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thecagedsong · 3 years

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Forgotten Light Chapter 14: Crescent Lagoon

A/N: Chapter 14 is here, and fairly short, especially after chapter 13′s monster length. Might even post chapter 15 today. We’ll see.

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Chapter 14: Crescent Lagoon

The sombrosa swords were apparently a type of dual swords whose handles were half of the other, kind of like cutting a curved sword down the middle lengthwise.

No, Seth wasn’t allowed to touch them, yes they were magic. The wielder, with proper concentration, could make the swords sharp enough to cut through almost anything, even dragon hide, or sturdy enough to withstand tremendous pressure, though only one affect could be applied to each sword at one time. Apparently the Knights of the Dawn had had a combat tournament back in the day, and Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Stan had been the two finalists.

Vanessa took over discussing what an umbraka was and why them running loose is the perfect reason to end a tournament, but kept referencing other animals that Seth didn’t know, and it was decided there wasn’t enough time to get into that. There was another sanctuary that needed saving.

He was helped out of the Canoe by Warren, who had gone through before him. Instantly the humidity hit.

“It feels like I’m trying to breath in the ocean,” Seth complained.

“You’re welcome to compare a bit of humidity to the real experience,” Vanessa said, gesturing to the harbor. Tanu came through, then Grandma Gloria. Holding the canoe steady were short halflings. They were covered in black tattoos over their reddish skin and more of them were scattered between their spot and the treeline.

Their group gathered around a tall islander woman. Her long, curly black hair had a couple of gray streaks, but her age didn’t show otherwise. Next to her was a red-headed surfer dude.

“Welcome to Crescent Lagoon,” the woman said, “I am the caretaker, and due to the assistance of Knights Warren and Vanessa, we were able secure this small area to be protected under treaty. Be aware that the boundaries cover the beach, the water inside the cove, and about ten meters out on either side of where the beach turns into forest. And of course, my home, which you are all welcome to.”

Seth looked around, trying to make out houses around the enormous trees, but couldn’t see anything. Then a halfling came down an elevator from the big tree in the center, and Seth’s eyes went up. And up. Because this caretaker’s home made their old treehouse back at Fablehaven look like a doghouse.

“Wow,” Seth said, looking over the rope system. “We sleep in hammocks, right?”

“I’m sure we can string one up directly over the dragon-infested ocean for you, if you like,” Warren said with a grin.

“There are plenty of dangers here already,” Tanu said, “I don’t believe we need to tempt more.”

“Thank you for receiving us during these difficult times,” Grandma said, bowing to the caretaker, “I am Gloria Larsen, a knight of the dawn. Allow me to introduce my Grandson, Seth Sorenson, a shadow charmer, and Knight Tanu Dafu, an expert potion’s master. We will look forward to working together as we pursue our mutual goals.”

“Well met,” the Caretaker responded. “I am Savani, and this is one of my assistants, Grady. We will speak of more sensitive issues inside, particularly our mutual goals.” Savani started leading them away from the beach.

“Do we climb a rope latter to get up there?” Seth asked, looking at the interchanging platforms for a rope that hung all the way down.

“Not quite,” Grady said, “The Maze keeps us on our toes, but we spare ourselves at least the effort of getting up there.”

“It’s called the Monkey Maze?” Tanu asked, “Do the rooms shift?”

“Against intruders,” Grady answered, “We work closely with Heliconia, the dryad of this grove, to keep them together for most uses. Certain parts are forbidden, of course.”

“Is it required for all preserves to have dungeons for the horribly dangerous?” Seth asked, straining his ears to hear the sounds of the undead. There was a faint whispering, but it was slightly different than the Blackwell or even Fablehaven’s dungeon. He couldn’t make out anything but a low murmur, almost hidden by the sound of waves.

“Yes,” Vanessa said, “it is part of the base foundational treaty that all the sanctuaries are copied after. The caretakers must remove those who threaten the integrity of the treaty, and the undead rarely agree to be bound while being attracted to the magical souls of those on a preserve. Or they do, then break their word, and wind up in jail.”

“Noted,” Seth said.

“I would tell you that you should disregard that information,” Grandma Larsen said, amused, “but I suppose you should take note.”

“Here we are,” Savani said, bringing them to a platform that had a rope going up into the trees. “Please assemble on the platform.”

“It’s easier if you hold onto the rope in the center,” Vanessa warned, and everyone but Warren grabbed on. Seth grinned and kept his hands off.

“Brace yourself,” Warren said, crouching a little. The platform shot upwards, and Seth fell on his butt with a surprised laugh. He made it back to his feet before the platform stopped, and the adults were all chuckling at him.

“Do we get everywhere in the treehouse with unbuckled rollercoaster elevators?” Seth asked, jumping onto the bigger room the platform had become a part of.

Savani chuckled, “No, the rest is walking, I’m afraid. Come, the Menuhene have prepared refreshments to welcome you.”

“Menuhene?” Seth asked.

“Think of a breed of dwarves that hold agreements similar to brownies,” Tanu suggested, “Though their specialty if building, rather than maintaining households.”

“Awesome,” Seth said.

“Here we are,” Savani said, leading them to a different enclosed room via rope bridge. It had a couple of tables and wicker chairs. “Now, explain to me what brings a child to my nearly fallen preserve, former caretaker or not. Vanessa and Warren promised allies, not liabilities.”

“Hey, I saved Wyrmroost, and I’ve handle more secret vaults than you would ever believe,” Seth said, “I thought we were past doubting me and Kendra.”

“Be respectful Seth,” Grandma said gently, then turned to Savani, “It’s true, that Seth is young, and if it hadn’t been for the opening of the demon prison and the upcoming dragon war, we would have preferred him to grow up before venturing near any dragon sanctuary. He does have experience. Unfortunately, Seth is one of few true Dragon tamers in the world, able to move and converse with ease. Seth has also become a shadow charmer, and his skills are necessary for upcoming trials, one of which involves retrieving his sister from the Phantom Isle. One of our goals here is to find training for Seth from a demon whose interests are strongly aligned against dragons.”

“A dragon sancturary is an odd place for a dragon hating demon to lair,” Savani said, “Who is it you seek?”

“Talizar,” Grandma said.

“I am familiar with him,” Savani nodded, “he’s one of the rare demons that invoke boundary magic as one of his tools, rather than relying on his own strength against dragon neighbors. Caretakers in the past have mentioned him activating Moai to more strictly enforce dragon boundaries. His lair is on the same island as the corrupted pool.”

“Another of our goals,” Tanu said with a nod, “We have reason to believe that Ronodin kidnapped Seth’s sister and our dear friend, Kendra Sorenson. Any chance to capture and interrogate him needs to be investigated immediately.”

“And, of course,” Warren added, “We want to help further restore the boundaries of Crescent Lagoon, prevent it from falling and all that jazz.”

Savani nodded slowly, eyeing them. “I see where our interests align. I will lend you aid where I can, but my aid is further reduced by the fall of this preserve, though it improves with the aid of Warren and Vanessa, who were able to bring back the Moai that protects the Monkey Maze. As long as one Moai is active, the outer boundaries of this preserve are intact. Unfortunately, this is a temporary refuge.”

“Why is it only temporary?” Grandma Gloria asked.

“I see there was not time for complete explanations,” Savani said, going to a map on the wall, “We lost the Sunset Pearl, which was the magic source for all the Moai in the preserve. As a failsafe, individual moai can be activated independent of the sunset pearl, as the moai currently protecting here was by consuming a sacrifice of a person’s most treasured object. I will not be able to pay the debt I owe to Warren for being willing to sacrifice his.”

“What was it?” Seth asked.

Warren was looking at the floor, “A limited print baseball card I always carry with me. The player was my dad’s best friend, an Uncle to me, close as family can be. He died of cancer years ago, and it was all I had left of him.”

“Warren’s sacrifice was accepted,” Savani said, “As was my sacrifice of my family’s ancestral tablets. I can read the Moai, and we have two weeks of protection before another sacrifice is required by someone else.”

“It’s harder than you think,” Vanessa said, “Deciding on a most important object. I couldn’t think of anything then, and still can’t think of anything that the Moai would have accepted. Obviously the goal is to restore the Sunset Pearl before our current sacrifice runs out.”

“Any idea where the Sunset Pearl was taken?” Tanu asked.

“None,” Savani sighed, “I’ve lost many allies in the process of looking, but nothing has come from those sacrifices.”

“They also need to know about the Triclops,” Vanessa said.

Savani nodded, “Mombatu the Triclops is the designated dragon slayer of this sanctuary. He became active when the sanctuary fell, and he is savage. He will slay a dragon before a human, but he has lost his faculties over time. He is so ancient, my people supposed him dead, and now he is a danger to anyone who comes near him, including me. He has driven the dragons away from this particular island, and is therefore the current greatest threat to our borders.”

“Really, there is no way to talk to him?” Grandma Gloria asked, “Seems a poor choice for a dragon slayer allied with the treaty makers.”

Savani shrugged, “Our legends say the original caretaker could soothe him to peace with a flute song, but the song and the flute have been lost to legend.”

“Shame we didn’t bring Newel and Doren with us this time,” Seth said, giving a little grin. The cowards would absolutely refuse to play their panflutes for the triclops unless the only other choice was to be eaten.

“As Savani suggested,” Vanessa said, a wry grin on her lips, “The magic was in the flute, rather than being a fan of the instrument. We’ll let our satyr friends recover another day in Fablehaven before testing their bravery once again.”

“Have you seen the site where the Sunset Pearl was kept?” Tanu asked.

“I saw it with Hako,” Warren said, “We didn’t find much. Ten really big moai in a ring facing inwards. An altar of piled stones at the center with a bowl on top. Supposedly three guardians protected the pearl, but there was no sign of them. There were tracks from the triclops though.”

“No sign of the three guardians and triclops tracks,” Grandma Larsen mused, “Were they dependent on the Pearl for existence?”

“I believe so,” Savani said, “and the triclops tracks are likely from it’s rampaging, rather than having to do with the theft. The triclops appeared long after the pearl had vanished.”

“Okay, so we need a pearl, would like a flute, have to watch out for a rampaging triclops, Ronodin was spotted lurking around a corrupted pool, and we need to locate a demon to negotiate some training with him. Anything else we should discuss before planning?” Seth asked.

“What remains of your staff?” Tanu asked.

“Grady here,” Savani said, “Hako, our gamekeeper. And Uma. Uma is frail and in a wheelchair, but she will likely interest you, Potion Master.”

Tanu blinked, and his took on a bit of awestruck, “Not Uma Stormbrewer.”

“The same. She joined our staff after her legs gave out, but she and her skills remain sharp,” Savani said.

“That’s…she’s a legend,” Tanu said, “She’s a grand master of potion making, I hardly deserve the title compared to her.”

“Good thing you got courage potions in abundance,” Seth said, slapping him on the shoulder, “And I suppose you two should know about another ally we brought. Calvin, say hi.”

Calvin peeked out of his pocket, “Hello,” he waved. “I wasn’t sure to introduce myself or not, I’m one of those assets best left hidden. I’m Calvin the Nipsie.”

“You are welcome here, small ally,” Savani said, bowing her head in a nod of recognition. She waited a moment, then said, “I believe we have reached a summation of our assets and current goals. Onto planning. Hako was planning on investigating the corrupted pool alone today, since we had no timeframe for how long it would take Warren and Vanessa to find allies, even with the small dragon’s help.”

“I want to go with and help with the investigation,” Seth said.

“I go where Seth goes,” Grandma Gloria said. “Depending on what we can locate at the corrupted spring, it would also be foolish to not to greet Talizar and open negotiations for training while we are already outside the protections granted. Just as it would be foolish to delay, if our time limit is really only two weeks.

“I believe I will skip this venture in order to consult longer with Uma,” Tanu decided, “I have many fresh ingredient from dragons that I hope she will be interested in.”

“I believe she will be,” Savani said with a smile. Everyone turned to Vanessa and Warren.

“Well, what do you say?” Warren asked Vanessa with a smile, “It’s been, what, almost twenty whole hours since our last near death experience? I think we’re up for another round.”

“Right, practically a vacation,” she said drily. “Wouldn’t want to become bored with existing.”

“Count us in for one trip to the corrupted spring,” Warren said.

Finally, he could start following a lead on Kendra. She just had to keep Ronodin’s slimy hands and stupid words away from her for a little bit longer.

#Forgotten Light #Fablehaven #Dragonwatch #seth sorenson #Crescent Lagoon #shorter chapter #I thought about writing out the full argument between Stan and Gloria #and letting Vanessa geek out over mythical creatures she'd like to own #but its not plot relevant #and only I would care probably.#This is the last chapter that kind of matches Canon before Seth's story goes way sideways from it #I love it

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ladyfawkes · 3 years

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Eugene Appreciation Week - Day 1 - Childhood | The Trial and Tribulations of Fitzherbert and Schnitz

The Trial and Tribulations of Fitzherbert and Schnitz

Current word count: 3178

Current Rating: T for upcoming chapters

This is my version of that now-infamous RTA lost episode, "The Trial of Fitzherbert and Schnitz". Most of you are aware how I took issue with Disney having used both adoption AND Eugene's having adopted his lifelong persona as Flynn as a 20-minute throwaway plot. I'm gonna try to beef up that premise.

I suppose this is ALSO my way of refuting some of the (very limited) spoilery stuff I've read that's included in the upcoming traditionally published Flynn Rider novel.

My own plot line will be significantly darker than your average Disney plot, though.

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Chapter 1: Sister Eunice

Several years into the past....

Arnie was skipping down the corridor just past the chapel, minding his own business, when suddenly a loud CRASH!!! sounded from just behind him. He whipped around to see an enormous new hole in a large ornate stained-glass window behind him that was intact just seconds ago.

Thinking one of the rowdier orphans to be at fault, Arnie ran to have a looksee outside. He was shocked to discover nobody except Sister Eunice opposite him next to the stone wall. Surely she couldn’t have been the one to shatter the window??

The young nun noticed him from outside the chapel though and hissed, “Arnie!! Arnie, don’t tell anybody you saw me here! Please. I’m trying to save Eugene!! I’m trying to save you all!! If anybody asks, especially Father Francis, tell them you saw Eugene throw a rock at the window. I can’t explain why, but it’ll help out. A LOT. Can you do that for me, please, Arnie? Would you do this to save your best friend, Eugene?” She was looking at him with frightened eyes, taking surreptitious furtive glances behind her.

Ten-year-old Arnie had stared back, wide-eyed, and had only barely begun to nod when Sis Eunice turned back, ran around the corner of the chapel toward Arnie’s right, and disappeared. Young Arnie was left standing there, mouth agape, wondering why on earth a nun - a nun!!! - would throw a heavy rock through a church-owned stained glass window. And especially a window that the children were told was hundreds of years old!

Not long after that, to his left, Arnie saw someone else outside out of the corner of his eye. The young boy instinctively hid behind the full partition of the wall where the stained glass window ended. It was Fr Francis, the priest for the local parish, walking at a brisk pace. And Arnie could’ve sworn the scary priest might be tracking Sis Eunice. Arnie and Eugene hadn’t ever been particularly fond of Francis. In fact, they went out of their way to avoid the older dour-faced man.

Although Fr. Francis was currently looking at the hole in the window from a ways off, he couldn’t see where Arnie was from his vantage point. Arnie slinked away to go find Eugene.

Turned out he bumped into Eugene almost immediately since Eugene had been in the chapel, waiting to meet up with Lord and Lady Boskin. Arnie stopped in his tracks at the sight of his friend, all freshly bathed, his hair combed, and so unexpectedly dressed in a new blue velvet skeleton suit, white stockings, silk shirt, and leather shoes. It was the latest modern fashion that all the rich boys were wearing in Vardaros. He knew that because Eugene told him every time they were fortunate enough to go to town with one of the sisters. Arnie would have to pry Eugene away from the shop window where Eugene’s face would sometimes get so close to the display that his nose print would remain on the glass. Arnie didn’t understand why Eugene cared about stuff like that. Fashion and velvet and lace. Orphans weren’t supposed to care. Food was more important anyway.

“I heard a terrible crash and came to investigate!” Eugene said breathlessly.

All thought of the broken window had flown from Arnie’s mind at the sight of his transformed best friend and he demanded, “What’re you wearing alla that for??”

Suddenly self-conscious, Eugene crammed his hands in his new pockets, stared at the floor, scuffed the sole of his new shoe against the mosaic tile and mumbled, “Fr Francis took me aside after breakfast to the rectory and said that Lord and Lady Boskin have chosen to adopt…..me.” He said it with the same amount of awe he felt when he first saw the suit in its parcel.

“....and….and you didn’t think to tell me any sooner? You were just gonna leave without saying goodbye?” accused Arnie, his eyes filling with tears. Eugene could see his pouting lips tremble from several yards away. “But...but I didn’t know either…!” protested Eugene, now fighting tears himself, before he was abruptly cut off.

As Arnie stood there simultaneously hating and envying Eugene, a whole crowd of people had arrived from both sides of the corridor, to all of the ensuing hullabaloo of the shattered window. Unfortunately, it was just in time to see these two boys standing by themselves right near the new gaping hole in the priceless stained glass window.

Fr Francis had reappeared inside followed by the Mthr Superior, Sis Eunice, several dozen children, and a few other nuns. Everyone was chattering and buzzing and arguing about which of the two boys had broken the window -- Arnie or Eugene. Perhaps both? Immediately they both protested their innocence and the bored aggressive older boys used the moment as an excuse to break out into a fight…

Two brawny red-headed boys quickly left the mob only to have one boy each bowl right into Eugene and Arnie. All four boys toppled over to the floor.

All of the other children started shouting, “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” and just before the redheads could land their first actual punches, Fr Francis easily intervened by grabbing both of their pulled-back fists, squeezing them, and ordering the boys to get up off their intended victims and up off the floor. They reluctantly complied. Then Francis ordered Arnie and Eugene off the floor and to follow him to his office.

As Eugene looked down in dismay at the visible dirt on his beautiful new suit, Sis Eunice surreptitiously put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, in a voice so softly only he could hear, “Don’t worry -- these are play clothes. More than capable of taking a few layers of dirt from rambunctious young boys.” She always had a way to help him feel better….but this time, since he was effectively being frog-marched to the priest’s office over something he didn’t do, the good feeling didn’t last nearly long enough.

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Two Hours Earlier…..

Eugene had been called to the rectory by Fr. Francis immediately following breakfast. Without any prior notice whatsoever, he informed Eugene that Lord and Lady Boskin had actually chosen to adopt him!!!

Young Eugene couldn’t believe his luck! He wondered why he’d been chosen. What had the wealthy young couple seen in him? Even though he’d only been formally introduced once or twice, and had spoken only a few sentences to them, they chose him. And he supposed they seemed nice enough.

