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queenofallimagines · 2 years

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The demon brothers reacting to black mc wash day

The way there are like four black characters in this game but not a single X black reader🤨 like I know you like making all your MC‘s pasty skinny insecure white girls but we don’t do that over here(Also can you notice I got side tracked with beel? Lmao)

Lucifer:

- okay so you may think he’s like thousands of years old so he knows everything about humans but he knows nothing

- He just assumes mammon let’s his hair do whatever

- Honestly thought he was buying all those hair products just to spend money smh

- So when he sees you walking by with a basket full of stuff he’s like??? Is it necessary

- “Hey Luci, mams is out so can you help me do my hair?”

- On the outside he’s all “ahah tiny human needs help”

- But we know he’s a big softy he’s trying not to cry bc that’s so domestic and intimate and he’s a sucker for that stuff

- Especially bc you made it clear(mainly asmo) that nobody could touch your hair without asking first

- “It would be my pleasure.”

- So he’s lowkey overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you have in the counter

- “You use all this???”

- “I got more in my bag”

- ????? Hello??

- But he’s a fast learner and gives great massages

- Got you falling asleep in the sink and he’s just starring at you with heart eyes

- “Next I defangle right?”

- “Yeah”

- Okay so please forgive him

- He’s used to trying-

- Keyword is try

- Ti helo mammon with his hair

- So he is snatching out the knots

- Like you thought your mom or auntie was bad?

- He’s pulling your head ALL the way back

- “LUCIFER”

- “Yeah?”

- Lmao you gotta use the pact to beat his ass

- “If you yank out another clump of my hair I will beat your ass.”

- Takes his time detangling now

- Mammon is laughing bc this why he don’t ask him for help no more

- “Yanked the shit outta your head didn’t he?”

- “BRO WHY IS HE SO ROUGH??”

- He had no idea how to braid so he will ask asmo how to braid your hair in secret

- He learns how to do cornrows pretty fast

- Will kiss your scalp when he thinks your sleeping too

- He loves how you smell

- He’s gon steal ya shea butter and blame it on asmo or mammon and he will lie straight through his teeth

- “I have shea butter already lucifer :/ you ain’t fooling nobody”

- Keeps a red silk bonnet on his room just for you

- Got silk pillowcases too

- He’s about a 6/10 on the scale bc he will give you the worst migraine if your life

Mammon:

- he’s literally black Lmao

- You can argue with ya moms idc he’s black and the devs know it too

- But he’s obviously the best at this

- My boy may have a silk press but you better believe when the humidity hits its back to 4c

- When he hears you complaining about how all your expensive hair products are back in the human realm he bust in with his loud ass

- “As your first man it’s obviously up to me to help u get that head together”

- Sir🤨 what you tryna say

- He’s super nervous bc he’s tender headed and only asmo and Lilith were allowed to touch his scalp

- “You can,,be a little rougher”

- He’s soft as hell lmao

- After wards will take you shopping for hair stuff

- He has like a whole drawer full of durags and bonnets

- “What color you want?”

- He’s the real plug lmao

- You and him be laughing at inside jokes the others can’t understand

- The black body language

- “👀🤨😘”

- “😌😙🥺”

- “What the fuck are y’all saying??”

- Bothering Satan!!

- Bro you can’t tell me he don’t look like any other white boy with a rich dad!!

- “I know he’s not wearing kakis”

- “It’s drip or drown and the water beating his ass”

- Anyway

- He will play prince

- Best wash day playlist on god

- Having Simon join in🥺🥺

- Maybe even helping diavolo not heat damage his hair🥰

- Y’all just have whole sleepovers

- Coordinating wash days so y’all can share products

- Group chat with hair inspo

- Macc daddy mc: okay but what if I pop out with these white locs?

- Mamoney: YOOO I GOT SOME LOC JEWELRY FOR THOSE

- angelfoodcake: I think they would look good in a bun

- Dia: slay!

- I’m sorry but he used aave bc he don’t know what it means like Lucifer is struggling bc he will say Random shit

- You I turn help with his hair

- He is super bougie with his product too

- “This is deep conditioner from the third layer of hell that contains the screams and tears of kkk members.”

- “…. Okay”

- Him and asmo do spa days shut up he’s a model he loves self care

- Right after wash day they do face masks

- Beaks combs

- Like his hair has a life of of its own you gotta ease into that mf bc you will start snapping metal combs

- Very chaotic but relaxing

Leviathan:

- lmao okay so this will be a struggle

- Like a first date with sweaty hands

- He probably buys a black hair salon simulator 😭😭

- Probably dry combs your hair

- Like he thought you were a demon for a sec when you whipped your head around

- “Boy I will rock your shit”

- “🥺🥺 okay”

- Might purposely mess up to have you snap on him at first he likes it when your sadistic

- But he will take it seriously when your a breath away from asking someone else for help

- He got them Gamer hands so he can section and part like a professional

- “Hand me the gel”

- Likes trying different hair styles out

- His favorite is a wash n go bc he likes seeing how it comes out differently every time

- Also you can wear your cute lil bedtime hat🥰

- He sleeps in a whole ass bathtub so he gets silk sheets and comforters and just piles em all in there

- Will wear a silk shirt to sleep bc he usually holds you when y’all slept together

- Will buy cute ruri-Chan clips to put in your hair

- Also devil horn clips that asmo bought you give him a heart attack every time

- Let’s you use his T-shirts as a towel

- Will bitch at you if you all asleep without wearing your bonnet

- “So you not wear the tsl bonnet got you for your birthday?”

- When he learns how to brain he could have half your head done in like 40 mins

- You already know he has all the slice of life anime with black main characters lined up for y’all to watch

- He’s trying his best and he is definitely succeeding

Satan:

- lmao okay so this one is funny

- Mr. Hit me or my father will sue

- He seems like he would get super frustrated and yank your hair out

- But I’ve men him personally and he wouldn’t never do that

- Before you even ask he’s read all the books he can and bothered mammon about it so he’s prepared

- He wouldn’t forgive himself if he hurt you anyway

- Prides himself on being better than Lucifer at something

- So when you offhandedly ask him to help with your hair he’s smiling so bright

- “Of course mc I’d love to”

- He’s already in his head trying to figure out which hairstylist

- Like he’s masters regular waves and finger waves

- He’s got this on lock

- He’s so gentle when he’s massaging your scalp

- “We should do a hot oil treatment,,,, just to be safe”

- Can’t be a lazy natural around him no sir

- He bothers you DAILY about your head and always got summ to say

- Like simmer down white boy worry about your cardigan 🙄

- “I can tell you ain’t oil your scalp last night”

- Boy if you don’t-

- Loves twist outs

- He can study your hair more that way

- Like what makes it not come out frizzy,how to make it pop

- Him and asmo are sifting through your hair products to make sure only the best ingredients are in there

- He’s your white knight too

- Anyone try to touch your hair demon or otherwise getting an elbow to the spinal cord no questions asked

- “Do you think your hair has high or low porosity?”

- He got your hair stats sitting in a notebook somewhere

- “High density with very fine strands.”

- Like he knows your hair more than you do

- Buys you a cat shower cap

- Also cat ears

- Cat anything you put on your head really he thinks they make you look cute

- “Mc! Do you want to listen to this audiobook with me? It’s about black hair throughout the decade.”

- Listening to natural hair horror stories on YouTube is a favorite past time

- Another one who loves the small of your products

- Will probably stand super close to you at all times to smell your hair

- “Smells like home”

- Like if he smells cocoa butter a mile away he knows your close by

- Go white boy go!

Asmodeus:

- Tbh he probably don’t know much about your hair

- Yeah he’s helped mams on occasions but that don’t mean y’all got the same hair texture or style

- Mams has like 4 a b and c all over

- You can too but I like to think his head a mess and he got different coils all over the place

- So he’s watching you like a hawk to see what products you be using

- Gets you even more expensive stuff

- “Do I need it tho?”

- “MC! This won’t be available for another century! Of course you need it!!”

- Loves doing puffs and pineapples

- Like he’s the master of doing edges

- So he lies it when he can see them clearly

- “My hard work🥰”

- Plenty of pictures

- # wash day!

- He probably got a long ass routine too so you guys do wash day together

- “You seen my African black soap?”

- “….. no”

- Steals your products too

- He wants to smell like a tropical garden too😡 you gotta share

- Buys you a silk durag that you wear in pictures

- Probably has bonnets that you can only wear in photos too

- His whole bed is silk sheets so don’t even worry

- He will be on your neck tho about your hair like Satan

- “ why is it so frizzy?? Did you not deep condition for 45 mins like I told you?”

