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#i think i did well on the 2nd essay though i got a lot of detail in
firstumcschenectady · 1 month
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“We Hope for What We Do Not See” based on Jonah 2 and Romans 8:18-25
Despite my enjoyment of the “Who Did” song1, I haven't preached about Jonah often. I may even have groaned when I looked at the texts for this week – even though I was the one to pick the essay from “We Cry Justice” and the accompanying recommended scriptures. I fear, though, that my avoidance of this text is unjustified.
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Because, the issues I have are really quite silly. Here we go:
Whales don't eat people. Nor do large fish.
Stomachs have acid, but not a lot of air, making them uninhabitable
You know, stuff like that.
But it turns out that taking a story literally and objecting to the pragmatic details is a really great way to miss powerful symbolism and deeper meaning within a story. So dismissing this story has only had the impact of keeping me from attending to the wisdom it has.
Which I noticed when I actually read the 2nd chapter of the book of Jonah, which is rather surprising. You may recall that in the first chapter Jonah was asked to to to Nineveh and tries to run away instead, gets on a ship going in the other direction, a storm comes up, Jonah suggests that the storm is God's way of saying he isn't listening, he suggests he be thrown into the sea, the sailors try not to do so, but finally they throw him in hoping the rest of them will live, and the storm quiets and the sailors are converted.... and then the whale did swallow Jonah. Down. ;)
So, given that chapter 2 is a prayer of Jonah from inside the whale, I think there would be just cause to assume that the prayer is either a lament that God put him in this horrid situation OR a plea for help, a request for forgiveness that results in Jonah being released from said whale? Right?
But it isn't. The prayer of chapter 2 is a prayer of THANKSGIVING, whereby Jonah seems to have already concluded that the whale is a means of salvation, and is thanking God for God's gracious actions. And that's a place where I noticed that there is something useful in this story, because … well, I'm not sure I'd have gotten there.
I think that if I had a sense of God asking me to do something I vehemently didn't want to do, that resulted in my very near drowning, and then gasping for air inside an enormous beast I couldn't talk to or control, I'd have missed the memo that said enormous beast was a gift from God. Really. I mean, maybe, 3 days in, hungry, thirsty, and still wet but shockingly alive I might have figured it out, but that's even kind of doubtful.
But Jonah's prayer starts with “I called to the Lord in my distress and [God] answered me.”(NRSV 2a) So, it seems like he got it immediately. (We're working with symbolism here people, let go of any assumption of factuality and let a good story be a good story.) And, the prayer is even specific, “The waters closed over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head...yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O LORD my God.” (5,6d)
Wow. Jonah is sinking to the bottom of the sea, hopeless, and helpless, and then experiences God as lifting him up from the place of death, of bringing LIFE out of DEATH. And, I'm kinda familiar with THAT metaphor, right? But this is a different angle on it.
For me, the incongruities of life in the belly of the whale finally recede to make space for the questions of life and faith. When have we been floating down to the bottom of the sea, out of air, and out of hope? There are a lot of possible answers to that, right? And our lives are different, so our answers are different. Grief can feel like sinking to the bottom of the sea– anticipatory grief and the utter horror of waking up and realizing someone you love isn't there Depression can feel like sinking to the bottom of the sea. Job loss and financial hardship can feel like sinking to the bottom of the sea. Loss of relationship. Abuse. Illness. Injury. Car accidents. Becoming unhoused. Failing. Flailing. A lot can feel like sinking to the bottom of the sea.
And what was the thing that picked you and kept you alive when you could no longer do so for yourself? Who or what was the whale? Was a phone call from a friend who cared? The arrival of flowers? The long, hard, careful work of a therapist? An unexpected welcome? An offer you couldn't have anticipated? The life restoring work of first responded and medical professionals? Someone showing you the ropes you couldn't figure out on your own? A good Samaritan?
How long did it take you to realize that you weren't at the bottom of the sea anymore, and you could breath (if only a little bit), and there might be a hope for dry land again someday? Was it immediate? Did it take 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 years?
I wonder, if sometimes the darkness at the bottom of the sea is so scary that we block out the memory of it, but with it we then block the memory of being scooped up. Especially because being eaten by a whale does NOT immediately seem like rescue. Right!?! At the bottom of the sea, one condolence card can't really make a difference – except sometimes it can. Sometimes knowing that someone else grieves with you, or sees you, or can share a memory that gives you a new story about a person you loved – sometimes that can be the whale.
Several years ago during a stewardship campaign, I was gifted the task of asking participants in some of our ministries what our ministries meant to them. As previously mentioned, I have a problematic tendency to be overly pragmatic, and while I delight in our breakfast program, I'm aware that it offers 1 meal out of an wished for 21 for a week. However, our guests assured me that the 1 meal matters.
Similarly, at that time we had Sustain Ministry, where we gave out soap and toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, and diapers to those who needed them. (Note: other organizations now do this work – thank God – and the need we were responding to then has changed.) I asked those waiting if they'd be willing to be interviewed, and I asked them why what we did mattered. One woman said that the resources we offered made the difference for her between being able to take care of her kids on her own and being financially forced back into an abusive relationship.
I loved Sustain ministry, but I thought it just made things a little easier for people whose lives were really hard. I didn't know it was whale picking someone out of the bottom of the sea.
In the fall of 2021, after about a year and a half of ministry during a pandemic, while adjusting to being a new parent, and with a few other significant stressors in my work life, I was a hairsbreadth away from leaving ministry. Truthfully, I had been, on and off, for 2 years by that point. More so, I didn't really know it. I knew I was really tired. I knew I felt like my ministry didn't matter. I knew every day of work was a fight, and I didn't want to fight anymore. But I actually didn't know I was near the bottom of the sea in my work, until our District Superintendent looked at me and said, “what you've dealt with isn't normal, you need a break. How long do you want? I'll find coverage and money to pay for it.” She was the whale, or maybe the 8 weeks I took off were. Maybe both? Let's go with both.
Sometimes I still meet people who know that I took that break – the announcement of it was shockingly popular on YouTube- and I watch them carefully dance around asking me if I'm still a pastor, or still a pastor here, or really what I do in the world now. They're often shocked to learn I'm still in ministry and grateful for it. (That's fair, a whole lot of people have exited ministry since then.) I continue to think I have a lot to learn to be in ministry in life-giving and sustainable ways, but the way I knew I still wanted to be a pastor and YOUR pastor was that once the day-to-day pressures were relieved, I found myself dreaming of what we could do together, and missing you. I'm been in those weeds at the bottom of the sea, pastorally, but I just needed some gulps of fresh air to be able to find the dry land. I'm really thankful there was a whale. And, yet, I didn't know how important the whale was when it arrived.
Romans 8 speaks of hope particularly directly, reconsidering the struggles of people and the world as labor pains of the kindom of God being born. While I don't want to sanctify the pains or struggles of the world, it would be really great if they were productive like that. If they mattered, and made new things possible. The essay from “We Cry Justice” today talks about the pain of ecological destruction, and the power of the people to stop horrible decisions, EVEN when money is on the other side. That people, together, have power. Which is a good example of the ways that the pain of the earth can become motivation for healing the earth. It is a way that pains can be labor pains.
Romans 8 also speaks famously about hope. “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” None of us can see the whale coming when we're at the bottom of the sea. Nor, even, could we know it is a saving whale if we did. But hope involves knowing that God is with us, and God is creative, and there ARE whales sometimes, and we can BE whales sometimes, and no matter what happens, we know a God who brings life - again and again.
Dear ones, sometimes God sends whales when we are at the bottom of the sea. Thank God. Amen
1For the uninformed: https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/10499923/100+Singalong+Songs+for+Kids/Who+Did+%28Swallow+Jonah%29%3F
February 25, 2024
Rev. Sara E. Baron  First United Methodist Church of Schenectady  603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305  Pronouns: she/her/hers  http://fumcschenectady.org/  https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady
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souryogurt64 · 2 years
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this might be something addressed in your essay but regarding the mythologisation of panic's origin story, do you think the mirroring of fob's dynamic was constructed? whom by?
no, not at all-- the entire first half of the essay is how literally every single time the story of panic is told, details shift. the basic story of "ryan was a fan of pete and they made contact online" is true. however, every single time they tell it, they say different things-- "email" "blog" "myspace" "website" "livejournal." additionally, they change details of how the band presented themselves to pete-- in some stories, they are pretentious haters, in others, they are insecure fanboys.
this is because the details of the story are not true because ryan did not reach out to pete. as far as i can tell, pete reached out to ryan. a girl in falloutboylove made a post about how she thought panic at the disco sounded like patrick and several people in the thread commented on the band being good and how ryan actively used the forum. pete, who notoriously lurked the forums, then made a post immediately afterwards asking for ryan to comment his email address.
the reason why i think they fudged it afterwards is 1) ryan was likely extremely embarrassed about the extent of his obsession with pete and very defensive in interviews when it was brought up and 2) both of them, but primarily ryan, held a lot of contempt and derision towards girls who were into bands because of their looks. ryan spent most of his time in falloutboylove hating on how fall out boy were popular ever since they toured with mest and a bunch of girls got the hots for pete. ryan then realized this worked well and started using his appearance and body to promote panic at the disco to these same girls-- not directly in falloutboylove, but in tangental spaces.
one thing i do think is interesting about the birth of fob, though, is that they hinge the inception of the band on joe and patrick meeting in the borders. this story is told identically every single time because the band is telling the truth. however, prior to this, pete had decided he was going to ditch hardcore and start a boy band with joe.
i think that story is pretty interesting for two reasons-- and because its less known. first, joe and pete met because pete lost his drivers license and joe came up to him in a gas station as an arma angelus fan and he started driving pete around everywhere.
joe was then inducted into arma despite being like 10 years younger than some of the members and subsequently hazed pretty badly. it got so dramatic that he left in the middle of tour and took a plane home by himself. this story showcases pete as a complete selfish dick that uses people-- which he is, or at least was at the time-- and the drivers license thing showcases how he was always kind of a trainwreck, and i think him being a trainwreck is very integral to fall out boys story arc. however, i think arma breaking up shortly afterward and pete ditching hardcore and running off with joe showcases how he does kind of have his heart in the right place in his own fucked up way
also side note before i get into reason #2, i think joe running off with this band at literally 16-- and pete convincing his parents to let it happen-- showcases both joes unhappy upbringing and petes skills of persuasion, charisma, and manipulation. plus petes whole peter pan thing.
secondly, i found the old forums/websites really interesting when i was like 15 for some reason, and i think there was this really interesting dynamic where hardcore bands at the time were almost all gross dudes in their mid-late 20s and there was obviously a lot of misogyny, but the bands were kind of popular with teenage girls. pete specifically really attracted them, i think, which was part of the boyband thing.
this is not necessarily unusual for them to do, or even deliberately. patrick is the 2nd frontman, for lack of a better term, and the lead singer. he is also petes special little princess and the entire band (rightfully) adores him and probably thinks it wasnt fall out boy until pete and patrick met. however, i think the first connection between joe and pete and the ensuing boyband idea is more interesting in terms of the evolution of like, scene or emo or hardcore or whatever.
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mirrorballwhoistrying · 5 months
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I wake up and it's October (28.10.2023)
I just feel a bit keyboard moody today I guess. Like October isn't over yet but I guess I should reflect on it before it flashes before my eyes and it's 2024 already.
October is also mental health awareness month, but I haven't caught up on my TikTok content for a while. Partly because I was occupied with finishing the AFP application and m4i program I guess. Another reason is I don't if I should carry on the way I created content on TikTok like before. It felt like hit or miss most of the time and I want to focus more on FB content.
A good thing was, that I finally informed my manager about my resignation! I'm a really indecisive person but once I made a certain decision, I would be really stubborn with it. This time I felt like it was really time. I told BKT about it and some close friends as well. I didn't know what to do after that, but I knew I had to make this decision instead of keep thinking about what-ifs.
We did a shooting again for Pchum Ben for KPComms. It felt redundant since I did it last year already, but it was fun still. I'm just glad that last year H asked me to do the shooting and opened up an opportunity for me to do something I never thought I could.
I also met V, V, and BKT for dinner. It felt good to reconnect with them once in a while. They represent a world that's familiar but also different from where I currently am.
Wow, I wrote all these and they all happened in the first 3 days. I think I spent the first week trying to finish the guidebook for SEA Fokus as well. The experience was traumatizing as well to have a manipulator in the team that used the project solely for individual purposes. It was tiring but at least I was happy to put all my efforts into something for once since the project started.
The exhibition day was not bad. I got to meet and connect with many people, but there was always this underlying feeling that I was not doing and socializing enough.
The next day I literally had to go to the pagoda with my relatives. Damn, there's a lot going on in October for real. My uncle still asked offensive jokes. Should I respond back in a rude way next time? I can't believe that this time I feel like I did well. I think my brother was more under pressure about the topic of marriage.
Just a day before Mental Health Awareness Day, I finally finished editing a video. That's the gift for the day. I'm just so happy that despite my insistent schedule of posting, people still care enough about my new video. but well, it's still no excuse to keep doing this.
On the 10th, I attended the opening orientation for the Chevening boot camp. I really am involved in everything and everywhere. I literally sat next to Chermeng and also met Piton. I can't believe it and they were also really friendly at the same time! They were really caring. I'm so glad to make new friends! I can't believe that Piton said he had watched my videos on TikTok. I'm so glad to make friends outside my usual circle!
I finally did the 3rd coaching session. I guess I made it so broad that I couldn't achieve what I set out to do in the beginning. There are only 3 sessions left. I also met March over the weekend and got to connect with him about his master's program goal. I feel like people really start to see, admire, and want to connect with you and vice versa when we do something that we truly care about.
Nothing super significant happened in the second half of the month to be honest. Mostly, it was all about preparing for the Chevening app. I attended the 2nd and 3rd sessions and I felt so inspired! I got connected with some people outside my circle too including a chief editor at Fresh News, and an employee at UNICEF. Wow! But what will I make out of this connection though? Let's see.
Piton also offered to review my essays too! Huhu, what did I do to deserve this! I also met b Ratha to ask for his pieces of advice about AAS. He provided some really interesting insights and ideas as well! I'm so grateful.
There came this week. I missed out the 4th session because I didn't finish my essays yet. I must say during the applications, I also feel like I discovered bits and pieces of myself as well. I really have deep respect for b Nara for organizing all this.
We also did a Halloween shooting this year. It felt underwhelming but whatever. I also finally organized Social Hour 2 with my team. It was really chaotic for me to organize the Zoom but I'm glad it was my first time to do it!
This month, it felt like the month of connections really. I got to connect with some people and deepen the connection as well like 7-8 people. I also did an interview yesterday with B Samang. I got to meet several people. I'm so grateful.
There was this one problematic guy but I should never let him determine my whole experience!
I had this one question at the start of the month about the negative feeling I had about networking. Why do we end up seeing people just for pure value and our own benefit? I think I got an answer. Networking is about building, taking, giving & maintaining. That one guy that ruined my perspective was he was lacking in giving. His whole networking experience was to see how he can take advantage of people which is really problematic. During the Chevening sessions, I discovered how networking could lead to such meaningful movement or collaboration. I should carry on this mindset.
I asked a speaker during a session about setting unrealistic goals. He said it wasn't wrong though because even if we can't achieve it, we would end up further than we could ever thought.
There was this underlying feeling about me being a jack of all trades. I kind of had to accept that I'm a multifaceted person with several passions. It's like we're going to watch the sunset. It's not wrong to stop at certain points to enjoy different views or take some turns. Life isn't about the destination, it's about the journey as well.
I still struggle with one point though about conflict confrontation. Maybe I'll discover how to handle that better soon!
I should start thinking about my next plan soon as well. My content plan? Erasmus+? Eras tour? Taiwan trip? EU volunteer?
Overall, I feel kind of satisfied with this October experience really.
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alissandrablanza · 1 year
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Life of a Paulinian College Student
When I first arrived in St. Paul back in August to enroll, I never really had big expectations of what my college experience would be like in this new school. There I was, transferring at 3rd year in college, where in fact I should have been graduating already. And so the several days that I was trying to finish enrolling myself and providing all the needed documents for transfer, I thought to myself “Just lay low, do my thing and let’s graduate without any hiccups this time”. 
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I thought classes started way too soon after that since it was the week right after the enrollment period but then again, who was I to complain. I got nothing else to do but study anyway, that’s why I relocated here in Cagayan in the first place. 
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And so the first few weeks went by, I had trouble with some classes since some major subjects coincided with others and even schedules were being changed by the professors too. The first month went by and I was starting to settle down and get comfortable with the schedule, the night classes, the commute, the traffic, and the unhealthy amount of SPUP corndogs that I’ve consumed for that one month only. I was getting adjusted well in my opinion.
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My classmates are a different thing though. The thing is, though I’m in my 3rd year, I have a lot of backlog subjects for the 2nd year. It’s because my previous school and SPUP had totally different curriculums so some of my units didn’t get credited for my new curriculum resulting in me having to take a lot of minor subjects. Also, other than me transferring over, I actually technically shifted my course too because in my previous school I was taking Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and it turned out that St. Paul was only offering the Bachelor of Science strand. I, for one, am not even looking to shift to a whole different course and so I just decided to take this option and shift to BS Psychology. If I were to be frank, I really don’t see myself taking a different path as I’ve already enveloped my learnings to my way of thinking and my perspective in life. 
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In that aspect, I was enrolled in multiple major subjects for BS Psychology students that I wouldn’t have taken if I stayed with AB Psychology. And the most exciting part is that the head of the Psychology department, Ma’am Anna Hernandez herself was the one teaching some of those major subjects. I thought to myself how amazing that is, to have an accomplished and distinguished professor for those heavy subjects. In addition, our Abnormal Psychology class was handled by someone that is both a registered nurse, psychometrician, psychologists, and a clinician in practice! I definitely made sure to listen attentively in our sessions because Sir Fabroa would sometimes drop some very informative and applicable bits of knowledge to us either from his practice or from his experience as a board exam student of many different courses. I would always jot down notes and keep it in mind especially some tricks Sir had told us on taking the board exams. I feel happy that I was able to meet and have such kinds of professors in this school!