Eugene and most of the orphans had already seen the younger couple several times. He learned from the nuns over the past couple of years that the pair were evidently unable to have children of their own and as such, had been growing their own family a different way. Twice per year for the past two years, they had chosen a new child from amongst the orphans at this orphanage. Prior to their more formal choosing-times for each child, they would come to the orphanage for several trips and take turns meeting and chatting with the children. Yet this time, they had actually chosen Eugene.

Sis. Eunice had entered the rectory right behind Fr Francis and his announcement; the latter then vacated the building. Sis Eunice had taken Eugene by the hand and led him to the home’s water closet. And already waiting for him was a fresh bath -- mid-week, even! He was accustomed to every Saturday at most. For the first time in his life, Eugene was treated to his very own bath where the water was actually extra warm and didn’t contain the sloughed-off post-bathing scoodge from a zillion other children lurking in the bottom.

Eugene had seen the nuns sniffle and get misty-eyed plenty of times when other children had been adopted. But their crying was always rather delicate and they always tried to smile through it. However, as Sis Eunice helped him to properly wash his fingers, toes, and ears during what Eugene thought of as his luxurious bath, Sis Eunice also kept repeatedly bursting into tears. And apologizing for it. She seemed genuinely….worried.

The nuns weren’t supposed to have favorites but Eugene knew Sis Eunice was easily the most fond of him. She had arrived at the orphanage during the height of a disease outbreak which had very nearly claimed little Eugene’s life. And it would have done so too, if it weren’t for Sis Eunice’s dogged persistence. They had originally bonded over their funny-sounding first names. She’d turned her own name into a joke to try and give him a reason to smile….and it worked. Most if not all of the other nuns were quite hands-off but Sis Eunice believed in healing touch. As Eugene’s stricken body fought the virulent infection, the Sister held him, rocked him, and sang to him. After that, she promised to come back to the room that housed the most ill children and read aloud a story once she finished her rounds. She had sat closest to little Eugene as she read aloud “Flynnigan Rider and the Pirates of Penzance” for the very first time. It was the first time Eugene had become familiar with the novels.

And though Eugene hadn’t really noticed before (nun’s habits often made it difficult to tell who was older than whom) right now, after he learned he would soon be leaving the orphanage forever that day, it was almost as if Eugene were seeing Sis Eunice for the first time. And for the first time, he noticed how young she truly was. She had a spray of freckles across her face and a little space between her front teeth. A halo of strawberry blonde curls framed her face and perpetually worked their way out of her wimpole. It’s possible Sis Eunice was even younger than Lady Boskin.

He couldn’t help but notice as she had him put on a clean slick-feeling shirt -- a brand-new one, just for him!! -- yet that was only the beginning. Apparently with each chosen child, the adoptive couple provided a freshly purchased outfit from the shops in town. Even Sis Eunice couldn’t help but smile this time as she presented Eugene’s new clothes to him. She asked him to tug open the string holding the paper parcel together. He stared at the parcel, eyes darting between the string and the Sister’s face. “Another present?” he whispered in awe. “For me?” Inside lay a brand new velvet suit. “It’s my favorite color!” he squeaked in delight. “Cornflower blue!” And Sis. Eunice nodded with the same huge smile on her face as him. “Shall I?” she asked softly, reaching into the parcel so he could see the whole suit. Eugene was utterly thunderstruck now. He stared wide-eyed at this beautiful boughten suit which was already quite familiar to him.

“But this is the same…..” he trailed off as Sis Eunice finished for him, “It’s the same suit you’ve had your eye on all year in that shop window?” Mouth agape, Eugene nodded slowly, clearly still in shock.

Eugene recalled how Sis Eunice had begun reading the Flynnigan Rider story with a splash, quite literally, and encompassed the first three chapters. The very first words of the book started with Flynnigan Rider on the mains’l full on the mast of a tall ship, shouting, “As long as I possess air in my lungs, I shall never surrender!!” And right before an enemy bullet could pierce him, Rider had sprinted and dove off the end of the mains’l to plunge down into the sea below. Sis Eunice had taken a fresh mildly damp cloth and spun it above her head, so everyone could feel the ‘splash’. That’s all it took for her to hook every single one of her charges. Sis Eunice had read aloud in every voice. Acted out each scene. She had as many props as feasible. And at the end of chapter 3 that first night, she closed the book amidst many “awwws”, protests, and left the children clamoring for more and some even wanting to help star in the show. Six-year-old Eugene had finally found the strength to speak for the first time in days and tugged Sis Eunice’s robes. “Tomorrow? Please?” he whispered breathlessly. The Sister knelt down close by his ear and pushed his hair away from his fevered brow. “I’ll tell you what,” she said softly. “If you think you can stick around for me by this time tomorrow morning, I promise to come back and read for you. Deal?”

And she turned to the rest of the room, “Tonight’s life lesson from Flynnigan is to hold air in those lungs -- by breathing deeply -- so that you can keep fighting.” Eager to prove to Sis Eunice that he could be brave like Flynnigan Rider, he concentrated on breathing as deeply as he could. Though it was by far the most difficult and painful thing he’d ever done in his young life, he followed through with it nonetheless. And Sis Eunice had returned each morning and night, as promised, to divulge more of Flynnigan’s adventures and life lessons. By the time he was well enough about a week later, she’d ask for Eugene to actually promise to wait for her the next night and bit by bit, little Eugene had found the strength to come back from the brink. And it was all because of one (or was it two?) very special people -- Sis Eunice and Flynnigan Rider.

“Shall we dress you smartly then? It’s not proper for a young man of your new status to be prancing around, half-dressed, you know,” Sis Eunice teased, bringing Eugene back to the present. Usually he’d act silly in return but right now….as soon as he had the new trousers on….Eugene was overcome and couldn’t help but throw his arms around the Sister’s neck. “Thank you,” he whispered, “so much.” It was the nicest clothing -- the nicest anything -- that anyone had ever given him. And Sis Eunice thought he was misinterpreting who’d provided for him this suit but he wasn’t. “I know it wasn’t your money,” as Eugene was well aware that the nuns scarcely had more than the orphans due in large part to their vows of charity and poverty. And yet he replied, still embracing her, “But I just know that you had something to do with it somehow, Sis Eunice.”

She briefly taught him the tricks with helping Eugene learn how to dress himself up in the fancy new suit. It had a lot of buttons. Big shiny brass ones. She was insistent that none of her charges was going to be reliant on servants to dress them, even after they left the orphanage. Once Eugene was fully dressed in his new comfortably-tailored playsuit, Sis Eunice also presented to him new stockings and new mahogany leather shoes.

Sis Eunice looked adoringly...and then somberly at Eugene as the thunderstruck little boy could not stop studying his own reflection in a full-length mirror.

Though most boys hated baths, he actually liked them (especially when they were warm with fresh water) almost as much as he liked playing in the dirt. He wondered if he’d have his own bed at his new home. He wondered if he’d get to have a mattress, bedclothes, and a pillow every night.

“Well, I suppose it’s time,” said Sis Eunice with a watery smile. The pair of them began to head over to the parish chapel just off the orphanage and across the compound from the rectory. Halfway through the walk, Sis Eunice asked him to continue onto the chapel and said that she’d meet up with him again in a very short few moments. And that was apparently where he was supposed to meet up with Lord and Lady Boskin to sign the final papers and officially become their latest son for real. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.

After his arrival in the chapel, and within 3 minutes, he heard a very loud crash outside in the corridor to the right of his vantage point near the front of the chapel. He thought maybe he should stay put just in case, but his curiosity got the best of him and he went to investigate.

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Meanwhile, in the Office of the Clergy….

Arnie had been called into the clergy office with Fr Francis, Mthr Superior, and Sis Eunice. Eugene had been left outside to stew and fret by himself.

“So you witnessed Eugene Fitzherbert throw a rock at the stained glass?” said Fr Francis imperiously. Arnie’s wide frightened eyes kept darting back and forth between Fr Francis’s unpleasant features and Sis Eunice’s equally terrified eyes. She nodded imperceptibly to encourage Arnie to say yes. Arnie didn’t want to lie but he didn’t want to be the one who got in trouble either. Not to mention….it utterly broke his heart that Eugene was getting adopted and that he wasn’t even gonna say goodbye to Arnie. Thus Arnie looked to the floor and nodded downward at it half-heartedly.

Eugene was brought into the office and not even given a chance to defend nor explain himself.

“Naughty misbehaving boys who destroy priceless works of church art don’t deserve to get adopted,” Fr Francis began imperiously. “Remove that clothing at once. It’s no longer yours and you are no longer fit to wear it.” Poor Eugene recoiled in shock and horror and Sis Eunice stepped in to try and intervene. She shared scared looks with Arnie, even more frightened than before. “There’s no need for that, he hasn’t physically harmed anybody,” Sis Eunice reasoned, “there’s no reason to treat him like he’s a criminal. He just had an accident, that's all.”

Eugene kept backing further and further away, “Not adopted??” was all he could manage to say. “That’s precisely it,” Fr Francis replied coldly. “I’ll tell Lord and Lady Boskin not to follow through with the paperwork because misbehaving children are evil children, and they shan’t have evil brought into their perfect home. Now give back that clothing or I shall turn you in for theft of property.” Sis Eunice’s hands flew to her mouth in open dismay. Arnie had correctly deduced that this was definitely not a development she had anticipated. Now the Mthr Superior and other church lackeys outside the door had begun to put their hands on Eugene in effort to take back his new boughten clothes.

Clearly, not knowing what else to do, Sis Eunice pressed her advantage, knelt down by Eugene's ear, and said, “You must run, Eugene!! Stay as far away from here as you can! Make certain they can’t ever catch you. I’ll take care of the rest.” His eyes bugged out and still he hesitated before Sis Eunice hissed, “GO! NOW!”

Eugene spun on the heel of his new shoe, managed to just barely pull away from the sea of grabbing hands, and sprinted out into the great beyond. P.S. Yes, I have every intention of continuing this. And hopefully even seeing it to completion, like a real "episode", even though the timelapse will be more like a full hour as opposed to 22 minutes? In fact, I've already written a bit more beyond it. I just have to write other things for the time being.....

@gleamful-lanterns @kingreywrites @autumn-ravenclaw

#EAW #Eugene Appreciation Week #Day 1 Childhood #fanfiction #ao3 fanfiction #my fanfiction #eugene fitzherbert #Flynn Rider #Arnwaldo Schnitz #lance strongbow

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440mxs-wife · 4 years

Text

Lost and Found

"You want me to work this case with who?" Arthur Ketch asked.

"Relax, Ketch, she's had field experience before, she just hasn't been in the field much lately. Trust me, she'll be perfect for this," Dean assured him.

"This is not a training op, a learn-as-you-go thing, this is a serious case, Dean. I need an experienced hunter to carry off the cover story and perform her duty. I don't think she fits the part, and she's not my type anyway," Ketch complained.

As if on cue, you walked through the War Room on your way to the main living area. You had a book in one hand, which you were reading as you walked. A cup of cocoa occupied your other hand. You reached the living room and settled into a corner of the couch with your favorite quilt.

Dean cleared his throat behind you. Without looking up from your book, you asked, "What do you need, Dean?"

"So, we have a case right now that requires your unique....talents," he started.

You closed your book in annoyance and narrowly gazed at Dean. "To what 'unique talents' are you referring? What exactly do you want me to do?" you asked.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, something he tended to do when he was nervous or about to do something he didn't want to do. "This is Arthur Ketch, former British Man of Letters. There's a case involving a vampire, named Simon Foster. He's hosting a formal party by invitation only. Your cover would involve you posing as a couple with Ketch," he explained.

You knew this wasn't the whole story, so you waited for Dean to finish. "And....you have to dress up, like evening-gown type dressing up," he added.

You took a few moments to assess your potential hunting partner's attributes. You knew that in the past, he had been a ruthless killer for the British Men of Letters. However, you also remembered how he rescued Gabriel from Asmodeus, at great risk to his own safety. He was working with the Winchesters from time to time as a free-lance operative.

Aside from the professional evaluation, you had to admire his broad chest and tall, confident stature. He had sparkling blue-green eyes that you knew had to hold a certain amount of mischief every now and then. He had just enough of a beard to be considered ruggedly handsome and sexy. And that accent made you a little weak in the knees, if you were being truly honest with yourself.

Ketch interpreted your silence to mean that you were refusing to work with him on the case. "As I told you, Dean, she's not right for this mission," he retorted.

"Mr. Ketch, you don't know me very well. And I only know of you what I've heard in the tales of your exploits from Sam and Dean. Maybe it's time we got our assumptions about each other out of the way, and work this case? Hmm?" you replied as you rose from the couch.

Ketch walked over to where you were standing and said, "Well, my dear, since you have dropped the gauntlet, I accept your challenge. Oh, by the way, I do hope you have something appropriate to wear. Flannel and jeans won't fly in this instance, darling," he smirked.

You took one step towards Ketch, close enough so that you could detect the scent of his aftershave. With more calm in your voice than you currently felt, you looked deep into his eyes. "There's more to me than flannel and jeans. Buckle up, Mr. Ketch. It's going to be a fun ride," you replied, making a show of adjusting his tie before walking out of the room.

Ketch looked over at Dean, who was alternating between shock at your actions and outright laughter at Ketch's expense. He turned on his heel and went to his room, which was fortunately in the opposite direction of yours.

You spent the next week and a half preparing for the upcoming hunt with Ketch. Most of the time was occupied doing research, looking through books and poking around on the internet. Otherwise, you could easily be found at the firing range. You felt you were a little rusty, and the extra range time would help increase your accuracy. You also didn't want to give Ketch one single reason to regret partnering with you.

"Research days" were long ones. You made sure to take plenty of breaks to stretch your legs. If you made yourself a snack, you brought one back for Ketch also. Where you had hot cocoa or coffee, you made tea for Ketch. He never asked you for anything, but for you, it was almost automatic to share in your hospitality. It was in these little ways that you were trying to show Mr. Ketch that his assumptions about you may not be accurate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ketch stared at the glass of milk you brought to him, along with three chocolate chip cookies you had baked the day before. Today, it was muffins at breakfast, cookies in the afternoon and pie with dinner. The woman certainly has her talents, he thought. Maybe she can pull this off after all.

As you nibbled on your cookie, Ketch took a moment to study you. You had greenish-hazel eyes, one of which had a small dark mark in the iris. Your medium length chestnut locks couldn't keep themselves from falling in your face. On more than one occasion, Ketch found himself wanting to reach over and tuck the wayward curls behind your ear. As you searched through the reference books, he could see the look of deep concentration on your face. He had to admit, you may just have the determination to get the job done.

He had followed you one day to the shooting range to see how you handled a firearm. He watched as you carefully loaded the rounds into the clip for your .380 pistol, and inserted the clip. When the weapon was ready, you raised it into position, took aim and systematically emptied the clip. You left the target hanging on the range, so as soon as you left, Ketch went over to check your results. He was amazed to find that all rounds except one hit center mass, just like they were supposed to do. The only one that didn't hit center mass was a head shot.

From what he'd seen, you were more than capable of performing your part in this case. You had already demonstrated to him that you could handle a firearm. This skill likely translated to other weapons as well, so Ketch wasn't worried about that.

You'd also shown him your sensitive side. It was in the way you took care of everyone in the bunker, including him, despite his initial dismissive attitude towards you. It occurred to him that it was partially because of you that the Winchesters' hunting operation was so successful. You made sure everyone was fed well, had clean clothes and injuries were patched. Not just the physical injuries either, but the emotional ones as well that can take their toll on a hunter.

One night, he had a nightmare that left him calling out in his sleep. In his nightmare, he was put on trial by the British Men of Letters. All of the people he had killed were brought in as witnesses against him, and of course, he was found guilty. His punishment was that each victim got a chance to kill him, causing him to experience his own death several times over.

He jerked awake to find you had crept into his room and were sitting on the edge of his bed. You gently laid a hand on his arm to assure him that he was safe and that it was only a nightmare, not real. He tried to be the tough guy, rather than let you see how upset the nightmare had made him. He didn't want you to think he was soft or didn't have the guts to carry out the mission.

You never asked what his nightmare was about, probably figuring that he wouldn't want to tell you. You simply stated that all hunters had nightmares from what they've seen and done, so he was no different, that even you had them. In fact, you'd had one that night as well, and were having trouble getting back to sleep from it.

Ketch couldn't believe that someone so kind and compassionate as you would have anything to fear or regret about what you'd done in the course of hunting. You told him that some of your nightmares were about loved ones being tortured or killed while you were forced to watch. Most of them, though, were about the people you couldn't save, in addition to all of the guilt and helplessness you felt about the outcomes.

When it appeared to you that Ketch was uninterested in the comfort you came to offer, you awkwardly stood up from the bed. You mumbled that if he needed anything, you were down at the end of the hall, then you made your way to the door. As your hand was on the doorknob, ready to leave, he asked you to stay so that he could comfort you. He assured you he meant no funny business, that he was only offering a way for you both to get back to sleep. You looked at him, a little skeptical at first, then relented with a shy smile.

Ketch held up the blanket for you to slip into bed beside him. You started out at the far edge of the bed, your back to him as you laid your head on the pillow. He reached over to drape an arm around your midsection and pulled you closer to him. He accidentally nuzzled your neck with his stubbly chin and breathed in the scent of strawberries from your shampoo. When he exhaled, his breath was warm against your skin, but you seemed to shiver a bit in response. In a shaky voice, you whispered, "Goodnight, Arthur," took his hand in yours and closed your eyes. He whispered "goodnight" and also closed his eyes, a smile etched on his face.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ketch was putting the last minute touches on his tux while he waited for you to get ready. He made sure he had the invitation listing both of your names. He also made sure he had his sharpest machete ready, along with some dead man's blood. He was about ready to call out to you to see how much longer you'd be, when he heard the unmistakable sound of high-heeled shoes on the tile floor.

You were dressed in a midnight blue, floor-length gown, with a slit halfway up your left thigh. The A-line gown had a criss-cross bodice that hugged your curves, and featured wide straps that crossed in the back. Embedded in the fabric were tiny crystals that sparkled as they hit the light, reminding Ketch of the stars in the night sky. You wore your silver sparkly pumps to finish your wardrobe.

You chose to sweep your hair up in a French twist. You kept your makeup simple, mostly earth tones, with pink lipstick. You chose white crystal stud earrings and a velvet cameo choker to complete your jewelry selection.

When he saw you, his mouth ran dry, and for a moment, he had lost the ability to form a coherent thought. You noticed that his bow tie needed a little work, so you set your small handbag on the table and proceeded to fix his tie. "There," you said. "Now it's perfect. You look very dashing this evening, Mr. Ketch," you remarked.

