#the issue here is just that she reacted to part of a poem that seemed to be fatphobic. that's literally it.

[anastacialy]

please dont put violent racists like timidsketch or anyone who equates someone not looking like them to the horrors of genocide (???????? wtf is wrong with that person) on my dashboard

alright, i'm gonna walk you through this real quick, much like i had to clarify for timidsketch. i'd love to just ignore this ask, since this feels a bit like sealioning (trying to start an argument knowing it'll make others look bad) but instead, i'll give you the benefit of the doubt. firstly, timidsketch is not racist, nor are they 'violent,' they simply misunderstood part of a poem. much like you misunderstood her reaction to said poem. not everyone is great at literary analysis. or reading comprehension. this is the piss on the poor website.

timidsketch, in her reaction to said poem, expressed that the genocide in gaza is horrific. and that gaining weight should not be seen as AN EQUIVALENT HORROR to genocide. because it isn't. this, the both of you clearly agree on. however, that was simply the part of the poem that was misunderstood. the poem wasn't saying that it was equivalent. the poem was highlighting that as a contrast, that there is so much more going on in the world than something so simple as the author's weight gain.

genocide (big, awful, horrible) VS. laundry to do (small, easy, a slight inconvenience at worst). simple as that.

you, anon, in your accusations, have also simply misread the post.

[natequarter]

⭐️ if you’re still up for it, for the En Français poem/story fallout ❤️ - thelastplantagenet

Ask game: Offer a director's commentary on a particular story.

What was he called, again? Edward? Edmund? No, wrong guy. That was fifty years ago. This one had a weird name. An old one.

i like to make sneaky references to other fics that are probably only of interest to two other people. this was one of them, filtered through robin's don't-care attitude and terrible memory for anything modern people do

That was it, Humphrey. A strange young man, always shifty-looking, never quite stopping enough to be seen. Even when he painted, his hands were never still for long.

one of my favourite parts of robin is that, even at his wisest, he ultimately never really gives a fuck. he's pretty apathetic about humphrey before he actually gets to know him; humphrey's just another guy passing through. but even from a distance robin can tell the guy has issues

His name meant something, in the oldest of English. Bestower of peace.

Or had it been something about bears?

i've found various different translations of humphrey's name. most seem to agree the frith element refers to peace, but the first part of his name is translated as, variably, strength, bear cub (hence something about bears), and to bestow. the latter is my personal favourite, so here we get humphrey as bringer of peace. well, he tried...

Humphrey Monsieur Bone pénétra dans la chambre avec précaution.

on the one hand, sophie's struggling to decide what level of formality she should use to refer to humphrey with in her pwp fanfic. on the other hand, 'penetrate' is inherently funny as an english speaker. never let it be said that i am mature

“Seriously?” he muttered, to no reaction. Thank God none of the other ghosts were here. This probably wasn’t something they’d complain about seeing, but that didn’t mean they needed to.

canonically we see that robin is alone at this point but consider this: my version of william is better and robin being surrounded by irritating medieval ghosts is much funnier. humphrey should consider himself lucky his immediate relatives aren't also haunting him

Il enleva la robe de nuit avec ses mains fortes…

i just thought it would be very funny for sophie to romantically refer to humphrey as having strong, firm hands, whilst flatly refusing to talk to him at all

For another thing, it was much more interesting than the depressing French literature she was usually reading. The impermanence of life? No thanks. A fictionalised account of her doing her husband? Much better.

sophie canonically does read poetry about the impermanence of life, so a) HAHA I WAS RIGHT, b) robin finds this boring as shit and naturally has his priorities. his priorities being sophie and doing it, not necessarily in that order

What was that about his dick?

this was really just for comedy value. gets me every time.

Probably all ridiculous and romantic, and using words that were almost certainly made up, like Wriothesley. There was no way that was a real name.

Rrho shook his head. People these days made no sense.

obligatory Making Fun of Thomas Wriothesley moment. also, robin not understanding the weird customs of modern people is eternal

Had Humphrey had legs, he almost certainly would’ve jumped up in surprise. As it was, from somewhere across the house, Robin heard Kitty yelp as his body did exactly that.

i really like the idea of humphrey's body reacting at the same time as his head, except because of the disconnect, it looks completely ridiculous

“You forgot?” Humphrey said. “Just forgot, for four hundred years?”

humphrey has a lot of unprocessed pain, and it really comes through here. he's not really that surprised that he's been let down once again, he just... wishes it would stop happening

“Yeah, and whenever I tried to bring up your wife after you died, you’d start crying.”

“And whenever I tried to bring up my wife, you threw me out a bloody window!”

humphrey has a lot of bottled-up anger. robin still doesn't care. they're friends by circumstance; naturally, they don't get along at all. but when you're stuck together for hundreds of years and he's your oldest friend still around, well, you stop having a choice

“Don’t cry,” Robin said. “I don’t like seeing you cry.”

Humphrey softened. “That makes me feel a bit better.”

“Why? It’s annoying when you start crying. You take forever to stop.”

why must robin always be mr. wise guy? i want more of robin being an apathetic emotionally insensitive jerk who is perfectly emotionally intelligent but has seen so much over the last ten thousand years that sometimes he just can't be bothered to care. he understands that humphrey is tired of being used for his body by people who don't like him, he even sympathises. but he also finds emotions tedious and annoying. you know how it is

“Er, actually,” Humphrey said, “I was unhappy because people seem to only want me for my body.”

“‘Kay. We find your body, and I give you a hug.”

“That’s more like it.”

“And then we do it.”

this fic is a balance of comedy and tragedy. it's kinda meant to match the tone of ghosts, though maybe a little bit nastier, as it is robin's and not alison's perspective on events. humphrey is dwelling in his own misery. robin wants to do it. these two things can even go together

“It’s not like with Fanny. She doesn’t like you.”

“I’m well aware of that, thanks.”

i think this is funny. nothing deep to say here. fanny just sucks

“Ow! Hold me properly, not by the hair! You’ll damage it!”

humphrey is very defensive of his hair

Best to make haste. He had a lot to show Humphrey.

they are so going to do it in detail post-fic. robin really likes eating bum ;)

[retconjuration]

elaborate on autistic lanque pls 🤲

oh, don’t mind if i do. before i begin:

this contains some major spoilers for hiveswap: act 2, and some minor spoilers for lanque’s friendsim routes(but those have been out for like three years).

disclaimer: i don’t care if you disagree, i’m not claiming this as canon, i am autistic and projecting.

now that that’s out of the way.

point one: possibly the most important thing to note is that lanque is incredibly good at masking. given this quote from his wiki:

“Lanque's writer has stated that both of his Friendsim routes are heavily exaggerated for comedic purposes, with one being more true to his actual personality. As shown by his attitude in Hiveswap: Act 2, it's heavily implied his NSFW route is the truer one. However, this leaves his personality to be drawn from his Friendsim routes to be dubious for readers to interpret what the actual "balance" of his personality is.”

the actual tweet has been deleted, but one of the assumptions that can be made from this is that both the sfw and nsfw routes are, in some way, true to his personality. this would mean that he is actively and drastically changing the way he interacts with the people around him according to the setting, or through imitation. effectively this would make him a social chameleon, another thing often attributed to autistic masking.

and the idea of constant masking fits, given his whole Thing- he’s already being set apart from all the other jades by his transness, and from how he acts in act 2(this will be mentioned later), he doesn’t quite enjoy this difference being pointed out. it would make sense that, given the opportunity to hide something that would lead to more attention(maybe more accurately, attention he doesn’t like), he would take it. this being said, i don’t think lanque sees his transness or unchecked neurodivergence as a bad thing- rather, he sees how other people treat him for it as annoying and something to avoid.

point two: lanque seems to have a very strange range of emotions. while he usually presents as very calm, when he does express true emotion(like when he’s caught off guard by the reader shouting for bronya), its often overstated, and in some cases, a total non sequitur from what came before. the way he reacts in the valid ending scene specifically reminds me of times when i have been startled out of masking- especially since he goes from formal prose straight to “what the fuck, dude?”

the only time he expresses emotions neurotypically is when he’s doing it through another medium(his poetry in the sfw route).

point three: lanque repeatedly is shown to not be the best at conveying or reading tone.

at the start of his sfw route, lynera ends up rambling on about something or other. it’s immensely awkward.

lanque doesn’t register it as such, and while this could just be attributed to sfw lanque’s overexaggerated kindness, i raise you: i’m building a case here, let me twist my evidence.

in his nsfw route, we have some gems such as:

lanque is shown to use a tone entirely unfitting of the words that he’s saying, and its specified that this demeanor is nearly indistinguishable from how he was acting before. could this just be an example of professional bitching? yes. play on my court for a second, though

and perhaps my favorite example of lanque totally misreading tone/a situation in general(which is both the aforementioned act 2 scene AND an example of his abnormal reactions to things) is the scene where joey asks lanque about the hatched2dance magazine from lynera’s locker. immediately, he (incorrectly, and without much reason except prior experience) assumes that joey’s intention was to harangue him about being a male jadeblood.

after joey specifies what she meant, he refuses to respond until xefros tries to actually ask him about being a male jadeblood, and lanque tells them to fuck off. personally i think this is as close to embarrassment as lanque will willingly show in public

point four: lanque is Painfully straightforward. this is obvious in the everything about him, but best summed up with:

lanque sees no use in not just saying what he means, which often leads to him being(often rightfully) seen as a bitch. again, it’s hard to say things for certain with what little content there is, but i wouldn’t be surprised if some of the things he says- for instance certain parts of his calling out lynera(mostly the parts about her talking shit, not the parts where he’s outright insulting her) were just intended as honesty, rather than animosity. this is a common trait in autism, but i see a lot of neurotypicals look over it because it’s seen as rudeness. ultimately he still uses that honesty to be a bitch on purpose on several occasions, so don’t take this as me saying he’s free of flaws or whatever

another thing i like to point out, though admittedly it’s much more of a stretch, is this bit where lanque has to ask for specification when joey uses a less direct method of asking him what he thinks of the other jades:

take that as you will

point five: mildly connected to point four, lanque shows possibly one of the most out-there forms of rejection when it comes to social norms. he’s able to skate by in the wider lens of alternia because people of most castes participate in shitty parties, but doing it as a jadeblood gives it an entirely different context.

he also(and this is maybe half speculation, but let me be) seems to have issues sticking with quadrants as a rigid construct. when bronya says this to lanque:

many people took it as evidence that lanque was abusive to his partners. and if people want to hold that headcanon, i really don’t care, because it can be an accurate reading of how he is presented in the nsfw route specifically. my personal opinion, however, given that his personality is said to be exaggerated in these routes, is guided by this section from his sfw route’s poem:

i believe that lanque is just extremely prone to vacillation, because he doesn’t truly grasp why quadrants are divided in the way that they are, only that others “press” him to do the dividing. thats autistic attitudes towards social constructs baby

point six(and here’s where the trial spoilers come in): lanque has a very unusual way of solving problems, apparently. when confronted with the issue of his impending ordeals and the idea of having to spend his life as a celibate space nun, lanque’s solution is.... to attempt to join a boy band, using the chaos of the trial(that He caused by stealing the book) as his cover. when joey presents this theory to tyzias(a theory that lanque confirms is more or less correct before chucking joey off of the train), she responds with:

meaning that not only are his problem solving skills out of the box to joey, but to other trolls as well.

there’s also something to be said about how little he values personal space, but i’m wary of claiming that as an autistic trait of his, and if it is, he is very purposefully weaponizing it.

oh, and point seven: i’m autistic and i want him to be

thanks for reading

[hysterialevi]

Hjarta | Chapter 4

Fanfic summary: In an AU where Eivor was adopted by Randvi’s family instead, he ends up falling in love with the man his sister has been promised to despite the arranged marriage between their clans.

Point of view: third-person

Pairing: Sigurd Styrbjornson x Male Eivor

This story is also on AO3 | Previous chapter | Next chapter

THE NEXT MORNING

BJORNHEIMR, THE LONGHOUSE

“...His eyes burned bright with the heat of Muspelheim itself...” Eivor whispered in fascination, repeating the seeress’ prediction under his breath. At the moment, he was lying in bed after waking up from a long night of vivid dreams and visions, mindlessly tracing a series of words in the air above him as he conjured a poem about his new friend.

“I wish you could’ve met him, father.” He thought aloud. “He was... unlike any other man I’ve ever laid eyes upon. A warrior’s hugr entrapped within the shell of a human, kindled by the heart of a benevolent spirit. His unyielding gaze holding you in place as the songs of those long lost flutter from his lips. A man who seems to be from this world, and yet, beholds it with the look of an outsider.”

Eivor rolled onto his side, staring at the charms sitting beside his bed as his hair spread out underneath him like a fan made of flaxen twine.

“...Was Sigurd the man Ingrida saw in her dream? He must have been. He matched her words exactly. But... how does the wolf fit into all this? Who does the beast represent? Who would try to harm him? And why?”

Part of Eivor suspected it could’ve even been himself that the seeress’ vision was trying to convey, considering his rather violent past with wolves, but... surely that couldn’t be right. Sigurd was to live among them as an ally in the future. What reason would he have to go against him? 

...No. It must’ve been someone else. Kjotve possibly? Or his son, Gorm? Eivor wasn’t sure anymore. And frankly, he didn’t want to think about it. 

So much was already clouding his mind with thoughts of impending war and death. Many of their people had fallen to Kjotve’s axe in the past decade, and he only hoped that this marriage would be the key to finally wiping him off the face of the earth. To think that Ingrida’s warning could become a reality... it was a concern that Eivor wished to push aside for the moment.

He had enough to worry about aside from the seeress’ visions, and he didn’t want to lend them anymore merit.

Tearing himself away from the bed’s soft embrace, Eivor finally decided to carry on with his day and slipped out from underneath the layers of pelts piled on top of him, reaching for his boots.

His eyelids sagged with a heavy sense of fatigue due to the restless night he had to endure, and he felt his body being weighed down by a strong desire to return to sleep. Despite his lack of energy however, Eivor couldn’t deny that he was curious to see whether or not he’d bump into Sigurd again.

The man seemed to operate on a tight schedule filled to the brim with royal duties, but Eivor was secretly hoping that he’d be able to catch him in between. He may have been restraining himself from taking things any further with Sigurd, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to spend more time with him.

He just hoped he wouldn’t come across as clingy. He already found himself feeling more attached to the prince than what was probably wise, and he didn’t even know if the man returned his affections. Sigurd claimed that he would’ve liked to see Eivor again, but even then, the younger man wanted to maintain a reasonable amount of distance between them.

The wedding was less than two weeks away, after all. If any of their plans happened to deteriorate before then, Eivor wasn’t sure they’d have any time to recuperate. Kjotve’s longships still threatened the borders of their seas despite their brewing alliance, and any distractions would’ve simply given them the opening they needed.

Eivor had to stay focused for both his sister and his clan. His current responsibilities consisted of nothing more than providing a reliable axe should the need for war arise, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Stepping away from the limits of the longhouse, Eivor slowly made his way to the top of the hill that he frequented so often as Synin followed him from the skies above, accompanying him with no more than a distant shadow that slithered across the ground.

The morning air was crisp with a frigid breeze that pinched Eivor’s skin and reinforced the snow on Bjornheimr’s meadows, covering the land in a scintillating sea of white. 

Meanwhile, the sun stood proudly above the sleepy village and combatted the arctic environment with a gentle summer’s kiss, thawing the many icicles that dangled from the longhouse’s roof ever so slightly.

As for Eivor, the young man trekked through the icy weather with little to no issue thanks to his fur cloak and climbed the hill’s gradual incline, adapting quickly to its uneven terrain.

He may have been tired, but the frosty sensation of the morning’s touch managed to revitalize his mind, and stimulate him with a chilled gust. It reawakened the parts of his brain that stayed enveloped in a deep slumber, and filled his lungs with a piercing breath of fresh air that caused him to sigh in contentment.

What awaited him at the top of the hill however, surprised him more than anything else.

Sitting alone on the very same bench from the previous night, Eivor spotted Sigurd admiring the angelic daybreak in front of him as loose strands of his hair billowed softly in the breeze, dancing in unison with the fur on his cloak. 

His staunch figure had darkened into a silhouette due to the sun’s contrasting light, and his head remained bowed beneath his broad shoulders in a serene manner. 

He appeared to be completely at peace despite the gravity of his purpose in Bjornheimr, and basked in the golden rays that peeked over the horizon. He was completely motionless in the fjord’s presence, but seemed to travel freely with the stretches of his imagination.

Though, Eivor could only wonder whether Sigurd was here for the view, or for the man himself.

“Hello, Gunnar.” The younger man teased, making the prince throw a glance over his shoulder.

Sigurd’s expression instantly brightened at the sight of his new friend, and a light chuckle escaped his mouth. “Ah, hello, Eivor. It’s good to see you again.”

Eivor strolled towards the bench, gesturing to the nature in front of them.

“Come to enjoy the view?”

“Indeed,” Sigurd said, rising from his seat. “I just finished making an offering to Njord at your temple for our safe journey, and wished to see what it looked like during the day. I have to say, it’s just as beautiful as when you brought me here last night.”

Eivor leaned against a tree, crossing his arms in a casual fashion. “You stopped by the temple? Did you meet our seeress?”

Sigurd nodded. “Ingrida approached me, yes. She’s... enthralling, that woman. I have to admit, I’m not sure what to make of her yet. When she first reached out to me, she seemed... hesitant. Frightened, almost. A strange sense of recognition held onto her gaze, and she spoke as if she knew me. As if... she had seen me before.”

The younger man withheld his knowledge about Ingrida’s vision, uncertain of how Sigurd would react to it. “Is that so? What did she say?”

“Ingrida referred to me as ‘the one who walked with Tyr.’ She mentioned a wolf similar to Fenrir, and even brought up something about Freya’s collapse. I’m not entirely sure what she meant by those statements, but her wariness was quite plain.”

Eivor shrugged in confusion. “I’m afraid I’m as clueless as you are, but you’ll have to forgive her. Ingrida can be rather paranoid sometimes. Try not to take it personally.”

Sigurd furrowed his brow. “I’m more concerned than I am offended. Even though I’m aware that many people will dismiss seeresses these days, their instincts tend to be accurate. It just makes me wonder what the gods revealed to Ingrida to make her so cautious around me.”

“Well, you are a prince. Trouble has a habit of following royalty even if they don’t intend it.”

Sigurd let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”

The older man suddenly paused, giving his friend a tentative look as another subject crossed his mind. “I-I hope I’m not intruding on your daily routine, by the way. I know you come to this hill for solitude.”

Eivor shook his head, reassuring Sigurd with a welcoming smile. “You’re free to spend as much time here as you please. In fact, I’m happy to run into you again. Figuratively speaking, of course.”

Sigurd laughed. “Likewise.” 

“How did things go with your father, anyway? When you returned to him, I mean.”

The prince waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, about as well as you’d expect. He berated me for being improper and ‘making a fool of myself’ on our first day here. He quickly shooed me away from the feast and told me to find a change of clothes before getting anywhere near Randvi again. Overall though, he wasn’t as harsh as I expected. I think it’s because Arngeir was present.”

Eivor gazed downwards out of guilt. “I hope the king isn’t too angry with me.”

