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hoe-doroki · 3 years

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On the Job pt. 2

minors do not interact

warnings: 18+, fuck or die sex pollen (which means there are noncon/dubcon elements), reader is a sex worker, masturbation, face fucking, temperature play, (light) pain play, biting

pairing: todoroki x fem!reader

wc: 3.4k

summary: Super human society has a secret. Aphrodisiac quirks aren’t just the things of porn and fantasy–they’re actually quite common and too often fall into the wrong hands. Heroes, of course, do the best that they can, but when they get hit, they must be taken off the line of duty and someone needs to be able to activate the quirk’s release condition. If they’re single, who might that someone be? Obviously, you.

a/n: Half of me didn’t actually think that I would follow up part one, but I feel a heavy obligation towards my fanfic promises so...this is a weight off my shoulders, lol.

edit: I no longer write x reader but here’s my old masterlist - mobile | desktop

You’d gotten the call early today.

Not early in the day—truth be told, you’d hardly known what time it was before picking up the phone. No, you got the call early. As in not last minute. The call saying that your client would have to be transported to the agency from on site and they could tell you the details in the meantime.

The call saying you’d better drive to the agency, because you had to service a hero in an hour.

Now, patience wasn’t usually your virtue of choice—actually you didn’t often tend towards virtues in general. Save perhaps for kindness, which you preferred to deal out on your knees or your back, augmented by praise and the generosity of offering all three of your holes for your clients’ needs. But you were happy to cultivate it today, because an early call meant one thing.

You knew who was coming today.

Your pants were already off and you shirt was pushed up over your breasts as you leisurely played with yourself. You’d licked the tips of your fingers and gotten them started with slow passes over your clit, the other hand pinching your nipple, just a little too hard in prep for a hero who’d probably give it to you rough.

Maybe your reaction wasn’t right. Maybe it wasn’t kind of you to be so relaxed—relaxed and eager, actually—over the news that it was possible that Pro Hero Shouto would die. That he’d been hit with the particularly high stakes brand of aphrodisiac quirk and that if you didn’t trigger the release condition—that was: hot and heavy sex—his heart may very well stop or whatever happened on the other side of these troublesome quirks.

You wouldn’t know. After all, you hadn’t lost a single client yet.

So perhaps that was cold of you. Perhaps it would be more virtuous for you to be worried about him, fretting on the other side of the door with the guards over his ETA.

Then again, as stated: you’d never been one for virtue. Sin was much more fun. And surely it was better to make sure that whenever Shouto did show up, you had a wet pussy that he could waste none of his precious time sinking his cock into.

You groaned at the thought, dipping two fingers from your clit into your cunt and scissoring them. Your head lolled back against the pillows, eyes fluttering closed as you pressed against that front wall the flats of your fingertips, feeling that soppy wetness covering you and beginning to drip down your knuckles.

Yeah, you were ready for him.

In fact, you’d been waiting for Shouto longer than just today. After nabbing the number two pro hero, Dynamight, a few months back, you’d gone ahead and debased yourself further—how much further was there to go, though, really?—by creating a list of your dream clients. You’d written Dynamight just to check him off, the memory of him cumming in you raw and licking you clean still hot between your thighs.

Your near encyclopedic knowledge of heroes—naturally, you took a healthy interest in your job—had then led you to daydream about Dynamight’s whole hero cohort. You added Red Riot to the list, dreaming of his abs, imagining riding them, teasing sweet whines out of him before backing up and dropping yourself on his cock. You thought of Deku, what it would mean for your ego to nab the number one hero, the flash of jealousy that would rise on his face when you let it slip that you’d already fucked his biggest rival, fucked his goddamn brains out and yours to boot.

Of course, you couldn’t do that. NDAs, after all. You’d already signed away your rights to mentioning anything about what happened to or with Shouto today. Still, you could dream.

Then, of course, your thinking had truly devolved, and you’d thought about the boys being paired up, fighting a villain with an unknown quirk only to be hit by the ever common, ever unknown—thanks to you and your prudence; oops, there was another virtue—aphrodisiac quirk and having to take care of both of them. Spit-roassting, Eiffel Tower, a goddamn daisy chain—anything. Long story short, you’d ended up cumming twice more on your hands before the evening was done.

But also on that list, was Shouto Todoroki.

Who, if you weren’t mistaken, was now on the other side of the door.

After all, these walls weren’t soundproof. It provided quite the show for the lucky guards on the other side, but hey, if you needed to scream for help, they had to be there. By the same coin, you could hear the shuffling on the other side, the footsteps approaching, and the telltale sound of the lock on the door being activated. You pressed your legs together, resting them to the side, hiding your glistening pussy artfully with your legs for the sake of modesty. Everyone knew what was happening here, but you didn’t need to send Shouto’s poor handler back blushing to their colleagues.

Shouto was ushered into the room and, without eye contact, someone yelled to you, “Ready, ma’am?”

“Ready!” you called back, and the door was closed, leaving you alone with the number three hero.

Without modesty, your legs fell open, revealing the mess you’d already made of yourself to Shouto. You dipped the fingers you’d been using into your mouth, and cleaned them dutifully. After all Shouto was still wearing his costume, and you did so hate the agency having to send those to the cleaners with your fluids all over them.

“Hey, bud,” you purred, running a hand slowly up one thigh. “I heard you have a problem.”

Pro Hero Shouto was known for his stoic personality. News conferences and interviews he participated in always consisted of a slow, even tone, and little beyond cold facts. There was something pleasantly mysterious about that, sure, but it didn’t exactly hint that he’d be quick to jump into bed. Sexy voice, though.

But whatever quirk he’d been hit with must have been strong, because the next thing you knew, the index finger from his left hand was tracing down the front of his uniform, cleanly burning a line straight to his already tented crotch. His accessories had already been taken off—his belt, gloves, shoes, even the clasp at his neck had been undone earlier. So there was nothing in his way as he pulled either side of his scorched uniform to the side and off his arms as he approached the bed.

“All business, huh?” you asked, pushing yourself up off your pillows by your forearms, watching as Shouto climbed onto the bed on his knees, finally pulling his jumpsuit down past his crotch.

You’d taken a bet with yourself on the color of his pubes—it’s not like you’d be losing either way if you got to see them. They turned out to be dual-colored, but not the stark red and white of his hair. No, they were more neutral in tone, like yours. Unlike yours, they were nested above a heavy cock, already shining with precum—or actual cum, you didn’t know—at the head.

Shouto didn’t reply to your comment, and you weren’t surprised. Some people went totally nonverbal when hit by sex pollen quirks, and that was fine. You’d rather someone button their lip than ruin the mood by saying something off, after all. All business was fine by you—this was your job, after all. And no matter the size of his mouth, his cock was just fucking right.

You naturally lowered your legs as Shouto began kneeing over you, cock in hand. Your brain only just managed to catch up to what was going on when his legs stopped on either side of your ribs, his leaking cockhead crossing your eyes before you. Automatically, your jaw dropped open, and Shouto’s cock smeared pre against your cheek and the corner of your mouth before sinking deep into your mouth, drawing a first obscene moan out of him.

A humming moan fell out of you too, barely able to take in the taste of Shouto’s cock before it was pressing against the back of your throat, springing tears to your eyes automatically. Something about aphrodisiac quirks so often seemed to play with the taste of these heroes’ cum. No longer was it bitter, but just heady, salty, and more pleasant than it should have been as it coated your tongue and throat. You adored it, and purposefully relaxed your muscles so that you could take more of him in.

Shouto didn’t hold back. With barely half a breath in your lungs, Shouto was thrusting deep in the back of your throat so that your spit dripped from your mouth and smacked wetly between his balls and your chin. You blinked tears out of your eyes and looked up at him to find blown pupils staring back at you, gaze hot and pointed.

There was light behind those eyes. Whatever Shouto was right now, it wasn’t unthinking, not pure instinct. No, the way he was fucking your throat, the way his eyes had you pinned—it was intentional.

Abruptly, Shouto pulled out, a think strand of spit snapping from his dick, cold on your tongue as you panted from the rough treatment. You held your mouth open, expecting him to shove back in once you’d caught your breath, but Shouto seemed to have other plans. He moved down your body, soaked cock again in his palm, and his eyes now set on your pussy. You reached for one of the condoms you’d set out next to you, and held it in front of him.

“Hate to sound like an after-school special, but no glove…”

Shouto paused, eyeing you for just a moment before taking the square and making quick work of it, rolling it over himself.

Then, abruptly, he put a hand on your cheek, drawing your eyes back up to his. “Thank you for your hard work. It does not go unappreciated.”

“What the—”

You were left agog at his statement, wholly unprepared as he swiftly took each of your thighs in one hand, spread them, and plunged in you to the hilt. You gasped high in your chest, your throat still tender from being rawed by Shouto’s dick. He leaned over you, sighing with a relief that doubled then halved the size of his chest. His forehead touched yours in a strange moment of intimacy, and, for a moment, you wondered if that was it. Was that all the release condition took? Penetration? Or had he cum and you just hadn’t noticed?

Were you going to be left to tend to yourself with the bullet vibrator in your glove compartment yet again?

Then Shouto leaned back, looked at you again with those sharp eyes, and began smacking into you with abandon.

“Fuck,” you let out as Shouto’s balls, still wet with your spit, left their mark on your ass with every deep thrust he gave you.

Shouto manhandled your thighs, grabbing them firmly in each hand as he reared back fully on his knees again, taking the lower half of your body with him. You reflexively braced with your arms, and soon they were the only part of you still in contact with the bed, along with your upper back and head still resting on the comfortable stack of pillows.

As was often the case, you’d lost control of the situation. You could barely match Shouto’s thrusts on your own as he repeatedly used his upper body strength to bring you to him, and his lower body strength to send his hips right back in return. If you tried to reach him, your fingertips would barely brush his thighs, much less any other part of him. You were totally at his mercy.

You couldn’t help but eyeball his broad biceps, flexed by holding up the weight of most of your body. And aside from the sweat dripping from his forehead—probably quirk-induced—he was showing little to no strain.

He hadn’t always had muscles like this, you were sure. You couldn’t help but remember pundits sounding off on Shouto’s overreliance on his quirk over physical strength, or the difference between his body and the massive tank that was his father, Endeavor. They’d shown clips of his body—handsome, always handsome—but either Shouto had done a lot of bulking in the last few years or those newscasters had been particularly unkind. Likely both. Because now, drops of sweat were trickling from his body in rivulets; there were no straight paths to go down. A bulging muscle here to dip around, the crease from a flexed ab there to pool in. You were hypnotized by his form, even the thighs straining under the part of his uniform that he hadn’t bothered to burn off.

Your mind was so enraptured by thoughts of Shouto’s body that the sensations happening to yours crept up on you. All at once, you realized that your thighs were burning. Actually, one was burning, and the other was freezing cold, both just under his palms and branching up the fingers currently painting five bruises into each muscle.

A gasp flew out of your mouth and your eyes rolled back as your thighs suddenly began quaking unbidden. Shouto looked down at you, his expression easy save for those passionate eyes, little huffs escaping his slack jaw. “Too much?” he asked.

Your head shook side to side, a vehement no as Shouto dug his fingers even deeper into your flesh, bringing dull throbs of pain so close to where every thrust brought about sharp flashes of pleasure. It felt like a betrayal when he just then loosened his grip to slide his hands up to your knees and hook them over his shoulder. Then those hands, right at the brink of freezing and searing pressed into the meat of your ass as he brought your hips to his with redoubled force.