"I must say, you look absolutely stunning, my dear," Ketch finally said. "This dress certainly suits you and definitely brings out your eyes," he murmured, so softly that only you could hear him.

"Thank you," you said quietly, a blush rising on your cheeks. At that moment, Dean walked in on the two of you and whistled. "Whoa! Lookin' good, you two!" he declared. "'Specially you in the dress," he said as he winked at you. You looked at Ketch, rolled your eyes and jerked your head in Dean's direction. He chuckled softly at your dismissal of Dean's compliment.

You looked at the delicate watch on your wrist and noticed the time. "We should get to the party, so that we don't miss our chance to take out the host," you remarked.

"Agreed. Shall we, my dear?" Ketch asked as he held out his arm to you. You slipped your hand through his arm, and he tucked it close to his side as you ascended the spiral staircase together. As you left, Dean sent up a silent plea for a successful hunt, with everything going according to plan.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You and Ketch walked into the party, hand in hand. Ketch let go of your hand long enough to retrieve your invitation and hand it to the bouncer at the door. You felt Ketch's hand on the small of your back, guiding you through the room. When you reached the dance floor, Ketch skillfully turned you around so that you were in his arms, ready to dance.

"We don't have time for this," you hissed.

"We have to blend in, Love. If we don't, we'll be in some deep trouble before we've had a chance to ID our objective," Ketch firmly but softly stated. "Now, let's dance," he commanded.

You settled into the waltz, allowing Ketch to lead you all around the dance floor. He was an amazing dancer, probably part of his training with the British Men of Letters. Fortunately for him, you had also taken dancing lessons, so you weren't completely clumsy. As you moved across the floor, you kept trying to find your host, the vampire.

"Relax, darling, I've already spotted him," Ketch assured you. "When this song is over, you are going to slap me as if we've just had an argument. After that, go to the bar for a drink. Don't worry, our host the vampire will seek you out. He'll see a beautiful but heartbroken woman. Let him convince you to go somewhere private where he can 'console' you. I'll keep my eye on you both and wait for the opportunity to take him out."

"You want me to slap you, then walk away as if we've had a fight about something? Okay," you shrugged, doing as you were ordered. "JERK!!" you spat out as you turned on your heel and went towards the bar. Ketch stood there, staring after you and holding his cheek. He was left wondering if maybe you enjoyed your part a little too much.

You perched yourself on a barstool and ordered a drink. As you sipped it, you felt a powerful presence approach you on your left side. It's him, you thought. Where the hell is Ketch? you wondered as a slight panic set in. You didn't dare turn around, though, as that may blow your cover story.

"A little trouble in love, hmm?" a deep voice rumbled.

You turned towards the source. "Pardon me?" you asked.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Simon Foster, and I'm the host of this soirée. But I'm sure you already knew that, didn't you?" he purred, his hand lightly brushing your arm.

You fought the instinct to pull your arm away in disgust. "Of course I know you. Simon Foster: CEO of Foster Industries, head of the second largest shipping company in the world. Desperately clawing his way to being the first largest shipping company in the world. Offices spread out all over the globe, such as in New York, Liverpool, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Marseille," you finished.

"Well, I'm impressed. You've certainly done your homework, my dear. But enough business talk. Let's get a little more personal," he suggested.

"I really should be getting back to---" Simon put a finger to your lips. "Let him suffer a bit first. Besides, my sister Cynthia seems to be occupying him," he snickered.

You turned your attention towards where you'd left Ketch. You were shocked to see him with his arms around a gorgeous, leggy blonde woman in a red sequined dress. Simon turned your face back to him, so that you were looking into his eyes. "Come, my darling, let's go somewhere a little more private, and get to know each other better," he coaxed.

You gave him a quick smile and slid down from the barstool. You had only had the one drink and sipped it at that. However, you felt a bit unsteady on your feet, as if you'd had more like four drinks. Simon offered you his arm to support you as he led you away from the bar area to one of the private rooms. Ketch, you silently pleaded. Don't leave me, please.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

No sooner had you left to go to the bar, that a blonde-haired woman in a red sequined dress came up to Ketch and asked him to dance. Ever the gentleman, he obliged, but did not lose sight of you. The blonde woman introduced herself as Cynthia Foster, sister of your host, Simon Foster. He engaged Cynthia in conversation, maintaining his cover, while trying to learn anything he could about her brother. The next time he turned his attention towards the bar, you were gone and so was Simon.

You and Simon stumbled into his private study area, where he closed the door and locked it behind him. In one swift move, he backed you up against his desk and started kissing you. As you stuck out your hand behind you to keep from falling over, you cut your finger on a letter opener.

When you examined the cut and the blood dripping from it, you could see the pupils in Simon's eyes grow wide. He took your finger in his mouth and tasted the blood. "Oh, darling. You taste so sweet, just like I knew you would," he growled as his fangs came into view. He pushed your head to the side and sank his fangs into your neck.

You knew you had to do something before you fell unconscious from losing too much blood. You carefully slid your hand down your thigh under your dress to release one of the syringes of dead man's blood you had hidden. Unfortunately, Simon caught on to what you were doing and wrenched it from your hand. "YOU!! You're a hunter!!" he screeched, throwing you to the floor and causing you to hit your head on a table in the process.

From the blood loss and possible concussion, you were finding it hard to remain conscious, let alone fight back. Fortunately, Ketch had burst through the door, wielding his machete. He took two long strides towards the vampire and skillfully sliced off Simon's head. With the mission objective met, Ketch turned his attention towards you. He noticed the bite marks on your neck and placed his handkerchief over it. He told you to hold it there to try and stop the blood loss.

"Ketch....Ketch....Arthur...." you whispered. He turned to look into your eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've....should....should've paid better attention," you remarked softly.

"Shh, try not to talk now, Love. Let's get you back to the bunker and patched up, good as new. I just hope to bloody hell Dean doesn't kill me for this," Ketch muttered. He placed you in the front seat of the car, buckled you in and then he ran around to the driver's side. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Ketch threw the car into gear and sped off into the night, headed back to the bunker.

"I'm so tired, Arthur," you replied as you drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Hold on, Love, hold on. We'll be there soon, just stay with me. Keep holding that kerchief up to your neck, darling," he soothed. When he didn't hear you respond, he looked over to see that you had fallen unconscious. He mashed down the accelerator in response, and soon the bunker was in his sights.

Once in the garage, he parked the car and ran around to the passenger side to get you. He scooped you up into his arms and pounded on the bunker door. Sam answered and quickly ushered you both in, then called out for Dean to help.

"What the hell happened, Ketch?!? You were supposed to look out for her. Is that what this looks like??" Dean thundered.

Ketch didn't say anything as he carried you to the infirmary to care for your wounds. You had bite marks on your neck from Simon, and a gash on your forehead where you'd hit the table. He placed you gently on the bed and went to the cabinet for what he would need to clean you up. Dean snatched the suture kit out of Ketch's hands and pushed him aside.

"Now see here, mate--" Ketch started angrily. "No, you see here. I'll take care of her. Been patching her up long before you came along, and I'll be doing it long after you leave," Dean retorted.

"Dean," you mumbled, opening your eyes. "Knock it off. It wasn't his fault," you muttered, sitting up a little. "He took out the vamp and his sister, mission accomplished," you said as you fell back onto the bed. "Arthur?" you called softly.

"Right here, Love," he said as he sat beside the bed and took your hand in his.

"Can you please stitch this up?" you asked, pointing at your neck and forehead.

Dean reluctantly handed him the suture kit and then stepped aside. "As you wish, darling," said Ketch. "Can someone please bring me a basin of warm water and a washcloth? I'll need to clean up some of this blood to see where I need to stitch," he explained. Sam left to go get the basin and washcloth.

Ketch looked at you with guilt in his eyes. You could tell that he felt responsible for what happened to you after having lost sight of you at the party. "Arthur, stop it. This wasn't your fault. I know how to take care of myself. It's just that this damn dress is so confining, which is why I'm a jeans-and-flannel kind of girl," you joked. He chuckled and you could see the relief in his eyes to know you would be all right.

"Well then, once we clean you up, we'll let you slip into something, shall we say, less confining and more comfortable?" he teased. By this time, Sam had returned with the basin and washcloth, as requested.

Ketch gently cleaned and dried your wounds. Turns out, the one on your forehead just needed those sterile tape strips to hold it closed, no stitches needed. Your neck was another story, though. Ketch took great care in making the stitches small to minimize the scar you were inevitably going to have. Dean brought back your pajamas so you would have something comfortable to change into. The guys then left the infirmary to give you some privacy as you changed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Weeks went by with no new cases or missions, which gave you time for your wounds to heal. You also felt yourself getting a little closer to Ketch, but you weren't sure if he felt the same way. He would always call you "Love" or "Darling". While not necessarily meant in a romantic way, it made you feel special each time he said it.

One afternoon, you were reading your book when you heard an argument in the hallway between Dean and Ketch. You heard sharp tones in the voices of both men, so you went to investigate.

"So you're just going to leave? Without even saying 'goodbye' to anyone, especially her?" Dean snapped. "After everything that's happened?"

"Dean, you know as well as I do, relationships and hunting don't pair well together. As far as any relationship I may have with her, it would be foolish to entertain such an idea. So you see--" he stopped.

"What's going on here? Arthur, what are you talking about?" you asked.

"He says he's found a case and after he's finished, he won't be coming back to live here," Dean retorted.

You felt the blood drain from your face. "Arthur, is this true? I thought....never mind what I thought," you muttered.

"Oh, let me guess. You thought that there were 'special feelings' between us? Darling, trust me, you don't want to get mixed up with someone like me. Not after the things that I've done," he finished.

"You still don't get it, do you?" you snapped in a rare flash of anger. "I don't care what you've done in the past! That isn't the man you are today, and he's the man that I....I love. There, I've said it. I love you, Arthur Ketch. And if you can't see that love is a gift and that it's worth fighting for....then maybe you should go," you choked out.

Ketch picked up his bag. "Well, I guess that's it then. Nothing more to say, I suppose, except goodbye," he said.

Tears in your eyes, you watched him walk up the spiral staircase and out to the garage. You jumped when the bunker door slammed shut, then you ran to your room and closed the door.

"Damn you, Ketch," Dean muttered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Soon after Ketch left, Sam and Dean started finding some new cases to work. You mostly stayed behind to do much-needed research for them. You were still heartbroken that Ketch decided to leave even after you declared your love for him. However, you tried to keep up a brave face for Sam and Dean. You smiled even when you didn't feel like it, just to keep them from asking if you were okay.

One night after a particularly dicey werewolf hunt, you were relieved when the boys finally came through the bunker door. Only this time, they weren't alone, they had someone with them. The man was injured and seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. You told them to bring him to the infirmary while you went to get the water basin and a washcloth.

"Okay, fellas, tell me what happened," you said. As you started to assess your patient, you gasped to see that it was none other than Arthur Ketch. The man to whom you had given your heart, but who didn't seem to want it.

"We found him locked in battle with that werewolf. He was holding his own until the werewolf slashed him across his stomach with its claws," Sam explained.

"A-all right. Let's get him cleaned up then I can see where he needs stitches. Dean, hand me a few suture kits, Sam help me get his jacket and shirt off," you ordered.

"Are you going to be okay with this? I mean, after what happened the last time he was here?" Dean asked.

"Dean, I'll be fine. Strictly professional, just the way he likes things. The sooner he gets well, the sooner he'll be free to leave me again," you said, your vision a little blurry from unshed tears. Dean squeezed your shoulder in support, and you gave him a small smile. Then you dipped the washcloth in warm water and started to clean Ketch's wounds.

After you had stitched him up, you dressed him in a clean T-shirt you had found in his bag. You left briefly to get your book so that you had something to do while you kept an eye on him.

Little did you know, Ketch was aware of what was going on the entire time. He heard the pain in your voice when you mentioned how he'd be free to leave you again once he was healed. Right then, he made up his mind that he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He just had to figure out how to show you that.

As you kept watch over your patient, you noticed that he had started mumbling in his sleep again. You drew your chair next to his bed and took his hand in yours. "I must be out of my damn mind, going down this path again," you muttered to yourself.

All of a sudden, you heard him say your name, and how he was sorry he'd hurt you. Then he said the words you longed to hear, "I love you, and I'm not leaving you again". He's asleep, he doesn't know what he's saying, you told yourself. You looked down and saw that he had opened his blue-green eyes and was searching your face for some sign of your feelings for him.

"Arthur? How are you feeling?" you asked gently.

He reached up with his free hand and cupped your cheek. "I've been better. The werewolf tore up my stomach, but I'm also hurting in my heart. You see, there was this wonderful woman I got to work with a while back.

“She's kind, considerate of others and is the most beautiful creature I've ever met. She sort of wiggled her way into my heart, and well, she never really left. But I left. Like a coward, I left her, which I never should've done," he confessed.

"What are you saying, Arthur?" you whispered.

"I'm saying that I was a fool to ever have left you, my love. I'm hoping that someday you can forgive me. You've helped me to see that love is a gift and it's definitely worth fighting for. I love you," he replied, pulling your face down to mesh his lips with yours. They were as soft as you'd imagined they would be, but firm, as he took charge of the kiss like he did with everything else in his life.

"I'm so glad you came back. I love you, Arthur Ketch," you said softly.

#ketch #arthur ketch #arthur ketch x reader #ketch x reader #spn imagine #spn fluff #supernatural

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margridarnauds · 3 years

Note

margrid arnaud das music-i mean marie antoinette das musical for that ask meme

LET’S GO

Top 5 favourite characters: Margrid, Orléans, Louis, Marie, Fersen

Other characters you like: Lamballe, the kids, Robespierre, Danton, Immortal Marat

Least favourite characters: Hébert, Bertin, Hébert, Leonard, Jacques Réne Hébert, Drouet, Hébert...

Otps: Margrid/Orléans, Marie/Louis....I COULD ship Margrid/Lamballe and Margrid/La Motte but let’s be real I’m not going to, Marie/Orléans in a very specific way (namely Bitter Ex Friends)

Notps: Hébert/Margrid, Fersen/Margrid, Hébert/Orléans

Favourite friendships: Fersen & Margrid, Lamballe & Antoinette, Orléans & Lamballe (not canon to the musical, but was a historical Thing), Orléans & Margrid when I’m not actively shipping them.

Favourite family: Marie’s family, especially her dynamic with Margrid (LET ! MARGRID ! BE ! THE WEIRD! AUNT!) and Louis’ odd dynamic with Orléans. Really, MA is just the story of one very, very dysfunctional family.

Favourite season/book/movie: 2018 Toho Production.

Favourite quotes: .....showing myself for the Orléans Stan I am: “Oh, cowards, tremble and sleep!” Mitsuo Yoshihara’s delivery SELLS it. Honorable mention: “Just the smallest of sparks is sufficient to set dry grass into an inferno - I just need to promise them a new world where they can live in.”

That and the from the final song, the entire cast: “Can we change the world for ourselves? What can we do to break the chains of violence? What is equality? When will people finally learn from the past? Will revenge ever end? That answer can only be yielded by ourselves!”

Best musical moment: There are some REALLY good moments in this musical - Margrid calling the wrath of God down on the aristocrats during “Blinded by the Light of a Thousand Candles”, the reprise of “Blinded” when the poor join in with Margrid, the entirety of “I Am The Best”, the key change in the Korean version of “Kill the Snakes”, the part during the March to Versailles when the other women join in for the first time to tell Margrid they aren’t going, Fersen’s low note during his first love song with Antoinette, the bit during “The Only Thing I ever Did Right” when Fersen comes in for the first time and he and Antoinette duet, the bit during The Jacobin Club when the entire Jacobin Club steps out together and swears to bring down Antoinette, the bit during “Eyes of Hatred” when Margrid and Antoinette’s voices blend PERFECTLY, the bit during the trial when the crowd begins to apply pressure to Antoinette while Margrid realizes how fucked up things have gotten.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: I was trying to not be predictable.....but look. I lose my shit every time we get to “I Am The Best”. Because they really DID give Orléans the single best song in the musical and expected us NOT to stan. That and when he takes his final bow, because he gets a reprise of the song WITH electric guitars because, yes, he’s an extra bitch.

When it really disappointed you: The 2021 Toho. I could devote an entire post to how that production disappointed me, even outside of my personal ships, but like. It was a disappointment from beginning to end and I’m actually happy that it’s out of Tokyo now.

Saddest moment: Margrid sobbing after Antoinette’s death and then having to wipe the tears off her face to meet the tribunal. And then the look on her face at the end....

Most well done character death: Marie’s - Literally the entire musical has been leading up to this and the scene itself makes a wonderful use of callbacks and musical cues to give it this sense of TENSION throughout the entire thing, which builds off of that earlier scene where Hébert confronts Margrid. We know that Antoinette is going to die - There’s no way of avoiding it, but we still are wondering what’s going to happen. What’s Margrid going to do? Is she going to risk a life of security for the sake of the woman she’s started to feel sympathy for? Are these two women ever going to come to terms with one another, with the answer being yes as Antoinette by calls Margrid by her name instead of “the girl” and Margrid gives that last, dangerous bow.

Favourite cast member: I’m not generally big on following individual cast members, but PROBABLY Sonim?

Character you wish was still alive: I. Might have toyed with a few ways of keeping Marie alive in the past.

One thing you hope really happens: Really, really hoping the upcoming Korean production is good. Like, that’s the extent of my ambition after the last Toho.

Most shocking twist: Lamballe’s Death. I have NEVER seen anyone come in prepared for it in over 2 years of streaming. *I* was shocked when I saw it because I literally never expected a Japanese depiction of Marie Antoinette to get into the September Massacres, especially do THAT extent. And it really is the point where, suddenly, you realize that NO ONE is safe. Up until this point, no one’s died. The Royal Family’s imprisoned, but there’s a certain romanticism you can find in the situation, the idea that, hey, now they’re a happy, nuclear family. Then, the show distracts you with that discussion between Marie and Margrid so that they it can SLAM the knife into your back. And, from that point, no one’s safe. Literally anyone in the cast can die, to the point where people do, genuinely fear for Margrid’s safety by the end. It’s probably one of the single best twists I’ve seen in musical theatre, because it sets the stage for the last twenty minutes brilliantly.

When did you start watching/reading?: You know? It had to have been back in 2013. A subber that I liked had JUST finished Rebecca das Musical and had moved on to Marie Antoinette, and I thought “Well! Kunze and Levay came out with a Mar’ie Antoinette musical? I’ve got to see this, it’s going to be good!”

Spoiler alert: It was not good. I made it twenty minutes in, got to the brothel scene, and never looked back. Which means that, actually, I only BARELY missed Orléans’ song.

Favourite location: Antoinette’s bedroom - Those crazy sons of bitches REALLY replicated Antoinette’s ACTUAL BED to use.

