#I LOVE WHEN GAMES MAKE ME HAPPY BEING HAPPY IS SO EXCELLENT AND EXTRAORDINARY

[valeriefauxnom]

Euden's Moral Confusion of Self

Let me introduce this rant/analysis (rantnalysis?) in a more humorous way: did you know that the act Euden did for the circus event never was specified? No, it never was, but I have a pretty good guess what he excels at: mental gymnastics!

Jokes aside, Euden had a very... robust set of tendencies that were not quite so healthy, and sometime in the future I'll probably go over more of 'em. First, though, I'm attempting to tackle his deceptively-poor self-image. Of course, long post ahead!

To start framing what I'm getting at, I'd like to cite the scene I used in a previous rant, wherein Euden declares his efforts to continue the path he's pursuing 'selfish.'

It's a very small footnote of his overall character, but it is consistent. He, in short, has flipped his (well-known) tendencies toward self-sacrifice and otherwise protecting other people from a 'virtue' to a 'vice'. We can see this in anything from Jurota's to Mitsuhide's stories, the latter wherein he wins her otherwise unwinnable game by framing his act of saving villagers as 'selfish' instead of 'selfless' to beat Mitsuhide's "no acting for others' sake rule" in her Uprising Game.

Taken to its logical extreme, this means that pretty much all those times Euden was being recklessly selfless or otherwise sacrificial, he himself views it as a completely selfish action. There is something to be said, in that he's not entirely incorrect: he is acting because acting that way makes him feel good/reaffirms his moral code, but past a certain point this view is...harmful.

For Euden also outright will raise a rare criticism to those being selfish to the point of endangering others. It is a 'bad' thing to be selfish in his mind, especially when it starts endangering others, and understandably so. I think largely that's a view many cultures share.

Still, it is a twisted little part of a psyche when you can frame any degree of self-sacrifice as being selfish in my view. In what probably will be another rant/analysis someday, Euden seems to have a lot of trouble with identifying himself as his own person, on his own merits, even before Nedrick entered the picture. Even in a bit of a lighthearted note, he rarely identifies himself as a prince or otherwise someone held in esteemed position very quickly, often leading to miscommunication and surprise on many people's behalf to learn that this teenager is actually lord of the land, like Elisanne experienced first when she took him as Zethia's manservant.

But I digress. The end result of that is the same: Euden seldom voices thoughts about himself as a person, but even rarer are positive ones, and this is a prime example of it. He's cultivated an self-image of mediocrity, 'nothing special', and with him flipping 'virtue' to 'vice' with his extraordinary (say, supernatural) selflessness, he can't even take some esteem in "I think I'm kind/generous/good at giving back" we might throw around in a 'introduce yourself to the class' introduction.

We can see the overall message I'm trying to get across plain in Gala Leif's story. Here's two notable highlights for my ideas:

(Oh, Luca, yes they do have 'unique personalities', and they're all their own unique messes. I love them, though, disasters that they are.)

Ahem. Here, Euden lays out plain that he views his desire for a future to be built without sacrifices and making everyone happy as selfish, himself as arrogant instead of kind, and otherwise unremarkable in any other sense.

All in all, though, this starts to paint a sad picture. What good qualities Euden does have, he flips to negative attributes instead (Selflessness=selfishness, developed sense of right/wrong/kindness=arrogance, etc) and what negative attributes he does have are kept as-is, and neutral attributes are viewed as standard for anyone and not something that should be praised (he sometimes flips 'positive' to 'neutral' attributes instead, though, sometimes attributing his selflessness to nothing special or something expected of everyone).

So...yeah. Euden doesn't hint to it often, but he's got a bit of a twisted view regarding himself, something I'm sure has no negative repercussions in any other aspect of his life...(not foreshadowing at all, no, no...) He goes beyond modesty and into self-deprecation. Even worse, he has it perfectly straight when it comes to dealing with other people. Self-sacrifice is a virtue, even if it was done out of duty or pride, etc. This mess of morality is all for him and him alone. And that's kinda messed up.

If you've stuck around this long, though, thank you! I hope I'm not spamming the tag or anything. I guess all this new access to be able to articulate my many non-fanfic thoughts on Dragalia where people will actually understand them has been too tempting of late! I'd also like to reiterate that I'm always down to discuss Dragalia (I miss it!), so if you've questions/comments/rants you want to ask about it (or Tales of the Abyss, a lot of other JRPGs I'm not listing here, or my fanfics) feel free!

#dragalia #dragalia lost #character analysis

[lowbizmisc]

I recently read the "The 10X Rule" book of Grant Cardone and absolutely loved it. This is not the only book I have read from Grant, but this is my favorite so far so I wanted to share some of my favorite sentences/expressions that I have underlined myself on the book.

I am going to organize them using bullet points since I am not writing them by importance order, but they are ordered by the number of the page starting from the beginning to the end.

Before you say, "I do not need extraordinary levels of success" or "success is not everything" or "I just want to be happy" or whatever else you may be mumbling to yourself at this very moment, understand something: in order to get to the next level of whatever you're doing, you must think and act in wildly different way than you previously have been.

Why get merely "good" at something when you know the marketplace only reward excellence?

Never reduce a target. Instead, increase actions.

Any target attacked with the right actions in the right amounts with persistance is attainable.

The more actions you take, the better your chances are of getting "lucky".

Anyone who minimizes the importance of success to your future has given up on his or her own chances of accomplishment and is spending his or her life trying to convince others to do the same.

You have to approach the notion of success the way good parents approach their duty to their children; it's an honor, an obligation and a priority.

Don't be confused by what looks like luck to you. Lucky people don't make successful people; people who completely commit themselves to success seem to get lucky in life.

There is no such thing as an "overnight success". Success always comes as a result of earlier actions - no matter how seemingly insignificant they are or how long ago they were taken.

One of the reasons why it is difficult to discuss politics or religion with people is because exchanges about both tend to suggest shortage - which then causes inevitable disputes. For example, if your political beliefs win, then my politics lose. If one party gets what it supports, then the other group must suffer.

If you are not first, you are last.

People who refuse to take responsibility generally don't do well at taking much action and subsequently don't do well in the game of success.

To get where you want to go in life, you must adopt the view that whatever is going on in your world - good, bad, or nothing - is something caused by you.

Good things do not happen to victims; bad things do - quite frequently - and all you have to do is ask them.

Nothing happens to me, it happens because of me.

Those who do nothing will insist to their friends and family that they are happy and content and that all is right with them, which only serves to confuse everyone because it is evident that they are not living up to their full potential.

If you do not create new problems then you are not taking enough actions.

The second you start hitting it big you will immediately be judged by the mediocre.

No one is going to come to your house and make your dreams come true.

Average never yields anything more than average and usually much less. Average thinking and actions will only guarantee you misery, uncertainty, and failure.

Surround yourself with exceptional thinkers and doers. Let your friends, family, and work associates know that you treat average like a terminal disease.

Never set realistic goals, you can get realistic life without settings goals for it.

Do not compete, dominate!

Most people make only enough effort for it to feel like work, whereas the most successful follow up every action with an obsession to see it through to a reward.

Show me one person who has achieved greatness without being obsessed.

I suggest that you become obsessed with the things you want; otherwise, you are going to spend a lifetime being obsessed with making up excuses as to why you didn't get the life you wanted.

There is no failure unless you quit!

The only way to increase time is to get more done in the time you have.

Criticism is not something you want to avoid; rather, it's what you must expect to come your way once you start hitting it big.

"You should enjoy life more! It's not all work, you know." These are the kinds of thing that people say to you to make themselves feel better - because your abundance highlights their deficiency.

Weak and overwhelmed individuals respond to others' success by attacking it.

The best revenge is massive success.

Excuses are never the reason for why you did or did not do something. They are just a revision of the facts that you make up in order to help yourself feel better about what happened (or didn't)

The first thing to know about excuses is that they never improve your situation. The second thing to know is which ones you use on a regular basis.

If you make success an option then it will not be an option for you -- simple.

Anything that is plentiful has very little worth.

No one values a person who not only doesn't have the information but doesn't want to know the information.

The more you win in life, the higher your potential will be and the more you will grow to love challenges.

Being a 10X-er requires thinking and acting unreasonably. Otherwise, you will end up the same way everyone else does -- forced to survive on successful people's leftovers.

Think in terms of creating money and wealth, not salaries and conservation of funds.

The unsuccessful talk about a plan for action but never quite get around to doing what they claim they're going to do - at least enough to ever get what they want. Successful people assume that their future achievements rely on investing in actions that may not pay off today but than when taken consistently and persistently over time will sooner or later bear fruit.

I would prefer a person who is able to fully commit over one who is completely educated any day. Commitment is a sign that someone is pledging him - or herself completely to a position, issue or action.

Until an action is turned into a success it is not done.

The more frequently you can do things that scare you a bit, the more others will label you as courageous - and then gravitate toward you.

Successful people invest time, energy and money in improving themselves. As a result, the don't focus on how hard the work is but rather on how rewarding the results are.

If you do not stay focused on your goals, you will spend your life achieving the objectives of other people - particularly those who are goal-oriented.

Successful people dream big and have immense goals. They are not realistic. They leave that to the masses, who fight for leftovers.

Dream big, go big, and then figure out how to go bigger than that! Read everything you can about great people and great companies' accomplishments. Surround yourself with everything you can that inspires you to think big, act big, and reach your full potential.

You can only do as well as the people around you. If everyone around you is sick, under performing, and struggling, then sooner or later, you will become afflicted like everyone else.

The most successful people I know read everything they an get their hands on. They approach a 30$ book as thought it has the potential to make them a million dollars. Unsuccessful people, on the other hand, simply worry about the cost of a book or seminar without ever giving consideration to benefits it will provide.

Getting too comfortable, too relaxed,, and too familiar causes a person to become soft and lose his or her creativity and hunger to stay out front. So be willing to be uncomfortable, and do what makes other people uncomfortable as well.

The goal has to be more valuable than the risk - or you have determined the wrong target.

People are so caught up in their own negativity and losses that they give up on creating the future they want. Others feel the need to criticize other peoples' ventures as a way to justify giving up on their own.

I am sharing here just some of the parts that I liked the most. I must say that the books as a whole is a masterpiece.

[yankpop]

Yandere Sasaeng! BTS - They have a online fan sign with you (Maknae Line)

All copyrights belong to @yankpop (aka me) so do not post/translate my works on any other platforms without my consent/knowledge.

Check more: Masterlist.

WARNINGS: Obsession; mention of future kidnapping; stalking.

AN: This is not a continuation of the previous sasaeng scenario, this one has different bts sasaeng personality and is the continuation of the hyung line of the same scenario. In this, Y/N is a kpop idol (part of a group). I created this based on some youtube videos where fans participate in a random selection to get a fan sign call (online because of the pandemic) where they have a few minutes with the idols. Some of the fans really prepare a lot for the call, preparing a script to know what they have to say and some games or something special to tell the idols. Hope you guys like it💖

-

(Hyung Line)

----

Jimin

Okay, this boy will go hysterical from bliss. You and him having a conversation together? His dream is finally becoming true and he couldn’t be happier. Will start posting and bragging on every social media about how lucky he is for going to actually meet his idol, unlike the rest of the undeserving regular fans.

Jimin will prepare a small song to show you how much he loves you and will be constantly singing it until reaching excellence. He’ll also prepare numerous photos and posters of you to put in the background of his room, so he can prove to you that you’re his ultimate bias.

Jimin wants the call to be special and for you to notice him, to notice his passionate love for you. During the call, Jimin will be a nice funny guy, appearing as his smiley excited self and will probably impress you with his singing skills, but the lyrics will leave you with an uneasy feeling during all the rest of the call. Doesn’t matter cause Jimin will be in cloud 9 after that, the interaction making him fall deeper in love with you and more determined than even in conquering your love.

V

Another super happy boy but also very dumbstruck with his luck. Will try on infinite clothes and outfits to choose the best, redecorate his background to look stunning. He’ll also write a script aiming to have a decent convo with you, making you very interesting and creative questions however but when the time comes Taehyung will feel so overwhelmed with the fact that he’s actually in front of you that he’ll forget all about the prepared script and end up shying away from it.

Probably going to have his resting bitch face during the whole call while improvising new questions for you. You’ll probably have a very awkward time with him, intimidated by his extraordinary looks and his deep voice, surprised that he’s actually a fan of yours. The longer the call goes, the more confidence he gets but eventually the event ends, leaving him a little down to not have more time with you.

Next time Taehyung is gonna try harder to be at ease with you and to charm you.

JK

Jungkook is both happy and scared. Happy cause he will get to meet you but scared cause he doesn’t want to mess it up causing you to hate him.

When preparing for the call, he’s gonna be extremely confident that he’s gonna entertain you and make you like him. But when the time comes all of his confidence will disappear into thin air causing Jungkook to be extremely shy during the call, cutely stuttering and getting some words wrong from how nervous he is meeting you, yet the fact that you are nice and understanding makes him fall even deeper for him.

You’ll take the lead of the call upon realizing his hesitation, attempting to speak the most so you can avoid making him nervous. You’ll end up giving him plenty of detailed information about whatever he asks, trying to make him feel less anxious and even making a few jokes to break the ice.

At the end, he’s gonna take a deep breath, feeling he let you down for not being able to properly chat with you and try to make it up by watching you from afar until he can be fairly confident to finally take you.

-

Tags:

@mwitsmejk

#yandere bts #bts yandere #@yankpop #yandere kpop #yandere bts maknae line #yandere scenario #yandere jimin #yandere v #yandere taehyung #yandere jungkook

[hogwartsfirebolt]

Aaaand we’re back!!! I can’t believe it’s been a year since the last time I found myself typing one of these, but here we are, and WHAT. A. YEAR. Full of the highest ups and the lowest downs and through it all, so, so many wonderful stories that have made this my best reading year in fandom, ever. If you’re interested, in no particular order, I’d like to share some of my absolute favorites with you ❤️ Banner art is by the immensely talented @upthehillart and with nothing else to add, here’s my

FAVORITE FICS I READ IN 2019 PART ONE

1. Grounds for Divorce - @tepre - 122k - Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter. A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

This is the only thing on this list that is actually in order because DAMN. Because HOLY SHIT. This is my absolute favorite fic of all time and that’s not... I’m not exaggerating. I have INFINITE things to say about it, and actually, I have. Let me refer you to my long, gushy rec specifically about this masterpiece and just BEG you again to read it because it’s beautiful and it will change you and and and-

2. amid this warm and steady sweetness - warmfoothills - 21k - Harry is not living in a period drama, no matter what his friends or his new house or Malfoy’s sudden affinity for horse-riding might suggest, and if one more person uses the word courting, he’s going to start hexing people.