- Says your stressing him out when you don’t deangle properly

- Lots of shopping trips

- Will match your outfits with your hair

- “Let me see what your hair looks like we got plans today”

- Favorite style is box braids and a fade

Beelzebub:

- baeby

- Like imma need y’all to stop thinking he’s stupid

- He’s a himbo but he knows about sex like his brother is the avatar of lust stop assuming he don’t know how to use the monster between his legs >:/

- Bc he knows how to EAT if anything else

- Anyway he will wash your hair in the shower

- His arms never get tired so he’s down to help you pull off a fly ass install

- Wig

- Some braids

- Locks

- Anything

- He is always ready and willing to help🥰

- Might eat your products tho

- “Where did my hair mayonnaise go??”

- “That wasn’t for my sandwich???”

- Lmao just get non scented stuff

- Probably gets horny bc you smell so good

- “I want to devour you”

- Go head then😳

- Soft dom but doesn’t know your limits so accidentally fucks you stupid

- Like he never realizes how hard he’s going or how feral he’s being

- So your brainless and drooling

- Tapped out like 5 orgasms ago

- And he’s like “you good?”

- Lmao he does kinda have an idea tho bc your choking on your own words begging him to slow down but he can’t get enough of your expression

- Wash day might as well be blow your back out day tbh

- Bc after you put your hair in that wrap it’s dinner time

- He’s gon make sure you are tired out

- Favorite hairstyle is those cute mini locs you get when your first licking your hair

- I think he likes short hair the most idk

- Let’s you use any of his shorts to dry your hair

- Will take off the shirt he’s wearing to let you dry your hair

- Will always have an umbrella ready in case it starts to rain

- Saw you upset bc it was storming and he bings an umbrella everywhere now

- Cute hair scarves

- Like he got you this cute marble orange scarf that you wear when you go on dates

Belphegor:

- This mf 😒

- I refuse to believe he’s the one that *spoiler for lesson 16*

- He’s literally so cute??? Like that’s a baby if I’ve ever seen one

- Dont let that cute face fool you tho

- He’s an menace

- Especially with hair

- Did you see that selfie he took?

- Yeah he’s a mess he don’t do mu with his hair but let it grow out

- Too tired to help you out with wash day but will hype you up

- Sleepily give you compliments and give cometary when asked

- “Try the other gel it might work better”

- “That Bantu knot of slightly bigger than the other one”

- will make sure your scarf stays safe all night

- 30 silk pillows

- “I stole this one from lucifer”

- Secretly refills your product when you’re running out

- The bottle was almost empty and now it’s completely full

- Will massage your scalp when washing your hair in the sink

- “This feels so domestic”

- He’s very soft about it

- Smiling the entire time

- Tells you you look cute to get you flustered

- Buys you cute hair accessories

- Like where did that cow hair pin come from?

- Definitely not him

- If your getting nasty he will ruin the whole mood to put your scarf on lmao

- “Ayo wait a min”

- Keeps one bonnet hidden in all his sleeping spots

- Just in case

- If your products got lavender in it he will fall asleep right next to your head

- “You smell so good I couldn’t resist mc”

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storiesforallfandoms · 4 years

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get out of here ~ mark;midsommar

word count: 2669

request?: yes!

“Hey! I love your imagines so much (epsecially the machine gun kelly one 😍) and I was wondering if you could write a will poulter (preferably in midsommar 🥵) imagine? Thank u 💖”

description: when one of the Hårga girls finds herself gaining feelings for one of their sacrifices, she urges him to leave as soon as possible

pairing: mark x female!reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of death, mentions of sacrifice

masterlist

fair warning, i haven’t watched midsommar yet so if anything is incorrect i’m very sorry

He approached her so suddenly, and was so forward, that at first (Y/N) wasn’t sure how to react.

“Hey,” he said.

She stared at him for far too long before realizing he had addressed her and she should respond. “Hello.”

“My name’s Mark,” he said, extending his hand to her. She look at his hand for a long time, unsure as to whether to shake it or not. When she didn’t, Mark dropped his hand. “Alright then, do you have a name?”

“Oh, yes, I’m (Y/N),” she finally responded. “It’s nice to meet you, Mark.”

“You too. Listen, I was just wondering if there were any snacks around here.”

“Oh, no. We only have our three square meals a day. Siv says it’s healthier for the body to eat at the same time every day the same amount of food instead of stuffing yourself every day until you’re full.”

Mark nodded, although (Y/N) could see he had tuned out early into her speech. “Right, yeah, so there’s nothing at all? You can’t even slip me anything from the kitchen or anything?”

(Y/N) shook her head. “Unfortunately not. It’s against the rules. I could get in serious trouble.”

“Right, wouldn’t want to get in trouble or anything.” Mark winked at her and (Y/N) couldn’t stop the blush that crept up her face. “Well, if I can’t eat, can I help you with what you’re doing to get my mind off of my hunger?”

(Y/N) smiled brightly at him. “Of course! I’m picking the flowers for the May Queen’s coronation outfit. We usually collect bright coloured flowers for it, so whatever bright flowers you see feel free to pick!”

Mark smiled back at her and knelt down next to her to help her start picking flowers.

The two got to talking while they picked the flowers together. (Y/N) got to know a little more about Mark, like where he was from, how old he was, his relations to the group he arrived with. He asked (Y/N) about herself, but there wasn’t really much (Y/N) could say. She didn’t remember much about her past life before joining the Hårga. She wasn’t even sure if she had a past life. She was sure she had been born within the Hårga.

By the time they finished, the basket she had taken with her was filled to the brim with bright flowers and Mark had so many that he could barley hold them with two hands. (Y/N) watched and giggled as Mark tried to pick them all up but continued to drop them.

“Here, pass them to me,” she told him, extending her hands to him.

Mark passed his flowers to her, his hand lightly brushing hers as he did. (Y/N) jumped at the contact, a weird feeling coursing up her arm and spreading through her body. Mark looked down at her, a ghost of a smile on his face. She tried to smile back, but she felt as though she couldn’t.

“I can’t wait to see what this May Queen outfit looks like if it’s made of all flowers,” Mark finally said as he pulled his hand away. “And I hope you win it. You deserve it.”

(Y/N) looked down at the ground and pushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. “I don’t think I deserve it, but I appreciate your hopefulness. We’ll see how it goes.”

An awkward silence fell upon them as (Y/N) held her basket so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Mark awkwardly rubbed the back of his head before asking, “Save me a seat at dinner tonight? We can continue our conversation then.”

(Y/N) smiled. “Okay, I would like that a lot.”

~~~~~~

She was helping her Hårga sisters to make the May Queen coronation outfit when the men entered the small room, being led by their leader, Siv. Nearly all the women came to attention at his presence, (Y/N) included.

“My lovely daughters,” Siv started, addressing the women first. “The May Queen dress looks absolutely beautiful. (Y/N), you did a fantastic job at picking out the flowers for the dress.”

“Thank you, sir,” (Y/N) responded with a proud smile.

Siv smiled back and addressed the entire room. “My children, tomorrow we take action on our third sacrifice, the American tourist brought to us by Pelle known as Mark.”

The room was buzzing with excitement at the reveal, except for (Y/N). Her face fell in shock and horror upon hearing Mark’s name from Siv’s mouth.

“He has disrespected our beautiful family by desecrating our ancestral tree, therefore he has made himself our next sacrifice,” Siv continued to explain. “Tomorrow, one of our sister’s will bring this man somewhere private, and we shall commence our third sacrifice of the midsummer.”

“It was an accident.”

The words were out of (Y/N)’s mouth before she could stop herself. The entire room turned to look at her in shock, including Siv. (Y/N) tried to shrink back into the crowd of women, but was shoved forward by her sisters behind her.

“What was that, (Y/N)?” Siv asked, his voice dangerously calm.

(Y/N) didn’t want to look at him, but she knew looking away would be the worst decision to make. “It’s just...he was unaware that that was a sacred tree. I think maybe it’s just...wrong to punish him when he didn’t know.”

Siv looked at her for a moment before approaching her slowly. (Y/N) tried not to back away from her leader in fear as he got so close he was mere inches away from her face. He still looked calm, but in his eyes (Y/N) could see the anger.

(Y/N)’s cheek stung as Siv slapped her across the face. She stumbled back again, exclaiming in shock. Her sisters mimicked her cry as they caught her, one of them hugging her close as she tried to keep her tears back.

“I will not be questioned,” Siv snapped. “He disrespected us, (Y/N). Whether he meant to or not, he did, and thus he will be our third sacrifice. And if you question me again, you will be forced to be one of the Hårga sacrifices. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” (Y/N) squeaked, holding her stinging cheek.

Siv nodded and turned away from her, leaving the room. Everyone else followed as dinner time was called. (Y/N) stood by herself, still holding her cheek. She tried to keep back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. She took a deep breath and followed everyone outside to the dinner table.

She made sure to sit close to where the visitors would be sitting, leaving an empty chair next to her where Mark could sit.

The visitors all showed up at the same time. Mark’s eyes scanned the table briefly before they settled on (Y/N). Despite the shock and the sting she was still feeling, (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile a little when she saw him approaching her. However, her heart fell to her stomach when he sat next to her as she realized that this may be the last time she saw him.

No, she thought to herself. No, he will live. Both of us will. We will escape this place and we’ll never look back. I’ll make sure of it.

“Hello,” Mark said as he sat next to her. “Thank you for saving me the best seat in the house.”

(Y/N) looked around to see if any of her brothers or sisters were looking her way. When she was sure they weren’t, she leaned towards Mark to whisper, “I will meet you in your room tonight past curfew. Have your bag packed and be ready to leave.”

Mark looked at her in confusion, but the look she sent him told him to keep quiet. Instead of asking questions, he just nodded and gladly welcomed the plate of food set in front of him.