Trope you wish they would stop using: Stop trying to make Fersen/Margrid happen, it’s not going to happen. In general, there’s this idea that Margrid MUST be totally, absolutely loveless, and I don’t really see it. I’ll be the last to say she hasn’t had a hard life, but there’s this need to ISOLATE her that I just don’t really vibe with. I’m not even saying in an inherently romantic sense (in canon...I wouldn’t actually WANT to see, say, her and Orléans making out on-stage), but just in terms of having genuine connections.

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: It really does a wonderful job as far as developing two separate female characters - Which shouldn’t be THAT HARD, given you have plenty of musicals about multiple guys all the time, and yet SOMEHOW....

Also, Margrid in particular is phenomenal, as a character. It’s definitely not uncommon for people to go in for Marie and end up really, really attached to Margrid and her development.

Funniest moments: Hébert nearly getting hit with a door, Margrid peaking under her ball gown while it’s on the rack and Orléans dragging her away, the Stars and Stripes Gown....

Couple you would like to see: .....Orléans/Margrid. I know that I say I don’t want them to actually be CANON canon but also I would NOT complain if they did. Especially after the 2021 Toho production, it’s what I deserve.

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Park Hye Na as Korean!Margrid would kill me, I know it.

Favourite outfit: Besides Orléans’ 2018 coat (4ever in our hearts), special props to Antoinette’s golden gown in the opening. WHAT a character introduction.

Favourite item: Margrid’s little knapsack she keeps on her.

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: I own a ballpoint pen and a program from the 2021 Toho run - One of these days, I keep meaning to buy the German libretto so that I can translate it.

Most boring plotline: BERTIN AND LEONARD. (But, in all fairness........look, they’re annoying, but also, when they’re gone, you do miss them, because that’s when shit gets fucked.)

Most laughably bad moment: The entire 2006 Toho Cast exists just to be one very long laughably bad moment. That and, tbh, the German. Special props to the Brothel Scene.

Most layered character: Margrid. Marie is ALSO a very layered, complex character, but Margrid gets special props because, off the top of my head, I can’t REALLY think of another female protagonist, in a musical, like her. Not saying they don’t EXIST, but I’m saying I haven’t personally seen them.

Most one dimensional character: ...2006 Orléans. He Who We Don’t Discuss.

Scariest moment: See above for Lamballe.

Grossest moment: Hébert's final confrontation scene with Margrid.

Best looking male: Kim Jun Hyun’s Orléans. *Wow*.

Best looking female: Jang Eun Ah’s Margrid. Once again. *Wow.*

Who you’re crushing on (if any): ...both Orléans and Margrid. Predictably.

Favourite cast moment: Furukawa Yuta pranking Mitsuo Yoshihara by giving him “poisonous” things for his birthday, because “You are Duke d’Orleans and I am Fersen. You are poisonous and I am passive aggressive.”

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): The ball at Versailles. One of the most STUNNING scenes I’ve ever seen. Whoever did the lighting deserves all the accolades in the world for creating a scene that’s surreal, seductive, and gorgeous

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: Not an ERROR, but I’m really, really interested in the story of Jeanette Arnaud, because this woman really haunts Margrid’s entire life but there’s so LITTLE we know about her and Margrid’s feelings about her. How long did her affair with the Emperor last? Did she always know he was the emperor during their affair, or did they meet under different circumstances? Fersen was clearly able to figure out that she was a mistress of his, so how public was the affair? And, if it was that public, does it mean that she was a servant, or was she, at the very least, middle class? How did he find out her mother’s identity? Why didn’t Orléans double-check himself? Does Margrid have any living grandparents or uncles/aunts? How old was Margrid when she died? Did she die before or after Margrid was kicked out by the nuns? (In the German, it’s very clearly the former, but who knows?)

I feel like there’s a really, really dark, tragic tale underneath all this about a young woman who ended up paying the ultimate price for falling in love with someone above her station, but it’s one that’s kept to literally only a few sentences.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Probably about.....five or ten minutes into the Toho, with the Palais Royal scene. I knew, from the time I saw Furukawa Yuta on stage as Fersen, that they’d changed things around, and then seeing the changes that were made, I was able to go “Oh! It’s good now!” I feel like the moment where I REALLY fell in love was “I Am The Best” because that had been a scene I’d been REALLY concerned about from the German and then Mitsuo Yoshihara casually came in there and owned it.

#lochley

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belovasangel · 5 years

Text

Booster Seat

Summary: Shawn teaches you about family, you educate him on love.

Pairing: Dad!Neighbor!Shawn x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, fluff/angst rollercoaster, family court? 2.8k unedited words

You hopped out of the shower, pulling a snug towel across your damp body. The warm early fall air was drifting through your bathroom window, creating a soft glow on your skin underneath the morning sunrise. Looking outside, you admired the Canadian countryside, watching birds flock out of trees and towards fading fog. You could see the morning dew on the grass field behind you, and a content sigh left your lips.

Gazing back at your phone, checking the time and song for a moment, you peered out once again to see your neighbor Shawn walking out the door. In one hand, his work bag and car keys. The other was loosely intertwined with his son, Noah, who was enthralled to go to school. He was skipping, dragging a sleep (and coffee) deprived Shawn towards the car. You smiled to yourself, noticing from afar how Shawn’s shirt was buttoned out of order, his wild curls untamed like his son.

As he opened the car door, you finally shut the window, turning back to your morning routine. Little did you know, Shawn looked to your house in search of lingering eyes, wanting to wave or see your smile. However, his thoughts were taken when Noah rattled against his car seat. “You ready for school, bubba?” With an eager nod and bright, missing tooth smile, Shawn closed the car door and began backing out of the driveway.

When the sun began falling was the next time you saw Shawn. Pulling into your driveway, carrying some bags of groceries, it took a few tries to unlock the front door. After a moment of struggle, you finally cracked the lock and stepped it. A heavy sigh let your shoulders drop along with the bags in hand. You rolled your neck, and began sorting through the perishables to load into the fridge.

The door remained open until you heard the padding of footsteps leading to your entrance. “Excuse me?” Looking up from the counter, you saw a small tuft of brown hair. “Hey little guy, what’re you doing here?”

Noah slowly walked inside, his hands grasped tightly across a few envelopes. “Daddy said these were for you, and sent me over.” With a small smile, you crouched down to take the letters. “Thank you Noah, it means a lot. Tell your daddy I said he saved me big time.” The boy nodded and quickly pulled you into a soft hug. His small form was wobbling and even while you kneeled on the ground, he lost his balance on your frame.

“Say, do you and your daddy want to come over for dinner tonight?” You asked, ruffling his wild curls. He made thinking face, only to shake his head. “Daddy and I are going out to meet with mommy. We haven’t seen her for a while.” Finally standing up and dusting off your knees, you give him a warm smile. “Well, I hope you have fun Noah.”

He turned towards the door, slowly padding away, not before yelling over his shoulder, “I want to, but they always yell. Daddy takes me out for ice cream afterwards, though. That’s fun.” And with the adolescent gift of oversharing, Noah finally left the house, leaving you back to groceries and thoughts.

Shawn Mendes always seemed like the perfect neighbor and father. Never too loud, lots of laughter in the house, and his son was a split imagine of him as well. Not to mention his endearing charm and looks. It doesn’t help to remember his summer runs and coming back, once loose shirts tight to his toned body from sweat. A dream boat.

When the clock hit midnight, you stood from the couch and moved back to the kitchen to finish the rest of the wine. That was until you watched Shawn pull into his driveway, carry an asleep Noah towards the porch, and wiped his face quickly before retreating inside. You could only wonder.

Which is why, the next day, you were finally wrapping up some chocolate chip cookies to bring over as a thank you. As you sealed the plastic wrap, and closed your front door did you finally began getting nerves. It’s not like you haven’t spoken to Shawn before, just now you have a motive that isn’t light banter over the weather or Noah.

Stepping beyond your yard and into the next, you let go of a deep sigh and walked to the doorstep. Pressing the bell, in less than a minute did the door open to Shawn holding Noah on his waist. “Oh, hey (Y/N), good morning.” You made a silly face to Noah, his childlike mind running in circles at the thought of you standing nearly in his house. “Good morning Shawn, hi Noah. I wanted to swing by and bring you some sweets as a thank you for yesterday. It was nice to see him again, especially with some long overdue letters.”

Noah reached with grabby hands and you gave him the plate of cookies. Shawn set him on the floor, and off he went to the kitchen. You let out a chuckle, looking back to the man in the door. “Thank you again for saving my ass, Shawn. I know they’re just silly letters, but with Noah it means a lot that you’d remember to send them over.”

Shawn nodded understandingly, a quick flush on his cheeks. You could tell he had woken up minutes before, the sleep dusting his cloudy eyes. “It’s the least I could do, I mean you do watch him occasionally when I need another night or two at work.” He was right, babysitting Noah was basically a second job, but you loved it. His mind was crazy creative, just like his father, so watching him was a nature you learned to enjoy.

“I asked Noah if you wanted to come over for dinner, but he said you had plans last night. Just saying, the offer is still on the table.” Shawn shook his head, turning around to check for his son before peering back to you. “I would’ve chosen you over Winnie any night, I swear. Yesterday was just about meeting with a lawyer and discussing the care for Noah. Turns out, this is more serious, and it might go to court. Custody battle.”

You reached out to touch his shoulder. Winnie was Shawn’s first love, so Noah had told you. However, as you gathered on your own, it turned sour and with her pregnancy and Shawn’s job, the love fell out. Yet, his strength for Noah proved undeniable, and he didn’t leave him in the arms of Winnie. “I’m sorry, Shawn. If you need me to say anything on the record, I will absolutely be there for you.”

He reached up and held your hand, giving you a small smile. While in a different circumstance, Shawn would never say nothing, however such a tender moment called for nothing but silence and understanding.

Suddenly, Noah pulled at Shawn’s leg, and tearing from each other’s gaze did you realize his big cheeks were covered in chocolate. Muffling a laugh, Shawn gasped. “Bubba, how many did you eat?” Noah held up a whole hand, and you let out a puff of air. “Okay, no dessert for you tonight. We haven’t even had breakfast!”

You took your chance to step back, smiling brightly at the bantering between the two. “Alright, well, I’ll let you sort this out. If there aren’t enough cookies for you, Shawn, there’s plenty at my place.” He looked up, gave you a curt nod, and slowly closed the door until you no longer made eye contact.

He took that offer soon enough, because at 10:46 P.M. that night, Shawn stood at your door with a bottle of wine. “Is it too late to cash in the cookies?”

You two ended up having a great night, drinking white wine and discussing everything you’d ever wanted to know. His upbringing, Noah, Winnie, even old family and high school memories. Now, three glasses of wine later, you two laughed tears of joy on your couch. “So, you’re telling me, you hit the guy with your hockey stick-”

“By accident! Totally by accident.”

Shaking your head, you bit your lip to stop the laughter. “All because you wanted to impress a girl?”

“Okay, she was my ninth grade english teacher, and in my defense I didn’t know she was married to my coach! I thought she just enjoyed my playing.” You both cackled at the thought, laughing over the imagery of teenage years. “Do you think that Noah will become you when he grows up?”

Shawn finished his glass of wine before placing it on the table. “I hope he does, I want him to explore music and sports to find himself. I want him to be social and love friends and family, but I don’t want him to rush into a relationship. The only reason I stuck with Winnie was because we messed up spring break in senior year. Our families pressured us together, like it was the law.”

You leaned into Shawn’s shoulder, placing your wine-drunk, warm cheek onto his broad shoulder. “I’m sorry that happened, Shawn. But, Noah isn’t a mistake, if anything, he’s the best thing you possibly could’ve gotten.”

Shawn nodded, looking down at your curled up figure. He wanted to run his fingers through your hair, kiss you into the couch and stay until the morning. But that was the wine talking, he told himself. “Yeah, he really is.”

Since that night, Shawn incorporated you into his home at nearly every chance. Breakfast? (Y/N) is great at bacon, let’s call her over for help. Homework? (Y/N) knows division like a pro, I’ll run over and get her. Need a bandaid? (Y/N) has those neon one’s you like.

You didn’t think anything of it, feeling contentment in Shawn’s life. You settled into a routine, working around each other in various ways. It took time before you learned his ticks, like how the middle of his shoulders were incredibly tense, or that his favorite perfume you wear is his own cologne. Shawn and (Y/N) became the norm. And Noah was absolutely incapable of expressing how happy he was.

By the middle of the school year did Shawn finally ask you on a date. “Well, not quite. Noah has parent-teacher conferences, and I can’t take Winnie because of the upcoming trial. I know that Noah loves you,” so does Shawn, “but can you come with me? I’ll buy you a pizza afterwards.”

“You had me at pizza.” And with that, you two set off to the elementary school. Meeting each of Noah’s teachers were a blast, all of them saying the same thing. “Super outgoing, easy to talk to, loves learning,” it was routine to hear his happiness. That was until the music teacher gave back papers.

“Noah seems to really enjoy writing lyrics, however these all revolve around you two. It never is on what the other kids do, like riding a bike or walking their dog, but it’s around love. Your names are on every line. Like this, ‘Daddy looks at (Y/N) while she tucks me in bed, every time she says hello, his face turns bright red.’ It seems Noah is a sucker for you two, he’s completely wrapped up in the love you two bring in the house.”

From the night on all the way to Shawn’s with pizza and wine, you two couldn’t help the slight buzz in your chest’s. Maybe Noah is onto something, Shawn thought. He knew he was in too deep to say goodbye, but he was terrified of falling for (Y/N) like he did Winnie.

(Y/N) isn’t Winnie, he told himself, as he poured the wine for each other. Shawn looked up to watch you pick Noah off the couch, asleep, and carried him to Shawn with a whisper. “I’ll tuck him into bed, and stay for a few minutes incase he wakes up. Start without me, it’ll only be a few minutes.” As you sauntered away, Shawn pinched himself. You really aren’t Winnie. You are (Y/N), the absolute love of his life.

But, he had to wait a few more weeks, because the pizza you two shared would be the calm before the legal storm you two would soon endure.

The first day of February was the beginning of the trial. You stood in Shawn’s bedroom, adjusting the buttons on his shirt and fixing his hair. “Remember, you need to be calm and clear. Take a deep breath before starting any sentence, and don’t forget that if you get flustered, stop talking. When you’re anxious, you ramble, and that might put you in hotter water than you need right now.”

Shawn couldn’t help but admire the slight crease between your eyebrows, the scrunch of a focused gaze on his features, and the tingling of your bouncing fingers from his outfit to face, and this was the all the confidence he needed. From the moment Shawn left his house to when he came back, post-trial, Shawn felt incredibly strong.

That was until you were called to speak on the third day. This was when you would stand against Winnie, Noah’s biological mother, somebody you had never met in order to take away her rights to see him again. This was the test, to show Shawn who you were.

As you were called up, it became a blur. Your gaze was drifting between the judge, the attorney, the defendant, Shawn, and Winnie. Fuck, Winnie. Shawn had warned you days leading up to the time you had taken your hand off the Bible, that Winnie was a con-artist. She felt no emotion, a trickster at guilt trips and a master at warping minds.

Yet, while you understood Shawn’s anger towards Winnie, all you saw was a near-grieving mother who hadn’t seen her son since the lawyers at dinner. Your heart tugged to give her Noah, yet your mind saw through her tricks. You knew real tears, the ugly crying-and-snot-dripping pain, wails echoing through the walls of your basement, absolute horror amounts of pain, and that wasn’t it. Her eyes weren’t puffy, her lips weren’t bit from anxiety, hell, her nails weren’t gripping into her palms for security.

You saw through her facade, so answering the questions about Shawn’s credibility towards Noah was a piece of cake.

The results were out on Valentine’s Day, and it was official. Shawn Peter Raul Mendes had full custody of Noah Manuel Mendes, and that was that. To celebrate, the three of you, along with the lawyer and his group Shawn had hired went out to get pizza. Afterwards, carrying a near pizza comatose Noah to the car, Shawn had never felt so stress free.

After the excitement settled down, and you had left Shawn and Noah for a few days to fully sit with the news, spring flowers were fully in bloom. Noah was nearly out of elementary school, and with less than a month left of school, Shawn knew there had to be some sort of thank you for (Y/N).

Alongside Noah’s help, Shawn set up a picnic in the backyard, filled with everything for the two of them. Sandwiches, champagne, animal crackers... the whole bunch. Noah even wrote a card to (Y/N), with a message so heart-felt that even Shawn couldn’t write it.

By evening, and a perfect sunset, you had walked through the Mendes house, empty handed in search of the beautiful boys. When you noticed the porch door opened, you curiously stepped out to admire the scene Shawn had created. He stood, holding a few daisies and slightly flushed cheeks, anxiously smiling.

“Hi.”

You giggled, walking towards Shawn. “Hey there, neighbor. What’s going on?” Shawn handed you the flowers, gently pulling you to the blanket and basket. “I need to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me this past year.” Sitting down, the evening was spent with tender touches and butterflies.

“Well, this has been fun, but I better get home, I’m sure you have to put Noah to bed.” Shawn shook his head, helping you off the ground. “He went to my parent’s house for the week.”

Shawn wrapped his long arms slowly around your shoulders, rubbing his thumbs along your neck and twirling your hair. “Shawn-” He pulled you closer, chests flush together. “I never gave you a proper thank you, (Y/N).”

Tilting your chin upwards, Shawn floated his lips above yours, and with a slight nudge, you connected. It was warm, tender, a burst of love and explosions you had wished came sooner. You curled your fingers in his locks, tugging gently as he deepened the kiss.

With a break too quick, and trailing after your lips for another peck, Shawn pulled back to watch the flush creep up your face. “Stay the night. You never have. We have all the time in the world.”

“Well, a week.” Shawn rolled his eyes. “Okay, all the time in a week.”

You nodded in contentment, pulling him back to your lips once again, as a cool spring breeze lifted over you two, creating a soft glow underneath the evening sunset.

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes imagines #shawn mendes smut #shawn #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes!au #shawn!au #dad!shawn #au!shawn #neighbor!shawn #angst #fluff #imagine #fanfic

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commentaryvorg · 4 years

Text

So, okay, I am planning to get around to doing both a bonus ramble for chapter 6, and also finally doing that bonus ramble for chapter 5 that I mentioned back then. Buuut instead of working on those things yet, I found myself doing something a little different.

See, this whole commentary was all written in the same ridiculously long document. And there’s a search function that can tell me exactly how many instances of a given character’s name are in this document, which I can also break down to see how many times they’re mentioned within a single post’s worth of it. Which means that, other than a commentary for DRV3, what I’ve also unintentionally generated is a huge source of data on how I see this story, in terms of how relevant and interesting each character is being at each point in the narrative.