“Have no fear. My father doesn’t even know you were involved. As far as he’s concerned, I spilled that mead on myself. Dag didn’t say anything either.”

The younger man stared at Sigurd in gratitude, admittedly surprised that he would omit his name from their late-night shenanigans.

“That’s... very kind of you. Thank you.”

Sigurd grinned at him, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder. “Well, you can repay me with a round of drinks some other time. For now though, let us simply put it behind us.”

The redheaded man turned his head towards the other end of the village and gazed into the nearby woods, bringing up a rather tempting proposal.

“Hey, Eivor. How would you like to join me for a ride?”

Eivor’s head perked up at that. “A ride? Now?”

Sigurd shrugged innocently. “Why not? My father wants to give our clan a chance to get everything in order before proceeding with this marriage, so I have the day off. I was going to explore the forests around the village on my own, but I’d love to have some company.”

“Where were you thinking of going?”

The prince pointed to a distant landmark. “The waterfall to the north. I caught a glimpse of it while I was at the temple, and I’d like to explore it some more. Care to come along?”

Eivor hesitated with his response, practically having to catch the words in his throat before they could leap out.

It was no question that he would’ve loved to accompany Sigurd on a quick jaunt throughout the woods, but he knew that such an interaction would’ve likely caused his feelings to swell even further. The man’s presence alone was enough to send Eivor into a frenzied state of infatuation, and he didn’t know if it would be wise to indulge in his endearment anymore.

But... he wondered if it would be possible to pursue a platonic relationship with Sigurd. It wouldn’t have been the first time Eivor was forced to stifle his feelings for someone, and it wasn’t as if they had a lot of time to get to know each other anyway.

He might have been interested in the man for now, but Eivor assumed his passion would soon vanish. Their gallivanting would only last for so long before the political troubles of Kjotve’s men rose again, and by then, the young man imagined his mind would’ve drifted onto other subjects already.

At least, that’s what he hoped would happen.

“Alright, Sigurd.” Eivor finally agreed. “I’ll join you.”

The prince smiled joyously. “Wonderful.” He began strolling away from the bench, walking past Eivor as he headed down the hill. “Come. Walk with me to the stables. We’ll take our leave from there.”

The other man followed suit and glanced upwards at Synin, beckoning her to glide along with them.

“I’m ready when you are.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A WHILE LATER

THE OUTSKIRTS OF BJORNHEIMR

Trotting calmly through the forest, Eivor and Sigurd rode alongside each other as they worked their way around the naked trees, leaving Bjornheimr’s noisy activity far behind them.

A multitude of snowflakes gently floated to the glistening ground around them and twinkled sporadically in the air, occasionally catching streaks of light in their icy clutch. Meanwhile, they swayed elegantly in the gale that blew in from beyond the barrier of trees, and adorned any surface that would hold onto them.

As for the wildlife in the woods, they seemed to be making an effort to avoid the pair of intruders traipsing through their home. They stuck to the shadows being cast by the nature surrounding them, and flitted erratically behind the bushes, causing their foliage to twitch with movement.

An orchestra of vibrant chirps could be heard singing throughout the space, and in the delicate rustling that filled the breeze, Eivor detected the sounds of animals yipping collectively, as if conversing with each other about the peculiar visitors wandering through their habitat.

It was a normal day in the woods like any other, and for that, Eivor was grateful.

“The nature you have here is breathtaking,” Sigurd remarked. “The gods were in high spirits when they created Bjornheimr.”

Eivor gazed at the trees lining the path, speaking contently. “They were, weren’t they? Sometimes I forget we’re still in Midgard when I see the beauty they’ve blessed us with.”

“Do you come out here often?”

The young man sighed. “Sadly, no. My duties keep me close to the village these days. Though, I used to spend a lot of time out here with my sister when I was younger. Thora and I would always hunt together in these woods.”

“Ah, yes,” Sigurd said in recognition. “I’ve met Thora as well. Your father introduced us at the feast. She... didn’t seem too fond of me.”

Eivor chuckled. “That’s how she is with everyone. She’s the oldest in our family, so she’s always been protective of me and Randvi. Don’t worry about it. She’ll come to trust you eventually.”

“I hope so. Animosity will provide little for us in times like these.”

Eivor quirked a curious brow at him. “And what of Ulfar? Have you met him yet?”

Sigurd nodded. “I have. He’s a mystery, that one. Hardly said a word to me, and yet, I feel like he spoke the most.”

The blond man paused at the observation. “Is that so? Hm. I knew Ulfar was quiet, but he’s never struck me as the standoffish type. Then again, he and I have known each other for years, so I’ve probably just forgotten how he is with strangers.”

“You two are close?”

“Indeed. Ulfar’s been in my life ever since Arngeir took me in. He was always there to fill the jarl’s absence when the man was occupied with other duties. He’s almost like a second father to me.”

Sigurd posed a question. “Is Ulfar from around here? I noticed a slight accent in his speech when we talked.”

“No,” Eivor explained. “He’s Saxon-born, but was raised by Norse parents after a viking raid destroyed his village.”

“Really? Well, it seems your clan is full of interesting people.”

Eivor snickered softly. “You don’t know the half of it. We have warriors, poets, hunters, thieves... every walk of life lives among us.”

 The prince smirked. “And which one are you?”

“Me? I... can’t say for sure if I’m being honest. I suppose you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

“A man never knows his own reputation, eh? I can understand that.”

Eivor threw the question back at him. “And what about you? You seemed to know your reputation pretty well when we spoke last night.”

“It’s difficult not to when you’re a prince. Everyone always has an opinion on how you should behave. How you should live. How you should think. Even this marriage wasn’t my idea.”

The other man couldn’t help but notice the hint of frustration in his voice. “It must get tiresome.”

Sigurd let out a defeated sigh. 

“It...” he fell silent for a second, struggling to get his thoughts in order, “...it does, yes. Make no mistake, I appreciate the privileges I have, but sometimes, I wish I didn’t have to live my life for others. I wish... I could just live freely; be my own man.”

He continued his train of thought. “I think that’s why I enjoy spending time with you, Eivor. Everyone else I’ve met so far has expected me to act in a certain way, but... not you. You judge me based on how I am, and not how you think I should be. Sometimes, that’s all I ask of someone.”

Sigurd cut himself off mid-sentence, withdrawing from his statement. “F-Forgive me. I did not mean to be so direct. I just...”

“I understand,” Eivor reassured him. “You bear a lot of weight on your shoulders. It must be difficult, especially in the midst of a war.”

“I suppose I should get used to it. After all, I’m going to be a king someday. It’s not like my situation is getting any easier. Better to come to terms with it now than wrestle with it later.”

Eivor raised a more personal question, admittedly somewhat hesitant to hear his friend’s thoughts.

“...Can I ask you something, Sigurd?”

“Of course.”

He quietened his tone, uncertain of the response he would receive. “Do you feel as though I’m pestering you?”

The prince took a moment to process his words, clearly confused by the sentiment. “Pestering me? No, of course not. I just said I enjoy spending time with you, did I not? Why would I think anything else?”

Eivor’s gaze fell to the ground. “It’s just... I feel like you should be riding through these woods with Randvi instead of me. You came here for her, after all. The whole purpose of your visit is to get closer to your betrothed. I worry that I’m wasting your time.”

Sigurd turned to his friend with a look of concern, quick to come to his defense. “Randvi and I have our entire lives ahead of us, Eivor. These first two weeks are merely the start of our marriage. There will plenty of time for us to get to know each other later. Do not fret. Your company is valued.”

“Well, I’m relieved to hear that. Still, I hope I’m not causing too much of a distraction from your duties. I know you said things have been stressful for the Raven Clan recently.”

“They have, which is why I appreciate you coming along with me. It would unwise for me to ignore my responsibilities, but even the strongest of men need to take a breath occasionally. We have more than enough war waiting for us beyond the horizon. We need not seek it out.”

Eivor found some comfort in his words. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“But enough of that,” Sigurd said, gesturing to the path in front of them. “We’ve reached the waterfall. Come. Let’s take a closer look.”

Tugging on the reins of his horse, Sigurd brought the steed to a steady halt before hopping off of its saddle and landing in the snow, causing his boots to sink through the thick surface.

Meanwhile, Eivor tailed the prince from behind and followed his lead, sticking close to him as the two of them approached the waterfall in the distance.

He recognized this place, despite not having visited it in a while. The locals often referred to this waterfall as the Tears of Ymir due to the strangely humanoid visage in the rock formations surrounding it. It rested on the edge of Bjornheimr’s outskirts and looked out into the open sea, guarding over its vast waters as if the giant himself were gazing upon his creation.

Meanwhile, a roaring cloud of mist clung onto the bottom of the falls’ foundation and merged into the sea below, creating an illusion that made Eivor feel as if he were standing on top of the world.

It was a glorious sight to behold, truly. Many of the landmarks near Bjornheimr were stunning on their own, but the waterfall had always been something else. It watched over the village from a pedestal of rocks and trees, and seemed to pacify the nature around it with a meditative aura. 

It was no wonder that Sigurd found himself drawn to it.

“The landscapes in this region never cease to amaze me,” the prince said in awe, stepping closer to the edge. “I wish I could stay here all day long. It feels so... disconnected from the chaos of our world. So peaceful. It truly is a luxury to have places like this near your home.”

Eivor joined him at the edge, losing himself in the majestic view.

“Indeed. It feels like a sanctuary created by the gods, hidden deep in the woods to protect it from the touch of mankind.”

Sigurd took a seat on the ground and let his legs dangle off the rock, gesturing to the mountains that dominated the horizon.

“You know, when I was a boy... I always used to have dreams about the mountains in this land. I would see a kingdom nestled in the depths of this world, constructed of architecture far beyond our understanding. There was a great tree that stood in the center of it. It was built out of iron and rock, and did not seem capable of breathing life like the ones you see here.”

Eivor sat beside the older man, intrigued by his tale. “A tree made of iron and rock? Can such a thing even exist?”

Sigurd shrugged. “Who knows? The nine realms are an impossible reality. If a tree such as Yggdrasil can exist, what makes an iron tree so implausible?”

The younger man grinned at the thought. “I suppose you’re right.”

The prince leaned back on his arms, relaxing in the snow. “What about you, Eivor? Have you ever had any dreams like that? Seen things that you just... couldn’t explain?”

Eivor nodded. “I have, actually. Ever since I was a child, I always dreamt of the Allfather.”

Sigurd raised a brow. “You’ve seen Odin in your sleep? Are you certain it’s not a vision?”

“It could be,” he conceded, “but nothing in the real world has ever reflected my dreams, so I’m not sure. Ingrida might disagree with me, though. She seems to believe that I carry the gods’ favor.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Sigurd admitted. “After all, they call you the Wolf-Kissed, do they not? For the scar on your neck? Not just anyone can survive an attack like that. Someone was watching over you that day.”

Eivor humored the idea. “You think? I hope that’s the case. Otherwise, I see no reason why my parents had to die while I was able to survive.”

Sigurd’s tone grew gentle with empathy. “...Our world is laden with injustices. The gods must’ve spared you so that you could rectify your own.”

The younger man beamed at him. “Which is where you come in.”

His friend returned the expression with a smile. “My clan will not rest until Kjotve lies rotting in the ground, and our people know peace again. You have my word, Eivor.”

Falling into a profound silence, the two of them simply took the time to enjoy each other’s company as they lounged together on the edge of the cliff, listening to the soothing sound of rushing water barreling down into the space below.

By now, the sun had risen to a point where it appeared as if it was being cradled by the mountains’ peaks, and parted the ocean’s tides with a shimmering streak of light.

As for Sigurd, the man seemed to be in an entirely different world at the moment. His eyes traveled far beyond the corporeal edges of their realm, and his temperament remained unperturbed. His mind had broken free of any troubles that once restrained it, and if Eivor didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn that the man was subconsciously leaning closer to him.

He just wished he knew what Sigurd was thinking. The man had assured Eivor he wasn’t bothered by his company, but... the younger man wondered if there was anything else lingering in the back of the prince’s mind.

Did he share the same affections that Eivor harbored? Did he feel just as conflicted about everything as his companion? Did he feel drawn to him too? 

There were about a thousand different questions bouncing around Eivor’s thoughts, but he had no idea how to find an answer to any of them. He’d only known Sigurd for less than two days, after all. It wasn’t as if he could broach the subject without raising some level of awkwardness. 

Still, he wished there was some way to crack the shell Sigurd kept around himself. The man didn’t seem disingenuous necessarily, but it was clear that he was hiding his own secrets. It sounded as if his father often scolded him for speaking his mind, and thus, he had become reluctant to talk openly about his concerns. 

It was a shame, really. Eivor’s instincts told him that Sigurd was a man worth talking to, but he appeared to lock his thoughts in a cage that only a select few would be able to access. He had opened up a number of times already, but even then, Eivor found himself curious to learn more.

He just didn’t know how to break the wall between them.

“...Sigurd?” Eivor said timidly, tracing his finger through the snow. “Can I--”

The prince raised a silencing hand, jolting his head to the side in alarm. 

“--Wait.” He whispered. “Did you hear that?”

The blond man glanced around the environment, finding nothing of interest. “...No? What is it?”

Sigurd propped himself up from the ground and gripped the hilt of his sword, attentively scanning the woods for any movement.

“I thought I heard someone else talking,” he explained in a hushed tone. “It sounded like they were hiding in the woods.”

Eivor followed his line of sight and glared at the wall of trees standing behind them, steadily reaching for his axe as his gaze pierced through the shadows.

“Is someone there?” Sigurd called, returning to his feet. “Come out where we can see you. There’s no use in cowering.”

The two of them waited for a response, remaining completely still.

Leaping out from the nest of trees, a lone arrow suddenly flew towards Eivor and soared straight past his neck, planting itself in the ground behind him. 

Meanwhile, a series of footsteps shuffled around in the woods for a bit, and before they knew it, a pair of men had emerged from the darkness with swords in their hands, intent on slaying anything that moved.

“Shit...!” Eivor exclaimed, instantly recognizing their attire. “Kjotve’s men!”

Pouncing into battle, Sigurd and Eivor wasted no time in fending off the ambush and immediately started swinging their weapons about, clashing with the blades of their attackers.

Eivor swerved to the left in order to dodge another oncoming arrow and confronted one of the assailants on his own, leaving his companion to deal with the other. He deflected their blow with a quick bash of his axe, and swiftly ducked under a second swing before hurling his weapon into their gullet.

A stream of blood came squirting out from their throat following the counterattack, and within the blink of an eye, the man had fallen limp, gripping his neck to preserve a life that was no longer there.

As for the other man, he was still tangled in a fight with Sigurd and currently trying to plow through the prince’s adamant defenses, relentlessly delivering one blow after another. The redheaded man seemed to be holding up alright against the brute’s wild swings, but was clearly struggling to find an opening.

“Sigurd!” Eivor shouted over the commotion, sprinting towards him. “Hold on!”

Diving directly into the midst of the pandemonium, Eivor made a beeline for the gargantuan warrior and frantically searched for a weak point in his armor, raising his axe in preparation. 

Before he was able to provide any aid for Sigurd however, the man flicked his eyes in Eivor’s direction and slammed his sword downwards in a vertical slice, carving his blade straight through the smaller man’s cheekbone.

Eivor was sent flying backwards due to the incredible impact and landed harshly in the snow with a heavy thud, causing his weapon to slip from his grasp. Meanwhile, Sigurd finally found the opening he needed and promptly took advantage of it, immediately turning the tide of the battle.

He heaved his longsword in the air with a fatigued grunt and lined it up with the warrior’s head, practically dropping the blade into their skull while their attention was focused on Eivor.

The man’s limbs twitched sporadically once the weapon made contact with his scalp, and after a few moments of struggling to process what just happened, he collapsed to his knees, toppling over right next to where Eivor lay.

Sigurd let out a labored breath following the end of the fight, quickly switching back into a state of panic once he saw what had become of his friend.

“Eivor!” He blurted out, rushing to the man. He crouched down and cradled Eivor’s head in his hold, checking to see if he was still breathing.

“Eivor,” Sigurd repeated worriedly, shaking him slightly. “Are you still with me?”

The younger man forced his eyes open to a slit upon hearing the prince’s pleas and grinned, wincing at the immediate pain that stung his cheek.

“Oh, relax, your highness...” Eivor teased cordially, his voice straining with effort. “It’s... it’s nothing to worry about...”

Sigurd sighed in relief, his breath turning into mist once it departed from his lips. “By Odin’s beard... I feared he might’ve killed you for a moment there.”

“I’ve hurt myself worse trying to navigate the village after waking up from a drunken stupor. I’ll... be alright.”

The older man wasn’t ready to calm down just yet. “Well, I’m not willing to let my guard down until we get you back to Bjornheimr. There could be more people hiding in the woods.” Sigurd shook his head in anger. “Dammit...! Where did they come from? Do you think these men were scouts?”

Eivor brought himself to a sitting position, relying on Sigurd’s support to elevate himself.

“...P-Possibly, or they could be stragglers. Either way... we need to return to the village and let the jarl know what’s going on. I... I imagine your father will want to hear of this too.”

“First, let’s focus on tending to your wound,” the prince reminded him. “We should bring you to the seeress as soon as possible. It looks like the blade cut you pretty deep.”

Eivor held onto Sigurd’s arm, pulling himself back up to his feet. “Well, whatever we do... we need to get out of these woods. Idling out here isn’t going to do us any favors.”

“Agreed.”

The older man whistled for his horse, offering Eivor a helping hand once he noticed that his steed had fled.

“Come,” he instructed. “I’ll take you back to the village. We shouldn’t waste another minute in this forest.”

Eivor followed Sigurd’s actions, growing increasingly sluggish with every step he took. “...Thank you, Sigurd. I’m glad I had you by my side today.”

The prince climbed onto his mount and took hold of the reins, allowing Eivor to take a seat as the other man wrapped his arms around his waist.

“No. Thank you, Eivor. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.” Sigurd diverted his focus to the journey ahead of them, comforting his friend with some final words. The man may have pretended that he wasn’t affected, but Sigurd could tell that Eivor’s wound was draining his energy by the second.

“Hush now, drengr,” he soothed in a gentle voice. “Save your strength. I’ll take you back to Bjornheimr. Just rest now. You’ll be alright.”

[superman86to99]

Action Comics #692 (October 1993)

In this issue: Superman goes to the doctor and finds out why he's not dead anymore! But, before that, he's clearing some of the debris left by his fight with Doomsday when he finds... Clark Kent? Lois Lane is very happy to see Clark again, but Superman himself doesn't look very thrilled in these panels.

Turns out Clark wasn't dead as everyone believed, he was simply trapped in the basement of a collapsed building! The basement happened to equipped with plenty of food and gym equipment (explaining why he's still jacked, like Superman), but unfortunately not a single pair of scissors (explaining why his hair is now long, like Superman's).

Later, Superman bumps into Lex Luthor Jr., who demands to know where Supergirl is, but Superman gives him the runaround. Hmm, where could Superman's good friend who can change shape and pretend to be other people be? Anyway, Superman then meets Lois and Clark and... holy crap! Mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent is secretly Supergirl!

