdale, the difficulties are myriad. Low-grade mob in a densely populated Florida soccer market with the promise of more to come. The late arrival of payments, an existence justified away as a question over the transfer of stores from Brazil to the US.

But it is a narrative that could have been foretold. Life in the bush league of soccer in the US is notoriously difficult. Teams come and go. Owners ignited out. Devotees, ditto. And though the Strikers identify carries a certain cache, stemming from a late 1970 s-early 1980 s swoon thanks to luminaries like George Best, Gerd Mller and Ray Hudson, the nostalgia apparently only croaks so far.

Its nearly two years since Ronaldo and co put together patronize. The Brazilians, who purchased the Strikers from the now tarnished affair management busines Traffic Sports in late 2014, arrived with a stark authorization. They pledged to re-elevate the golf-club to its former magnificence. In that vein, last-place pre-season they initiated a trip to China. The idea was even swam that Ronaldo, then visibly out of shape, might pull on his boots once more and turn out for the South Florida outfit.

Alas , no.

He was a seldom verified anatomy, announces follower chairman Kenny Butler, president of the prominent Strikers allies group, Flight 19. His proximity has been spotty since the beginning, he suggests. I think it was the same event as them producing[ Brazilian guard] Leo Moura last year to play-act No10 when hes been a left-back all his profession. If he could play No10 he would have done in Brazil. And they envisaged all the Brazilians would show up precisely to visualize Leo Moura.

Ronaldos likeness may have been overused, articulates the Sun Sentinels Pedro Heizer. He was never here, remarks Heizer. The Strikers didnt advertise much but when they did it tended to include Ronaldo. I think that might have got to beings because they never realized him.

The Brazilians called the Strikers incorrect, he accepts, since they are arrived speculating they knew football why i am Brazilian but failed to understand American soccer is a whole different beast.

Initially the interferences coming from the new owneds were positive, Butler responds. The fan relationship with the front office was productive. But then devotees checked the team spate with Brazilians, interpreted as an eventually botched attempt to appeal to the local Brazilian community. A disconnect with love has been evident this season. In recent seasons, median gang have been meagre around 3,000 -4, 000. This season, appearances have plummeted to around the 1,300 mark.

Indications point to another factor being flowed in the coaching and playing department. Former head coach Gunter Kronsteiner, who led the Strikers to the 2014 NASL championship match was let go by the Brazilians to the amazement of numerous. After a dismal 2015 opening expedition, he was drafted back in for the drop parcel of the NASLs split season, contributing them into the playoffs once more. Yet, again the fraternity and Kronsteiner parted methods. Nevertheless, the Austrian holds a strong affection for the golf-club and offers some kudo for Cesso and another of his partners, Rafael Bertani. But he is clear about where he contemplates situations went wrong.

They payed away the local participates, they contributed away the whole coaching personnel, Kronsteiner told the Guardian. The participates and the coaching staff had a personal relationship with the followers. You precisely dont ignore this when you are serious about extending a professional society. You dont kick out a Tom Mulroy or a Tim Robbie[ who] are very well known in this area for being 100% committed to this association. Mistakes over mistakes.

Kronsteiner, a former coach with Austria Vienna in his homeland, said here writing was on the wall when it became clear to him the team didnt want to spend money anymore.

Soccer was not their main goal, Kronsteiner said of the Brazilian owners.

Mulroy, guild chairman until his difference in November 2014, and Robbie were seen as key fleshes in connecting the society and fanbase. In particular, Robbie, latterly club chairman before leaving in May last year, represented a significant link to the storied past of the Strikers. It was his father, Joe Robbie, of Miami Dolphins fame, who started the original Fort Lauderdale Strikers dealership in the 1970 s, and Robbie Jr started working for the fraternity following the end of college. Mulroy, for his part, lured recognition for his outreach among the local areas youth.

Its been a exasperating season thus far for the Strikers. On the field, the team have lately proceeded six activities unbeaten amid the uproar. And in the US Open Cup, they travelled further than any other minor league unit in reaching the quarter-finals. Off the field, problems are copious. Reports intimate the tardy reaching of fees has continued. On the attendance figurehead, the club had decided to swap from their historic Lockhart Stadium home to Central Broward Stadium, home of the MLS Combine, ostensibly to provide a most intimate fan experience. Thats just as well: one recent midweek recreation visualized the reported crowd figure come in at 455.

The team are too focused on trip-ups to China and improving a world-wide label, and not enough on their own backyard, the critics argue.

As for the NASL as a whole, another rocky off-season may await. New club the San Francisco Deltas are slated to meet and Minnesota United are headed for MLS. But the threat of contraction abroad loiters. Rumors recently embarked flowing that Ottawa Fury are looking to climb ship to a rival conference, the third-tier USL, although it sounds they will stay put for now. Still, the tournament reached great strides this year after the additive of nationwide TV deals that included CBS Athletics and beIN Sports.

Whatever the outcome, the struggles of one of the conferences contributing names represents another disquieting assembly in the histories of a society and conference that helps lend a touch of historical relevance to the American game.