That first new thrust sent Shouto’s head turning to the side, digging a painful bite into the fleshy part of your calf, making you cry out. A moment later, he let go, his tongue passing over the teeth marks like a salve over a wound.

All the dueling sensations had you close. You’d been teasing yourself for so long before Shouto had even shown up and now he was fucking into you like…well, like his life depended on it.

God, was it wrong to love fuck or die quirks?

You were quick to take a hand and put it back on your aching clit, despite the strain it put on your neck and upper back to lose one arm of support. Part of a good fucking was being folded like a pretzel, and you’d just book a massage appointment tomorrow to deal with it. Surely saving the life of the number three hero was worth a reward.

Shouto’s eyes honed in on your fingers moving rapidly over your clit, and you bet he could feel the twitches of your cunt approaching climax. A hand left your ass and went behind his head to pat your ankles. “Cross them,” he instructed.

Obediently, you crossed your ankles, making your position a bit sturdier as Shouto continued to drive you back onto him with one hand. Then that second hand went to yours, brushing it away with the backs of his knuckles. A surprisingly gentle gesture for the man who was kneading bruises into your ass and biting your leg. Then, with his thumb, he painted one slow, hard, blazing stripe up your clit, and you came instantly.

“Fuck!” you shouted as your back arched in midair, the crown of your head digging into the pillows as your neatly crossed ankles came undone, your thighs shaking and falling from Shouto’s grip. His cock slid out of you as your lower half bounced once on the bed. Before the springs could vault you back, Shouto was on top of you, pressing himself back in your still convulsing cunt.

His thrusts were long, desperate as he breathed into your neck. He mouthed the base of your neck with light bites and suckles—never quite kissing. Your thighs came back up around his hips and his left hand went back to squeezing your thigh. Meanwhile, the right came between your thighs, surprising you as two fingers began prodding at your entrance.

Almost immediately, you could feel the heat of the stretch. Or rather, you would have felt the heat of the stretch, had his fingers not been ice cold against you. You cried out as he curled his fingers forward while his cock kept thrusting straight through you, the hot and cold contrast nearly too much. You wondered how much more intense it would feel if Shouto were unbound by the condom, and you able to bear its full heat.

“Please,” you whimpered as your orgasm began to rise again, too quickly, nearly as sudden as the first one had been, but without all the build up. This one felt like it was going to tear out of you.

Just then, the nips that Shouto had been teasing over your neck went away, and he planted one more good bite on your shoulder as his thrusts became insistent, the fingers petting inside you matched with a cold thumb over your clit. And neither of you could hold on a moment longer.

Shouto groaned low and bone deep in your ear while your voice, still raspy from early, keened in his. Your thighs went tight around his waist and his hand was trapped between you as you both rode out your highs. It took a full minute for your muscles to unwind, and your feet to fall flat to the bed. At that point, Shouto pulled out and rolled over next to you, both of you panting as the sweat dried on your skin.

Shouto pulled the condom off of himself and found a trashcan to toss it into before falling flat on his back again. After a few moments of nothing but heavy breathing, he opened his mouth. “Thank you for your professionalism.”

You snorted. “You’re welcome,” you managed, keeping your laughter at bay. “That’s not what people usually thank me for.”

“Thank you for saving my life?” Shouto tried again, his gaze shifting over to you.

His eyes were still bright, but his gaze less sharp, obscured by dual-colored bangs falling over it. Suddenly, Shouto looked a great deal more innocent than the man who’d been fucking the life out of you just minutes ago. Perhaps an effect of the quirk wearing off, perhaps the effect of unfettered pleasure meeting relief.

“More common, yes,” you replied, unable to keep the smile off your face.

“You’re very good at what you do,” Shouto said, his eyes going to the spot where he’d bitten your shoulder. He circled it with one finger, brows furrowing. “You’re like a hero.”

“Hah,” you returned, looking up at the ceiling. You weren’t going to let this be the moment in your career that made you blush. “Vixen, the orgasm hero. I don’t think it would meet the commission’s guidelines.”

“Perhaps not,” Shouto said, sitting up and pulling up what remained of his costume, frowning at the spot where he’d torn it. You supposed you needn’t have worried about this costume going to the cleaners; the support team would likely toss it and make a replacement.

“There are clothes you can change into in the closet,” you said, pointing to the near invisible door in the back wall.

Shouto waved you away as he stood up. “This will be fine to make it to the locker room with.”

“Suit yourself,” you said as you pushed yourself up, trying to remember where you’d thrown your leggings before you’d started jerking of, grunting as your spine cracked.

Shouto plucked the leggings from near the foot of the bed and tossed them to you before heading towards the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned back and made eye contact with you one last time, the ghost of a smile you’d never seen before on his lips. “Thanks again…Vixen.”

As he closed the door, you could only blame your own impropriety, that utter lack of virtue that you first thought was:

Number two pro hero, Shouto: check.

#todoroki smut #bnha smut #mha smut #shouto todoroki smut #shoto todoroki smut #tw: sex work #tw: sex pollen #tw: masochism #tw: pain play #tw: dubcon #tw: biting #tw: temperature play

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pillow-anime-talk · 4 years

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chibi-chan.

synopsis: A little bit of jokes about your height from GoM’s boys or situations where you need some help. But don’t worry, we all know that you are super cute and adorable.

# tags: scenarios; current relationships; comedy; fluff; romance; jokes; also protective/helpful boyfriends; sfw

includes: female reader ft. ryouta kise, daiki aomine, shintarou midorima, atsushi murasakibara, seijuurou akashi & tetsuya kuroko {knb}

— RYOUTA

You’ve been wondering how to impress your boyfriend for a few days, because he hasn’t paid much attention to you for a long time. Even when you came in a different hairstyle or changed your perfume, Ryouta just smiled at you, then stole one kiss from you and run for basketball team training...

Oh, right. Basketball. You didn’t know a bigger fan of this sport than your boyfriend. Stupid thought of playing basketball passed through your head to show off your skills (or rather attempts to have any skills to play in this sport) to Kise.

The more you thought about it, the more convinced you were. You decided to try and on Friday immediately after your lessons you went to the gym. You knew that at 5 p.m. the Kaijou team would start their training, so you only had an hour to take off your whole uniform, jump into the P.E.’s tracksuit and pick one ball from the big bin and start slowly throwing into the basket hoop.

Of course, it’s easy to guess that it was hard for you to hit into the hoop with your... small height. Certainly when you were born, you didn’t queue for ‘being tall’, but rather for a nice smile and big eyes. No wonder that for the first ten casts only one was successful and it was certainly a coincidence, because the ball spun three times on the rim before falling inside.

“I suck in this game.” You muttered under your breath, again taking a position on the first line on the court.

You were so absorbed in the game that you didn’t even notice how a curious blond-head looked inside the gym because of the noise and the light on. What a surprise for Kaijou’s ace who saw you in front of the basketball board and the ball in your hands.

However, when he noticed your next inaccurate shot he laughed under his breath. “I think you’re a little too short for this game, Y/Ncchi.” He said in an amused voice, entered the room. You turned to the voice and then sighed.

“And too short for you to notice me, huh?” You added wearily, catching the ball.

“Y/Ncchi... I always see you!”

“I don’t think so. But I don’t blame you. I just wanted to... impress you. You like basketball, so maybe you would like me more if I could play with you.” You shrugged, throwing ball into the hoop again. Miss. “Shit.”

The blonde man shook his head approaching you. “I like you no matter what you do or how you do it. You don’t have to play basketball to impress me. You should change you for you and only you, not me or someone else. Anyway, I said what I said. I notice you all the time, Y/Ncchi. You looked pretty last time when you had a ponytail. Your new perfume was amazing too. Hmm, now when I think about it, I don’t praised you for that, right? But know that I appreciate everything you do.” He confessed quietly, patting you on the head. “And now Chibicchi, I’ll show you how to play basketball, because you have a terrible position to throw a ball...”

— DAIKI

Aomine definitely loved teasing you the most if your height was at stake. He usually made you as his own armrest or asked what’s weather below. They were a puppy jokes that somewhat irritated you, somewhat amused you, and somewhat embarrassed you, but what can you do? After all, they were just pokes and you knew that well. In retaliation, you often mocked him by calling him a ladder, giraffe or Eiffel Tower.

Daiki was glad you weren’t offended about it because... you were incredibly cute to him when your cheeks turned red and slight insults came from your lips. Of course he would never say it out loud, but you were super fluffy for him and he liked this side of you. And hey, as your tall boyfriend he had nice views from above. For this and if necessary he liked to take you on his lap or cuddle with you on the armchair, because you were the pocket-sized person and he could cover your whole body by his.

But as I wrote, Aomine would never have said it out loud. He just always laughed, saying you were shrunk again.

Of course, Daiki wasn’t such a bastard to you.

I mean, yes. Aomine had the right to make fun of you, but no one else him could do it, because he knew that after all your height is your complex. Your boyfriend spoke his jokes in a gentle way, always saying at the end that he loves your body anyway, because of this he feels more manly and needful. He didn’t spare wet kisses or hickeys on your chest at that time, so you didn’t feel bad with him. You love each other very much.

However, when other people’s jokes were involved, such as those from girls who were jealous of your blue-haired man or gross jokes from boys who didn’t like Aomine or wanted to pick you up... Daiki changed his mood immediately.

Just like now, when you were walking towards Aomine’s class to go to the roof with him and have breakfast. Unfortunately, just before the door a couple of first-year students stopped you; one of them hit the wall with his hand, blocking the way for you.

“Hey, Y/N-chan. Oh, this bento is for me?” The tall black-haired boy took your breakfast box, then raised it high up, smiling broadly. “Thank you, it’s really nice. You are such a damn cutie.”

“Please, no. W-Wait...”

“Maybe we’ll arrange a date? We can go to the cinema and then to me. I think it won't be a problem with you getting into my bed, because you're so small...”

“Don’t touch me and give my bento back!” You jumped to catch the white box, but in vain.

“Oh, I have great views from my perspective.” The teenager laughed, not even noticing the shadow of a much taller person behind him. The box with your bento was picked up and the perverted student was pressed against the wall next to you.

“Why don’t you repeat what you just said a moment ago?” Daiki asked and you immediately ran up to him, hiding behind him. “Harassing girls... especially girls in the relationship... It’s really shitty, don’t you think? Get out, brat and never approach my girlfriend again.”

As I said, only Daiki can use your height for kissing or joking.

And of course to show that he’s the best boy on the whole world.

— SHINTAROU

Your boyfriend was a difficult man. He rarely showed any emotions, but you knew that he cares about you very much and despite his cold behavior he always worries about you.

No less, Midorima is... Midorima. You didn’t know any bigger tsundere than him; especially when you two were together at the random moment.

Like. Did you forget your scarf? No problem, Shintarou will lend you his own and tell you that you are irresponsible and childish. You’re hungry? All right, your boyfriend will buy you something from the school cafeteria or share his bento saying it’s the last time he does it for you (spoiler: this isn’t the last time because he’s a simp for you anyway). You’re tired? Girl... Midorima will take you on his lap and hug you so tight that your heart will melt, but three times he will mention that you can’t tell anyone about this situation. Mom, I love him.

In any case, Shin has his own way of showing affection, which is primarily based on texting to you or bringing for you your lucky items for the day; for example, recently, Midorima brought you a key ring with a puppy's pendant, because Oha Asa mentioned that this wouldn't be a good day for your zodiac... Sweet.

Today, however, he brought to school only an item for you (by the way, it was a Tokyo’s guide), or so you thought, because Shintarou always discusses with you about his lucky thing. And today he didn’t say a single word about it. He only took your hand and led you to class, saying that he would come for you at your next break.