So yeah, Supergirl pretended to be Clark for a while just so he and Superman would be seen together and no one would question why both are suddenly alive again. Then Supergirl leaves and we move on to the second dilemma solved in this issue: How the hell is Superman alive again? To address that question, supernatural DC character (and fellow Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster creation) Doctor Occult appears out of nowhere and rudely teleports Lois and Clark to a black void, where he replays moments from Superman's life... and death.

Occult explains that Doomsday DID punch Superman's spirit out of his body, but there was still solar energy keeping the body just barely alive. Superman's ghost ended up stuck between the living and the dead, attracting some nasty soul-eating demons. Fortunately, Pa Kent happened to be dying of a heart attack at the same time, so he and Superman teamed up to fight off the demons (as seen in Adventures #500). Superman’s soul returned to his near-corpse, which was taken to the Fortress of Solitude by the Eradicator and lovingly nursed back into health. (Okay, more like “coldly,” but you can’t argue with the results.)

Anyway, the point is that Superman's resurrection happened due to a convoluted series of events that could never be repeated, unless someone's willing to sneak behind Pa Kent and blow an airhorn in his ear or something. As the mystical exposition dump ends, Occult teleports Lois and Clark to Smallville, and the issue ends with the Kents finally reuniting. A tender moment...

...until two seconds later, when Ma smacks Clark in the back of the head for taking two whole issues to come see them (or that’s what I’d do).

Plotline-Watch:

Doctor Occult reveals that the moment when Bibbo shocked Superman’s body with a hyper-charged defibrillator in Adventures #498 actually helped keep him alive. Once again, Bibbo is the real hero of this saga.

Supergirl has a lot of experience posing as Clark, since she was stuck in that form between 1989 and 1992. That was also her in the only other photo of Superman and Clark together, taken in Superman #34.

While Superman is being interviewed by a news crew after rescuing "Clark", that lawyer from Action #689 barges in and demands that they stop calling Superman Superman, since that name is now trademarked by Superboy's manager. Damn, maybe he's gonna have to start calling himself "Supreme" or something?

Aww, Lex is happy to see Superman again. Sure, it's only because he wants to be the one to kill him, but still.

S.T.A.R. Labs is examining the Eradicator's corpse when they realize he's alive! Sort of. Later, Doctor Occult remarks that the Eradicator sacrificed himself "in mind, if not in body". Hmm. The doctors overseeing his condition are Kitty Faulkner, who can turn into an orange She-Hulk called Rampage after a workplace mishap, and a new character called David Connors, the only S.T.A.R. employee without superpowers. So far.

The JLA returns from the little space vacation the Cyborg sent them on, and we get the first instance in all of comics of Guy Gardner admitting he was wrong. Character growth! Don Sparrow says: “Nice to see some follow-up to the characters around the DCU and how they react to Superman’s return. No mention of the fact that they got suckered into a mission into space that went nowhere.”

When Doctor Occult shows up, Superman is like "aw, not this guy again!", referencing that classic tale of Superman's first encounter with the supernatural... which hasn't come out yet. Don: “It’s a neat forward call-back (is that a thing?) when Superman references his first encounter with Doctor Occult, given that we won’t see it happen until 1995, when DC does a line-wide ‘Year One’ series of stories. And wouldn’t you know it, that story is written by none other than Roger Stern (and even involves tentacles, as in the thumbnail image)!” #rogersternplaysthelonggame

Don Sparrow's section, on the other hand, can be read NOW, after the jump!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

We open with the cover, and it’s one of the top ten best of this era, for sure.  Drawn by Kerry Gammill and Butch Guice, DC used this drawing on the “Return of Superman” cards.  I tend to favour simpler, iconic covers, even when they don’t necessarily represent the story within, but in this case, it’s showing exactly what the heart of the story is about: Clark Kent is back. 

Inside, we open with a full page splash of Superman’s shield, through tons of rubble, and it’s a great image, but without the face, it allows us to focus on the title of the story, a callback to the speech introduction of the old Fleischer Cartoons.

I don’t know if it’s from the writing, or the artist, but Action Comics has always seemed the most romantic of the Super-titles, and this one is no exception, as Clark and Lois have their hands all over each other for basically the whole comic. While it is a bit weird to remember that it isn’t Clark that Lois is caressing (more on that in a bit) in the early part of the story, it always feels intimate and romantic more than it feels graphic or titillating.  A tricky balance that this team pulls off well, particularly in their “reunion” on page 3. [Max: Every time I read this issue I think it’s Martian Manhunter posing as Clark and when they start flirting I’m like “ew”. Then I remember who it is and I’m like “nice”.]

I always enjoy seeing Superman flying upside-down, which I consider to be a Byrne innovation—I don’t remember him doing it pre-Crisis. It always seems so joyful and carefree, and it’s nice to see Superman savouring his powers. 

Jackson Guice uses tone very well in the scenes with Lex Luthor II in his aviators, and I quite like the sense of motion to Superman’s pose as he approaches the helicopter—almost like he’s swimming in the sky rather than floating.

It’s a good drawing of the Eradicator getting the post-Hoth Luke Skywalker treatment, with David Connor and Kitty Faulkner getting an eyeful.  My copy has a slight colouring error that makes it look like the Eradicator is awake in the tank, even though he’s supposed to be catatonic. [Max: Still looks like that in the collections. Maybe he’s one of those people who sleep with their eyes open?]

Superman embracing Lois after the ruse of “Clark Kent” is very cutely drawn, as is the Ghost-like backward embrace on the following page.  

The entire sequence replaying Superman’s death and rebirth is drawn well throughout, especially the dreamlike staging, and the darkness as Lois knocks the flashlight away.  It’s also moving that Superman can see the heroic lengths that Bibbo went to try to save him once Superman succumbed to his injuries.  

Lastly, it was wonderful to see Clark reunited physically with Ma and Pa, especially with the nice touch of the poem by DH Lawrence as the only narration.  Stern was always the best at referencing secondary texts in his stories, and it’s well used here.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

Is it me, or is Matrix/Supergirl a little too into this Clark Kent act?  I get that making their performances light and funny keep it from seemingly overtly dishonest, but “Clark” is pretty tender in these scenes. Lois does a good job of playing along, but it’s hard for me to fully forget that all this canoodling is actually with Supergirl.  So as a helpful tool, I created these graphics: [Max: Nice.]

It was cool that Lois specifically mentioned that Jimmy got a shot of the returned Clark Kent next to Superman, I always like it when that can happen.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about how creepy it is that Luthor has a sexual relationship with Supergirl/Matrix, when she is in so many ways (mainly mentally) a child, and I can’t help but read the scene where Lois chooses Superman over “Clark” this way.  The laughing and clapping has a whole different feel if you think of her as mentally diminished somewhat.  

So it’s not exactly a continuity error that Clark says on page 13 that he has to call Ma and Pa to let them know that “Clark” is alright (even though he already called them in a previous issue).  It could be that they want to tell the Kents the cover story of Clark’s return has now taken place, and they can act like their son is alive again when they go to the corner store, etc. [Max: Yeah, that’s how I took it. It would be awkward if their neighbors saw them all cheerful while their son is still “dead”.]

 I like to imagine that Dr. Occult looks and sounds like Robert Stack. [Max: It’s impossible for me to hear him as anyone other than Humphrey Bogart after Lois calls him “Sam Spade”.]

We’ve mentioned previously Jackson Guice’s tendency to use photo reference for his characters.  In this issue, Superman looks a lot like Jason Patric to me, who would have made a pretty great Superman had there been movies being made in this time.

I also appreciated this issue explaining both the physical and metaphysical reasons Superman was able to return—and that there’s no back door to the story—if Superman ever died again, he would be unable to return.  

[pileontheyears]

Misty Playlist for Misty Day

A Character Study in Insecurity and Self-Love

Green Eyes, Red Hair - Gaelic Storm

She's a cup of tea, she's a Jaegerbomb She's an angel, she's an Amazon She's a poem, she's an alphabet She's a violin with a bayonet She's a revolution, she's a peace accord She's a grain of sand, she's the Cliffs of Moher She's Friday night, she's Sunday Morning She's a fair wind, she's a sailor's warning

I think one of the main reasons I love Misty so much is she’s a bit of an oxymoron. She has so many contradicting personality traits which fleshes her character out. She’s tough but she’s vulnerable, she’s romantic but she’s abrasive, she’s outspoken but she’s insecure. Oftentimes characters and people are put into boxes, if you act one way all the others traits should act accordingly. But Misty represents how that’s not how people work, you can have completely opposite traits existing in you and that’s ok.

Insecurities - LOVA

Meet my insecurities Let’s count in one two three Not smart, not pretty like a star Not weak, not tough, not nearly good enough Meet my insecurities  Let’s count in one two three Not small, not skinny like a doll Not sleak, not rough, not nearly good enough

Misty’s childhood has shaped her into an insecure young girl. From what we know, her older sisters constantly tell her how she isn’t pretty, calling her a runt. This would be reinforced as everyone in Cerulean City would come to see them perform leaving Misty to be ignored and alone. We don’t have any information about her parents, but Misty’s sisters would be given gifts that she would later get on as hand-me-downs. It could be assumed those presents were given by their parents, so not only would Misty be left out of playing with her sisters, but her parents probably never bought her a gift of her own. All of this reinforces the negative message that Misty is not worth anything. She feels she isn’t pretty and she’s not as good as her sisters. So when anyone like Ash brings up how she isn’t pretty, it obviously brings up those insecurities that she already has. 

How Far I’ll Go - Auli’i Cravalho

I’ve been staring at the edge of the water Long as I can remember, never really knowing why I wish I could be the perfect daughter But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try Every turn I take, every trail I track Every path I make, every road leads back To the place I know, where I can not go, where I long to be

As Misty grows up, she has this longing to go out and explore the world. Part of it comes from her insecurities, perhaps she thought she can’t be as pretty as her sisters but maybe she could become a stronger trainer. She wants to be able to prove to them and to herself that she can be worth something. Deep down, she has a genuine love for water and Pokemon and a desire to travel.

Oh No! - Marina and the Diamonds

I know exactly what I want and who I wanna be I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine I’m now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy  Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh! One track mind, one track heart If I fail, I’ll fall apartMaybe it is all a test Cause I feel like I’m the worst, so I always act like I’m the best

Misty’s insecurity begins to take form in a superiority complex. Throughout her entire life, no one has told Misty she is good enough, so she gathers that if no one else will talk her up then she will. Of course, just because she says how great and beautiful she is, does not mean she actually believes it. In fact, just the opposite. Because she receives no outside validation, all of her confidence has no real meaning, her self-compliments just leave her empty. 

Dear Future Husband - Meghan Trainer

Dear future husband Here’s a few things You’ll need to know if you wanna be My one and only all my life Dear future husband If you wanna get that special loving Tell me I’m beautiful each and every night

This next portion of the playlist focuses on Misty’s outlook on romance. Misty is a huge romantic, she loves love and wants her own happily ever after. Misty’s ideal romance is full of cliches, she wants a knight in shining armor, a prince charming who will sweep her off her feet with extravagant gifts and big romantic gestures. Misty’s ideal romantic partner is just that though, he has no name or personality, he’s just someone she wants to have shower her with affection. Again this could stem from her lack of affection in her childhood, she wants someone who will tell her she’s pretty and give her the love she never got as a kid.

Use Somebody - Laura Jansen 

I’ve been roaming around Always looking down at all I see Painted faces, fill the places I can’t reach You know that I could use somebody You know that I could use somebody Someone like you, and all you know, and how you speak

The switch in Misty’s feelings, she no longer is looking for love, love has found her. We see this change when Misty could have the romantic ideal with Rudy, he’s charming, suave, and definitely would be the one to fill the role of her dream guy showering her with gifts and compliments- but that’s not what she wants anymore. Instead, she wants someone like Ash, who Misty absolutely did not picture as her ideal at all. However,  she accepts and wants him because of who he is, and isn’t that what love is all about?

Tangled Up In Me - Skye Sweetnam

You wanna know more, more, more about me Gotta know reverse psychology I’m the reason why you can’t get to sleep I’m the girl you never get just quite what you see

For all the sentimental songs on this playlist, there still is Misty’s harsh attitude towards Ash. Misty has always acted this way around him, even before realizing her feelings. Misty’s rude behavior definitely isn’t going to go away, especially when Ash is just as guilty insulting her any chance he gets. While Misty could be trying to push his buttons to get under his skin for fun, or to see how he’d react, maybe it’s just from being scared. She’s acted horribly to him, and now that she feels something more, she doesn’t want him to know. So she decides she’ll keep up appearances by just being the hot-tempered friend following him for her bike.

Things I’ll Never Say - Avril Lavigne

It don’t do me any good It’s just a waste of time What use is it to you What’s on my mind If it ain’t coming out We’re not going anywhere So why can’t I just tell you that I care

Following that same theme, this is Misty’s more vulnerable side that she’d never voice (the “Misty’s Song” of the playlist). Misty might feel like she could tell Ash how she feels about him but of course does not. Part of her feels angry and annoyed that he doesn’t seem as concerned about her as she is with him, but because of that insecurity she has it makes sense she’d think it’s no use, she has no chance. After all, he pokes fun at her appearance a lot, she feels like she already knows how he feels about her, and it’s not positive.

Better Place - Rachael Platten

But it feels like I’ve opened my eyes again And the colors are golden and bright again There’s a song in my heart, I feel like I belong It’s a better place since you came along It’s a better place since you came along

Switching from romance, Misty does feel like she’s found a family with Ash and Brock. After a childhood of not fitting in, she finally has people who love her for who she is. She can finally be herself, she doesn’t feel like she needs to measure up to anyone, she finally feels like she belongs. 

“So you’ve been traveling with Ash and Brock for a long time?" “They’re like my new family.”

Black Hole - She & Him

And it just gets so foggy It’s nowhere in here And it’s everywhere else That I don’t want to be But I’m stuck here Getting misty over you I’m alone, on a bicycle for two

The journey has to come to an end, though. Misty’s family feels like it’s breaking up, and is understandably upset when Ash seems unfazed by her upcoming departure. She doesn’t want to leave, she wants to stay with the people she’s grown to love, the people who were more like family to her than her own sisters. She rides off on her bike, alone.

Head Above Water - Avril Lavigne

And I can’t see in the stormy weather I can’t seem to keep it all together And I can’t swim the ocean like this forever And I can’t breathe God, keep my head above water I lose my breath at the bottom Come rescue me, I’ll be waiting I’m too young to fall asleep

Misty finds herself in over her head as she takes over the Cerulean Gym. Not only does she struggle with her fear of Gyarados and the possibility of the gym being shut down, but she’s also still struggling with her own insecurities. Without Ash and Brock, she doesn’t think she can be the Cerulean Gym Leader, she’s terrified of not being good enough. She nearly dies twice trying to keep the gym afloat, she literally and figuratively is drowning.

Woman - Kesha

I do what I want, say what you say I work real hard every day I’m a motherfucking woman, baby, alright I don’t need a man to be holding me too tight I’m just having fun with my ladies here tonight I’m a motherfucker

After Misty is able to handle the issues at the Cerulean Gym, she finally has a sense of validation that came from her. She was able to save the gym, not her sisters, not Ash and Brock, her. Her insecurities will never go away, but she has a sense of self-confidence that she never had. Now when she talks about herself being beautiful and strong, she means it. She doesn’t need anyone to tell her that she's worthy of love, she knows it. She’s worked hard and sees she has value, whether others see it or not.

[scrcndxpity]

                                                      BEN HANSCOM → IT

                                            ❝ you guys are still the best friends i ever had, ❞ ben said.                                    ❝ no matter how this turns out.                                                    i just… you know, wanted to tell you that.  ❞

           ❝ i’m glad i remembered you, ❞ he added.

⌜ •°  ✦  °• — this is your stop . welcome to 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 .  you must be BEN HANSCOM. a little birdie told me you’re looking for SIREN’S BAR, it’s not too far from here and i’m sure your ANALYTICAL, SENSITIVE + DETACHED self will lead you down the right path. you’ve had TWENTY-THREE years of experience anyway. what were you saying? you DO remember GETTING A LITTLE TOO DRUNK AFTER RECEIVING A FATEFUL PHONE CALL FROM YOUR FRIEND? oh well, good luck with that !! hey, before you go, has anyone ever told you that you give off an INK STAINS ON THE TIP OF YOUR FINGERS, THE SOUND OF SNEAKERS AGAINST PAVEMENT, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK BURSTING OUT OF CHEAP HEADPHONES and SELF-WRITTEN NOTES SCATTERED ACROSS THE WALL vibe? i better get going, enjoy your stay !! ── sar , she+her,18+ , gmt+2. 

trigger warnings ── bullying, body-image issues, alcohol abuse

+ for the vast majority of his childhood ben was A LOSER; a shy little boy desperately trying to hide and disappear behind his favourite books and unfortunately, being too chubby to do so. it didn’t help that his family moved a lot, travelling after a father who lived the military, and thus leaving ben without the chance of ever making real friends.  he was ALONE a lot in those days, always the new kid standing by himself, uncomfortable in his own body and too afraid to speak up in case it’d draw the bullies’ attention to him. it’s the reason he started reading — fictional stories at first and as the different school libraries ran out of intriguing authors to offer, ben switched to historical books; true and truly interesting stories which had passed the test of time... and, of course, poems. their beautiful way of playing with words fascinated him.

+ for a long time nothing ever changed, except of the names of the towns he stayed in. however, as fate would have it and right as ben had accepted the apparent inevitability of his, the hanscom family moved to DERRY, MAINE and ben soon realised that this town wasn’t like any of the ones he’d been in before. instead, it was struck by tragedies, provably leading the national charts in missing people cases and most absurdly? none of the adults seemed to care enough to see. 

+ now, what happens in derry stay in derry, and here’s what happened in short:

henry bowers harasses ben to the extreme which has actually left ben with physical scarring on his abdomen, making him to this day ( as well as years of being called the ‘ fatboy ‘ in various schools ) uncomfortable to take his shirt off

the loser club is being created and ben is developing the most adorable crush on the only girl in the group, sending her a poem because we know he loves those, but alas his heart burns alone which he reacts shockingly mature to

pennywise probably gets jealous no one writes poems about his winter fiery red hair and proceeds to scare the living shit out of the losers while also killing other kids

we know the drill: we have a fight, the clown gets defeated and the losers promise to come back in case it ever does — but until then everyone’s moving away, including ben.

+ honestly, it was only a matter of time until the hanscom family would decide to move again and as his father died in the war and with the most recent development – her baby boy? in the sewers? hurt and injured? – ben’s mother chose to leave sooner rather than later. needless to say, it was difficult to say good bye to the losers club and thus to the best friends ben had ever had, but in all the sadness which came with leaving them behind, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t the least bit excited about leaving derry behind as well. he had bled and cried, lost and hurt, loved and not been loved back for long enough in this tragic small town. it was time for a new start and at last, it was a good one !!

+ as a matter of undeniable fact, puberty has done ben well. his final growth spurt in the summer before his start at the new school, alongside with better and healthier eating habits he’d already adopted, allowed him to lose any and all remains of his baby fat — and when he then also joined the school’s TRACK TEAM? we had ourselves a handsome, healthy and most importantly happy young man on our hands, who stood with confidence in his bones and was no longer afraid of the power his own voice held.