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Despite saying all that though, I cannot lie and say that I did not struggle academically. In all honesty, I was not used to taking the periodical exams like in Prelims, Midterm, Prefinal, and Finals. I got used to my previous school’s project-based type of exam where we either construct a paper or anything deliverable but rarely a printed exam. In SPUP I find that the usual type of exam here was standard multiple choice, identification, fill-in-the-blanks, and even enumeration. I’m not saying every subject applied this to their exam style, but most of my subjects followed this way of measuring student’s performance and comprehension of the academic topics discussed by the professors. To be quite frank, I found it difficult to adjust to. In essays and projects, I had all the freedom to showcase my knowledge of the subject topic. On second thought, am I only saying all this to rationalize the fact that I score average in my tests? Are my observations and reasoning because of unconsciously sour graping? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But one thing is for sure, I don’t think the school would change the way they handle the academic policies and implementation just because some student posted about it on Tumblr. So, I guess I just gotta suck it up and get going huh? Anyways, I only have 3 semesters left before graduation. Hopefully I graduated without problems. 
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How is it like being a Paulinian student? Though I’ve been one for 5 months now, I don’t think I’ve got the answer yet. Honestly, I’ve yet to fully open up to my classmates. I go to school when I have classes and when it ends, I go straight home. I’ve never really explored what Tuguegarao has to offer me, nor Cagayan in general. I think to grasp the meaning of being a Paulinian is to also take into perspective the vicinity of where St. Paul exists in the first place. The culture and tradition of Tuguegarao, Cagayan is what highlights the St. Paul value. This is because St. Paul consists of students, teachers, staff, administrators, and even visitors that embody the life of the place. 
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This is why I have made a decision for the upcoming semester instead. I wouldn’t say that I’ve wasted my first semester by being reclusive, unsocial, and overall unwilling to open up and fully adjust to my new life here. This coming semester I plan to allot more time in school, staying in the library, eating in the cafeteria, hanging out in the Psychology Lab where all my fellow classmates hang out a lot in between classes, socialize more with my adings, take more pictures of the campus and actually, actually, nurture the thought inside my head that this is already my second home. My classmates and teachers are already my second family. 
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theloniousbach · 2 years
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HANGING OUT AT SMALL’S LIVE #15, 28 JUNE-13 JULY 2022
DAVID KIKOSKI/FRANK LACY, MEZZROW’S, 11 JUNE 2022, aired 28 JUNE 2022
BENNY GREEN SOLO, MEZZROW’S, 8 JULY 2022, 2nd Set
ALAN BROADBENT with Harvie S and Billy Mintz, MEZZROW’S, 11 JULY 22, both sets!
AARON GOLDBERG with Omer Avital and Kenny Washington, MEZZROW’S, 2 JULY 2022, 2nd set, aired 13 JULY 2022
It’s been a moment since I’ve framed one of these essays under the “Hanging Out” banner. I have listened purposefully, sometimes after the fact, to cast essays on the entire 9-10 June Pilc/Moutin/Hoenig run or two different John Ellis gigs to reflect on the role of rhythm sections or, most recently, comparing Alan Broadbent’s and Ari Hoenig’s trios both on 20 June.
I had put off writing about the Kikoski/Lacy and Green sets out of some disappointment and then Alan Broadbent’s gig was welcome and wonderful but also they had been the subject of my last essay. I had opted for John Ellis rather than Goldberg that same night. I’m left with a hodge podge, but I learn as always about the music and myself as a listener.
DAVID KIKOSKI’s duo gigs are interesting enough but uneven. He’s earnest, enthusiastic, and generous as he brings in colleagues, often, like FRANC LACY from the Mingus Organization, for interesting sets. I’d seen Lacy in a quartet and liked it well enough for his playing horn and fluegelhorn as well as trombone as well as singing. He brought that same eclecticism to this gig as well as a shared commitment to Charles Mingus, but this time around it wore thin and I gave up as the second vocal came around. Lacy may be one of those singular, almost primitive voices that Mingus could shape, even though I don’t think Lacy player with the master. It was a ragged set as perhaps his just are. I hoped Kikoski might have enough common language of Mingus to temper him. But he did not.
BENNY GREEN is a singular talent on the piano, lots of power but taste and invention. I got a quite moment in the midst of a busy weekend to catch a set I didn’t think I would/could. I was looking forward to some of that swing, but here he didn’t have a rhythm section to shape him and he was, if anything too introspective, matching his rather odd affect. Again, a bit of a let down.
I needed music when old reliable favorites The ALAN BROADBENT TRIO came around; I put them on resolving that instead of treating them as a focused meditation as I’d written about them last, I would put them on and watch both sets as if I was hanging out at the club socially. Indeed, I knew they wouldn’t entail a big expenditure of domestic social capital. But as always their taste, in execution and tune selection comes through. They opened with a Charlie Haden tune from his Quartet West days and did jazz compositions by Hank Mobley (This I Dig of You), John Coltrane (LIke Sonny), Lee Morgan (Ceora), a Charlie Parker blues, Blue in Green, and, a high point Tadd Dameron’s On a Misty Night. So they make a point of honoring those masters, but also going deep into the Great American Songbook—With The Wind and Rain in Her Hair and East of the Sun as well as familiars like Body and Soul and a very nice You Don’t Know What Love Is.
They are just comfortable and therefore are often what I need.
I’ve seen AARON GOLDBERG with Omer Avital where they’ve gotten a bit edgy, but here with Kenny Washington (who certainly is far from old fashioned) they, as with Broadbent’s steady band, they took some familiars out for good rides. I thought Sweet and Lovely was a Monk to open but the closer Green Chimneys is not that common Monk. I found Avital’s Homeland sinuous and North African to give them all but particulary Washington lots to work with. Avital has impish energy but I think he knew he had things to learn from Washington, so he listened extra hard. Equally good was a Wayne Shorter tune I didn’t know but will now, This Is For Albert. They also did Lonnie’s Lament. So a strong set, one of four. So there are three in the archive to check on.
And a reason to remember that, whatever disappointments, there is new stuff to revel in.
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enjennie · 3 years
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Bottom’s Up
synopsis: the dreamies during a night of drinking somehow end up talking about their exes, revealing the different types of relationships and exes they have or had.
a/n: this has been long been in my drafts so Jisung was still a minor here, thus I didn’t give him any drinks lmao. Enjoy! btw, I’m still deciding if I should make Haechan’s backstory for this, or if the markHyuck one should do…
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[10:37]
The boys have arrived, piling into Chenle’s condominium that was set up just to have their long awaited guys night. They planned this weeks prior, promising each other that after their finals they’d set aside time to drink away their thoughts and release any stress they have that built up.
By 10:50 bottles have been popped and cups have been poured, the boys sat in the balcony to feel the cool air of the city night.
“You guys really aren’t sharing?” Jisung watches as the older boys raise their glasses in celebration.
“You wait a few more months, sir,” Mark sets his glass down and pats the younger boy on the shoulder. Guy nights wouldn’t be complete without Jisung, even if he wasn’t allowed to drink yet. He never minded sitting in the living room, playing with Chenle’s console with Jaemin and then later on laughing at his older friends’ shenanigans once the alcohol hit them.
Renjun isn’t quite the drinker, but Haechan made him a bet and unfortunately, he lost. Being an art major wasn’t easy, he knew he had a few more things to finish before his semester ended but with that, Renjun drank to forget.
Besides his plates, he had nothing else to worry about. He’d been getting emails from companies waiting for him to graduate, a family happy to support him, but surprisingly, the boy lacked in the love department.
His previous relationships, only being flings and one night stands, none of them really ever stayed after the cuddles. Except… a particular someone.
On the opposite side of him sat Jeno, who was watching his friends in amusement. Now, Jeno has a high alcohol tolerance. Although he becomes chatty, and starts to excessively clean his surroundings, he takes care of his friends well. Usually he’s the one who tucks them into bed or prevents anything like drunk driving and some other stupid shit to happen.
Jeno the architectural major was the responsible friend in a night out. The single friend who starts playing the guitar to set the mood when 2am rolls in. And, the single friend with the broken heart, which hasn’t quite mended yet even after three years.
Haechan on the other hand, is a messy drunk but handles his alcohol well until the 2nd bottle. The boy has a lot going on in his mind, and was the first to initiate the plan to drink.
His phone rings, but Haechan dismisses it, tapping the red decline button and watching as the screen faded into black. Mark follows his eyes and hesitantly brings it up.
“Aren’t you going to talk to her?”
Haechan only shakes his head before taking another swig. Everyone knows well enough about Haechan and his girlfriend’s on and off relationship. They break up, make up, fight and the cycle repeats.
Mark’s adam’s apple bobs as he asks another question. “Why don’t you just break up? Y’know… for good?”
The boys around them seem to have noticed the tension that built up and had their eyes fixed on the pair.
“I don’t know, man,” Haechan is too drunk to think about Mark’s question. Too drunk to realize how Mark completely sold himself off to be in love with him with that one question. It wasn’t a big secret, especially since Mark has done a poor job in hiding it, but apparently not bad enough for Haechan to see. Everyone knew, except for the clueless boy.
Jaemin was too busy babysitting Chenle, who was having his first drink tonight, to even have shots of his own. He didn’t like drinking, anyway, and used Chenle as an excuse to keep sober.
Jaemin the medical student naturally tells his friends to lay off the alcohol, as it can damage their liver. He can only do so much though, as the others tend to be hard-headed and stubborn.
“I can handle myself!” Chenle protests, reaching for his glass which Jaemin took away. “You’re supposed to drink, eat a lot then drink again,” Jaemin explains. “You’ve only taken drinks so far, you’ll be knocked out in an hour if you keep this up,” He tells Chenle.
Of course, Jaemin knew his way around drinking. He just didn’t enjoy it, doesn’t like the bitter taste of it. Didn’t like how it made him think of his past either. Jaemin’s cup remains half full, and he uses this tactic to not get refills.
It keeps him away from his phone, sober enough to know better than to drunk text her. Even if her presence was all he yearned for at a night like this.
Jaemin x Reader – By My Side
[COMING SOON]
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[12:03]
As the night gets deeper, so do the conversations between the close friends. Just like Jaemin predicted, Chenle had his head down on the table already, passed out.
“Jeno, you know what to do,” Jaemin nodded his head, signaling the boy beside him. Jeno gave him his smile, which now looked more drowsy and silly because of his tipsy state.
Jeno lifts Chenle easily, with Jaemin assisting him, leaving the three boys on the table.
“I want ____. Where is she?” Chenle had his eyes closed, mumbling to his friends. Jaemin and Jeno exchanged looks and laughed at the younger.
Poor boy, had a ton of expectations to meet he couldn’t even date around.
Chenle’s main priority had to be his family, and their business. He couldn’t afford any distractions, but to him, she was more than that. She was his driving force, and it hurt the boy to be keeping her a secret. Only the boys knew about his secret relationship, if word got out that Zhong Chenle the son of the most well-respected corporate business owner was dating, it would be the entirety of Shanghai talking about it.
As much as he wanted nothing more than to show the world and tell everyone who he’s in love with, he knew she wasn’t ready to face it all and step into that kind of light yet.
Chenle x Reader – In The Limelight
While the two boys took Chenle into his room, it left the three boys and Haechan’s buzzing phone out in the cold night air that the terrace provided.
“What happened this time?” Renjun asks, in line with the phone that’s close to annoying the hell out of him if it doesn’t stop vibrating the entire table. Haechan had his head down, and he lets out a laugh. Humorless, just cold.
“I don’t get her. She wants me, then the next second she doesn’t,”
When the boy lifts his head, it’s made obvious of all the pain he’s been hiding. His eyes, teary and sullen. Renjun couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s face, clapping his hands and throwing his head back in laughter. “Aw, c’mon man! It’s only 12am,”
This, however, doesn’t humor Mark the same way. Seeing Haechan in pain was like a bullet through his heart. He gave the boy a pat on the back and watches as his head fall once again. Mark swears he saw a tear fall too.
“I’m not just an object you can set aside, then use when needed,” Haechan continues to wail. Although he was already drunk, Mark felt that Haechan’s words were the most sober when he wasn’t.
As for Mark, the literature major didn’t care much about alcohol. However, it did get his creative juices flowing. Most of Mark’s best written pieces were done when he couldn’t even remember writing them.
During blurry nights intoxicated in alcohol, Mark’s thoughts flow easily through him and onto the sheets of paper that lie around his room. Sometimes, he’ll drink on a school night to get an essay finished for it’s due date the next day.
But seeing as he had no pending things to write, Mark drank for the sake of trying to numb himself somehow. Although it didn’t work well when the person he’s trying to get his mind off of is sat right beside him, thinking of someone else.
Mark x Haechan – Always, I’ll Care
[COMING SOON]
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[1:13 am]
When Jaemin and Jeno came back, Jeno was already carrying a guitar. He strums it softly to a random tune he came up with on the spot. Haechan, of course, was singing along. Throwing in words like ‘baby’ and murmuring a few words about love. By now, Renjun’s cheeks were pink and a few hiccups had already escaped him.
“Do you remember that girl Jeno dated second semester of senior year?” he says, out of the blue.
The boys need not ask who, as they all knew who Renjun was referring to. The group of boys burst into fits of laughter and the guitar takes an abrupt stop as its player shoots his friends a nasty look for bringing up his past unprovoked.
“You were smitten, bro,” Mark smacks Jeno’s shoulder as he giggles.
Jeno daggers his eyes to Renjun, who has his head thrown back, laughing.
“How about you, huh? What was her name? _____-“ Jeno begins his avengement by mentioning the name he knew would get back at Renjun. He gets cut off shortly.
“I’ll stop you right there, sir,” Renjun places a hand over Jeno’s mouth before he could speak the name.
“C’mon, how many years has that been though?” Jeno asks after getting the boy’s hand off of his mouth.
“Two, and what about it?” Renjun defensively counters, surprising the other boys.
“He knows! Wow, do you keep count?” Jaemin chuckles, amusement all over his face.
“Shut up, ____ ,” Renjun points a finger at the male, mentioning the name of Jaemin’s past lover. Jaemin’s jaw drops and he crosses his arms,
“That was low,” The corner of his lips tugged into a smile nonetheless.
“C’mon, guys. It’s not like we’re releasing bad omens talking about our exes,” Haechan tugs on Renjun to sit him back down.
“Easy for you to say, you’ve only had one ex and she’s your girlfriend,” Renjun huffs. No one dared to speak the name of Renjun’s ex around him aside from people who have balls like Jeno, Jaemin, Haechan and Mark.
It wasn’t because he was bitter about her. But try as he might, there was a feeling within him that says she’s the one. Or she was. And Renjun was stuck, thinking about all the what if’s. Even after 2 years.
Renjun x Reader – To Be So Lonely [COMING SOON]
“I see things are getting heated over here,” Jisung stood by the door to the balcony now, with a sly smirk on his face.
“Ah right, let’s talk about mister lover boy over here,” Jeno motioned to the younger boy, who surprisingly is the only one to have a love life at the moment.
Jisung was courting the student body president. He could not, however, get her to answer him, but the boy never gives up.
“You must have some balls to hit on your senior,” Jaemin comments. The student body president was in fact two years older than Jisung, but the boy was determined.
Jisung x Reader – Like A Fool
[COMING SOON]
“At least one of us is progressing in terms of love,” Renjun sighed.
“Jeno’s doing well though, isn’t he? Lots of girls always after him,” Jisung gestures to the male beside him who’d started playing the guitar once again.
“I don’t think that counts as doing well,” Jeno mutters, absentmindedly.
“Oh yeah? And how does having half the school pine over you not count as doing well?” Jaemin lightly nudges his friend.
“Because the one I love, is in someone else’s arms right now,”
And cue the exaggerated crying and wailing of his friends, who’d given him sympathetic pats on the back.
Jeno x Reader – We Find Love
[COMING SOON]
“Oh, man,” grumbled Haechan, clearly already very intoxicated. He placed his head between his hands to try and stop his world from spinning. “I got to go to her, I have to say sorry,”
The boys all averted their eyes to the boy who looks to be having his spiritual awakening.
Mark’s heart dropped upon hearing Haechan’s words. He looked down at his hands and sighed. It wouldn’t be the first time Haechan had a sudden realization and wanted to be in his girlfriend’s arms right then and there.
It usually happened when he was smashed drunk, after the 7th or 8th cup. Asking his mates to take him home and running into the arms of his girl.
Mark didn’t know why he wasn’t used to it at this point. It isn’t and never will be him.
“No way,” Jaemin tutted. “You gathered us all here to drink and bothered us for weeks then you’ll flake midway? I don’t think so,” The other boys agreed.
Renjun stretched his arms and fell back onto the chair he sat on. “What’s with the sudden change of atmosphere anyway? It’s like we did release bad omens when we spoke about our exes,”
“You just had to bring ____ up!” Jeno threw a fry at his friend, who was the first to mention his ex and start the discussion. Renjun caught the fry in his mouth, surprising the boys and himself.
“Let’s just drink up,” Renjun raises his glass in the air, although it’s half empty.
“Nice try, here have a refill. We’re all taking equal shots,” Mark had risen and was now reaching for the bottle of beer to pour his friend’s glass.
“To… I don’t know- fuck! To getting fucked up!” Haechan yelled, raising his glass in the air.
The rest of the boys do the same, clinking glasses together and downing it mercilessly to their livers.
Relationships come and go, but the dreamies are always here to stay.
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autumnslance · 3 years
Text
About Plagiarism
I left a long, planned essay on Twitter tonight. I will copy the meat of it here for y’all, as recently a friend was copied (a rarer ship in the fandom, so very noticeable by the writer and their regular beta reader) and it seems we need a Talk, kids. Links and screenshots and my rambling underway.
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Apparently we need to discuss what is and isn’t plagiarism. Especially in FanFic where we're interacting with the same characters, settings, ideas. Let’s start with the dictionary and continue the thread from there (I like the word origin/history personally):
Definition of plagiarize
transitive verb  : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive verb : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize
If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.
“Ideas” is fuzzy in the Merriam-Webster definition. There are story archetypes that exist in many forms. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth/Hero's Journey outlines many famous stories. And it's popular to say that “Avatar” is “Dances with Wolves” is “Pocahontas” is “The Last Samurai” etc.