And so, throughout today’s day Midorima didn’t leave you even for a moment, and by the way he still walked with you by the hand, which was a bit strange for you because Shin didn't like a public PDA. Takao was equally surprised.

Only when you started coming back to home with the green-haired man who was walking next to you (of course with your fingers laced with his) you decided to ask Shintarou if something had happened.

“So... your today’s happy item is a holding hands or maybe rather a woman’s hand?” You asked seriously, laughing under your breath, at which Midorima looked at you surprised.

“No.” He said honestly, so you immediately thought that your boyfriend joined into a PDA lovers! You were about to say something, but he continued. “My lucky thing for today is something small, that’s why I thought about you.”

You hit the boy on the shoulder, blushing furiously. “Idiot.”

— ATSUSHI

With Murasakibara, no matter if you were 155 centimeters tall, 168 centimeters tall or even 180 centimeters tall... you would still be small for him. And because you were below average, your relationship looked at least funny, but also sweet.

Of course, Atsushi didn’t care about your height, what’s more – he considered that it’s your advantage because he was pleased to took you in his arms while watching movies or grab your hands and play with them. Therefore, while you were next to him, you praised him and (maybe) from time to time you fed or played with his hair, Murasakibara paid no attention to your height. And when someone asked him if he didn't mind about it, he answered with his the most weary voice ‘Why would that kind of things should bother me? My Y/N-chin is my Y/N-chin and I like her no matter what. Do you have any problem with her or me?’

Of course, Atsushi is a big baby who likes to tease you, but he doesn’t use words for it; I mean, very often, when you want to kiss him, a tall boy laughs quietly and specifically asks that ‘huh, do you have a problem’ to reaching his lips. He always suggests bringing a ladder or chair. You snort, hitting him at the waist and laught shortly after that. Finally, you always pull him by the shirt to bend him down. He can't refuse you anyway.

Especially when you threaten him with not giving him snacks the next day.

Atsushi is a very supportive boy! If someone else teases you and you feel bad about your height difference, then your man always grabs the other person's head and asks rhetorically whether to crush him. Therefore, in order not to feel bad about it, you immediately offer him something to eat; if it's one of his three favorite dishes he'll probably follow you like a faithful dog.

‘Sushi likes to lift you up and help you to get to the basket board. His height is also very helpful when you cook something together, and he has the task of reaching for ingredients or bowls.

Nevertheless, sometimes he can’t refrain from saying that you are really smol. And if you’re together among the crowd, he sometimes he loses sight of you.

Fortunately, Atsu is so tall that you can find he quickly (usually at food stalls).

“You’re lost again, Y/N-chin...”

“You went to the snack machine without even telling me anything!” You laughed reaching for your wallet to buy ice cream for both of you.

“Sorry, sometimes I forget that you’re so small and have short legs, Chibi-chin.”

— SEIJUUROU

Your boyfriend definitely isn’t one of those type who joke about such serious matters as appearance, style or diseases. However, if he only saw or heard that someone was laughing at you, he immediately appeared next to your figure, which caused the tormentor escape. No one dared to object to Seijuurou, it’s a fact.

Akashi, of course, didn’t laugh at your height as I wrote, but this doesn’t mean that he didn’t like the fact that you asked him a favor or asked him to give you something or help you in doing a random thing. This brat asked for something in return each time; usually it was a kiss but sometimes it was also something more.

In any case, your man always went into defense mode when he was with you, through what many people were surprised by his change from Akashi in the basketball team > Akashi in the company of Y/N.

For example, imagine such a scene: You go to your home with Seijuurou because the boy decided to help you with chemistry and physic, but on your the way you unfortunately stumble over the protruding curb and fall into the ground, injuring your knee. Sei immediately changes from ‘full seriousness’ to “God, honey, are you all right?”

“Sei-kun, I’m not dying.”

“Yes, but it looks really bad. Let me take you in my arms.”

“Seijuurou-kun, I can really go on my own legs.”

“I won’t let you. Come here.”

“You’ll be tired and I’m heavy.”

“No, you’re not. You’re tiny.”

There really is no point in arguing with him because you won’t win anyway. Although you have to admit that thanks to the pink-haired you feel really loved and appreciated. There is no person in the world who cares about you like Akashi.

— TETSUYA

This boy is literally an angel. He probably won’t say a bad word about your height, but if he does, he will be 100% unknowingly about it and if he quickly understands his mistake, he will apologize for it; for example, he says you have recently seemed taller, but after a while he will remember that you were wearing shoes with a higher heel that day, not sneakers. Tetsuya is the most supportive boy in the world who will help you with everything you have a problem with.

You can’t reach the top shelf in the store? Kuroko will take your favorite cereal without a word and say that if you need something else from this or other shelf, just tell him. Do you have a problem with hanging laundry or putting curtains on your window? Tetsuya will gladly help you or lift your body to make you more comfortable. Are you cold? This cutie will lend you his sweatshirt/jacket/blanket, saying that you should take care of yourself, because you quickly catch a cold.

You! Literally! Have! Nothing! To! Complain! About!

Angel. I said what I said.

Kuroko isn’t one of the highest either people, so he is somewhat happy that his girlfriend is much shorter than him and sometimes needs his help for even such simple matters as changing a light bulb, reaching for a book in the library or chips from the storage locker in kitchen.

Sometimes, however, you get the impression that Kuroko is too worried about you. Like at this moment when you were going to go swimming with your boyfriend in the lake because you and your friends from Seirin went for a little rest. And also ‘cause the basketball team has a training under the supervision of Riko.

“Y/N-chan can you swim here? It’s quite deep. I’m worried.”

“Yes, Tetsuya, I can handle it. But I will take your hand when I feel threatened.”

“Yes, but you can hurt yourself. Grab me now. Pretty please.”

Kuroko is definitely cute and lovely, but he should chill.

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ladyloveandjustice · 3 years

Text

Fall 2020 Anime Overview

I started out watching the a ton of anime for the Fall 2020 season, but then ended up not being caught up with most of them by the the time the end rolled around. I still pretty much intend to catch up with Yashahime Princess Half Demon someday (I do like the three leads, it just the plot’s been dull as dirt and the fights aren’t very inspired either) and though I dropped Wandering Witch after bad press started rolling in (I CANNOT deal with pointless tragedy in my current state of mind) I might check out a few more episodes someday just to from my own opinion. For now, let’s just quickly review the anime I DID manage to finish on time this season.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is exactly what it says on the tin: Princess Syalis isn’t too bothered about being captured by demons and locked in their castle, but she does value a good night’s sleep, and she is absolutely ruthless when it comes to getting it- so ruthless, in fact, that the demons realized it might not be that she’s trapped in here with them, but that they’re trapped in here with her.

Sleepy Princess is top tier comedy comfort food. It rarely got a huge belly laugh, but it always but a smile on my face and was a great thing to watch before going to bed. Syalis’s single-minded search for some shut eye is a joke that could have gotten old very quickly, but the show consistently found creative ways to expand on the gags and build it’s world and a fun cast of characters along the way.

Though Syalis is downright brutal to the demons when it comes to getting what she wants (and has a knack for getting herself killed at well), thanks to a demon cleric that offers easy resurrections, you never feel too bad for anyone involved. In fact, the demons and Syalis form a strangely heartwarming bond over the course of the show , and it’s clear by the end that Syalis definitely has the ability to come and go if she damn well pleases and just finds this castle a fun place where she can find respite from her princessly responsibilities.

A nice bonus for those of us who like a little subversion is that the show has a lot of fun playing with standard adventure tropes- the demons often lament that Syalis is not at all what they expected from a captive princess, for one, but my favorite fun little twist is how Syalis feels about the hero currently on a (seemingly endless) quest to rescue her- she manages to both hold him in contempt AND consistently fail to remember his name. That level of disregard takes some impressive effort.

The show has the same director as the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun anime and as such has a similarly nice comic and visual flourishes throughout. It definitely gets two sleepy thumbs up for me.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen follows a young man named Yuuji Itadori who, after tangling with a demon, ends up with one inside him. With a death sentence hanging over his head, he’s inducted into a school for “jujutsu sorcerers”, and begins training to use his newfound powers to defeat demons and curses.

Jujutsu Kaisen quickly tells you on no uncertain terms it is Action Shonen, introducing a huge cast of a characters and powers and super high stakes and hey there’s even gonna be a tournament arc soon. It is really, really pretty to look at, with a killer opening and ending, some seriously great animation and cool visuals for the fights especially. But is it particularly memorable otherwise? Noooooot really, so far. The sea of technobabble it tends to descend into when trying to explain how the various powers work often has me zoning out and wishing they’d just let me watch the pretty punches. The villains and the general plot isn’t particularly compelling. The characters are nice enough, but haven’t given me much to be attached to so far. Though I do appreciate this one dude who is the embodiment of millennial ennui:

I’ll keep watching though, because it is a visually stunning, action-y thing to my turn your brain off to and god knows I want to turn my brain off all the time lately.

And the characters do have potential- the One Girl of the main group, Nobara, has a really fun personality in that she’s a total shitlord doofus brawler who can thus doof around with our equally dumbass protagonist, which is an pretty fun, unusual personality for the One Girl to have! Her interactions with Maki, the weapons expert senpai girl, are promising too. I’m just waiting for her to actually, you know, DO something that really shows off her skills- I’m told she DOES eventually get to (gasp) win fights on her own and do cool stuff, but so far show has kind at that of failed miserably and underused her like most action shonen underuse their girls. Plus, taking Yuuji out of the group for such a long stretch seems like a weird choice, we’ve been deprived really seeing him for relationships with his peers. The pacing seems off. But maybe the upcoming tournament arc will make up for that and actually be worthwhile!

Talentless Nana

In a world where kids with superpowers are sent to island schools to fight mysterious “enemies of humanity”, one class of such kids is thrown into chaos when they find themselves targeted by a deadly force.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Talentless Nana without discussing how it deviates dramatically from what its premise appears to be in episode one, so I’ll just say if you like stories with superpowers and intrigue, you should definitely sit through that first episode and see if the plot that’s eventually revealed is something that you’re here for. But if you want to avoid spoilers, DON’T GO BELOW THE CUT, because I’m about to get very spoilery.

Basically, Talentless Nana pulls a bait and switch, starting it’s first episode posing as generic superhero anime where the protagonist appears to be your standard meek-but-powerful anime boy (Nanao) who just needs some support and encouragement from a pink haired mind reading manic pixie dream girl (Nana) to unlock his self-confidence and ~true power~ (ugh)...only to take SHARP swerve when Nana ruthlessly murders Nanao and reveals she’s been sent by the government to take out the superpowered kids one by one because THEY are the considered the true enemies of humanity. Oh, and she doesn’t have any superpowers, or “talents”- she was just able to sus out everything Nanao was thinking through basic deductive reasoning because he was so flippin’ obvious and basic.

As my love for a certain character in a certain game may have clued people into, I am ALWAYS delighted when what appears to be a generic, underwritten girlfriend character is then revealed to be an interesting, ruthless mastermind. And having an anime appear to be about a bland boy with a Dream Girlfriend but then actually turn into a show about a deeply cynical, morally dubious girl who’s clearly holding down a lot of messy feelings as she considers everyone her enemy...well, it may be a cheap trick to some, but it also feels a little bit like justice for all the underwritten female characters sacrificed to bland male leads. It’s still rare enough that I dig it when it happens. And the metatext of Nana zeroing in on this kid as the most standard of main character boys, assessing him as the biggest threat because of it and knowing the perfect way to take him out, is pretty inherently funny to me.