~~~~~~

He was waiting when she showed up, his bag in one hand like she asked. His friends were fast asleep, so deep in sleep that they didn’t even hear her enter.

“What’s this about?” Mark asked. “Why did I need to pack my bag? Where am I going?”

“We’re getting out of here,” (Y/N) responded.

“What? Why? Why are you coming with me? What’s happening?”

(Y/N) sighed. “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. I can explain everything when we’re safely away from here, but we need to go now while everyone is asleep, especially Siv.”

She reached for Mark’s arm to pull him along, but he pulled away from her before she could do so. “No, tell me what’s going on! Everyone has been so weird since I got here, and now you’re suddenly telling me to take my bags and to leave here without my friends? Why do I have to leave? Why can’t they? Tell me!”

“They’re going to kill you tomorrow!” (Y/N) snapped. She looked over her shoulder to make sure there was no one coming through the door suddenly to take her and Mark. When she looked back she saw Mark’s bewildered face.

“They...what?”

“I told you that you wouldn’t believe me,” (Y/N) muttered. “This midsummer ceremony isn’t as innocent as you think it is. During every ceremony, they bring in visitors and at least four of them are used as sacrifices. They’ve already sacrificed two, the English couple, Simon and Connie, and because you took a piss on the ancestral tree they decided you’re going to be the next one because of it.”

Mark ran his fingers through his hair as he started to pace in a circle. “I didn’t know that stupid tree was sacred! No one told me!”

(Y/N) grabbed his wrist, finally managing to get him to look at her. “That’s not important right now, okay? We have to go, we have to get out of here before anyone notices that I’m here trying to get you to go or else they’ll sacrifice us both.”

Mark nodded. He took his bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Finally, (Y/N) was able to take him out of the room towards the door.

(Y/N) poked her head out to look around to make sure no one was awake. All the lights everywhere were off, there wasn’t a single sound anywhere. There was miles of trees they’d have to run through to get anywhere, and even then she had no idea where they’d come out to. But she knew they had to leave and this was their only hope.

“Run for the trees,” she whispered to Mark. “Don’t stop going until you find civilization. Even if we’re separated, do not stop. Don’t turn back to look for me, just go. Okay?”

Mark nodded. (Y/N) could see the concern in his eyes as she said it, but she couldn’t worry about him now. She checked the perimeter one more time before stating, “Go!”

She and Mark took off running, their hands clasped so tightly together. (Y/N) pulled her dress up enough that she was able to run without getting caught up or without Mark tripping over it.

The minute she began to run (Y/N)’s legs started to burn. She had never done so much physical activity like this before, and now she was running as though her life depended on it, because it did.

Mark was already passing her as they ran. He was running with all his might to try and get out of there. He was nearly pulling (Y/N)’s arm off at one point. Realizing she was much slower than him, he stopped long enough to allow (Y/N) to jump on his back before taking off again.

They were running for so long that by the time they found themselves coming to a clearing the sun was starting to rise. (Y/N)’s heart was pounding out of her chest as she looked over her shoulder for the millionth time. Any minute now everyone would be waking up in the Hårga and realizing that she and Mark were gone. It was only a matter of time before Siv went looking, and she wasn’t sure if he would be faster than she thought or not.

Finally they came to the clearing, a wide road surrounded by the trees. (Y/N) was starting to feel so nervous her stomach was churning. If they couldn’t find a car or anything soon they were so screwed, and all of this would’ve been for nothing. She and Mark would be dead before they could even try to escape again.

And then, as if answering her prayers right away, a large truck was speeding towards them. (Y/N) hopped off Mark’s back and stood in the middle of the road, waving her hands and screaming at the truck. The driver jammed on the breaks just in time not to run her over.

“Can you give us a ride to the nearest town?” Mark asked the driver. “We don’t have a car or anything, we just need to get somewhere that we can either rent one or get to an airport or something.”

The driver looked between (Y/N) and Mark, hesitant to help. (Y/N) couldn’t blame him, they hadn’t slept in nearly 24 hours and they spent nearly the whole night running through the woods. They definitely looked terrifying, especially (Y/N) in her all white dress.

“We were attacked,” (Y/N) responded, coming up with an easy lie. “These...crazy people threw us into the trunk of our own car and brought us to the middle of nowhere. We’ve been trying to get away for hours, we only just found a road.”

The truck driver still seemed skeptical, but he agreed anyways. “I have a bed for long drives in the back, feel free to sleep until we get there. We could be driving for a while.”

(Y/N) and Mark thanked him as they climbed into the truck. They both immediately headed to the bed in the back. (Y/N) nearly sighed in relief as she laid back on the bed.

“I’m free,” she mumbled, mainly to herself. “I can’t believe it, I’m actually free. I’m seeing the outside world for the first time. Holy fuck.”

“Why did you warn me?” Mark asked her as he settled into the bed next to her. “Why didn’t you let them fulfil the sacrifice for the ceremony? I thought that place was your home.”

(Y/N) rolled onto her side and looked at him. “I...I just...I really like you. More than I think I’ve ever liked anyone in that place. When they told me you were the next sacrifice, I nearly cried. I knew I couldn’t let them hurt you. I knew I had to get you out of here, whether it was with me or without me.”

Mark reached forward to tuck her hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her cheek for some time. “I wouldn’t have left there without you. I like you, too. And since you took me away from there, I’d like to take you away from here. I’d like to take you back to America so that you don’t have to worry about those people anymore.”

(Y/N) hadn’t thought about having to worry about the Hårga anymore, but she knew Mark was right. She’d be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life if she stayed in Sweden, worried that the Hårga would somehow find her.

She smiled and said, “Yes please, I would love that.”

Mark smiled back at her and settled down on the bed. (Y/N) laid next to him and he pulled her close to him. She felt peaceful and at relaxed, and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

This was so bad I’m so sorry.

#midsommar #will poulter #will poulter imagine #will poulter x reader #imagine #request #one shot #mark

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sarahilsley4 · 3 years

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YA books to read if you like topics related to identity, social justice, and equality

SoI have always had an interest in contemporary books where characters overcome hardship and work through social issues, feminism, mental illness, LGBTQ+ individuals, identity, etc... Here is a sample selection of some must read books in my opinion! (in no particular order)

1. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

I connected with this book in many ways. It tells the story of a teenage girl named Eliza, who expresses herself through her famous online personality (one in which no one in her real life knows about), she draws famous comics online to be specific. She then meets a boy, Wallace, who draws fan art for his favourite online comic. Both individuals are quiet and distant from others, but Eliza struggles with much more than that. This is a lighthearted yet heavy at the same time introduction to mental illness. It is a wonderful book to begin reading within the topic and a definite recommendation, Ive read it three times.

2. Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

A staple LGBTQ+ novel that many have probably already heard about. The novel tells the story of Simon, who is a closeted gay and falls in love with an anonymous individual on his schools gossip webpage, who had just submitted a coming out post through an anonymous name. but... someone finds out and blackmails Simon. The novel is an amazing light hearted story that many have fallen in love with, and everyone should make an effort to read it at least once, you may also recall the movie Love, Simon. Well your at it, Becky Albertalli’s writes many other LGBTQ+ books that are definitely worth the read.

3. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

Dumplin’ explores self love towards body image, along with stereotypes about body image. Willowdean is the daughter of a famous beauty pageant winner, who feels resentful because her mother seems to care more about the “skinny” pageant queen contestants then her own daughter. She decides that she should sign up and rallies together some other friends who do not fit the definition of a “beauty pageant girl”, ie. another plus size girl with a fun personality, and a classmate who does not act “girly” like she is expected to for a pageant. This story is full of finding yourself, overcoming gender and body stereotypes and standing up for your own rights. And yes, there is a movie for this one too.