So, well, I don’t know if anyone else will be into this, but I found it fascinating to look into, so here’s me nerding out over some data. You want a visual representation of how I see the story of Danganronpa V3, with GRAPHS? Then look no further.

(Disclaimer: whenever I talk about a character’s “relevance” during this, obviously I am talking about their relevance according to me as measured by my commentary. Though it should have at least some relation to their objective relevance to the story, this is not necessarily a measure of that.)

The number of times a character is mentioned will include both the times I mentioned them in my own commentary and times they’re mentioned in quotes from the game, either as the tag for who’s speaking or being talked about by another character.

I should also note that for all of these upcoming graphs, Kaito and Kokichi’s counts have been adjusted to account for the fact that Exisal Kokichi is actually Kaito. I counted the number of mentions of specifically “Exisal Kokichi”, then subtracted that amount from Kokichi’s count and added it to Kaito’s. Similarly, Tsumugi’s count was adjusted to include all of her cosplays of DR1/2 characters in trial 6, since those were all just her speaking.

First, here’s the totals of how many times each character was mentioned throughout the entire commentary. (This is only main commentary posts; bonus chapter-end rambles and replies to asks are not included.) The characters are ordered along the X-axis by how long they were alive for, so that you can compare how relevant they should in theory have been based on that to how relevant they actually are to the story in my eyes.

Surprising absolutely no-one, Kaito is the character I talked about the most. He even managed to beat out Shuichi, the actual protagonist of the game who is alive for a whole chapter more than him, by a significant margin. In fact, I imagine that all of my talking about Kaito’s issues with regards to Shuichi contributed quite significantly to Shuichi’s count.

I’m personally a little sad that Kokichi managed to significantly beat out Maki for third place. But while I don’t know if my talking about his actual issues alone would outstrip Maki’s, he was also very relevant to the plot of both chapters 4 and 5, plus I spent a lot of time in general explaining why he was obviously wrong every time he kept insisting he was obviously right, so that does track. He’s still only mentioned slightly less than half as much as Kaito, though. That seems fair.

(I know a lot of people associate Kokichi with the colour purple, but I really feel like black-and-white represents him more. Besides, if I’d given him a somewhat darker, more bluer purple than Kaito’s, he’d be really difficult to distinguish from both Kaito and Shuichi in the upcoming line graphs.)

Gonta comes in fifth place! Partly this is that I did his FTEs out of personal preference even though they’re not obviously meant to be a canon part of the story like Kaito’s and Maki’s definitely are. It’s also probably because Gonta speaking about himself in third-person amplified his own count to a significant fraction more than it would have otherwise been if he didn’t talk that way. But even so, Gonta is important and good (and rather relevant to both Kaito and Kokichi in different ways) so he definitely deserves to be considered a relatively significant part of this story.

Then nobody else gets mentioned over a thousand times; the next highest are the basically-tied Kaede and Himiko. Kaede was relevant enough from the single chapter she was around to even beat out even the other two who made it to chapter 6, who have a higher count than the rest mostly due to gradually accumulating it throughout the whole game.

Everyone else is hovering at around 300 mentions or so. The least mentioned of all is Angie, which makes sense, because of the characters I don’t personally care for at all, she had the least relevance to the plot.

Next, let’s look at a general overview of how each character’s relevance shifts from chapter to chapter. To do this, I calculated the average number of times each character was mentioned per post in any given chapter. (This doesn’t include the prologue, since that’s only two posts, one of which has most of the characters not existing yet and one of which is me mostly talking about their overall predicted relevance to this commentary rather than their relevance at that particular point in the story, so that data wouldn’t mean much.)

(I should add that, were I being a Proper Scientist about this, I would have first normalised the character mentions to each post’s word count to account for the fact that posts have varying lengths. But since I tried to keep the post lengths fairly similar anyway, the raw number of character mentions should still be a reasonable universal measure of that character’s proportional relevance in any given post, and therefore in any given chapter once averaged. I’d rather not make things more confusing for any less-sciencey readers – if you have no idea what I just said here, don’t worry about it.)

As you’d imagine, everyone who dies peaks in relevance during the chapter they die in. The only exception to this is Kokichi, whom I found more interesting to talk about in chapter 4 than chapter 5. That is, after all, the chapter he commits murder in.

I’m a little surprised that Kaito’s chapter 5 average is so much higher than his chapter 4 average, since I consider both chapters 4 and 5 to be Extremely Good Kaito Chapters for different reasons. I suppose it’s because, while he’s got fun character stuff going on throughout both chapters, in chapter 5 Kaito is also significantly more relevant to the plot than he is in chapter 4. He does spend trial 5 being effectively both the victim and a major participant in the discussion of the case (in a way that culprits usually aren’t until they get accused because they’re trying to lay low), which is bound to have pushed up his average a lot.

Kaito manages to still be the third most relevant character in both chapters 1 and 6. In chapter 1 it’s partly helped by me doing his FTEs out of what was largely personal preference, but he also really is doing a lot more interesting things and having more of a character arc already in that chapter than basically anyone else except for the two protagonists. And in chapter 6, I went into it determined to find every possible opportunity to mention Kaito, but… I’m still impressed with myself that I managed to mention him more times in that chapter than even Maki, who is still having an actual character arc at that point.

Four of our five most relevant characters take a dip in relevance during chapter 3. That really does go to show that chapter 3 is kind of the black sheep of the story that doesn’t fit thematically with the rest of it nearly as much. Kaito gets nerfed in-universe for silly reasons, while the out-universe writers apparently just couldn’t think of anything interesting to do with Kokichi in this chapter. Even Shuichi is mentioned less despite being the protagonist, because this is in between him overcoming his own post-Kaede issues during chapter 2, and him becoming very very relevant to Kaito’s issues during chapters 4 and 5. Maki’s development really is the only big overarching story-related thing going on in this chapter.

…Nonetheless, I’m still impressed with how much I managed to mention Kaito during chapter 3, such that he’s still more relevant to me in it than anyone else. I went into that chapter thinking I wasn’t going to have much to say about him past the beginning part because he spends so much of it ill and offscreen, but I still ended up finding plenty to say about why he is ill and offscreen anyway.

It’s kind of interesting how, until Gonta dies, Gonta and Kokichi’s graphs look very similar to each other, with Kokichi’s just being a little bit higher. They are, tragically for Gonta, both relevant for similar reasons a lot of the time. In the same vein, but happier, Kaito and Shuichi’s graphs for chapters 2 to 4 also have a similar shape to each other, which makes sense since I’m often talking about them both together. In chapter 5, Kaito’s greater relevance to the plot and not just to his and Shuichi’s character arcs is bound to be why he has a much higher increase than Shuichi there.

While most characters barely get mentioned once they’ve been dead for more than a chapter (they tend to at least get mentioned a little in the chapter afterwards due to people reflecting on the previous case), Kaede’s baseline during chapters 3 to 5 is still slightly higher than most. She averages at nearly 2 mentions per post for those three chapters, which is very impressive for someone who’s been dead since chapter 1! She really does continue to have an influence throughout the whole game.

Now let’s break it down further into each individual post to see how everyone’s relevance changes within each chapter. I’m separating these into one graph per chapter so as not to overwhelm things with one ridiculously wide graph.

(Including lines dividing the different sections of a chapter to help people follow roughly where each post is at in the story. The posts which are only half Deadly Life are being fully counted as that for our purposes here – think of it as the lead-in to the body discovery as well as the investigation itself.)

Unsurprisingly, Kaede is almost always the most relevant character in any chapter 1 post – after all, she’s the protagonist, plus she’s being really interesting and relevant to the narrative the entire time in a way that Shuichi won’t always be once he becomes the protagonist. Kaito does somehow manage to be slightly more relevant than Kaede just for the first half of trial 1, probably because his strategy meeting was the topic of discussion a lot there, while Kaede’s character (aka the part where she murdered someone) was less in focus.

Kaito is still a clear third place here. While he doesn’t really come into explicit narrative focus until the end of chapter 1, he’s still having something of a character arc in the background and being way more interesting than any of the other non-Kaede-or-Shuichi characters, who are in this chapter mostly just background noise desperately trying to establish their basic character traits. Maki is one of the only ones who’s less background noise and more having a few moments of me talking about her issues in between her pointedly not drawing attention to herself at all. And while Kokichi is the fourth most relevant character in this chapter, we can see from this that it’s mainly due to his background noise being slightly noisier than everyone else’s (particularly in the trial, because trust issues), with the only thing of any real note he does in this chapter being discouraging everyone from the escape tunnel at the beginning.

(Featuring characters who are dead from the beginning of the chapter becoming dotted lines, to help unclutter things and also make it noticeable at a glance whenever a peak is a character managing to be relevant after they’re dead.)

And now, while Shuichi has become the protagonist and is having plenty of interesting character arc this chapter, Kaito has also fully come into narrative focus and so is going to be outstripping even Shuichi in relevance most of the time from now on. The one time this chapter that Shuichi does manage to be more relevant than Kaito is in the latter part of the trial as he faces the truth and accuses Kirumi, first with Kaito’s encouragement but then seemingly without needing Kaito at all towards the end, which feels… appropriate.

You can see the peaks of Kaito’s free time events and then him training Shuichi during the Daily Life. The patterns for a character in Daily Life will often oscillate like this, as Daily Lifes tend to alternate between character development stuff and plot stuff. Those Kokichi peaks in Daily Life, for example, are all him reacting to (or causing) plot stuff. The Gonta ones are partly his free time events incidentally happening to land in the same post as plot stuff, but also the Insect Meet-and-Greet.

Maki starts to become more relevant during the investigation and trial, featuring a big peak in the part where Kaito believes in her and is Good. You can also notice Himiko being brainwashed by Angie, doing her magic show, and being suspected during the trial, with vague smaller peaks of Angie and/or Tenko at the same time. A lot more characters are beginning to make themselves noticed above the background noise by now, even aside from this chapter’s victim and culprit.

Kaito is super relevant during his free time event and first training session with Maki, and then fluctuates wildly between being ill and trying very hard not to be ill for the rest of the non-trial posts. (Not that I don’t still find stuff to say about him even when he is, but it is harder when he spends most of the post offscreen.) That first Deadly Life post is far less about the murder and more just me talking about Kaito’s phobia for practically the whole post, which is why nobody else except for him and his sidekicks are all that relevant there. A bunch of the other characters shoot up for the second Deadly Life post compared to the first as there’s a lot more plot going on there.

Maki’s relevance steadily increases during Daily Life except for the post which is half plot and half Gonta’s FTEs. You can also notice the part where Tenko tries to stop Angie’s ritual and get through to Himiko.

Kokichi isn’t doing much of anything during the Daily Life and his only significant peaks are discussing his trust issues in the trial (in conjunction with Himiko wanting to believe in Tenko, featuring even more of Kaito being good) and then him accidentally being nice to Himiko in the trial conclusion.

Practically every interesting character (except Shuichi, who’s just doing his detective thing) drops in relevance between the first half of the trial and the second, because there really isn’t nearly as much interesting character stuff going on in the second half of the trial and it’s just Kiyo being terrible.

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(I split up the Daily Life and Deadly Life a little differently in this one, since while the whole Virtual World trip is nominally “Daily Life”, it’s basically the murder already in progress and has a very different tone from the rest of Daily Life up until the end of free time. Now also featuring splits for the trial because my coverage of trials from this point on is so damn long.)

Man, I love how starkly clear it is that there are really only four characters who are relevant to this case and trial. Even Maki isn’t – she gets her moment to shine during the Daily Life and some brief bits of being good during the investigation, but the trial is not about her at all. Similarly, Himiko has a bit during the Daily Life focusing on her post-Tenko development (featuring Gonta) and then basically nothing after that.

Any big peak of Shuichi in this chapter can be assumed to almost certainly be about Kaito’s issues regarding him; Kaito has peaks in similar places to Shuichi most of the time. The only times he doesn’t are Maki’s training, which is of course about Kaito helping her, and then the first post of the trial, which has a good bit of Kaito’s principles clashing with Kokichi. But for the entire rest of the trial, Kaito’s relevance does not remotely correlate with Kokichi’s, or even Gonta’s, because Kaito’s issues in this trial are really almost entirely about Shuichi.

You can very clearly see the point at which Gonta gets accused in the trial – that is, just after the post in which Kokichi made everything about himself for ages and then threw a tantrum when Shuichi wasn’t having any of it. Kokichi’s pattern for the rest of the trial until the execution then looks a lot more similar to Gonta’s pattern than it does to Kaito’s. Guess who’s the real source of Kokichi’s issues here.

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(Splitting up the Daily Life here as well between the end of free time and the beginning of Kaito’s brilliant heroic plan, since the first half is a lot more character development and the second half is a lot more plot.)

For the Daily Life, there’s kiiind of that same pattern of Kaito and Shuichi having similar peaks, since Kaito’s issues are still extremely about Shuichi at this point. That doesn’t show up so well during free time in which Kaito is not available, even though I kind of am still talking about Kaito’s issues a good bit, because I’m mostly doing so through the metaphor of Himiko’s FTEs without directly mentioning Kaito’s name as much. The one in which Kaito and Shuichi’s patterns match the least is the post with Kaito’s plan, which is about him realising he needs to actually be a hero instead of focusing on looking like one just to prove himself to Shuichi, so that seems appropriate. And after the last part of the Daily Life in which they make up and have their adorable window conversation, Kaito is more or less over his issues regarding Shuichi – or at least isn’t letting them affect him any more – so their patterns don’t match up as much as they used to once we get to the case and trial. The Shuichi peaks during the investigation and trial are then a lot more focused on Shuichi himself, in terms of how he’s dealing with Kaito being apparently dead.

It’s pretty abundantly clear that this chapter is basically just about the training trio, plus Kokichi who facilitates those character dynamics by driving the plot. Himiko’s free time events are noticeable, as is the bit in the trial where she’s a suspect, but she doesn’t do much the rest of the time. Meanwhile Tsumugi and Keebo are still contributing practically fuck all to the narrative, just like they’ve been doing for the past four chapters as well. You can tell which post is mostly me talking about the Hope’s Peak plot because none of the characters get talked about in it to a particularly great extent – and Kaito still manages to be the third most relevant character in that post even though he’s offscreen for the whole thing.

As he should be, Kaito is always the most relevant character for the entire trial, even more so than Kokichi! Remember that I adjusted the data to account for the fact that Exisal Kokichi is actually Kaito – without that, Kokichi does get more mentions than Kaito in a few trial posts, but that isn’t a fair representation of who is actually being talked about and having lines. Heck, I imagine that about half of Kokichi’s mentions in the trial are just me talking about how he would usually act in order to explain why Kaito’s really not quite acting like the real Kokichi at all.

The biggest Kokichi peak in the trial proper is the only one that has a lot of me talking about him for his own sake, as I discuss the logistics of his plan and explain how he ruined it all by posthumously gloating. You can also see his plan being discussed in the trial conclusion, and then him ceasing to be relevant as everything becomes about Kaito and his friends.

This trial does have less obvious trends than trial 4 – I split it up at the intermission again, but there’s not much of a meaningful narrative difference between the first half and the second. There’s so much discussion of the logistics of the case and everything Exisal Kokichi is saying that the actual character progression that Maki and Shuichi have here gets a little bit lost amongst that noise (and Kaito himself isn’t precisely having much of an actual arc during this trial even as he is being the best and most relevant). You can at least see the post which is almost entirely flashback, featuring a lot more Maki and much less Shuichi, then also the part where Maki is adorable as she realises Kaito’s still alive and then can’t bear to accept he’s the culprit. You can also kind of see Shuichi forcing himself to accept Kaito’s death in the Debate Scrum earlier on, and then believing in Kaito towards the end.

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(There wasn’t an official intermission to split the trial at, but I decided to split it at the point where the audience shows up, since there’s a very big shift in topic and tone from then on. The first half is a lot longer in-game than it might seem based on how comparatively long I spent on it, because most of it was straightforward deductions and exposition that I didn’t have much to say about.)

The overall counts for characters in general during this chapter are a lot lower, which reflects the fact that there’s less interesting character arc stuff going on here and I’m talking a lot more about the plot instead.

Kokichi has a big posthumous peak when we’re investigating his lab and his room, some decent relevance throughout the rest of the investigation for plot reasons (the Bugvac, etc), another small peak in the trial as we confirm he wasn’t a Remnant of Despair… and then he basically just stops being relevant once we move onto the fiction stuff and start thinking more about the influence the deceased characters had on those who are still here. Kaito has much steadier posthumous relevance throughout, partly out of how much he means to his sidekicks (that biggest peak is when Tsumugi uses that to make Shuichi and Maki despair over their fictionality), and partly because I just can’t stop finding reasons to mention him even though he’s gone.

Kaede and Rantaro are of course quite relevant during their retrial, and a little bit during some other plot parts – Rantaro’s lab, the stupid Kaede twin red herring during the investigation, Shuichi realising why Rantaro did the killing game again. Other than these plotty parts, Kaede’s pattern kiiiinda matches Kaito’s here and there, since they did both have such an influence on Shuichi. The parts where Kaito has more of a peak than Kaede are a lot more specific to him, such as the flashbacks in the investigation that were relevant to his issues, and the impossible being possible near the end of the trial.

You can see Tsumugi being found out as the mastermind… and then only being the most relevant character for a grand total of two posts. Keebo’s brief stint as protagonist is also pretty clear here, and he’s the most relevant for exactly one post. But this chapter is really the most about Shuichi. Tsumugi’s relevance as the mastermind drops right off in the same post that Shuichi’s shoots back up as he realises what’s going on with this hope nonsense and stands against it, which is very satisfying. Even Kaito becomes more relevant than Tsumugi towards the end of the trial!

Bonus fun facts about all the post-by-post graphs taken together:

While Kaito is alive, there are only two posts in which he is not among the top three most relevant characters. In both cases he’s a pretty close fourth, and in one of those cases he’s a lot more the topic of my commentary than you’d think from the number of times I mention his name, so he probably isn’t really only the fourth most relevant at all there.

There are only nine posts in which Kokichi is more relevant than Kaito, and three of those are only by a pretty small margin.

The character who has the single highest number of mentions in any one post is actually not Kaito – it’s Gonta. While Kaito is extremely relevant in many many posts, there seems to be a maximum to that. After all, there is a maximum post length that I tried to adhere to, and so even in a post with the highest possible concentration of talking about Kaito, there’s basically a hypothetical limit to the number of times he can be mentioned. But Gonta’s thing of amplifying his own count because he talks about himself in third-person means that, for the one post which is almost entirely about him (the first half of trial 4’s conclusion), he outstrips that hypothetical per-post limit in a way that other characters wouldn’t be able to do no matter how relevant they are.