But if the show JUST banked on that twist and was about Nana brutally and cynically slaughtering these kids, it would get boring quickly and Nana would be a bland character herself. Fortunately, it doesn’t go that route. Nana struggles and grows a lot over the course of the show. She finds opposition in transfer student Kyoya, a stoic (and socially awkward) young man who pretty quickly becomes suspicious of her. A lot of the tension from the early episodes comes from her sweating as she tries to outmaneuver him and she makes plenty of mistakes along the way. She also slowly but surely starts to question her mission, and we get an idea of her backstory and how the government specifically has groomed her into believing people with powers to be evil. That belief is one that’s challenged by her friendship with another girl, and it’s pretty rewarding to watch Nana’s feelings and world expand little by little.

The show is definitely a little schlocky-some of the plots (as well as the general premise of the government thinking this is the optimal way to get rid of their superpowered kids problem) fall apart if you think too much about them, and some of the kids Nana goes up against are sleazy and unlikeable in over the top ways (which makes it easy for her to stick to her convictions all these kids deserve to die at first). In particular, I have to give a heads up for some sleazy guys doing and saying sleazy things, though the show never gets too overbearing or graphic with it (and the gore is generally PG-13 level as well).

Basically. There are some truly ridiculous happenings in this show. But how ridiculous and pulpy and over the top it is can be part of the appeal, and it’s fun to just sit back and watch the spectacle of Nana and her peers head-scratching machinations.

So, while certainly not an anime with airtight construction or flawless quality and depth, I found Nana an overall entertaining watch, especially as a fan of cat-and-mouse murder-y shenanigans, and thought it has a very compelling main character and managed to end on a heartwrenching (but earned) note. I definitely wouldn’t say no to a second season and would be interested to see where things go from here.

#anime overview #sleepy princess in the demon castle #jujutsu kaisen #talentless nana #munou na nana #maoujo de oyasumi #fall 2020 anime #anime #my reviews

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ljandersen · 3 years

Note

for the fanfic asks: 1, 4 with the title "lemon juice", 6, 7, and 12!

Oooh! Thank you for the ask! These questions are so much fun. This is from the Fanfic Writers Ask Game.

1. has a comment someone left on a fic of yours ever made you laugh out loud?

No, but I've been highly amused! I actually don't laugh out loud that much. My sister's the same way. A friend will watch a comedy with us, and at the end, be like, "You guys didn't like that?" We'll both cock our heads and be like, "What? We thought it was the most hilarious thing ever." "You didn't laugh." I don’t know why.

4. what would this fic be about, based on the title? (asker provides fake fic title) (x)

I had to take someone to pick up their car getting repaired, so I had a chance to think about "Lemon Juice," my fShenko one-shot that will never be. Imagine: Mass Effect 1, pre-relationship.

Lemon Juice

Adams says the SR-1's engine is sounding funny. They need to head back to Earth to have it in inspected. Since that's where the Normandy takes off for the shake down cruise, I'm envisioning that's where it was built. Since it's a prototype warship, it needs special handling. It will take a few days to investigate and fix.

Kaidan is excited. It aligns with his birthday. He hasn't been home for his birthday in years. It's the middle of summer in Vancouver. Perfect weather. He can go to the beach. His mom is making him a lemon meringue pie, his favorite. His dad keeps messaging him how eager he is to see Kaidan.

But then the SR-1 breaks down before it reaches Earth. They have to swing into the nearest Alliance outpost. It's this icy volcanic world with lightening and constant sleet. The engineers are going to have to come from Earth to this little dumpy outpost to fix the engine here.

Shepard knows how excitedly Kaidan was looking forward to stopping on Earth. Ash and the other crew mates notice him looking a bit droopy. They ask if he’s okay, of course, and he says he's fine. It's no big deal.

So Shepard drags him out for a drink, despite his protests. He wants to help with the engineer repairs. "No, no. It's your birthday. I buy every officer a beer on his birthday."

Instead of swerving into the seedy little outpost bar, Shepard pulls him into the mako. After a ride, where he fears his tombstone will have one date with two different years, they arrive at the edge of a lava field.

Surprise! Tali, Garrus, Wrex, Ash, Joker, Chackwas, and a bunch of other crew are there. They have parkas on. Garrus set up a lightening rod a safe distance away. The sleet is coming down, soft like snow, no real bother. The area is lit up by the lava field.

It's no sunny Vancouver beach. They're not Alenko's, but they’re a second family. Just as Shepard said, they have drinks. Shepard gives him a beer and squeezes a lemon into it. She can't cook him a lemon meringue pie for more reasons than just not having the ingredients. That's the best she can do.

Kaidan gets to talk with his parents later that night on comm. They’re disappointed but happy to hear about his time with the crew. They say how aglow he looks talking about Shepard and the party. It must have been a good time.

He goes to bed that night, and he's sure it's the best birthday's he's ever had. When life gives you a lemon, there's always lemonade.

Tada! "Lemon Juice." There you are!

6. what is your favourite sense to incorporate in your writing and why?

Smell. Sight, hearing, and touch are too common. Taste is trickier and can feel like a stretch. Smell is a great extra detail to add grounding.

7. what is you favourite sentence/paragraph? read it to us! (asker can choose what fic) (x)

I wouldn't say this is my favorite. I don't really pride myself on my prose to feel particularly proud of anything on the sentence level. I did write this paragraph recently into a posted chapter of "Sideways," and I felt like it chaptered Kadian's mom in a concise way I liked.

Ella was in the picture, Kaidan’s mom. Laugh lines and tight hugs. She smelled like green apples, folded their laundry when they weren’t looking, and gave out the secret family recipe like campaign flyers. She remembered every important date. Once, she showed up unexpectedly at their house. Kaidan was away on assignment, but she seemed to already know that. She insisted on cooking dinner. She gave Shepard side-hugs, chatted merrily, and stayed the night. It was only later Shepard realized the date. Mindoir. She was the only person, outside Kaidan and Avyn, who always told Shepard she loved her.

12. what headcanon will you keep implementing in your fics, even if canon ends up contradicting it?

I have a lot of headcanon around biotics that isn't canon. Maybe it even contradicts canon, but it works for my storytelling. Namely, I wanted to limit biotics (every superpower needs a limit for storytelling). I came up with biotic fatigue. They can stretch themselves too far. There are signs it’s becoming too much. I think those are all important when you have a character with super powers and want action to have real stakes and tension.

I also headcanon being able to combine biotics for certain skills, like barriers. I like the idea personal compatibility influences inherent biotic compatibility. In "Sideways" I've come up with several new biotic powers that definitely aren't canon.

I'd say all in all, I've made my own version of biotics in a lot of ways. It’s what lets me explore character relationships and keep high stakes in storytelling.

Thank you for the ask!!!

#fShenko #Shenko #Mass Effect #Kaidan Alenko #shepard x kaidan #on writing #meme #ask meme answers #Thanks for the ask!

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hopevalley · 3 years

Text

Season 8, Episode 5: What the Heart Wants

I was going to try to follow my scene-by-scene format for the entire season, but I’ve been getting a lot of migraines recently, presumably from staring at the computer too long, so I don’t want to spend all morning working on typing up the play-by-play for this episode.

Also, for what it’s worth I think this episode lends itself to plot discussion better than some of the previous episodes...at least in some sense.

And as another head’s up, it’s back to being critical for me. ;P

Storylines:

School Ends/Graduation/Parent-Teacher Conferences

The Dress Shop/Rachel

Postal Service, Ned

Bill’s Uniform, Nathan’s Vacation

Carson and Faith

Henry

Elizabeth and Lucas

Clara’s Dilemma

School Ends/Graduation/Parent-Teacher Conferences

This plot felt a little scattered, but for once it wasn’t the kind of storyline they foisted too much drama upon. After years of every single function possible being besieged by bullshittery, it’s a relief to see one go off without a real hitch.

The beginning scene with Robert hugging Elizabeth was sweet. I enjoyed the Canfields immensely and am intrigued by Angela’s role in the story long-term (PLEASE let her befriend Allie!). Nathan...eh, I have thoughts—but I’ll talk about that a bit soon. The actual ceremony was cute and kind of fun with the kids singing.

Neat Thing I Noticed:

Continuity? Cat Montgomery is still listed as Emily’s mother. ♥♥♥ I don’t know why but this made me really happy???

Complaint Corner:

Parent-teacher conferences should have been in this show from a much earlier point, and so should graduation have been. If there was a point to this celebration (the first year in a while anyone was old enough to graduate) that would have been a nice touch, too. It just managed to feel sliiiightly out of place.

I’ll forgive the “everyone in town goes to the graduation” thing because this is 1918...something like this would be a whole-town affair IMO. Invite everyone and have a nice get-together/party, probably on a Sunday afternoon after church but Hope Valley does whatever it wants, so...eh.

The threat of merging Hope Valley with other schools doesn’t fit in this scenario and it feels like they ripped it directly out of Tales from Avonlea which was almost rage-inducing to me.

Look, school mergers happened a lot in the early 1900s, especially around the WWI mark, but it wouldn’t be hitting a rural western town just yet. They don’t have any way of getting these kids to other towns for schooling. Where would the next closest school be? It would have to be pretty large and modern to merge multiple schools together.

*Adjusts nerd glasses* This felt forced and completely unnecessary. If anything this guy could be telling Elizabeth that they’re working on building a modern school somewhat close by, and could even have her involved in some decision-making regarding layout. Then they could bring in a “merger” storyline next season without it feeling out of place.

It mostly just felt dramatic for the hell of it, and it was boring, as was this man’s threat that Elizabeth had no right to teach a blind student. As if they’d accept Angela at a better school? As if her parents could afford top tier education for her? PLEASE.

Now it’s time for Nathan. The man chose to go fishing instead of to the parent-teacher conference? It makes him look like a tool. This isn’t about him or about Elizabeth; it’s about Allie. I understand why he didn’t want to go, but he should have done it anyway. It would have taken five minutes of his time.

His flippant attitude annoyed me because it went completely against his character as we know it, but Elizabeth’s lecturing was irritating, too. For a moment I thought we had Lorigail back on the show...

I think Elizabeth was well within her rights to warn Nathan about the effect his work has on his ward, but that inquiry took like a week AT MOST. Heck, let’s be generous and say TWO WEEKS. Allie’s concentration suffered for two weeks. There was no need to say more than, “Hey she worries about you and her work suffered for a bit during that time frame, just so you’re aware.”

I think what annoyed me about the math program thing is that...Elizabeth being a teacher would probably be VERY WELL AWARE that MOST of the parents to her students aren’t good enough at schooling to assist their kids with their homework. I dunno, it just feels out of place for her to tell Nathan that she wants to put Allie in an accelerated “program” and that Allie might need his help with her homework. It’s even more out of place when he admits he used to bribe his sister to do his work for him. Like. It’s very possible he’s not that good at math and isn’t capable of helping. (But maybe that will be a plot down the road...?)

“Or a tutor...” BITCH WHERE IS HE GONNA FIND A TUTOR IN THIS TOWN?! It’s super annoying to see dialogue like this that feels completely out of touch with the reality these people would be living in...lol. But also if she needs a tutor to stay caught up in an advanced program, she probably...shouldn’t be in the advanced program.

I don’t know how to feel about this whole thing here: “Nathan, you are Allie’s world. You’re the only father she’s ever known, and as she grows up you will always be the measure of the quality she’ll look for in a man as she chooses who to marry.”