But note how while those films have similar plotlines--”Military Guy falls for Native woman, learns to appreciate her Culture, stands up to Evil Bosses”--none of them execute those ideas in the same way. Sully’s story is different from Dunbar’s not just cuz one’s a Science Fiction epic and the other a Western. Disney's “Pocahontas” Very Loosely takes history and uses the same story beats. The Last Samurai uses the Meiji era Westernization. Same ideas, different executions, even beyond settings.
None of these are plagiarizing each other though the ideas are similar. They’re told in their own ways, own language; both in the genres they belong to (Western, Pseudo-History, SciFi, Animated) and how characters interact with each other and settings. Original dialogues (variable quality).
We also see this in books as similar novel plots get published in waves so we end up with bunches of post-apocalypse teen revolutionaries or various vampires or lots of young wizard stories all at once. Sometimes ideas just happen like this; multiple discovery, simultaneous invention, concurrent inspiration, cognitive emergence are all phrases I’ve seen for it. So it happens in original content as well, and legality gets fuzzy (Also why you don't send authors your fanfic ideas).
In existing properties, this gets trickier but even “Elementary”’s Holmes and Watson are nothing like the BBC’s “Sherlock” characters. Who are nothing like other versions of the Detective and his Doctor pal over the decades in various media properties.
FanFic's in a similar position where like Sherlock Holmes we play with the same characters, setting, and storyarcs but give our own spin to them. People can and will have similar ideas about plots. Trick is to use your own words. Take the characters and make the story your own.
I have a good example courtesy of @raelly-writing​. We both ship Wolcred. We both wrote soft post-Paglth’an scenes with Thancred and our WoLs. Both features the couples helping each other undress, examining injuries, bathing, bantering. My fic was written soon after 5.5 part 1 came out. Dara’s is much more recent. Yet at no point reading hers did I feel she was copying my words. The PoVs differ. Our characters focus on different things. Mine has a mini-arc concerning the Nutkin.
The links for comparison’s sake (and maybe leave kudos/comments if so inclined please and thanks). Note while the scenes are very similar no phrases are written in the same way. Mine: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417882/chapters/76059467 Dara’s: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26067565/chapters/81832915
Dara and I both hang out in certain Discords and I know conversations about Thancred and WoL caring for each other post-battle has come up in those channels and we've both participated. It’s a stock FanFic scene to boot. Cuz it's soft and feels warm and snuggly.
I HAVE been copied before, back in WoW. My case is pretty clear cut so here are the images of my old RP Haven profile (1st, old RP website) and the plagiarist’s RSP (2nd, an in game mod to share descriptions and basic info). 
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This was a decade ago on Shadow Council and I think the character deleted so any Availa’s in WoW now aren’t the same person. I left the names to point out what changed. Just the names and a word or 2 to make sense for the class changes as well. Otherwise lifted directly from my RP profile.
The funny part is how the person got caught. Literally walked into our weekly RP Guild meeting that I was running and asked to join. Folks noticed right away the similar backstory; after all there may have been more Outland-born Azerothians. My initial excitement at a character I could weave into our story turned to gut-twisting rage and grief as I recognized my own exact words though. Words I’d carefully crafted and constantly iterated on to improve over time (before and after this incident, until the site died).
When caught they tried to claim their significant other had leveled the character for them and made up the backstory based on Skyrim. If you know WoW’s Outland story and Skyrim’s plot you know how ridiculous that is. Also tried to lie about other drama I knew about thanks to roommate's characters but hey. I had to be blunt that I’d shared the info with Haven mods and other guild officers Alliance and Horde. That we would not “laugh about this” one day though lucky this was “just” RP not original or academic work. Cuz if it'd been monetized or academic I would've raked them through the coals.
I felt violated. Hurt. Had anxiety attacks. They took MY WORDS and tried to claim them as theirs. Have another character born in Outland trained by Draenei; Awesome! Our characters have an instant connect in similarities and differences of that experience. Don’t steal my characters wholesale!
Then the audacity of trying to come into my guild as if no one would notice. ShC wasn’t a large server by then, still active but not nearly Wyrmrest Accord or Moon Guard big. My character was well known due to my writing and RP. Speaking of how easy it is to get caught in specific spaces...A case of a self-published novelist getting noticed for plagiarizing fanfic was discovered recently (explicit erotica examples through the thread).
One way they got noticed was how much content they put out in only a year, lifted from fandom. The examples in Kokom’s threads show how the material was altered but still recognizable. In some cases, just the names are changed as in my experience. In other passages more has changed but you can still see the bones of the original fic poking through in the descriptions and character interactions, even with adjustments made.
Similar ideas happen. Similar plots exist. Same 'ships with friends are fun! In FanFic we’re working with the same material. It’s possible to write a similar scene differently. To make that scene and characters your own. All we’re asking is not to copy others' words. Others' characters. Others' specific phrases and descriptions used to bring those words, those characters, to life. Use your own. In the end you’ll be happier.
I get wanting to have what the perceived “popular people” have. I get seeing concepts others succeed with and wanting some of that too. We all get a bit jealous now and then for various reasons. Sometimes we don't even realize it, consciously. But do it in your own way. Maybe check to see if you’re getting a bit too close to the “inspiration” you admired, maybe reread often. Don’t hurt your fellow creatives. If you do and get caught don’t try to double down. Have the grace to be abashed at least and work to do better. Eventually you WILL get caught. All it takes is once to throw all else you've done into question. Ao3 doesn’t take kindly to plagiarists. Nor do a lot of fan communities focused on writing and RP. Getting back that trust is hard. The internet doesn’t forget easily, for good or ill.
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seventhrounder · 3 years
Text
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I went thru my folder with old hockey magazines I had saved from around 2011 to 2015 and came across this one and thought it could be a fun to make a post about now in hindsight.
This is Jääkiekko magazine from May 2012, they always have a section of "99 questions with ..." and in this issue they interviewed Teräväinen.
I’ve translated the questions I found interesting under the cut! It ended up being about half of the interview. (*) are my additions.
On the cover "seuraava superjokeri" means the next super joker, he played for Helsingin Jokerit so it's a word play from that. Under, on the blue print it says: "The 17-year-old forward will become a first round draft pick in the summer. The natural goal scorer can dominate in SM-Liiga as soon as next season."
In the 2nd photo the headline and lead paragraph goes:
"A post with dents* - A year ago Teuvo Teräväinen was known only within a small number of hockey insiders. Few passers-by recognize him now either but after a flashy rookie season the Jokerit sensation is on the radar of every NHL team and is a strong contender to become a first round draft pick. Next season with Jokerit the talented second line center will be one of the main talking points in the SM-Liiga."
(*references the net Teräväinen had in his backyard and into which he practiced his shooting)
3. You've been described as a magician, top scorer, wunderkind and a prodigy. What do you think of these descriptions?
TT: Heh, those are some descriptions yeah. What can I really say? Don't really wanna comment on them much.
4. How nervous are you about the Draft?
TT: I try not to be nervous as best as I can. In a way I don't have anything to be nervous about since I don't care which team picks me or at what number I go.
6. Which is stressing you more, English interviews or physical tests?
TT: Maybe both. Bench press (laughs) and English interviews can be tough.
12. How far along have you planned your career with, for example, your parents or your agent?
TT: Haven't really planned things with others but I've thought about them myself. I try to go step by step and not jump too far ahead.
14. How does it feel to be so young with all the star players in Jokerit?
TT: How to say it? I haven't felt like I was young but a part of the team instead. The team's been very good with me and they haven't been looking down at me like: "oh he's young". It's been fun to play in an experienced team.
15. Is there a generational gap between players?
TT: You can see the age difference, older players look older but we're all childish, at least with our topics.
17. What does a 17-year-old do in the sauna nights of the team?
TT: I actually haven't been in any yet. I've always been at national team's camps or something.
19. Did you get the number you wanted?
TT: I did, yeah. I could've taken #18 but Semir (Ben-Amor) has it. But i'm happy with #86, it's good.
23. What are your strengths as a player?
TT: Offensive play and with that playing with the puck, passing, IQ, power play and skill, just the usual skill - skill with hands.
24. And weaknesses?
TT: They are to do with defensive play, strength and physicality. Battles and such but I think I took a step forward last season. That's a good thing.
25. Have you ever been "pressed into a mold" or has your playing style gotten to develop naturally?
TT: As a kid the play was mostly offensive/attacking, I didn't have to think about playing defence. Up until 15 years old, I got to attack pretty freely. Playing defence became more important when I started to play in A-juniors a couple seasons ago.
26. On a scale from 1 to 10 how determined are you?
TT: Maybe 8, feels like an 8.
32. What kind of role are you planning to take with Jokerit next season?
TT: I think a pretty big one. I try to be a top player and not just take others' example but give others example myself too. So that someone in the team can take something out of the way I do things on the ice and off the ice.
35. If you could pick anyone, who would be your car driver?
TT: Nico Manelius for sure. He's been my driver this season. I've had others too, like Riku Hahl but he's not nearly at the same level. Nico’s clearly the best.
36. What are the most important qualifications to be a good driver?
TT: The car is obviously important. Hahl's car is totally awful, he takes a lot of heat for it from the guys too. I wouldn't dare driving with him. Manelius is a steady performer, never lets you down.
38. What sports did you play as a 10-year-old?
TT: Hockey and floorball, probably football (soccer) during the summers at the time too.
42. When did you decide to focus only on hockey?
TT: So when I stopped playing other sports? Three years ago, before that floorball was kind of a side thing, I played a couple of games in the regular season and playoffs.
45. Do you follow floorball or other sports? Go to games?
TT: I don't go to games but I like to watch floorball on TV, it's an interesting sport. Sometimes I watch football too but I don't follow it much. Feels like they never score there.
47. Have you ever played with a wooden stick?
TT: As a kid I did play with a wooden stick.
49. You won the hockey players' golf tournament last summer even though there were more experienced players too. Are you good with all stick games?
TT: Well, I've been pretty good in all of them. I've played golf for a long time and still play it.
50. How is your swing?
TT: Pretty bold, kind of a hockey swing. I don't really care where the ball goes - as long as it goes far.
52. What do you think of off-ice training?
TT: Let's just say it's more stupid than being on the ice but you still gotta do it to be better on the ice.
56. Which word describes your professional relationship (with his coach, Tomek Valtonen), tranquil or colorful?
TT: Colorful of course. At times we're joking around, other times it's more serious but the relationship is really good.
57. Coaching you has been described in many words: good, bad, worse. What are they?
TT: Heh, well... I won't tell them here. He (Tomek) keeps the discipline during practices but sometimes when things haven't gone to a plan I've had to jump on an exercise bike in the middle of a practice.
58. What have been the reasons?
TT: I'll quote Tomek: "when I haven't been present".
59. Have you ever tried to turn the resistance of the bike to zero?
TT: (Laughs) Of course I have and sometimes I've even succeeded.
60. Describe your diet in three words?
TT: Greasy, healthy and good!
64. Your first name is not common for people your age. How did your parents come up with it?
TT: I actually don't even know. Maybe they didn't want a usual Ville*....
(*very common name for men of all ages in Finland)
66. Which of these is the most important: skill, unexpectedness or courage?
TT: Skill!
68. Your longest video game stint?
TT: Six hours, at least. I've played a lot of War of Duty lately.
72. The dumbest thing that has made you upset in hockey?
TT: Probably if I didn't get an assist on a goal even though I should have. Or even worse is if I score and they mark it down for someone else.
79. Have you had any concussions?
TT: I haven't had any, I've managed to always dodge them.*
(*ouch, tho it's good the recent one is his only as far as i remember)
84. In 2011 Team Finland finished in the 5th place at the U-18 tournament. Why only as 5th?
TT: Because we lost to Team Russia in the quarter final, just as well we could have won that game too.
89. You didn't get to be on the ice to accept the SM-Liiga bronze medal (because of the U-18's). When and where did you get it?
TT: I actually still haven't received it, I don't know where it is.
93. What is the population of Helsinki?
TT: There's like 5 million people in Finland so maybe around 500k in Helsinki? (to be exact 596k) Did i really get it right...?
94. Who's the mayor of Helsinki?
TT: I don't know, I barely know the president.
95. Do you think the municipalities in the capital city area should merge?
TT: Luckily I don't have to decide but they probably shouldn't.
96. What do you check first in the news paper?
TT: The sports section.
97. Your favorite tv show?
TT: Putous* was pretty good, I liked a lot of the characters. The grandma was pretty good.
(*Finnish live improvisation comedy/sketch show (there are still new seasons, the latest just finished). Every actor comes up with a humor character with a catchy phrase and one of them wins. "The grandma" is Marja Tyrni and I just got such flashbacks from typing this sentence.)
98. Last book you read?
TT: I don't read many books. The last book was a study book, a Finnish book. I wrote an essay on Tiki (Esa) Tikkanen's biography. An eventful book, great career and a lot of chirps.
99. Who should we ask the 99 questions next?
TT: Riku Hahl could have good stories, he's also seen a lot of the world.
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imperiuswrecked · 3 years
Note
To me, it doesn’t make sense to make Magneto the main villain because it has been done so much before and it would connect it so much to the Fox Films. Also I think there is a GREAT laziness in writing Magneto especially in films. He generally didn’t want to kill all humans, subjugate them yes because he doesn’t trust them. Which isn’t a ‘good guy’ move in itself and he slips in and out of.
He legit murdered genocide I think when he was going to kill all humans. Like no.
I also think that the average cinema goer likes Magneto too much… or maybe that is me. It would also require them to recast the most famous faces of the franchises?
Like is anyone going to care if they recast Jean, Scott, Iceman, Rogue, Kitty, Beast even Mystique but Magneto? I don’t know. I have long been a fan of an actual Jewish actor playing Magneto but following Ian McKellan would be difficult for the casual fans to accept. I don’t think Fassbender left such an amazing impression.
Even my most average MCU fans friends (and god they love the MCU 😤 but I see past it) still talk about how much they want to see a Magneto solo film.
To me I would put the focus on their reveal and sentinels. Then again I thought they’ll go through Krakoa stuff. Like it turns out the mutants have been living on this Island etc
With the ‘simpler times’ comment I have to for the sake of my sanity have to think that it was because Pietro knew where he was. Things were clear to him, as much as it hurt he had his sister. The following trauma had not occurred. Again I don’t think this is true but I am trying to reason bad writing. He didn’t doubt his morality but was indebted and controlled. Shitty actions were out of his control.
I don’t read Avengers so I didn’t know he was shelved for so long.
I think the Trial of Magneto is trying to ride on the coattails of Wandavision because even though she’s not a mutant a lot of the internet was wanting Magneto to show up. So what is the best way to get those fans who wanted to see that? Set up a family comic book where they establish the family again because I guess the MCU fans heard they’ve changed their background and themselves didn’t like it.
I see the Trial of Magneto as something poorly thought out as they saw what the audience was interested in. The timeline kind of clashes uncomfortably with Inferno. Which makes me think it was wedged in there to ride the Wandavision train and undo the retcon on the side of the main storyline.
Thank you for reading my essay/rant
Ok so I'm going to first say you have a lot of great thoughts and great on picking up the whole forced feeling. You are right, it does feel wedged in there and it does feel forced because that's exactly what Marvel did.
The Trial of Magneto was supposed to be an X-Factor plot, it was Leah Williams next arc, here's an article link talking about her podcast: link (yes I know it's bleeding cool but I don't have time to listen to the podcast)
Leah Williams tells us that X-Factor was canceled because Leah's pitch for the Magneto/Wanda story for X-Factor, now called Trial Of Magneto, became such a popular pitch at Marvel but they thought the reader numbers for X-Factor wasn't big enough for this story, so they wanted it as a separate comic. And canceled X-Factor #10 rather than seeing it run as originally planned, with the Trial beginning in X-Factor #15. Williams says she only learned about the cancellation of X-Factor when she was writing #9, so as she had to finish the series quickly, squeezing six issues worth of story into those last two issues, calling it "cramped and rushed".
So I'm not a fan of Leah but the way Marvel treats it's writers has always been terrible so this cancellation doesn't surprise me. Could this be about W*ndaVision? It's likely, but it's more likely this has to do with Hickman bowing out. It's no secret literally everyone hated the retcon and I always knew it would be undone but I didn't think it would take 6 years but here we are.
Hickman leaving is a bigger thing, he stated in an interview ( link ) that he had planned Krakoa and X-Men to be a 3 arc story, and he wasn't allowed to move onto the 2nd arc because the clowns at Marvel liked the idea of Krakoa too much and I'm so mad because that's exactly the kinda behavior that annoys me with the fans, them thinking Krakoa is just a fun playground for the mutants to mess around with.
"Oh, plans have changed entirely," Hickman says. "When I pitched the X-Men story I wanted to do, I pitched a very big, very broad, three-act, three-event narrative, the first of which was House of X. And while this loosely worked as a three-year plan, I told Marvel upfront that I honestly had no idea how long the first part would last because there were a lot of interesting ideas that I had seeded that other creators would want to play with, and so, we left this rather open-ended. I was also pretty clear with all the writers that came into the office what the initial, three-act plan was so no one would be surprised when it was time for the line to pivot." Hickman continues, "However, I also knew that I was cooking with dynamite, and it was very possible that what I had written in House of X, and the ideas contained within, was not actually the first act of a three-act story, but something that resonated more deeply and worked more like Giant-Size X-Men, where it would represent a paradigm shift in the entire X-Men line for a prolonged period of time. So, during the pandemic, when the time came for me to start pointing things toward writing the second-act event, I asked everyone if they were ready for me to do that, and to a man, everyone wanted to stay in the first act. It was really interesting, because I appreciated that House of X resonated with them to the extent that they didn't want it to end, but the reality was that I knew I would be leaving the line early."
I'm so MAD because the thing I was predicting, that Hickman would have it come crashing down and everything would be revealed to be terrible and Mutant Death Sex Cult Island wasn't a paradise is never going to happen because the fucking CLOWNS at Marvel don't want him to move past it. I may have my personal gripes about some of Hickman's writing but we can't deny the man wrote one of the best if only the best Marvel Event with Fantastic Four/Avengers/Secret War.
As for the simpler times comment, like I have my theories that I wrote out here, and that's what I think is most likely but I do think Pietro's life has never been easy or simple once his adoptive parents died. Pietro could be drinking to a time before the Brotherhood.