This was really fun to look at! I always had an instinctive feeling for how I felt about each character’s relevance at each point in the story, but it’s cool to see a visual representation of it using actual data. It really does feel very accurate. Kaito’s frequent high counts may sometimes be an exaggeration of his objective relevance on the surface, but that genuinely is how I see those parts of the story. Even if it’s subtle, there’s so much going on in Kaito’s head beneath the surface, and that’s the biggest thing that draws me to any given part of the story.

And what I love so much about this story, as these graphs so wonderfully show, is how relevant Kaito always is. Even if Kaito hadn’t been one of the most important characters in this story, he’d still have been my favourite anyway just because he’s the kind of character I tend to enjoy in a lot of different ways. So it’s just so great to me that, no matter where I’m at in the story (unless it’s chapter 6), it’s never too far away from some part in which Kaito is being at least a little bit interesting and fun in some way – and usually a hell of a lot more than just a little.

(Have I ever mentioned how incredibly happy I am that the writers really did thoroughly care about Kaito’s story and didn’t gratuitously kill him off earlier than he deserved like they’d been making it seem like they would.)

#danganronpa v3 #bonus ramble #(basically like a bonus ramble for the entire thing in one?)#(right?)

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megaboy335 · 4 years

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Mega’s 2019 Top Anime List

Another year of anime has come and gone. This year I ended up watching a lot less due to the over saturation of Isekai and light novel anime, but there was still plenty to enjoy. As usual I consider any show that ended this year as a contender to be on my list. This is simply my opinion and there will be spoilers below.

1) Pokemon Sun & Moon

Starting this list with a show I watched for 3 years, Pokemon Sun and Moon was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with the Pokemon anime. It took the best aspects of XY and added loose animation to the mix. Ash and friends have never had so much personality as each episode brought the characters to life in new ways with funny facial expressions. As an adaptation of the game, Pokemon SM did better in some areas compared to others. The trials were simplified or restructured to account for Ash’s classmates being trial captains in the game. While the Kahuna battles were spaced out very far apart in the anime. I always thought it was strange that in-between major story battles, Ash barely ever thought about the challenges.

The two major story highlights of the anime are Lusamine’s arc and the Pokemon League. Lusamine’s story was the main plot of SM and it played out almost exactly like the game. Her downfall to her Ultra Beasts obsession and then Lillie knocking some sense back into her mom is still an emotional highlight of the series. In any Pokemon anime, the Pokemon League is what brings meaning to Ash’s entire journey through the region. SM’s league is similar to the game where it’s the first league of the region. The rival pairings and matches were completely predictable, but it ended with two big surprises. First, Ash was actually allowed to win for once (matching your character becoming the first champion in the game), and secondly he had a full 6 v 6 match with Kukui. It spanned 3.5 episodes with Ash’s Litten completing its character arc by reaching its final form during the battle. It was a rare match where both parties are battling it out for fun and it ended with a flashy finale of two hype Z-moves. Pokemon SM will be remembered for its simplicity, yet ambitious approach in always showing something new week after week.

2) Mob Psycho 100 Season 2

Mob-Psycho continues where it left off in season 1. The main protagonists have come away from a battle with Claw and now daily life resumes. This season featured a love story, Reigen’s arc, deeper exploration into psychic powers, and the return of Claw. Just like in season 1, Mob continues to excel in two major areas. First is of course the animation. An average episode of Mob is literally that one stand-out episode of a one cour anime. Psychic power usage is often a reflection of emotions and they are animated in different ways depending on the characters thoughts in a particular scene. There were so many highlights this season that it would be impossible to list them all.

Mob’s second strength is the character writing. In season 1 Mob was a boy struggling to create his own identity. This season Mob actively tries to break out of his shell and become his own unique person. We see this through his efforts with the fitness club, again when he separates from Regien, and again as he shows everyone that having psychic powers is no substitute for personal growth or status. Mob is no longer a timid boy like he was at the start of the series. He can now stand on his own two feet and help others who are struggling to get up. Considering there is still a little more manga left to cover, I can only hope it gets one last season to finish out the story.

3) Kaguya-Sama: Love is War

In order to understand the appeal of Kaguya-Sama, just for a second imagine if Death Note was a romantic comedy. Both of the protagonists are locked into a battle of wits to outsmart the other in the events of daily life. The mere act of choosing a vacation spot, going somewhere, or giving an item to each other suddenly becomes a high stakes duel. Kaguya-sama follows Kaguya herself and Shirogane as they try to avoid being the first to admit their love for each other. The side characters only help to add wildcards to each battle such as Chika being able to change the tide of battle with a single phrase.

I enjoyed seeing how absurd each battle would become week after week. The presentation is simple, yet very effective in this anime. Resources were definitely allocated for use in certain places for maximum impact. The voice acting also helped a ton in selling just how important each battle was in the minds of the characters. Overall, the series knows how to play with your expectations. Some battles turn out as expected, some with a twist, and others end on some kind of middle ground. However, each battle brings them a little closer together. I can’t wait for the next season in April.

4) Run with the Wind

Almost all sports anime revolve around high school students trying to become as good as possible and win nationals before the 3rd years graduate. However, Run with the Wind takes a different approach to this formula. It focuses on a group of college students who, at the start at least, would rather do anything else than run. It takes about half of the show before our group of characters even get on the same page about running. I enjoyed how this anime put us into the heads of each character. Some have personal reasons for not wanting to run, while for others it was something trivial. However, by committing themselves to the team they each gained a new outlook on themselves and those around them. It was quite literally an uphill for the team to reach the level of success they got at the end. The final run brilliantly showed how each character learned from the experience and how the time they spent on the team was a positive life changing moment. Run with the Wind shows that it's never too late to try something new.

5) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind

Jojo is back on the list after an extended break between parts 4 and 5. Compared to previous stories, Part 5 is most similar to part 3. There is a quest to clear and it involves the main group traveling across the land and defeating enemy stand users each step of the way. The differences between part 5 and its previous stories becoming apparent right away. First off, the protagonist is not a traditional Joestar. He is the son of Dio born from when he had Jonathan’s body. Secondly, the group of main characters are not exactly good guys. As mafia members they display a sense of unity, but lack the high integrity of previous Jojo characters. A connection they all share is being looked down upon in society, but placing a place in the world through Bucciarati’s squad.

The aspect that makes or breaks a JoJo story for me is usually the villain. I consider Diavolo to be the weakest of any villain across the various JoJo stories. During the early arcs of the story, Diavolo comes off as an interesting character. He has a mysterious personality and will clearly stop at nothing to keep his identity hidden, including killing his own daughter. The series then adds layer of complexity when we meet his alter ego Doppio. The two personalities are clearly distinctive, but the line between which one is charge can be murky. However, his character intrigue quickly comes crashing down as the final arc fully brings Diavolo into the limelight. The story comes down to who can control the stand arrow, which is a sharp contrast to previous villains who drove the final arc on the back of their eccentric personalities. While JoJo part 5 is still a good anime, it will always come near the bottom of my favorite JoJo parts.

The Year of High Profile Weekly Shonen Jump Anime Adaptations

As the 2016-17 hits from Weekly Shonen Jump have aged up, all of their anime dropped in succession this year. I am a huge fan of the magazine, so here’s a section with some quick thoughts of their anime.

The Promise Neverland - The anime changed the escape arc from a mental battle to a horror series. While animation is definitely better suited to playing with the idea of show don’t tell, the result ended up being telling the story through a different lens. While I appreciated the idea, I feel it came up short. The loss of Posuka Demizu’s art was another major blow to the mood they were trying to create.

Kimetsu no Yaiba - When the manga first began, I never imagined it would become a 1+ Million seller. Ufotable brought their top class digital effects to a manga that at a quick glance would make anyone think it would be the last series to get such treatment. The anime brought a lot to the table and greatly helped to bring the manga to life. It was a great experience from start to finish (episode 19 is a major highlight of the year). I’m looking forward to the upcoming film.

Dr. Stone - Compared to the other Jump anime this year, Dr. Stone’s animation and presentation stuck very close to the manga (if not even inferior to Boichi’s creative spreads at times). The aspect that sold this anime best was the voice cast. They brought so much life into the characters and conveyed the passion each one has for science and learning. I enjoyed seeing Senku create his inventions in animated form.

Bokuben - This might not exactly be considered “high-profile”, but I can’t help but find myself impressed by the anime week after week. It adds a few touches here and there to better tell a cohesive story and occasionally adds a scene or two. I appreciated the heart the anime brought to the series through the seiyuu. Introducing a new seiyuu unit from the cast was also a nice bonus as well.

Best OP/EDs of the year:

1) One Piece Opening 22 - The One Piece anime has changed dramatically under Tatsuya Nagamine. This opening is fast paced and filled with future story teases. It changes the format by cutting the op run time down to 2 minutes and includes clips of the episode. The final sequence of Luffy vs. Kaido always gets me hyped each to watch the episode each week.

2) Mob Psycho II Opening - This opening feels like a natural continuation of the first season opening. It once again showcases how the show is full of creative animation and unusual characters.

3) Mix Opening 1- Mitsuru Adachi is known for his nuanced writing of giving characters the space to convey their thoughts. This opening fully shows these traits through its sequence of character shots that feel like a natural usage of his writing style.

4) Kaguya-Sama Chika Ending - Cute song and amazing choreography. There’s a clear reason why this swept across the internet last winter

5) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5 Opening 2 - Not only is Traitor’s Requiem a very cool name for a song for this part of the story, but the plot teases are perfectly timed in the song. The opening animation also kept on giving with the villain version and Giorno later recapturing the opening.

This brings 2019 to a close and another decade comes to an end. As my way of recapping the decade, here is a list of my top shows in each post I have made since I started posting them in 2014:

Space Brothers

Hunter x Hunter

Kill la Kill

Nisekoi

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3

Sore ga Seiyuu

Death Parade

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3 (Second Half)

Hibike Euphonium

One Punch Man Season 1

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4

Mob Psycho 100 Season 1

Yuri on Ice

Konosuba Season 1

Sakamoto Desu Ga?

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Tsuki Ga Kirei

Re:Creators

Ero-manga Sensei

Owarimonogatari (the Monogatari series in general)

Hugtto Precure

A Place Further than the Universe

Yuru Camp

Dragonball Super

S.S.S.S. Gridman

#Mega's Words

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latvian-parisienne · 5 years

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Day 12-15 - Staying home and doing nothing is also a nice thing to do...apart from visiting Versailles

After you have spent the first week and a half in Paris and you have seen every monument there is to be seen and are kind of getting tired of purchasing additional metro tickets (because your dearest Navigo still has not arrived) or walking around, you start to also enjoy the joy of being at home... because you feel like you have a home to go to.

Apart from going to a meeting of the school’s journal and cheerleading trial, I decided not to leave the house for two days in a row. And it was amazing! Waking up whenever you like, napping, preparing some food, watching TV shows and doing laundry also should make a part of your stay in Paris.

And then the exhausting Tuesdays arrive, full of four lectures in a row and flour products, because that is the only thing you can manage to eat during the 15 minute breaks. Still nothing interesting happens, nothing worth talking about at least. Life in Paris can get pretty bring once you are used to it.

That is why one needs to explore more and more whenever the time constraints and sleep levels allow. Today we went to explore the beautiful palace of Versailles and it was, of course, breathtaking; however, I had somehow expected something more, something different.

We decided to go on our Versailles mission on a cloudy Wednesday morning, hoping that it would save us from the endless masses of tourists. We were slightly wrong - tourists were still there, stopping at around places, sticking selfie sticks into your face, creating guided groups which just tended to stay in the middle of a small corridor...it was all there even though we arrived at 10 a.m. And it can also be understood since the palace is beautiful and it is definitely worth visiting it at least once in your life. However, the endless crowds of people did not allow us to fully enjoy the beauty of Versailles - it was simply overcrowded and the only thing I managed to capture into photos was ceilings. They also were really impressive and full of various paintings, but most importantly, no one covered the view of them and it was easy to enjoy their charm.

Gold, glass and marble is basically screaming from every corner you see at Versailles. Although some of us might be willing to live in a similar building at some point in our lives, for me it felt too much. I could never imagine someone living there at all, that’s how over-polished and posh it looked. But that’s kind of the case with all of those big castles - they look majestic, not liveable. Maybe that’s even good - what would I do if I decided that I wanted to live in one someday?

The gardens were pretty indeed. Red and yellow coloured flowers were decorating the beautifully cut garden, which created several ornaments and figures in the ground. From the windows of the castle, the gardens looked even better.

However, if you take a long walk towards the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon, you will get a much better experience of Versailles. There are less people, less posh and more of the feeling that someone has actually lived there or at least would be willing to live there. Grand Trianon was my personal favorite, filled with pastel colors, cosier and smaller rooms and beautiful violet-schemed garden. It felt more put-together and less screaming-in-your-face than Versailles palace itself. Petit Trianon was also cute and worth-visiting, since it also gives you a completely different feeling from the vibe you get at Versailles. When visiting the Trianons, you suddenly feel like in a countryside - a small river, owners with dogs walking around, baby swans swimming in the lake, small chapel in the middle of a meadow and no tourists. It’s an amazing feeling when you know that a 15 minute walk away the people are getting crazy over Versailles. It cannot be felt at the Trianons.

So, am I happy that I went there? Yes. Would I have chosen any other day or time? Probably not, since it was still summery and sunny in the afternoon. Would I go there again? Definitely not in the upcoming 10 years. I feel like I saw everything there and there are plenty of castles of similar style around the whole Europe.

#latvian #paris #france #versailles #erasmus #exchange #experience #student #sciencespo #travel #blogger

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the-christinagrace-blog · 5 years

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What Happens Next?

The question that has haunted us for ages, with infinite possible answers, yet none of them seem to fit you.

I don’t know about you, but I am a planner. I have an excel sheet filled with all of the classes I have to take to graduate and when I am going to take them, I have a planner that has the times written down for just about everything from meals, to classes, to hanging out with friends, and I like to know that my plan is going to work.

Here’s the thing though, it almost never does.

What I have had to learn through countless trials and errors is that when things don’t work out in plan A you just have to buckle up and start on plan B. I don’t think I have ever had a plan B until I found out Plan A was either not going to work whatsoever, or I had that little tiny hunch that something was about to go wrong. This has helped me to learn to go with the flow and to take punches as if I were a pillow.

As we all know life is STRESSFUL from school, to work, to money, to relationships, it’s almost like we can never catch a break. So, instead of finding fear in all of these things I have pushed myself to find joy in the chaos, to find the calm in the storm. Last semester I found out that I absolutely LOVE scheduling my classes in an excel sheet. There’s just something about knowing when the classes are supposed to be available and knowing how close you are to the finish line that is rewarding. Now, it is no surprise to me that I have a newfound affinity for scheduling my classes, because the reality is it is not new to me at all. When I was in high school I was able to enroll in college classes at a local 4 year university free of charge thanks to a state program. With each upcoming quarter I would sit down with the high school requirements I still needed to complete and the college requirements I wanted to get ahead on in front of me. I would spend hours finding the classes online, checking out the Rate My Professor reviews, and finally writing them all down on a hand written “calendar.” I would then take them to my advisor and bask in the praise she gave me for being so prepared. I loved it and I still do. It is just now my plan is further ahead than 1 quarter and it is all digital!

Now that was a lot, I know, so what’s my point? Even though I have my “4-year plan” which is now down to two, it has caused me plenty of stress, tears, and turns along the path I was taking. I have probably advised this plan 30 times, and that is no joke. There have been days where I would sit at my laptop staring at the catalog of classes and trying to find new classes I wanted to take, or ways to get out of classes that sounded dreadful. I even had a change in career path, switching from wanting to go to vet school, to wanting to go to grad school and specialize in an area that interested me even more. So, I made my plan, I changed my plan, and I will continue to do so until it is time to make a new plan. Now, whenever I feel an ounce of stress start to trickle in about my future, I grab my laptop, open up excel and just look at my plan. I read it over and take mental notes, I sometimes even look up the classes if I have forgotten what they are about. And for me, this works, knowing that no matter what my plan can be changed with just a couple clicks if something goes wrong.

I believe the important thing to remember is to not make your plans set in stone because something will go wrong, or if you’re lucky something will go so right that you never even saw it coming. That is why I love my current system, because I know visually that if I have to change my “future” I can with just a couple clicks. When all of your future planning is just in your head it seems impossible to be able to edit your expectations, but when you see it all on a spread sheet, you realize that your goals ARE tangible and you ARE going to meet them, even if you have to make a couple edits along the way.

So even if you do not know exactly what’s next, just remember that no amount of planning will ever let you know what will happen next. You’ll just have to wait and see, like everyone else on this planet.

#planning #advice #what happens next #my writing #future #school #schedules

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nuefiction · 5 years

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Reborn/A song I wish u heard

“Reborn” is the fifth track from “Kids See Ghost” self titled album. The hip hop duo is made up of Kid Cudi & Kanye West. Two long time collaborators with a tumultuous and successfully creative relationship. This relationship that also birthed many memorable songs and albums that would define a generation, also potentially revolutionizing the sound of modern hip hop music. The two giant artist reunite to make a project that buries the hatchet and their demons. Their relationship and their singular journeys that lead them here is something I feel very instrumental to the tone of the project and their song “Reborn” is a beacon of the album that represents it all.

The road begins with the start of Scott Mescudi’s music career. In 2007 Mescudi moved from his hometown Cleveland, OH to New York City. With nothing more than $500 in his pocket, Scott was determined to get his rap career started. He moved in with a long lost uncle and began working at a BAPE store in the city. Legend has it that Mescudi & West would meet at the store accidentally when West set off a security alarm. Mescudi would assist with removing one of the security tags that was left on clothes. This was post Graduation Kanye West where at the time his star was shining the brightest. Nothing came of this exchange but it wouldn’t be the last time their paths would cross.

Scott unleashed A Kid Named Cudi on the world on July of 2008. The tape was acclaimed by the hip hop community. Cudi was praised for his unique rhymes and smooth singing voice that provided a flavor to his music that would lay the blueprint for many sounds to come in the next generation of hip hop. West would soon recruit the young artist to assist with hooks on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 (2009) and later with the helm his upcoming album 808s & Heartbreak, one of West most polarizing and influential pieces of work to date. Cudi contributed to songwriting on many of the albums most memorable tracks such as “Welcome to Heartbreak”, “Heartless”, “RoboCop” & “Paranoid”. At the time 808s did not receive overwhelming acclaim as West past projects but the portrait West had painted was hard to break eye contact with. Kanye’s auto tuned, heartbroken lyrics colliding with 808 beats opened up another dimension of hip hop that would make genre more bulletproof and revolutionary than it was before. Ten years later it is looked at as a turning point in sound.