This is just beautiful. Every word feels like it’s been laid down with gentleness and the entire setting is vibrant, sweet, so lovely it’s almost palpable. I had never read anything for this pairing that was modeled after a period drama, and it was perfectly done, it made me laugh at the outfits and the teasing and the ridiculous situations all around, and go “awww” when it became sweet and now I just want to keep it close inside my heart. You simply have to read this. 

3. Star Quality - who_la_hoop - 118k - Two years after the war, and Harry’s content with his life. OK, so it’s a little annoying that he keeps winning Witch Weekly’s Most Eligible Bachelor award, and he’s really not looking forward to the unveiling of an enormous gold statue of himself, but he loves his friends, and he loves being an Auror. And if he yearns for something more, something he can barely bring himself to think about, well, he’ll probably get over it. No one’s happy all the time, are they? But then everything changes, and Harry’s thrown into a new and dazzling world he’s not sure he can actually escape from. And as time goes on, he starts to wonder: does he actually want to?

Incredibly creative and executed so masterfully that I couldn’t stop reading and finished it in a day. Features a fed up Harry (always appreciated in this house), alternate realities, concerts, retail jobs, wishes upon stars, balloons, boys not knowing how to communicate but still inevitably falling in love, and just hours and hours of FUN. 

4. And One To Play - @tackytigerfic - 21k - Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are the best team in the Auror Department, even when they're driving Gawain Robards up the wall. When Malfoy is injured on a mission, it causes Harry's magic to go haywire. Meanwhile, a mysterious criminal is draining people's magical cores and turning them into Squibs. Can Harry stop blowing Malfoy away in time to solve the case? And will Malfoy ever stop trying to get the last word?

GUYS THEIR DYNAMIC IN THIS ONE IS JUST PERFECT. The author wrote this absolutely incredible relationship where they trust each other and have so much fun and are so perfectly attuned to each other and I just sucked it right up because it’s so good. The case is interesting and engaging, Harry’s little predicament makes such a mess, and still their dynamic and friendship is the backdrop of it all. This fic is a really, really good time all around. 

5. That Old Black Magic - @bixgirl1 - 77k - Centuries ago, marriage contracts were the norm — ready-made alliances between families, expected and complied with, without complaint. But norms have a way of changing, and when a long-dormant contract flares to life, Harry has to navigate an unexpected splintering of the path he'd thought would be easy after the war... with Draco Malfoy.

Reading this was one of the best moments of my entire year. I read it in a day, couldn’t put it down because the writing and the pacing and the dynamic are so incredibly good it blew my mind a little bit. It’s a slightly different take on the arranged marriage trope than what I was used to, and I loved it so, so much. It might be my favorite fic of Bix’s, ever. 

6. On a Clear Day - saras_girl - 41k - Draco Malfoy is waiting for his real life to begin, and it appears that he’s not the only one. Coffee, charity, and the wisdom of the elderly.

!!!!!! That’s all I can think to say!!!! In trying to read ALL of saras_girl fics I have found such ABSOLUTE GEMS and this is definitely, definitely one of the best of them in my opinion, it’s just so incredibly lovely in every way and I’m so weak for when they slowly let themselves be vulnerable with each other the more they get to know each other, and help each other be brave and !!!! again. This paints it so beautifully I just want to read it again and again. 

7. Renaissance - dysonrules - 33k - Harry awakens after a long sleep to find things terribly changed. He's not in an alternate universe... it just seems like it.

Surly, moody Harry is a weakness of mine, and the way he navigates the extremely difficult situation he finds himself in in this one was so interesting to read. I always do love Draco being capable and good at what he does, trying to become a better person through his work. A really, really good fic with fantastic characterizations and a plot that kept me on my toes the whole time. Definitely recommended. 

8. At the End of the Day - sara_holmes - 7k - No brooms, a distinct lack of balls, no comprehension of the offside rule and a Malfoy who apparently has magic feet. Harry never knew this stupid game could be so much fun.

This fic is so light, so lovely and young that I went back to it over and over again during the year. It carries that feeling of tentative new beginnings, letting go and reconnecting with those around you after going through terrible things, all of that in a way that never loses sight of the fact that they’re still teenagers and still deserve some fun and light in their lives. So, so cute.

9. take my hand once more - @candybarrnerd - 8k - Harry finds himself standing in front of the door to the Room of Requirement with no memory of having walked there or having walked past the required three times either.-Everything feels like it's falling apart, his second marriage is failing, and he would actually kill for a decent nights sleep, which must be why the Room of Requirement provides him with the solution of a bed when Harry steps through the door. When he wakes though, he finds it's so much more.

Oh god I ache just remembering this. It’s so, so good. Every word paints every feeling so effectively that I felt it etched into my chest and all of Harry’s love for Draco was mine and his sorrow was mine and what he felt after the Room of Requirement gives him what he needs is what I felt too and I was just broken and repaired completely in 8k words in the best way ever. You MUST read this now. 

10. Eternally Consistent - @alychelms - 44k - Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter assumed they would never be anything but civil enemies, until Potter lands on Malfoy's doorstep, bleeding, covered in curses, and acting very strangely indeed.

THIS IS EXCELLENT, REMARKABLE, EXTRAORDINARY!!! Omg every word, I swear every word had me on the edge of my seat and you see that time turner tag? Do you see it? It’s played in the BEST possible way, the case is so freaky and incredible and the work with the destroyed time turners and those... wizarding physics applied to it were so incredibly interesting. The characterizations are delicious, every moment Draco and Harry work together is fantastic, and in the end, when everything falls into place, it’s perfect. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. 1000000/10. 

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

Each of these fics is incredibly close to my heart and I enjoyed them immensely. I hope they bring you all joy as well, and I’m ALWAYS here to gush about any of them ❤️ Happy holidays!

#drarry #drarry fic #drarry fanfic #drarry fic recs #ficrec #2019rec #draco malfoy #harry potter #drarry rec list

[jennibeultimate]

Personal recap Worlds 2021 - Ladies SP

Yes I am back with personal recaps 😁 and as in personal it's totally my opinion and you can agree or not. Tell me what you think if you want.

First I needed to calm down because this was a nerve wrecking ladies short program and I thought I wouldn't care that much for the scoring (knowing it would be sh*t anyway) but yes I was mad. But I think I am calm enough now to put normal sentences out.

Rika Kihira was robbed. Period.

Her mysterious "q" calls were just bullsh*t and watching the replay multiple times I would say ok for the 3T being a bit short on rotation but the 3A I just don't see it. (and German ESP commentators had the same opinion) The program is fire 🔥 🔥 🔥 Rika performed so well. And this deserved just sooooo much better. Sorry bby that you don't get the benefits like some others. ❤️

Anna is my lovely fairy. ❤️❤️❤️ I do like her skating a lot. Her jumps not that much, but I can live with that (I am not a technical nerd). Her musicality is otherwordly. I don't see her being that much better than Rika though. Didn't see such a clean and secure combination from her in ages. She really is mentally very strong. In practice she was in tears a lot, in competition you could see no insecurity.

I am happy for Liza! Her story is really impressive. She is not a skater I root for because I like her skating so much, but because I think her fighting spirit and her guts are amazing and big role model for other skaters in Russia and in general struggling with puberty. You can make it again after 6 years, you have to fight. The 3A was one of the best for her. Her jumps are superb and I am glad that she at least did get a higher TES than Anna, but her PCS are really questionable. But well looking at Sasha's PCS, Liza's doesn't seem so astronomical anymore. Still ridiculous...but at least Liza was flawless. I am not a fan of her new program, I liked "Spartacus" better but it seem to serve her well. So.

Kaori my love 😍 The layout just didn't play out well for her. The combo being shaky costed dearly. But also the 3Lz edge call dropped her score badly. I don't actually have a problem with her score, but just looking that she is the only skater in the Top 10 field to receive a real edge call, while Bradie and Anna get away without any "edge" problem is just unfair. If you score favorably than do the same with everyone. Kaori's speed is unparalleled. Her program grew so much during the season, a very difficult program to make it work but I like it. Anyway Kaori was good and chances for the podium are super slim anyway.

Sasha Trusova - her trainings looked super secure (5 quad clean free) but when it counts she hardly delivers. 34 PCS were super generous for her program. Compare that to Kaori and Karen and so many others and it's just undeserved. 12th place hurts though. I predicted her to not be Top 3 after the SP but 12th place was hardly in my guessing. If she can skate a somewhat clean free skate, she still has a little chance on winning. That would ofc depend on other skaters and favorable PCS but it's not impossible. I hope she can leave the competition with a good feeling. 12th place is not what she is capable of.

Yelim Kim - what an excellent combination. 👌She had plenty of time at landings. The program is a bit bland and risk free. The dress game is A+++! ❤️ I have a soft spot for Yelim since juniors, the fairytale like appearance and movement makes her a sentimental favorite of mine. I was gladly surprised by her score. One of the only scores I could agree on.

Karen Chen - Karen skated beautifully. I am not super flashed by her program but I am happy she delivered so well. And superb 3Lo! 👌 I think if Rika received a "q" on her combo Karen should have gotten the same, but she is American so nope...

Bradie Tennell - anyone knowing my recaps, knows I am hardly a Bradie fan but her programs are interesting and I like this short a lot. But today she just didn't deliver. Her score should not have come this close to Kaori.

Haein Lee - same as for Rika. If a "q" is applied to Haein and Rika than why not Karen? Hello? Haein is really lovely to watch and musical. She has all the right abilities to place high in the future. Wonderful. 😍 I was a bit surprised to hear Helene Fischer's "Ave Maria" (Helene is on of the biggest stage names in Germany) There are so many Ave Maria's and they chose a German singer? 😂

Absolutely heartbroken for Satoko. 😭💔 Her program should receive the highest PCS but she didn't even get as much as Trusova. What a big joke that is. She is such a beautiful skater. What a beautiful dress too. Just nothing worked for her today. What a tragedy. 💔💔💔

The other heartbreak was Maé Méité. 💔💔💔What a sad story that is. Finally she was able to practice without pain and now probably achilles tendon. She could barely walk. I am so devastated for her. Wishing all the best to her. May she return soon.

Alexia Paganini was also really off. Sadly she didn't make the cut. 😢

Lastly I want to add a few pleasant surprises:

Loena Hendricks - Shame about the fall, but everything else was excellent. Glad she got a good scores. So glad she is back!

Josefin Taljegard - She is on 🔥. Surely her technical content isn't as good as that of other skaters but her emotional connection and performance to the music are extraordinary! ❤️ Watch Josefin, you won't regret it!

Madeline Schizas - pleasantly surprised by Madeline. Delivered greatly. I wish for her to maintain that 2nd spot.

Lindsay Van Zundert - Skating first you are usually out of the free skate, but she made the cut with a lovely "Allegria" performance. 😊

Good luck everyone for the free skate! May the judges get the memo that we want fair scoring!

Any complaints about judging I do are always against the judges not the skaters themselves. I hate how unevenly applied the rules are and that judges are playing favorites so hard it's apparent. It's so unfair. Be strict or lenient on every skater from 1st to last the same way. Scores are so whack they only make me mad.

This was a wall of text, sorry. 😅 If you see me not talking about COVID-19, it's not because I don't care but because that's not my main object here and I absolutely won't watch out for behavior that violates any rules. I think everyone is doing everything with the best intentions. I don't wish ill upon anyone. Covid plays a big part here as well, but I like to concentrate on the positive aspects of Worlds and the skating in general instead of being mad about things that are hardly in my power. I'd rather look at what I can do myself and how I can help my locals. I am also tired about my whole day normally being all about covid that I just don't have the energy to talk about it any further.

#figure skating #anna shcherbakova #rika kihira #kaori sakamoto #karen chen #Alexandra Trusova #satoko miyahara #Personal recap #stockholm 2021 #wall of text sorry

[hoyaanae]

The beautiful dialogue of Lovely Us

Ep 01

"Once people become parents, their memory begins to become biased. They always remember they are their children's most reliable parents, but often forget that they are also children loved by their own parents. When they are waiting for their children to come back home, they forget that their own parents are also waiting for their return in a similar mood."

"When I'm absent from the concert, my idol won't know or feel sad. But when I don't go back to accompany my mom to celebrate her birthday, she'll know it. I don't want to make her sad."

Ep 02

"A lot of things are good at hide and seek - the old scarf I bought last year, the new eraser, Mom's favorite sewing needle, and a feeling of heartbeat for someone. We try to find them, but in vain. Then when we give it up, they just appear somewhere unexpected - on the back of the chair, in the book, in the cotton thread, and behind my back.

Human heart beats 60 to 100 times per minute on average. That day, I failed to count my heartbeat per minute. Even the water droplets falling from the umbrella were disrupted together with me. The joy, the thrill and the butterfly in the stomach converged into the restless heartbeats. On this raining day, a girl's heart beat 101 times in a minute."

Ep 03

"Huang Chengzi, why is the starry sky beautiful? Do you think it is because of the brightest star? Of course, everyone might say "Look, the Venus" while pointing at the brightest one. However, for those stars shining together and forming the Big Dipper and Orion, don't they look beautiful? They cannot be described as a foil. Anyway, I think some stars that keep shining might be more beautiful than the brightest one however dark they are."

Ep 07

"The audio frequency of the sound when a snowflake falls on the water surface is over 50,000 Hz. Because it falls beyond human beings' hearing range, this snowy day is still so quiet that it seems I can only hear my own heartbeat and that it seems there is only me and the person in front of me on this planet with a population of 6.6 billion. I hope this world can be noiser so that I can pretend that I've never discovered this secret."

"Do you have such a feeling? People around you always tell you that you are already standing on the top of the mountain, but when clouds and mist scatter, you find there is another higher peak waiting for you. After going out, I've found there are so many people who work harder and are more excellent than me. It's just like in an originally easy marathon race, I suddenly find all the people around are sprinting. So, I must run faster. Otherwise, others will surpass me. I'm a little bit out of breath."