I would love for a Jewish actor to play Magneto and any other characters who are Jewish. I would love for a Jewish writer to be able to write them too. However Ian's performance literally set him in the minds of the people as Magneto, not even Fassbender's bleh one note Magneto could compare. Imo the only reason people liked the younger Magneto was because he was young, handsome (? ig idk i dont simp for him) and they could ship him with young professor X (cowards. where is the old man ship???) But I feel like a new actor could definitely fill the role if they are Jewish and the writing was good.
Magneto's writing in comics... well I just wish we could have a Jewish writer for him. There's some great stuff for him but I feel like characters like him and Doom could be written better by non white/american writers.
Although by today's standards the og X-Men trilogy doesn't hold up I will defend the first two movies with my life simply because after Blade these movies opened up the idea that a good serious, non campy version where characters called Magneto and Cyclops were taken seriously. X2 in my mind was the definitive X-Men movie. Was it totally comic accurate? No, but it doesn't do what the MCU does, it doesn't treat the watcher like they need to have their hand held through all the military propaganda and "hints to the comics". Also side note; the reason no one cared about any of the other X-Men being recast is because all through most of the X-Men movies the focal story point has been Professor X vs Magneto. If they really want people to care about those characters/actors then we would need stories that focused on them. Not like how Storm barely had any character growth or plot in the og X-Men and even young Ororo got mishandled by the script. This is why I feel we should have "origin movies" for the X-Men that don't do what Wolverine Origins did and try to make a whole new cast but instead should use the stories as they are. If it was Kurt's story then we would see him join the X-Men, and have the other actors revolve around that. Same with each of the others, the X-Men work best when they are working off each other and each given enough screen/page time to shine. Unfortunately we all have our favorites, even movies and writers, so those are who are going to be pushed for fans to love.
Thank you for your long rant and sorry for my own long rant/reply.
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macgyvertape · 3 years
Text
Castlevania kinda had a pacing problem
spoilers for all of Netflix’s Castlevania. I haven’t seen much analysis for the show on tumblr, im honestly curious if discussions I had with irl friends mirror what fandom talks about
tldr: Castlevania seems inconsistently paced from season to season, and within season as well, leads to a lot of characters motivations feeling unclear so characters repeatedly explain why they are doing something while they’re doing it
overview of the seasons:
S1 I know somewhat of a test for Netflix but it has good main trio character establishment and sets the scale of the conflict
s2: pretty complete emotional arc for most characters and resolves the plot of killing Dracula while setting up additional characters to continue the story. Isaac, Hector, Carmilla all established with the audience as characters whose story would continue
honestly I would bet this is the most popular season
S3: s2 did a bit of worldbuilding, but this season really fleshed out the world with both a wide range of locations and exploring the question of “what now, Dracula is dead but vampires and night creatures remain”.
There were basically 4 plot threads: 1) Sypha/Trevor investigating the cult & Saint Germain; 2) Hector & Carmilla (also introducing Lenore, Striga, Morana); 3) Isaac’s journey of revenge & self discovery; 4) Alucard sits around the castle and is betrayed.
overall characters roughly feel like they are in the same place if not worse. A big criticism I saw at the time, which hold up after rewatching this before s4 is nothing felt resolved for the main characters
I would say this season is where the pacing issues start to become apparent, juggling 4 plot threads that lack a central theme or even mutual character connection. If there was a central theme it would be “humans are awful to each other”. The Judge doing Hot Fuzz style murders, The Wizard in the tower, Sumi & Taka
S4: it starts with the same 4 plot threads, though upfront it is made clear that the plot theme is “people are trying to resurrect Dracula”, and the progression of the plot works to resolve unrelated plot threads until the main trio reunites for the boss fights. To me and my friends watching it was obvious that the show would reunite the main trio, the question was how and how far into the run time.
Season 4 is why I’m writing this essay, for the past 2 days I’ve been like, yeah that character sure explained their motives repeatedly maybe with some philosophical discussion, but it’s just such a weird place considering where they were in s3
Alucard’s arc:
Where he was left in season 3, it was after killing people he had trusted in self defense and impaling their corpses. It was clearly meant to parallel Dracula’s dislike of humanity. However overall his character lacked a proactive motivating force.
Honestly the most interesting thing I found in s3 was Alucard clearly misses Sypha and Trevor, however they don’t miss him or refer to him
One reason Sumi & Taka betray Alucard is for the secrets and power of Castlevania. After inviting the village including St Germain who Alucard was warned of into the Castle, Alucard makes 0 effort to secure anything, not even his personal childhood room. Guess he really learned nothing
Discussing St Germain, I think it’s funny that they had a several minute flashback sequence for his lost girlfriend (who doesn’t have a name or a voice actor), to remind the viewer of who he is, and to justify how he’s suddenly back and down for murder.
In s4 there is the call to help the village, and the walk back to the castle is a montage of Alucard opening up to Greta and becoming friendly literally overnight. He laughs off the impaling, and basically all of the darker things he went through in season 3, which has me asking what was the point of his season 3 arc then? 
Honestly writing this I realize the biggest parallel he has with Dracula is the call to action from a bold woman with a dramatic entrance speech which then leads to a romance
Isaac’s arc:
in s3, with all the other themes of “humanity sucks” I was always unsure if the townspeople were meant to appear irrational while attacking a larger force instead of letting him pass through an leave, or him not caring about how he’s provoking them is meant to show his insanity
ive seen the discussion elsewhere, curious about the Discourse here
is s4 Isaac has the whole monologue about how he now has agency but him gaining that agency was his s3 arc. In s4 he’s already at the point of accepting it. By the end of s4 he’s one of those who comes the furthest from his first character appearance to his last.
s4e5 where of Isaac attacking Carmilla in Isaac’s 2nd appearance had him resolving like 4 plot threads at once (Carmilla, Striga& Morana, Hector, and Isaac himself).
but i do wonder if Trevor, Sypha, or Alucard even know any of these people exist. I think not
I was honestly confused if I missed a scene from his dialogue about building something and what is inherent nature, to “My plan has evolved, my plan is now conquest” because he only conquests the one castle and the rest is left unclear
Upon rewatch the connection there is “killing [the wizard] felt just ... I liked that feeling”, so the show says that Isaac in the end attacked Carmilla for the sake of justice and not revenge.
Isaac in his last conversation expresses the theme of s4 “build something new on these old bones, where people can live for the future”
however, his arc honestly feel scenes were cut, and then dialogue was written around it. He’s the only living character who doesn’t show up in the epilogue and the sentient night creature “what if I could empty hell” dialogue was some of the most interesting worldbuilding. Night creatures with sentience and possibility of regaining memories!!!!
The Council of Sisters & Hector’s arc:
oh I’ve already seen s4 discourse about Lenore/Hector while searching for character analysis, a chunk of it seems to be rationalizing the absolute difference between how s3 ended with these characters and s4. It was extremely confusing for me and my friends; wondering if 1) was Hector showing more emotional intelligence than before and putting on a facade to cover up hatred? Nope 2) did more time pass than 6 weeks for there to be some kind stockholm syndrome? No, Hector seems fine to let Lenore kill herself
The slave control ring: played up in the climax of s3 and easily solved s4. s3 Lenore says if he tries to harm them, flee, or take it off it would cause crippling pain, in s4 Hector just easily cuts off his own finger.
for a control ring that they take time to show a version being on the Rebus, it doesn’t do much controlling of Hector
also guess the definition of “do harm” just refers to direct action
Lenore in s4: has no purpose in conquest, has that useless remarked on by multiple characters, is imprisoned, then kills herself after a genre aware philosophical discussion. This essay is long enough, but what the fuck happened to this character who ended s3 clearly physically and sexually abusive? Seriously this was one of the biggest writing changes to the point where she was treating Hector as an equal. Compare her last words in s3 “shh the real people [vampires] are talking”. The change in the relationship is actually something I would have taken being shown, or atleast told of what exactly caused this change other than the vague “you adopted him”
Striga&Morana get the best arc of the Council. 3 scenes: the tent argument, Daybreak armor fight & argument resolution, declaration of feelings and turning away. You could argue Castlevania is plot to be connective tissue between fight scenes, but for all the dialogue about human resistance in different seasons it was nice to see it. Overall the scenes were short but had a lot of showing what their relationship is not just telling,
unlike Carmilla. For as much hyping up as they did with her, and as much power as she had, she only appeared in 2 episodes and no other group except Isaac knew about her military conquest.
the map scene where she states her motive for conquest of wanting to take things from old men is the key example of how characterization became tell not show. How interesting was that monologue compared to the past seasons flashback to her murmuring the old vampire lord, or all her repeated insults of men/man-children that shows how she judges people??
That monologue had to carry the weight of justifying the Sisterhood bonds falling apart as well as why her motivation changed from building a human pen from Styria to Braila to world conquest. I think it did so poorly
Sypha & Trevor
really Sypha & Trevor have the main plot in the show. I checked and post season 1 the only episode they don’t appear in is s4e6, which is entirely devoted to the Isaac, Hector, and Council of Sisterhood arc. Their partnership and adventures are the main plot of the show.
Its easy to see what Trevor’s arc was over the show: coming to peace with the deaths of his family, taking up the mantle of being a Belmont, and starting a new family with Sypha.
With Sypha I actually had to scroll through tv tropes for what is her character arc, and I guess hers is disillusionment from adventure and life outside the speakers? My friends joke that Sypha’s magic is what the plot demands to look cool in a fight, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Tangent: the ending of their arc was easy to guess: as soon as Trevor went to fight the final boss alone I literally said “oh i bet Sypha’s pregnant, Trevor’s doing a heroic sacrifice, theyll use the unexplained magical dagger mcguffin, and 60/40 odds that he goes through an infinite corridor to outright come back vs just the implication he might come back”
I guess my final thought of the show, was overall the SUPER Final Boss got my by surprise. It was a good twist I enjoyed. Not that Death appeared, I had guessed that from the heavy foreshadowing, but I was surprised by who it was, because I had thought I thought the characters involved feeling shoehorned into the plot was just more bad writing. The Alchemist who put St Germain on the path or murder for no discernible motive for helping? Sure gotta move the plot along. New Dracula court member Varney who has a whole introduction with almost every character he meets and banter about his smell? Sure thats basically how all characters talk with a snarky and acerbic voice.
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subsystems · 3 years
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not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but i just read your essay deep dive on the plural community and i have two questions
1) were empowered multiples originally coming from a stance of “we weren’t created out of trauma” or “we aren’t disordered” bc from your essay, i got the impression that the original debate was about how empowered multiples were more functional than survival multiples bc they didn’t need tw , therapy , etc
2) where do the ideas of tulpas originally come from
Hey, anon! Thanks for the ask! Sorry for the kind of long answer.
For your 2nd question on tulpas, this article might be helpful to you.
For your 1st question, empowered multiplicity came from a stance of “we aren’t disordered.” Empowered multiplicity = non-disordered plurality. That’s really all that there is. 
If you’re interested in more, though, here’s a bit of a ramble under the read-more...
Back in the days of empowered multiplicity, it became a pretty popular community over time before phasing into the non-disordered plural communities that we now have today. That’s why, in my essay, I tried to look mostly at the people who coined the term “empowered multiplicity” and how the early community was using it.
The plurals who came up with empowered multiplicity were called Shaytar and Bekaio. They ended up creating a website/forum specifically for empowered multiples called MultiGardens.
Unfortunately, a lot of these extremely early things (talking prior to 1999) just weren’t archived but if you find anything cool, hmu!
In a later essay that they wrote in 2000, Shaytar explained that they came up with empowered multiplicity with Bekaio simply because they needed a word that wasn’t DID/MPD. They said that their idea of multiplicity was something entirely separate and different from DID. It could be either traumagenic or non-traumagenic...it just couldn’t be DID.
Why did they use the term “multiplicity” for this despite its inherent ties to DID? Well, in their essay they explained that they only used the word “multiplicity” because they originally believed they had DID...and they simply had no other word to convey their experiences at the time. (And also later expressed that if they had found the soulbonding community first then they probably would have used their terminology instead of the DID community’s.)
Even though Shaytar and Bekaio were the coiners of empowered multiplicity, it was really Dark Personalities’ interpretation of empowered multiplicity that popularized the concept. Their interpretation was particular ableist; they made the empowered multiplicity community EXTREMELY focused on functionality. Their interpretation hinged on this whole idea that people couldn’t be empowered if they were “soft” survivors who needed therapy, trigger warnings, and safe spaces--which is ableist. I get it, but it’s flat out ableist.
I mean...sure, at least the empowered multiplicity community was sometimes accepting of survivors, but it’s really the things they were saying about disabled survivors. Even if some of them were fellow survivors, some of the stuff I read on those websites was like a fucking sucker punch.
To quote Collective Phenomenon: “I don’t give a rip how functional you are or think you are in comparison to other multiples– if you call it ‘MPD’ or ‘DID’ or refer to yourself as a disorder, you are not an empowered multiple. You can call yourself whatever the hell you want, but when your page is about nothing but your therapy sessions and how much you hate being multiple and all those icky alters and your newest horrible flashback that made you want to go jump off a cliff, all I can say is that there’s nothing new under this sun. ” (X)
^ The ironic part is that this is from an essay on why empowered multiplicity was inclusive of survivors...just not the disabled ones, lol!
As you can guess, a lot of people were fucking angry and hurt over all of this stuff. Looking through these old websites showed nothing new to me. The same discourse people are having in the present day were being had all the way back then.
The only archived piece of MultiGardens I could ever find was this one page from 2000 announcing when they were shutting it down. Guess the main reason why they shut it down?
The answer: Syscourse.
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maxwell-grant · 3 years
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You are your top 5 Shadow agents
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I don’t talk about the Agents as much as I should, even though I constantly try to stress their importance, because I’m working on essays for them individually. To be honest, I think about the Agents practically every day to the point I have a hard time separating my headcanons from the actual canon material, but I have to stay true to it, and the lack of material regarding them means that the only way I can truly talk about their characterization is by diving deep into the novels and taking notes, which I don’t have much time to do, and then finding the right books or moments to talk about, which is even more difficult. 
This by no means constitutes my big thinkpiece on them, but it’s a start, and ultimately narrowing it down was a lot harder than I expected. This order is by no means final, if you asked me this question next week or next month I’d probably have a different answer, but it’s the 5 that I find myself thinking on the most. 
Honorable mentions: Jericho Druke and Myra Reldon, who are incredibly awesome characters conceptually and who have great moments each, and whom I definitely think deserve big turns on the spotlight if the Agents ever get put on the spotlight again, but are held back by issues with their presentation and lack of prominence. Margo Lane, whom only just narrowly missed the cut because, as much as I like her and think she gets an underseved bad rep and definitely has great things going for her, I sadly have to concede isn’t as consistently great or well-written as she should be. Clyde Burke, whom I definitely like a lot based on what I’ve read and consider an integral part of the line-up, but haven’t read enough of the novels he’s in to really solidify him as one of my favorites just yet. And Slade Farrow, who is a bit too complicated to talk about superficially.
Allright, so here they are
Number 5: Burbank
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As the center of all communications within The Shadow’s network and the only character in the series who is even more mysterious and elusive than The Shadow himself, Burbank is fascinating and the kind of character who simultaneously seems to be both begging for an in-depth exploration and yet who also should be dead last on the list of mysteries about the series we want spoiled, because nobody wants the mystery ruined. He’s a bit of cipher personality-wise compared to the other agents, but he kind of has to be, and I think it helps to illustrate the many forms the agents of The Shadow can and should take, that one of them is this total mystery whom we know nothing about and yet is so vital to the whole thing. And it’s interesting also because, for all the many variations we’ve had on The Shadow’s life and thoughts and feelings and etc over the years, Burbank has stayed more or less the same. Whatever variations he’s had in design aside, Burbank just is. 
The pulps did often have moments where we would get to see moments that told us a little more about Burbank, gestures he did, capabilities he had and didn’t have, little details Gibson would sprinkle in to keep people fascinated. Several scenes with Burbank are almost presented like you’re watching a movie, in the way Gibson keeps describing his face being mysteriously blocked from view by objects or lighting, like not even in your mind you are supposed to know what he is. And it’s all the more fascinating because, unlike The Shadow, as far as we know, Burbank is just some guy who’s good with tech, who was only recruited in the 2nd story but apparently knows The Shadow from before it, and whom The Shadow entrusted with virtually every secret necessary to keep his operations running. 
It’s kind of a sign as to how utterly neglected the agents are that, to this day, few writers who’ve ever touched The Shadow has ever come close to giving us any sort of explanation or backstory or anything on Burbank, and I refuse to believe these people had that much self-control. Of course I have my own ideas for Burbank, but even I would hesitate to put them on a story, because Burbank epitomizes that double-edged sword that comes with a solid narrative mystery. Burbank just is, and hopefully he will stay that way. 
Number 4: Dr Roy Tam
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Mention of Dr. Tam meant much to Sayre. He was acquainted with Roy Tam, the Chinese physician. He knew that Tam was a power in Chinatown; one who worked for good
Unrolling a map, Tam showed the entire Manhattan area, studded with tiny dots in districts quite remote from Chinatown.
"These represent my outposts," he said soberly. "They are places, owned by Chinese - restaurants, laundries, curio shops, other places of business. In each of these places, I have a friend."
The Shadow understood. Dr. Tam was the motivating factor among the Chinese who adapted themselves to American ways. His mission was to create good will among races, to put an end to prejudice and superstition.
A newer and more sober spirit had replaced the old and dangerous festivities. Feuds in Chinatown were a thing of the forgotten past. Dr. Tam and his associates had done much to bring about the present sentiment; but there were persons - even among that group - who felt regret at the passing of old traditions.
Dr Tam is a remarkably layered character for one that only appears in about ten stories, and he’s one of the agents I’m most eager to discuss in-depth. He’s another one of those agents that Gibson introduced by tricking you into seeing him as a villain, as a Yellow Peril cliche, until he is revealed to be in fact a good man. Not just good, Roy Tam is presented as a powerful, influential and cunning Chinese man with a lot of assistants secretly working for him, and who is consistently presented as a progressive, pacifistic, benevolent civic leader and ally, even friend, of The Shadow. 