After a successful musical chemistry West signed Cudi to his label G.O.O.D. Music. After signing Kid Cudi started to create one of his debut if not his best album, Man on the Moon; The End of Day (2009) This album would also become a staple in the evolution of Hip Hop. MOTM came with an intergalactic, psychedelic- warped production that took you out of this world. Along with God like narration from at the time GOOD Music affiliate and Chicago rap legend, Common who guides Cudi and the listener through the album. The lyrical content covered included, depression, anxiety, loneliness and other introspective themes. Kanye would be there for production and writing further extending their creative relationship.

With the births of arguably two hip hop classics, the relationship changed as Cudi developed into his own artist and urban legend. Kanye became more of a musical icon that grew by the project. In the following year they continued to collaborate on hip hop staples such as Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) & My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). In these triumphs that started this successful relationship there would be growing pains to muddy the waters. In 2013 Kid Cudi request to depart from G.O.O.D. Music, he recalls it as nothing more than a business decision. At the time Kid Cudi was getting his own label off the ground ‘Wicked Awesome” and preferred to put his creative energy toward its inception. This was difficult for Cudi at first since Kanye has always been a big brother to him. He was afraid of damaging their relationship with his departure. Following him leaving Cudi stated has nothing but love for the label. That same year West’s mind bending album- Yeezus was unleashed that summer, on the track “Guilt Trip” there’s an un-credited vocals by Cudi, which gets praise from fans and critics alike. Unbeknownst to Cudi, he was unaware of this and had mixed feelings of the record. He felt good that he was thought of from his ex collaborator and friend but it disturbed him that Kanye did not reach out. Cudi soon felt the vocals were used to coaxed his fan base for the record instead of calling Cudi in to work on the record like how they used to. This wouldn't stunt their creative relationship entirely, Cudi would assist West in creating his Yeezus 2016 follow up- The Life of Pablo. Creating fan favorites such as “Father Stretch My Hands pt.1” and lending back vocals to the Chance the Rapper arranged track “Waves”. This reunion to the surface shows the two back at the creative relationship that we once knew them for, thus it would open up another rough road in their relationship.

In late 2016 Cudi went on a Twitter rant seeming to aim at his competition in the hip hop landscape. Calling out self claimed “top five artist” who have writers crafting their hits. At this point in hip hop, Canadian rap superstar, Drake was faced with allegations of having a ghostwriter. This information was exposed by Philadelphia MC Meek Mill during a battle between the two, where a recording of rapper/writer Quentin Miller is referencing key tracks on Drake’s successful 2015 mix-tape If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late. Cudi went as detailed in his rant where he named Kanye and Drake together claiming he was aiming at them or anyone like them, while giving props to the younger acts he has inspired. West was on tour when these tweets surfaced and decided to respond in classic Ye fashion; ranting while performing on his “Saint Pablo Tour”. West feeling disrespected; claiming to have ‘birthed’ Kid Cudi’s career and sound and being responsible for his influence over today's hip hop.

Though the rift seemed to be a volatile one the collaborators reunite once again on the same stage they started on. In November of that same year Cudi came on stage during West’s Sacramento stop of his tour to perform “Father Stretch My Hands pt.1 and other classics between the two. Following their latest reunion Kanye West had to end his tour prematurely due to his wife Kim Kardashian being robbed in Paris and having nervous breakdown to due exhaustion. West remained out of the public close to a year until the spring of 2018, where he teased five new projects to be released from GOOD Music, one of them being Kids See Ghost which he would label he and Kid Cudi’s collaborative group. The album bloomed in what is being called “The Wyoming Sessions”. West rented out a private ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where he would produce the five albums he teased in the spring. This was a similar tactic West used to make past classic albums such as 808s in Heartbreak and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Kids See Ghost was released on June 8th, 2018. The albums unleashed a sound of psychedelic-rock style rap music. The album is produced entirely by West with contributions from Kid Cudi, Mike Dean, Justin Vernon, Andre 3000, Plain Pat and others. The lyrical themes throughout the album dealt with depression, isolation, anxiety, redemption and freedom. This type of subject matter was common for Cudi but uncommon from West whom lyrics in the past mostly covered braggadocios claims of his status in hip hop, effects of stardom, also his past relationships and his childhood with his parents. The album’s creative direction positioned the artist in places where each of their strengths help the others weakness. Kanye with his production and vision help give Cudi the space to navigate and flourish as the artist he truly is. Cudi is lyrically creating a safe haven for Ye to express his trials and tribulations that all came in tow in the spring and summer of 2018. Cudi being a master of this realm musically emulates a creative embrace to help guide Kanye through the storm to come out the other side and alive along with cutting edge product for the fans consumption.

The song “Reborn” idealizes that the best. It’s produced by Kid Cudi, Plain Pat & Dot da Genius creating a warm and comforting production accompanied by Cudi’s distinctive and signature humming. If there was a song that felt like it was embracing you close this one would be a shoe in. Cudi opens the song “I’m so- I’m so reborn. I’m moving forward, keep moving forward, keep moving forward.” A mantra that is so simple but so compelling in the environment that ‘Kids See Ghost’ created. Between the two members both have gone through plenty since their last falling out to move forward from. In 2016 after the release of his sixth studio album “Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin” Cudi placed himself into rehab after dealing with severe depression and suicidal urges. In the same year West had to cut his Saint Pablo tour short due to exhaustion, extreme paranoia and depression still reeling from his mother's sudden death in 2007. Following those struggles in 2018 Kanye went on many manic rants that sprung some discouraging quotes such as “Slavery for 400 years?! That almost sounds like a choice!” In addition showing his support of the controversial 45th president, and sporting a MAGA hat to ensure his support. And with that support came much backlash from the public and fans alike. ‘Reborn’ feels like an emotional baptism, where Cudi and West lay all the cards on the table and come head to head with every demon that haunts them. And by the end of the song they create a sensation of levitation and a relief of freedom from being stripped from what has held them back to feel free to move forward. “Ain’t no stress on me, lord. I’m moving forward, keep moving forward, keep moving forward.” In this song came the best verse Ye laid down on all five albums he released that summer. He exposes most of the elephants in the room and gives answers to most of the trending tribulations he went through.

“Very rarely do you catch me out

Y'all done especially invited guests, me out

Y'all been tellin' jokes that's gon' stress me out

Soon as I walk in, I'm like "Let's be out"

I was off the chain, I was often drained

I was off the meds, I was called insane

What a awesome thing, engulfed in shame

I want all the rain, I want all the pain

I want all the smoke, I want all the blame

Cardio audio, let me jog your brain

Caught in the Audy Home, we was all detained

All of you Mario, it's all a game”

This albums inspires nuances of healing and growth. Both of the members of “Kids See Ghost” have been through their share of trauma, heartache, loss and immense pressure in the respective careers and have made classic hip hop music as an escape. This album becomes the perfect path to redemption and peace for them and anyone experiencing anything similar. I believe art and creation from one's soul can be a remedy for another. Creations can be the cure to help one not feel alone and knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel of suffering. This song did that for me personally in one of the hardest times of my life.

The spring of 2018 was a very anxious time for me. Every other person I either knew of or loved closely, I lost due to acts of god and sadly by their own hand. One of those lost ones was my younger sister; Jasmine Alyssa. I remember I was waiting on for a connecting flight to Georgia for her funeral. If there was any trace of hope or innocents in my body before that spring it was all gone by then. “Kids See Ghost” dropped that morning and I gave the album a listen to numb all the sorrow i was drowning in. I managed to do so with the first four songs until “reborn” started to play in my headphones. As the song played through I started bawling uncontrollably. It forced me to come in touch with every emotion I pushed away since the lost of my sister. I was crying not only because I lost her but because she wasn’t alive to hear this message. I knew she was suffering with a lot, some very similar to the artist. Though I know that a simple song can’t solve everything that’s wrong but in my own personal experience I know how powerful music can be. Art can be the teacher we all didn’t have but the lesson are always available to us if we’re lucky enough to stumble upon them.

I won’t lie to you or whomever this concerns. Everything this song inspires takes time and a long look inward. As I write this i’m not completely put together, i’m still broken in my best areas. But whenever I am close to the edge and see nothing else in front of me, I take this song and many songs like this to push myself forward to the person I want to be. Take the first step to the where I want to be, shoot my first of many shots at the dream I want to realize. If i’m lucky to be talking to anyone like my sister or Kids See Ghost, find what sparks your soul and use that as your fuel to push you along the road of redemption. Use that shine to remedy your pain and be the conduit to others who are hurting.

Be reborn & keep moving forward because we can’t do this without you

Until nXt time

/n(y)o͞o🦇XXI

#music #life #death #kanye west #kid cudi #kids see ghosts #essay #full circle #nuefiction #good music #review

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moistwithgender · 6 years

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Curry watched anime: Summer 2018 edition

I guess I’m doing this now! I only really stuck to my Crunchyroll account, as I don’t have a HIDIVE or Amazon Prime sub, and Netflix doesn’t simulcast (I’ve been learning a lot of new terms over the last few months). I didn’t watch everything that was available to me either because I’m tired and etc you know me by now.

What’s that? You say I was supposed to be reading through old Marvel comics? You’re right, I fucked up. I’m juggling a lot of interests and I’m not the best at it.

I think the only show I watched that was on a non-first season was HeroAca and I’m not even done with it yet (and they immediately announced a 4th season, damn). Still, I’m 12 episodes in and it’s pretty good. Haven’t hit the absurd emotional highs of the first two seasons yet, but there’s time.

I watched the 12 available episodes of Angels of Death, and it looks like they’re gonna do an OVA for the last four episodes. I got in on this late due to low energy but I was intrigued because it’s an adaptation of those RPGMaker horror indie titles that Youtubers get famous off of. That’s almost deliberately aiming for my attention. This show is kinda dumb. Not because it’s edgy, I actually kind of enjoy that somewhat immature aspect, but because every time it decides to delve into western religion (which is a big theme, and all the characters are implied to be either American or English) it gets a bit confusing. I’m not sure if it’s subs being written with limited information (which it shouldn’t be, the game is out in multiple languages), or if the author just has a misinformed idea of how people talk about their faith. Rachel, a fourteen-year-old, talks constantly about her relationship with God, but specifically only in the context of what form of suicide is Breaking The Rules. It’s...interesting, but oddly so, and the episodes that revolve around a villainous priest and a witch trial are so vague and nebulously defined that I had no clue what any of the characters were talking about at any time. It’s also very clear they are staying true to the structure of the game, because there are many segments that feel like they lose their tension (or maybe their logic) when taken out of an interactive context. Anyway, I want to watch those last four episodes so I can form a full perspective, but I suspect that any upcoming twist won’t save what’s been established.

Cells at Work is really fun and I enjoyed the full 13 episodes, though I still find its overwhelming popularity surprising. There are shades of narrative, and plenty of implied worldbuilding (which is often my favorite kind), but this is mostly a series of notebook scribbles of someone’s OCs based entirely on making a comedic metaphor. It makes sure to stay this way, and all drama ultimately can’t last in the face of the the theme of “biology is funny.” On Reddit somewhere, a medical student was going through the show and pointing out all the surprisingly subtle details, like the Red Blood Cell with no sense of direction having a cowlick that represents sickle cells which have more trouble getting through the blood stream. Very clever stuff.

Asobi Asobase and Chio’s School Road are both hilarious and great comedic timing, but I still haven’t finished the latter. The former is about shitty schoolgirls who want an excuse to goof off, and the latter is about...mostly the same concept, but the main girl is a hardcore PC gamer who tries to solve IRL problems with her l33t skills. You have to take both with a grain of salt at times, especially if you’re LGBT. Asobase has some sketchy commentary on trans people, School Road’s lesbian is a pervert, and the shows overall swing with reckless abandon into lewd territory (imo said lewdness is often hilarious but ymmv). I think the main difference for me is that while I find both really entertaining, I’m actually growing fond of the characters in School Road? Meanwhile Asobase is an “Always Sunny” style comedy in that the characters are terrible and you should not imitate them (and also like Sunny you are occasionally made to wonder how self-aware the writers are).

Hanebado is about the most traumatic sport in the world: badminton. Or so you’d think, considering that this show turned the drama faucet on full-blast and then cracked the dial off at the start of the season. It’s extremely good sports drama, and really nicely animated, but there’s a subplot of Extremely Bad Parenting that did not reach an appropriate resolution, or at least wasn’t communicated properly to the viewer, and I saw a lot of people reasonably pissed off about it.

Planet With was probably the show of the season for me, and was even the reason I got a Crunchy premium account. A (kigurumi) mecha show with shades of Gurren Lagann that hits every shonen trope you can expect (well, except for a tournament arc) and subverts it with nuanced maturity, which is what I came to expect from Satoshi Mizukami’s writing. After reading Spirit Circle, I’m convinced everything he writes is gold. Not enough people watched this show, and it’s a shame, because the nuanced take on the difference between justice and compassion is pretty relevant today. I’m currently rewatching this with my sister and hoping I’ll pick up more than I did the first time through. I expect to watch it a third time in the future.

Show of the Season: Planet With Runner up: Probably Hanebado

Shows I also watched that weren’t from this season: - Ushio & Tora (wasn’t really worth the dedication, unfortunately) - KADO: The Right Answer (Fantastic until the last couple episodes collapsed in on themselves) - Digimon Tri movies 1 & 2 (this is gonna be rough)

Shows I dropped: - Angolmois (it’s not a bad show but I didn’t have the energy)

Shows I missed but still wanna watch: - Overlord S3 (haven’t started this show) - Banana Fish (wanna read this first (also no Prime ;_;)) - FLCL S3? (haven’t watched any of the new stuff yet) - High Score Girl (COME ON NETFLIX) - Revue Starlight (it’s on HIDIVE) - Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits

Shows I missed and don’t know what to think about: - Grand Blue - Happy Sugar Life - Island - Harukana Receive

#curry watches anime #long post

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sweater-vest-reid · 6 years

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{Homecoming}

spencer reid x reader

randomly generated prompts: character: ghost / material: glass / sentence: “aren’t you afraid?”

word count: 1.7 k

years have gone by since your husband, spencer, had been killed. no matter how hard you prayed, you knew he was gone forever. because no one comes back from the dead. right?

a/n: Here is the first of my spencer reid x reader one-shots from randomly generated prompts! this was partially inspired by a french sci-fi show called “les revenants”. I hope you enjoy!

You closed the bedroom door, peaking in at your daughter one last time. After three bedtime stories, the little five-year-old slept peacefully. Satisfied, you shut the door.

It had been a very long day. You’d won your most recent court case that afternoon. And while your hard work paid off, you couldn't take a break. Tomorrow you still had many more cases to prepare for. You loved being a lawyer, but the stress was never-ending.

Waltzing into the kitchen, you decided you needed something to take the edge off. You popped the cork off of a new bottle of wine and poured yourself a hefty glass. Tilting your head back, you took a long, slow drink.

The house was quiet like it always was after you put Harper to bed. For four years this silence had become your life, and you never got used to it. The quiet suffocated you.

You wandered around the house, the glass of wine still balanced delicately in your hand. Taking sip after sip, you eventually made your way upstairs to your bedroom.

Sitting down on your bed, you checked your phone. You prayed that there were no important work emails you had to deal with tonight. Thankfully, there were none, only a playdate invite for Harper and a few texts from your sister.

I'll be near your place tomorrow morning. Breakfast?

Your sister was a personal trainer and often came into the city to meet with clients. Whenever she was close by, she would always bring you and Harper breakfast from a bakery nearby. You typed back "sure" before setting your phone down on the bedside table. Your eyes shifted to the framed picture that sat next to your bed. You picked it up, staring at it, fond memories flooding your mind.

The photo was of you and your husband, Spencer, on your wedding day. It was right after you two cut the cake. The cake eating soon became cake fighting. You two held each other, your eyes locked together, with bits of cake and frosting clinging to your faces. It was your favorite photo.

You couldn't help but cry when looking at it. You missed him so much. People kept telling you that time heals all wounds. But for you, time only made yours deeper. Having to watch the little girl you two created grow up without him broke your heart.

It was his last case with the BAU, only weeks after Harper turned one. After she was born, Spencer thought he would be able to remain working at the BAU, but the cases got to him. He knew his time with the team was up.

He’d given Hotch his letter of resignation, planning to walk out of the office and start a new chapter of his life. But, an emergency case came up, and Hotch asked if he’d be willing to work it. One last case. Spencer agreed. You wished he hadn’t.

The team hypothesized that the unsub was working with a partner. Try as they might, they couldn't find enough evidence to prove it. But he did have a partner: an ex-military sniper with a hatred of law enforcement. The BAU caught him, but it was too late. He'd already taken one of their own.

One shot. On his forehead. Dead center. They told you there was nothing they could’ve done for him: Spencer was dead before he hit the ground.

The day you found out was the worst day of your life. You opened your front door, expecting Spencer to be standing there. Instead, it was his team, their eyes red and puffy. Instantly, you knew that Spencer was gone. You crumbled to the floor, screaming, tears flooding down your cheeks.

From that moment on, you and Harper were on your own. It was difficult, raising her by yourself, but you managed. You had too. You tried balancing work and caring for her, but long hours mixed with the grief was too much for your body to handle. Luckily, your job paid well enough that you could afford to take long breaks between trials. But now that Harper was in kindergarten, you’ve since returned to your regular work hours. You hadn’t done that since before you found out you were pregnant. It was sad to think about how much your life had changed.

Harper didn't remember him very well. She was so young when it happened. She could only say a few words. Death was not an easy concept for her to grasp.

So the things she didn't remember, you filled in the gaps. You filled Harper's room with pictures of Spencer and her when she was young. Every year, you took her to his grave so she could wish her father a "happy birthday". Even years later, the BAU team still came to visit, telling Harper stories about her dad.

The home you and Spencer once shared still looked the same. You couldn’t bring yourself to put away his things. His clothes still hung in the closet, and his toothbrush still sat in a cup by the sink. You knew you needed move on. After all, it had been four years. But you couldn’t. You didn’t want to. His things were all you had left of him. And getting rid of them meant that you would have to accept that he was truly gone.

And that was the last thing you could do.

You woke up to the sound of the front door opening. You sat up in bed, noticing that you were still wearing the same clothes you put on for work. You’d accidentally fallen asleep. It must have been the wine, you thought, looking over at your empty glass.

Your best guess was that it was morning and the person at the door was your sister. You searched for your phone, but it was so dark you couldn't see it. Something wasn't right. It was too dark, and no sunlight shone through the window. It couldn't be morning.

You found your phone and checked the time.

It was 1:17 am.

If it wasn't morning, then it wasn't your sister who just walked into your home.

You panicked. A stranger was in your house. The only thing on your mind was Harper. She was in her room. You needed to get downstairs to her, to protect her. You didn’t know what you’d do if you lost her too.