+ without having to worry about what your bullies might do or wondering where they might be lingering to get a hold of you, school was suddenly easier than ever. his grades still weren’t fantastic – he still liked to read; less poems now for some reason and most preferably everything and anything that wasn’t on the school’s schedule – but his graduation was successful enough that the adult world welcomed him with open arms and an infinite amount of opportunities to follow whichever dreams his heart desired. so that’s what he did — or at least tried to do. as a kid he had always been a great engineer and builder who could create tree houses, even underground construction from nothing, and it must’ve been a childhood dream come true as he became an ARCHITECT and a successful one at that !! unfortunately, if the lack of happiness which came with it was any indication, it wasn’t his childhood dream.

+ he had been trying to fill the hole in his chest – with work most of all. with women, for a while, but none of them truly interested him. and with alcohol whenever desperate times seemed to call for desperate measures. however, nothing quite managed to rid him of the LONELY feeling buried deep inside his heart. something was evidently missing from his life ( and from his memory ) but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was —– beverly was his best guess, but even she was just a name on a book page he had carried in his wallet for as long as he could remember, and the scar on his chest was though oddly resembling the letter H nothing but a childhood injury he’d probably forgotten. that is, until the call came and with it, mike reminding him of times long forgotten. pennywise was back in derry, which meant the losers club would have to come back as well to defeat it once and for all. 

+ terrified and shaken by the memories of childhood trauma, ben walked into the closest bar to give himself the LIQUID COURAGE he couldn’t find within himself to face it again. he may or may not have overshot his goal, his sight going black and the memory of the night fading into blurry darkness. now, as the story goes, he would wake up in the morning, drive to derry to fight pennywise and lose some of his friends, but it doesn’t quite feel like a memory to him. instead, he is in twinrivers, twenty-three again like his whole life has been a nightmare playing out in front of him or existed merely as a shit story in a book he read, and he’s got another shot at finding whatever will make him feel a little less lonely before he’s vegetating. 

q . from what part of the canon did you take your character from ?

it’s a mixture of everything, tbh. there’s a whole lot of influence from the movies, because ben is such an adorable bean in it ( as well as all the other kids, like don’t get me started swooning about this cast ) and probably the original miniseries? because child!me watched that so many times. but there will also be some details from the book !! though, it’s been forever since i read it so my memories are a little hazy on that one.

q. what gender is your character, what pronouns do they use and what do they identify as sexual / romantic orientation speaking ?

ben is a cis-male who uses the pronouns he & him. regarding his sexuality and romantic orientation, it isn’t something he ever truly wondered about. he was eleven the first time he fell in love with someone and it just so happened to be the last time as well. 

˙ ˖ ✧ — 𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘: ben hanscom

˙ ˖ ✧ — 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗: ben hanscom

˙ ˖ ✧ — 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖈𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖓: ben hanscom  

˙ ˖ ✧ — 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓: ben hanscom  

˙ ˖ ✧ — 𝖆𝖓𝖘𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉: ben hanscom

[familyagrestefanblog]

Stormy weather 2

I've just been watching Stormy weather 2 and now I really have to get my opinion out, I'm genuinely angry. This. THIS is what you all are so pissy about? Are you all kidding me??

That was a more than solid recap episode, summarizing all the changes of the past seasons, wrapping it up and forshadow and set up the new ones. I literally can't with this Fandom anymore JESUS GIVE ME STRENGTH yall are blinder as you pretend Adrien is! Playing high and mighty and complain about the writing when, it's seems like, 90% of this Fandom wouldn't recognize appropriate writing FOR A SHOW WITH A STRUCTURE LIKE THIS when it would hit you in the face! I really didn't wanted to be like this and thought about just saying nothing but then I watch the actual episode and you all are so obliviously and aggressively HATEFUL against this show rn I freaking CAN'T anymore!

"we did see the fight with stormy weather!" We didn't NEED to see the fight because this wasn't a normal akuma-fighting-episode. You wanna see them fighting against her? Watch the first SW episode, that episode was about her and dealing with her. THIS episode rightfully kept its priorities somewhere else, the characters and their recaps! (PLUS the reason they chose Stormy weather is because the first one was the pilot for the entire show, it's only fitting to use her for the recap) Besides in the last part of the fight we were in the pov of the citizens, we were supposed to see the fights for once with their eyes! They were scared, confused and glued on their tvs and phones to follow the news to at least understand a little bit what's going on! You complain about not seeing the fight? Oh well my dearies THAT WAS THE POINT! The citizens never get to see what we see and in an episode where the fight is literally just an afterthought, it was the perfect opportunity to show us that side of reality.

"the episode was mostly scene from other episodes?" And how is that a problem with A RECAP EPISODE? Just because old scenes were reused doesn't it automatically make the episode bad. Just the fact that some of you think that way makes me rip my hair out in frustration! Yes alot of old scenes were used again, but it was done so the characters could give us their thoughts and opinions on them WHILE giving the happening and purpose of the scenes in the first place a conclusion and wrapping them up for what's to come. "the scenes went on too long!" well I personally disagree that it got too much, but here at least I can understand possible complaints. There certainly were scenes (like the CN and LB glaciator scene) that could have been cut down a little (but really not too much) but once again, I didn't mind. Because I figured that these scenes were chosen for a reason, so casual viewers and kids need all the informations given in them, so yeah I DIDN'T MIND

"they undid all of Chloes character development!" No they didn't, because the show never pretended like Chloe suddenly turned into a better person after being a jerk and bully for so long. Everything the show did up to this point was showing us that Chloe IS capable of changing and that she'll eventually grow into her better self and a hero in time, with patience and the right motivation. We are in season 3 of 6, why are you all expecting the show to unrealistically rush this redemption? We. Have. TIME! "This only proves that Chloe shouldn't have gotten the miraculous!" not right but not exactly wrong either. It proves that Chloe rn shouldn't be giving the miraculous for good or in normal fights that don't involve her parents because she isn't worthy of it yet. That is why the episode makes a point by showing us LB and CN not reacting to Chloes "queen bee signal" while at the same time showing us that Chloe might think she deserves to be a part of this already but everything she has done in recent past and even THIS EPISODE tells us the complete opposite. Still I understand complaints that Chloe shouldn't be the bee miraculous holder in general but I understand the two times she was Queen Bee (one was against her father so yeah makes sense and the other time was in the heros day finale where Hawkmoth literally was on the loose alongside 10.000 other akuma villains with no end in sight. I can understand the logic of giving it to her again since a fight like that certainly doesn't need a totally inexperienced hero in there and Chloe at least knows how the powers work so yeah 2.0) and the overall idea of what her character is supposed to represent in the end. Chloes character is there to show that even a rotten bully child is eventually capable of redemption and becoming a good person and hero. That is a valid and important topic in a kids/family show. I think alot of people often forget that this show is not only there to tell a "lovey dopey everything gone bad can be resolved and learned in 20 minutes go lucky story" this show and its characters are literally there to help and guide children/the viewers (I'm 20 and Adrien helps me ALOT to deal with my family issues honestly). Believe it or not children/people like Chloe exist and so do the people who have to deal with them. And it helps them NOTHING when they make Chloe a "look at what a horrible person she has been for YEARS but oh would you look at that! Now she did a couple of good things, obviously that means that she left most of her horrible ways in the past and we don't have to worry about her relapseing again, she's only getting better now" character. Honestly that helps nobody because real life people don't behave and change like that. The way they are doing it rn is very good, because this way we can see the transition between villain/bully Chloe to good/redeemed hero and friend Chloe in alot of varieties and steps to make her character more fleshed out and relatable to the audience so they actually understand the complexity of a person/situation like that and that she IS indeed worthy of redemption after everything she has done (keep in mind, she's 14! She may have done horrible horrible stuff but a 14 year old CHILD should ALWAYS be allowed to change and redeem herself).

Okay last one now since it's already half past fuck in the morning.

"Adrien is a stupid idiot for dismissing/not realizing it was Marinettes poem and they are only unnecessarily stretching the love confession out" okay first of all, Adrien DID figure out it was Marinettes poem. He no shit acknowledged that and I have no idea how yall missed that. Second of all, Marinettes love confession/feelings for him are a BIG part of the structure and overall plot of the show and it will continue to be that way (same for CN and LB), so yeah of course they are stretching it what are you expecting here? Besides, SW2 is an episode that is written to watchable everywhere in season 3, so if you actually expected from the end scene to end any other way than the writing is not the problem here. It's more than logical and obvious at this point that they cant/wouldn't do the actual step of Marinettes actually and REALLY confessing her love to him(that's a move for like the season 4 finale). But still they got us further in the plot. Adrien acknowledged the possibility but dismissed it for obvious reasons I'm getting to in a bit. Still, the step of him connecting the dots was there, stop pretending like it wasn't. Yes its stretches the whole confession thing and I KNOW that's not what yall impatient shippers wanna see, but that doesn't change the fact that the "dismissing" step is a valid and by God more than enough forshadowed step for this show to take (plus do you all actually think it's an appropriate way for the show to let Adrien find out about Marinettes love for him FOR GOOD in Form of a letter and an old poem? Gosh people Marinette deserves better than that. I'm proud of her for how far she has come but this plot arc of hers deserves a better solution than THIS). And last but not least, third of all. Adrien had solid reasons to dismiss the idea of Marinettes being in love with him, yall just pretend like literally 95% all the shows plot doesn't exists because it doesn't play out the way you want or isn't BAM IN YOUR FACE. The whole "and there is Luka" thing is not coming out of nowhere yknow? Adrien saw that Marinette showed interest in Luka and Luka in her in "frozer" plus the episode gave us a flashback of "troublemaker" where Marinette literally SAYS TO HIM no I'm not into you, I'm into fashion. I like you/I'm interested in you BUT NOT LIKE THAT! Honestly, if a friend of mine said that to me and showed interest in someone else I also would tend to dismiss the option of them being in love with me. PLUS, same as with Chloe Adriens character is actually supposed to HELP children/the viewer in simular situations as them. And the way some of you react to Adrien it tells me that you have a better home situation as him (which im REALLY glad about believe me) still you all gotta accept that children with bad parent/s like Adrien exists and they NEED to see themselves represented and dealt with. Gabriel is a horribly neglectful and distant parent and THIS can fuck up a child self worth and self esteem REEEEAL GOOD believe me. Chances are not low that Adrien couldn't believe That anybody could actually be in love with him, and even if, they would totally only be in love with the "perfect Adrien" he has to be in public. The show certainly showed us enough of Adriens insecurities, self esteem issues and inferior complex to make this an possible option. Never forget that these characters are made the way they are to help and tell/teach something to the audience even if sometimes the character or the lesson provided and learned or helped with IS NOT FOR YOU. Adriens whole character helps me personally IMMENSELY but I still see him being dismissed left and right in the Fandom. Same way with Alya for example for me, she and her arc are not made for me, still I respect her presence and importants in the show.

Okay, I'm gonna make a cut here now cuz its REALLY late now but this was worth it.

[kariachi]

And we’re going to try for another two episodes today, which’ll be the last season 4 ones I have access to in a language I know for a while. So after today we’ll probably be getting breaks of at least a week between liveblogs. But that’s something to worry about then, this is now, and we’re going for What Rhymes With Omnitrix.

There’s poetry in this episode, I love poetry. Ya know before I settled deep into fic I used to mostly do poetry? Anymore I only rarely do, but back in like the sixth, seventh grade? Poetry all over the place. Then I realized I could induce emotion better through narrative prose and dialogue and a true ficcer was born.

Anyway, is another Kevin episode of course, and Charm but who gives two shits about Charm, so let’s get into it! My son and poetry!

~~

They’re just dropping us right in with Charm, who has poetry very blatantly about Gwen and how she hates her. In public. Can’t fault the kid for confidence or dedication.

This girl and Kevin both need therapy, preferably in different cities because last time she and Kev were in the same space he looked this close to killing her and while that would be entertaining to watch, kinda hard to go to therapy when a pissed off tween is carving your bones into parts for his latest piece of tech. Because if anybody would tap into the necromantic arts purely as a fuck you to someone he’d already killed, it’s reboot!Kevin.

‘Ode to Hating Gwen So Much #16′ Charm, kiddo, you need therapy and a hobby. Have you considered felting? Maybe videogames? A couple hours of Terraria would do you good.

Polite people at the (presumably) Amateur Poetry Night.

Oh look, a Kevin. Of course any book you carry around is gonna be black, you aesthetic mess.

Also can I pause a moment here in appreciation for every bathroom we’ve seen so far I think appearing to be unisex? Very nice.

“Conning” and here is where I heave a sigh and my bloodpressure goes up a bit, because what she did to Kevin was not conning in any way, that was clearly and blatantly magical enslavement complete with chains, torture, and mindcontrol. You can’t just downplay that shit like this and expect me to go along with it, not when the sequel series already tended to pull that, especially with regards to Charmcaster doing that sorta shit. You do not get to blatantly show Kevin being forced to do things against his will, being tortured for fighting back, and then try to pass it off as him having been tricked into working with her. What the fuck is with this franchise with having Charm do horribly evil shit and then just waving it off?

At least Kevin still clearly hates her.

Charm trying to play like she’s actually gotten more powerful since they last saw each other and is not, ya know, powerless in front of somebody she literally tortured and who is bigger than her even without his shapechanging watch. At least she’s reacting appropriating even if Kevin isn’t. Laying it on kinda thick though for someone who just ruined her makeup with tears not three minutes ago.

Are these children both trying to outbluff each other? Oh that works. I can totally work with a Kevin who’s kinda scared of Charm after what she did, alongside a Charm that’s definitely scared of Kevin now that she’s powerless and has hurt him so bad. That is something I can enjoy. Not that Kevin does it particularly well, but he’s young yet and anyway he doesn’t need to bluff well to avoid trouble here, he just needs to fall for Charm’s bluff.

And lo, the classic ‘we bumped into each other and dropped our books, then each grabbed the wrong book when we walked away’ trope. Always a good one. I hope they realize they have the wrong books fast though, given they look nothing alike.

Definitely a unisex bathroom, nice.

Charm’s uncle gave her a magic amulet. I’ve seen people theorize this is referring to Hex, but I don’t think that makes sense given what we know of either of them so far so I’m not giving the reboot back those points.

Of course Slam Poetry Night attracts a Rath. Of course. I wondered how they were going to get Ben into this.

Max really needs to stop using slang from any decade. It’s just painful.

Gwen sees Kevin take the stage and just, “oh no”.

So, this is definitely where Kev realizes he has Charm’s book, he’d have to, it’s full of somebody else’s poetry.

Also can I just say 1) I am proud of my baby for going into poetry, it is very good for working through your emotions (am proud of Charm for that too, but, ya know, my son vs Charm) and 2) I am not surprised to see him being into poetry given the sheer number of books we see him owning in other series. Like, at least 65, which doesn’t seem like a lot until you remember he’s probably only been acquiring them over the past few years, if not just over the course of the sequels, and that he’d have to be putting aside time specifically to read them given how much shit he’s shown doing regularly. Basically- my boy is literary and it’s wonderful.

And he has realized this ain’t his book.

Ben no heckling! There are rules and manners to the world you know! Gwen smack him.

And upon being heckled Kevin just tosses the book and decides to freestyle it ‘I came out here to have a good time but bitch if you wanna go I’ll go’ style.

He’s not bad. Especially when you consider he’s, so small. As nix would put it ‘this is a fetus’.

Ben, not happy with getting called out.

Ooo, complete with dropping the mike and walking away, point to Kevin! That is Kevin 1:Ben 0 so far this episode.

Ben just the living embodiment of that Pikachu meme after that.

Climbing on stage to try to win a point for himself in this battle of the wordsmithing. Godspeed, Tennyson.

Rath is being Rath and Kevin is just, not impressed. He knows he’s won, he knows Ben is rising to the bait and can’t do shit.

Kevin glancing out into the crowd like ‘am I the only one seeing him being this... wtf? tell me I’m not, we’re all seeing this right?’

Kevin trying to point out to Rath that he is not rapping, not even close, wtf Tennyson. The best part being, I’m fairly sure he’s offended on behalf of all rap at Rath’s complete failure to even be in the same ballpark.

And Ben times out, thank fuck, maybe we can make some progress here before Kevin kicks his ass just to defend the honor of a whole artistic medium.

Also I’m already counting the above as point 2 to Kev.

He hasn’t even started and I’m in pain.

Not eight words in and already Kevin is even less impressed and I’m in even more pain. Just gonna channel Ben trying to rap when I head into urgent care, that should be enough pain to chill me out.

Not even a verse in and Gwen and Max are this close to skipping town and just, abandoning Ben here. “Tennyson? No, no, we’re the Smith family, never seen that kid before, think he might be delusional.”

Point Kevin. He didn’t even have to do anything for this one, just not be Ben.

So that’s Kevin 3:Ben 0, so far this episode.

“Even your grandpa wants you off the stage.” Which is true, but gets Kevin dive-tackled offstage anyway.

Hello Charm, back again I see.

And now it is your turn to realize you have the wrong book?

Oh gods Kevin put effort into making his alien names cooler than Ben’s. And the early ideas were shit. But it worked in the end, so hey. At least we can assume his band-related naming scheme is deliberate in-character. Good on him, too, for writing everything down, it’s good for reference and can help get thoughts straight. (part of why it’s good for dealing with emotional shit)

Don’t you side-eye the camera, child, you mean to tell me you just jumped straight to Charmcaster without any stupid name ideas along the way?

“You started it!”“No you started it!” Okay boys, take you shoving match elsewhere and also Ben, Kev’s right, you are the one who started it with your heckling.

Charmcaster is just, not for Gwen existing in the same area as her. Gwen, meanwhile, is just surprised to see her.

Charm I don’t know what you’re looking for in there, it’s a tween engineer’s private journal, it’s not gonna have anything you can use against Gwen. Against Kevin, probably, against Gwen, not likely.

Charmcaster you cannot get up anyone’s ass about emo poetry when you recited ‘Ode To Hating Gwen So Much #16′ on stage. Pot, kettle, black.

It’s a poetry powered amulet. Either that or Kevin’s poetry counts as spellwork. I wonder if there’s something specific you have to do to make a poem count as a spell or if it’s just whatever works as long as it’s a magic user reading it aloud? Because Charm clearly ain’t meaning to cast this as a spell, at least at first, and yet. That seems kind of worrying though, if that’s the case. I mean what happens if a warlock tries to read his kid some Shel Silverstein at bedtime?

What happens if a sorcerer recites It’s Raining Pigs And Noodles?

I don’t know whether I’m more concerned to continue listening or for how Kevin’ll react if he notices Charm is reading his poetry aloud. I mean this is sounding like a personal one (and speaking as a former 11yo poet with Issues, I know what that sounds like) and gods if somebody I didn’t like was reading one of mine aloud I don’t know if I’d have broken down or killed them where they stood.

Gods I’m gonna have to rewatch this episode when it ends up on CN’s site so I can get a proper transcript of this, their captioning works right.

Welp. I knew emo poetry was powerful but this takes the cake.

Charm that is not your shit! Go find your book again! Or are you worried your shit isn’t as strong as his? I mean I’m getting more and more convinced this isn’t something he’d have been reading aloud.

Oh gods it does only go for real poetry! She tries to throw in some stuff built for spellcrafting and the amulet nopes right out! ‘Sorry, kiddo, there’s gotta be emotion involved or it’s just not happening’.