4.Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This story is highly recommended by many YA readers, it is an LGBTQ+ story which takes place in 1987, which gives a different angle of LGBTQ+ topics than many of the other books listed. The story follows the development of friendship, family and identity. It also includes many themes and the views of society during the time, discovering sexuality, family disapproval of a sexuality, transgender people, and teenagers questioning their sexuality all play a prominent role. the story encompasses many important social issues and is almost positively going to make the reader cry, maybe even more than once. It is a story in which I would recommend to anyone.

5. Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

This novel discussed many themes related to mental illness, culture, family and self identity. It also has an LGBTQ+ aspect similar to that of Aristotle and Dante in fact many say this book reminds them of Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s novel. The book follows Darius, who is of Persian culture but lives in America, and struggles with his cultural identity. After learning the condition of his grandfather, who is fatally ill, his family makes a trip to Iran to visit them. Through this journey Darius meets Sohrab, who helps him understand his culture, and overcome is antisocial tendencies. Throughout the novel Darius also struggles with clinical depression and a disapproving father. This novel is a great read that I would give a strong recommendation of any day.

6.The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I don’t think I need to say much of this one, most readers and humans in general have probably heard about it. There is also a movie, although it is less commonly known. The story discusses racism through a 16 year old girl named starr, whose childhood friend is brutally shot by a police man. the story discusses social justice, which is very similar to current activism against the police and in order to fight for the right of individuals of all races.

7.I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

This story discusses gender, LGBTQ+ inequality, with a touch of mental illness. Ben is non-binary, living with two very old fashioned parents. On christmas they decide to tell their parents who kick them out. Their sister who left 10 years prior comes to the rescue, accepting ben and helping them find theirself in the world. Ben then meets Nathan, who supports them through school and family problems. At the same time, Ben is competing with an anxiety disorder. Overall, a quick heartfelt read (read it all in one sitting) that encompasses many important topics.

8.The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith

I am currently reading this novel but already know it should appear on this list. The story is by far the most trauma related I have read in terms of inequality, so word of warning before you decide to pick it up. The story follows Eden, a teenage girl who is sexually assaulted by her college age brother’s lifelong best friend. So far the story exhibits the feelings associated, the terror induced by the event, and the struggle of overcoming such a horrible circumstance. Although it is a heavy read, so far I see it as a staple for understanding inequalities and terror associated with assault, specifically assault on women.

So there are some of my must read books. This is by no means the end of the list but they are in my eyes the ones with the highest level of social justice related themes. I would highly recommend them to everyone, not just those who have an interest in understanding these topics. These novels provoke emotion and a level of understanding that can only be told through stories and examples. they also all include a wide range of topics that many can relate to. Everyone needs to read these novels, or similar novels since I understand there is a stigmatism around young adult and teen fiction. So, Share these books with your friends and family, read them for yourself, share this post on your socials and tell the world how important these topics are.

Although word of warning, remember that some of these topics are heavy, it is understandable to stop reading. I have had this case many times, finding the anxiety and depression described in the stories caused me some second hand stress in my own struggles, so look after yourself, and read at your own risk.

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getoutofthewater · 5 years

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[Simarkus Fanfic] Blackbird Braille

Rating: T

Warnings: None

Chapters: 9/9 | Words: 33,982 [AO3]

Notes: Paranormal shenanigans, slight murder, vague 80's setting.

Summary: Highschool student Simon Palmer is trying his best to rebuild a normal life for himself with the help of his friends when a bizarre murder and strange phenomena strike their small Michigan town.

CHAPTER 1

It all started with Josh’s car accident the year they turned seventeen, or it may have started even before that, the summer they met when they were thirteen. Josh called it chance, Markus was inclined to elevate it to luck, Simon thought it was predestination, how else could four people so different end up being so close?. He had told as much to North once; she had scoffed and called it nonsense to his face, but now, as Josh picked her up from detention in his ridiculously ancient Volkswagen Beetle so she wouldn’t have to walk home in the snow, she thought maybe she would call it a timely fluke.

Josh and North met first. Fate must have worked overtime to keep them together until Simon, ever their peacemaker, could get to them. Back then, after many court cases and a lot of bad blood that would never go under any bridges, North had been legally adopted by her aunt, Dr. Lucy Kline. They had left everything behind, moved back to the small town Lucy had grown up in; she wanted to give North a fair chance, a complete fresh start. At thirteen not unlike at seventeen North’s anger was ever smoldering, but at thirteen unlike at seventeen she had thought rage was all she would ever feel.

She was too proud and too self sufficient to ever admit she really didn’t know how that rage would have molded her without the three stupid dorks she had collected.

“Someone owes me a fiver” Josh said with a smile as they drove away from the school

“Don’t feel so smug” she scoffed, dropping a five in the glove compartment regardless

“Should we up the bet? 10 next?”

“I’m not a child, you can’t coerce me into good behavior by taking my allowance away”

“Oh no, no, my bets are for self serving purposes only. Either, you don’t get yourself into detention so I don’t have to come back to school to pick you up, or I win easy cash, a win/win” he said with an annoying grin “What was it this time anyway?”

She shrugged reaching for Simon’s jacket in the back seat, searching the pockets until she found a cereal bar. After she had defended his honor couldn’t Simon at least have better snacks?

“They were talking shit so I gave them something else to talk about” She bit into the bar, scrunched her nose, cinnamon was her least favorite flavor but it was the one Markus liked best and there you were.

Josh left it at that, knowing from her tone and her actually eating a cinnamon bar that he wasn’t going to get anything else right now.

Even as a little kid Josh had been aware that being brilliant was not enough, he didn’t have Markus’ money or status, but he had just as many plans. He simply couldn’t afford getting tangled in North’s anger. He had known that since the day he had met her, when he had caught her trying to set a trashcan on fire, which she had achieved with tremendous success.

Josh hadn’t slept that night sure Gavin Reed was going to come for him. Other kids were afraid of monsters under their beds, Josh’s bogeyman was quite real and lived only a block away. He still remembered the dread he had felt when Sheriff Anderson had knocked at their door the next morning. North had told them- All the nightmares from the night before crashed on him, had she told them he had started the fire? Were they going to take him away?

North, caught in her little try at arson, had told them how Josh had managed to put the fire out all on his own.

“Good job, son” Hank Anderson had said with a gruff nod and a pat on his shoulder. “If you come across any more fires call an adult to help you out, understood?”

And now here he was, picking The Fire up from detention as he had done at least a hundred times before, with time he had learned how to weather it and he could stand very close to it and it wouldn’t burn him, not too often at least. He liked The Fire, life would be dull without it. He desperately hoped The Fire wouldn’t get herself in bigger trouble. He hoped she wouldn’t need him to bail her out in the very near future, at least not more than 3 times- 7 times tops. Anyway, Markus was a trust fund child so they could probably afford a few more.

“Drive safe, dork!” North said as she climbed out of the car, knocking softly on the hood of the beetle twice.

“See you tomorrow!” Josh said as he watched her go inside her house, in a tone that meant ‘try not to get in trouble in the next 12 hours’

On his way back home it started snowing again, he would appreciate it much more if it weren’t for the ice, but there was a very distinct feeling he got driving just as it was getting dark, the snow fluttering in front of his headlights while he was comfortable and warm inside his car. When he was a child he liked to imagine he could see all sorts of spooks in evenings like this, any moment now he’d see one on the side of the road, maybe a lady dressed all in white, or an animal that didn’t look quite right.

That was when he noticed the hitchhiker and his heart skipped a beat in apprehension and fear, like he had seen something unsettling he shouldn’t have, so much so he didn’t slow down. One second later he was laughing at himself, he was seventeen and he still managed to scare himself, he was glad North wasn’t there to see it or she wouldn’t ever let him live it down.

Josh was just considering going back to pick him up, it was getting darker and the snow was getting worse. He was calculating his U-turn, looking into his rear-view mirror when it, incomprehensibly, shattered. Mirror chips fell all over Simon’s jacket which North had left in the front seat. He looked back at the road, already somewhat shaken, when he noticed the familiar figure standing right in the middle of it, so close to him his brain couldn’t comprehend how he had missed it before.

He jammed his foot on the breaks, his car skidding on the treacherous black ice. As everything slowed down, the last thing he saw were the bits of mirror glinting as they mixed with Markus’ pastels and scattered all over the car. The last thing he remembered thinking was that it was funny how only the blue ones were worn down to snubs. Could you buy the colors separately or did you have to get a full set when one shade ran out?

Then he hit the tree.