On one hand, it does fit the situation (he seems to think everything is behind him but Elizabeth’s words are kind of a caution that 1) his actions still have an effect on Allie, and 2) every day he’s teaching her by example). On the other hand, it seems almost wildly inappropriate to bring up? At the same time, it’s probably not wrong that Allie will measure other men (friends, acquaintances, potential future romantic interests) against Nathan’s example.

I dunno. The conversation felt disjointed.

I think what they were going for was Nathan just feeling too awkward and weird about being with Elizabeth to want to be there for the conference, but...he interacted with her quite normally after the inquiry and stuff (even after she’d broken things off with him), so...it feels out of place. Like maybe this should have taken place right after the breakup and not weeks later?

Anyone else have thoughts on this and why it doesn’t feel quite right?

The Dress Shop/Rachel

This plot wasn’t what I would call a waste of time (rather, it’s worth having it mentioned now), but part of it was completely pointless and stupid. The whole Rachel getting lost thing was tacked into the promos to stir up drama, but nothing happened and there was nothing worrisome even going on. YAWN.

Rosemary’s desire to do something meaningful and different with her life is super interesting. I’m very curious to see what they decide to do with her if Dottie does sell the dress shop.

Also, Rosemary finding the book under Rachel’s bed was pretty funny.

But yeah, I didn’t really find much in this plotline to care deeply about. I guess I am pretty interested in knowing who might be purchasing the dress shop and/or if this decision is to bring someone else onto the show (a female love interest for the man who doesn’t win Elizabeth’s heart in the end, or even to bring back an old character*) or to take the dress shop out of the equation entirely... It’s also just as possible that Rosemary/Lee or Clara/Jesse end up buying it themselves down the line... Thoughts?

*I can’t begin to imagine who would be the best fit for this in this case, though. Who would have the money to buy her out?

Postal Service, Ned

Ned is just honestly so cute and fun. I love him. He’s really been doing well this season and seeing him wander around town delivering mail door to door was kind of nice.

Also, he’s one SMOOTH operator! Look at him, talking about putting a bell on the door so that he and Florence won’t be caught off-guard if they’re in the middle of...something.

Oh my, Ned. What might customers be...interrupting? :3

Continuity? Not only was the ulcer from last season brought up, but the horrid cabbage juice was, too. :’) It was a nice touch. And these two had just enough screentime to be kind of fun/interesting without also taking up too much time.

Bill’s Uniform, Nathan’s Vacation

Nathan got his vacation and Bill is in charge...again. This happens an awful lot. I wonder if it’ll actually impact the next few episodes or if it’s just here for the hell of it.

I love Bill a lot and I want to brag up his character in this episode a bit. I’ve complained many times in the past about him being written like a Grumpy Old Man Yelling at Clouds but this episode was super respectful. He got his scene with his uniform. Nobody interrupted it. There weren’t even any words. I quite liked it.

But it also felt kind of...pointless? I don’t want to judge it too harshly yet. Like the dress shop plotline, this could actually be going somewhere in the next couple of episodes.

Plus, unrelated to the uniform, it was nice to see Bill acting fatherly toward Clara. While it sort of came out of nowhere for the wedding, I appreciate the attempt at continuity there. Plus, so far this season, I’ve felt like Bill’s almost been a father-figure to Clara, Fiona, and even Nathan, so I’m enjoying that a lot.

Carson and Faith

CONTINUITY? The show finally remembered that not only is Carson actually a surgeon, but that was his original passion. It’s not that they completely forgot (S5 had him performing surgery on his sister-in-law, after all), but giving Carson a PASSION makes him a way more interesting character to me.

And also, finally, this feels like a REAL high-stakes plotline for him and for Faith.

I really liked Faith’s take on things. I know, I know, I’ve been rooting at them to break up, but the reason is mostly because they’re just so BORING together. I’d rather watch Henry twirl around in a chair for an hour than suffer through date scenes with these two.

It’s not that I’m against a doctor wife/husband team. I’m not. I just think Faith was a much more interesting and cool character on the show before Carson showed up and usurped her place (and completely overshadowed her for literal seasons). This plotline for Carson might actually be interesting. Like, a fellowship? For modern surgery? IN BALTIMORE?!

I hope this is Faith’s way of saying she wants a break and/or a break would be good for them. I can’t picture her leaving Hope Valley without any trained medical staff, let alone long enough for a fellowship...

But if this goes through, what will they do with it? Would they really write Carson off the show? To be perfectly honest with y’all, I’d be fine with that. At least it’s the type of write-off that makes a lot of good sense (unlike some of the other ones we got). I guess this is just another “wait and see” plotline which is uhh...the theme of this episode, huh? Anyone have thoughts on this?

Henry

Henry barely had any screentime, but I do want to say he is #relateable. The man is back at work for ten seconds and already exhausted. SAME.

Also, I appreciate that he’s ready to be back in the oil business. At what cost? I know people were worried they were gonna kill him off, and I really doubted it, but now I’m starting to wonder where they’re going with this exactly. Yet another wait and see moment LOL!

Elizabeth and Lucas

Some damn fine scenes for Lucas and Elizabeth in this episode. Mostly the scenic ones. :P

I enjoyed the agreement to a date. The horseback riding stuff was pretty cute.

Complaint corner? I don’t know. I have petty complaints. Even though the celebration for the kids was a town-wide event, and therefore Lucas was invited, it still felt out of place to see it brought up. Maybe it should have been mentioned as a town celebration from the start?

Then Lucas’s comment about not wanting to make things awkward for Nathan (who is actually a parent and there) makes a liiiittle more sense. I do think it was good of him to not go, even though he wanted to spend more time with Elizabeth, but it gave off a weird vibe, like, “Look at how good and wholesome Lucas is!” Is that intentional? I’m not...sure...?

For what it’s worth I already felt like Lucas was an honorable person in this regard. He loaned Nathan money, after all. Maybe he should have told Elizabeth he views Nathan as a friend and doesn’t want to hurt his feelings unnecessarily and/or if he was there he’d want to hog her all to himself or something cheesy. Hm.

My other complaints are:

Elizabeth running to the saloon would be WAY faster than all this getting set up at her house...?? Who thought this made sense?

Elizabeth’s dress looked like a nightie she bought at Kohls.

Too many damn candles.

Characters Do What Plot Dictates Even Though Plot Makes No Sense. More at 11:00!!

I have no further comments on the dress. It needed sleeves or something so it looked more like a dress and not like a nightgown/piece of lingerie.

I think the candles might have been on purpose to parallel Jack...but I hated it lol. Fire hazard? HAVEN’T ENOUGH THINGS IN TOWN BURNED DOWN/EXPLODED?!

I didn’t hate the date scene! But I never feel like Elizabeth has any meaningful conversations with Lucas and it’s starting to drive me batty.

Could we get uhhh something of substance please? It has to be surface-level nonsense on purpose. Right? RIGHT?

(And no, discussing a book for ten seconds on-screen is not “intelligent conversation” okay...?)

It’s really a shame because I’m starting to actually warm up to Lucas a little bit in this season but it feels like the conversations are just...kind of stilted and she’s not really into dating him—just agreeing to it because he’s the only option.

And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but...he deserves better than that.

Don’t get me wrong, by the way. If it’s part of the story and it’s revealed as such down the road, I’ll be fine with it...but I always worry they’ll just skip important relationship milestones and/or important conversations and expect us all to just accept it.

Kiiiiiind of looking forward to the rainy date scene in the next episode, though. I’m Team Nathan mostly but I’m keeping an open mind and I think I might actually enjoy it. Hopefully they’ll get some good scenes together that don’t feel like this one did.

Clara's Dilemma

Clara’s fears about running the salon without Fiona...are legit. LOL.

Also, this little bit was funny (between Mike and Jesse and Bill):

Anyway, if Clara was that worried about it, she should have just...told Fiona no? I hope it comes up down the road. Poor Molly??

I genuinely don’t know how I feel about Clara and Jesse’s involvement in this episode. I guess it was okay. I liked Clara’s scenes with Bill. I thought the idea of Clara and Jesse buying into the cafe was a nice one. Jesse having “invested” their money and lost it all, though... They did a similar plot with other people in what...Season 5 was it? Or was that the start of S6? He didn’t even say what he invested it in? But he admits the money is all gone?

I think that’s what was missing from that scene. “I invested it in X, hoping to make us more money, but it didn’t work out and we lost everything.”

I’m not going to criticize Jesse’s characterization, only because sometimes character "growth” doesn’t happen for the better of anyone involved. My biggest worry here is that it’ll be solved by the end of next episode....but I hope that’s not it.

Like, I think they did better with Frank and Abigail if we’re going to talk about a man who didn’t know how to live like he was in a committed relationship. It made more sense with Frank, too, being older and single most of his life. His bouts of selfishness felt realistic.

Jesse feels like he’s somehow getting worse and worse as a person as the show goes on. I’m kind of at a point where I hope he and Clara divorce, because he’s so damn selfish it’s embarrassing. He’s off having a beer while his wife works multiple jobs? And then he has the audacity to act like they should save money when he just blew all their savings?

I’m sure it’ll work out fine but I hope Clara puts herself in charge of the finances at the very least.

As to investing failures, I liked how they did that with Henry and Abigail. That was the kind of tension and worry that felt natural to me—like she trusted him with her money after he’d proven himself untrustworthy ten million times throughout the years, and he failed and had to uhh admit that.

Jesse straight up betrayed Clara. Which, if it’s dealt with in a satisfying way...I think can be a good plotline. I just worry about it actually being dealt with properly. That’s a huge stumbling block in a relationship. And why is he continually getting worse as a person? There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.

Gasp... it’s almost like it’s just plot because they feel like they have to give someone something every damn episode.

Which brings me to THE FINAL

COMPLAINT CORNER (The Big Boy™ Complaints)

The show has really struggled with finding its footing. I wish they’d take notes from better shows with ensemble casts (cough cough Road to Avonlea cough) without also ripping off their storylines (cough school merges cough).

My #1 complaint at this point in Season 8 is the SHEER AMOUNT OF THINGS GOING ON EVERY EPISODE.

I want continuity, so I want to see things happen naturally over a season, but my God do we not need to have mindless pointless crap in the episode. Rachel getting “lost” for ten seconds wasted literal MINUTES of screen time that would have been MUCH better allocated to basically anyone else in this episode.

And I don’t think it would bother me so much if it wasn’t also shoved into the promo like it was supposed to matter. It didn’t matter. Nobody cares. Why was it allowed to stay in the episode alongside stuff like Clara and Bill’s conversation?

Or Lucas and Carson’s?

I think they want to appease all the fans in every episode by giving them scenes of their favorites, but what did Henry sitting in his chair accomplish in this episode? Rachel getting lost? Jack not sleeping well/missing his mom? The school superintendent?

Did Bill trying on his uniform have to be in this episode? Did Jesse and Clara’s problems have to come fully to light right now?

When every episode is formatted like this, with 10 plotlines all interconnected slightly and going on at the same time, I feel like...nobody gets the spotlight they deserve when they deserve it.

I cANNOT believe I’m saying this, but this plotline for Carson, especially if it will end with him leaving the show for a while or permanently should get the focus it deserves. But it won’t if we get tiny snips of it here and there and then BOOM decision made because Reasons.

And again, I know I’ve said before that I want more continuity throughout the season, but... the best way to do that is to tighten up the plots. Have fewer of them per season and give more screentime to the ones you choose to pursue.

Anyway, I’m still enjoying the season, but I hope they keep some of this kind of stuff in mind for next season. They don’t need plotlines for everyone in every episode. They need the plotlines they choose to write to be worth their screentime.