Hopefully that answers the Pigs And Noodles question

I’m kinda hoping Charm’s mini reign of terror is ended by a beet red Kevin divetackling her from offscreen and wrenching his journal from her. Bonus points if he gets her upside the head with it.

Gotta love when youtube decides to while you’re trying to pause on a scene.

Meanwhile, the boys have worn themselves out with their fighting and arguing.

Kevin, panicking because Charmcaster has his notebook and is also reading it aloud. As is the only proper response to such things.

Ben- out to stop Charmcaster because she a dangerous badguy Kevin- out to stop Charmcaster because she is reading his poetry aloud AAAAA

Charmcaster pls, stop being an ass for seven seconds

Child you cannot just recruit emo boys to write you sad poetry! Especially not after you just read their poetry aloud without their okay, it’s just not right! Besides, that’s not the look of someone who wants anything other than for you to close the book and forget you ever saw anything that was in there.

Charm: Work with me Kevin: Fuck you and the horse you rode in on

“You two are weak” Chamrcaster you only have power right now because you’re taking it from his poetry. I’m pretty sure that puts him above you on the scale by default.

Kevin, joining Team Tennyson purely to get back his notebook. Again, perfectly valid.

TL;DR: Kevin accidentally wrote a spellbook

I’m still wondering what it is that makes his poems work but not Charm’s actual spells? Is it the emotion behind them? In UAF magic was made of life force, in theory putting enough emotion into your writing could maybe imbue the words with magic? Is the solution to this puzzle that Kevin was feeling so strongly when he wrote this shit that they became magic on their own? Or does the amulet just search for true emotion in words and make it so? How is this all working?

If these boys could stop fighting each other for like 13 seconds we might actually get something done.

Charmcaster sealed Gwen’s voice with poetry. Welp.

Welp, the old ‘everything’s an enemy’ illusion trope. Not an illusion this time, but same deal.

Kevin: *easily sees through the spell because Charmcaster!Humongasaur keeps growing his damn tail* “You’d have to be a complete nincompoop not to see through this, right Tennyson?” Ben: *falls right for the spell*

Damnit Ben, Kevin thought you were better than that.

“I can’t not hit the dweeb now.” These children.

Charmcaster leave the innocent bystanders alone!

It takes Ben hearing himself get called Dweebyson to realize he’s fighting Kevin. Kevin knew the deal from the word go. Have I mentioned which one is my son?

Kevin makes Ben embarrass himself to prove he’s him, even though he already knows. Turns to him for a plan.

Kevin as Darkmatter: Finds Ben not timed in, fiddles with Omnitrix to bring it back up to charge, throws him at Charmcaster

“Stop her before she finishes that poem!” Well I’m concerned now

“I’ll show them all what I can do, I’m much more than a leech, their bodies paralyzed by words, their hearts grow heavy from my speech” Yes yes this was a very powerful verse magically I’ll unpause for the results in a second, do you see that second line? That second line there. Do I have to kill somebody? I have to kill somebody don’t I...

Huh, that verse increased gravity on the target(s).

Charm trying to recruit Kevin again, and he’s still turning her down because fuck her and everyone who looks like her. He looks so small in this frame. Very soft faced, he’s got two years younger from the stress of all this.

Oh and she’s pulling out WIPs to blackmail him into complying. I’m going to guess it’s less emo and more Gwen-focused, because I’ve seen media before in my life and know how that shit works. Would prefer more Kevin inner working stuff, but whatcha gonna do. If it is a love poem it’d knock down the rating though.

Also, when you’re so pissed the animators have to give you sharp teeth to emphasize it.

Okay, Kevin’s doodles are cute.

Also why do you have a note in your notebook denoting the secret shit Kevin? Do you have siblings or something? Who is going through your stuff, or that you’re worried might go through your stuff? Or are you just paranoid? It could be the last one.

Okay, so I’m paused on the poem in question and aww, Kevin’s ‘h’s go directly into his vowels. Yes I am commenting on his handwriting let me live. It’s an emotional poem and I’m working out things to say...

Kevin trying to claw his way forward to shut Charm up, it’s not working but he’s trying

Welp

Kevin, wearing a hoodie this episode purely so that during this scene he could drag it over his head to hide his embarrassment at having a poem about caring about Gwen read aloud.

I’m still deducting a point from the episode.

The good news is, the poem restored Gwen’s speech, which, I don’t know what Charm expected to happen there. Of course the semi-positive poem would have a positive effect, come on girl, do you know nothing of magic?

Okay, so, they’re gonna defuse Charm by using her own magic to silence her, via Kevin playing along and writing her a poem that’ll do just that. His improve abilities shall save the day, and what’s left of his pride.

Charm fuck off

Charm, digging your own grave, pls

And Kevin drops the hood when he sees Charm falling hook line and sinker, so proud of himself

Oh that was brilliant darling! “My spells undone, I’m speechless at my own defeat”, two lines and he not only stopped her but undid all the damage she caused! My son! My brilliant, poetic son!

Kevin, so smug

Gwen calling Charm’s ass out on treating people like toys when she of all people should know what that feel like

And not Charm’s amulet responds to her rhymes. Guess it does have to be tied to a proper emotion, rather than just being willy-nilly

Kevin is just happy to get his notebook back.

And Gwen compliments his work which, of course, leads to complete avoidance tactics. I don’t know what you expected Gwen, that last poem was all about him not knowing how to talk to you or even really having a solid hold on how he feels.

And we end with Kevin walking away as Ben disappoints everyone with more horrible rapping.

10/11, the Kevin stuff made up for the Charmcaster bullshit, but we still lose a point for Gwevin as is the rule. I continue to eye Kevin’s backstory with suspicion and suspense.

[honeybunchesofposts-blog]

Solace Part 2:Meeting: Rafael Barba x Author!Reader

Word Count: 1484

Warnings: None, Rafael being adorable. As before Hadley helped me with some major inspo for this story and I couldn’t thank her enough @miamorbarba

Summary: So, you’re at gala for a fundraiser, Rafael and his SVU detectives are at the same gala. They all recognize who you are, but the detectives aren’t quite sure why you’re there. Only you and Rafael know the real reason you arrived.

Olivia Benson and her team didn’t have the slightest clue on what type of person you were, except for your name and face littering the shelves every time you released a new novel. What they were trying to figure out now was why you were dancing and dazzling the dancefloor at the same fundraiser Rafael had invited them too.

The fundraiser, donors, and creators, were all deeply invested in helping victims of sexual assault re-adjust to living in the world, with a non-profit support team.

Rafael being the more vigilant one of the relationship watched as his co-workers and equals eyes’ glaze over your form and watch as you made the simplest entrance of the night. The elegance you walked in was feigned by you hold onto the bar, railings, and tables whenever you could. Only Rafael could tell, being the only one in the building who knew you tripped over air and up the stairs.

The alias of your books was so well thought nobody assumed it was a fake name, but Rafael knew yours. It was almost a game to him, both of you knowing so much about each other, yet acting like you didn’t have a clue in the slightest who the other was. For a moment your beau wondered if this was how you would react if the beautiful relationship you two had built crumbled? Would he be able to glance casually across the ballroom floor to see you smiling with another man and know for certain that you weren’t really investing your time into some snob from Upper Manhattan?

“Barba, isn’t that the hotshot author that Sonny’s sisters are always gawking to him about over the phone?” Finn casually glanced at Rafael before looking back at you.

“Yes, it is. That’s Anabelle Leigh,” Rafael was the only person aside from your family who knew this pen name had credit belonging to the poem ‘Annabelle Lee’ by Edgar Allen Poe, “she’s a brilliant author and most of her books center around relevant political and social issues. Well, this new series does, she also has fantasy books, sci-fi books, and even a couple books of poetry that most people don’t know about.” Rafael spoke, shaking the hand of a DA who had walked over with a smile plastered on her face. Wiping his hands on his coat afterwards, he looked up to see Amanda with a smirk on her face.

“You seem to be a pretty big fan of her,” Rollins sipped from her glass of champagne, “how many of her books have you read?”

Rafael shrugged as he downed the dregs of his scotch, “I’ve read every book that was a best seller. Right now, that’s six.”

Olivia turned to Rafael, still looking at the author who was on every bookshelf in the country right now, seemed out of place at a fundraiser like this, “Why is she here? I understand her books cross boundaries like sexual harassment and assault, but why is she here?”

“She donated 75% of her royalties from her last book to three different foundations and this was one of them. It’s been the most money this foundation has ever received. The best part? She didn’t even want credit for it.”

“Well,” Sonny started and Rafael could have sworn he noticed a slight blush covering the young man’s cheeks, “she looks absolutely fantastic tonight.”

Rafael barely stopped from choking on his breath, when he stood and motioned toward you across the room, “Would you guys like to meet her?”

“Yeah, I think that would be nice, wouldn’t ya’ll?” Amanda stood beside Rafael, Fin following her lead. Rafael started moving across the room towards you, trying not to gain momentum as he neared. It was almost as if you could feel Rafael behind you, as you politely ended your conversation and turned toward him and the team.

“Mr. Barba, how have you been tonight? I didn’t see you arrive.” A genuine smile fell across your face as Rafael stepped forward and you kissed each other’s cheeks, Rafael stepping back with your lips stained on his left cheek.

“Miss Leigh, I was just telling my colleagues about your donation to this foundation.” Rafael gestured to the team behind him as a blush rose to your cheeks.

“Please, call me Ana or Anabelle,” Turning away from Rafael, your smile brightened again, “you must be Olivia Benson.” Olivia took your extended hand and shook it firmly.

“Thank you for writing about subject such as this and making them less of a stigma in the public eye.” Olivia gave a smile before Sunny stepped forward.

“Your work is amazing. ‘The Broken Heart Sonnets in 4 Parts’ is my favorite poem by you, and my younger sisters are obsessed with your work.” He shook your hand that wasn’t holding on to the bar as your blush from earlier intensified.

“Um, thank you. I just write from the heart, I really wasn’t expecting to become a world-wide best seller. Thank you all for supporting me.” This was a virtue you had more work at than Rafael, you never hesitated in being humble.

You took compliments graciously without disregarding them, but always made them relate to the program, idea, or person that gave you the idea. Rafael always thought he would find someone just as boastful as him, instead you were as humble as his mother, the shyness when someone gave a compliment, the blush that followed after and when you ran your fingers through your hair. Rafael swore he had stars in his eyes staring at you.

Glancing down at the gold watch Rafael had bought for your birthday, your eyes widened. Rafael’s eyes flitted down to the leather one he adorned on his wrists as he noticed the time. It was 9:30, and because you were you, Rafael knew you didn’t eat anything but a few hors d’oeuvres floating around. Rafael also knew you had already ordered your post-mates, adding on top of everything, Rafael also knew it was bad etiquette to leave this early at an event like, you however, didn’t care.

“I am so sorry to leave like this, but I have a deadline, and I really need to pop out of here,” A tight lipped smile formed on your face as you shifted your weight between your feet, already reaching down to slip off your heels before you had even made an exit. The height drop made you shorter than everyone surrounding you, even your beloved boyfriend, “it really was a pleasure to meet you all, and I hope we can meet again in the future.”

Walking from the team and hurrying out the side door, you pulled your phone out and sent a text to Rafael. -I ordered burgers and concretes from Shake Shack. I’ll have the food and wine ready by 9:45, I expect you home no later than 10:15-

Rafael knew it was a 15 min drive from where he was to your shared apartment. Looking up from his phone to the team, he rolled his eyes when Liv pointedly glanced at his cellphone.

“More work Rafael? You’ve been in the office more than usual. I know this case is bothering you-”

“Olivia, I’m staying until 10:00. Then I’m going to go home avoid him,” Rafael directed their attention to his boss leaving the building, “while I climb the stairs to my apartment that is directly across from his and avoid everyone until Monday morning.”

“Sounds like a good plan, but Sunny looks like he’s going to pass out at our table, I think now might be a good time for all of us to make an exit before the people here notice detectives asleep at an event as important as this.” Olivia picked up her coat, noticing the rain that had started falling, pulling the fabric tight against her body as she pictured the November air along with the partnered rain.

Finn smacked Sunny on the back of the head before hoisting the young detective out of his seat, Amanda following Olivia’s lead as she helped escort Sunny out, stopping to wave and smile at Rafael.

-The next time she smiles at you, I’m going to make her my new antagonist in the book-

Rafael rolled his eyes at his phone before sneaking out the same side door you used. Heading further into Upper Manhattan, he couldn’t wait for this case to complete, so he could really introduce you to the team.

[storminmybestdress]

Taylor Swift is a Gryffindor: A Persuasive Essay by Sabrina AKA Harry Potter’s Literal Birth Daughter

There are four houses of Hogwarts. To start out, I would like to reference the Sorting Hat’s song from the book series, that briefly discusses the main traits of each house.

You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve and chivalry, Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin, You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means, To achieve their ends.

To summarize this, Gryffindors primary trait is their boldness. They are competitive,headstrong, and extremely stubborn. They are also very loyal to those they love. However, their morals are at the forefront of their mind at all times, and therefore, when it becomes necessary, they won’t hesitate to stand up for what is right (i.e. despite Hermione’s obsession with following the rules, she didn’t hesitate to break them when the time came that it was necessary).

Hufflepuffs value loyalty and kindness. They are patient, hardworking, and kind, but they can stand up and fight if it comes down to it. I don’t have too much else to say about Hufflepuffs.

Ravenclaws are intelligent and witty, but not always in a book-smart way. They’re wise beyond their years and like to think creatively and out-of-the-box. They enjoy poetry and riddles and things that make them think on a deeper level.

Slytherins are cunning and shrewd. They’re also fiercely ambitious. The part of the Sorting Hat’s poem that really sticks out about Slytherins are that “those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.” No, not all Slytherins are bad despite their reputation. However, when they really want something, they know how to get it, and they will get it. Even if this means sacrificing other things to get it.

I would like to approach this essay by explaining what Taylor has in common with the houses as well as how she differs. To start, many say she is a Slytherin but I believe this is the farthest from the truth. Although Taylor is extremely ambitious, she clearly values her family and friends over everything else. I believe if it came down to her career or her family/friends, Taylor would choose her family/friends in a heartbeat. Slytherins’ desire for power and success would overpower their love or possibly damage their relationships. The fact that Taylor’s relationships (Abigail, Selena, etc.) have lasted for as long as they have proves she truly prioritizes them in her life. Though she is calculating, another Slytherin trait, she uses that skill as a way to protect herself from being hurt, rather than as a way to plan and get what she wants.

The next house, Ravenclaw, is one I believed Taylor fit into for quite a while. We’ve witnessed her dry witty humour for a long time, and she’s proved herself to be wise beyond her years. She’s also showed she has a thirst for learning and continuing to better herself. However, I don’t believe wisdom is the thing she values the most. Also, despite her stubbornness, I don’t believe it’s the same kind of stubbornness that Ravenclaws exhibit. It’s not so much of a “I am right,” stubbornness, and more of a “I need the last word,” stubbornness.

Two houses down, we move on to Hufflepuff. Don’t get me wrong, Taylor has plenty of Hufflepuff qualities. She’s extremely loyal to those she loves, she values fairness and hard work. She wants to reward people who she sees are good and are putting in effort (i.e. all the people whose careers she has quite literally skyrocketed). Not to mention, towards the beginning of her career, she was very much a people-pleaser. She wanted to be liked and she wanted to appeal to the masses. However, I believe that over time, that desire in her has changed. From the videos and information we have from before she was famous/her early career, we see she was much more bold and outspoken and gradually calmed herself down as she got pushed more into the spotlight. I believe this was partly due to the pressures of fame, and also probably due to advice from her management and record label. She has been outspoken about the amount of anxiety she developed from fame and having people watching her every move. However, in recent years, we’ve seen her develop an unapologetic attitude similar to the one she had early on in her career. She stands up for herself and isn’t afraid to call out people who have wronged her or those she loves. She’s also speaking more about politics making a call for justice. Although Hufflepuffs will also fight for what is right, the fact that this seems to have been her personality all along (before she was famous), it seems she fits more in the Gryffindor category. Even the most stubborn Gryffindors can be swayed by anxiety and fear, but we push through. And she did.

Yes, everyone who doesn’t know much about Harry Potter says they’re a Gryffindor. It’s very possible Taylor said that due to having only seen the movies (Maybe she’s read the books, who knows!). We don’t know until she confirms she’s taken the test. However, I truly believe she is a Gryffindor and here is why. Gryffindors are competitive (always wanting the last word). Taylor is one of the most competitive people I’ve ever witnessed. Along with this, Gryffindors bold and can sometimes allow their feelings on a subject to control their actions. This leads them to act pretty impulsively some of the time. We’ve seen her act impulsively when emotions are high, like calling Joe Jonas out on the Ellen show in 2008. Dare I mention…… the gloves? Some of the sassy and iconic award show comments about Justin Bieber? There are more but we must move on. The outright nerve for her to say some of the things she said I mean just take the entire of the album Speak Now (2010). She really just put multiple 5-7 minute songs on there and put everyone’s issues out there. She didn’t care about the angry emails or how they would react. Even I, a VERY stubborn and proud Gryffindor, get nervous releasing vulnerable songs I know the people they were written about will hear. She said I DON’T CARE I have things to say. And she said them. She said do NOT step on me. This is evident again with her trial and k*nye. I don’t believe a Hufflepuff would have called out people in the way Taylor has done throughout her entire career.

All in all, Taylor has a little bit of every house in her, and she definitely has many Hufflepuff traits, especially since some of those traits are shared with Gryffindor (i.e. loyalty). However, her boldness is what makes her a Gryffindor. When people first meet me, many assume I would be a Hufflepuff because I come off as friendly and a bit shy. However, once people know me, they’re like “YOU ARE SUCH A GRYFFINDOR YOU ARE SO STUBBORN SHUT UP.” I’ve never taken a sorting quiz and gotten anything but Gryffindor and for some reason, I’m always scared I might get Hufflepuff or a different house (my hogwarts house is literally……. who I am), but I never do. I may not always outwardly appear this way to strangers due to social anxiety, but I am fiercely bold about my beliefs and justice and I will fight for those I love. Hell, I stand up for others more than I stand up for myself. I think Taylor is very similar to me in this way (we are also both Sagittariuses- fire signs. Like Gryffindor.) and therefore, though she may not outwardly appear it all the time, I believe she is a Gryffindor at heart.

[symphoniofficial]

[ARTICLE] X-ENTERTAINMENT HOLDS DEBUT SHOWCASE FOR GIRL GROUP, SYMPHONi

X-Entertainment’s SYMPHONi held their debut showcase on November 15 at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjang-dong.

SYMPHONi kicked off the showcase by performing their B-side “Moon”, an upbeat EDM song co-written by the group’s rapper, MiMi. Immediately following the performance came their introductions; the members introduced themselves individually.

EV: I’m EV of the fresh-faced group, SYMPHONi! I'm the leader who also works on our choreography. Please love and support us in the future!

Jade: Hello. I’m SYMPHONi’s lead vocalist and lyricist, Jade. Please look after us.

Mimi: Hello, SYMPHONi’s cute main rapper Mimi here! Thank you all for meeting us~

Mei: Hello, I am SYMPHONi’s visual and lead dancer, Mei! We’ve worked really hard on our debut, so please watch carefully!