"At the age of 17, we all have our own secrets. We are trying to hide those secrets, but they are still going to be discovered. We are unwilling to admit those secrets, but the more we conceal them, the more conspicuous they become. We are very clear about those secrets, but eventually, we are still willing to turn them into memories. And these secrets that cannot be told, are found so similar to each other after a long time. It turns out they are all about unexpected feelings for someone."

Ep 08

"I've always been content with what I have and I'm in need of nothing. I can remember what I read and I'm surrounded by nice people. My life has always been smooth and I thought the life that had been planned was not bad for me. Just like a sailing ship, with enough food, I didn't look forward to rains and storms. I just wanted to follow the prescribed route and go back fo the safe zone of the harbor in the end. That was my perfect ending. But from the very beginning, you've been determined to brave the storm and to see the bigger world. Wind and rain can't knock you down and the waves can't overturn you. You've shown me a life course that's completely different from mine. So, since her dream is to explore this world, I just can't let her go through it alone. Zhu Jinxiao, I like you."

"At the age of 17, the first habit developed by boys is to hide their affections. They think that the probability is just 0.01, so they put on the emperor's new clothes, trying to hide their affections with magic. But affections are not that easy to hide. Even if the probability is pretty low, it will be revealed at a certain moment. So on that rainy night, while looking at her back, he found that the most obvious evidence of falling in love with her was the feeling of easement in his heart and the smile on his face when he looked at her."

Ep 09

"In the past, we always felt a year with 365 days was exceedingly long, but only when it comes to this moment do we understand that we become one year older all of a sudden. The significance of spending the Spring Festival, extending from ancient times to the present, is shining brightly like fireworks, giving us the courage to heal each other many times. And then we can have a new start. It doesn't matter that you can't eat steaming hot dishes. It doesn't matter that you perhaps don't know the secret hidden in the couplet. It doesn't matter that you listen to your grandma's nagging sometimes. Even if it takes too long on the way back, as long as there are people we care about, we won't be lonely. We will return to the home we are familiar with."

Ep 10

"Actually we never forget the happy hours with our parents in childhood. Maybe the so-called alienation is because we walk so fast while our parents are staying where they are. One meter, a hundred meters, a kilometer. The distance becomes farther and farther until we can't hear them calling us. That's why we mistakenly think love is silent. So while we are confused, our parents feel the same too. They are confused about how they can give us their deep love in a smart manner."

"Those who love hiding their feelings most in this world are fathers. They hide their inarticulate concerns in warm lights. In every precious certificate of merit, they put their unmentionable encouragement. Besides, there are many silent surprises they carefully arrange in every day when we are marching to the future. They firmly care about us with such silent fathers' love, and we firmly love them."

Ep 11

"We think that many things and many people in this world can wait til tomorrow. So when you pause it or when you turn around, you think that everything will still be the same tomorrow, or you won't even realize this hope in your mind, because you think tomorrow should be the same as today. And you think nothing will change as time flies by. But this time, the moment you let go and turned around, some things completely changed. The sun went down and before it rises again, some people will leave you forever. We always thought that there would be a big ceremony to say goodbye, so we keep waiting for a warm hug, a refreshing drink, and a heartfelt goodbye. But in the end, we realized that most goodbyes in our lives are all silent."

Ep 12

"At that silent corner in my mind, there are a number of weird illusions. For example, can I become Alice who enters the wonderland with White Rabbit? For example, can I become the little girl who enters the forest with Totoro? For example, is there some special switch in this box which can teleport me? No, none of them exist. There's no flying dragons or knights, and I'm not the heroine of some comics for girls, either. However, the only thing I'm sure about is that this escape greatly shocks my world. My palms would sweat, and my sight would be indistinct. Then my view becomes narrower and narrower until there's room for only one person in my eyes. After a long time, I know such a moment is named adventure, in which the one in your eyes is irreplaceable."

Ep 13

"In the summer of 2008, in retrospect, the most impressive thing may not be the world-famous Olympic Games, but the silly things we did because we were fearless. What is shining and unexpected is everything that is closely related to friendship. We wanted to pick the brightest stars and make the most beautiful wishes, so we became the bravest boys and girls. While crying and laughing, with the bond between each other, toward the most beautiful end of youth, we keep running all the way and never stop."

"The familiar chirping of cicadas on summer nights, the familiar bear doll who must lean by the lamb, the familiar lovely girl who frowns even when she sleeps, and the 17-year-old time wrapped by the sense of familiarity never seem to have changed. The only difference is that when I look at the familiar him, I feel a flurry and uneasiness that I have never expected."

Ep 14

"That night, it was the first time I found there's magic hidden in my mom's smile. Those feelings between adults and children which I thought are hard to express in words don't have to be spoken out. They can be understood through her smile. Indeed, adults don't often say I love you, and seldom say sorry. But it doesn't matter. Action speaks louder than explanation. There's no need to express deep feelings in words. If you stand there quietly, you can automatically receive all their love for you."

"There are many new days like today. Today, he holds my hand. Today, he holds me in his arms. Today, he carries me on his back and runs in the street in the early morning. Many days with him like today will eventually become my unforgettable past days. I'll remember days like today for a long time."

Ep 15

"In the last hundred days, I heard countless times "Hurry up to walk! Hurry up to eat! Hurry up to take the notes! And hurry up to go to the toilet." But it's strange. When you try to seize time by the forelock, it goes faster. Then after the exams, we graduated."

"I just want to be an ordinary person. I'll live on a small fruit stand in the future or continue your small shop, which makes me happy. This is life. It's my own choice and I will bear the results. Different people have different dreams. Let those extraordinary people be extraordinary. I just want to be a happy and ordinary person."

"Friendship means so much to us. It brings us close, and makes me flinch, so sometimes we just tell ourselves that as long as we're together, I can be just a friend of hers. But the taxi that I failed to catch, the phone calls that have been hung up, the time that's flying and my restless heart are telling me eagerly that in this world, both love and friendship are important. Every detail related to you is reminding me that we can't be just friends. So when it's still not too late, I have to tell you the things that I want to tell you as soon as possible. Huang Chengzi, I like you."

Ep 16

"In this world, it seems like all wishes have a guardian. Wishing wells, shooting stars, the aquarium's white whale. They're all hiding in the corners of the universe caressing the sorrow of loving someone alone. It's just that the god of happiness can't bless everyone out there. They let some people be happy and their wishes come true, and let some be sad, but they can't admit how sad they really are. The feeling of being in love is like a butterfly gently flapping its wings, that stirs up a hurricane in people's hearts. The second you realize it, then there's no escape."

"That's you when you're happy. And that's you when you're mad. Over there is the jealous you, and you when you're being naughty and pretending to cry. I was just going to draw one to start with, but every expression you have is floating around in my head, and I really love every single one of them."

"I've never been afraid of growing up. And I've never worried that growing up would be lonely. Not because I'm so strong, but because I have faith that I will never be alone. The guy who held my hand will continue to grow up closely together with me. The guy who's in my diary and I in his, will exchange even more secrets in the future. All of us have walked together through the years and will continue to walk together farther into the future. This world never lets lovely people down, and we are all lovely."

#如此可爱的我们 #Lovely Us #Lovely Us Cdrama #Cdrama #李明德 #Li Ming De #田曦薇 #Tian Xi Wei #李寅崟 #Li Ying Ying #李明源 #Li Ming Yuan #尤浩然 #You Hao Ran

[erin-bo-berin]

Confidence

MASTERLIST

This was an anonymous requested fic about the scene from season 8, episode 10 when Spencer is talking to Alex Blake and obviously not feeling very great about himself. I decided to write it as a cute fluffy fic because one, I knew I needed to use this gif and two, who doesn’t love a cute, fluffy fic? Enjoy all the Spencer feels.

Spencer Reid/Reader

Rating: G (fluff)

Word Count: 2,673

It was another run-of-the-mill day at work for you.

Another day, another case.

This week you and your fellow Behavioral Analysis teammates happened to be in Washington state, tracking down a serial murder. One that was very unusual in his ritual of kills. He would kill a male victim, usually shooting them then a female victim would follow, killed by strangulation.

The unsub definitely showed more resentment towards his female victims. He was cold, calculated and distant from the kills of the men. Almost like he was doing them a favor by killing them in such a quick way.

His method of kill for the women was more up close, personal and definitely filled with rage. He wanted the women victims to suffer for as long as possible, inflicting as much pain as possible.

The team had profiled that he was probably holding resentment to a male and female pair, someone who had wronged him in the past, most likely his parents. Whatever had happened, the unsub obviously didn’t hold as much anger for the father figure as he did for the mother figure.

You’d been following his trail for two days, new victims dropping left and right, like a convoluted scavenger hunt. You were closing in on him and he knew it; he was beginning to unravel.

You had taken a much needed break for some bad police station coffee, when you heard voices around the corner. The tiny coffee nook was partially hidden by a wall and around the wall was a table where a few of your team members sat.

You recognized Dr. Alex Blake’s voice first, followed by the smooth, deeper voice of Dr. Spencer Reid.

“Well, why haven’t you asked her out yet?”

This question came from Blake and intrigued, you eavesdropped a little while you stirred the creamer into your coffee.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” came from Reid.

“Why not?” Alex questioned.

“I don’t know, what if she doesn’t like me?”

“Why do you think she wouldn’t?”

Alex’s question wasn’t judgemental or harsh, just full of honest curiosity.

“Because I’m weird. I slouch, my hair’s too long and my tie is perpetually crooked.”

“You are not weird,” Blake said, sounding fully like a mother at bat for her child, “And your hair is just fine. The slouching and tie can be fixed though.”

You heard Spencer laugh, knowing that Alex was just teasing him. You smiled a bit, but felt a slight heaviness to your chest. You hated that he felt that way about himself. He was an amazing individual and whoever this girl was, she would be lucky to have him. She was lucky to even have him admire her.

Spencer was definitely a brainiac. With an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory and an ability to read 20,000 words a minute, his skill set was impressive. But his knowledge wasn’t the only good thing about him. He was an amazing profiler, extremely good at his work. He excelled in geographic profiles, which he often worked on during cases and his love for statistics did quite come in handy for things.

But besides work, he was a sweet and gentle guy. He was always willing to drop whatever he was doing to come aid one of his loved ones, whether it was his mother or one of his beloved teammates. Many times was Spencer there to be an emotional soundboard for you. He cared for people and things deeply, he felt them deeply, which you admired. When he was involved with something he gave it his all; he was involved in it 100%. His chess skills were quite extraordinary, as was his poker playing. You had yet to beat him in either game. He could probably win a game of Uno like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Also, even though it wasn’t the most important thing, he was attractive. You often heard women make comments about his good looks—sometimes prostitutes too, which amused you to no end—in which he’d just get flustered and confused.

At six feet tall, he was long and thin, but without being extremely lanky. His light brown hair was often in a disarray of loose curls, falling whatever direction it wanted to. His eye color was quite a mystery to you as well. You’d worked with him for years on end and still couldn’t tell if they were completely brown or a hazel hue. Depending on the light or colors he wore, you noticed they had a tendency to look anywhere from a deepend brown, to a honeyed light brown to even a glowing green. He was insanely lucky with the facial features department too; he had a sharp jawline and nicely shaped, plump lips that women would kill to have naturally. Speaking of, his natural lashes were a joke. They were long and beautiful, framing his eye nicely. They made you insanely jealous because if you had been blessed with lashes so nice, you’d never have to wear fake lashes ever again.

All in all though, you knew he had the biggest heart you’d ever seen. Despite all his quirks and antics, he had a never ending love for his work and his teammates, a love that always continued to expand as people came and went. 

You couldn’t see how this mystery girl couldn’t see that in him.

Your thoughts had caused you to miss parts of the conversation, so when you tuned back into the conversation, you heard Spencer speaking again.

“I just don’t want to ruin something good,” he sounded dejected.

“I think you’re just psyching yourself out,” Alex said, “Is it worth you always wondering what could’ve happened if you never tried?”

“I guess not.”

“Then take a chance. You just might be surprised.”

You didn’t hear her departure, but when it fell silent you figured she’d walked away. You decided to make your presence known in an inconspicuous way.

You picked up your styrofoam coffee cup and rounded the corner, seeing Spencer’s attention back on the book in front of him. You sat down across from him.

“Need any help?”

He looked up, shaking his head.

“No. Thanks though. You have a death wish or something?”

“What?” you chuckled.

He motioned to the cup in your hand.

“The coffee. It tastes like warm, wet mud.”

You grimaced down into your cup, your desire for some coffee now gone. His description wasn’t all that off anyway; it was horrible coffee.

“I’m making a coffee run later, I’ll make sure to get you some of the good stuff.”

You smiled appreciatively.

“Thanks.” 

He moved to turn the page, when you spoke again.

“So I overheard your conversation with Blake.”

He winced, “You did?”

You nodded, setting the coffee cup aside and lacing your fingers together on the tabletop in front of you.

“So who is she?” you smiled.

He hesitated as if contemplating how he should answer.

“You don’t know her.”

“Well are you gonna ask her out?”

He shrugged a bit.

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

“I’m with Alex,” you encouraged, “You should totally go for it.”

He smiled shyly, like a timid school boy with a crush on a fellow classmate. It made you happy to see him so happy.

“You just need to have a little confidence in yourself. Don’t beat yourself up, you’re a great guy, Spence.”

“You think?”

“I know,” you corrected, “This girl is incredibly lucky.

You noticed that he couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face, even as he looked back down to the text.

“Would you do it if I helped you out a little?”

“Helped me out?” He looked up at you confused and perhaps just a tad bit curious.

“Yeah. Like helped you gain a little confidence before you ask her.”

“Really? You’d do that?” he paused, wary, “Why though?”

“Because Spencer, whoever this girl is, I can tell she makes you incredibly happy. Besides you deserve that happiness so much.”

“That means a lot,” he said lowly, “Thank you.”

“So, why don’t you tell me about this girl?”

He opened his mouth to answer you, but before he could speak Hotch zoomed past you two, talking as he walked.

“Garcia got a hit on the partial license plate. She found the address for our unsub. Let’s go.”

You jumped up, both of you following after him.

It was time to catch this son of a bitch; self-esteem lessons would have to wait until later.

•

The BAU had made it to the unsub’s residence just in the nick of time.

Leroy Fleming was moments away from ending the life of a young woman, who was thankfully saved in time. He had a sordid life with his parents. Parents who most likely had no business having a child.