Tam is very much westernized and the stories paint that mostly as a good thing, and this is one of the areas that I think could very much result in an interesting story that looks at the ramifications of his role, because of course not everyone is going to agree with his viewpoints, of course him being an advocate against superstition and tradition isn’t necessarily a good thing (and it’s not how Yat Soon, The Shadow’s other major Chinese ally, works, which puts the two at odds), and of course it’s a complicated situation, but the fact that Tam invites this kind of debate at all I think is something very interesting
Largely because of the movie, Dr Tam is one of the few agents of The Shadow who’s managed to sustain appearences in modern stories, and none of them have ever really went with his original angle as a powerful civic leader. Instead he’s been largely painted as either a scientist, like in the movie, a general practitioner, and a psychiatrist, and his age has been all over the board. 
I prefer him in his original form but I also very much like the idea of Roy Tam being, like the Chinese supervillains he was created to be a subversion of, an incredible genius who’s got skills in all fields that can fit under the “Dr” part of his job and is also an incredibly capable leader able to unify splintered communities under a cause of unity and cooperation, someone who absolutely could be the adventuring genius so many other pulp heroes are, except he dedicates himself wholesale to his community and the fight against prejudice and the betterment of lives, even if he’s misguided or wrong at some of the causes he takes up. I really think this character could partake in really great stories if ever brought back.
Number 3: Cliff Marsland
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(Fan-art by @cryptixcreations)
Cliff may have actually been the first agent I really fell in love with based on concept alone, even before I read the stories he was a part of and started loving all of the others. He’s one of the few agents who has prior history with The Shadow and we get ever so tantalizing hints at his background that we ultimately never get to learn about in full. He’s the resident tough guy and underworld contact of The Shadow, which in any other series might have made him the biggest badass and a loner action hero who’s too cool for things like thinking and relying on others for help. But here, trying to be that only gets Cliff into trouble, and circumstances gradually morph him into the series equivalent of a Team Dad. 
He was one of the agents who we got to see develop as a character. As he appears more frequently past his introduction, he grows from a headstrong, careless jackass, mostly interested in the action parts of the job, who “resigned himself to an adventurous career with violent death as its inevitable termination”, into one of the most reliable and capable agents, taking the lead during action scenes but otherwise fully defering leadership to Harry, and being the agent most likely to partake in gunfights and rescue The Shadow out of trouble, joining in missions like infiltrating circuses or high-society clubs and forming very strong friendships with Harry, Clyde & Hawkeye, who almost kills a man with his bare hands when he thinks Harry’s been killed. He’s the hardass, square-jawed ex-con who plays the reputation of a brutal killer, and is in reality a great friend, ally and husband (Arline has sadly only been mentioned in three stories), on top of being an invaluable fighter and secret agent.
Cliff could have easily been the protagonist of a long-running series all his own and that’s one of my favorite aspects of The Shadow’s agents. They are people with agency, goals and dreams and relationships and lives beyond the roles they play, they all have strengths and weaknesses and faults and positives that bring them much closer to us than The Shadow could ever be, with no end to the variety of roles they can take, and Cliff in particular is a character I’m very attached to. 
I do hope that he eventually found peace in a quiet life with Arline once his business with The Shadow was over.
Number 2: Harry Vincent
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The Shadow as a franchise has been vastly worse off as a result of Harry Vincent being completely sidelined and mischaracterized in virtually every adaptation since, and the sheer love that Shadow fans hold for Harry purely may be the closest thing to a true universal opinion in the fandom. 
Harry is a lot of things: the audience surrogate, the protagonist of much of the early stories, the leader of the agents in field duty, the dude in distress who gets kidnapped far more than even Margo, a hopeless romantic, an action hero, the one who gets sent to recruit agents because all The Shadow has to do is send Harry on an assignment and wait for him to come back with a new friend. He is a competent, resourceful, strong, extremely kind ball of sunshine who's got the potential for greatness, even if he can't see it. 
And for this post I’m going to highlight this: Harry is, on top of all that, the ultimate embodiment of what The Shadow strives to protect, help and uplift. He is the living proof that The Shadow's mission has a good, positive effect in the world, long after criminals are brought to justice and plots are failed and victims are rescued, purely by the fact that he’s alive and helping others who were once like him. Someone who, despite having so much to offer, could have easily been swept away by the world’s callousness and cruelty, if The Shadow wasn’t there to rescue him and uplift him.
I liked The Shadow pretty much at first sight after seeing the character’s design and listening to episodes of the radio show, and my appreciation for the character grew after reading The Shadow’s Shadow, but it wasn’t until I encountered @oldschoolcrimefighters and her brilliantly informative writings on The Shadow and Harry that I not only fell in love with the series, but decided to do everything in my power to try and get other people to love it too and see the potential it has. I think a lot more people should at least be aware of why Harry matters. 
Number 1: Moe Shrevnitz
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I was honestly a bit surprised when I rounded up all of the agents to make this list and Shrevy here ended up in Number One, but in hindsight, it may have been obvious all along. 
My reasonings as to why Shrevy is my favorite agent do get a bit too personal, especially because of something that happened to me as I was writing this post, so I’m putting it on a separate post here. 
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damnzawa · 4 years
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henlo i'm not sure what your rules are for requests so i'm sorry if i'm doing this wrong i just love your writing uwu 👉🏼👈🏼 aizawa with an hero!s/o turned into a neko because they got hit by a quirk after fighting some villain? 🥺👉🏼👈🏼
(CAT)ASTROPHE — A. SHOUTA
Note(s): OMG ?? I ?? AM ?? SO ?? FLATTERED ?? THAT ?? YOU ?? LIKE ?? MY ?? SHITTY ?? ASS ?? AND ?? CLICHE ?? WRITING ?? also i live for these types of scenarios SO EFF YES
Warning(s): Poorly written fight scene, Aizawa having a mental breakdown, Cat Fluff
...
Being a pro-hero comes with a lot of pros and cons. For some, the pros may outweigh the cons and vice versa. Some even has a healthy balance of both. While you, you were one of the people who have pros outweigh the cons.
You weren't really the pro-hero to compete for the spotlight but you still had a good number of people who knows of you and what you could do. Though, you aren't as flashy as the others, you had a unique charm to you that draws people's attention towards you.
It was that charm that drew the infamous hobo man of U.A. to you, all in his yellow, shining (not really) sleeping bag glory. Though at first, he was irritated at the fact that you were just a natural at everything and everybody just seemed to love you. But as time went by, he realized that this charm of yours has truly captivated him. You weren't like the other pro-heroes he had met. No. You were unique. One of a kind. Genuinely different from the others.
After months of (silent) pining, he decided to just fuck it and ask you out on a date, in which surprisingly you happily agreed to. As time progressed, and two dates became 3, 4, 5, and counting, he got to know more sides of you. More characteristics to add to your charm. And by the time you reached your 2nd year anniversary, you guys decided to move in together—which was by far the greateat decision you and Aizawa has ever made.
Your charms are a part of your pros. It's what makes you, you. But unfortunately, you had yet to learn that it was one of your cons too.
It was the usual night patrol. Check any suspicious activity, check if anyone's doing crimes, check up on the stray cat on the alley, repeat. Honestly, some times patrols can be quite a bore. But you didn't mind. It was part of the job after all.
Cautiously walking down the street, you suddenly heard a scream from one of the alleys nearby. You quickly sprinted into action, not sparing another second as you rushed into the scene of the crime.
"Please! Don't hurt my child!" The woman screamed as the villain inched closer to them. Silently creeping up on the thug, you noticed that the villain had a weapon—a gun to be exact which was gonna be a pain if they ever shot the woman and/or his child. "Please! It's all I have! I promise!" A robbery? In the night? Typical villain move.
"Step away from them." You commanded the villain as you activated your quirk. A force field acting as a shield appeared out of nowhere, protecting the woman and her child from harm. You could tell that the woman was relieved, however, the child was still crying.
The villain chuckled as he turned around to face you, your hero name rolling off his tongue in a sinister way. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the saviors of society! The heroes! Protecting the world from evil doers such as myself." You could feel a speech coming. You honestly could feel it. "At least that's what you think. You heroes think you're good shit after taking down some bad guys but do you ever wonder about those who also suffer because of you?" He pointed the gun towards you making you squint at him. "I lost my family! Because of you guys! Because of that stupid Endeavor! You don't really care about the people! You just care about the fame! The money! The recognition you'll get after locking us all up in jail!"
"I assure you, heroes are not like that. Sure we have our own ambitions, but we all protect the people. That's our number one priority." Your response made him snarl. "And as much as I would love to stay and chat..." You activates your quirk once again, this time making whips out of light. "...It's time to pay for your crimes." You attacked him with the whip to which he skillfully dodged. He appeared from place to place with a blink of an eye, making it hard for you to apprehend him.
'Shit. A teleportation quirk? That's gonna be a pain in the ass.'
Dodging his punches that came out of nowhere, you kicked him in the gut. After reading watching his moves while dodging, you figured out that he has this pattern. He would first attack you in the back—which caught you by surprise the first time—then he would go for your front then your sides. It was the repeating pattern he used on you, so after getting used to it, you finally had the upper hand.
He was thrown a bit from the force of your kick but quickly recovered from it. He attacked you with another punch on your left which you countered by grabbing on his arm and twisting it until you heard a crack.
'Well now he certainly can't punch with that one.'
"You bitch!" He pulled out his gun and repeatedly fired shots at you. Every shot was a miss and then finally you encaged him in a box of light.
"Sweet dreams." And with that, you knocked him out with your quirk.
After putting on quirk nullyfing cuffs and a rope made out of light around his body, you checked up on the victims. The woman was repeatedly thanking you while the child was still shaken up.
"Hey now kiddo. It's alright. You're safe now." You approached him with a gentle smile on your face. You were about to place comforting hand on his shoulder when he suddenly shot up.
"No! Get away from me and my mom!" A sudden force emitted from his body as he pushed you to the ground.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry about that!" You stood up and brushed yourself off as the woman repeatedly apologized for her son's behavior.
"No ma'am. It's alright. I'm fine, no harm done. See?" You flashed her a smile. "Kiddo, it's alright now. I'm a pro-hero. Police are on the way. Can you stay for a bit and tell them what happened?" The boy reluctantly nodded which made you smile even wider. "That's great then! You were brave out there kiddo."
"I'm sorry for using my quirk on you..." The boy muttered. You ruffled his hair and told him that it was alright. Though, you would surely see a paramedic later.
After the police arrived and collected your statements, you headed home with a headache. Apparently, the woman and her child doesn't know what his quirk actually is. The robbery might have triggered his quirk and you were the first one to be hit with it.
Great.
Just great.
You just hoped Aizawa was home too. You clearly need some of his A+ cuddles to ease the pain.
You arrived at your shared apartment shortly, but before you could even reach your shared bedroom, you blacked out.
...
Aizawa Shouta wasn't having the greatest day of his life. An eventful and rowdy day at U.A, then an eventful and extra rowdy patrol at night all while running with 3 hours of sleep? Yep. Not the greatest day of his life.
The grumpy man groaned as he remembered the stack of papers waiting for him back home. He could already feel the pain he was about to endure for the greater good of the future heroes he was teaching. He frowned as he imagined Kaminari's sloppy handwriting—and a possible doodle of him—in his homework, he could also imagine the cluster of words that didn't make sense brought to him by Mina Ashido.
But he could also imagine you greeting him with a kiss as usual. He could imagine your arms wrapped around him in a loving embrace, washing out the stress he previously had. He could imagine you rolling your eyes at him as he complained about you not getting enough sleep. He could imagine you helping him grade those forsaken essays he made his students do.
Well, maybe this day wasn't so bad for him. After all, he had you to go home to.
After opening the door, he expected you to greet him with open arms and ask him how his day went. He expected you to make fun of his struggles as a teacher and remind him that it was his choice to teach to begin with. But instead he was met with silence and no you.
To: Y/n
From: Shouta
Are you patrolling late tonight?
He waited for a few minutes but he didn't recieve a reply. He sent another message, and another, and another, until he finally decided to wash up and wait up for you just incase anything happens.
Just as he was about to enter your shared bedroom, he noticed your hero costume on the floor, a lump of something breathing underneath it. He lifted your hero costume, revealing a (h/c) cat—who stirred at his actions—sleeping peacefully. His hand instinctively reached down to pet it, feeling the smooth fur on his fingertips. The petting caused the animal to wake up, it's tired eyes looking at him with such warmness it was almost so familiar yet he couldn't remember where it's from.
"Shouta?" Aizawa froze on the spot as he heard your voice leaving the cat's mouth. He blinked owlishly, trying to process what the hell happened. Did the cat just speak? And did the cat sounded just like you?
"Why the hell are you so big? Did something happen?" You—the cute cat infront of him—asked as you unconsciously started to rub your cat chin into his shoulder.
"Y/n, I should be the one asking you that." You perked up at his response, head tilting as you waited for an answer.
"What do you mean?" Oh god you were giving him the cute eyes.
"Y/n, you're a cat."
"I'm a cat." You repeated. "Wait—what?" You blinked as you realized what had happened. Oh. So this was that child's quirk. "Shit."
"Shit indeed." Aizawa picked you up gently and placed you on the bed. "Mind telling me what happened?"
"Ok so..."
...
Aizawa secretly carried a laser on him the next day. You were dismissed of your hero duties for a week (because that's how long the quirk's gonna last) and was stuck in the apartment all day so he figured you could use a little fun right?
Right...
You greeted him as usual, but instead of human you, cat you is rubbing your body around his ankles and making a '8' shape as you circled his feet. It was quite cute to be honest. He had a soft spot for cats and you after all. He tried his best not to melt then and there.
"I've got something for you." Your ears went forward and your tail erected with it's fur flat at the statement. Clearly, you were happy. Aizawa brought out the laser thingy he had and started pointing it towards the wall, to which you suddenly leaped for. You followed the dot everywhere it landed and Aizawa couldn't help but smile at the sight infront of him.
...
"Shouta." You poked his cheek. "Shouta." You poked it once again. Why were you poking him exactly? Well, you were hungry and it was in the middle of the night. You couldn't reach the pantry nor the fridge handle so you reluctantly asked Aizawa for help. Somehow, he wouldn't budge. After poking him a couple more times, he opened an eye that showed that he was clearly annoyed by your behavior.
"What?" Came his gruff reply.
"I'm hungry." Aizawa sighed as he stood up and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.
"Fine." Sluggishly walking towards the kitchen, he looked at you silently trailing behind him. "You want tuna?"
"Haha, very funny Shou."
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"Yes please."
...
You purred as Aizawa rubbed the spot behind your ears. It was becoming a habit for Aizawa to pet and rub you like this and honestly, he was enjoying it—not that he'd ever tell anyone about it.
You insisted to not cancel your annual dinner date at your shared apartment which consisted of eating takeouts and watching whatever was on Netflix. You and Aizawa happily ate your food—you ate tuna... again—and now, the both of you were watching some Studio Ghibli film, well atleast you were supposed to.
You quickly got distracted once Aizawa started petting you, leading to you not focusing on the film at all. Aizawa's eyes was still on the film playing but you were sure he was also distracted. You found it a bit weird that the both of you quickly adjusted to this cat life and that neither of you freaked out at all. Maybe it was the pro-hero sides of you, who knows. But it was nice to see Aizawa helping you in any way that he can.
His petting abruptly stopped as he stiffled out a yawn. You looked at him and saw that he looked completely exhausted. More so than usual.
So, you hopped out of his lap and switched off the TV as you nudged Aizawa's leg with your paws.
"Come on Shou. Let's go to sleep."
Aizawa did not decline your offer and gladly followed you out of the room.
...
By the end of the week while having breakfast a loud 'poof' and smoke suddenly covered the whole room. After the smoke cleared, it revealed you in all of your naked human body glory.
"Welcome back, Y/n."
"Oh shut up, Shou."
ADDITIONAL NOTE(S)
This was fun to write! I hope I did this right though lolol. Also, requests are open!!
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magicalforcesau · 3 years
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Fragments of the Garden - Origins - part 2
A companion collection to Dancing With Ghosts in Your Garden
(ao3 link)
Hogwarts was better than Satine could imagine. They’d been in school for just about a week now and she loved nearly everything about it. It was a Friday and she’d just wrapped up her charms lessons and was heading outside to meet with Cody who was coming up from the dungeons. He’d been promising to teach her how to play wizard chess and she’d promised to read over his essay for history if he’d meet up with her today. It had nothing to do with Satine avoiding the Ravenclaw common room and one Obi-Wan Kenobi at all, she was simply interested in learning more things. That was all.
“Potions is a drag!” Cody complained as soon as he caught up with her. The sun beamed down on them as they headed out the castle doors.
“It’s not all that difficult,” She considered, leading them to the edge of the lake.
“That’s because you spend all your time studying in the library,” Cody complained, “If all I did was study, I’m sure I-” He paused suddenly, squinting at something across the grounds, “Is that Kenobi?”
“Kenobi hasn’t left the common room for anything, but class all week,” Satine complained, “It can’t be him,” but as she turned to look, she realized it could be no one else.
He was still dressed head to toe in his perfectly pressed uniform, despite even Satine leaving her cloak in her room on such a hot day. As usual he looked almost out of place with all the other students milling around.
“He’s got a broom,” Cody said in awe, “That’s the newest Starsweeper model,” Satine squinted at the broom, but couldn’t see anything special about it.
“But aren’t first years not allowed brooms?” Satine’s eyes narrowed into a frustrated glare and Cody nodded.
“All the more reason to follow him and see what he’s up too,” Cody gave her a wide grin, “Maybe it’ll be enough to kick him out,” Satine nodded. She wasn’t sure being around Kenobi was their best use of a Friday, but she followed Cody regardless.
Obi-Wan led them to the Quidditch pitch and Cody and Satine snuck under the Hufflepuff section in order to eavesdrop.
“I must thank you again for allowing me to try out,” The way he spoke grated on her ears, it was that effortless sophistication that she remembered from his parents.
“How could I say no after Professor Dooku approved,” The girl he spoke to, Satine guessed, was the Quidditch captain. She was dressed in robes that she hadn’t seen before, but they were still the Ravenclaw colors.
“Ah, yes,” Obi-Wan trailed off, and Satine and Cody shared a glance.