#simarkus #dbh josh #dbh north #markus x simon #dbh simon #dbh markus #detroit become human #wrote this last year but it's the time for spooks so i'm bringing it back #mystories

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spellyjane · 6 years

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Splashed, Mashed and Dashed on to the podium at Kona!

THAT'S ME, 3RD W45-49 IN THE 🌏

After my 1st go at this race in 2017, I was a little torn. Part of me was happy to tick IRONMAN World Championships off my list and never put myself through that sufferfest again. I hated it, it was hot, the run was horrible, and I found the layout of the transition, spectator areas and general logistics to be claustrophobic ordeals. However, on the evening after that 2017 race, I saw athletes heading home from the award ceremony with their ukeme bowls and I felt a strong pang of want. My race had not gone to plan, I knew I could do better and I wondered where a good day at Kona would put me. After a few more weeks of reflection and recovery I decided that yes, I needed to give it another go.

I started to write my thank yous at the end of this report, but I realised that I may lose a few of you along the way and this is important. Thank you to my biggest fan and supporter, Simon. I love chasing him up hills on bikes, holding his wheel all these years had made me a better person and without his encouragement and support I just could not do this. My coach, Rick Schopp, gosh, I feel like I say this all the time, but he pushes me where I don’t always want to go and he must find it hard to sleep with all the pins I stick into that voodoo doll, (I have taken them all out now.) I thank him especially for pushing me, for listening, for calling me out when I am being a slack ass and for the awesome giggle when he hears my results. Thank you to my team at INTENT, the messages before and after were off the charts! I know a whole bunch were tracking me all day and I was sending my thanks every time I hit a timing mat! Thanks to my Dad for coming all the way from Sydney to cheer and sherpa, that was pretty awesome. I don’t get to see him enough, to have him there was really special.

DAD, READY TO CAPTURE IT ALL

So I found myself at the starting line of this year’s race in quite a different headspace. I had 2 more humbling Ironman experiences under my belt, a crazy amount of fitness gained from lots of training in our new 1750m above sea level abode and some practiced heat coping strategies. I was going for a top 10 finish and a course PR regardless of the weather. My race plan was full of lessons learned from last year, paces, watts, calories, salt and heat coping strategies. I hoped I could pull it all off but I knew that at some stage I would run out of script and just have to ad lib.

7:20am - BOOM! I am swimming. My mission was 8:35 per 500m. This would give me about 1 min faster than last year. I got kicked and pummelled last year so I positioned a little left to avoid the chaos. It worked, it was busy but not as bad. My watch buzzes every 500m, the glance at my splits was telling me we had a bit of current assist on the way out. So when we made the turn I just dug in and pushed hard, trying not to lose too much of the time I had gained on the way out. I kept asking myself if I was going hard enough and could I push any harder, I kept reminding myself to stay on the gas all the way to the finish. I reached the sand and scrambled up the stairs, already thinking about how I was going to execute T1. Thank goodness for the volunteers helping out here as I was almost wiped out by a wave that came crashing over the stairs as I was trying to read the time on my watch. Woo hoo, 1:06:40, 3 minutes faster than last year.

OK, NOW FOR A LITTLE BIKE RIDE

I was handed my T1 bag and ran into the change tent. With the help of a volunteer I was on my way in moments. I was jogging along at the pace of the pack as we made our way to our bikes, I turned on some hussle when I remembered that I was racing! I saw the lamp pole I’d scoped out to landmark my aisle earlier that morning and made the turn, I found my bike no problems. I had opted to clip my shoes in pre race, so by the time I reached the mount line my socks were super soggy from the saturated carpeting. My feet were never dry all day, I’d post a pic of the result but I don’t want to freak y’all out too much. 😱 The mount line was a bit of a zoo but I made it out in one piece! 3:13 about 1:30 faster than last year.

My first 15 minutes of riding were at an intensity (IF) of .78, oops! I was aiming for .66, my goodness, this is rookie territory! Clearly I was a bit amped and buzzed with the good swim start. I lost a bottle of electrolytes/nutrition on a bump at the 5k mark but did not sweat it. I had a back up in my special needs bag located up in Hawi at about the 100k mark. I was taking on cals and salt every 30 mins, I was taking water bottles and refilling my built in hydration bag and keeping a spare bottle on the back cage. I had some additional electrolytes to add to the water while I was on the go as well. It was not as hot as last year, my data recorded an average temp of 32C with a high of 37C, last year I recorded and average temp of 36C and a high of 39C. We seemed to have a tiny bit of cross head wind on the way out to the Hawi turn around. I started to pay attention to race numbers. Last year I did not realise that we would not have our age groups tattooed to our calves and I didn’t realise that the race numbers were grouped in ages. I was on to it this year and I knew the range I was racing. At this point, I was doing all the passing, I don’t recall being passed by anyone in my age group at all on the bike.

PROBABLY DOING 500W HERE 😜

I was pushing a few extra watts than I planned in order to keep out of draft zones and it did not seem to be hurting me. I struggled last year to hold my watts and ended up with an IF of .64 and in Boulder earlier this year same thing happened and I went .62, I put this down to the heat. I have managed .69 in other races but felt that that was too aggressive for Kona, knowing how brutal that run can be, so I felt that .66 was a good stretch for me this year. But on the day I felt like I was holding way too much back at those watts so I let loose a bit. Besides, I was kind of enjoying myself. The climb up to Hawi felt insignificant and I was well on my way to smashing out a great bike. I saw some folks holding out an Aussie flag right at the U turn, crikey, that shit slays me, I felt quite emotional.

The ride back to Kailua was good. I was not cracking. I pushed on, crunching splits in my head and feeling really good. I started to ease up a little and spin at a little higher cadence to get ready to run. I came in at 5:10:23, a big course PR, and unbeknownst to me at the time this 4th fastest bike split had me sitting in 3rd place.

I handed my bike off to a volunteer and ran into the change tent. Helped by another volunteer I threw my shoes on, grabbed my race belt (all loaded up with my gels, hat, number and emergency Immodium) and took off. I missed the sun screen, not on purpose, I just did not see any. Ugh, this sport is turning me into a melanoma snack bar. I got out on the run with a T2 of 3:02, again, saved another 1:30 on last year.

I had loaded my pocket pre race with a couple of nylon panty hose cut into long sock lengths. At the 1st aid station I filled one up with ice and tied it around the back of my neck, it dripped icy cold water down my back for about 30 min. It was awesome. I was using some new gels, loaded with salt and a lower but isotonic sugar concentration. They go down so so easy and have as much salt as the salt tablets I was taking on the bike. I had zero gut issues this year. I calculated that last year I spent about 7 minutes in the toilets throughout the race and spent a good deal of time in a lot of discomfort. This year no problems at all!

BEFORE IT GOT TOO UGLY 😂

I was holding a conservative pace, dying a little on the hills but pulling it back up on the flats and descents. I was not able to see the race numbers of the girls I was passing and being passed by. I was told by a friend at about the 3km point that I was in 3rd. I was passed by Elisabetta (she went on to 2nd place) just before the halfway point so I wondered if that put me in 4th. I came up upon my friend Jeff, we reached an aid station together, I grabbed a water and dumped it down his back, I can't remember what I said, but he wished me well and I pushed on. Another friend at about 21k told me that I was in 3rd and I was shocked. I was not sure where the other girls were but dang I knew they would be coming. I was remembering that feeling of seeing those ukeme bowls awarded to the top 5 and I began to think I could really get one. The toughest part of the race was the climb up out of the energy lab, the sun on my back was awful and I was tired. I let my pace fall to a level that apparently had my husband and my coach, who were tracking me via the timing mats, having heart attacks. What I did not know, but what they could see was that I was being ferociously stalked by the gal in 4th place, she was gaining on me at at rate that had Simon and Rick on the edge of their seats. I am glad I was oblivious to the actual threat. I made it back up onto the Queen K and just held onto the pace as best I could. I told myself to NOT slow down. The last 8k were tough, I was scared of every foot fall behind me. That kept me moving for sure. I made that last soul and body draining climb of the run, passing the crazy awesome peeps at the Base Performance tent before making that divine turn down Palani Drive. I bounded down that hill smiling my head off. I still had 2k to go but I was so close and the hard part of the course was done. Now it was time to wave to my Dad and friends, smile big and bring it home. I was passed by a gal in the finish chute, and I wondered if I had just lost 3rd but I did not care, I knew I had one of those bowls. I nearly choked when I saw my time too. Whaaat! A 3:42:01 marathon gave me a finish time of 10:05:19. So much to be happy about!

WHAT DID I JUST DO!?

A bit of post race asthma had me into the med tent. Ugh, thanks to Christian and Meredith for helping me out. I was still in the med tent when I turned my phone on to dozens of messages. The 1st one I opened was from Simon, it said, “3rd place, woo hoo!” I lost it, ugly happy crying, “I am ok!” I wheezed at the poor alarmed medic who did not know what to make of my sudden heaving outburst.