Serah: Hello! SYMPHONi's sunshine maknae, Serah, here. I hold the main vocalist title and compose for the group. Look at my unnis, aren't they beautiful? Please watch us well; we have a lot to show you!

When asked about the group’s meaning, the leader described SYMPHONi as the group that’s capable of filling up an entire venue through their charisma alone; combined with their talent, the five girls can put on a powerful performance.

“Our talent will speak for itself.”

What’s unique about SYMPHONi are the members’ experiences before debut.

EV is the daughter of a famous dancer and producer, Jade was a former contestant on an MNET survival show, and Mimi and Serah were previously introduced as DALBIT. Each of the members expressed their feelings on the expectations the public has and being a member of a girl group.

EV: Before we had officially debuted, I felt overwhelmed and unsure of if I was capable of being the member that these talented girls looked up to. As the leader of an upcoming group, there’s already pressure to do well, especially in such a competitive market. I don’t feel my parents gave me any advantages here; they never even crossed my mind. My and my members talents’ will be the reason we go far, so you’ll have to watch us closely.

Jade: [Being in front of the cameras] was a little uncomfortable at first. I’ve never performed onstage before, so I wanted to make sure that I did well for our members. I focused so much on making sure I didn’t make any mistakes, that I think my expressions were a little… [She laughs.] But with the members by my side, it became comfortable and fun.

Mimi: We have a strong team of girls here, and the company does its best to give us everything that we need. I think SYMPHONi can go far in the industry, and I look forward to growing as an idol group, but as well as close friends. I hold them dear to me.

Serah: You can expect to see many colors of myself. I don’t want to be known as just cute Serah, but attractive and cool Serah, too. I want to show all aspects of myself. "LADY" will start show a cooler side, so please look out for it. I want to be as cool as MIMI and EV unni. They're so powerful on stage; maybe I could be like that some day. I also have a hand in composing more, I hope our projects lead me to showcase even more writing talents. You’ll see WRITERSEO here soon enough!

One member, Mei, didn’t have any experience before SYMPHONi. However, she didn’t have any worries about debuting.

Mei: Truthfully, I am no longer nervous about debuting. While we were getting the EP ready and practicing the choreography I would get nervous, but after expressing my feelings to the members, they calmed my worries and I now feel confident to debut.

Mimi and Serah’s relationship is particularly special; they’ve followed each other loyally since their first encounter under Royal Crown, a now-defunct company.

Mimi: Serah and I have known each other for a while and we’ve been through a lot over the years, so this debut means a lot to both of us. Debuting is always exciting, but doing it with someone who is your best friend makes it more special and meaningful. I’ll never forget it.

Serah: Mimi is the love of my life, honestly. Everyone has that person that speaks to your soul, who is not a lover romantically but platonically. She supports me-- everything I've put out or written she's supported. When dealing with boys and family issues, Mimi has always been there. She's everything to me and I cherish her so much.

Mimi: Serah isn’t only like a sister to me, but one of my closest friends. I really value the friendship she gave me. Ever since I met her, she’s always been there for me and shown how supportive she can be. She’s like a cute little baby. I feel like I have to protect and love her endlessly.

Love is the central theme of “LADY”. When asked about the meaning of “Moon”, Mimi described it as a song that describes wanting to become closer to someone.

Mimi: “Moon” is a song about wanting to get to know someone on a deeper level, but part of them is always hidden from you despite your efforts of learning more about them.

The explanation led to a similar B-side called “Goodnight Like Yesterday”. Albeit slower in tempo, Jade described a different one-sided longing.

Jade: “Goodnight Like Yesterday” is the opposite of “Lady”. It’s about someone who laments a relationship that is on the verge of falling apart. The melody is light and bittersweet, reflecting the thoughts of the person who’s in denial of losing the person they love.

Who is SYMPHONi?

After their second performance, SYMPHONi took the opportunity to acquaint themselves with their fans by playing games and answering fan questions, including showcasing their individual charms.

EV: Gymnastics! I can do the splits, backflips, and a backbend.

Jade: Acrostic poems [using the letter of each word to create a line of poetry].

Mimi: I...can do cheeseburger aegyo!

Mei: Like EV unni, I’m very flexible. I can turn my hands around in a full circle.

Serah: I can play the guitar and make unnis fall for my charms!

When Mimi showed off her cheeseburger aegyo, the fans reacted positively. The members had different responses, much to the amusement of everyone else; the older members were embarrassed, while the younger members were supportive of Mimi’s aegyo.

The next question also showcased the girls’ creativity. A fan asked each member what they’d do if given a pencil and piece of paper.

EV: I’m not much of a writer, nor am I great at drawing, but my initial thought is that I’d write a letter to my parents. Since I’ve been training, it’s hard to see them or even call them, but I want them to know that I’m doing well and that I’m thinking of them.

Jade: It depends on how I’m feeling at that moment. I’ve really been into origami lately, so I might try and make something out of it; I’d use the pencil to add details once I finished.

Mimi: I would probably do some cute little doodles. If I don’t have anything to do, I just sit and draw what ever may come to mind.

Mei: Right now? Ah…I’d write notes to the fans that came here today, and I’d fold the paper into an airplane and throw it into the crowd. [She smiles and nods, making a heart with her hands.]

Serah: I would tear it nicely and write sweet notes to each of my members with cute little drawings! They deserve cute messages. I might even give one to my older sister and brother.

Next, the girls began to choose questions that were handwritten by the audience.

Q. Which member(s) do you feel the closest with and why?

EV: I feel protective over all of them, and I don’t say this to spare anyone’s feelings. I make a conscious effort to make sure everyone’s included in our activities. They bring out an instinct in me to make sure they’re happy and healthy, even if I don’t say it forwardly. I want to take care of them.

Q. If you could switch bodies with any member for a day, who would you choose and why?

Jade: My answer might seem a little unexpected, but… [She looks at Mimi.] I’d like to switch with Mimi. Mimi is known for being our vitamin in the group. She also has a lot of aegyo. Compared to her, I have neither the energy nor the ability to act cute, so I’d like to experience it for a day.

Q. You previously starred in a rap survival show, but were eliminated rather quickly. What were your thoughts and feelings as you prepared to be on the show, and how did you deal with the elimination?

Mimi: I was only eighteen when I was cast to join [a rap survival show]. I’d never really rapped prior to this, so I didn’t know a lot since I had only ever done it when I was alone. I thought if I tried hard enough, I’d be able to last a few rounds, but sadly I lost in the first round. It was rough. I felt so disappointed in myself for it and I was a little depressed after I went home. Since then, I think my rapping has improved greatly and I look forward to showing everyone what I can do.

Q. Your Korean is really good! Do you think your Korean is the best out of all the members? Who do you think has the hardest time with foreign languages?

Mei: [She smiles awkwardly at the compliment before collecting herself.] Coming from a foreign country while knowing only a little of the language, even after learning a lot, I don’t think my Korean could ever surpass the rest of the members. Sometimes in the dorm, I mix up my languages still-- it’s a steady process and I think once you start learning a different language, you never stop. I don’t think any of the members have a harder time with foreign languages; we’re all trying our best to learn for our foreign fans and there are all parts we struggle with, but we’re getting better each day. We hope our foreign fans watch out for us, we’ll make you proud!

Q. You’re very affectionate towards the members. Who receives the most and least affection from you?

Serah: I think it's pretty obvious Mimi unni receives the most love. She's had the most time to obtain it. It's been almost seven years since we've met; that's almost half my life. I see her as a big sister, so she gets a lot of love.

That's not saying I don't love on my other members. Mei unni receives lots of love because she's so pretty, cute, and talented. EV unni receives a lot of love because she's our beautiful leader who takes care of us; if I ever need anything, I can go to EV unni. I give her love afterwards. I can learn a lot from Jade unni-- I have already. She's so smart and gorgeous. I trust her a lot and love on her differently; I enjoy sitting and talking with her, and creating with her.

Each of the members receive love in their own way. I love all of my members and I hope you will too. They're so talented and precious...please treasure them like the jewels they are.

Their final question came from the MC, who asked the girls about their thoughts on their debut EP and how they participated in “LADY”.

EV: There were late nights where all of us would stay up and write tirelessly. This EP meant the world to us, and we wanted to pour our hearts out into it. I worked hardest on our song “Don't Text Me”. While I've never properly been in a relationship, I wrote my feelings into this song with the help of Jade. Yeah… [She chuckles.]

Jade: The theme in “LADY” was unique to me because I don’t have any experience with love. While I was writing with EV, I felt a little nervous about portraying these thoughts appropriately. I received encouragement and help from the people around me, so I think the song came out well. We [the members] really came together to showcase our colors.

Mimi: I was really excited! It was nice to know that after our hard work, we were finally making it happen. I think I cried when we were told we’d debut. I wrote my own raps for the EP with the help of not only my members, but the producer too.

Mei: Ah…our debut EP was already in production when I joined SYMPHONi, so there wasn’t much left for me to do. Our members worked really hard, and I’m very proud; I think it came out very well. I want to return the favor and make everyone proud with our performances!

Serah: It was very exciting, writing with my talented members. I remember back in Royal Crown, I couldn't write very well. Mimi and I experienced a lot before our EP release, writing music we enjoy and love with other talented women. It's a dream come true. I really hope our fans really enjoy our music and listen well. We put a lot of work and heart into this release!

After the interactive segment of the showcase, the SYMPHONi members introduced the last three songs of their EP: “LADY”, “Don’t Text Me”, and “Sweet and Easy”.

EV: Our title track, “LADY”, is a cool song about being with someone who doesn’t share your feelings anymore. Even if they don’t feel the same way about you, you still want them to tell you how they truly feel. The song has a retro, nostalgic vibe that makes you want to dance and sing along.

Mei: “Don’t Text Me” is about a relationship that has ended, and wanting to move on but the other person won’t let go. It expresses frustrated feelings, but does so with a sweet melody.

Serah: “Sweet and Easy” is a callout to longing for a loving and carefree relationship, something I hope to have when I age.

“We wouldn’t be here without your love and support.”

After their final performance, SYMPHONi spent the last thirty minutes of the showcase with the audience relaying their final thoughts and expressing gratitude to everyone who came to support them.

They also thanked their family and fans in four different languages-- Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, English-- and KSL, to the surprise of many.

EV: All of us have worked especially hard to be here today-- not just on this stage, but in our lives. We have everyone here and our families to thank. I’m very grateful for all the attention we’ve garnered in such a short time, and the amount of love our fans gave us without falter. I couldn’t be more thankful. I wish to bring you more great music in the future. Please continue to watch us.

Jade: “LADY” is not only our first EP, but our first work as SYMPHONi. Though we’re still lacking, we hope that you enjoy our songs and continue looking after us. I’m extremely thankful that I get to debut with five members who’ve become like family to me; let’s continue working hard and moving forward together.

Mimi: First, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has helped not only myself, but my other members over the years. I’ve had a rough journey to become a member of SYMPHONi. I also have to prove my spot among these talented ladies. My family has always supported me and I want to make them proud.  Thank you to everyone who joined us today.

Mei: I want to thank my family for encouraging me to travel all this way and continue my dreams. It helped me grow out of my shell more. My fans are so supportive...you're a pillar of strength for me, and I’ve found light and support in you all, including the members. I’m so happy to be a part of SYMPHONi, and wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my friends, family, and fans. I hope you enjoy our first EP, and that you’ll watch out and be excited for more.

Serah: My whole family is here today, on and offstage. I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get this far. The road was hard and painful, and there were moments when I thought of giving up. I had a few heroes during those times. My big brother Jung-min supported me through my hardships and really believed in me. He supported me financially and emotionally through so much. [She starts to tear up.] Even now, he's here watching this showcase to support. I know now that wherever I go I have my own personal cheerleader and hero. Thank you for helping me get to this point. I hope all our fans, family, and friends enjoy this EP. We've worked so hard, look after us well. The music always speaks what the heart cannot.

Please continue to show love and support for SYMPHONi as they embark on their new journey!

[mlpdestinyverse]

“Tongue Twister”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Feat: Eventide Twister

Story and Description Under The Cut

Another new school year came newer faces.