Sorry this was sloppily written and all that. Hopefully it makes sense. Very curious to see y’alls thoughts. Feel free to make your own posts and @ me, or reblog this or comment!

#when calls the heart #long post #season 8 spoilers #season 8 shenanigans #analysis and meta discussion #character studies and information

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randomoranges · 3 years

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is it lame to do art or write fics for a character’s “birthday”? prolly. do i care? nah. Also guess the song referenced-ish in the title!

Party [For Three]

January 9th 2021

It would be silly to say that this plan had been in motion since late November, but the truth of the matter is that the plan had, in fact, been in motion, since the end of the month of November. On a day that Edward had been out on errands, Calvin had cornered Étienne between two classes to ask him whether or not he had given any thoughts to Edward’s birthday. Étienne had blinked, confused, and had reminded Calvin that Edward’s birthday was over a month away – they had time, but that yes, he had given it some thought in the vague sense that he was aware that Edward’s birthday was coming up, eventually, and that something should be done about it.

Calvin had laughed in his face, patted him on the shoulder, and had then told him that he would e-mail him the Docs with his current brainstorming.

Étienne had done the mistake of assuming that Calvin was kidding, but sure enough, ten minutes later, he had received a rather elaborate document titled “Brainstorm for Deadward’s Birthday – COVID LOCKDOWN EDITION 2021.”

Étienne had – not been surprised.

Therefore, he’d read the document and through it, the both of them had discreetly figured out what to do for their respective boyfriend for his birthday.

Now, Edward never really bothered with his birthday. It was too close after the holidays and everyone was always tired from over-indulging and over-spending. It often went unnoticed and the post-holiday depression settled in on people. There wasn’t really anything to look forward to or to keep the moral up and so, Edward never really went out of his way, unlike some people he knew, to create a big bash or make a big deal of it. It was just another day, after all, and in his case, birthdays were highly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. On top of that, this year was even less than stellar, considering the current pandemic and the fact that nearly everything was shut down.

Therefore, he planned to eat the, hopefully, last of the leftovers, sleep, spend a quiet day, do some cleaning and maybe watch a movie. Keep it lowkey and such.

Still, he had to admit that the fact that both Calvin and Étienne were in town with him was rather nice. That was gift and indulgence enough. He’d had birthdays with Calvin, especially since they’d started dating, and Calvin always did do something special for him, which was nice, even if it always made him flustered. However, this would be the first time, in probably ever, that Étienne was here for his birthday – that they could celebrate it together. (He was partially to blame for that. He had never visited Étienne beyond a few days post New Year’s and he had shut down Étienne’s suggestion one year of coming back with him to spend the week until his birthday under the excuse of work and such. In his defence, he’d always assumed that Étienne didn’t want to come over or be with him for his birthday. Which, retrospectively was really stupid, considering the fact that Étienne always did something for him on their last day together for his birthday and then called him on the day of. Sometimes, he wondered if the drugs hadn’t actually affected his brain capacities at times.)

What he failed to take into consideration, (or maybe he had and he was just playing along) was that both Calvin and Étienne would not stand for that and that they had, over the past month, developed an elaborate and full plan for his birthday. Cake included.

Seeing as the possibility of activities was limited, Calvin and Étienne had agreed that they would focus on what they could do to make the day special. All chores and other such tasks were not to be done by Edward, regardless of what he said, no matter what, no questions asked. The cake would be delivered during the day by Edward’s favourite local bakery. They’d thought of baking something together, but with Edward around all the time, it would have been hard to hide the cake or the evidence. Even if they waited for him to be out of the house, Edward would most likely smell the cake upon his return and even if they hid the cake and made extra batter to say they had made cupcakes for fun, the risk of Edward finding the place where they would have hid the cake was too high. (Calvin had thought of all possible scenarios and Étienne had been surprisingly good into figuring out how Edward could find out.)

Obviously, they could have made this easier on themselves by telling Edward that they wanted to plan something for him, but Calvin and Étienne had agreed that making this a “surprise” would be better and way more cooler. Plus, Edward would shoot the idea down and tell them both that he didn’t need anything special or something equally lame and boring and old man like.

Hence, they kept to their secret document and tried to keep a low profile.

“Y’know, the whole idea of birthday breakfast was for everything to be ready on time and for the food to be hot. How long does it take to make your parfaits? At this rate the French toast will be cold and the bacon will have coagulated!” Calvin complained for what felt like the seventy-third time since the sun had risen.

“You can’t just rush art, McCall. Isn’t there some fancy “keep warm” option on that monster? It’s not my fault you decided to get up earlier still to get a head start. I told you to wake me up if I was still asleep!” Étienne tried to calmly retort as he added the delicate chocolate shavings on top of the parfait he was currently trying to finish.

“Yeah, well, how the frig was I s’posed to know that your no-bake-super-fast-and-easy-parfaits would take literal hours to make?!” Calvin asked as he leaned over Étienne’s shoulder to observe his handy work.

“I’ve been in this kitchen for less than twenty minutes. You’re the one who hogged the entire counter.” Étienne added as he nudged Calvin away so that he could reach over for the raspberries.

“You said you didn’t need the kitchen!” Calvin whined.

“Where the hell did you want me to assemble the parfaits; space?”

“Well, that would’ve been interesting to see.”

Étienne sighed and rolled his eyes, “Anyways, I’m done.”

Their carefully constructed plan was to make breakfast for Edward. They’d established a menu, had gone over it more than once, and had had to find creative ways to put some of the ingredients on the grocery list without raising any questions. (Eventually, Calvin had gone out to get some of the things himself and had just hoped that Edward wouldn’t find them.) Their plan was also to make dinner for Edward but their collaboration wasn’t at its best. Still, they supposed it was the thought that counted and so long as the food was good and Edward liked it, they’d count it as a victory.

The rest of the plan for the day could be summarised as “spend time with Edward” and “make sure he has a nice time” and “spoil him” and “give him gifts” and “make sure he doesn’t wash the dishes or do any laundry” and “do whatever it is he wants to do so long as it’s not a chore.”

The stakes weren’t exactly very high, but considering the current situation, it was a pretty good plan.

The bottom line was that they both wanted to do something nice for Edward and spend the day with him.

The only problem that they hadn’t taken into consideration was the fact that their little discussion could have potentially woken up the one person they were trying to let sleep in for as long as humanly possible.

“Ahem.”

They both stopped their bickering and slowly turned in time towards the sound of the interruption, only to find Edward, sleep rumpled and small smirk in place, standing at the entrance of the kitchen, with his arms crossed over his chest.

They blinked and looked at one another, trying to figure out how to solve this before their perfectly crafted plan fell to ashes and to smithereens.

“Good morning, gentlemen, I hope you both slept well. I slept fine and I must say, that for as much as I did enjoy having a few hours to myself to hog the bed in any which way I wanted, I was a little bit disappointed to wake up and find it completely empty.”

Calvin opened his mouth to say something, but Edward raised his hand to stop him, “I had been looking forward to at least one birthday morning cuddle on the day of my actual birthday, but even Mercury had abandoned her post. So, do enlighten me, what’s going on?” He asked with a kind smile that both Calvin and Étienne knew was entirely fake.

Without missing a beat, the other two nodded and then Étienne stepped forward, “This is all a dreeeeeaaaaaammmmm,” He started, changing his voice and flailing his arms as if he were a ghost or something of the sorts.

Calvin mimicked Étienne and did the same, “You are sleep waaaalkiiiiiiinnnnng. You have seen noooooothinggggggg.” He added, his voice low.

Edward tried hit utmost best not to laugh at their antics.

“Go back to beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.” They finished off in unison as they walked towards Edward to shoo him back to the bedroom.

“All right, all right, I’m going, I’m going. No need to be so rude, hallucinations. I’m gone.”

Calvin and Étienne made sure that Edward was back in the bedroom, before they returned to the kitchen and slumped against the counter.

“Well, that was close.” Étienne said as he stole a grape off the platter he’d been assembling earlier.

“Think he actually fell for it?” Calvin asked him. They gave each other a look and then laughed, potentially knowing better. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

They made sure to set everything on the table so that it was picture perfect, with every last detail accounted for, right down to the carefully folded napkins and the utensils placed the “proper way,” before going back to the bedroom to join Edward.

When Edward “came to”, it was to find Mercury using his chest as her personal pillow, Étienne with his legs sprawled over his own and Calvin sitting by his head, seemingly engrossed in his phone. Mercury was the first to notice that he was “awake” and proceeded to lick his face, despite his feeble attempts to gently nudge her away.

“Good morning to you, sleeping beauty,” Calvin teased as he levelled with him to peck his other cheek.

“So nice of you to join us,” Étienne piped in, grinning, as he slung an arm over Edward’s chest.

Edward shook his head, fond and amused, and did his best to try to sit up, what with everyone seemingly draped over him in some way.

“We have it on good authority that today is a special day, actually,” Étienne went on, his grin only growing.

Edward played along and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s Saturday! So we made brunch! Come with us!” Calvin added, before bounding off the bed.

Before Edward had fully wrapped his mind around what was going on, he found himself once more in an empty bed, resigned himself to getting out of it, and followed them to the kitchen, he presumed.

Edward padded after them and expected to find the table set with brunch, but he had failed to account for the fact that both Calvin and Étienne would most likely go all out for his birthday, again.

“Surprise!” They shouted once he’d stepped in.

Instead, he found the table covered with one of the nicer tablecloths. There was a painted banner that hung from the wall that had not been there earlier, the spread on the table was gorgeous and looked delicious, there were fresh flowers in the center of the table and there were even presents carefully stacked up together at the spot where he always sat.

He was touched, moved, really.

“Happy birthday!” Calvin said as he walked over to him to give him a hug he accepted without thought.

“We love you,” Étienne added as he walked over as well and then added himself to the hug.

Edward couldn’t quite form a coherent sentence, so instead he let both Calvin and Étienne shower him with hugs and attention for the time being.

He would get his revenge, eventually – after they ate.

It would be a shame to waste such a feast.

FIN

#pc: montreal #pc: edmonton #pc: calgary #edward murphy #étienne maisonneuve #calvin BRISEBOIS LOL #calvin something #fic #projocanondoko

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kevintor · 4 years

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I Watch a Movie I Should Have Seen: Hocus Pocus

I miss doing these entries. Mostly I miss adding movies to my watched list. Obviously, I’ve never seen Hocus Pocus. That’s why we’re here.

What did I know about Hocus Pocus? I knew there were witches and I knew Bette Midler had fun teeth. And she certainly did!

My thoughts:

We open on Salem in the 1600s following the shadow of a flying witch. The music was straight out of the Danny Elfman playbook but I guess they couldn’t get him so they found an equivalent Ray Parker, Jr. to Elfman’s Huey Lewis. (If you don’t know)

Pink smoke comes out of the chimney of the witch house which means someone’s gender reveal party resulted in a girl! Unfortunately they had to sacrifice a different little girl to find out.

The old-timey boy we meet is wearing a shirt that can only be described as billowy. He should take off like a kite when he runs. Yet somehow when he violently tumbles down a forest hill, none of that very excessive fabric gets caught on anything. Is the fabric even there or are we imagining it?

The witches (Sanderson Sisters) use a book made of human skin and a functioning eyeball. I shall call this book “Columbo.”

It’s very nice of them to put a mill wheel next to the witch house for the boy to climb.

Okay, so Bette Midler has lightning fingers like Emperor Palpatine.

I honestly thought the witches were going to be misunderstood and everyone would win at the end but killing a little girl for her youth and turning the boy into an immortal cat really puts a big wrench in the redemption arc chances.