So that was the race, I have left out so many details, but to sum up, I feel like I had one of my most perfect races. With hindsight, I feel like I could have pushed a tiny bit harder on the bike, but I could not have know that till after. I wished I could have run under 3:40, I know in hindsight that I could not, I really did not leave anything out there. That 2 mins would not have made a difference in my placing, I just wished I could have held onto my pace. That gives me something to work on and I am fine with that. I will call this an Ironman PR, (my 10:04 in Cozumel does not count because of the massive current assisted short swim course.) I am not sure that I want to right now... but I think I can still wring a little more out of this body. I really want to go under 10 hrs! As for placing 3rd in the women’s 45-49 AG, (IN THE WORLD - tee hee) I am really happy, happy that I was able to pull together my best performance on a day when it really mattered. I absolutely know that I had some fierce competition out there, I know their A games and so I know that their days did not all go to plan, so I remain inspired, vigilant and on my toes.

Kudos to many many athletes on the day for pushing through the heat and distance to achieve some great results. My very good friend Jeff, had his 1st go at Kona after many years in the sport.

PRE RACE SELFIE WITH JEFF

This was a dream day he never thought he would have, his joy, emotion and pride at being there was written all over him! He a great day, he was beaten up a little by the run but his smoking bike made up for it and his overall time was where he said he hoped it would be. I bet he goes back for another crack. Kudos to my other Jeff, (I have a couple,) Jeff B took about 50 mins off his 2017 time. Kudos to Lindsey my friend the human fish who gutted out a run after tearing something important in her hip in T2. I mean she really gutted it out, she was black and blue but she still pulled off a very tidy performance.

The awards ceremony - ahh, where to begin without sounding like a real cow. Sorry, Ironman, this was not awesome. Charging my Dad $55 to eat dinner off a paper plate with a bottle of water at an out door folding table with a plastic table cloth made me a little mad. It was the only way to get into the awards so what can you do?

I made the most of my time on the stage, soaking it in, congratulating Janette, Elisabetta, Linda and Tanja with whom I shared the podium. I just wish my Dad had a telephoto lens to capture the moment a little more clearly. (I guess they assume we are all happy to buy the Finishers Pix.)

Family and friends were restricted to a barricade well away from the stage and off to the side to accommodate the VIP area and TV camera scaffold. VIPs were standing up and walking around with backs to the stage making it difficult for us common Age Groupers to get a picture of one of the MOST AWESOME MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES. I really could go on, but I will put it all in my survey.

One last heart felt thank you to the IRONMAN volunteers, I met people who flew in from all over the world to volunteer (including Meredith and Scott from BC Canada!) and thank you to the locals who embraced the chaos and gave up their time to help put this show on. I had many wonderful experiences with many volunteers, I am so grateful for all the help and cheers!

#racewithintent #triathlon #iamspecialized #kona #ironman #ironmanworldchampionships

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the-dark-side-of-the-blog · 7 years

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Top 25 Greatest Cover Songs Ever

How often do you find out that one of your favorite songs by one of your favorite artists was originally by someone else? Happens more commonly than you think, yet it does not really undermine the work because we understand that even with the words already written there is a very precise alchemy needed to create a truly great cover. These are my top 25 best cover songs.

25) Sweet Child O’Mine, Luna (Originally Guns N’Roses): The list is 25 best covers, not 25 covers that are better than original because it would be impossible to do a cover that was better than Guns’ Sweet Child O’Mine. Say what you like about Axl and co (really say what you like) but that is truly one of the greatest songs ever, yet Luna more than do it justice. There cover is certainly a very different interpretation but also not all that detached. In terms of its composition it is not all that different but it takes the more electric energy of the original and delivers something more laconic, which should not work but yet does.

24) I Fought The Law, The Clash (Originally by The Crickets): Now some may have known that there was a version of this song before The Clash’s top 10 cover, in the form of The Bobby Fuller Four but unless you have been on the wiki page you probably wouldn’t have known that was a cover to, no matter The Clash’s version is a punk anthem that still stands up all these years later.

23) Valerie, Amy Winehouse (Originally The Zutons): People knew of this song before it was covered by Amy but her version has endured in ways that The Zutons have not. Mark Ronson displays his unparalleled knack for catchy compositions and beats, but its all about Amy and her voice, which was not only one of the most powerful ones we ever had but full of such personality, The Zutons had no chance (although they’ll thank her for all the money she has made them).

22) Jealous Guy, Roxy Music (Originally by John Lennon): Both versions are great but Roxy music might just edge Lennon out. Ferry is somehow able to infuse the song with an even greater sense of regret than Lennon did, while the rest of the band give the song a jazzier edge with the use of the saxophone, which nicely offsets the use of the piano here.

21) Tainted Love, Soft Cell (Originally by Gloria Jones): Okay it might be harsh to call Soft Cell one hit wonders because Say Hello, Wave Goodbye was certainly a hit in its own right as well, but let’s face it they never got close to what achieved with Tainted Love again. A defining track of the eighties and one of the great covers.

20) Take me to the River, Talking Heads (Originally Al Green): Memorably performed on the great Stop Making Sense live album David Byrne made the Al Green classic a staple of Talking Heads work.

19) Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Guns N’Roses (Originally Bob Dylan): Post Appetite a lot of things held GNR back, mostly themselves to be fair, but on a purely artistic level Axl’s lyrics and their ridiculously grandiose quality has always struck me as a problem. Its not to say he’s a bad lyricist, a song like Sweet Child O’Mine has deceptively great lyrics which stop it from being a bland ballad and make it something more poignant, but after Appetite I think he was far too self-serious and over-ambitious. One way to solve that problem is to use others lyrics and who better than Dylan. This cover just makes sense and I may even go as far as to say it is better than the original.

18) Needles and Pins, The Ramones (Originally by The Searchers): Because The Ramones were such a revolutionary band it is easy to forget that they did have influences, some pretty big ones. They did plenty of great covers of bands from the 50s and 60s that Joey and co grew up with but none better than Needles and Pins which among other things highlights what an incredible voice Joey Ramone had, one that goes a little underrated.

17) Superstar, Sonic Youth (Originally by The Carpenters): Superstar is one of those songs that has been over-covered for sure but there is no getting away from what a brilliant rendition Thurston Moore and co delivered. Its heartbreankingly restrained by Moore, communicating a soft desperation with his voice and giving us some of Sonic Youth’s best work of that decade.

16) Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon, Urge Overkill (Originally by Neil Diamond): Immortalized by its use in Pulp Fiction, if you had never heard or known of Diamond’s version you could never have guessed it was his song from the Urge Overkill version, which is so dark with Kaatrud’s vocals implying so much more than the lyrics actually say. Urge Overkill may have done little else but they will have always given us this.

15) It’s Oh So Quiet, Bjork (Originally by Betty Hudson): It is tough to say if there is any one quality that is key to a great cover, but I think it always to have a unique and identifiable voice and personality bringing them-self to the song and there are few better examples than Bjork 1995 classic. It has a grunge loud-soft quality, but without the angst, almost to the extent of a parody it fluctuates so much, but whatever the case it is unmistakably Bjork and there in lies the greatness.

14) Piece of my Heart, Janis Joplin (Originally by Erma Franklin): For an iconic artist it may come as a surprise to some that both of Janis’ most enduring hits, this and Me and Bobby McGee, were covers. Whatever the case both are great, but it is Piece of my Heart that makes the list and for obvious reasons, a classic that still holds up today.

13) Where Did You Sleep Last Night, Nirvana (Traditional American Folk song): Its funny before Kurt begins his rendition of this 100 year old song (also covered by Lead Belly) he seems in quite good spirits joking about trying to buy the Lead Belly lead singer’s guitar, but once he starts singing all of that changes. This is one of the most incredible performances ever seen, it goes far beyond showmanship and into something far deeper and darker. Neil Young described it as “like a werewolf, unbelievable” and he wasn’t wrong. There is a moment at the end where Kurt opens his eyes and breathes out for just a second and it is one of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen by a performer. It is wrong that we look at everything Kurt through the prism of suicide but with this cover it is impossible to escape the pain he felt and lived with.

12) Stop Your Sobbing, The Pretenders (Originally by The Kinks): The Kinks and The Pretenders are connected by a lot more than just this song, Hynde and Ray Davies had a child in 1983, but that is beside the point. Stop Your Sobbing is the perfect first single for The Pretenders. Hynde’s voice has this almost brutal confidence and assurance as she instructs whoever to “stop your sobbing”, it straddles the line between pep talk and dressing down perfectly and in the process far surpasses the original.