“Well let’s get on with this, tryouts for 2nd-7th years will be next week, this doesn’t ensure that you get the position, but we can’t have you trying out in front of a crowd. It’s not fair to the other first years,” She ran a hand through her hair and Satine noticed with a bit of anger that he didn’t even have the decency to look sheepish.
“I understand,” He answered instead and they moved to begin try outs. Once they were in the air and out of earshot Cody grabbed Satine’s shoulder.
“He bribed his way into the team,” Cody looked angry now, “The captain’s right it’s not fair,” He stood up and Satine followed him out from under the tarp, “I’m going to Professor Windu with this. No, maybe I’ll go to Professor Dooku himself,” Cody had started walking towards the entrance.
“Cody!” Satine rushed to keep up with him, “Are you sure it’ll do any good?”
“I don’t know, but I need to find out,” Cody stopped just before the doors, “I’ll have to raincheck on our chess lesson,” Satine rolled her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter,” She started walking through the doors and he followed, “I can accompany you to Professor Dooku’s.”
“Actually, I think it might be better if I go alone,” He hesitated, “Everyone knows you hate Kenobi,” Satine paused.
“But if Professor Dooku-” She started.
“What seems to be the trouble here?” Coming down the stairs was Professor Qui-Gon Jinn. He raised an eyebrow at the first years, “I’m no Professor Dooku, but perhaps I could be of assistance?”
“It’s about Kenobi,” Satine spoke up before Cody could stop her, “He’s only a first year, but he’s being allowed to try out for the Quidditch team,” She looked to Cody so he could put in his own thoughts.
“This isn’t fair to the other first years, both Ravenclaw and the other houses,” He added. Qui-Gon stroked his beard a moment before answering.
“I didn’t think news would get out this fast,” He sighed, “Mr. Kenobi being allowed to try out was approved by the heads of houses, as well as Professor Yoda,” Cody’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He must have bribed you all big time,” He hissed, “Better have been worth the money,” Qui-Gon hummed quietly in thought before replying.
“Mr. Kenobi’s case is… well, I’m afraid I will not be discussing it with you,” He continued, “First years are technically allowed to ask to try out, they’re just usually denied, if you Miss. Kryze, wish to try out I would allow it,” Satine wrinkled her nose, and Qui-Gon chuckled, “As it stand though, there are no openings on Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff’s teams, so I’m afraid the other houses are out of luck.”
“Should I even mention the fact that Kenobi has an illegal broom?” Cody asked stiffly, and Qui-Gon only smiled.
“It’s temporary unless he makes the team, I’ll be keeping it in my office no need to worry,” He nodded to them and started to walk again, “I appreciate the drive for fairness so I can offer you 10 points to Gryffindor and 10 to Ravenclaw. Enjoy your weekend, Mr. Fett, Miss. Kryze,” And then he rounded the corner and was gone.
“Professor Jinn’s a bit nutty,” Cody finally said, not sure how he felt about the situation.
“He’s technically right though,” Satine said slowly, “The heads of house can approve or deny requests, I suppose asking the other houses was just a nice courtesy,” She stewed over all the rules she could think of and couldn’t come up with any others they were breaking.
“Still it does beg the question. Why was he approved?” Cody asked, but Satine didn’t have an answer.
***                                            
All anyone was talking about today was the results of the Quidditch tryouts and one, Obi-Wan Kenobi, being chosen as their 2nd Keeper. As all things Kenobi related, it was getting on Satine’s nerves and she’d caught up with Cody between classes to complain, but for some reason he hadn’t been as invested as she’d thought.
“Cody? Don’t tell me you’re not still cross about this,” Satine tried to provoke him into joining her rant fest, but he just hesitated.
“I’m still a little upset about it sure,” Is all he gave her and she threw up her hands in frustration.
“You’ve gone from storming the professors to calm acceptance, what did I miss,” And at that Cody just looked away.
“I mean you said it yourself, technically if it was approved it’s allowed, so no rules were broken…” Cody made an attempt.
“Cody Fett? Caring more about the rules than justice?” Satine prodded again.
“Look I just, maybe he’s not so bad,” Cody suggested and it hung in the air between them, “I’ll admit, the Quidditch thing hurts, I’ve wanted on that team since I was born and for a first year to get on it? Well it doesn’t sit right,” He admitted and Satine raised an eyebrow.
“But?” She pushed.
“But, have you noticed how he hasn’t been going to lunch?” Cody asked and Satine furrowed her brow, but nodded.
“He skips breakfast and dinner too sometimes, but I suppose he is gone from lunch more often than not,” She allowed and he nodded a few times.
“Well so did I, so one day I skipped class to follow him,” That got her attention.
“And?”
“And well,” Cody hesitated, “I think you should go and see for yourself,” He handed her a slip of parchment with a classroom number on it, “Just trust me,” Satine looked down at the number and then stuffed it in the pocket of her robe.
***                                            
Hogwarts was not what Obi-Wan had been expecting at all. The classes were great and learning new spells was really the only reason he was still here at all. Ok well perhaps not, he couldn’t have left, it would have dragged the Kenobi name even farther through the mud. His parents had not been happy about his joining Ravenclaw house as expected, and had promptly forced him into trying out for Quidditch, something he had been told would be in his plans for next year, but they were clear in their letter,
“You will make the Quidditch team early so you can lessen our disappointment of your actions.”
Yes, they’d been quite clear indeed. Obi-Wan was trying very hard to forget the fact that he was not interested in the sport in the slightest, his father had been a chaser so Obi-Wan had been selected to be a Keeper, he had written to them this morning when the results came out, but hadn’t heard from them since.
It wasn’t just his parents or Quidditch that had him down, but the overall feeling he got from the rest of the students. Their first day of classes he’d raised his hand and answered questions, but he had started to be stared at by both Hufflepuff and his own house of Ravenclaw. The second day he’d experimented a bit and on the third day he kept his head down and tried to not draw any further notice to himself. He spent a lot of time in the common room, but the few students he’d tried to interact with hadn’t quite given him the time of day. They’d been polite, sure, but Obi-Wan was good at knowing when he wasn’t wanted. Meal times were much the same, so he’d taken to finding a secluded classroom during the lunch period and just, wait for classes to start again.
Today he was debating if it was worth it to even attempt the dining hall at dinner, surely the other students would be rather cross that he’d made it on the Quidditch team. He really just wanted to avoid the stares.
“Kenobi! There you are my friend!” His regularly scheduled brooding was interrupted and Obi-Wan turned to glare at the newcomer.
“Hondo,” He greeted, “Still trying to make a profit off of me?”
“Well sure!” Hondo sat down at the desk in front of him and slapped a plate of food between them, “I have an even better proposal this time see? I charge students fees for their papers to be edited and you edit them for me!”
“What would I even get out of that,” Obi-Wan sighed, grabbing the extra roll off of the other student’s plate.
“Oh, so you are interested,” Hondo leaned forward, much too close and Obi-Wan reflectively leaned back.
“I’m not, but if you’re going to negotiate you may as well do it right,” He complained, and Hondo sat back with a laugh.
“Fine, fine! If you do it, I’ll provide you my own company! Pretty good deal, right?” Hondo grinned and Obi-Wan just raised an eyebrow, “Ok, ok fine! I could share the profits with you, you could have say, 10%?”
“Hondo you’re possibly the worst negotiator I’ve ever seen,” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but smiled and Hondo gave a dramatic groan and grabbed up his bag from the floor.
“One day Kenobi, you’ll have need of my services!” Hondo warned him with a pointed finger.
“Not likely,” He mumbled as Hondo made his way out the door.
He decided to not call after him about his forgotten plate of food, instead eating the other roll off the plate.
“Um, excuse me?” A voice called from the doorway and he looked up to see a Gryffindor first year standing in the doorway holding her wand and a textbook.
“Hello,” He greeted, “Is there something you needed?”
“I have a friend in Hufflepuff who said you’re really good at transfiguration,” The Gryffindor explained, “I’ve been having trouble in class and I was wondering if maybe you’d show me how?” That cleared up the confusion. He knew a few Hufflepuff first years that would stop by to ask him questions from time to time, they never approached him outside of lunch hour, but he didn’t really mind helping them out even still.
“Oh, of course, come in,” Obi-Wan moved Hondo’s plate out of the way and waved her over, “What are you having trouble with?”
***                                            
Satine was starting to think this was a waste of time as she’d been hiding in the storage cupboard watching Obi-Wan sit quietly by himself in an empty room. She’d started to think Cody had gone mad when that Slytherin boy Hondo had come slinking into the room. When the Gryffindor student had entered the room though, she started to see maybe what Cody had been talking about.
The two had been practicing transfiguration for around 15 minutes now and Obi-Wan had seemed to slip into the role of teacher very quickly. He’d shown a few examples and then helped gently as the Gryffindor made her own attempts. After they tried the very basic task of turning a candle into a newt and back, they started having a little conversation and Satine leaned close to the door to listen.
“Are you sure you’re just learning this now?” The student asked a little accusatory, “No one else in my house can do that quite as well,” Obi-Wan gave a hesitant smile before responding.
“Transfiguration is about focus, if you can hone your focus on something and really picture it in your head,” He paused and readied his wand pointing at the plate of food, just as he was about to say the spell Satine accidentally knocked her foot into a broom which knocked a metal cauldron off a shelf. The clang rang out from around them. Obi-Wan jumped at the unexpected clatter, wand misfiring and exploding chocolate pudding all over himself.
Satine tried not to giggle at the absolutely dumbstruck look on his face, his perfect hair was no longer perfect, sticking up at odd angles and a little fried, and the parts of his face that were not covered in pudding were bright red in embarrassment.
“Well I suppose,” He spoke after a long moment, “If you lose focus, it will explode,” The Gryffindor girl, who had barely managed to avoid the blast, giggled.
“Thanks for the tip,” Suddenly the sound of students started to reach them and the Gryffindor girl gathered up her book and wand quickly. She said another quick thank you before running out of the room to her next class. Obi-Wan took another moment to be covered in chocolate pudding, before he flourished his wand and with a quick charm, he was pudding free and back to perfect. Well, aside from a still red face.
Satine waited a few more minutes as he left the room before she followed quietly after him to their next class. She wasn’t sure what to make of him, but she realized she wasn’t thinking of him as just “Kenobi” anymore.
***                                            
It was breakfast and Obi-Wan was hungry. He had skipped dinner the night before in order to avoid the comments about his new status as Keeper, but he knew he’d have to brave the dining hall today.
He’d gotten up extra early and had gone down right at the start of breakfast. He found that this was the most ideal time to go, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff house always slept as late as possible and there weren’t even many Ravenclaws willing to get up that early. His Slytherin “friend” Hondo always got there with 5 minutes to spare before classes started so he could avoid him too.
He sat down at his usual spot, in the very, very far corner of the table and grabbed a serving of eggs and toast. He started planning his day out in his head, zoning out to anything else going on around him as he pushed the eggs around his plate.
He, however, wasn’t as out of it as he thought, because he was very suddenly aware of someone sitting down right next to him. Warily, he glanced over and saw wavy light blonde hair and he was now stuck trying to figure out what Satine Kryze, who had spent much of their first few weeks glaring at him, was doing sitting next to him.
“If you’re going to bother to show up at breakfast, perhaps you should eat your food,” The words were similar to the first she’d spoken to him, but there wasn’t as much bite behind them. Cautiously, he looked over at her again, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was pouring syrup on some French toast and he looked back at his eggs.
“Perhaps,” He said carefully. Taking a bite of egg. He knew she was a kind person, so he figured that would be all, maybe she’d just been concerned.
“What are your opinions about the Goblin Uprisings of the 1600s?” The question caught him completely off guard, he sat up straight and looked over at her for real. Perhaps that wouldn’t be the end of their conversation then.
“The, Goblin Uprisings of the 1600s?” He repeated slowly.
“It’s our next unit of study, I was reading ahead and I assumed you did too, gaging that you’re halfway through the textbook,” She added, still not looking at him. He slowly turned back to his eggs.
“Well, Urg the Unclean was a strong leader,” Obi-Wan started cautiously.
***                                            
By the time they showed up to herbology they were having a full blown argument, Satine wasn’t even fully sure what the argument was about, but just as she was sure to have thrown the final barb class had started and they’d been tasked to trimming the leaves off of some feisty plants, which needed a fair bit of concentration so she didn’t bother restarting their conversation. She watched her hands carefully as she maneuvered the shears, but found her mind wandering to Obi-Wan. She’d ended up right next to him, bypassing her usual spot for the opportunity to debate.
Arguing with him had been fun as well as educational. He hadn't been snotty about his points, as she would have expected days prior, just direct and calculated. It was clear he knew the subjects well enough for a fierce debate. In fact she had been rather disappointed that they couldn't continue on during class, but concentration was pretty important when dealing with magic she'd come to learn. When he argued with her he didn't look as dull and stuffy, his eyes had held a gleam that she hadn't seen on him before.
She thought back to his parents in the alley, they’d immediately been cruel people. They had icy dispositions and Satine had definitely seen their influence on Obi-Wan. He was normally blank faced and his presence often felt cold. Now that she was looking for it though, she could almost see the cracks in his mask. He was focusing and his eyes were clear, like the dark blue of the ocean, but not like his fathers which had seemed like a bottomless pit in the sea floor. He was fighting to not stick his tongue out, which she wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t shoulder to shoulder with him.
She hated to think Cody might be right, because that meant she would be wrong and she hadn’t been the nicest to him since they met.
“Miss. Kryze!” The professor called her name and she blinked back to reality noticing quickly the vine wrapping tightly around her arm.
One quick trip to the hospital wing for a check-up (apparently those plants can crush bones, she was lucky they were babies) and she found herself waiting for Cody between classes.
“Satine?” Cody broke away from a pack of Gryffindors.
“You were right,” She admitted, and Cody looked surprised.
“That’s a compliment coming from you,” He joked and she shook her head in exasperation.
“The real reason I wanted to talk to you though, is what should we do?” She asked him and he just stared at her so she continued, “We’ve been really judgmental to him, about who his parents are, he’s always alone, I just feel kind of bad,” Cody shrugged.
“I guess we just, stop being judge-y?” Cody recommended, “It’s a simple strategy, but it’ll probably be effective,” He was pulled away by his classmate then, but sent a last wave in her direction.
Cody was probably right, that’s what they should do, but Satine considered that’s not all they could do.
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Pecks and Clementines (George Luz x Reader)
Author’s Note: After this, I’ll shortly open my inbox so please stay tuned! I apologize in advance if any of my lovely readers are allergic or dislike clementines hnhh. Also also- I love you guys, that is all.
Warnings: just a few swear words, nothin’ too major +its pretty fuckin long cause ahaha slowwww burn with luz hnghh 
Words: 7.1k (my essays are quaking)
Description: A simple interaction shared between you and George leaves him enamored and he finds himself having feelings for you. You soon follow suit. Who knew giving clementines could get you someone as amazing as George?
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A gesture was all it took.
What happened wasn’t even something intimate; it was more of a touch that was commonly shared by acquaintances or strangers rather than lovers. To briefly put it, that gesture was just you offering him a clementine. He remembers how he was fixed upon the bright orange clementine in your soft hand, ripe and just begging to be peeled and eaten.
A kind, old woman generously handed you plenty back in England and so you thought you’d share. George was the nearest to you and so he was the first one who received the sweet citrus fruit, something he never thought he’d be thankful for.
Passing it along to him, you thought nothing of the interaction as a mere act of kindness. However it felt like so much more. How an act as simple as that made him burst into flames is an enigma. Not to mention how your hand ever so softly brushed against his. The touch lingering mere moments longer after the deed was done and George couldn’t help but feel just a tad disappointed when it finally disappeared.
He didn’t even know if he felt it... But he did, and with that one coincidental incident--he was hooked. A magnetizing presence was what you had, and like a piece of metal, George was instantly drawn to you.
Who wouldn’t?
There was something unique about you, something he had never seen or experienced before. That moment back in England felt so far away but also felt like it just occurred yesterday. The technician thought about you for weeks, the beautiful and more than capable soldier who put up with the company.
(Y/N) (L/N)... (Y/N) (L/N), he kept repeating in his head, your name ingrained in his head and it spilling out of his lips like a mantra. Thoughts about you in his head bouncing around like how a ball would when thrown against a surface.
The young man couldn’t identify how to describe how he felt, what he was experiencing only categorized as a deep and sensual longing. Of course George knew that it was way more than a passing fancy, for it was exponentially deeper. Complicated were the feelings of love, and George was yet another who got caught in the mystery of it.
His heart fluttered whenever his honey brown eyes laid upon yours, that radiant (E/C) hue that seemed to reveal your innermost secrets yet simultaneously concealing them from the outside world. Of course for the past few months of his newfound attraction towards you, he’d dismiss it as nothing serious.
But one cannot plainly deny fate and George soon accepted that fact. Now, he made more of an effort to see you--to interact more with the woman who’d captured his heart. But moments with you were scarce, making it even more a reason to cherish and savor them for as much as he could.
Easy Company had been staying in Normandy, the events of D-Day all too fresh on everyone’s minds. A break was what they needed and the men indulged themselves in the quiet and peaceful moments before they would move out again. They were stationed in a quaint town where they were now resting.
Perconte was showing off the many watches he had snagged from dead soldiers to Blithe, who was only silent and once again zoning out. Banter was frequent and it comforted the both of you, a homey and cozy feeling enveloping your forms. But all good things come to an end and Welsh had told the company that they would be capturing a town called Carentan. Welsh had just informed the men, who were still tired and perhaps a bit sluggish, that General Taylor would be sending the whole division for this.
“Remember boys, maybe three days and three nights of rough fightin', and you will be relieved!'" George rang out towards the group. The ebony haired man receiving a few laughs and an especially amused look from 2nd Lieutenant Welsh as well. George cracked a smile of his own as he continued.
“Another thing to remember boys, flies spread disease, so keep yours closed.” Laughs were plentiful then, one soldier even jokingly telling him to shut up.
Then… That’s when he heard it--your laugh. George had never heard anything more beautiful in his entire life, and for once in the war, he felt like he was floating his way to heaven. He never noticed you were so close to him, as he was preoccupied mimicking the  General himself. George let his jaw go slack and gazed at your twinkling eyes, your lips still stretched in a smile. His own orbs never left your form and while his mouth was parted, no words came out.