You scoured your room, looking for something you could use as to defend yourself. The best you could come up with was the wine glass. You held it out in your hand, ready to strike the intruder, and slowly made your way down the stairs.

You saw lights coming from the kitchen, and you could hear someone's careful footsteps as they moved to the living room.

“Hello?” A voice called out.

You froze in your tracks. You would recognize that voice anywhere. That was him. But it wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

You climbed down the last couple of steps, turning the corner into the kitchen. And then your heart stopped.

It was like looking into the past. There he stood, brown curls hung down, covering his face he looked down at the book in his hands. His tie sat crookedly underneath his vest.

The wine glass slid out of your hand, hitting the ground and shattering into tiny pieces. The noise spooked him, and he looked up. You gasped. It really was him.

“Spence?” you croaked, tears flooding out of your eyes.

“Hey, sorry I’m home late." He said, placing the book down.

You just stared at him. How was this happening?

It wasn't. That's how. You knew that was only a fantasy. People don’t come back from the dead.

Yet here he was.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale.” He said, coming towards you.

You sat down on the stairs, your head in your hands. “This can’t be happening.” You said, shaking your head, “This isn’t possible, you can’t be here.”

“[Y/N] what are you talking about?”

He didn’t know.

“Spence….you’re dead”

“Do you remember anything?" You asked him.

You two had moved upstairs to the bedroom, as you didn’t want your voices to wake Harper.

"It's coming back to me. Not everything, just pieces here and there." He replied, shaking his head.

"Tell me." You said.

"I remember we were in the middle of a standoff. I was standing next to Morgan. I heard Hotch yell something, and then everything went black. The next thing I know, it's dark and I'm walking down an empty street. Then I came right here."

You wanted to believe him. For years you wished for nothing but Spencer's return, and here he was. But it was too good to be true. He couldn't be real.

You sat down next to him, "Hold up your hand."

Spencer looked puzzled.

"Please" you begged.

He held his hand up. Tentatively, you placed your hand on his. He felt real. There's no way you were imagining this. You didn't know how, but Spencer was back.

"You're a living ghost, Spence." You said your voice breaking.

"I guess I had some unfinished business."

You two stood by Harper's door, peaking in at the sleeping girl.

"Doesn’t she look just like you?" you whispered to him. He nodded.

Harper had slept through everything, thank god. She was bundled up in her blankets, clutching a teddy bear Spencer gave her for her first birthday.

“She still has the bear?” You didn't have to look at him to know he was crying.

“Yeah. Sleeps with it every night”

“How old is she?” he whispered.

“Five” you whispered back.

“I’ve missed it.” He said.

“Missed what?”

“Her growing up. The last time I saw her, she had just started calling me 'dada'. Now she's all grown up."

“She’s still got plenty more growing to do” you reassured, "And now you get to be here for it."

You closed the door to the bedroom, turning to face Spencer. You two were only inches apart, and you could feel the electricity between you.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” He asked.

You leaned up, passionately kissing him for the first time in four years. He pulled you into a hug, embracing you so tightly it became difficult to breathe.

“Afraid?” you whispered, “I could never be afraid of you, my love."

tagged: {want to be tagged in any upcoming spencer x reader oneshots? send me a message and i’ll add you to the list} @faithinchemicals / @itsallintheeyeofthebeholder / @perfectcuddlesize / @xxtaylorsingerxx / @that-karen-dork / @imjustsoawkward / @kavi123-blog / @iliana927 / @daskiwichen / @fly-like-a-grayson / @snowy-studies / @bugalouie / @cassielovelyyyofficial / @brokenporcelainhearts / @teaandfreckles / @everybodywantstobetouched / @jacquelineisawkward / @mspenguin99 / @sheenadaughterofdemons / @ohnolesya / @richie812eddie / @brithefairy / @tofubowls / @dextergirl12345 / @thesmellofasinnamonroll

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getoutoftheweeds-blog · 7 years

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DIY Nutrition Plan - A Baseline Study of Yourself.

Since the last article went up, we have had several questions about how exactly I started losing weight. Below is a basic outline I followed to get me going and keep me going down the path.

In case you didn't know, I used to be pretty fat. When I stepped on the scale almost 5 years ago, I was about 100 pounds heavier. Truthfully, I was obese. I was “active” and mostly did things that were considered “healthy,” but I kept putting on weight. Part of the reason I was so chubby were circumstances that I thought were out of my control. Part of the reason was that I was ignorant. Part of the reason was that I was ignoring the obvious. However, I was able to get a plan together that helped me to not only lose weight, but get my life on the track I wanted it to be on. The key for my success was getting my personalized health/nutrition plan dialed in.

Before we go too far, I want you to know that I am a regular guy, writing to regular people. I’m not giving out advice to athletes or elite performers. I’ve never won a race or graced a podium. I’m no gifted athlete, but I’m also not trying to be one. I’m focused on winning at life, not some event. Reality is I’m just a dude who used to be fat and got his act together. I know what it is like to be overweight. I know what it is like to wish for a better way to live every day. It is my desire to help regular folks live a healthy life. Trust me; if I can break away from the chains of my old overweight life, you can, too. You just need a plan.

There are four things you have to take responsibility for before you begin this process:

1) You are in charge of you. Only you can figure out what is best for you. You know the dynamics of your situation. It is your responsibility to figure out how to make this happen in your particular circumstance.

2) Leave your assumptions behind. If you assume you have no assumptions, you are wrong. You will be challenged in this process. Have the ability to be flexible.

3) Things change. You are going to discover some things about yourself along the way. Some are strengths, some are weaknesses. It is your responsibility to take it in stride, change what needs to be changed and continue forward.

4) You get to define what success looks like. What does progress look like to you? One or two pounds? More energy? The ability to play with your kids or grand-kids (or great-grand-kids) without tiring out? You set the standard and work towards it.

With that out of the way, how do you develop a case study of yourself to figure out how nutrition, health and fitness information applies to you specifically?

Here is how I did it:

1) Take at least a week and log all the food you eat to determine how many Carbs (keep up with sugar, too), Proteins and Fats you are consuming. Be honest. Are you sneaking a snack here and there? Are you eating extra helpings at supper? Also note how much caffeine you take in each day. If you can spare the time, an even better option is to log your current habits for two weeks. I use the free MyFitnessPal app from Under Armor. You can use whatever you like. You will start to see your patterns emerge. A good analogy is reading a map. If you know where you want to go, the next most important thing to figure out is where you are at. Without that information, you will never be able to figure how to get to where you want to go. That’s what you are doing by logging your food.

2) Log your workouts and how they make you feel immediately after, hours after and the next day. Workouts provide a good stress to the body. But you have to keep in mind that the overall level of stress you will face during this endeavor is pretty high. During this process, I found it was best to keep the workout intensity low. It is advisable to do things like walking, easy bike rides and other similar low intensity activities. You can up your volume for these activities, but keep it at an aerobic pace. If you don’t know what that really means, a good rule of thumb is work out at a slow enough pace that you can have a conversation. If you have to breathe through your mouth, you are working too hard. Remember, the point of this study is to figure out what fuels you best in day-to-day life. The added stress from hard, anaerobic workouts will be self-defeating. That being said, if you are going to lift weights, shoot for maintaining where you are now, not gaining. Your body will be going through a lot, don’t set it up for failure by forcing it onto a blood sugar roller coaster. There is plenty of time after this test to ramp up your workouts. The whole point of logging workouts is to start to accurately identify the normal feedback your body is giving you. You’ll discover some cool stuff.

3) Log how much time you are sitting, or otherwise not moving. I was astonished at how little I was moving throughout the day, especially on days I worked out. I was an active couch potato. You don’t want to be an active couch potato. I realized my one hour of working out is not enough to offset 9-10 hours of sitting around. It’s better to walk a lot throughout the day than burn yourself out in an hour and have to lounge around the rest of your waking hours. You need to be aware of your daily movement habits.

4) Log any information your body is giving you. Do you have a headache? Did you get phlegmy after a certain meal? Are you tired in the afternoons? How much sleep are you getting? You feeling anxious? Why do you think these things are happening? These are all clues you will use as you figure out how to best fuel your body.

5) Take at least 2 weeks and consume no high glycemic foods (sugar, grain, starch, dairy or processed carbohydrates). Before you start this part, pull up a glycemic chart. That is super handy when you go buy your groceries for this part of the test. There have been books that came out recently that suggest doing this test for 30 days. That’s good, too. I went through this process before those books were written. Two weeks worked for me. The whole point is to let your body switch from primarily sugar burning to fat burning. You will feel it when this happens. If you are unsure you’ve reached this point after 2 weeks, go the whole 30 days. During my two weeks, I even avoided fruit and most nuts. I did eat a few berries though. Throughout this time, eat only real food. Nothing processed from a box or bag, even if it is organic or all-natural. Locally sourced, non-GMO, grass-fed, single ingredient, chemical and antibiotic free are ideal. Some folks call this “eating clean.” Stay away from sugar and anything with a high glycemic score; let your body switch over to burning fat as the primary fuel. You’ll be eating a lot of salads, but that’s ok. Also, it is important to note that I never let myself go hungry during those 2 weeks. When I was hungry, I ate. I didn’t limit the amount of calories I could eat either. I just stayed away from sugar, processed food and anything else with a high glycemic score.

6) After the two weeks (or 30 days if you choose), introduce different carbohydrates one at a time to determine how they make you feel. If they cause a digestive issue, blood pressure issue, or allergic reaction; don’t eat that particular carbohydrate anymore. Do they make you tired? Do they make you hungrier? You will feel a difference. If they don’t bother you at all, you’re good. Almost everyone has some kind of carbohydrate intolerance. This is how you figure out what yours is.

7) Experiment to figure out what combination of macro-nutrients (fat, protein & carbs) fuels you best. This means that after you have figured out what foods you have a negative reaction to (and thus avoid), it’s time to figure out your optimal nutrient ratios. I did this through trial-and-error. Since you are a food logging pro at this point, and you know what foods make you feel good, it is some simple tweaking. An extra salad here, a little less meat there, or even adding an extra avocado to your smoothie. This is where you really dial in how to best fuel your body every day. Simply sliding the scale on the amount of carbs, protein and fats made a huge difference to me.

So, I ask you: What is your personal health plan? Feel free to use this outline as a starting point for your plan. Go and do your own research. Experiment with your food and your body. Learn to read the messages your body is trying to send you. You may find yourself eating in pretty close alignment to some diet (Paleo, Mediterranean, whatever). There’s nothing wrong with that. But ultimately, what you have discovered is a way to determine what best fuels your body. You created a personalized plan that customized to your life.

If this process seems intimidating, you want more information, or you would simply like an update, please contact us. I know I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for the support of friends, family, mentors and coaches. If you need a little more help, let me know. I am passionate about helping folks live their lives the way they want.

If this is your first time with us, welcome! Here at getoutoftheweeds.com, we dive deeper into the various aspects of health, nutrition, wellness and family life. Sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of the latest and greatest.

Also, check in often for more information about our upcoming partnerships and other online endeavors to empower you to be successful. Lastly, if someone comes to mind who wants to get their life on a healthier track and could benefit from this information, please share it.

We are excited you decided to take steps towards your healthy future. We look forward to hearing from you.

#wellness #workout #Nutrition #back in the day #success

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helloroselyn · 7 years

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What I Wish Someone Told Me Before Junior Year

It is currently the summer between my junior and senior year, and I cannot wait to enter my last year of high school! It’s a bit surreal to say the least, but I definitely think junior year was my best year thus far. If you asked me to describe each school year in high school (minus senior year), I’d say that freshman year was the easiest, sophomore year was the most challenging, and junior year was the most productive.

Everybody says junior year is one of the most important years of your high school career, and I agree to a certain extent. My junior year was abundant with highs and lows, stressful nights and early mornings, and dreaded days and exciting events. There were times when I was successful, yet there were others when I felt like a failure.

If you’re about to enter your junior year or if you’d simply like to know my advice on what helped me as a junior, here are five tips on what I wish someone would have told me before my junior year:

1. Start everything early.

If you’re like me, you probably like to procrastinate a lot. In junior year (and in any year of your life), that won’t do you any good.

My teachers recommended students to take their first SAT and ACT exams during their junior year, which makes sense. If you don’t like your score from junior year, you can retake it as a senior in hopes of earning a better score.

So I set out to take my SAT in June (more specifically, June 3) and my ACT the following week (June 10). The reason why I chose the June dates and not May or earlier is because I wanted to “accumulate” as much knowledge as possible before I took each exam.

I have yet to receive my scores, but if there’s one thing I regret, it was that I feel as though I didn’t practice enough.

During my leisure, I watched a TED Talk on what top students do differently than average ones, and one of the key things that top students do is take practice exams well before the test, whereas average students tend to reread the material over and over and over again until their brains are exhausted. Unfortunately, that won’t help you on the SAT/ACT.

What I did to practice for the SAT was to create a Khan Academy account and make a study schedule that I would religiously follow each week in preparation for the June exam. Of course, this is extremely beneficial – if you’re consistent with it.

I, however, was not. I said “hi!” to Khan Academy for about one week straight and then completely abandoned my account. I don’t even recall exactly how many months I skipped SAT Practice because there were so many. Needless to say, DO NOT DO THAT.

The month leading up to June 3, I began to practice every single day. I would log into Khan Academy during zero period, lunch breaks, and before I started my homework. It was a super productive routine, which I am proud to have accomplished, but it undoubtedly required plenty of discipline and determination.

Would I probably have scored higher if I practiced way more? Yes. Would I feel more confident about my score if I studied earlier? Absolutely.

Now that we’re on the topic of studying...

2. Find a study schedule that works for you.

I cannot stress this one enough. If you’re still in that mindset of “I can study the night before the test and still score an A+ on it,” this is especially for you, my friend.

I used to be the type of person who lived and breathed that mindset. I would put off studying until the night before (sometimes the morning of) a test, self-assured that I would get an A. And most of the time, I did. But it did result in me losing precious hours of sleep and crying from constant bouts of stress.

To avoid this, I highly recommend creating a study schedule that works for you (key words: “works for you”). You don’t have to strive to be the next Albert Einstein and study chemistry formulas for five hours every night, because if you’re involved in ten extracurriculars, enrolled in five AP classes, and given a list of twenty chores to do on the daily, you’d obviously have to create a study schedule that caters to your specific needs.

What I did was that I would study my most difficult subjects (i.e. Precalculus, Chemistry, and AP United States History) for about thirty minutes each night, and I would give or take a few minutes depending on how difficult the lesson was or when my next exam would take place. Thirty minutes may not seem like a lot, but it’s way more efficient than studying four hours the night before the test. Plus, I had leadership positions, extracurriculars, and other AP/Honors homework under my belt, so I couldn’t afford to study for hours on end.

Depending on your daily/weekly schedule, I suggest finding what works perfectly for you. This does require some trial and error, but trust me, your hard work will pay off!

3. Get more sleep.

This is a piece of advice I desperately needed. When you’re feeling lethargic at school, you cannot – and will not – show your best work. The only (obvious) way to fix this is by catching more shuteye.

This may require some experimentation. If you’re anything like me and beg for a drop of coffee when you’re running off five hours of sleep, shoot for six to seven hours of sleep (at the very least) each night. Many doctors and professionals suggest eight hours of sleep for optimal energy, but your body may be different. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning bird, I recommend testing out different hours of sleep and seeing what works for you.

Once you’ve determined your ideal sleep schedule, you’ve got to stick to it. I have zero period, which means I wake up every morning at 6 a.m., regardless of whether I want to or not. It’s become a habit for me, but of course, it changes drastically over the summer.

For many students, sticking to a consistent sleep schedule may mean finishing your homework earlier than usual, or sacrificing a few extracurriculars in order to make more time for sleep. That’s okay. If you’re losing hours of sleep due to your activities, re-evaluate each one. Ask yourself, “Is this worth my time?” If it isn’t, you may have to consider knocking it off your schedule.

This brings me to my next point, which is...

3. Don’t be afraid to quit and try out different things.

As children, we were taught that quitting a sport, club, etc. is no bueno. We’re shamed for straying away from our commitments, and even in some cases in high school, it’s heavily frowned upon to do so. But as you grow older, it may be of more benefit to quit extraneous activities than to stay in them.

During my sophomore year, I was on the track team. I absolutely loved sprinting and lifting weights – it was my form of stress-relief (plus, it made me more confident in how my body looked, which was an added bonus). But when I was on the team my junior year, I hated it. I don’t know if it was because of the negative people I was surrounding myself with, or because the workouts just weren’t fun anymore, or if it was a combination of the two. The point is, I quit the track team.

And it was difficult. I was fearful of what my coaches would tell me. I was scared of what my friends on the team would think of me. And most importantly, I was afraid of being shamed for my decision.

Luckily, my coaches and most of my friends were incredibly supportive and understood my situation. But to this day, it was one of the hardest choices I’d ever made in my high school career.

Like the track team, I also quit the All Female Dance Team, Book Club, Science Club, Bible Club, and several others. I chose to leave my AP Chemistry class and opted for an easier chemistry course, simply because I wanted to decrease my workload. Different activities were definitely more challenging to say goodbye to, but in the end, I don’t regret any of my decisions. I feel healthier and more balanced with the activities in which I am currently involved (and I get much more sleep!).

4. Heartbreaks are inevitable, but they’re leading you to your next successful relationship.

Like I mentioned in my previous blog post, I went through an excruciatingly painful breakup early on in my junior year. Needless to say, I was extremely depressed because of it. I’ll spare you the details of what happened (simply because that’s a really personal topic), but without a doubt, I’ve learned so much from my pain. I became more assertive and independent, discovered exactly what I want and don’t want in a guy, and uncovered a newfound strength inside of me that I never knew I possessed.

In conjunction, I don’t recommend rushing into a relationship immediately after you’ve endured a breakup. I gave myself a few months of healing before I started dating my current boyfriend. This healing process may take longer for others and shorter for some, so it’s important to surround yourself with your loved ones and to do activities that make you happy to distract yourself from the pain.

5. Don’t rush it.

This is a short and simple piece of advice my APUSH teacher gave us on the last day of class, yet it’s super meaningful.

There will be many days when you’ll want to get out of high school already. There will also be days when you’ll hate your teachers, your parents, your classmates, and so on. There will be plenty of days when you’ll want to be an adult and have your life figured out already.

But don’t rush it. Enjoy your youth while you still have it, because there are only so many years before you’ll have to pay taxes, work for ten hours each day, and take care of crying babies until 3 a.m. This time of your life is valuable, so treasure it.

I hope this helps you, future juniors, in the upcoming school year! I wish you all the best of luck!

Love, Roselyn

#junioryear school survivalguide student

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