The townspeople stage a hanging. The witches curse the town that they will return much like Pennywise only scarier.

We fast forward to find out that the opening is a story that is told in a Salem high school class where the kids apparently range in age from 14-28.

A new-to-town California boy (Max) doesn’t buy into all the witch lore. No mention on why his first day of school is Halloween. Parents did not plan that move well.

Max is into Allison, the pretty girl in school that leads with her teeth in every conversation. Did Rami Malek pull some his Freddy Mercury from her?

Max rides his bike home from school at super speed. He is either an exceptional mountain biking improviser or he practiced it the day before to be really ready for school. Probably the latter.

On his shortcut through the cemetery, he runs into two kids, Jay and Ice. Jay seems to be all the bad parts of Bill and Ted combined and Ice seems to be 40.

Jay and Ice take Max’s sneakers because that’s what bullies in the early 90s did. It makes pedaling home slower which may be for the best. He rode his bike too quickly.

Max does not like being here in Salem anymore. We learn this as he angrily takes off his hat, backpack, and jacket.

Max comforts himself by awkwardly hugging and cooing to his pillow pretending it’s Allison. His little sister, Dani, catches the awkwardness, gets on the bed, and simulates being Allison which is normal.

The house appears to have an unlimited number of stairs to climb up to get away in frustration.

Max reluctantly takes his sister trick-or-treating. He has the appropriate level of older brother standoffishness.

Jay and Ice stop the sister asking for her candy. Max gives the candy to the bullies and she tells him he should have been a man and fought them. Again one of them is like 40.

Max makes up with her using a pouty face. Like! A! Man!

They find a rich house that they assume will make them bob for apples. This is a bad idea even in non-pandemic times. Never bob for apples at a stranger’s house. No matter how rich they are. That’s how rich people fatten you up to make you easier to hunt.

Max and Dani let themselves inside and start robbing the place of their Raisinets and O Henry bars. Rich people give out terrible candy.

Turns out the rich house belongs to Allison. They are having a party and everyone there is authentically dressed like royals. They did not get any of these costumes at Spirit Halloween.

Dani tells Allison that she can’t wear Allison’s royal dress because she doesn’t have yabbos and proceeds to tell her that Max loves her yabbos. This girl is outrageous. Or rude. It was a fine line in 1993.

Max asks Allison to take them to the Sanderson Sisters’ house. She tells him she’s going to quickly change out of a dress that must have taken her 45 minutes to get into.

The house is no different than it used to be. The spell book is still there. How have Jay and Ice not stolen anything from it?

Immortal Cat attacks Max when he wants to light the “virgin candle” that will bring back the Sanderson sisters. It’s a great sequence where he says the name of the movie (always important), then pulls a Zippo out of his pocket (which all kids who don’t smoke have), and lights the candle.

It starts things. Hair blows a lot. This is why they had Max be a surfer boy from California. For this hair effect.

This movie cares a lot about someone being a virgin. Even Dani knows what a virgin is. Are they covering this in her second grade class? Do the parents know? What does the PTA think?

The candle makes the Sisters return and they try to keep Dani. Bette Midler uses more of her Star Wars lightning fingers but Allison saves the day.

The cat can talk and the chances of me liking this movie just took a huge hit.

Max steals Columbo, the spell book.

The writers of the movie do the right thing by having the Sisters be scared of everything modern like roads and fire trucks. Nice touch.

The Sisters only have tonight, which adds the right amount of stakes, to get the spell book back. I don’t think I could make it if they had a week or so.

The Sisters raise the dead causing a very reluctant zombie (RZ) to chase after the kids. Most zombies love what they do so this is a fun choice.

Immortal Cat gets run over by a bus but lives because he’s immortal. We needed proof because the 300 years of being a cat was not enough.

Garry Marshall plays a guy dressed as the devil which they play for fun as the Sisters worship him but we can’t gloss over that fact that Fake Devil’s wife is played by his real-life sister, Penny Marshall. It’s not disturbing. They’re acting!

Children steal the Sisters’ brooms which probably won’t matter later.

They find a Halloween party that Max’s parents went to. When Max’s dad meets Allison, he kisses her hand. I am going to do the same to whoever my kid brings home one day. “It’s from Hocus Pocus. That movie’s fun. It’s not weird.”

Bette Midler gets to sing a song. That should satisfy the requirements from her contract. The song puts a spell on the partygoers forcing them to dance until they die. Somehow the kids are immune to it. Can they shut off their ears? Are they also magical?

The kids lure the Sisters into the school incinerator and burn them alive. It’s a strong play. The kids celebrate as if there is not 30 minutes left in the movie.

Immortal Cat, in a time of reflection, brings up his sister and Max says “You really miss her, huh?” He has been trapped as a cat after failing to save his sister’s life 300 years earlier. He misses her. Why not “Hey, do you ever wonder what might have happened if you saved her life?”

Without any explanation, the Sisters are fine. They run into Jay and Ice who insult them. The Sisters cage Jay and Ice and make them hang from the witch house ceiling. The bullies are crying. Maybe they aren’t so tough after all. <High Fives No One>

Allison decides to find a spell to uncat Immortal Cat. She opens Columbo causing it to glow. The glow lures Bette Midler and the Sisters to her. Allison fails to notice the glow but learns that salt can keep them safe.

The Sisters steal the book and Dani when Allison only uses the salt to protect herself. She really took care of number one here.

Now Sarah Jessica Parker gets to sing a real creepy song that summons all the children from the town. It really shows you the power of song. Again, Max and Allison must have turned off their hearing for this.

Max and Allison trick the Sisters into thinking sun is coming early by using a car headlight. It works but I don’t understand why. They had the sun 300 years ago. They know what it looks like. “Is that a person in a brown sweat suit and green hat or a tree?”

While the Sisters are scared of the car headlight, Max steals back his sneakers but doesn’t save the bullies. How does he know he won’t need the bullies to be on his side in the future? Has he not seen every other high school movie?

They drive away and Bette Midler brooms after them. We know how fast Max likes to go so it is impressive Bette Midler can keep up.

Reluctant Zombie shows up and Max pulls a knife on him. So Max has a knife and a zippo. He might be a problem.

They take the final showdown to a cemetery which is an odd choice. Why not a miniature golf course or a TCBY. Were they still around in 1993?

Max brings a bat to a magic fight. Allison still has her salt. “Bats and salt: Working together to inconvenience witches since 1881!”

Max sacrifices himself to save Dani. The sun comes up as Bette Midler is sucking the life out of Max. Just when you think it might be a better sun-impersonating headlight, Bette Midler turns into a statue and explodes. Definitely the sun.

Immortal Cat dies so he can be with his sister. Billowy shirt ghost appears to say thanks with a kiss on Dani’s cheek (so normal) before he runs off with his ghost sister for eternity.

They did it! They saved Salem! Quite a first day for Max..

The movie was fine. I hate talking animals unless they are cartoons so that didn’t help. And why did they care so much about virgins? A friend told me that “virgin” meant “pure of heart.” Well then they should have said “pure of heart.” And if I can suggest, between Max’s predilection for weapons and Allison’s selfishness with the salt, I don’t think they should stop being “pure of heart” with each other. They aren’t a good couple. Going through a traumatic thing like killing summoned witches from the Pilgrim days causes feelings that can’t last.

#i watch a movie i should have seen #hocus pocus #bette midler #scary #halloween #movies #90s movies #sarah jessica parker #kathy najimy #sanderson sisters #funny #comedy #Movie Reviews

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untapanimedraw · 4 years

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Anime of the Decade 2017

So many shows! Time to jump into another year!

Winter:

KonoSuba S2 - The best of KonoSuba (excepting the movie). What can I say, it’s fantastic.

Blue Exorcist S2 - This is the proper manga continuation from the first season. However because the first season had an anime original ending this retcons the end and continues from there. That said, this season was very very good and I hope to get more in the future.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid - This was THE show of the season. So adorable, wholesome, and fun. Just a laid-back show with low stakes that was a lot of fun.

Youjo Senki - I got pretty busy during this season and put this show on hold for a few weeks before I got to it. When I did watch it, I binged 5 episodes in a row and was starving for more. There are a lot of stellar shows from this winter season but this one was fucking perfect. There was also the Movie that aired last year which was an absolute treat to watch in the theater. Between the large screen and the beautiful sound, it makes for a great experience. This takes my AOTS.

Kuzu no Honkai - The “romance” of the season. There was so much fucked up teen drama and messiness in this show, it was a heart-wrenching experience. It’s one of those shows that you don’t watch to enjoy, you watch to follow the story and be sad with the characters. Also the OP and ED are absolutely perfect.

LIttle Witch Academia - I love this show so much. Harry Potter meets anime girls. Also it’s studio Trigger so you knows there’s going to be some great animation.

ACCA 13 - This was such a fun mystery/drama show. The setting is so unique, the music was fantastic, the characters are so good. Everything about this show is just really good.

Spring:

My Hero Academia S2 - Tournament Arc!!!! Stain Arc!!! Holy shit this season was fantastic. It’s my AOTS.

Attack On Titan S2 - It’s back!! Finally get some more action after the crazy hiatus. Lots happens, but S3 part 2 is still better.

Eromanga-sensei - This show was a firestorm of memes and jokes throughout the anime community during this season. It wasn’t even half-bad, just so ridiculous.

Sword Oratoria - This was such a fucking dissapointment of a show. It promised us more DanMachi, more of the characters we’d like to see, from a new perspective, and we got that. Kinda. In like the most dissapointing way possible. From the perspective of the most annoying character. So bad. So far I’ve only included the best shows of the seasons that I appreciated, but this was such a disappointment that I felt it needed to be included.

No picture, doesn’t deserve it.

Re:Creators - This has got to be one of the most unique and ambitious original anime projects of the decade. So many characters, such an interesting plot, 2 cour! Well worth watching.

Renai Boukun - Death Note, but with kisses. The shinigami is a cupid. It’s adorable. This show even has a likable yandere! Lots of fun

Alice & Zouroku - Found family, Alice and Wonderland, powers, this show has a whole lot to it and was the most wholesome and adorable show of the season.

Tsugumomo - I have no idea how to describe this show. I’m just fucking stoked for season 2 in 2020!

Seikaisuru Kado - This original anime kinda shit the bed with the ending, but the buildup was fantastic, the ideas it presented were worth exploring, and most importantly it was a nearly fully 3D CG anime that looked really good! It’s worth watching if only for this technological advancement.

Sakura Quest - I adore this Slice of Life show from P.A. Works. It ran for 2 cours, the OPs and EDs were great, there was a fun and varied selection of best girls, and the engrish and foreign languages spoken actually sounded pretty good!

Fukumenkei Noise - Music anime that was on Amazon. It wasn’t bad as a show, a little annoying with one repeated singing bit that happens like 100 times over the show, but the music was fantastic. I still listen to the OST today.

Summer:

Kakegurui - Gambling with arousal and orgasms. I think that’s as accurate as I can be in describing this show. It’s insanity in a great way.

Gamers! - “Misunderstandings the anime” is what this was taken to being called. It’s just so straightforward in it’s earnestness and fun, that it’s hard not to love.

Tsuredure Children - This is a short-form, multiple storied, anime about romance and the different forms it takes for different people. It’s really really good and I can guaranty you will be able to find someone to relate to.

Aho Girl - Here we get to the stupidest comedy that I’ve seen. It’s so fucking stupid, and so hilarious at the same time.