“Ello, Georgie, you were imitating Taylor a lil while ago, what’cha mimicking now? A rock?” A devilish grin was on your face and George felt himself heat up, a light rouge color dusting his cheeks.
You chuckled as you walked alongside him with the rest of the men. The technician’s eyes only widened for a second before reverting to their normal size. “For your information Corporal (L/N), I was imitating a soldier who was left speechless from looking at a beauty.”
After his remark, it was your turn to flush. Turning your head sideways so as to not let George see your face from picking up any more color. Triumphant and feeling a bit proud in himself for making you react like that, George nudged you and you were met with a smirk. You two stuck by each other’s sides as you and the rest of the company kept on marching to their next destination, butterflies in your stomach the whole journey through.
Happiness was what you felt, and you found yourself experiencing them when you were with George. Silence took over you both, it was comfortable and quiet, even if the rest of the boys weren’t. For George, it wasn’t like him to be silent--little did you know that he was only like that because he was far too afraid to embarrass himself.
Prior confidence be damned, the poor boy was reduced to a puddle when around you, and you could say the same about yourself when you were around him too (you were just a tad bit better at keeping your composure than George).
Deciding to strike up another conversation with him, you looked up at him and your two eyes met for a short time before turning back to face forward again. “You all good, Georgie?”
“I’m good.” Warm hazel eyes glanced at your being next to his, the corners of his lips tugging into another one of his dopey smiles.
The way the sun played upon your hair, the beams reflected on it making it seem like you had a halo, and after taking note of that his smile only grew bigger. “Very good, (Y/N).”
And George knew that no amount of his jokes or imitations could hide the fact that he was head over heels.
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Carentan was nothing short of traumatic, it was something else and the thought of it left a foul taste on George’s tongue. It made him queasy just thinking about it and while he knew these sorts of things would happen, George would rather much prefer if these events were shoved deep in the back of his brain.
A lot of things kept his mind running though, like Skip’s hilarious recountings of what he did in his hometown, Johnny’s quips and sarcastic comments, and Guarnere chipping in his opinion on obscure matters. And of course, how could he forget you sitting right beside him--so close it was almost unbearable. You two joined in whatever conversation the men close to you were having and George felt as if he’d been blessed every time you giggled at one of his jokes.
Then all the sudden Smokey was reciting a poem he had made, much to the chagrin of Talbert and Smith. “Night of the Bayonet” as he had called it, and George exhaled air out his nose the moment he started speaking. Talbert and Smith were good-natured about it though, and every time Gordon finished a rhyme, a chorus of light chuckles followed. It was amusing, seeing one of your fellow soldiers like this and you were grinning throughout the entire thing.
“Never knew Smokey was Shakespeare.” You comment under your breath, and George perked up almost immediately as soon as your melodious voice flowed to his ears.
“Neither did I, but we’re all full of surprises aren’t we?” George playfully replied, reveling in the smile you sent his way before turning back to the standing soldier. Smokey went on in the background, making everyone in the mess hall chuckle.
Finishing his poem, with a slightly embarrassed Talbert and Smith still trained on his figure, Smokey took off his Purple Heart and announced how he’ll give it to Talbert. The mess hall erupted in whoops and cheers as Gordon handed it to a more than gleeful Tab. The atmosphere was right, and it was all smiles and laughs, how glad George was that Carentan was far behind them. Conversations danced in the air, easily coming out and before George could engage a talk with you, Lipton’s voice filled the air.
Words ceased and heads turned, their attention fixed on the Sergeant.
“Couple of announcements, men.”
“And woman.” George turned his head at you, his head of soft, dark hair taking up most of your vision.
His quiet comment and signature smile made you a bit more relaxed as you had quite stiffened up ever since Lip stood up. You playfully smack his arm and George raises his hands in a faux surrendering motion. The young man sticking his tongue playfully at you as you mockingly rolled your eyes before reverting your attention back to Lipton.
Apparently, their training had been canceled and you wrapped your arms around Babe (the replacement who you and Guarnere quickly got along with) and George briefly while cheering, the latter returning the gesture. Not even a second later, Lipton then announced how their passes were revoked. Smiles turn into light frowns and George’s happy mood deflates, he could feel your arms slowly dropping from his shoulders.
To further add salt to the wound, Easy Company wouldn’t be returning back to England. They were heading back to France, and they had to pack up all their gear and get a move on. Plans you had hoped to do in England were now unceremoniously pushed out of the window, your eyebrows now furrowed hard. You puffed your cheeks out in annoyance and in quiet exasperation as the building turned silent.
George and you exchanged glances at one another, George mouthing ‘what the fuck?’. That made you chuckle louder than you expected and during the Sergeant's announcements, and few men craned over to where you were, giving you a confused glance. Your head dipped from slight embarrassment and you teasingly glared at Luz, who only mouthed back a simple ‘not my fault’, which in return you softly elbowed his upper arm.
“As you were,” and with that, Lipton’s announcements were concluded.
Everybody remained silent for just a little bit longer, seemingly trying to process the new information, but it wasn’t long before chatter rose up. The table, however, was noticeably not the same old happy table they were before. Skip and Luz only looked down and you glanced at black haired individual, thinking of ways to cheer him up.
“Hopefully there’ll be sweet old ladies who give out a store’s worth of clementines in France too,” you said while nudging the technician.
The way you had said was almost wistful, dreamy even, as if you genuinely hoped that you would get at least one of the fruits that you have come to love. Luz immediately mentally makes a note to get you some soon.
George immediately let a wide beaming smile fill his face, his head replaying the memory of you ever so graciously handing him one--the moment where he realized that he had become smitten by you. In a singular moment, you noticed how the whole table seemed to brighten up. What you didn't notice was how George’s gleaming eyes were glazed and a light pink color situated itself on his cheeks.
“(Y/N), of course there’s plenty of them in France. I’m just not sure if they’ll give any to you though.” You feigned hurt at George’s joke, dramatically wiping nonexistent tears as you pretend to not stand George’s presence any longer.
Like a sappy movie, George imitated a heartbroken man and you broke your act, laughing hard at George’s ridiculous imitation. That same warm feeling returned to his chest seeing you clutching your stomach, laughing heartily at something he did.
It was surreal, transcending all human comprehension.
Skip and Martin were caught up conversing on a subject George couldn’t care less about and Guarnere and Heffron seemed to click instantly and they discussed things back in Philadelphia. Recovering from your fit of laughter was no easy task and you begged George to stop messing around or else you wouldn’t be able to breathe.
“You’ll make history Corporal (Y/N), can you imagine--the first soldier to die of laughter rather than a battle wound.”
“And you Luz--the first soldier without a brain to survive a war.”
Proudly smirking at his widened eyes and gaping mouth, it was beautiful seeing it bloom into another one of his charming grins. With no one really paying you two any mind, your smile to George felt different. No longer was it friendly, it felt almost more at that moment. In the frame of just a few seconds, you knew that there was something else.
The chatting in the background kept you tied down to Earth before you could further float away in the moment you and George silently shared. You two were just chatting mere seconds ago, so why now does George look so…? Look so handsome, why now do you only notice that? It was nothing, it was natural to acknowledge an attractive person, and so you paid no mind to that fluttering feeling located deep inside of you.
Clinking from the white porcelain dishes snapped you out of you and George’s reveries and you blinked a multitude of times to get a sense of what just happened. Skip ruffled your hair as if to catch your attention, and it worked.
“The “I’ve-Been-Scared-Shitless-by-the-Ghost-of-my-Great-Uncle” look doesn’t really suit you two.” Skip had said to you as he finished messing up your hair, you turned to give him a deadly look only for it to look like a pout--which he laughed at.
George stood up from the bench and situated himself next Skip before gracefully putting his arms around his shoulders in an exaggerated manner.
“Are you done shitting on the face my mother gave me or is there something else, Mr. Warren ‘My-Dick-was-Baptized-in-the-Niagara-River’ Muck?”
Skip quirked his eyebrows up at George, and a sound that seemed like a combination of a snort and an ambulance left the dirty blonde man. Amused and cheery, the three of you erupt in a burst of subtle chuckles and your exuberant beam dies as you three begin to quiet down.
“Well, if you two weren’t so busy ogling each other, we’re goin’ out already. Need to pack our bags and head out to France, just our luck.” Skip’s thumb pointed to the exit, a steady flow of soldiers already heading out the wooden door.
You grumble quietly, remembering what Lipton had said prior to all this and George couldn’t help but notice your slightly sour mood. Skip was well ahead of you and George, as the both of you took your time getting ready to leave. That same comfortable silence in which you two were so familiar with encompassed you both, but it was slightly dampened from that inconspicuous frown you brandished on your lips.
Finally standing up and smoothing down the wrinkles that have accumulated on your skirt from sitting down, your gaze fell to George. He was patient and didn’t mind waiting for you, but on his face a concerned expression makes itself known.
You attempted to reassure him with a smile, which only seemed to make his eyebrows furrow more. Walking towards the exit and subtly pushing your way through the soldiers by the door, you spoke up about your worries and frustrations.
“I’m just upset, y’know?” Your hands gestured to yourself before falling limply to your side, the both of you subconsciously walked back to the barracks--already having memorized the path to it.
“Oh wow, who would've guessed? Jesus Christ (Y/N), your frown is as noticeable as Malarker’s hair.”
George’s response made you blow out air from your nose, your tense soldiers relaxing before they went stiff again. The raven haired technician placed a reassuring hand on the back of your neck, immediately relieving you.
“But don’t you think it’s too soon?” You questioned him, “We only just got back from Carentan and we lost 65 men there. 65 men, Georgie!”
Immediately hands turned your body to face the man in front of you, and your lips briefly opened from the suddenness. Even after you had already been put forward his hands rested on your shoulders, lightly gripping the fabric of your uniform. Your breathing evened out, no longer the erratic rhythm it took on just a few moments ago. The dirt road you two occupied to the barracks were surprisingly barren, despite the many soldiers who seemed to have been more than eager to head back.
“It’s alright (Y/N), it’s goin’ to be alright.”
“And if not..?” That tinge of desperation in your voice slightly broke something in George and it struck a chord in his heart.
He didn’t want you to be like this--in fear of what the future holds. To see his crush and closest friend look so defeated and frustrated left a deep sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and he desired nothing more than to see you beam again. Oh how he wanted to just swoop you up and kiss you until nothing other than him was on your mind, but he restrained himself. A genuine look nestled itself in George’s sepia eyes, and his hands loosened their grip on your shoulders.
“Well, you still have me.” A shit-eating grin that exudes cockiness replaced his once serene one. He was obviously trying to cheer you up, and of course it worked.
“Oh, shut up, George.”
“And you think that you saying that will make me?”
Your hand went to playfully shove him, but his arm wrapped around your body, pulling you flush against his side. That same beautiful laugh of yours rang out in the air and the once tense and melancholy atmosphere from just a few moments ago dissipated like smoke on a rainy day. The sun could only hide in shame when it saw your blinding smile and George never felt so happy. Previous negative emotions also washed away, being replaced with a soft feeling of bliss.
You two walked back to the barracks, laughing on the whole journey there. The both of you seemed to forget how you still have your arms hanging around each other’s forms, too wrapped up in the conversation you shared with George. Either way, if you did notice, you didn’t think that you would ever want to let go. And for once you let your mind slip about what will happen in the war.
Like what George said: you did still have him after all.
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Returning back to France wasn’t as bad as you had thought, maybe it was because you now grew closer to the ebony haired technician. Mourmand-le-Grand was a quaint little commune and news said that you’d be occupying the small town until Easy Company received orders for another assignment. For the most part, it was so serene, quite the opposite of what you were actually feeling.
A cacophony of little tiny voices of your head screaming at the same time and a discord and flurry of emotions swirled in your chest--restless thoughts about George occupied the space of your brain, turning it into a pig sty of complicated feelings.
After that day, your feelings for George surged through the roof, and what you thought was just as a simple crush turned into something more. Spending time with George went as usual, but you noticed a few additions.  Both you and George acknowledged this, but you two were too unsure of the signs to ever push things forward.
Maybe it was the way your hand was lingering longer on his shoulder, the way George looked at your direction for a few more seconds than necessary, or the persistent emotion that always flourished whenever you were near him. That same persistent feeling that could be compared to honey--sticking no matter what and saccharine sweet.
You two knew about your feelings toward each other, hell you even accepted the fact that you did! But how come you two never did anything else? It was if you two stumbled across a brick wall blocking you both from the next step, and instead of trying to find a way around it or break through it, you two just sat there. It just never picked up, and you really didn’t know what to do about it.
If someone were to tease you and George by calling you two a couple or ‘good match’, the latter would always erupt into flames. You would stammer, denying all claims even if they were so fucking obvious and clear as day-
Malarkey and Skip always pestered you to make a move, for he was as in love with you as much as you were with him. They’d try to goad you to finally make the relationship official, often asking you what were you waiting for. You dismissed their ideas and swatted their suggestions to do so, much to the chagrin of the two. It wasn’t as if you were afraid that he didn’t reciprocate your feelings, you knew he did. It was just…
God, why was it all so complicated?
“I don’t get it (Y/N), I really don’t,” Skip propped his elbows on the wooden table, “What’s the point of waitin’ around, you’re just making it harder for yourself.”
Malarkey scooted his chair closer to you and Skip, deciding to hop on the conversation you two are having, “Yeah, you two are practically a couple by now, why are you stalling?” He added, his flaming hair emphasizing the look of disbelief and confusion on his face.
“Well, it’s going to be weird, George is my friend!”
“He also happens to be a friend,” Skip raises his arms to put air quotes, “who is in love with you!” The blonde man quickly quips back, his hands gesticulating wildly in the air to highlight the absurdity of your predicament.
Not having the energy to respond with one of your own snappy remarks, you let Skip’s words sink into your mind. You exhaled and slowly slumped on your chair, your warm forehead making contact with the cool surface of the table. A groan from the back of your throat left your lips, your two confidants giving each other looks before turning back to focus on your hunched form.
“How about you tell him tomorrow?” Malarkey casually suggests, not noticing the way your eyes grow big.
The question punches you deep in the gut and you struggle to form a cohesive thought for a second. You raise your head to give an incredulous look to Malarkey, “And what makes you think I’ll agree to that-”
“Just think about it, (Y/N). You both still have your weekend passes, right? So maybe you two can have some quality couple bonding time with each other--tell him how you feel then you two can do whatever it is couples do.”
Your head went up at the idea, Malarkey grinning when he saw you do so. Your eyes flickered between Malarkey’s face and your lap, your (E/C) orbs deep in thought. Suddenly your face grew warm at the idea of you and George spending time together, and maybe actually going on a date. (Well technically you two actually went on plenty of dates and things like that, you both were just too stubborn to ever call it them that or admit it.)
“And you won’t even have to worry about the rest of us bothering you two because we’d probably be too shit-faced to.”
Skip let out a cheeky smirk and gave a knowing glance to both you and Malarkey, the both of you playfully rolling your eyes at the man. You contemplated for a few more moments, trying to wrap your head around what you’re going to get yourself into. It was a bit stupid--how you were waiting and putting things on hold. Maybe Skip was right about you making it more difficult for yourself and George. Your fingers and fingernails drummed against the wooden table as you pressed your cheek into the palm of your hand.
The two men only glanced at your figure, still idle on the chair. Waiting for an answer, you finally broke the stale, silent air. You released a breath you didn’t even know you were suppressing and gazed upon the expectant looks on Malarkey and Skip. They were on the edge of their seat, looking like a kid waiting to open their presents on Christmas.
“Fine. Tomorrow. If it doesn’t go well I’m going to replace your bullets with stale bread.”
Your thinly veiled threat, which wasn’t even a threat but more of a joke, didn’t deter Malarkey and Skip from bursting into a fit of cheers. Their loud whoops and shouts made you smile and gave you just a bit of reassurance for the next day. The blond and ginger man could be seen giving each other high-fives and patting each other on the back, clearly they had been anticipating this moment for a very very long time.
You knew these two will never shut up about them being you and George’s wingmen if the date goes as planned.
“Stop moping (Y/N), before y’know it, you’re going to be asking yourself why you didn’t do this sooner!”
You looked at Malarkey quizzically but as soon as you did your expression turned into something of the brightest of smiles. The two of them sunk back into their chairs, clearly proud of their feat of finally convincing you to go on an official date with George Luz himself. Both of these idiots are the both the best and worst things to have ever happened to you.
But you now had a date to worry about, and you prayed heavily for it to go well.
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So that’s where you found yourself currently, fussing over your uniform even if you usually didn’t. Tilting your cap so it rested perfectly on your head and adjusting your tie ever so often. Adrenaline pumped throughout your body and a surge of excitement plowed through your being every few minutes.
You remember the pep-talk your two friends have given you (if you can even call it that, it was just Skip teasing you and Malarkey reminding you to stay responsible like a mother). Their reassuring smiles as they left the door brought a feeling of consolation to your nerve-wracked figure.
“--go get him, (Y/N)!”
“And don’t forget to use a condo-” You never shoved anyone so fast out the door so hard in your life.
“Why can’t you two just hurry up and get drunk sooner?”
Your exasperated tone did nothing to hide your clearly warm and flushed face, but your eyes could’ve most definitely paralyzed the men. Skip and Malarkey chuckled loudly before Skip stopped right in front of the door and took off his cap and bowed. Malarkey soon did the same gesture.
“You wish is our command, m’lady.”
Sarcasm flowed from every pore of that statement and you can only huff in amusement at their antics. The two men rushed to the pub where most of the other soldiers were, their arms raising up to bear you farewell, more words of encouragement leaving their lips. A cheeky grin flashed on Skip’s face as he gave you one last joking middle finger--which of course you returned to him.
Their forms disappeared around the corner and you took all your willpower to calm down your rapidly beating heart.
It was now or never, you had guessed.
Even with the two men always pouring you with comforting remarks and consoling you, your body soon soared above the skies with anxiety once again. Oh, you didn’t even know what you were worried about--you like him and he likes you.
In what part of this date was making you so nervous, you two had done it plenty of times. Perhaps it was because you finally came into terms that you did indeed have feelings for him, for all the other times you were so blissfully ignorant of your special bond with him. Shaking your head to relieve yourself of any more questions, you opted to stay silent for the duration of your wait.