His mother abused alcohol, drugs and Leroy. She would hit him any chance he got. His father always turned a blind eye, yet he loved his father dearly. He held a grudge against him though because the man never had enough courage nor dignity to leave the mother or the volatile situation.

“Guess that was imprinted on him in his early life. The trigger for his rage,” Spencer said.

You groaned, rubbing your side. You had tackled Leroy after he’d ran from the authorities. It was an impressive move that surprised even yourself, but you were paying the price now.

“You okay?” 

Both of his hands held onto the strap of his satchel as he walked next to you, looking over at you concernedly. 

“Yeah, just some bruises and sore muscles. Nothing fatal. Now, isn’t it time to tell me all about that girl you have a thing for?”

He grimaced, opening the door for you to the BAU unit.

“Do I have to?”

“Come on. Just think of it as an exercise. Besides we never did have time to go get some actual good coffee. How about making a run now before we have to do all the paperwork?”

“Alright. Just let me stop by my desk, okay?”

“Sounds good. I’ll just go wait by the elevator.” You smiled, walking back out of the bullpen.

Spencer caught Alex’s eye just as he was leaving his desk a few minutes later. She sent him a knowing smile causing one to form on his lips as well.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

•

After ordering your coffees and receiving them, you and Spencer sat at a table in the coffee shop, enjoying your drinks.

“Okay, now. Tell me about this mystery girl.”

“Well, she’s smart,” Spencer said.

“Smart like you?”

“No, definitely not. That’s not a bad thing either! I’m not calling her dumb or anything! It’s just different than what I’m used to,” he rambled.

“Spence, it’s okay,” you laughed, “I get what you mean. So she’s not on a genius level, but she’s smart. That’s nice though because you will always be able to teach her new things, tell her new facts and statistics that she’s never known.”

“I never thought about it like that,” he mused.

“Okay, tell me more.”

“She’s funny and kind.”

“Two great attributes.”

“She’s also the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. At least, to me she is. That’s why I’m so terrified.”

“Spencer she’s not going to bite you or anything,” you chuckled, “Just relax and take a deep breath okay? You’re just overthinking it.”

“I suppose so.”

“The worst thing that can happen is she says no. I know rejection hurts and it sucks, but wouldn’t you rather take a chance and maybe have something great begin than never to have taken that chance at all?”

“You sound like Blake,” Spencer noted.

“Then I digress.”

“Is this supposed to be making me feel better?” he joked.

“Spence, have a little faith in yourself. You’re a really great guy that any girl would be lucky to have. Even if it doesn't turn out how you hoped, you know that at least you tried.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Let’s get outta here before we move on to lesson two, it’s getting noisy.”

“Lesson two?” his eyebrow arched.

“Mhm. Follow me.”

It wasn’t until you were outside where it was a bit more peaceful that you spoke again.

“Okay, so where are you going to ask her out to?”

“Uh, I don’t know? I never really thought that far ahead,” he smiled sheepishly, “But you can never go wrong with coffee.”

He held up his to go cup, as if to prove his point.

“Yes, good! Ask her out for coffee. It’s the perfect place to sit and talk and enjoy each other’s company. Do you have anything in common with her? What would you talk to her about?”

“Again, not entirely sure.”

“Hmm,” you thought as you walked, “What does she do for work?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?! Spencer, have you even talked to this girl?”

“Yes, I have, stop berating me!” he laughed.

“Well, ask her about her work. That’s a sure fire way to get a conversation flowing,” you smiled, “Now, we’re going to practice.”

You took the last gulp of your coffee, tossing the empty container in the trash can and waiting as he finished his, tossing his for him.

“Practice what exactly?”

“Asking her out. Just practice on me. It’s easy, just say what you would say to her.”

He fumbled, trying to get words out, but kept stuttering.

“No, stop. You’re overthinking it again. Just be straightforward and say it.”

“Alright. Got it,” he cleared his throat before continuing, “I was wondering would you like to go out sometime to get a coffee or something? Whatever you want.”

He was stammering, you could tell even the thought of asking this girl made him nervous.

“Spencer, Spence,” you stopped him, turning him towards you, putting your hands on his arms.

He peered down at you, curiously.

“All you have to do is just simply say, “would you like to go out for coffee sometime?”. It’s as easy as that. Get out of your head. I know you can do this.”

He smiled appreciatively, then nodded.

“Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?” he repeated, “Like that?”

“That was perfect. See? It’s not hard at all.”

You’d reached Quantico again and you patted his arm as you walked in.

“Keep me updated on what happens.”

•

It was almost 24 hours before you had a moment to talk to him alone again. You were heading out for the evening and you were waiting for the elevator to reach the BAU floor when he walked up next to you.

“Hey Romeo, you got a date yet?” 

“No, not quite yet,” he answered.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, both of you getting on. 

“I haven’t had the chance to thank you, yet. Your advice has really helped me,” he smiled, “Thanks for caring enough to help me out.”

“Of course. I’m happy to help anytime. Now you believe you can go for it, right?”

He turned towards you, smiling.

“Yeah, I believe I can.”

Before you realized what was happening, your face was in his hands and his lips were on yours.

He was hesitant, his lips soft against yours.

You couldn’t believe the explosion of butterflies in your stomach. You had never stopped to think just how you’d felt about him, but this kiss had confirmed that you did, indeed have feelings for him.

The kiss was soft and sweet and too quick for your liking. He pulled back, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, was that okay?”

Your hands had rested on his side at some point during the quick kiss and you smiled up at him.

“‘More than okay.”

He let out a quick breath, not quite a chuckle but his smile grew even more.

“Want to get a coffee with me, sometime?”

“Any time, any place, I’ll be there.”

You leaned up, bringing your lips to his once again.

Score one for Spencer Reid.

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[transgamerthoughts]

What I Found In The Leaves

Last August, as the lease to my apartment was about to end, the roof began to smolder until the place I lived was full of smoke. When all was settled and done, my apartment had no roof. My room was spared and most of my things were okay—this part of the story being set in late capitalism, I am required to assure you that the things I purchased were okay too—and I decided to leave New York City to return to New England with my family. One of the first things I did when I arrived was look at the sky and imagine I was up there. Falling or sailing or flying. It didn’t really matter. I wanted to touch a cloud, to feel the whipping wind.

I promise… this is leading to something. In the months since, in spite of comfort and proximity to my family… in spite of the arrival of my nephew into this world—a child I would climb a mountain and punch God for if I needed to—and in spite of a happy job… I have spiraled into depression. My solution was work and writing. To throw myself into my job and to, somewhat foolishly, take on the task of novelizing my favorite game: Skies of Arcadia. Because if you’ve read my work long enough, it always comes back to Arcadia. I am proud of that project but it sparked a yearning in me. To truly connect to the world I was writing. It lit a fire. Before we proceed, let me be clear that by depression I don’t mean the woes of pandemic living or some disaffection with the reality of entering my 30s. I mean a deep and painful darkness with all the implications therein. Regardless to say, my efforts to combat it drained me. To the point that I burnt myself out and with some prodding from my boss, took a vacation. Which I am currently on. This is not the first time this series of events has played out. I made a promise to myself when I started vacation: no writing. I am breaking it because I have found, yet again, a moment where I must desperately drain the wonder in my heart and attempt to explain to you that I think there are magical things in the world, and that I believe there is some type of magic in art—in that strange alchemic or shamanistic way—that transfers to us. This will be my second attempt to explain it, and to explain what it has to do with video games. (Forgive the indulgence of this introduction by the way; an editor would surely have cut it all but I need you to understand two things: I am in pain and there's a part of that pain which I think points to something important.) This is a story of ritual and tea. Of how my senses and imagination came together to send me on a journey around a fictional world, in search of heroes who both do and do not exist. As part of my love for Skies of Arcadia, I’ve become something of a paraphernalia collector. I bought an old light novel from ebay, I used my rudimentary Japanese skills to set up a warehouse dropbox so that two fan magazines could be sent there and then subsequently shipped to America, and I have drank tea based off the game. At the time, I wanted to collect the little tins the tea came in; they seemed excellent collector’s items. What I found with my first round of tea was art unto itself; balances of flavor and spice and blends that symbolized characters and connected me to them. These were crafted by a dedicated fan and fellow writer. I don’t have the time to sit and research all the ways in which tea is used in ritual. Because I am tired and older and depressed and writing a blog post that perhaps thirty people will read. Regardless, to my delight I found that the tea-maker had created blends based off the various moons that dot Arcadia’s skies. For those who do not know the game, which I assume is many of you: each nation of the world rests under a magical moon. There are six, with one—a Black Moon—theorized to have gone missing. Here was my opportunity for a journey.

I bought teas based on each moon, and one based on the world itself. I will post a separate collection of all my individual tastings and reviews later. The important thing is this: I had been given an amazing gift. With these teas, I had something of that digital world which was actual. When we play games, we hear them and see them. Perhaps with certain haptics we can feel them. But we do not smell them or taste them or literally consume them. Eight teas, eight chances to smell and taste that wonderful world. To touch the clouds. Quem quaeritis? This is a famous question asked by an angel to the three Marys visiting Christ's tomb: his mother the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, who is the sister of Lazarus—the man Christ brought back to life after his death. It means: “whom to do you seek?” I was journeying, one tea cup at a time, around Arcadia. From continent to continent, I tasted their spices and experienced hints of their values, their cultures as expressed through the tea. The question played in my mind: Quem quaeritis? Whom was I seeking? The answer is complicated. First, I was seeking something of myself. The part of me that understood magic and wonder. The part of me that believes in the soul and believes that art, in allowing the complex interaction of creators and characters with players, performs some type of soul-magic. It impresses upon us, real and actual changes. I was seeking that piece of me; that part of me that understood that each cup was a ritual that brought about a communion with a distant world. I was searching for the younger part of me that believed in wonderful things. 

I drank the teas in the order our heroes travel the world, and in doing so I was performing a sort of perseveration of their journey. I communed with some place distant and followed in their footsteps. Which answers another half of the question. Whom did I seek? I sought my heroes. I sought the adventurous Vyse and his dogged determinism, I sought the firecracker Aika and her swift rushes to action, and I sought Fina. The woman I wish I could be: feminine, slight, beautiful, kind, brave. Quem quaeritis? All of this sounds like nonsense and when I try to explain the nonsense, I feel a deep embarrassment. To care in the 21th century, particularly in America, is to be weak. To be publicly vulnerable is to make yourself a target. You must be hard and solid as a rock. You cannot believe in magic or else you are doomed. But here I was, chasing myself and my heroes one cup at a time. And I need you to know that it hurt to do that. 

I went to the corner store today to buy some energy drinks. When I got back home, my father asked: “did you find what you were looking for?” I told him “That’s a very complicated question.”

Let me explain. Let me do the thing that I feel I cannot do well anymore; let me do some game criticism. In the world of games, the entities we control exist as two things. They are actors; manipulatable bodies, guided by code and controller inputs, that we guide around as we see fit. In this way, players have extraordinary power. In some ways, it is a… fraught power. We can, as Soulja Boy did, leave Braid’s protagonist in a perpetual flux state: jumping and rewinding. Back and forth, forth and back. Eternal puppets for our amusement, avatars for our power fantasies. Sometimes, as in the case of a game like Skyrim, our controllable actors are little more than flesh suits But actors are, more than anything, just… avatars. Video game actors are also characters. Within their worlds, which are fictional, they have motivations and wants and desires and dreams. They want to live and grow and succeed. Cloud Strife wants to defeat Sephiroth and uncover the truth about himself, Joel wants to protect Ellie and survive in a cruel world. Arthur Morgan wants to find a calmer life and redemption for his sins. They are, as characters, people. But since they are also actors, we can deny them their hopes and dreams whenever we want. We can have Cloud while away his days gambling at the Gold Saucer and, if we want, we can force Arthur Morgan to murder to population of an entire town. The core truth of a player's relationship to the character is this: we decide if their dreams are fulfilled. I find that troubling and I will try to explain why. But first let’s be clear: I do not think the character in games are sentient entities. I outlined this relationship of players and characters in a GDC talk a few years ago, using highly rhetorical terms and my reward was the ridicule of countless gamers who questioned my sanity. Some made videos about my presentation. It was hell. To be a woman, perhaps especially a progressively minded trans-woman, in games is to know a very real hell. To this day, I cannot go a week without some type of horrid experience on the internet. Some judgment of my worth, some assumption about my competency, or in the worst cases some proclamation about my right to live. No doubt this is part of why I needed my vacation. But here is why I find the player/character/actor relationship troubling. It is not merely the abstract notion, the thought experiment that elicits fun but meaningless philosophical natter. The reason I find that relationship troubling or at least complicated is because for all of their fiction, the characters in games can give us real things. They can, through some type of power—a deep power found in the act of story-telling itself—impart aspects of themselves on us. For instance, they can teach us lessons which we then carry into the rest of our lives. My father, for reasons I can’t recall, once told me: “the meaning of life is to serve others.” Though he does not know it, that truism has been etched into my soul. It is a “thing” that my father has given me. But my father is not the only person who has etched something into my soul. Vyse, that dashing pirate, has etched many things into my soul. For instance: “impossible is just a word people use to make themselves feel better when they quit.” That is etched on my soul too. Just as much as anything my father has taught. So we come to the heart of it: what does it mean that Vyse can so alter my being and values, and that he can do it with the same strength and “realness” of my father? What does it mean for a character, who is also often an actor that I guide, to give me such a powerful gift? Because let us be clear: values are “real” things. When I tried to explain that I believe that certain things are actually true, for instance that looking at landscapes does mean that we are looking at something real…. I spent an afternoon with former Jeopardy! contestant Arthur Chu and a cohort of Twitteristas attacking my philosophical surety. So, again, fuck the internet… I digress.. Let’s explore: I believe in the realness of things because of the depth of the emotions those things make me feel, and I refuse to believe that life is just endorphins, hormones, and instinct. That music or games or anything else can make us weep for joy is proof-positive to me of the existence of a soul; of an ineffable thing that is “us.” Not necessarily all enduring but certainly extant. And if this thing exists, it can be acted upon. I know this because my father, with his truism, changed my soul. Changed the core of me. I know this because Vyse and the others did so as well.