11) Walk This Way, Run DMC ft Tyler and Perry (originally by Aerosmith): I’m at best an Aerosmith agnostic I like some of their songs but they have never been the great American rock band to me. There is no doubting the greatness of Run DMC’s cover of Aerosmith’s defining hit from the previous decade, but there is also no doubting that it wouldn’t be half as good with Tyler’s contributions. Rock and rap have rarely if ever worked so well together.

10) Respect, Arthea Franklin (Originally by Otis Redding): It is a cliche to say when talking about a great cover that the person covering the song owned it but boy did Franklin own this. By changing the perspective of the song from a male to a female one she not only made a feminist classic but one of the great covers and maybe her definitive track (although there is plenty of competition).

9) Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley (Originally by Leonard Cohen): The most over-covered song? Potentially. Whatever the case Buckley’s rendition overshadows all others. Buckley’s vocals are incredible but in a way that is not very flashy. His sound set the tone for the likes of Thom Yorke and while tragedy may have prevented him from amounting the discography his talented deserved Grace is still a great album.

8) What A Wonderful World, Joey Ramone (originally by Louie Armstrong): One of the great musical parting gifts. On Joey Ramone’s first solo and final album he gave us his surprisingly perfect rendition of What A Wonderful World. The cover achieved a certain level of fame for its us at the end of Bowling for Columbine but that may misunderstand. Its use in that movie emphasizes the ironic quality of the cover, Joey Ramone who sang of wanting to be sedated now telling us what a wonderful world it is, but actually there is nothing sarcastic about this at all. Joey’s vocals are fully committed when he sings of love and hope and that’s what makes such a beautiful cover.

7) Wild is The Wind, David Bowie (Originally by Nina Simone): For all of his incredible achievements and strengths Bowie had a pretty bad success ratio when it came to covers. His Across The Universe is alright but not great, same goes for his Let’s Spend the Night Together and the less said about his God Only Knows the better. Amidst the less than inspiring rendition of classic rock anthems though Bowie delivered a haunting, atmospheric and all round beautiful cover of Nina Simone’s Wild is the Wind. The problem with some of his other covers I think is he tries to make them too Bowie, whereas here I feel he lets the song itself guide the way he sings it. It is simply one of the best album closers ever.

6) Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O’Connor (Originally by Prince): Throughout the 80s and 90s the music video became a medium for greater and greater innovation, yet a lot of my favorite music videos of that period are the most simple and stripped down ones, where it is essentially just a camera looking at the performer. I’ve always loved the videos that accompany Alanis Morrisette’s Head Over Feet and Radiohead’s No Surprises and maybe the best example of this comes in the form of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U. Her raw emotion in the video completely re-frames this break-up song as one really about a much deeper grief, as she channeled the lose of her mother in a tragic accident. Her raw emotion made this cover unavoidable and unforgettable.

5) Killing me Softly, The Fugees (Originally by Roberta Flack) The Fugees cover takes the softness and melodic qualities of the Roberta Flack original but makes it that much darker and beautiful. It is an incredible cover. Lauryn Hill’s voice has this, I find, difficult to define quality but I’d describe it as a knowingness. I think in lesser hands this cover would have overly emphasized the hip hop traits of the song but here that drum loop is enough to make it a distinctly Fugees composition but also subtle enough to not intrude on Hill’s amazing vocals.

4) Alabama Song, The Doors (Originally by Bertolt Brecht): While Light My Fire and Riders on The Storm have endured as The Doors defining hits Alabama Song is the track I return to most. There is this offbeat darkness, it is not the smoothness most refined sound of a band from that era but it unmistakably The Doors and Jim Morrison. He may not have written the lyrics but you don’t need me to point out just how prophetic it was for Morrison to ask to be shown to the next whiskey bar and demanding you “don’t ask why”. So while it may not be Morrison or Kreiger’s words this is the song that I feel best epitomizes what made The Doors so different and so iconic.

3) The Man Who Sold The World, Nirvana (Originally by Bowie): Before I was a massive Nirvana fan I avoided listening to this rendition of what was then my favorite Bowie song (still in my top 5), I even resented people telling me it was better than Bowie’s original. Once I fell in love with Nirvana and put it on I could not believe just how perfect it was. Kurt and co’s rendition is every bit as brooding, dark and unfortunately prophetic as all the best of Nirvana’s work. The title alone feels fitting of Kurt, but it also worth mentioning how this cover is about more than him, the sound created by the band here is fantastic. Suffice to say this is one of those rare things a good Bowie cover, except it is much more than just a good one.

2) All Along The Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix (originally by Bob Dylan): It is rare for such an iconic artist that there most famous song is a cover but while Hendrix was a good lyricist his status as an icon is about more than his words. It was about his voice, his sonic experimentation and of course what he could do with a guitar. Dylan on the other hand was all about his words. All Along The Watchtower sounds like only something Hendrix could compose and play and reads like something only Dylan could write and that is a combination that can create one of the finest rock anthems ever.

1) Hurt, Johnny Cash (Originally by Nine Inch Nails): Hurt was always going to be high on this list but why it comes number one is that I think more than any song on this list it comes to define what an artist can do with someone else’s work. Everything about Cash’s rendition is trans-formative but not just for the sake of being different. There are many covers that completely change the originally but in ways that are ultimately detrimental. Cash’s Hurt changes the sound, the mood and the meaning of the song but in a way that only enhances its power. I talked about Joey Ramone’s What a Wonderful World as the perfect parting gift but this trumps even that. Its sad and introspective but so, so powerful. Cash’s voice has such gravitas and really Trent Reznor said it best when he described how it was no longer his song.

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gyakutengagotoku · 7 years

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GSvsAA - Dual Destinies - Character Profiles

In line with the AJ one, here’s the next in the line up. Check the master post more more of the GSvsAA translation project.

It’s worth noting that while Mr. Takumi is known to have some very obvious or random inspirations for his name puns, there are times when it’s tricky to figure out because of his choice of punny origins. Meanwhile, Mr. Yamazaki & co. tend to follow suit with the obvious, but their puns are often very straightforward and easy to deduce. Sometimes, a name has multiple layers of puns and chances are good that plenty of those puns make their way into the character’s design.

I don’t think it’s lazy design, since simplifying a character’s role in a plot means more care can be taken for the actual mystery, but sometimes it leaves something about the character to be desired. Then again, there are plenty of characters from the first four games in the series that aren’t so memorable.

I’m just obsessed with this series so I know them all. Ha.

Edit: SoJ profiles posted.

Spoilers below.

Main cast

Athena Cykes - Kidzuki Kokone (希月心音) kidzuki means “awareness” (kinda following how Trucy is named Minuki) and the second kanji in her surname is “moon”. The kanji in her given name, when pronounced shin’on, means “heartbeat”. It can also be translated literally as “heart sound” to refer to her ability to hear people’s voices of their hearts.

Simon Blackquill - Yuugami Jin (夕神迅) yugami means “distortion” or “twist”, referring to his epithet, “The Twisted Samurai”. The kanji form a phrase meaning “god of dusk”. jin, written as 刃, is “blade”; while the kanji in his name means “swift”. It’s analogous to Edgeworth’s name, Mitsurugi, which is the name of a noble blade of legend. Trivia: He refers to the chief in person using the term danna, a title reserved for Lords and noblemen back during the days of samurai. Since this couldn’t be replicated in English without sounding drastically out of place, it’s been tamed down to a plain “sir”. (Imo, he could very well have gone with “sire” and it’d be just the right amount of tradition and respect, but I guess it doesn’t quite sound Japanese enough.) Incidentally, Taka is Gin, which can mean “silver”, or possibly like the English word (but it’s pronounced with a hard G).

Bobby Fulbright - Ban Gouzou (番轟三) The ban in his name may refer to a “guard”, though being written as 万 means “many”. Combined with his first name, which consists of “booming” and “three” (like in “two’s company, three’s a crowd”), you get a whole lot of bombastic in one guy. Trivia: His catchphrase is shouting “JUSTICE!!!” in English at the top of his lungs and laughing triumphantly. Imo, the localization's “In Justice We Trust!” has a certain nuance to it that really makes it pop when you realize just who he is, though.

Yep, that’s it. That’s the game. These three right here.

Episode 1

Gaspen Payne - Auchi Fumitake (亜内文武) “Auchi” is simply “ouch”. His first name is the same as his brother’s but flipped. fumi (文) is “literature”; take (武) is “martial”. I suppose both of them are warriors of words, but I really think their parents the devs just ran out of ideas.