So you patiently waited for George near the dirt road where you had told him to meet you. Your thumbnail was placed between your lips and your left foot drummed against the dry floor in a very antsy manner. Seconds rode on achingly slow, it was if they wanted you to suffer. Maybe this was a bad idea, and maybe he wasn’t going to come after all. Why’d you ever listen to those two? What good ever came from actually paying heed to them? With a defeated sigh, you kicked a pebble near your feet and maneuvered your body to head back to the barracks-
“Hey, (Y/N).”
Fuck.
So you turned slowly, your form still in the middle of trying to walk back. And as soon as you did, you thought you were blinded from the sheer beauty that George exuded. Your voice got trapped in your throat and you swore you forgot to even breathe for the briefest of moments. George Luz, standing in front of you with the brightest smile you ever saw him wearing. Both of your lips slightly parted as you took each other’s appearances in, gawking not so subtly at each other.
If you fainted, you wouldn’t exactly blame yourself--just look at him! His soft and short raven hair picking up light from the sun’s rays, giving it a sheer glow. And that damned smile of his, the same one he always wore--and every time they captivated you, this time was no exception. His uniform was clean and crisp, fitting him quite nicely. All you wanted was to stop time so you had just a moment to gather yourself. Instead of fluttering butterflies, you had a whole stampede of elephants occupying your stomach.
“You don’t look half-bad yourself, Georgie,” The amount of effort you put to make your voice sound presentable, you would’ve squeaked it out if you just let it out.
George only hummed in acknowledgement at your greeting, clearly distracted by your presence as you were with his. Your hands shuffled nervously, catching his eye. And the way your (E/C) gleamed as they always had, and despite you acting so flustered, that same spark you carried with you was noticeable. Your lips were caught between your teeth, and he laughed almost sheepishly when you noted his look. Beautiful… You were so beautiful in his eyes.
Time whizzed by and the date for which you two came for flew over your head. Stammering at the realization, you snapped out of daze and walked forward to stand face to face with George.
Forgetting the basket in his hands, George raised it up for you to see. You didn’t even notice that he had a basket for you, as you were too caught up admiring him. It didn’t even take a second for you to immediately recognize its contents. The vivid orange color of the many clementines that were nestled in the straw basket made you beam. After taking one into your hands and inspecting them, you turned your head to look up at George.
“You remembered! How’d you get these?”
Before his response could leave his lips, you pressed your index finger at his lips--effectively shushing him and making him flush.
“Wait no let me guess-” Your fingers snapped before pointing at him, “An old woman came up to you and ever so generously handed you these.”
George laughed and while shaking his head briefly, and that sent shivers crawling down your spine, and you felt aware of the close distance you two shared. You stepped away cautiously, as to not put attention on your form. George eyed the basket one more time before locking his chocolate eyes onto yours.
“Where’d you get 'em then?”
“Saw a tree down by the road-” Cutting him off you glanced at the orange citrus before playfully shoving George.
Shameless was George’s expression, he even seemed pleased even. You gawked at his nonchalant attitude, and George passed the straw basket to you.
“Oh, George you didn’t!” Strolling to your intended spot with George was filled with quips and chuckles, but you couldn’t conceal the surprised expression you held in your face. Eyes still blown wide and mouth stuttering. George stole these clementines… For you? He surely must be joking-
“Oh yes, I did.”
“George Luz, holy shit, where’s your dignity?” You teasingly questioned him.
While you seemed reluctant and against the idea of stealing the possessions of others, you didn’t even hesitate to let your fingers snatch up a small clementine from the basket.
“I never had any in the first place.” He replied, to which you giggled at.
Finally arriving at the place where you and George had agreed to spend your date at, you plopped yourself on the grass with the grace of a new-born deer. You were quite glad you and the technician decided this to be the place. It was simple, really, just a tree near a meadow. The spot wasn’t that far off from the main road and you had a clear view of the serene commune. The sky was absolutely beautiful, a gorgeous azure color--free of any clouds with the sun blessing you with its warm, welcoming rays.
The basket was set between the two of you, giving you a bit of space. The tree provided you with shade, the rustling of the leaves making for relaxing background noise. You would’ve heard the birds singing if it weren’t for the incessant pounding of your heart--it still manages to run a marathon even after it had surely been beating since the beginning of the day.
While your gaze avoided that of George’s, he was quite the opposite. George rested his eyes on your figure, trailing over your form and taking in every single detail. Adoration stretched across his face as the day continued, the two of you staying in a cloak of comfortable silence.
The clementine from earlier was still pressed snug against your palms, and to keep your head busy, you decided to peel it. Using your nails to shed the outer skin and popping a piece into your mouth, immediately hitting your tongue with the fresh taste. Growing bold, you picked a piece and reached your arm to offer it to George.
As if a movie reeled in his head, he was reminded of the first time he had ever interacted with you. George took the piece in your hand, his fingers brushing against your palm--offering him that same shock as the moment you two had shared in England. Muttering his thanks, he concentrated on how utterly peaceful you looked (even when on the inside, you were practically having all natural disasters occurring within you).
You grabbed another clementine from the basket, and once again offered a piece to George, who only looked pleasantly taken back. Breaking the silence, conversations soon flowed easily, like a stream. Hugging your knees close to your chest, you chatted with the black haired man, laughing and giggling ever so often at one of his stories. No longer the silence you two had shared at the beginning, but rather that same banter and ridiculous back-and-forth you always had with each other.
“Did I ever tell you the story of how I stole the neighbor’s dog?”
“You did what?”
“Don’t worry--I gave it back, naturally.”
Letting his words sink in, you grinned--your lips reaching the corners of your eyes. For a second, you felt slightly guilty for laughing at the whole thing. You raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to tell you more.
But you leaned back, still in disbelief at his words and still finding his antics just a bit amusing all the same.
“Well did I ever tell you the story of how I’m going to smack you so hard, they’ll give you a Purple Heart?”
His soft head of hair turned back in a flurry, his hands flying up to shield his upper arms. Giggling, you reassured him that you wouldn’t.
“I’m only joking, calm down!”
Settling down, George continued the many stories of his shenanigans back at his hometown. You gazed in wonder the whole time, nodding your head absentmindedly at each syllable that spilled out of him. The digits of your hands slowly inched closer to his, George also unknowingly doing the same.
The timbre of his voice and impressions left you breathless, your chest almost hurting from the countless times you let out a long chuckle. The grass felt nice upon the surface of your skin and you resumed your conversation with Luz, until you felt something warm against the back of your hand.
Visibly tensing up, you realized that George’s hand was on top of yours. Slumping and relaxing your shoulders when figuring out, George’s words came out fuzzy. Muffled and incoherent, you no longer paid them mind--instead bringing your fingers to intertwine with his. Your companion stopped speaking, sentences refusing to leave his lips.
Without even having to utter a word, the two of you were drawn to each other. Leaning in closer to close the proximity between you two, the basket placed in the middle was knocked over--the small clementines falling out and rolling a short distance before stopping. The clementines were strewn about, but you and George paid no mind. Tantalizing, his lips were right there in front of you--slightly parted and ever so rosy. And with a burst of passion, you leapt to capture his mouth in a slow peck, one that only lasted for a few seconds.
You did it. You actually did it.
“I love you so fucking much, (Y/n)--”
But before George could even say anymore, you silenced him with yet again another short kiss. Your reply was as clear as day, and George looked so enthusiastic and happy you could’ve giggled just a bit at his reaction if it weren’t for the current ardent atmosphere.
George’s cheeks were warm to the touch, and as you pulled away from the brief kiss he could only watch as you breathed heavily. Silently and deliberately, you leaned in--much slower this time. The peck from before laid forgotten in the fervent kiss you gave him.
Your (S/C) hand resting on the side of his head, cupping his head gently. Fingers that were once only loosely connected were tautly wrapped around her each other, his thumb brushing over the supple skin of your hand. In a moment that lasted for what seemed like forever, when you finally stopped--you only craved more.
It was so feverish and heartfelt, yet so tender and like a feather barely ghosting over the edges of your body.
Was this really the same George you knew all this time?
“Wow…”
That was all George said, he himself finding no words to even capture what he felt earlier. Captivated by you, George let his hands grab onto both of your wrists, slipping them down from his face so he can hold them in his own hands.
Deciding to tease him just a little bit, you smirked.
“Was I really that bad?” The way his face turned from a sappy, adoring look to a flustered emotion gave you happiness you couldn’t really fathom.
“Of course not- (Y/N)... You were-- You were amazing.”
“Real smooth, ain’t cha Luz?”
Still wrapped in each other’s embrace, Luz pulled you forward, setting yiu down on his lap as he wrapped his arms around you. Burying his nose in the crook of your neck, you relished in this intimate moment you shared with George. Sitting dormantly with limited movement, the world went still for a moment.
The early morning turned into a bright afternoon. Scooped in his hold, you pressed compassionate kisses all along the edges of his face, his eyelashes fluttering subtly whenever you did so. With the grass matted around your bodies, George’s voice--like music--peppered sweet and quiet declarations of love into your ear.
As you were about to doze off with the feeling of glee surrounding your head, George leaned forward, effectively knocking off your stupor on his shoulder. Light fingers brushed the skin of a nearby clementine--the rest still dispersed in a small pile. Bringing it up to your half-lidded eyes, you twinkled at the sight.
“Clementine?”
The simple act of you two offering the other the sweet fruit seemed like it was you and George’s own unique way of saying ‘I love you’. Sparing not even a second, you brushed what seemed to be like your 1,000th peck of the day on his nose. A fond feeling bloomed in his chest and he was sure that if he wasn’t already sitting down, his knees would’ve given out then--no matter how many times you did it.
“Of course.”
The cotton white clouds aimlessly moved in the sky as the leaves rustled all the same. There laid two people enveloped in each other’s presence. Silently vowing to forever love each other til the end of time. Chestnut eyes focus intently on your (E/C) ones, an affectionate grin setting deep in you and George’s features.
A clementine is shared, just as how the both of you shared your love with one another. Both of your lips move to meet, the whole world once again stopping as you finally do.
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Author’s Note: (*slaps fic* this bad boy can fit so many words in it) Fucky fucky fuck- wow was that absolutely a long ride. As I have mentioned before, I’m finally going to open my requests really soon (whopeee)! I’m sorry if I sound like a wanna-be poet, my vocabulary and grammar skills do be lackin’. I may have a few mistakes here and there and I also apologize for that.
Hnghh, but I hoped that y’all liked this fic! I love you all for takin’ the time to read it. 😩💕
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lesbiancarat · 3 years
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Haha its fine! Im book anon for a reason so take all the time you need! Before I start, I wanna apologize for the possible asks you got about the merch and hybe in general. I didn't intend to cause stress and need to be careful bdjahdsj so slap me with a fish!
Onto the ask! But agreed, I mean before the big kpop boom we saw, this was very common. Build a decent fanbase and then move to Japan or China. (Of course sometimes you see INSTANT movement in other countries but that depends on the company and such but you know what I mean) but since we do have the more global kpop era, we may see more companies do America which isn't a bad thing. It makes sense buisness wise so they will jump on it after debut or something. Thus I don't see it a bad thing for kpop groups to promote in America because hey, if in Korea they do sell western artist music who also tour there, kpop groups can also do the same ya know?
Now onto the hybe comment, I will try not to speak too much on it so I will try to summarize. I think my theory is due with merch from their main artist, they think maybe it could work with svt which maybe could but svt has a different fanbase so throwing on random merch won't make fans really want to buy (not saying some won't which kudos to you! As a fan you are allowed to consume what you please except not be a bad apple about it) so thus like the infamous water bottles which was done for bts, they thought why not do it for svt because bts fans sold it out apparently for a 2nd wave of it being sold again. (Which to this day idk why someone in the hybe team thought this was smart. Like...this is just in bad taste imo) I do wanna agree that it appears that hybe doesn't seem to have a proper art team for svt because while sometimes wild, I do know for their main artist they do have thoughtful merch based around say an album concept I recall. Kf course they will make mistakes i.e. the water bottles. I do wish it can improve because even though it is capitalism, I think fans do want decent merch. We have seen interesting ideas like svt making their own magazine and selling it lol. Of course it is hard to please because some fans want subtle merch ideas while others don't mind the vibrant pastel colors we got or some want wild ideas like svt figurines or something. Overall I hope I didn't drag this too much as I just wanted to respond back to you, I agree with many points you said so yeah cx I say let's also wait as this is barely what, a year or even less of svt being under hybe properly. Especially when hybe had its rebranding and expanding so things are being changed, I know fans are worried about this which is valid but let's not panic just yet. Let's come back in a year to this and see what has improved and what hasn't. (OK but peldis sold the boys rings!? :o since when!? I haven't heard of this actually, when did this happen if I may ask?)
Oof yeah sadly with streaming, many view "oh you don't stream it means you aren't a fan" when isn't the case (which is why I personally don't like when certain companies also do "listening parties" which seems a bit ???) I do remember this popped up big in 2017 but many fans called it out so it quiet down a bit. Like we didn't see it so often where fans were causing problems over it so idk why this returned nor what the cause of it was.
But thank you!! It really was a nice closing chapter, I think when I have personal stuff settled I will try maybe get a new bunny? And oohh congrats on the album! (Note to hybe or pledis. Please make the us store a more common thing, it makes things so much easier! Am happy it was at your place quick so kudos to the us store. Oohh wonderful choices! I think for many fans anyone or heaven's cloud seems to be the popular picks? For me, I may have to say game boi or heaven's cloud as well! Those songs make me just so happy? Like game boy is just so creative with the way it was made. As a video game nerd, it is perfection. I could make an essay about this song lol and heaven's cloud is just...wow. I feel so at ease with the song, comfortable and soothed. Like you are on a cloud lol. Also that is totally fine! Rtl was a grower for me (I blame the mv, it didn't do the song jusitice) but it is a bop and can't stop humming the chorus at random moments. Overall a great summer album. Just imagine any of these songs performed live ndjansns
lol don't feel too bad about it! honestly they weren't that bad + i can always delete asks if i really don't want to answer them, i just always get a bit paranoid that things will get out of hand so i may end up getting more serious in those situations OTL
and yeah i agree! i don't think it's a bad thing for groups to promote in the US, as you said, it's similar to groups expanding their fanbase by promoting in china or Japan or other asian counties, it makes sense from a business standpoint and there's nothing wrong with promoting in different countries. i just wish that some kpop stans understood that western and/or global popularity is a bonus and not a requirement for success. while they do have a global appeal, at the end of the day kpop's main audience is korea, and groups that achieve popularity in Korea have already achieved what they set out to do. but there's unfortunately a decent chunk of international fans that prioritize western popularity over anything and can't fathom that a group can be successful without being popular in the US. or they just talk as if their groups western achievements are more valuable than their Korean ones and to me that starts to look like xenophobia... (sorry if I'm repeating anything i said before in regards to this, i feel like i am but I'm too lazy to go back and check OTL)
since you sent this ask hybe released the caratland merch which was actually really nice, and today they also announced that there will be birthday merch for cheol (and presumably all members from here on out). we don't know what the bday merch is yet but some carats are already a bit miffed that hybe is even thinking to capitalize off the boys' birthdays... i bring both of these up bc i feel like the caratland merch proves your point that hybe is capable of designing good and thoughtful merch, and honestly this does reassure me a bit. but on the other hand them trying to capitalize off the boys' birthdays also proves that they still don't fully understand carats wants and priorities as a fanbase. which, if the future of seventeens merch is gonna be quality merch with some shitty cash grabs in between, i can live with that. I'm not gonna like the shitty cash grabs and i think it would be in our best interest as a fandom to not go crazy buying those shitty cash grabs, because if we don't then hybe will hopefully stop wasting their time and put more effort into /quality/. but if we get quality merch for important events like concerts and fanmeetings, i can live with it. as you said too, it can take time for these things to change, and we should all recognize that. but at the same time merch specifically is market driven, so i don't think it's a bad thing if people like @ hybe on twt about any bad merch that comes out in order to drive that change dhfkfj
but also on a maybe more fun note in regards to the merch... with some carats being upset about the bday merch i was thinking about what hybe could do for merch instead that would fill the niche of being at intervals throughout the year that could still be limited time drops but that carats wouldn't be mad at them capitalizing on and then i was like duh! they could literally just make merch off of going seventeen! honestly I'm surprised they haven't yet. maybe not merch for every episode, but they could have a line of permanent gose merch w a basic logo or something and then release limited time merch themed around some of the more popular episodes at various points during the year. I'm actually kind of obsessed with this idea now and for once I'm like hybe/pledis please capitalize off of this!! dhfkgjg
they never actually sold them, but for seventeens 3rd anniversary, pledis planned to sell replicas of seventeens rings. after it was announced carats were understandably upset since the boys worked so hard for those. luckily pledis heard carats concerns and put out an apology and didn't manufacture them in the end. I'm glad that at least they listened to carats even though it would have been better if they had never considered the idea in the first place :(
oh yeah listening parties are definitely just another marketing technique to boost streams. i think like with a lot of marketing techniques, it just depends on the execution. imo if they're done well it can be a good way for fans to connect while listening to an artists music, which is mutually beneficial for the company, but i can totally see a situation where companies get greedy and push it too hard. i don't know anything about what happened with them back in the day, but if you're curious why SVT had listening parties leading up to your choice, they were set up by UMG, the American distributor that SVT worked with for this cb. in this case the listening parties weren't just for boosting streams, but also likely for UMG to gauge interest. SVT isn't officially signed to a US label yet, but UMG's data from the listening parties could be used to show US labels whether or not there's enough interest for them to be signed. which if that happens we'd almost definitely see a more permanent US shop!
ahh yes, once you're ready I'm sure it would be great to have another bunny companion 🥺
yes! heavens cloud and gam3 bo1 are both such feel good songs! my sister actually added heavens cloud to their Spotify after i made them listen to the album in the car dhfkf it's now one of 6 kpop songs they have saved (4 of which are SVT... my influence 💅 DHFJFH) I'm certain we'll see some of the songs from your choice at caratland this year, hopefully it's all of them but I'd especially like to see heavens cloud and wave 👀 I'm also still crossing my fingers for an i wish live performance bc i can't believe my favorite SVT b-side is one of the TWO tracks they haven't performed live not including the new album (the other one being network love, which i would also like to see live!)
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