I’ve written that games criticism is a kindness; that it seeks the good in art and attacks the banal explicitly because art is beautiful. I write today to suggest this: art is magical. It alters us, not metaphorically, but in the ways it can affect our souls. Which brings us back to character and actors. I control Vyse since he is an actor and I am a player; but he is a character with dreams and hopes and personality. And values. Wonderful values which he shared with me. So what does it mean now that I can send actors to their doom? What does it mean that I can control them utterly when I know for a fact that they can affect and change me? I do not have clean answers for this. Perhaps there are none. Perhaps all I have written is silliness, even as I beg you to please understand. Please. 

Understand the power of stories, understand it in the way that Tolkein did when he said: “Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else … may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds.” Understand that I am telling you that the locked thing is your heart and soul, and that just as a lover or parent or mentor can open that thing… so can the people we meet in our fictional journeys. Vyse is not just the captain of a ship. He is my captain. That means something. Art is ritual and play is ritual. In creation, we place something of ourselves in another thing. In play, we allow ourselves to be transmuted and changed. This is magic, of a sort. I am left wanting however. I followed the path of my heroes in as literal a way as I could, pulling on new senses to understand the world they live in and touch their skies for a fleeting moment. But I cannot reach them; I am Tantalus in the mire. Ever reaching, ever chasing. For that moment I can be the person that my heroes trusted me to become. Note by musical note, word for written word, tea cup by tea cup, I am chasing my captain. When I went back to my apartment the day after the fire, I looked up at the spot where the roof used to be. All I could see was blue sky and I thought I might fall into it. Perhaps in superficial ways I have shared something with my heroes; I have tasted something they have, even though the tea is not actually from Arcadia. It was merely a conduit to my imagination, to the transformed parts of my souls. Yet, I did not find him and I could not find myself. Which is why it hurts, in spite of how wonderful it was. Quem quaeritis? He is not here. So I will keep sailing after him.

#skies of arcadia #games criticism #tea #dreams

[queenmevesknickers]

One-shots

All my Thronebreaker and The Witcher one-shots

Meve/Reynard

Still Waters

Summary: Even Reynard has a breaking point. What if Gascon went a little too far with his teasing at the Hel'ays revels in Angren? Perhaps Meve might have learnt a little more than just what her second in command thinks of the new ballista…

My very first TB fic :) (2.8k, Meve/Reynard)

Run Deep

Summary: Meve and Reynard have agreed on one night of happiness together - and they intend to make the most of it. Because, sometimes, when there's a war going on and you're in the middle of monster-infested swamps, you need to remind yourself what you're fighting for in the first place.

A follow up to Still Waters - (adult content/sex scene, 3.6k, Meve/Reynard)

An Act of Faith

Summary: There were half a dozen occasions that Reynard could recall in the last few years, when he could have kissed her: late at night after finally resolving a particularly complicated dispute between some of the Rivian nobles, a breathless moment after a dance at a ball at Lyria Castle. There’d even been times when he thought that maybe she’d wanted him to. But every single time, he’d held back. Worried he’d mistaken the look in her eyes, fearful of losing their friendship, reluctant to risk the respect and trust which he treasured so dearly. But now, seeing her so close to despair, he wondered if he could be brave enough to show her just how extraordinary she was, in his eyes at least.

Meve has a moment of doubt; Reynard does what he can to help (2.8k, Meve/Reynard)

Translated into Russian by Agent_Casper here.

For Queen and Country

Summary: This is how it ends. Alone, surrounded by your fallen men, a Nilfgaardian spear buried in your chest. But thank the gods, at least you did your duty.

Reynard’s final moments, from his POV (major character death, 600 words)

Translated into Russian by Agent_Casper here.

The Flint and the Flame

“Reynard,” she says softly, not quite able to take her eyes off his mouth. “What I want to ask of you now – it goes far beyond what I could ever expect out of mere duty. This is not something I wish to command of you; I ask it not as your queen, but as…as a woman…as a friend. Please don’t think that you can’t refuse me, if this is not something you desire.”

“I am yours, Your Majesty. Whatever you would take of me, I will gladly give.”

Meve asks Reynard to brush her hair.

Explicit/borderline PWP (but with so many FEELINGS) (Meve/Reynard, 4k)

The World’s End

Summary: It did not sit well with him; he cursed the fear that had paralysed him, that had prevented him from being the one to see to her safety, from being the one to pull her behind the shelter of the rocky outcrop. But there was nothing that could be done now except to feel gratitude that she had suffered no lasting harm, and to do his utmost to prevent such a thing from happening again.

It has always been Reynard's instinct to throw himself between his queen and danger; he had never dreamed the favour might one day be returned.

(Meve/Reynard, pining, self-sacrifice, 2k)

Sweet Surrender

Summary: That he is as eager to please her in bed as he is in every other way could hardly be a cause for complaint, but she sees how he watches her constantly, his strategic mind always planning his next move; even when he is finally content to give himself over to his own pleasure, it is never with abandon. She has begun to wonder just what it would take to force him to surrender his control for once, to let himself be ruled by nothing but desire.

Meve tries to get out of doing paperwork. She is successful.

(Meve/Reynard, shameless PWP, 3.4k)

The River

He stares resolutely at the dark patch on the canvas before him, determined not to allow his imagination to fan the ever-smouldering embers of his longing into flame. Five onagers, he thinks desperately, casting his mind to the inventory of their catapults, three in good condition, two in need of repairs. Six ballistae, all in excellent condition, but short three men trained to work them. It works well enough, though he loathes the fact that he is required to stoop to such tactics merely to maintain his composure before her. Pull yourself together, man.

(Reynard gets a bit hot and bothered, one-sided Meve/Reynard, 2.3k, pining)

Meve/Reynard/Gascon - OT3

The Messenger

Summary:

“Reynard.” She fought to keep the frustration from her voice. “Are you unwell?”

“Of course not –” The lie was interrupted by a coughing fit, much longer and distinctly wetter-sounding than those before; she realised suddenly he must have been trying to hold it back. “It’s nothing,” he continued, once he’d caught his breath. “Just – just something caught in my throat, Your Grace –”

“That didn’t sound like nothing,” remarked Gascon. “Reynard, you look like a walking corpse.”

Reynard would do anything to win his queen's trust back. When he takes it too far, all three are left to work out where they stand with each other.

Prompt fill for the Bad Things Happen Bingo - ‘worked themselves to exhaustion’ (pre-relationship, light angst, hurt/comfort, 3.8k)

Ciri/Cerys

Sparrowhawk and Swallow

Love is never easy, when witchers are involved - and being a queen certainly doesn't make it any easier, either.

A little slice-of-life/domestic fluff one-shot featuring the Queen of Skellige and her favourite witcher, set immediately before Of Time and Tides - though this story can be read stand-alone (Ciri/Cerys, 2.4k)

Gen

Some Nights

Summary: The Duke of Dogs had no love for royalty, nor loyalty to any cause but his own. But now - he's not so sure.

A particularly bitter night in Mahakam forces Meve, Reynard and Gascon a little closer - literally (Gen/platonic, 2.8k)

A Guide to Courteous Thievery

Summary: A Guide to Courteous Thievery: The Bandit’s Codex - by the Duke of Dogs, Earl of Mutts, High King of Huckleberries, His Trampy Highness, His Sparky Lordship, etc, etc

Gascon Brossard is the most ambitious bandit Lyria’s ever seen - after all, he’s no common cutthroat.

A little peek at what Gascon got up to before his run in with Her Majesty (Gen, 1.6k)

High Stakes

“Hey ho, Reynard. Don’t mind me, I’d hate to interrupt what is no doubt another stimulating evening of staring into your drink like it holds the secrets of th’ universe.”

He glared. “Can I help you?”

“If you’re prepared to cease hostilities – at least for th’ moment – then perhaps, yes...thought I’d see if I could tempt you with a spot of gwent.”

Summary: Her Majesty’s seconds-in-command begin to bond over a game of cards - with unforeseen consequences... (Gascon & Reynard, Gen, 2.5k)

Brother Mine

Summary: "There are times when we must do things which are hard, things which frighten us; sometimes we must find it in ourselves to be brave, even when we don’t feel it – because it is our duty, because it is the right thing to do."Forgive me, brother mine - I hope one day, you understand.

King Villem the First has had to make many difficult decisions in his short reign; decisions that have cost him dearly, that have caused much pain and regret. This may be the hardest yet.

Written for the Bad Things Happen Bingo - Big Brother Instinct prompt.

(Gen, angst, self-sacrifice 2k)

Beneath the Unchanging Sky

Summary: Seasons change, the world turns; battles and wars are won and lost. But stars are constant, the sky ever-present, watching over us as years pass, as surely as the sun rises and sets.

The night sky shine above Meve, Reynard and Gascon at significant points in their lives.

(Gen, one-sided Meve/Reynard, 3.1k, pining)

Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair

There was a palpable tension in the air each day at court until it could be seen what kind of a mood the king was in today; his advisors had taken to withholding intelligence or deferring certain proposals until it was certain that Reginald was in a favourable mood to receive them. Meve would not have raised the subject with him without purpose, and this sort of talk could only lead one way – and Reynard was not sure if he was prepared to let his mind wander that far.

Written for the Bad Things Happen Bingo. Prompt - betrayal. (one-sided Meve/Reynard, angst, regicide, conspiracies, 2.2k)

#masterlist #thronebreaker #Queen Meve #Meve #Reynard #Reynard Odo #Gascon #Gascon Brossard #Villem #Anséis #Ciri #Cerys an Craite #fanfic #fan fic #my writing #the witcher fanfiction #one-shot

[luhlust]

Dating GOM's Sister!

Anime: Kuroko no Basuke

Overview: Headcanons about GOM (Aomine, Akashi, Kise, Kuroko, and Midorima) having a younger sister who is dating one of them!

Note: Sorry I didn't include Murasakibara! I just got really lazy. :(

•-—-•

Aomine Daiki

"I'll give you what you ever desire, break up with my sister." Akashi offered, glaring at his former tanned teammate. "Sei-nii! That's it! We're leaving." You forcefully removed Akashi's grip on your shoulder, having a silent eye battle as you slammed the door on his face. Akashi did not support you relationship, not even a bit.

Aomine is known to be a player, a pervert, and a lazy man. How could Akashi let his sister fall inlove with him? Akashi just wants the best for his sister. After a year of having a hot and cold relationship with your brother, Aomine knocked some sense into him. Needless to say, Akashi was impressed and saw no more reason to object seeing how his friend's true intention.

"I'm glad you're not the same as your brother." Aomine confesses. Although you are very identical to your older brother, you were the exact opposite of him in terms of personality. You were outgoing and emotionally-driven. Aomine did not see you for your wealth, achievements, or anything! He saw you for you, that made you fall for him despite being mean to you during the first meeting.

You were waiting for your brother so the both of you could go home together. When the gym doors ooen, you dashed towards the entrance, bumping into what seemed like a wall to you but it was actually Aomine. When you looked up, you felt chills run up to your spine, the way he glared at you, it was horrifying.

"How long are you going to sit down, brat? Move."

After that, you kept following him and pestering him even if he gave you mean comments that made you cry. Whenever you cry, Aomine panics. He'd scratch his head and say sorry multiple times, cursing, he'll offer a hug. "Stop crying or I'll kiss you." This just made you want to cry harder.

You'll help Aomine in his study and reprimands him for skipping practices. You're the only one who is allowed to correct him and he's the only one who can bully you.

If you ever did get bully, you have bodyguards ready to protect you in command, a scary powerful brother, and a tall tanned boyfriend built like he's ready to fight.

Aomine will never try to make you uncomfortable. He respects you even if he makes sexual comments, he would never push you to do something you don't like to do. That's how much he treasures you.

"(y/n), where's my kiss?" He grinned at you, bending down so you were at the same height. Rolling your eyes, he always asks for kisses before the game which you thought was very cute of him to do. Without hesitation, you kissed his lips. "Go get them, Dai-kun."

Akashi Seijuro

Dating Murasakibara's sister is not something anyone would expect from him. You are reckless, bold, and most of all childish! The complete opposite of Akashi! People can't help but question how you managed to soften the merciless captain of Rakuzan.

"Sei-kun!" Everytime you see your significant other, you would pounce on him, hugging his well-built frame. Akashi would glare at those who would stare, telling them to look away just by staring straight to their eyes.

Akashi would always give you sweets but scolds not only you, but your brother too when you both had too much. "(y/n), I love you but no. I already booked you an appointment." Akashi is persistent to have you attend a dentist appointment atleast once a month to ensure you don't develop any cavities.

When it comes to your brother, he does not really care who you date as long as they treat you well and you're happy but he is really relieved you're dating Akashi. That does not mean he won't crush him when he makes you cry.

People ridicule your relationship, especially the higher class who wants Akashi for their own benefits. Sometimes they go to the extent of hiring people to hurt you, ending up with a failure. There are several perks of having a tall brother who is excellent in basketball, one is he can easily scare of whoever is bothering you, second, you know how to defend yourself when needed.

Whenever those stuck-up bitches shows up, you can't help but show your devilish side. "Eh, I don't care. Get out of my way, bitch." Youmd play with your lollipop, staring down at the crying girl, yelling she'd sue you after you humiliated her.

Akashi will feel proud whenever you stood up for yourself, placing a soft kiss on your forehead and you'd immediately linked your arms around his neck. "Sei-kun, I'm starving~"

He'll always eat you with you, this is somehow like your love language towards one another. You sometimes even go to his school just to eat your bento that you prepared for him. His team is jealous on how a sweet and cute girl ended up dating Akashi.

They are always surprised to see Akashi showing subtle affections. Teasing him about you is a death sentence despite the fluttery feeling in his stomach. Flirting with you? That's a different story.

"(y/n), what am I going to do with you?" Akashi sighed, a smile forming on his lips. You were sleeping on the bleachers and it made him want to carry you home and skip practice but he knows you'll get mad at him if he did. He grabbed his jacketand covered your defense-less state, planting a chaste kiss on your lips. Little did he know, you were actually awake. "Ooh, I didn't know Sei-kun's a pervert!" He would ruffle your hair. "You dare to misbehave, huh? I might have to teach you a lesson, love."

Kise Ryouta

Kise is not really fond of Aomine. Sure they are friends friends but he still had grudges against him. So seeing you, beating the shit out of Aomine, that was something extraordinary. The way the sun highlighted your tanned skin and dark blue hair, Kise fell for you at first sight.

"(y/n)-cchi! I bought you some cake!" Kise always bothered you, he was clingy and chatty. You were annoyed at him at first, who wouldn't? Kise followed you everywhere like some kind of lost puppy! He cried easily was too noisy, yet when a week went by and he was no where to be found, you felt sad. You somehow missed his presence, that's when you realised, you too were inlove with him.