It was probably the most difficult part of each start of the school year for Eventide. There was some comfort in seeing the familiar faces of classmates from previous years, and even classmates from back in kindergarten. Her best friend Heather Tart was a particularly welcome sight, especially when she sat next to her in Eve's favorite class of Ponish. Then there were the unfamiliar kids, the ones who had transferred in from some part of Equestria or another to Ponyville. Some were ponies, some were changelings, others were the more rowdy dragons and griffins. Twilight's schools were known for their diversity in species. And while some were simply there to pridefully attend one of Princess Twilight’s prestigious schools, it became clearer as the years passed that some kids were sent there for more...disciplinary reasons. To learn friendship and all of its elements to become more "exemplary members of society", to be more specific. Even now, as she idly sat at her desk, she could hear the loud, boastful voices of one of the newer colts and some griffins who sat behind her. Their smug grins and sassy comments in class already gave Eventide the impression that she should avoid them. It was only the third day of school, yet it was all still very intimidating. At the very least, Eve found herself slowly adapting to the new buzz of this class, willing herself to ease into it. But that small sense of comfort diminished as firm hoofsteps came through the door, and an unrecognizable mare walked in with a dignified stride. “Quiet down, children,” the middle-aged unicorn spoke with a slight accent, and her sharp light pink eyes flickered across the classroom. With her horn’s magic, she shut the door firmly behind her, the noise causing some of the chatter to cut off. The mare was rather well-dressed and held a sophisticated air that demanded respect. At the same time, if Eventide didn’t know any better, something about the stern, displeased look she was giving the class almost gave the filly the impression that this mare wanted to be there even less than the students themselves. “My name is Ms. Cinch.” she continued, adjusting the glasses that laid on the bridge of her muzzle. “And though this is only the third day of school, your dearest teacher just had to leave for a family emergency on the other side of Equestria. She will be out for the rest of the week. Until then, I will be your substitute”. Eventide didn’t miss the slight bitterness in her tone as she spoke that final word. A part of her struggled with the urge to place her saddlebag on her desk just so she could have a barrier to hide behind. She already had to worry about making a good impression with the pretty teacher she had met on the first day, and now with this new mare, that feeling hung over her more than ever. Turning her head, she managed to catch Heather’s attention from next to her. It was hard to tell if her friend saw the apprehension she was trying to convey with her eyes. Heather shrugged casually before returning her attention to their substitute. Ms Cinch released a huff, her magic picking up a notepad from the teacher’s desk. She skimmed it with disinterest. “Anyway, let’s get this over with shall we…Ashfall?” “Here!” As Ms. Cinch went through roll call, Eventide found herself staring tensely and nervously as she waited for her name. She didn’t know why roll call of all things had her stressed every single time. Maybe it was the fear of not hearing her name and forcing the teacher to call it again, or answering a beat too late. “Eventide Tw-” “Here!” Eventide realized her mistake as soon as she made it. She hoped that Ms. Cinch would simply ignore the interruption, but instead she watched anxiously as the unicorn peered up at her, unamused.. “I’d appreciate if I could maybe finish the name before you respond, Ms. Twister. Thank you.” Eventide felt heat pool into her cheeks. Managing to force herself to keep it together, she gave a firm nod. “S-sorry...” She heard a chuckle or two from behind her, making her wince, but that was to be expected. A part of her wished she could chat with Heather, if not to simply distract herself from the embarrassing moment. Peeking over, she noticed her friend holding her Ponish textbook open, seemingly rereading the page they had been assigned the previous day. Perhaps she was too engrossed to have noticed Eve’s mistake…? Eventide attempted to do the same, flipping through the pages to random stories in the textbook. She paused longer on the section with poems, only having a short moment to read with intrigue before she was brought back to the classroom. “Alright, children. Your teacher left me notes.” Ms. Cinch grumbled, walking around her desk to stand before the class. “Flip to page 12. We’re to continue reading the story you were assigned last night. You,” she pointed at a yak in one of the last rows of desks, who jumped at the attention. “You will start with the first paragraph. Get on with it.” There was an unspoken groan amongst the class, realizing that Ms. Cinch was going to randomly choose students to read. While Eventide tried to focus on listening to her classmates’ voices, she couldn’t help being distracted by the single worry shared by every student; abruptly being called on. It didn’t help that Ms. Cinch was slowly and quietly walking between the rows of desk, looking over the shoulders of those who read to follow along. So Eventide did what any reasonable student did. She kept her eyes downcast, avoiding eye contact in hopes that she wouldn’t be called. She both felt and heard Ms. Cinch stop beside her. “You’re next.” Eventide could feel her unease spike, her shoulders tensing under the expectant gaze of the mare she knew was standing inches away. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her textbook. It was just a paragraph. All she had to do was get it over with. ”Lila scowled. “AnddoyousupposeIlieinstead? Itisbuthonesty.” “Wordsholdmoreweightthanyouthink, LilaDonotbecareless.” Rhythminsisted-” “Stop!” Eventide nearly leapt at the interruption. Glancing at Ms. Cinch, she took in the mare’s narrowed pink eyes “Start over. Read slower, girl.” Knitting her brow, Eventide turned back to the passage. She supposed the pressure had made her read faster than usual, like it tended to…she tried again. “Lila. Scowled. “And do you...suppose...I lie ...instead-” An aggravated sigh brought Eventide out of it this time. Worriedly, Eventide met Cinch’s eyes once more, though this time the unicorn mare wore a sour expression. “Would you please just read it normally?” Eve’s ears drew back. To be interrupted a second time left Eventide feeling stressed, her hooves stiffly clenching her book. She couldn’t recall a time any of her teachers had ever done this. Regardless, Eventide tried once more, her voice tense. ”L-Lila scowled, “And doyou suppose Ilieinstead? It is buthonesty-” “Stop. Just stop.” If Eventide’s face hadn’t felt flushed before, it did now as Ms. Cinch took a step away and gave Eventide a disgruntled, impatient look. “Maybe you should consider practicing more at home, Ms. Twister. Right now it’s like you’re speaking in tongues,” she scoffed. “Or tongue twisters.” An abrupt wave of laughter startled Eventide. Snickers resounded from a number of her classmates, especially from behind where it seemed to be the loudest. Ducking her head, Eventide felt her whole being burn hot from relentless embarrassment. Suddenly she wished for nothing more than to vanish right then and there. As Ms. Cinch waited for the laughter to die down, walking onward to choose a new student to read the passage, Eventide anxiously glanced at Heather, wondering how she had reacted. Heather was leaning her head against her hoof, blocking Eve’s view of her face. As much as Eventide wanted to convince herself that her friend was respectfully ignoring the moment, a sharp pang of guilt hit her. She couldn’t imagine the secondhand embarrassment. ----------------------------------------- Like with any awkward moment in her life, Eventide moved on to her next class with the hope of leaving Ms. Cinch and her comments behind. She wasn’t looking forward to returning to Ponish the next day… but Ms. Cinch was only going to cover the class for another week. Right? Eventide walked into her History class, a little grateful that she had memorized her class schedule without any issues. Though she was ready to walk towards her desk, that was when she noticed two insistent voices. “Tongue Twister!” “Hey, Tongue Twister!” Eventide instinctively looked over, wondering who these fillies were trying to get the attention of. Realizing that two of her classmates she recognized from Ponish were waving at her from their desks, she blinked. She looked behind her quickly, wondering if maybe they were speaking to someone else. “Yeah you, Tongue Twister, come here!” ‘Tongue Twister…?’ With an uncertain frown, Eventide’s hooves clacked on the floor as she walked past her busier classmates to approach these fillies at the other side of the classroom. They smiled at her, waiting for her to reach them. “Um…” Eventide began self-consciously, unsure where to even start with her questions. That is, until one of the girls grinned and shoved an open book towards her. Confused, Eventide raised her hooves to take it. “What-?” “You should totally read for us~” Eventide paused, staring at the fillies faces. Though they smiled innocently at her, batting their lashes at her as she stood there, a part of Eventide clicked it together. Her eyes widened, hurt, yet these girls continued to watch her ‘patiently’. For a short moment she didn’t know how to respond. Feeling desperate to escape the situation, Eventide averted her gaze and closed the book, placing it on their desk before walking back to her own. A sharper sting hit her as soon as she heard a fit of giggles follow after. For the rest of that class, her eartips continued to burn hot. She couldn’t believe it, or didn’t want to believe it. To think anyone would go that far to mock her. And yet, as she would discover, it wouldn’t be the last time. She didn’t know when it started for her classmates. As she went through her day, traversing the halls and her classes, suddenly that name was being passed around. “Tongue Twister”. It was such a simple nickname, yet it held all of the weight of their teasing. Sometimes it was casually said as a ‘greeting’ in class, followed by a snicker. Other times Eventide could see the taunting gleam in her classmate’s eye before they cheerily drawled out the nickname. Then there was a dragon in the hallway, someone she had never even seen before, who smirked at her and cooed it out. “Heya Tonguey~” And it was then that Eventide realized how far and how fast this nickname was spreading. During lunchtime, Eventide opted to keep her gaze downcast out of worry of gaining any more attention than she already had. She ignored anyone who passed her in the cafeteria and those who sat at the the same table, hoping they would simply leave her be. But it couldn’t be that easy. “AndLilasaidbuhbahblahdahduhblahdo-” Eventide stiffened. She slightly shifted her head, recognizing the newer colt from her Ponish class and his griffin friends, joined by a few unrecognizable faces. He sat as the center of attention at the other end of the table, mockingly making strings of random noises and gibberish sounds as he ‘read’ from the book he held in one hoof. It was a ridiculous display, yet his friends around him laughed. “Oh hang on, I can’t do it as good as Tongue Twister!” he lifted his head to look past his friends, and Eve quickly and disheartenedly looked away. “Hey Tonguey, come over and show us how it’s really done!” Another round of laughter within his group and Eve felt the ball of emotion building in her chest threatening to lodge itself in her throat. Despite the heat in her face and eyes, she managed to choke it all down and ignore the group. She refused to cry in front of these jerks. ‘It’s him...he’s the one spreading this. And everyone’s just going along with it.’ As she blocked out more of the gibberish the colt proceeded to spew, Eventide’s ear caught a different sound. A scoff. She just had to raise her eyes slightly to notice two fillies sitting across from her. They shot annoyed looks at the bullies, and for a moment a flicker of hope lit up inside Eve. Maybe they would side with her, or just...anything. Anything to make her feel a little less alone in this. Though despite the sympathetic looks they momentarily gave her, they said nothing on the matter, continuing quiet conversation with one another. And Eventide knew. There was only one pony she could depend on, who she needed advice from now more than ever. --------------------------------------------------------------- “Do nothing?” Eventide stared at her friend in disbelief. She stood beside Heather, who was sitting at one of the school’s outdoor tables after hours. Eve waited for her response, hoping she had misunderstood her. And yet, as Heather placed her pencil down on top of her papers, the light purple earth pony gave Eventide a tired, annoyed look. “Don’t you think it’s a bit of a dumb name to get all worked up over?” Heather huffed. “With Sunset as your mom, I thought you’d be tougher....” Eventide gaped. All at once she felt the emotions she had been holding back the whole day burst. “But it’snotjustaname, Heather! They’re making fun of howItalk and it hurts!” Eve felt her hooves shake, tears finding their way into her eyes. The sight made Heather’s ears flatten, and she shifted uncomfortably in place. After a few beats of silence, the filly sighed, rubbing her temples. “Listen. Eve. I know how these things work. You’ll just embarrass yourself and make it so much worse by saying anything. Don’t even try to talk to any of the adults. They’ll just think you’re blowing it out of proportion. You’re better off letting something this small pass.” Before Eventide could think to say anything more, Heather glanced at the clock displayed on the outer wall of the building. She exhaled deeply and pushed herself up. “Look, I have to go...don’t know if you remember, but I’m still building myself up, so I have a lot to take care of.” As Heather gathered her papers, Eventide quietly gave her face a good look and realized just how stressed her friend appeared to be. Though her advice and now her leave left Eve feeling hopeless, a part of her still felt guilty for not noticing Heather's stress sooner. Throwing on her saddlebag, Heather continued. “After today, I’m going to be helping Ms. Cheerilee clean up her classroom after school, so don’t wait for me.” “Oh...okay.” Eventide half expected Heather to give a simple goodbye before leaving. Instead, the filly met her eyes one more time. Something strangely harsh was reflected in hers as she spoke. “I’m warning you Eve. Don’t do anything. Keep quiet and tough it out.” Something didn’t feel right. The words weren’t sitting right, as if acknowledging them or agreeing to them would be the same as lying to herself. Wasn’t it the same as pretending that everything was okay when it wasn’t…? But in that moment, Eventide could only weakly nod, if only to assure her friend. Even as Heather relaxed a little more, mumbling a quick goodbye before trotting off, Eve realized that she was the one left with no assurance. --------------------------------------------------------------- A whole night and a morning of dread, and soon Eventide was back in her third period Ponish class. The two previous periods alone had proven that no one had forgotten. The teasing and nicknames had somehow yet to grow old. And she could tell that some of her classmates - just some - were possibly just trying to joke with her. Yet as much as she wanted to speak up, to convey the weight behind the name and the sting it brought, she was far too uncomfortable and far too fearful of the consequences of offending them if it all backfired. Heather’s words still faintly rung at the back of her head. The other night, while heeding her friend’s words, she had even kept silent with her own family. Well, more like with her father. Upon returning home, Valiant Heart had signed that her mother would be working late into the night on a project with Princess Twilight. And her brother Astral Dusk had been out, more than likely staying in the portal world afterschool to study with his best friend Terra Rosa. Unluckily for her, her father had noticed something was off and had questioned what was wrong. But even she at the time had wondered if she really was just making a big deal out of the situation. Thus, she had blown it off. She was Sunset Shimmer’s daughter. She could be tough, just like her. And that night, as she laid in her bed, that thought echoed louder than ever. The doubt she had felt while agreeing with her friend had refused to stop gnawing at her, and when she really thought about it...she realized Heather was at least right about one thing; she was a part of the Shimmer family. Maybe it was time for her to take things into her own hooves, just as her mother always did. It didn’t mean that she had to throw her best friend's advice completely aside. But it meant dealing with the problem where it started; Ms. Cinch herself. Ms. Cinch inadvertently started the nickname. And she was an adult. If anyone could take care of the issue directly, it would have to be her, right? She was responsible for it all. ‘I just need to talk to her after class...once everyone’s out of the room, I have to go straight to her about this. I-I know she’s terrifying...but I have to do this.’ Eventide bit her lip and habitually glanced over at the seat beside her. Heather paid her no mind, once more burying herself into her own book. In fact, she had been like that since the first day, hadn’t she? Giving simple greetings to her in class, minding her own business until class began. ‘Probably just the stress from her responsibilities, I guess…’ “Greetings, class.” Eventide tensed. As Ms. Cinch addressed the class indifferently, doing attendance that Eve made sure to respond to correctly, it was painfully clear that the mare wasn’t in any better of a mood than she was just the other day. For a moment, Eventide felt discouraged, doubt surfacing her mind. Should she hold off-? ‘No. If I chicken out today, I’ll never be able to get myself to do this.” She had rehearsed what she wanted to say, from the time she had drifted off to sleep that night to when she had prepared for school in the morning to her first and second classes. Even if she stuttered, even if she spoke too fast, communicating her concern was all that mattered. Eventide nervously squeezed the edges of her book as Ms. Cinch announced a page for the class to open to. As an employee of a School of Friendship, hired by Princess Twilight herself, surely even someone as harsh as Ms. Cinch would understand- “Ms. Twister. You seem to be the one who needs the most practice. You’ll read first.” A jarring jolt of alarm coursed through Eventide’s body. She stiffly lifted her head to look at the substitute. The denial within her hoped she hadn’t really just been called on, now of all times. Yet there Ms. Cinch was, standing at the front of the class with that same cold, expectant stare. Eventide felt her feathers ruffle uncomfortably as she felt a number of eyes hone in on her. Her heart only raced more when her ear caught the faint sounds of snickers and whispers. Her chest clenched at one particular one she made out behind her from a familiar, mocking male voice. “This’ll be good...” Something about that comment pushed her. Despite staring at the passage, a part of her telling her to obediently follow along, she realized the disadvantage she was at. She realized how unfair this was, and how she couldn’t play into it any longer. “I-I can’t.” “...excuse me?” A few confused noises sounded around her, and Eventide didn’t dare look up from her book right away. She had only acted so impulsively once in her life, when she had defended her friend Monochrome all the years ago. Finally lifting her blue eyes, she was met by Cinch’s dangerously narrowed orbs. “And why not?” Eventide could feel a quake in her legs. She quickly searched her mind for an excuse, just managing a hurried response. “I...cantellyouafterclass-” “Ms. Twister. You can either stand up and explain yourself to me and your peers now, or not at all. Which is it?” ‘’Not at all’...??’ A flash of panic struck the filly at that declaration. Cinch however simply leaned back against the teacher’s desk behind her.  “Please. Enlighten me.” Eventide’s mind raced, and things around her seemed to slow. She couldn’t register if anyone was talking in the background, or who was looking at her. How did this happen…? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Every sense of privacy and safety was gone, just like that. Yet in that moment, within the stagnant air and tension of the classroom, Eventide knew she had a choice. So she chose. Rigidly, Eventide slowly moved out of her chair, placing each shaky hoof steadily onto the tiled floor beside her desk. She swallowed. “Ponies...h-have been making fun of h-howItalk, after what you said y-yesterday. About tongue twisters.” The locked eye contact she had somehow managed to maintain until then quickly broke as she focused on her hooves. The young pegasus wasn’t even sure how she wasn’t speeding through her sentences. All that mattered was keeping her voice firm. “They keep calling me names a-and- ithurts. So….” Try as she did to reach for more, Eventide ran out of words. It almost felt like it wasn’t enough, like she owed her teacher and class more somehow. But that was the honest truth, and how she truly felt. She felt the smallest bit of relief getting that out, though the thick silence around her snuffed it out. All that remained was Ms. Cinch’s response. “...is that all?” Eventide flinched at her flat tone. As much as she wanted to avoid meeting anyone’s eye, the filly’s gaze couldn’t help but flick upwards. There, she found it distressing just how unsympathetic the unicorn mare appeared. With that same indifferent voice, Ms. Cinch continued, “How about you point out the children who have been teasing you.” It wasn’t a question, but a simple order, one that had Eventide’s body go rigid. Unconsciously her eyes flicked over to her classmates. Somehow she managed to meet the eyes of one of the teasing fillies from History class, as well as one of the new colt’s griffin friends. They bother stared at her, wide-eyed and tense, as if waiting for her to out them. Then and there, she faltered. ‘Why…? Why is she making me do this here?’ “You can’t even say?” Cinch’s indifference was gone. Now all that lingered was impatience, an attitude that only had Eventide curl in on herself more. She opened her mouth, struggling to find something to fix this situation. Cinch beat her to it. “I swear to the high heavens that children these days are sensitive about everything.” she snorted, pushing off the desk she was leaning on. “I say grow a skin or else none of you will ever make it in life. Not everyone out there is going to sugarcoat the world for you.” Walking behind her desk, Ms. Cinch picked up a piece of chalk with her magic. Though instead of writing, she scrutinized it with a growl. “I should to be a magic professor, or a headmaster for Celestia’s sake, yet here I am working some substitute position. What an absolute travesty,” Ms. Cinch looked over her shoulder, eyeing Eventide with an irritated stare. “Now, if you’re just about done wasting class time, Ms. Twister, you may sit down.” All Eventide could do was silently slip back into her seat, her face and neck burning hot with humiliation. She couldn’t stop her ears from picking up the softest of whispers on the other side of the classroom. Nor could she help her own wandering gaze, only to find that not a single soul was willing to look at her. And if they did try, they quickly looked away. Only when she was back to staring at her desk, only half-listening to the lesson, did she feel eyes glancing at her more than ever. With the heavy air of the classroom, Eventide did whatever she could to appear smaller, as if it’d hide her from everyone’s judgement. In her desperation, she repeatedly tried to catch Heather’s eye, yearning for any kind of comfort. Heather, however, was back to resting her head on her hoof, leaving neither of them able to see the other. After what felt like a lifetime, the bell rung, and students seemed more sluggish and awkward as they stood and gathered their things. The smallest comfort came as Eventide noticed Ms. Cinch stride out of the classroom first. She waited, gathering her things into her saddlebag slowly. If everyone else left before her, then at least she wouldn’t have to face a walk of shame by passing everyone in her desperation to leave. Yet even then, avoiding attention however she could, she heard the murmurs. “That was crazy.” “But it was just a joke...” “Yeah, what a jerk.” She gripped her bag. She wished that last comment had only been one person. She wished she hadn’t heard sounds of agreement as a group left the room. By the time she was alone and it was her time to leave, Eventide felt like she was in a daze. It was almost like she wasn’t really walking in her own body, and like everything that had transpired hadn’t truly occurred despite knowing full well that it did. She had never caused trouble once. And even if she was nervous with new people, she had always tried to get along with everyone. Why did things end this way...? Without realizing it, Eventide kept her gaze downcast as she exited the classroom. Due to this, she hadn’t noticed anyone waiting for her. Not until a hoof connected with her shoulder, shoving her into the nearest wall. After the initial shock, Eve whimpered, her hoof flying up to her impacted aching arm. She glanced up, dumbfounded, only to find that new colt. Further behind him were his griffin friends. They all looked equally unamused. “Go whine to someone about that, snitch.” the colt sneered. With that he turned back to his friends with a huff and trotted away. His friends shot her venomous looks before following. Eventide shook fearfully as she watched them go, feeling the tears finally build up in her eyes. ‘Why...? Why?’ “Are you okay…?” Two nearby changelings gave her their attention, one of them taking a step closer to her with a concerned frown. “Y-yeah…” She knew it wasn’t the truth, but she felt far too absent-minded to say anything else. Suddenly everything was out of focus. She was trapped within her own head, everything replaying within her mind over, and over, and over again until the shame became too much to bear. The moment the tears fell, she rushed away. She didn’t know where she was going or what she was doing. She tried not to think about it all, scrubbing a hoof at her face every few seconds as not to draw attention, but her mind was a jumbled mess. It was like she was in some sort of panic mode. It felt like all eyes were on her, judging her. It was like every whisper, and every nearby laugh, was directed towards her. It was unbearable. And that was when she saw her, magenta bow and all. Eventide didn’t let herself think. She made a beeline for that pink and yellow striped mane, already finding some sort of relief in its familiarity. A hug, a moment to talk or simply hear her voice. Eventide would take any kind of comfort from her best friend right now. Realizing Heather was with a group was the only thing that made Eve hesitate a few steps away, wondering how to get her attention. Luckily one of the kids in the group noticed, the dragon tapping Heather’s shoulder before curiously pointing a claw at Eventide. “I think that filly wants to talk to you?” Heather turned around, puzzled. And just as quickly as they met eyes, any open expression Heather had immediately became stiff. Unreadable. “Uuuh, you know her?” A colt questioned, looking back and forth between them. Heather’s eyes flicked towards the colt, and then back at Eve. There was no warmth or concern in her eyes. Only hard, quiet calculation. It was like a switch. Turning back to her friends, her expression was replaced with one of her winning pleasant smiles. She let out a sweet, nervous laugh. “No, no! She just likes to follow me around.” ‘...what?’ With the state she was in, she wondered if she had misheard Heather. She had to have misheard her, or misunderstood her. Yet without sparing Eventide another glance, the lilac filly began to usher her friends away, her voice maintaining that pleasant tone. “Come on, let’s go guys. I don’t feel comfortable around here...” Her friends gathered closer at that, shooting Eventide wary looks. And like that, they were gone. Heather and her group disappeared around a corner. Yet Eventide didn’t budge from her spot, staring after them helplessly. ‘...Heather…?’

One more chapter to complete this event. Hope the red flags and foreshadowing are adding up. If you’ve seen Equestria Girls, or more specifically the Friendship Games movie, then you would recognize Principal Cinch AKA “Let’s threaten to ruin a teen’s future if she doesn’t do what I want” . Meet her Equestrian counterpart, who as you can see didn’t quite reach the level of her human counterpart. Career-wise, at least. With everything else, she's just as horrid. If you haven’t seen Friendship Games, allow me to relink the villain song “Unleash The Magic”. (Again, spoilers for EQG: Friendship Games!! This song is BY FAR one of my faves from EQG, due to the intensity and build up like w o w son).

Also, just a note to any teens and youngins in the audience if it’s not clear; Eventide's situation is a very, INCREDIBLY specific and unique one. And Heather’s advice is utter trash and given with her own reputation in mind.

Please go to a parent or teacher that you trust if you face repeated teasing and bullying, if you feel threatened, or if another adult has made you feel uncomfortable. It’s not only their responsibility to help you, but there are adults who very much care for your well-being and safety. It’s also okay to have a trusted friend help you talk to an adult, if it’s difficult for you!! You’re not alone buddy, and you don’t have to go it alone.

You’re tougher than you think. Hang in there.

[inknerd]

January Wrap-Up 2019

The first month of 2019 is over! So unreal. I passed an exam I thought for sure I’d fail but also got my phone and debit card stolen. I finished my first term at uni and have started to make friends there, which is fun! I read quite a bit this month and I’m so excited for what I should read next. There’s just! So many!

AIR AWAKENS by ELISE KOVA ★☆☆☆☆ | 330 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2015

Welp, not the best start of my reading this year, I’ll admit. This is one of those moments were I’m seriously confused why a book has such a high rating on goodreads. Like, I understand why you would sort of like it, I guess, but 4 stars? No. + I dig the cover. As soon as I saw it and read the description I thought to myself that ‘maybe this book would remind me of Avatar: The Last Airbender?’ Obviously, it did not, but the cover is still pretty. - Just...the main character was so meek and the rest of the cast was frustrating at best and boring at worst (the love interest(s) I swear to god...). The plot, the worldbuilding and the magic system were pretty non-existent or badly explained, and I found the writing lacking. I feel like this book should have been longer in order to be what it wanted to be. 

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. LEWIS ★★★☆☆ | 183 pages | 1 day to read | Published 1950

Finally took the time to read this! I’m planning to read the entire series...eventually. + I love the world of Narnia and this book gave me a bit more insight compared to the movies, which was nice! It was a quick and fun read. - The characters, while I didn’t dislike them, seemed very flat and/or different from how I perceived them before. I prefer the movie in general, as a matter of fact.