Juniper Woods - Morizumi Shinobu (森澄しのぶ) mori (森) is “forest” or “woods”; shinobu means “to hide”. Meanwhile, the kanji for zumi (澄) used in the verb sumasu becomes “to look prim” or “to listen carefully”. These two definitions better relate to her from Episode 3, though. Trivia: In the Japanese version of this episode, the crime scene shows in English letters: “S I N O B U”. Since Japanese is typed using romaji, し can be either shi or si. Either way, it’s still pronounced the same. If it weren’t obvious enough from the intro, this spelling would have easily given away the real killer.

Ted Tonate - Barashima Shingo (馬等島晋吾) barasu can mean a few things: “to expose”, “to take apart”, or “to kill”. He already covers the latter two in the first case, but the first definition doesn’t quite play in until the last one. The last syllable of his first name ties into his first name to make mashingo, or “machine language”; hence the keyboard.

Candice Arme - Kaku Hozumi (賀来ほずみ) Her full name can be written as 確保済み, meaning “in custody”. kaku may refer to “square”/”cube”; probably referring to how she’s been hit. Her surname and the first syllable of her first name make kakuho, or “guarantee”, which seems to play into her English name.

Edit: Well, I totally screwed up this entry. My bad.

Episode 2

Jinxie Tenma - Tenma Yumemi (天馬ゆめみ) Her surname as written here refers to the “heavenly horse” Pegasus. yumemiru means “to dream”. More on Tenma below.

Damian Tenma - Tenma Deemon (天馬出右衛門) His first name comes from “demon”. Tenma, which is also the name of the village, is written as 天魔. It refers to the yokai of the Buddhist sixth heaven in the realm of desire who haunts people and deceives them into avoiding good. According to legend, Tenma tried (and ultimately failed) to lure the young Siddhartha away from enlightenment with earthly desires. Tenma Taro from this game is based on this Tenma. In Japanese folklore, he's described to have a bird-like appearance, hence we have jangly-cackling-bird-demon.

The Great Nine-Tails - Great Kyuubi (グレート九尾) He’s based on the Nine-tailed fox of Japanese legend, a yokai of immense power and influence and sometimes disastrous consequences. You know the one.

Rex Kyubi - Kyuubi Ginji (九尾銀次) His last name is the same as the Nine-Tails. The gin (銀) in his name refers to his silver hair and to the Nine-tailed fox of legend, which is often portrayed as silver. ginjiru also means “to chant” or “to recite”.

Phineas Filch - Zeniarai Kumabee (銭洗熊兵衛) zeni, as written above, is “money”. (This is what Capcom’s fictional currency zenny is based on.) His last name is a reference to the azukiarai, “The Bean Washer”, a yokai who resembles a small boy that keeps people up at night with the sound of washing beans. Filch here claims that he’s the grandson of an infamous thief who once kept people up by the sounds of his money-washing. His first name is made of bears: kuma (熊) and “bear”; yet he’s frequently called a tanuki instead, especially for his swindling ways.

Edit: Got that the other way around.

Florent L’Belle - Biyouin Shuuichi (美葉院秀一) biyouin is “beauty parlor” and shuuichinichi is “once a week”. The kanji in his first name come to “excellence” and “[number] one”.

Episode 3

Aristotle Means - Ichiro Shinji (一路真二) The kanji in his name together mean “one road, two truths”. ichiro, with the same kanji, means “straight” or “directly”, and shinjiru means “to believe”.

Constance Courte - Michiba Masayo (道葉正世) michibata is “roadside” and masa (正) is “right” or “just”, to parallel Means’ name above.

Hugh O’Conner - Shizuya Rei (静矢零) His name is most likely picked for the convenience of the recording that’s played during trial. In Japanese, the muffled recording sounds like it’s saying “Koroshite yare!”, which is Japanese for “I’ll kill you!” Thanks to Athena’s efforts, she reveals it’s actually supposed to say “Kora! Shizuya Rei!”, or a scolding “Hey! Shizuya Rei!” The kanji of his last name are “quiet” and “arrow”. His first name can also mean “zero”.

Edit: This one I made a mistake due to mistaken memory. It’s actually kinda hard to make out the te sound in the recording, so I assumed it was excluded.

Robin Newman - Atsui Chishio (厚井知潮) atsui is “hot”; it can also mean “hot-tempered” or “passionate”. chishio is “blood circulation”, usually referring to hot-headedness. It also doubles over as a gender-ambiguous name.

Myriam Scuttlebutt - Uwasa Atsume (宇和佐集芽) uwasa is “rumor” and atsumeru is “to gather”; thus, her full name comes to “gather gossip”. Trivia: Producer Eshiro is a huge MGS fan; hence Myriam’s M.O. of traveling under the cover of a box.

Episode 4-5

Solomon Starbuck - Hoshinari Taiyou (星成太陽) His name comes from the phrase “hoshi ni naritai yo”, which means “I wish to become a star”. taiyou, as written above, means “sun”.

Clay Terran - Aoi Daichi (葵大地) aoi is the color “blue”. daichi is “ground” or “earth”; also refers to the planet itself. His relative calm and the color blue was chosen specifically to pair with Apollo’s bright and passionate red. (In fact, it may very well have been the localization’s choice to name Odoroki as Apollo that led to the development of this game’s space theme. I don’t remember if it was mentioned in an interview or not, but I’m sure it played some role.)

Yuri Cosmos - Oogawara Uchuu (大河原有忠) His last name means “bank of the great river”, which is a reference to the Milky Way. It’s known as “The Great River” in several cultures, including Japanese. uchuu, written as 宇宙, means “space” or “universe”.

Aura Blackquill - Yuugami Kaguya (夕神かぐや) Kaguya is a reference to a famous Japanese folktale from the 10th century, Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The main character’s name is Kaguya-hime, or Princess Kaguya, who was one of a mysterious people living on the Moon but was sent down to Earth and raised by an old bamboo cutter. I’m not too sure if this tale inspired her English name, but when Princess Kaguya was discovered as a baby, she was described to be the size of a thumb and glowing with brilliant light. The Moon people were weird. (I can also draw the parallel to Simon’s Taka, since Aura may come from the Latin root aurum for “gold”.)

Ponco & Clonco - Ponko & Ponta (ポンコ＆ポンタ) ko and ta are common endings to boys’ and girls’ names, respectively. Aura also likes to call Clonco “Ponkotsu”, referring both to how he’s basically “Ponco #2″ and ponkotsu, “junk”.

Metis Cykes - Kidzuki Mari (希月真理) Her first name can also be pronounced shinri, meaning “truth”. In turn, shinri, when written as 心理, means “psychology”.

DLC Episode

Sasha Buckler - Umino Shouko (羽美野翔子) umi is “sea”, and shouko, written as 証拠, is “evidence”. Thus, her full name becomes “evidence from the sea”. The first kanji in both first and last name have to do with “feathers” and “flight”. She’s quite a flighty personality for sure.

Ora "Orla" Shipley - Arafune Elle / Ale (荒船エル / エール) Her last name is made of the kanji for “wild” and “ship”. Her name is Ale, as a shortened form of “whale”, but it doubles as the alcoholic drink too. Actually, it triples as “air”, to complement her trainer. Her supposed real name is actually her sister’s name, and it seems it was just picked to sound similar.

Jack Shipley - Arafune Ryouji (荒船良治) ryouji as 療治 means “treatment”/“cure”, possibly referring to how he saved two precious orcas and returned them to health.

Norma DePlume - Uratori Reika (浦鳥麗華) uratori refers to “gathering evidence” as for a news story. reika as 冷夏 becomes “cool summer”. It can even be written as 零下 to mean "sub-zero". She’s quite the contrast to the rest of the sunny crew.

Edit: Note to self: simplify.

Marlon Rimes - Itsuka Ikuya (伊塚育也) itsuka means “someday”; the kanji iku (育) means “raise”, as in pets or children. In other words, he’ll “become a real trainer someday”. His name may have been chosen for its easy rhyme as well.

Rifle (ライフル) She was named for her dangerous temper, and probably as a shout-out to Mr. Takumi’s naming of Missile. Her daughter Sniper also keeps the same name.

Herman Crab - Sugomori Gaku (巣古森学) His last name may be referring to su-komori, or “nest-babysitter”, since he keeps li’l Sniper up there. Even the first kanji in his last name is the right one for “nest”. gaku as above is “learning” or “study of” a subject.

Azura Summers - Natsukaze Suzumi (夏風邪涼海) natsukaze means “a summer cold”, but it can also literally mean “summer wind”. It was picked probably as a stark contrast to Norma’s Japanese name. suzumi is “cooling off”, like outdoors in the breeze.

#i translate #gsvsaa #dd #character profiles #turnabout countdown #the monstrous turnabout #turnabout academy #the cosmic turnabout #turnabout for tomorrow #turnabout reclaimed

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