"(y/n)-cchi? What are you doing here..?" Kise did not expect to see you. It was raining heavily and you were drenched from head to toe. Kaijou just lost to Seirin, Kise was feeling down for his first loss. All his own issues faded when you grabbed him by his collar, pressing your lips against his.

Kise's eyes widened, you pulled away, placing your hands on both sides of his face. "Who told you to leave me alone? Huh?! Can't you see I like you too?" He blinked, several times, unable to register what just happened.

"Eh...Ehhhh?!"

Kise became 1000x more clingy after that.

His fangirls are difficult to handle. They always picked a fight on you, saying how you do not meet the Kise's standards. You don't give a fuck of whatever they say about you, you actually enjoy how they cowered in fear and bite back their words whenever you'd look at them with a smirk.

One thing that pissed you off though is when they made nasty comments about your boyfriend. You stopped in your tracks, fist clenched, you turned back, launching your fist towards the girl. She screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for the impact, you stopped your fist an inch away from her face. She fell on the floor, her friends made a run for it.

"Aplogise, bitch." She apologised immediately before scampering away, you'd sigh. "Such a pain in the ass.."

Kise knows about your "little fights" since Kasamatsu actually witnessed the whole thing. He feels honored and proud that his girlfriend stood up for him, your cuts and bruises on the other hand angered him. Kise always made sure to keep you out of trouble after that.

Kise is the only one who can calm you down, only one who can make you smile and act stupid. Your his partner in crime, his princess and his knight, he is very grateful to have you.

Despite how strong you can be, Kise can also fight for you if needed. You need him more than he needs you, without him, everything is off balance.

Aomine bullies him more now that he's your boyfriend.

"(y/n)-cchi! Aomine-cchi is being mean to me!"

"DAMN IT DAIKI! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

When the two of you are together, that's the only time you are vulnerable. In his arm you feel safe, he felt like home.

"I love you, dumbass."

Kuroko Tetsuya

The whole Seirin team was stunned to see you, sitting on one of the bleachers absorbed in your phone. Kagami's eyes widened, he recognises you! "S-She's (y/n)! A model in the US!" He exclaimed, making the rest more confused on why someone like you is in their gym right now. Even Riko could not dare to get closer, everyone stood frozen once you glanced at them, staring at them one by ine before your face lit up.

You stood up, smiling widely, before waving. "Kuro-tan! I missed you!" Kuroko coughed, excusing himself as he pass through the crow, greeting you with open arms which you gladly run into. "(y/n)-chan, you didn't tell me you were arriving today."

You would explain to the whole team that you're Kuroko's girlfriend and confirm that you are a model from the US. One thing that caught the team off guard is when Riko asked you if you were somehow related to Kise Ryouta.

"Kise..? Ryou-nii? Yes he's my brother."

The team bombarded you with questions, you were now getting slightly overwhelmed by them. You held out to your boyfriend looking at him teary eyed, he immediately know what you're feeling. "Everyone, you're scaring (y/n)-chan."

Once everything died down, you watched their practice, cheering for your cute boyfriend with Nigou. After practice, Kuroko and you would eat at Majii Burger, catching up and deep talks.

That's where you confessed that you won't go back to the US anymore and transfer to his school. You resigned from your position in the entertainment industry and will now focus on being a (career choice) instead.

Kuroko is the type of boyfriend who is kind of like a dog, he is super loyal to you and no matter what you do as long as it doesn't hurt anyone around you or you, he supports. He may be seen as emotionless but to you, he show all kinds of emotions, love, happiness, jealousy, and he gets super cute when embarrassed.

You always cling on to him, yelling his name with love everytime you see him, crying easily and him comforting you everytime. The team takes a like to you too, you're not really that difficult to get along with.

Riko would ask for help in their training regimen, Kagami also likes hanging out with the two of you (he'll get angry when you get too pda and overbearing though). Overall, you were like their cute little sister who they protect.

So whenever someone gets close to you, as you are famous with both boys and girls, they'll spring inti action and help you out.

You may not be as strong as others mentally and physically, you won't back down when the people you love are messed upon.

When Hanamiya glared at Kuroko, you glared 1000x harder than him. Especially when they hurt , oh you knew you had to talk to him, you stomped your way to their side of the court. You put your best smile, calling him out. "Hanamiya-san, can I shake your hand. I am a fan."

He would snicker, holding out his hand with a few flirty remarks. When you grabbed his hand though, you crushed it using all your strength and he whimpered in pain. Hanamiya cursed, holding his hand. "Oops, did I squeezed too hard?"

He was ready to fight you but seeing several eyes on him, the whole GOM, and Seirin team watching him, he decided not to push further.

Kuroko would scold you though, flicking your forehead before kissing it.

3 words. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.

One thing you hated was sharing Kuroko with your brother. "Ryou-nii! We're supposed to make out now! Get out!"

Midorima Shintaro

A Tsundere and a Phantom, what a perfect couple. Kidding. Midorima never thought about dating, the idea of love is not something he minded but when you spiked the ball directly into his face and breaking his glasses, he fell for you, literally.

"Oh, Midorima-kun, sorry!"

Just like your brother, Kuroko, you don't have a lot of presence. He actually taught you how to master misdirection which is a useful skill in your sport, Volleyball. It just happened that you're enrolled in Shutoku and was practicing your one-man spike while he walked into the court.

After that, you kept talking to him. You did not have a lot of friends except for your teammates and you saw Midorima as like your second brother.

Midorima would never admit that he likes you until Takao began to get close to you.

"(y/n)-san, Ilikeyounandayo."

You'd tease him with Takao, copying the way he acts. You'll learn more about horoscopes and oh asa and would always surprise him infront of his house with his lucky item for the day.

Although Midorima is not affectionate, he'll try his best to make you feel that he loves you in his own little way. He would even learn to play volleyball just to play with you. He's a great setter!

Your go to dates would be study hubs, museums, and stargazing.

Since you're very small compated to him, Midorima likes to hold your hand just so you won't get lost. "Shintaro, we're the only ones here." He'd flinched and stammer upon realising you are the only one walking around the park.

Kuroko knows your dating ever since the first day. Kuroko is always there to listen to your rants about your day so it is not a surprise when he sees Midorima eating with your family, stiff like a rock.

"Midorima-kun? Are you okay?" He asked and all of the eyes are now own Midorima who just wanted to crawl to a hole and never come back.

You would go to all his games, offering him a towel. He'll get startled whenever you show up out of the blue though. Takao always teases the two of you which ends up into Midorima beating him up.

Dating Midorima as Kuroko's sister is plain chill, no drama or anything. Both are honest and mindful.

Getting used to hanging out with 2 phantoms would be something he needs to get used to.

"(y/n)?! WHERE'D YOU GO?"

"Shintaro, I'm right infront of you."

#kuroko no basuke #kuroko's basketball #knb scenarios #knb boyfriend #kuroko tetsuya #akashi seijuro #midorima shintaro #aomine daiki #kise ryouta #anime #knb

[rikkaidaily]

Can I ask for Bokuto and/or Kuroo if you're doing Haikyuu for the character thing? If not, your analysis is so good! Love reading them

Send me a character and I will tell you

their biggest strength

If good vibes were a person, they’d be Bokuto Koutaro.

He’s just the kind of boy you’d love to have by your side, the kind of person you call at 2AM to ask if he want Ice cream and cross the entire city by bike with you to find a open shop, the one that’s always fun and games until the moment someone hurt his friend and there you’ll see how serious he could be.

He may be look just a lively happy-go-lucky one, but he truly understands people, and he cares about them even too much, and sometimes it looks like he’s saying the right thing at the right moment by chance? That’s not by chance at all.

He just vibes happiness around him, he’s really the top one of the fictional characters I’d love to have as friends in real life.

their greatest weakness

He can focus for shit. You see him in volleyball? He can actually focus there.

In class? He got distracted by literally anything. A bee on the window? The whole hour has passed. His train of thoughts is long, loud and full of nonsense. A class about the WW1 could lead him to question himself about if fish think jellyfishes are ghosts in less than 15 minutes. And wait for when he’s gonna ask out loud in class.

a headcanon about their childhood

He used to get himself in trouble because if he saw someone being mean with another kid he just goes act-no-think and found himself involved in a brawl he didn’t even mean to start.

a headcanon about their future (if they have one)

During the Olympics is basically banned from giving interviews because the team’s Marketing dept. wants to sell the image of a dark and dangerous underdog and he’s ruining it.

a small detail/scene that leaves a great impact

their philosophy/worldview (or part of it) described in one neat little sentence

“Believe you can and you will.”

their biggest strength

This guy is smart. But like 100% smart, not only volleyball-related smart, or top-grades smart. He’s got all the set of intelligences, he understand numbers, words and also people.

This is also thanks to his extraordinary memory, he rarely doesn’t notice something, and for sure he didn’t forget shit. But he had the consideration to pretend he did, if it’s the best thing to do.

their greatest weakness

It’d be a nice thing if he could understand himself as well as he understand others.

a headcanon about their childhood

In the first years of elementary school he often made mistakes by purpose in tests because he didn’t want his grades to be too high and make him become the class nerd. His teachers found it out quite easily.

a headcanon about their future (if they have one)

He’s still close with Kenma, also taking care of his website and social media as a web developer. He’s an excellent SSM for his customers but his personal social media are a total mess.

a small detail/scene that leaves a great impact

their philosophy/worldview (or part of it) described in one neat little sentence

“What you stay focused on will grow.”

#anonymous #answer #thanks for asking! #sorry it took a while #i have lots of thoughts about those two i'm so glad u asked them! #bokuto koutarou #kuroo tetsurou #haikyuu!! #headcanon #Anonymous

[freddieslater]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Joe West x Martin Stein (The Flash)

Requested by @light-miracles

Hearing the name was the first thing that tipped Joe off. When Barry said it while talking about Firestorm, he thought surely not.

Surely it's a different Martin Stein, somehow. He can't quite tell if he was hoping he was right or not, but he convinced himself he was, that it's all just a big coincidence.

But here he is, and there's Martin. Standing across from him in the Cortex of S.T.A.R. Labs. Despite it being well over a decade or so, he knows immediately that it's him.

Martin shifts slightly, eyes down, focused on nothing particularly interesting as the team talks away, unaware that neither of them are in their little bubble.

He saw him, Joe knows. They looked right at each other the second he walked into the room. He watched Martin's eyes widen behind those same glasses, the look of utter bewilderment on his face. And in came Barry and Iris and the rest of the team, going straight into introductions and figuring out a game plan.

Joe thinks it's a good thing; it gives him time to wrap his head around this properly, think through what to say when he gets the chance. But no matter what runs through his mind, nothing feels right. Nothing eases the twisting, churning mixture of feelings he's got going on inside of him right now.

"Joe?" Barry asks at last, snapping him out of his daze, dragging his eyes over to meet his slightly concerned gaze. "Does that sound okay?"

In all truth, Joe has no idea what the hell Barry just said. His eyes dart off to the left.

"Uh, what? Sorry, didn't catch that last part."

Martin's eyes flick to him for the second time since he walked in.

"I asked if you could stay here with Stein, make sure everything's okay here while we head out to catch the Meta," Barry repeats gently, and Joe's aware that he's gonna get a few questions about this later.

For now, he nods. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Just be back soon, alright? There's only so long I can stay away before Singh comes back to revoke captain from me."

Barry laughs at that. He promises, and he, Cisco, and Ralph head out while Caitlin and Iris relocate to the lab in the back of the room to go over what they have so far on one of their other cases.

Leaving just him and Martin. Alone again.

Martin clears his throat and Joe lifts an eyebrow an inch, watching him, waiting with this annoying little flutter in his chest.

"So..." Martin starts uncertaintly, but he's looking at him, right in his eyes. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

Joe makes a quiet noise at that, half a snort, half a chuckle. "I guess forty-six years is a long time, yeah, you could say that."

Martin falters, as if he thought maybe he wouldn't remember. Or at least wouldn't know how long in exact numbers.

He draws in a deep breath, then nods.

"Things have certainly..." he lifts a hand to gesture at him, letting it fall back to his side a second later, "...changed. I hear you're a detective now."

"Well, I was majoring in law when we met, that shouldn't be all that surprising," Joe points out.

Martin smiles. It almost feels forced. Sad.

"It's not. I'm happy for you," he says, sincere. "And rather proud. Working part-time out of a lab? I thought you once said that science just 'wasn't your thing'."

"Oh, it's still not." Joe shakes his head, making a face as he glances around. "I'm just here to help out with the arrests and legal side of things, and because of Iris."

He stops after he says it. It hadn't really processed in his mind before it left his mouth. Martin's still wearing that smile, nodding now. He's got that look in his eyes; he always used to get it before, when he was trying to hide something.

"Yes. Iris. Your daughter. She's rather lovely. And a lot like you, from what I've seen."

"Well..." Joe shrugs. "I did raise her alone from the age of eleven. Guess some things just sort of stuck."

There's a flicker of surprise in Martin's expression. He doesn't comment on it, doesn't ask. Joe's admittedly a little relieved. Telling him about Francine just isn't a conversation they need to be having right now.

"I imagine you're incredibly proud of her," Martin says. "You should be. She's been nothing but kind to me since I got here. Very intelligent. Would make an excellent detective as well."

"Yeah, that's what she said when she wanted to sign up. I talked her out of it."

Martin nods, as if that makes complete sense to him. There's a glint in his eyes.

"You did say you'd never let your child go through the same tedious process as you did," he says. "It's good to see not everything is different now."

Joe hums in the back of his throat. He swallows and waves a hand vaguely at him.

"And--hey, I heard you have a kid, too. A daughter? Caitlin talks a lot about her. They went to some college together, I think?"

Martin nods again, though looks a little thrown. "Yes. They did. Lily is rather fond of her."

"And... her mother sounds lovely."

Caitlin's mentioned her a couple times as well from what he can remember of the snippets of casual conversation. Just little things about going with Lily for family dinners.

The comment definitely catches Martin by surprise. Joe doesn't really know what he's expecting, but he hates that a little part of him is waiting with so much anticipation and dread, already regretting saying it at all.

"Yes," Martin says again, then shakes his head, clearing his throat. "Yes, she is rather extraordinary. A brilliant mother, too."