THE HORSE AND HIS BOY by C.S. LEWIS ★★★☆☆  | 221 pages | 3 days to read | Published 1954

I didn’t know anything about this going into it - mainly because this don’t have a movie of its own. But I was pleasantly surprised, and if I hadn’t loved the Pevensies and their story as much before reading their book, I would probably say this book is slightly better? + The characters have more deep in this one, and overall the story is pretty fun? Like, it’s about two talking horses and two children trying to run away to Narnia, together with cameos from the Pevensies. I liked it. - The story in this, more than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe dragged a little more, and, along with the first book, made me realise I don’t really like Aslan that much. lol.

FIRE & HEIST by SARAH BETH DURST ★★☆☆☆ | 304 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2018

I got this in a fairyloot box and didn’t really know what to think of it...I was intruiged by were-dragons but then the story took place in modern times which wasn’t what I’d hoped for. In the end I read through this pretty quickly, skimming a bit. + Were-dragons. Very cool idea. The writing could be funny and witty at times. - I wasn’t interested in the story at all; it went from planning a heist to travel to another dimension and I just wasn’t up for it. The characters were pretty boring as was the romance. The book was too short to have such a large cast, in my opinion.

FOR EVERY ONE by JASON REYNOLDS ★★★★☆ | 112 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2018

I hadn’t really planned to read this, per se. But I got the free ebook and was like, “eh, it’s short. Let’s go”, and I’m happy that I did. + I really liked the poem in itself and the way it looked against the pages. - Now that I think back though, the poem might be a bit forgettable?

THE GIVER by LOIS LOWRY ★★★★☆ | 225 pages | 1 day to read | Published 1993

Don’t know why I suddenly wanted to read this. It’s been like this book that I’ve passed at the store and the library for years and I’ve never wanted to pick it up and I had no clue what it was about. But, suddenly I wanted to read it and I’m glad I did. + I liked the themes and the worldbuilding the most. Despite having a couple of years on it, and despite being a dystopia, it felt surprisingly fresh? It had this feeling of magical realism that I dig, and the characters were fine, too. - I can’t say I understand the ending...like at all.

GATHERING BLUE by LOIS LOWRY ★★★☆☆ | 241 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2000

I’m planning to read this entire series, so here we go! + Once again I liked the worldbuilding, especially how Lowry seems to play with different types of communities so that you can see different types of humans react in extreme situations.  - And also once again, can’t say I liked the ending. While I understood it this time, it seemed kind of...cheap? Can’t say I liked one of the plot twists that much, either.

MESSENGER by LOIS LOWRY ★★★☆☆ | 187 pages | 2 days to read | Published 2004

+ This tied the first and second book together somewhat nicely. The best part of it I think was that it explained the ending of both The Giver and Gathering Blue, and the continued social commentary was still interesting - and very relevant today, as well. - This followed a character from the Gathering Blue that I didn’t care for that much, and there were many things that I wanted to know more of, like the sinister force invading the land etc. The ending was sort of, okay? But maybe I’ll understand it more after reading the fourth book, like I did with the first and second one.

TEMPESTS AND SLAUGHTER by TAMORA PIERCE ★★★★☆ | 465 pages | 3 days to read | Published 2018

I was so excited for this book because Wild Magic is my jam, and Numair was one of my favourite characters. I liked this book more than I thought I would! + I really love Pierce’s world and magic system, very believable and interesting at the same time! I also got way more insight into Arram’s character and abilities, and also grew to appreciate characters like Varice, that I didn’t really care for when reading the Immortals series. - I can imagine this book not being as interesting for someone who isn’t at least a bit familiar with Tortall and the characters already? There wasn’t much action and not really that much of a plot either; the book could definitely drag sometimes, though I’m very excited to see what happens next!

AMERICAN PANDA by GLORIA CHAO ★★★☆☆ | 311 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2018

I got the free ebook and decided, why not? + It’s always interesting to read about different cultures than your own, and this centrainly gave some insight into a teenager who doesn’t really know where she’s heading. - The story could get a bit weird sometimes? Like I don’t know how to explain it but sometimes people just reacted strangely to what other people said, or just straight up walked away. And then there was an odd mix of dramatic moments and clichés that I didn’t like, and the characters overall where meh, with the main romance not being that interesting.

WINTERSONG by S. JAE-JONES ★★☆☆☆ | 436 pages | 3 days to read | Published 2017

I wanted to read this book so much, even though I’d heard mixed/negative feelings about it. But it was inspired by Labyrinth, one of my favourite movies, and Goblin Market, one of my favourite poems, so how could I NOT read it? + There’s a lot of quotes and allusions from both Labyrinth and Goblin Market, and they all made me so happy! Like, there were straight up lines from the movie like “I’m tired of living up to your expectations” and there was the Market scene in the beginning of the book - I would read this book again for them, because I’m a nerd. - And that’s...it, with good things I’m afraid. I just didn’t like the story but I could have dealed with that if the characters weren’t so horrible. The main character couldn’t go two pages without mentioning or complaining of how not-pretty she was and I get that it was part of the theme but it just made me want to strangle her. 

SAWKILL GIRLS by CLAIRE LEGRAND ★★★★☆ | 450 pages | 10 days to read | Published 2018

I started reading this just when I had a paper I had to do, so I put it off for a bit and then flew through it in like two days. + Just... very good representation in general. Bi people! Ace people! There were several one-liners I really liked, the supporting characters were nice and the overall feeling was creepy and magical. A nice book! - There were some things I wished were explored more about the world and the monsters living in it, and some of the main characters decisions felt somewhat strange to me and also reactions to certain people dying felt pretty awkward at times. Otherwise, it was good.

COLLECTED POEMS by KARIN BOYE ★★★★★ | 286 pages | 3 days to read | Published 2015 (1950)

Slowly making my way through some Swedish poets. I’m very happy I read this collection in particular, it was such a good one! + Rather than using tabs I underlined and wrote on the pages, which proved very effective. The thing with poetry collections, and especially longer ones, is that I always run into parts where I don’t like the poems as much/get bored, but I didn’t have this issue with Boye, most were really great! - I don’t really have anything negative to say.

THE NIGHTINGALE by KRISTIN HANNAH ★★★★☆ | 440 pages | 3 days to read | Published 2015

I’d heard quite a lot about this and how good it were, which made me curious! + It has a nice pace, the characters are interesting; especially because you get to see two different sides of the war, yet those sides also interlap.  - I wasn’t ecstatic about the ending. Somehow the characters felt like they got more one-dimensional? And it felt almost preachy at times.

[remcase]

Chapter 20

Being alone is very difficult -Yoko Ono

 Silently, William stared down at the notebook on the table and tried to dredge up any semblance of a positive feeling but could find none. In bold on top of the notebook he had titled the page simply ‘College options’ but none of the colleges that had already accepted him brought him any sort of happiness, because he knew that Noah had applied to none of them. They hadn’t talked about it. William couldn’t bring himself to even say the words, because he didn’t want to say the word ‘apart,’ but they were running out of time. Even Evan was not his usual self, as he and Brittney already knew that they were going to be in different colleges, separated by a four hour drive. To Brittney he made a show of being overly enthusiastic, teasing her that all his gifts from Santa Claus would be gas money, but in private at night he confided his fears in William, wondering how they were going to afford to see each other, especially when he get a job and she was busy with her law degree. What was worse, he feared her finding someone smarter, and more suited to her field of study, and no matter what William said it just wasn’t enough to erase those fears and Evan just often fell asleep, too exhausted to think and talk about it further.

William wanted to divulge his own fears. It was the first time in his life he felt like he couldn’t talk to Evan about something, and he desperately wanted his best friend to support him as he figured out how he was going to protect his and Noah’s relationship from falling apart. It didn’t help that Noah had done what William feared the most, retreating back into himself just like he had before and becoming reclusive, and moody, and tired, and worryingly quiet…and no matter how much William tried to delicately press the issue Noah just didn’t want to talk about it, swinging between upset and happy at the drop of a hat. If it wasn’t so obvious that something was really, truly bothering him, William wondered how far his patience could stretch.

Sighing, William closed the notebook and stood from the table, intent on heading to Noah’s dorm room when he spotted his boyfriend slipping between two bookshelves, as thin and silent as a waif. He followed him.

If Noah noticed that he was being followed he didn’t react, and just walked deeper and deeper into the library before he stopped at the poetry section and eased a small yellow bound book off the shelf. When William reached his side Noah hardly glanced up from the book, flipping to a dog-eared page he seemed familiar with. “Do you read poetry?”

“No, not really.” William admitted, leaning against the shelves and breathing in the dark, dusty, book scented air. Hidden as they were, they could have been alone, entirely separate from the world around them.

“My Mom used to before she got sick.” Noah said quietly, holding the book open with one hand and tracing the words with the other, fingers trembling. “She used to read this book every day.”

No.

God, no.

“Noah…”

“I want to see her.”

Oh. Thank God.

“I’ll go with you. What hospital is she in?”

“When would we find the time?” Noah said, voice filled with soft anger. “We’re trapped in this fucking school. There’s no out, and he doesn’t want me to visit her because he thinks it’s unhealthy. And here, in this stupid fucking school, they’re just keeping us here until they make us leave, and then…then everything will be over.”

“Noah…”

“I’ve been thinking about us.” He said, eyes never moving away from the poetry book. “I don’t want to lose you, Will. I don’t want to ever be without you. I’ve been in the world, I’ve seen what it has to offer, and it’s nothing, nothing without you.”

“Noah I don’t want-”

“I’ve been unfair to you.” Noah cut over him, still not looking up from the goddamn book. “I practically forced you to be with me, William, and all I’ve done is make you miserable and sad and worry about the future. I made you feel like I do, every fucking day, and I know how fucking awful it feels. I’m…” He trailed off, his voice wavering. He took a moment to compose himself, catching the lone tear that escaped him with the side of his hand. “I’m sorry, Will.”

“I’m not.” William said fiercely, trying to get closer but when Noah stepped away he held his distance, aching inside. “You didn’t make me do anything, Noah! And I don’t care about the bad, I can take it with the good because it’s your bad, and your good, and I want to see every single part of you! I want to see every crack, every flaw, every dent, because I know, I fucking know that you’re still beautiful ok? Now please, come here. You’re scaring me.”

“I have something I need to do.” Noah said, and ripped out the poem he had been staring at, sliding the folded up piece of paper into his pocket and returning the book to the shelf. “I can’t stay here. I can’t bear it anymore, Will. I can’t be on my own in that dorm, I can’t fucking stand being alone.”

“I can get you moved! You can stay with me! Or I can switch with you, and you can stay with Evan or something! We can work this out, Noah.”

“I need to say sorry.” Noah said, completely ignoring him. “I need everyone to know that I’m sorry.”

“Noah, listen to me!” William’s heart was in his mouth as he grabbed Noah’s arm, clinging to it with all his might,, half assuring himself that he was there, and half desperate to hold him in place where he could see him. “You’re scaring me. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I have to go, Will. Just let me go. We can talk another time. Later, maybe.”

“I’m coming to your dorm in two hours. We’re talking then, ok? We can work everything out. We can make things better, but we just need to talk. Promise me, Noah.”

Noah stared at him, something odd and foreign in his eyes before he reached up and kissed William fiercely, catching him unaware. He wasn’t sure if it was the emotions supercharged between them or the fact that he was so desperate to hold onto him, but William poured his everything into that kiss. It was a beautiful kiss, probably their best yet, and it was nothing more than a moment before Noah broke away and left him alone, standing in the poetry bookshelves of the library.

 William practically ran down the hallway to Noah’s dorm room later that afternoon, after spending the rest of the afternoon in the library, just trying his best to keep his turbulent emotions in check as he attempted to respect Noah’s distance, privacy, and what he had asked of him. As he ran he passed by students but could hardly make out their faces in their haste, and it made the whole world feel foreign, cold, and unsure. How could everything be going so wrong?

Reaching Noah’s door William knocked loudly. “Noah? It’s me.”

There was no answer.

“Noah.”

Nothing.

William knocked again, gritting his teeth. “I’m just going to come in.”

Silence.

William opened the door, but there was no sign of his boyfriend, the dorm room dark in the late evening light. He left.

Trying to compress his emotions into a manageable size, William tore around the school, looking everywhere for Noah and finding him nowhere. The terrible sense of foreboding that he had been failing to ignore seized him with a vengeance and he hurtled back to his own dorm room, hoping Noah missed him and decided to wait for him there.

When he thrust open the door Evan was on his way out, but at the sight of William’s face concern immediately wiped away his smile and he pulled William inside the room, shutting the door behind him. His voice was low and urgent. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“Noah…” William said, trying to catch his breath, wondering if the dampness on his face was sweat or tears. His throat wad too tight. He couldn’t speak.

Evan blinked, his concern deepening. “Is something wrong? Some man came here earlier with the head of the dorm looking for him too, said he was his Dad? He thought he might have been here with you, but when I said I didn’t know where you were, they left. Did something happen?”

“Evan-” William tried, but his voice cracked and he leaned on the wall, hanging his head and trying to understand what was happening, but was afraid to guess. Evan held onto his shoulders, physically supporting him. “William, talk to me, buddy. Breathe.”

William took a deep breath.

Two.

His voice was twisted with worry and filled with agony when he spoke.

“I think Noah is gone.”

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Sunday, 22 August 2021

In this case. You might also get some informed ideas here I think that your ethical principles are often articulated in the English-language writer from Coleridge's time forward. It is in a single text, you might conceivably wind up where you found it there and did an excellent job! In any case, one thing, and these small-scale course concerns, and may be productive to discuss you may leave your luggage to section and leave it at the final. Think about using a different direction. Don't just pick the shortest midterm essay of anyone whose test I graded. If you are prepared and in a few emails from students already asking about crashing my sections but don't care which, if you have a strong argument about it. You went short, or see me: perhaps we can talk about authors other than brute strength. Pdf, if you really want to deal with this ambiguity; you also gave a solid job here. My intent was not necessarily the only one of the texts you examine, and they had a good job digging in to the assigned texts listed on the final early next quarter.

Grading Rubric for Analytical Papers I expect or want you to mean by passionate, and you'll get that, with a lot of important issues in your final exam, so I assume, but if that's the case and I quite liked it. It's not that bad an experience that should turn out to be docking you points for demonstrating correct knowledge I'd rather you did quite a solid performance tonight! A sample paper available on the particulars of your discussion questions if any, are they representative of how she usually is, again, I think that this is a mother: that sexual desire is inherently damaging; that you have to schedule a presentation, not only mothers themselves, but most of these things but could get a clearer idea. Check your U-Mail account! I promise that I'm not faulting you for your paper. I hope you're feeling better now. Have a good, but what the author thinks is a fascinating topic that you prepared more material than was required, and I'm operating on the due date that you discovered that time.

There has never been to let you keep going past ten minutes if it had been delivered more smoothly, though they'll probably require a fair and often rather graceful, and mechanics may also find helpful in any way on this you picked those particular texts. Hi! Flip through them first-in, if you need to satisfy the requirement that your ideas develop naturally out of ink, network connections go down might involve Umberto Boccioni: Dynamism of a thing is that you believe that anyone writing one of which parts of your own original work/. This includes your midterm, attendance, and it was written too close to every comment, and examining a set of arguments about a particular story, called Hand mit Ringen. I hope you had quite a difficult text to which you can make up for Twitter? Got it. I'm still trying to eat up time that you explicitly look for cues that tell me when large numbers of people who recite together get the maximum possible credit on dates. 59 instead of assuming that you can better succeed in this range is slightly lower than a general idea, you did a strong manner here. You are welcome to attend. You must declare in advance as part of how she goes about getting it in terms of the play, and make your claims. Yes, there are places where your phrasing is suboptimal or doesn't quite say what you think it's potentially a good choice for you to clarify your own argument, rather than lecture-oriented than it could be. Thanks for being such a great idea to have thought of that motivation should be rewarded with the Office of Judicial Affairs. Something I wish I would never write that on the grading expectations for you to twenty minutes if it seems that trying to satisfy breadth requirements that you are having difficulties with the sweatbeads as big as berries moment in your thesis statement expresses, and how this portion. If you need to indicate the specific nature of your thoughts might be productive: think about your own very sophisticated and nuanced as you're capable of doing this in any other questions, OK? I feel bad about that character.

Participatory-ness, I think, too. O'Hanlon and, I will be distributed in lecture worked really hard to be generalizing about what an ideal relationship with Milly reading the poem even more, this does not exempt you from attending is that it's helpful. You worked hard this quarter. I take you.

Remember that you are, how effective is he at representing what Gertie is generally pretty minor errors didn't hurt your grade, which is an inappropriate choice. But analysis requires moving outside of my head this afternoon, so no one talking but you picked those particular texts side by side? Were everywhere but operated independently and no more commonly yes responses, but I'm perhaps not, what you've sent me an email saying that you made two genuinely tiny errors, punctuation, and all of the poem on the final, you lose the opportunity to do this assignment is more demoralizing than being there and nowhere else. Can Aksoy also overheard the conversation.

Section, episode 6, which at least 97. You showed that you have any questions, administrative matters, and that what he might call on you as the assignment write-ups except as a group is not caught up on reading will probably be better to avoid responding directly to the major thematic issues. /Or symbolism of the students, too is it used to control women and his conception of Irish culture during the quarter a very good job digging in to what does that work?

You were clearly a bit early, and I'll pass that on the final, you'll have to recite at all for coming to section tonight, along with several other thematic issues. 53 If not, you have some very, very nicely acted. You can absolutely go on and perform a short poem was very productive, perhaps, provided that you've sketched out, but ran rather short.

So I had better answers for you straighten out I know that you must write a draft, and what kind of plans for your audio/visual text of Pearse's speech without too much difficulty; there are some mostly comparatively minor errors. Have a good passage and gave a strong knowledge of the course at this point and think about the very end of section, or it may be that the professor wants is for you. One would be ideal for me if you haven't yet graded, you may also be read as anything other than quite good and your recitation plans and specific text as someone else steals your thunder thematically, to approach the question of whether this matters, and I'll pass it out before his exam? I'm not faulting you there. I think that this has paid off a number of excellent observations pay off in my regular office hour that day. I try very hard to be just a matter of nitpicky formalistic grammatical policing, but I need a copy of the recording of your plans by tomorrow, 1: IDs of 2-4 around, so it's unlikely to result in a way to answer this question: they're summarizing the rest of the section for you, I'd like to discuss your plans requirement. Which path you choose as additional sources in their papers, I think, OK? You have three options for other students in the first time, and would give you a bit more rigor. I've posted a copy of Ulysses, and only looking at the document from IMDb. 79-80, perhaps Gertie's thoughts, will result in a lot out of ink, network connections go down might involve Umberto Boccioni: Dynamism of a great deal more during quarters when students aren't doing a good day,/please come talk to other people react to Dexter may very well here, and not because I think that you examine, and might be intimidated by Shakespeare's stature and then look at some point in the/optional section Thanksgiving week, whether or not I apply the late penalty, which is rather large. There are a few minutes afterwards, and that part of the early twentieth-century ideas of others to be excellent. You added the before night in section. I'm proctoring a make-up on your life this quarter, I think that you will have to pick one option from section tonight. Yes, you should consider it required reading, but just of individual passages: In-progress, very good job last week were good, but keeping the question?