That same part of Joe sinks. It's just a little stab in his chest, nothing too painful, but still enough.

He presses his lips into what he can muster of a smile. "That's good. I'm happy for the two of you."

Something seems to register. Martin rubs at his jaw with his left hand. It's an old habit, a nervous tick he used to have and apparently still does, and that's why it takes Joe a moment to notice the lack of a ring.

His eyes widen a touch in realization before Martin even speaks. He wasn't going to say anything about it himself; like he said, things have changed since they knew each other. For all he knew, feelings and a whole lot more could have as well.

"Clarissa and I are no longer together," Martin tells him. He pauses, lifts his eyes to meet his. "We divorced a few years back. After I told her the truth."

The truth. "Oh," Joe says slowly.

"It was for the best," Martin says, shrugging. "I loved her more than anything, but..."

"But you weren't being honest with yourself," Joe fills in the blanks.

Martin stares at him. "Precisely."

They both know, the unspoken thing between them, desperately calling out for one of them to just acknowledge it.

Rehearsing possible lines in his head hasn't done him any good. It's like there's this giant elephant just sitting in the corner of the room and they're both supposed to pretend it's not there. But Joe's never really been all that great at ignoring things.

"I feel like I should be apologizing," he says, chuckling nervously.

Martin's brow furrows. "For what?"

Joe tilts his head and softens his voice. "You know what. All of it. I just..." He sighs, shaking his head now, trying to find the right words to explain.

"You weren't the one who ended things between us, Joe," Martin says quietly. "If anything, I should be the sorry one."

"No, I shouldn't have pushed you like I did," he says. "I got too caught up in it all. I thought that everything would magically be perfect after college."

"You can't blame yourself for liking the idea of a perfect world or wanting to get a little lost in a romance."

Joe just shakes his head again, pressing his lips together, a knot pulling tight in his stomach.

"I was the one who pushed you away, remember?" Martin points out, stepping closer. His hands are moving as he talks, palms up, like he always used to do. "I shouldn't have, I know that now, but I got scared."

"Of course you were scared," Joe scoffs, gesturing around them. "The world was terrifying back then--still is! Our entire relationship was against the law and every second day there was some news story about people like us dying."

Even just remembering it makes him sick to his stomach. The fear that was instilled in him. In Martin. They always tried to push it away, focus on the good between them. But it was harder, and the secrecy didn't help.

Martin stops in front of him. The look on his face is so familiar, it reminds him that not everything has changed. The way he's looking at him. A small comfort settles in his chest.

"That's why I had thought that what I was doing for the best. Ending things for both our sakes before it even really started. But--"

Martin shakes his head, his mouth stretching up into that smile. His shoulder sink and he sighs.

"I still regret it," he says. "To this very day. I thought that that day was the last I would ever see you, and I've spent forty-six years since wishing it had gone differently. I never wanted to lose you from my life."

Joe's biting his cheek so hard he worries it might bleed. He breathes slowly, his eyes stinging, and he blinks, glancing away from him.

"Yeah, that was the part I hated the most," he says, his voice tight and straining to his own ears. The pain is finally sinking back in after being ignored for all those years, and it's a lot heavier than he thought it would be.

"I really did love you, you know," Martin says softly.

Joe nods, biting harder. He meets his gaze again, and it's taking everything in him.

"I know," he tells him, sincere. He never doubted it, not really. "I loved you, too."

Neither of them knows what to say now. It's like they've torn the barely healed skin off of an old wound, ripping it open to bleed out all over again. The elephant is gone.

"Hey, dad?"

Joe's eyes widen and he quickly blinks, looking over at Caitlin's makeshift lab to see Iris peering out out of the doorway. It was easy to forget they were only separated by two panes of glass with no actual door.

"Yeah, baby?" he asks, hoping that she didn't notice.

"Would you be able to do a coffee run for us?" she asks, and smiles widely. "Please?"

Relief sinks in. She seems blissfully unaware of anything that just happened, her attention clearly caught up in the work.

He chuckles, and nods. "Yeah, sure. But, uh..."

He glances at Martin, uncertain. Martin smiles back at him and shrugs.

"I'll come with you. I doubt anyone's going to attack me in the middle of a coffee shop."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, we've seen stranger," Joe says, and Iris agreez.

Martin's smile widens. "I'll have to take my chances then. Believe me, I need some fresh air, as lovely as this place is."

"Great!" Iris says. "Oh, and could you maybe throw in a croissant or something? Cait's hungry and threatened to eat me."

"Hey! You're the one who said that!"

Joe shakes his head at them, rolling his eyes. He gestures to the entrance and starts walking, Martin going with him.

"Be back soon!" Iris calls to them.

#joe west #martin stein #joe x martin #martin x joe #the flash #arrowverse #legends of tomorrow #lot #moodboard #aesthetic #ficlet #drabble #rowing the rarepair rowboat #myedit* #so... I got a bit carried away #I have no idea why I got so into this one #but I did and I am both very happy and sad about it #joe and martin being college boyfriends? #this is canon to me now #I don't care that they're not the same age #they went to college together and were in love #let me have this #light-miracles

[gumnut-logic]

Plus One Tracy

Title: Plus One Tracy

Author: Gumnut

20 - 21 Jan 2020

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015

Rating: Teen

Summary: So which Tracy is right for you?

Word count: 2404

Spoilers & warnings: None.

Author's note: Well, this went in a direction I didn’t expect, but really I should be used to that now. I hope you enjoy it anyway. :D And bonus! I actually finished something :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

 If you should choose a plus one Tracy there are a number of things to be considered. Height, interest level, eye colour and mood are all important factors.

Height because these boys come in the ridiculous. If you want to kiss a Tracy you may need heels.

Interest level varies and as you will see further on, is rather more important than any of the other factors.

Eye colour is because they come in a variety of shades. It also helps if you colour coordinate.

Mood...well, trust me, you don’t want the wrong mood. Tracys can be volatile and dangerous if not maintained correctly. Also, if you happen upon one of the wilder ones, things can get scary.

So which Tracy is right for you?

Let’s start with the youngest.

Alan is sandy haired which is great for beach outings, though you might want to take the sunscreen or he will come back in various shades of red. Height is not an issue as he doesn’t have much. Flats are good for this situation, which is excellent since heels suck on the beach.

His interests generally involve lots of activity, so you’ll want to let him loose in wide open spaces. He will also chatter a lot, so be aware of this in public. To keep him quiet a small investment in a game console will work wonders.

Be very aware that combining Alan with one of his brothers, particularly Gordon, has been known to create havoc. Investing in Gordon along with Alan does have some advantages, particularly at the beach since Alan’s attempts at surfing often require a water rescue and Gordon is highly trained for such a situation.

Why Alan is incapable of surfing is a mystery as he is considered very capable at surfing in space. Like the issues his brother John must tackle, gravity may be the culprit.

As with all Tracys, his manners are excellent and he presents well in all social situations, with the exception of the Gordon factor. If Gordon is involved, all bets are off.

Also, boredom can be an issue and if left to himself, such boredom reveals that Gordon’s lifetime influence has left its imprint and the youngest Tracy will self-instigate pranks if left by himself for too long. So make sure you provide adequate stimulation and attention.

Of all the Tracys, Alan’s moods are the most manageable. He does not tend to go to extremes, though there have been some instances of extensive pouting when he is not allowed to do what he wants to. It is suspected that this is due to the Scott influence. Often this can be mitigated by hugging and extensive coddling. All Tracys respond well to such actions, but as Alan is the youngest, he has been subjected to this the most. Obvious suspects include both Scott and Virgil. Rumour has it that Gordon hugs often devolve into tackles and rolling on the floor. Please be aware of this as the youngest Tracy may take advantage of the opportunity to emulate his older brother.

Ultimately, though, Alan Tracy is a good choice for the lover of the outdoors and those who don’t mind a little quiet time. Bonus factors include the option to go into space, an excellent knowledge of our Solar System, particularly good reflexes and an untapped genius level of thought underneath his obsession with video games. Generally cheerful and attentive, Alan Tracy is definitely a good investment.

Now, if you’re into more watersports you may want to consider the next oldest Tracy.

Gordon Tracy is the water specialist. Compact and slim, this Tracy fits into a variety of marine vehicles and can be deployed in freshwater as well.

More of a strawberry blonde than his younger brother, and with russet brown eyes rather than blue, he can be somewhat reminiscent of a small terrier with a comparable risk to the furniture.

Gordon is the prankster of the family. From blue dye to itching powder to the classic kick me sign on your back he has done it all. This may be useful if you possess an arch-nemesis in society, however, in the majority Gordon prefers humour rather than vengeance.

Having said that, Gordon is one of only two Tracys with military experience. He possesses a uniform that can be flaunted for the formal occasion where his International Rescue wetsuit is not applicable. Associated military skills, including excellent marksmanship, may be useful in various social situations.

His interests lie in all things marine. You may be gifted the occasional crab or shellfish. This is a sign of friendship and trust. Note that caring for these gifts is mandatory, even the sea slugs, snails and worms. You may want to make it clear that marine organisms are not welcome at the dinner table unless they are part of the menu.

One advantage of Gordon Tracy is his smiles. He is a generally happy man and loves to share that happiness. Virgil has theorised that the pranks are one of his methods to do just that. Unfortunately, his brothers rarely see the humour in the super glue in their underwear.

As noted above, combining Gordon with his younger brother will lower his intellectual age by about half. Combining him with his other brothers, however, does provide for some interesting effects. If you add Scott Tracy to Gordon, there is usually one of two results. The first can be quite explosive as rebellion against the older Tracy can be spectacular, however, if combined at just the right point, the brothers’ shared military history can create an awesome synergy. At this point, should you want to take over a small country with just the determination present, you have a good chance of success.

On the other hand, combining Gordon with Virgil Tracy prompts him to prank and his older brother to uncharacteristically mirror the tendency. Gordon will bring out the humour in the heavy lifter and hijinks often ensue. However, it should also be noted that the two brothers do possess an somewhat extraordinary bond and despite their differences, make an excellent team.

One very useful if the prank requires heavy lifting.

Yes, Gordon Tracy is an excellent choice. It should be noted however that one of high society’s prominent figures may be interested in taking this Tracy off the market. Be aware that she is not to be trifled with, so if you are determined that Gordon is the Tracy for you, you may have to defend that position.

Violently.

If the quiet lifestyle is more your thing, you may wish to upgrade to John Tracy. ‘Up’ is the keyword here as he resides twenty-two thousand miles up, in orbit, in fact. Yes, John is the original space Tracy. Fully adapted to the cold and dark beyond our atmosphere, he does indeed adore the quiet life.

However, before we tempt you any further, it should be noted that John is the only Tracy brother who is a parent. A single parent at that. Inadvertent though her existence is, Eos is recognised as John’s daughter and she presents a number of unique challenges, the least of which is what she will do to your bank accounts if you upset her. Yes, if you are looking for bankruptcy, offending Eos is a fantastic way to achieve your goal.

In summary, don’t piss off the kid.

Having said that, should she approve of your existence, Eos is quite capable of enhancing that existence should she so choose. In any case, John’s daughter is a great conversationalist, even if she has locked you in the bathroom.

John himself sports arguably the most stunning eyes of all the five brothers. Alan, please be quite and Scott, sit down.

A unique pair of turquoise irises that contrast exquisitely with his copper hair makes for a stunning date to have on your arm. The only downside is that arm may need to be handcuffed to yours if you intend on going anywhere involving more than six people at a time.

Our space Tracy is not a social being. Despite communication as a profession, John Tracy has been heard to wish to only speak to others from space. This may include you. Please keep your phone charged at all times.

It should also be noted that if your phone battery is dead and John wishes to contact you, he may hack an appliance as mundane as your toaster. Communicating via the temperature controls in the shower has been reported. Virgil was not impressed.

John is one of the taller Tracys. Unlike Scott, however, heels may not be needed as ninety-five percent of the time John is in space, so if you are planning to get to know him, you’re going to be in space too. Just float up to look him in those gorgeous eyes.

A fan of spaceball and Star Trek, John is your traditional loveable geek. Be aware that his neighbour knows this and you may want to lock all the airlocks in case she comes knocking for a cup of sugar.

John is definitely a good investment and comes with a space station to boot. You will be able to spend many hours stargazing both at the universe and those irises.

If you feel you would prefer a more earthbound personality, you may want to consider the Tracy capable of moving that earth, in more ways than one.

Virgil Tracy is the biggest brother. Not the tallest, but those shoulders can deadlift all of his brothers with ease. You like muscles, Virgil is your Tracy.

Not to say that the other Tracy brothers lack muscles, the five boys are all very well defined. Virgil was just built for heavy lifting. You want your plus one to carry you anywhere, Virgil is your man.

Crowned with the darkest hair of all the brothers, Virgil’s eyes are chocolate brown, great for subtle and moody expressions. This is an important factor when you consider that he is the artist in the family. Skilled in both the visual and musical arts, the second eldest brother has the tools to serenade until you swoon.

Which makes his muscles useful again when he has to lug you off the floor.

Virgil is a full qualified engineer and comes complete with all the virtues of a home handyman. Capable of replacing tap washers or overhauling your fusion reactor, Virgil is happy tinkering and repairing whatever is needed.

He is the calmest of the brothers. However, early mornings are not appreciated in any way. If you need Virgil for a breakfast outing you will need copious amounts of coffee to get more than a sour grunt out of the man. In fact, breakfast outings are not recommended at all and you may want to invest in his older brother Scott if you need the early morning option.

In his position as second eldest, Virgil has extensive mothering experience. This is useful if you are high maintenance. This Tracy has the medical skills to both bandage and kiss boo-boos better.

Be warned he has been known to remove food smudges from faces with his finger and his own saliva. Keeping your face clean to prevent this embarrassment is highly recommended.

Virgil Tracy is an excellent investment if you are looking for an all-round nice guy. He comes complete with a range of accessories including wrenches, paint brushes and a honkin’ great green machine with which you may have to compete with for his attention...amongst other things.

If nice isn’t enough (and green is not your colour) and you’d prefer the rakishly handsome, daredevil, Jim Kirk kind of guy, then you might as well go straight to the top and get yourself a Scott Tracy. Built for speed, flirt and for swooping you off your feet, Scott will tick all the boxes of all people at your party.

Suave with a devilish smile, this Tracy knows how to work a room. The eldest of the brothers, Scott knows how to give commands and make sure they are followed. You may even find yourself caught in his thrall as sapphire blue eyes and chestnut hair, tinged with the grey of authority, lend their persuasion well to his cause.

This Tracy is built for speed and at Mach 20 there is no faster. Combined with his strategic mind and his terrible determination, this is a man who knows how to get where he wants to go and fast.

He is one hell of a ride.

Just be aware that should you piss him off, he may run you over, then back up and toast you with his afterburners, because big brother Scott has a temper. It is especially advisable not to injure or offend one of his younger brothers or any member of his family for that.

You won’t like him when he’s angry.

Ultimately though, beneath the commander and the bravado, Scott has a soft marshmallow centre...protected viciously by his brother Virgil. Remember those muscles? You don’t want to go there, trust me.

But treat big brother right and you become part of that family and he will defend you to the death.

Military option fully included.

It should be noted that Scott Tracy does not come as a single man. Alan will be coming with him because despite being eighteen, Scott isn’t ready to let the apron strings drop just yet. Also there are three other brothers to consider, and a grandmother. Scott Tracy comes as a total family package.

Bet you didn’t see that coming behind that suave and sultry smile, did you?

No?

Too bad.

Because really you can’t have one Tracy without the others. Despite the apparent simplicity of five billionaire brothers and their heroic lifestyles, these five are one tight knit group. You will never quite have a plus one, it will be more of a plus five.

And I have yet to mention your main obstacle.

You like the youngest Tracys with their sunshine smiles, or Virgil with his soft heart, John with his tender attempts at conversation, or even Scott as he stares at you with that worried frown on his face? Never forget what is standing between them and you.

Me.

Think twice before you commit.

Because none of the havoc the boys can cause can be compared to what I can offer you.

Remember that.

 Very sincerely,

Kayo Kyrano

International Rescue Security

And your worst nightmare.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Alan Tracy #Gordon Tracy #John Tracy #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Kayo Kyrano

[eyreguide]

A Detailed Book Review of Jane Eyre

My thoughts on the novel was originally posted in parts on the Bookish Whimsy blog for a readalong of Jane Eyre in 2013.

Chapter I - XI

Re-reading these first chapters I am struck by the fact that Charlotte Bronte started our introduction to Jane when Jane finally rebels against her bullying cousin John and the irrational hatred of Mrs. Reed. It’s a powerful representation of Jane’s character because although she becomes outwardly subdued and her passionate nature is restrained for much of the book later, it’s important to know that this is who Jane is, no matter the cultural conventions. As a child she’s not cute and cuddly and as an adult the “rugged points” in her character must be accepted by the people she allows to get close to her.

The other aspect I find so interesting is how quick Jane is to point out hypocrisy. I think I read somewhere that children excel at recognizing hypocrisy and what is and isn’t fair and while it’s pretty serious how unfair it is that Mrs. Reed shows such disdain for Jane and gives preferential treatment to her children, and how Mr. Brocklehurst is so intent on making the Lowood girls humble and plain yet his family lives in ostentatious luxury, Jane can put her statements about these circumstances in such a way that shows a very ironic and sly wit that I really enjoy. For instance:

-  “Abbot, I think, gave me credit for being a sort of infantine Guy Fawkes.”

-  “Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted. Thanks being returned for what we had not got…”

-  “Mr. Brocklehurst was here interrupted: three other visitors, ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs.”

It was great to read Jane grow into an adult - with her childhood memories sometimes tempered by the adult Jane who is telling the story so we can get that bit of humor and a little bit of perspective - like why she felt she was an outcast at Gateshead. Of course now that we are at Thornfield, there’s so much stuff to look forward to reading about!

Chapters XII-XXI

Oh Jane. I find your restlessness so endearing! When I was a teen, I would re-read those passages where Jane wishes to see more of life and “more vivid kinds of goodness” and really empathize with how she was feeling. I think this is one of Jane’s great monologues in this book, and I always find it funny how such deeply heartfelt thoughts are suddenly followed by Grace Poole and the strange laugh. It’s like those momentous thoughts of hers should be it’s own chapter!

Now Mr. Rochester! I just love him so. He acts so unconventionally with Jane from the beginning - and his sense of humor is so skewed! Cause it’s kinda mean how he didn’t introduce himself to Jane in Hay Lane. But Jane wasn’t even upset, so you know it’s true love! :D I love how Jane can barely follow and almost certainly doesn’t understand some of the things he talks about in their second conversation and yet she holds her own and comes up with great answers! The back and forth banter in those scenes between Jane and Rochester just remind me how much I love Charlotte’s writing because it’s intelligent with that touch of humor. And re-reading it I am again reminded how much I associate Michael Jayston’s voice and acting with Rochester now because I just hear and see him in this role completely! (I’m referring to the 1973 miniseries adaptation - my favorite!) Mr. Rochester is so talkative too, Charlotte makes it clear through Mr. Rochester’s words that he is falling in love with Jane, even if Jane is not so sure.

There’s really all kinds of moments in this section where I’m just gleeful every time there is an indication of Mr. Rochester’s interest in Jane. My favorite is the tantalizing “Good-night my–” Ahh, what was he going to say?? And then the whole scene after the fire in his bedroom is full of indications as well as the Gypsy scene, the scene in the garden after Mason’s attack and Jane asking for leave. These are all some of my absolute favorite parts of the book because this is the kind of romance I adore - the subtly indicated and gradual evolution of love. It’s just so beautifully done!

Chapters XXII-XXIX

The too short amount of time we get to see of Jane and Rochester’s courtship is one of the highlights of this book for me. So sweet and romantic on Mr. Rochester’s part and so sassy and teasing on Jane’s; I feel like this is a heightened idea of how Mr. Rochester and Jane’s conversations went towards the end of the three months they were getting to know each other in the beginning of the story. Where Jane was just beginning to realize her power of “vexing and soothing him by turns.” Their banter in these couple chapters just makes me smile!

But my favorite chapter in this book is chapter 27 - the one where Mr. Rochester talks to Jane after the interrupted wedding. The scene where Mr. Rochester’s secret is revealed is incredibly devastating, but in this chapter the emotional damage to this reader just gets worse. It starts with the fact that Jane believes Mr. Rochester didn’t really love her, to her realizing that he did and still does, but that doesn’t change the fact that she must leave him. And Mr. Rochester is deluding himself with a hope that he can keep Jane with him by promising to treat her as his only wife. It’s so tempting and Jane does love him, but she just can’t compromise her integrity and her moral beliefs and it’s an exquisitely painful dilemma. And even though Mr. Rochester has committed such a betrayal, I love that Jane forgives him almost instantly when she sees how remorseful he is and how much he still loves her. It’s such a big thing to forgive him for, but I completely understand it because Mr. Rochester is a flawed character and he tried this because he was desperate to secure Jane. This is the time that Mr. Rochester is totally truthful as well (it is his only recourse now) and when he has no more secrets and no more games to play but is earnestly pleading, it’s so darn moving! And romantic! So much of both Jane and Rochester is revealed in this chapter and I think that’s why I find it so powerful.

Jane’s three days wandering is a part of the book that I didn’t used to appreciate as much - it really is distressing to read how Jane suffered and was almost ready to give up. But she clung to her dignity and to her moral convictions. As if it wasn’t enough that she had to turn her back on the love of her life, she also had to suffer starvation and mortification! But again everything just reinforces Jane’s strength of character and makes her a fabulous heroine to look up to.

This section has all the extreme ups and downs of the entire book! Though I don’t really think of it, it is pretty odd that Charlotte Bronte plotted this story to have such a climax in the middle, but I feel the last section of the book is a genius addition that really completes Jane’s journey.

Chapters XXX-End

St. John Rivers - the anti-Rochester. Re-reading this part of the book again, I focused on all the things that made St. John the complete opposite of Rochester. And there’s a lot. St. John is blonde and fair to Rochester’s black hair and dark features, tall and statuesque to middle height and square-ish, a minister and philanthropic and you know Mr. Rochester isn’t that concerned with religion and early on Jane points out that Rochester’s brow is deficient where it should indicate benevolence. St. John likes to read at mealtimes and study, while Mr. Rochester can’t stop talking to Jane, St. John is completely honest with Jane and Rochester is considerably less so. Both however are intelligent, and both study Jane’s character well and find something in her to attract them but Mr. Rochester sees Jane as his equal and really better than him, and St. John sees Jane as the diligent workhorse he’s always wanted. 

That’s where I really have a problem with St. John. Sure he’s striving for good things, and wants to use his skills and intellect to make a difference and fulfill a duty to God, but with his dismissal of the individual needs of a person and then of a woman, it’s hard to feel very sympathetic with him. He continually puts reason above feeling and in doing so cannot understand the complete beauty of humanity. Of course for Jane, meeting him at this point in her life when passion has not resulted in happiness, it is great for Jane to see the other side. In this section Jane matures even more - she knows that she needs to be loved for herself and not what she can do. And she gets the family and financial independence to live free and contented on her own. 

So she can return to Mr. Rochester as his true equal - she doesn’t have to worry about depending too much on Rochester’s wealth and connections because she has some of her own. But I think the transformation Mr. Rochester undergoes is the greater. He’s so broken when Jane comes back - humbled and accepting of his fate - and what breaks my heart is that while Jane was strong enough to soldier on without him, Mr. Rochester was not. It’s too romantic that Rochester needs Jane that much. And he’s not just humbled by the experience, but also accepts God and his past. Passion balanced with reason. Just like Jane. Now they can have their happily ever after. I’ve long thought Jane Eyre a study in that balance of passion and reason - Jane was too passionate at Gateshead but tempered at Lowood by Helen’s reason, then Jane is pushed towards an excess of passion at Thornfield and an excess of reason at Moor House, to finally find the middle ground with Mr. Rochester at Ferndean. 

This book is just so extraordinary to me. It has so much depth and has resonated with me so strongly ever since I was a teen. I wonder what I would have thought of it if I had read it when I was older, but I’m so glad I had the chance to grow with this story because I’ve found so many different things to appreciate about it at different times in my life.

#Jane Eyre #Book Review #Charlotte Bronte

[amitojo]

5 Must-Read Books to Increase Productivity

I am constantly learning and trying on new ways to increase productivity. So in this post, I will be sharing 5 books that helped me do that and can help you too (should you choose to read them.)

If you’re not a reader, check “why I started reading books and why I think you should too!” here

For the past couple of years, I have been obsessed with increasing my productivity. Given the goals that I have set for myself, all the things I want to cross off my bucket list, and the speed with which I want to accomplish results, I just had to up my game. I wasn’t always like this though.

I wasn’t always conscious of my time, intentional, goal-oriented. My family used to consider me a “lazy” person, and so did I honestly. I had a “chalta hai” (indifferent) attitude. I used to procrastinate A LOT! There was no drive or any sense of urgency to make things happen. I have been an average student all my life until I “woke up” (you can read about my awakening here). It is only after I woke up that I started striving for excellence in all areas of my life. Over time, with introspection, I got clarity. And once there was clarity, I discovered a sense of purpose, a “WHY”, which intrinsically pushed me to do and be more.

I created a vision for my life, set goals for myself, made plans to achieve those goals. It is now harder for me to not do the work than to do it. It takes more effort and convincing to not work. Here are some books that helped me create the right mindset for success, abundance, and achieving goals.

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.

A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.

A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”

Greg Reid

Time is money!

We all have the same amount of time in one day – from billionaires to people struggling for survival – So it is not about the amount of time we have but what we do with that time that really matters. [Same can be said for achieving financial freedom — It’s not about how much money one makes but what one does with the money they make — tropic for another post perhaps]

Now, you may be thinking that different people were born in different conditions – it is not that easy for everyone, etc., – and that is a valid point. While it is true that conditions play a certain role, but at the end of the day, results are a function of action; What we do with the time we have determines the results we accomplish.

I know of and have read/heard stories of now financially free, successful people, who were at one point struggling for survival. So, if they can do it, anyone can do it.

There’s a saying:

“If You Are Born Poor It’s Not Your Mistake, But If You Die Poor It’s Your Mistake.”

Okay, now down to business…

5 books that will boost your productivity (in no particular order)

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1. “The One Thing” by Gary Keller

“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”

Chinese Proverb

This book is about the importance of focus and shares tips/tricks for how we can focus majority of our time on the things that matter the most.

“Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus”

“Success demands singleness of purpose. You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects.”

2. “The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich” by Timothy Ferriss

As the name suggests, the intention of this book is for one to create a 4-hour workweek — and this book is loaded with productivity bombs to help us achieve that. This book can easily be considered the Bible of productivity. It comes with exercises at the end of each chapter to put what we learn into practice.

3. “Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time” by Brian Tracy

The name says it all. In this book are 21 time-tested methods to increase your performance and get more done in less time. The best part, it is a quick read! This book also comes with exercises at the end of each chapter, doing which will certainly increase your productivity.

4. “No Excuses!: The Power of Self Discipline” by Brian Tracy

Self-Discipline is the ability to do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.

Elbert Hubbard

One of the main differences between successful and unsuccessful people is — Successful people make a habit of doing the things unsuccessful people don’t like to do. Successful people are more concerned about activities which are goal-achieving vs activities which are tension relieving (Long-term vs Short-term gratification.)

This book covers all areas of life (success/goals, health, finances, relationships, etc) and the importance of Self-Discipline in conquering all those areas. Again, there are several exercises at the end of each chapter so you can apply what you’re learning.

5. “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It”  by Michael Gerber

This book in particular is for entrepreneurs. It is about how one can systemize their business so it can work without them being present all the time. Make the business work for you instead of you working for the business.

There are adaptations of this book for particular professions as well such as doctors, accountants, contractors,  etc. – but I haven’t read them.

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Bonus Read — “Millionaire Success Habits” by Dean Graziosi” has some productivity nuggets in it. Also, it has exercises to know your “WHY”, Analysing your strengths so you can create your income while doing what you love.

In the end, I would like to point out that — Learning is not enough, application of what we learn is key! So whatever you do learn, be sure to apply them to get the results; Take action!

If you want things in your life to change, you’re going to have to change things in your life.

Happy Reading and keep doing your best! Tojo

#iamtoj #amitoj singh #productivity #performance #efficiency #tips #tricks #life hacks #must reads #self help #self help books #self improvement #self mastery #time is money #millionaire mindset #millionaire habits #success mindset #growth mindset #results #action