Princess Principal - This is an anime about alternate-history europe with high-school girls who are spies. It’s aired in a case-file format that is out of order. So the timeline flow is out of order and we continuously learn more about the characters and their relationships and how things came to be the way they are. It’s super unique, and made for a beautiful story. Also the OP is a fucking banger. It’s my AOTS.

Fall:

Black Clover - Man, this show had such poor reception when it aired due to Asta’s screaming. There were 3 camps: The manga readers who knew it was a great story and kept watching, the people who couldn’t stand the voice, and my camp, the people who could mostly handle the voice and stuck it out. And I am so glad I did. Don’t get me wrong, this is no top of the line battle shounen, but it’s a very solid B+ that has a number of sakuga moments and a few experimental animation styles that were really dope.

Net-juu no Susume - A tale of a gamer who lives online and has nearly given up on IRL. She comes to find romance, but more importantly, she comes to find a reason to keep living life and realization that maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.

Imouto sae Ireba Ii - This show, hands down, has the best opening scene of any show I’ve ever seen. Often referred to as the normie filter, it’s so outrageous that any general passer-by will promptly shun you. But it’s fantastic, and the show is even better. Not in an outrageous way, but in a kind of simple, fairly calm journey through life and the relationships that come of it. Also they play board games in the show and that’s fantastic. I enjoyed it so much, it’s my AOTS.

So we’ve got Youjo Senki, HeroAca S2, Princess Principal, and Imouto sae Ireba Ii. Four fantastic shows, but Youjo Senki takes AOTY for me. Everything about it is a pleasant surprise.

#anime #anime of the year #anime of the decade #Youjo senki #Princess principal #a sister's all you need #my hero academia season 2

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houston-notlikethecity · 5 years

Text

A Hockey Life by Matt Cullen

Part 1

One of the worst parts about growing up was having to make a malt.

Don’t get me wrong, the ingredients are pretty simple. And I loved drinking them. But if I had to make a malt, that meant one thing: I lost a hockey match on our outdoor rink.

My father, Terry, built an outdoor hockey rink in our backyard. Me and my two younger brothers, Mark and Joe, spent every spare minute we had on that ice. We’d come home from school, change and hit the rink. Every birthday party was on the rink. We hooked up lights onto the roof and would play until it was dark and all we could see were the bright Minnesota stars above.

All I’ve ever known in my life is hockey. My earliest childhood memories were on that rink in Virginia, Minnesota. That’s all I really wanted to do as a kid, was be on the rink and play with my brothers and friends. There was nothing better in life. I know it’s the same story for a lot of guys, but that’s how I fell in love with hockey.

If we weren’t spending our night in the backyard, we were usually attending one of my father’s high school games. From my youth until I was 10 years old, my father was the hockey coach for the Virginia Blue Devils. And I imagined myself being a Blue Devil one day. But when I was in the fourth grade he took over as coach of the Moorhead Spuds.

(I remember being so mad. I didn’t want to be a spud. I wanted to be a Blue Devil! They had such a cool logo. What even is a spud? A potato? We’re going to be potatoes? It’s so funny thinking back at how upset I was at the time).

I still remember going to watch my dad coach. My friends and I collected programs and would tear out the pages. If our team won the game we would count down the final seconds and throw those pages into the air like confetti and celebrate like we just won the Stanley Cup. In between periods my brothers and I would play mini sticks with the team doctor in the hallway.

When we got home there was always one final chore for the night. We shoveled off the outdoor rink and flooded the ice so that it would be nice and solid for the next day. On the nights before a big game or tournament Dad would bring out a bucket of hot water. It was like we were Zamboni-ing it. It felt like big time. The ice would be super smooth after. The stakes were high.

And those tournaments could get pretty intense. My father, my brothers and me would mix teams for a 2-on-2 matchup. The losing team had to make the winning team malts and serve them to the winners.

So if I was making the malts, it meant that I had lost. But if I had won, then the losing team had to make malts for me and my teammate. The only thing better than the sweet taste of victory was the sweet taste of drinking that malt.

Part 2

In Minnesota, high school hockey is king.

We didn’t have NHL on the Fly or ESPN Hockey. The NHL was another planet. To kids growing up in Minnesota in the 80s, playing for your high school team was the dream.

My favorite moments were when my dad would let me in the locker room. I was in awe of the high school players and wanted to be them one day. For me, it was the equivalent of my children being in the locker room with Sid and Geno.

To us Minnesota kids, high school hockey was the NHL. And playing for the state championship was our Stanley Cup.

Every year my family would drive three-and-a-half hours south to the St. Paul Civic Center to watch the tournament, whether my dad’s team was in it or not. I remember it had clear boards and was filled with 15,000 people watching. It was the highlight of my whole year. It was like a holiday.

My best memories of my high school career at Moorhead was playing in that tournament. For a kid growing up around high school hockey, that was the ultimate. I played in the tournament during my sophomore, junior and senior years. Unfortunately, we never won the title, but we were runner-up twice and finished third the other year.

What sticks out most was my senior year. I was playing with my brother Mark and we had a good team. That year I started thinking that I was good enough to maybe play in college and maybe, someday, the NHL. We made the state tournament again that year. We faced Rochester in the semifinal and the game went into double overtime. I scored the game-winner to get us to the final, though we didn’t finish it off in the last game of the season.

Losing was tough. Obviously, I wanted to win. But I think losing in those games was good for me in the long run. Losing in the finals and never quite getting there, I felt like there was maybe more I had. I felt that this isn’t my big moment. There’s maybe more ahead. I don’t know why I thought that. I’m not sure where it came from. But going through my head during that defeat was that my big moment was still to come.

Part 3

I jumped over the boards at Maple Leaf Gardens and skated to the faceoff circle to square off against Hall-of-Famer Mats Sundin. It was October of 1997. Two years ago I was just a high school senior.

Now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, I was about to skate my first career shift in one of the NHL’s most historic venues. I lost the faceoff, a defensive zone draw. The Maple Leafs had a shot on net and the coach called me off the ice. It was a short shift, but I’ll never forget it.

Everything was so new to me. I was living in California on my own, the farthest I’ve ever been away from home. I was balancing all these new experiences from dry cleaning, being on the road and keeping up with an apartment. Not to mention learning how to play in the NHL.

Being a rookie in the league was a lot different back then. I was really quiet my first year, if you can believe that. We had an older group and the rookies were treated like rookies. We only spoke when spoken to. I came home from the rink one day and called my brother and I said ‘You won’t believe this, but I didn’t say one word at the rink the entire day. I was there for five hours, didn’t say one word to anybody.’

My welcome to the NHL moment happened on Day 1. Teemu Selanne walked into the room and took out his skates. He hadn’t skated the entire summer and his skates had rust on them. He threw them on and was the best player on the ice from the first day. I was thinking, 'This is crazy. This is a whole new level of hockey.’ I was on a line with Teemu that first year and he scored a career-high 52 goals - but believe me, it was no thanks to me.

I spent most of my four seasons in Anaheim skating alongside Teemu and Paul Kariya. And they taught me so much about the game.

Teemu was such a fun-loving, easy-going guy. He loved the game. He just played for fun and enjoyed it. Paul was super intense and serious, the ultimate pro. It was super cool to see both sides of them.

But the thing I learned the most that year was from Paul, who was also my roommate on the road during my time there. He taught me how to be a pro. He was super structured and detailed, trained like crazy. He showed me how much you have to commit, how much you had to put in to being a pro if you wanted to be good at it.

Paul would stretch every night before going to bed, so I started stretching every night. I think that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to stay healthy throughout my entire career and play until I was 42 years old. I stretched throughout my whole career.

Coming out of high school I was pretty green. I didn’t realize that in an 82-game season you should be working out. I didn’t do things like that.

I always think back to spots in my career and people that came across my path, I think it’s for a reason. I learned so much from Paul, who remains a close personal friend to this day. Without his guidance I don’t think my career would have gone where it did.

Part 4

My hockey career hit a crossroads in the summer of 2005. I was 28 years old and worried that my career might be coming to an end. My last year in Anaheim and the next year-and-a-half with Florida were unmemorable. Then the NHL lockout happened. I knew if I had another bad season, retirement might come earlier than I anticipated. You can fall off the map pretty quickly in the NHL.

Then came a dilemma. Two teams called me with a contract offer. One was my hometown team, the Minnesota Wild. The other call came from Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford.

Minnesota was my hometown and was offering more money. Carolina seemed a much better fit and I already had built a relationship with Peter Laviolette, who coached me with the U.S. at the World Championship.

The chance to come home to Minnesota seemed too good of a dream to pass up. Going to Carolina would require a huge risk and huge leap of faith. I talked with my wife Bridget and we prayed. Something told me to take the risk and go to Carolina.

We had an interesting group. There were some unknowns like Eric Staal, Justin Williams, Andrew Ladd, even myself. There were also some older, veteran guys like Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman, Rod Brind'Amour and Brett Hedican. We had Martin Gerber in goal and a rookie, Cam Ward, as the backup.

Sports Illustrated picked us to finish 30 out of 30 teams. But everything came together in a way that I never experienced. We got off to a great start and things just worked out. I scored 25 goals and had one of my best years. We finished second in the East and added guys like Mark Recchi and Doug Weight at the deadline.

We opened the playoffs against Montreal at home and lost the first two games. It was awful. I was thinking our great season was coming to an end. We switched goalies and Cam stepped in and he was lights out. He played unbelievable and won the Conn Smythe.

We beat Buffalo in Game 7 to get to the Stanley Cup Final and faced Edmonton, a Cinderella team that was an eighth seed in the West. We had a chance to win the Cup on home ice in Game 5, but lost in overtime. Then we went to Edmonton and got pounded.

Game 7 was back in Carolina. It was the most fun game I’ve ever played in. The crowd didn’t sit the entire game, they stood the whole time. It was intense. I hadn’t experienced that before. I was nearly 30 years old, but I felt like a little kid.

We battled and held on for a 3-1 win, and you can’t even believe it’s actually happening. After Aaron Ward handed me the Cup, I did a quick twirl. There was a sold-out crowd in the building, but when I looked up all I could see was the Minnesota stars and the hanging lights on that outdoor rink growing up.

All those games I played with my brothers and friends, pretending to be playing for the Stanley Cup, and there I was, holding this trophy high above my head and living that dream.

Our families joined us on the ice for the celebration. And I remember all those times when things didn’t work out. Not winning Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey as the best high school player (with all due respect to Erik Rasmussen, of course). Not getting drafted in the first round.

And I remembered that feeling of losing in the state final my senior year, when I believed that my big moment was still to come. And this was it. This was the big moment I was waiting for. We reached the pinnacle of the hockey world: Stanley Cup champions.

And no one will ever take that away from us.

But what I really took away from that group of guys was leadership. There were a lot of good leaders on that team, and they all weren’t wearing letters on their jerseys. You see it takes a large group of leaders on your team to win.

And for some of those older guys, this was their only and last chance to win a Cup. You see how fleeting your opportunity is for winning a championship. They fought so hard for it. They put so much into it. It was eye-opening to see how much it meant to them.

I know I’ve said it before, but really do believe everything happens for a reason. Instead of playing it safe, taking more money and playing in my home of Minnesota, I took a chance on Carolina. I went into that year thinking it could be my last one in the NHL. And I ended it by lifting the Stanley Cup.

Part 5

There are few things I loved more than coming home after a game and flooding my own outdoor rink. I would drive home, put on my warm clothes, fill a thermos with some wine and go outside and drink it while I flooded the rink.

By that time I was back in Minnesota, having signed a contract with the Wild. My chance to come back home came true after all. And it seemed like the perfect time to go home, play out those three years, retire a Wild and live in Minnesota.

By that time, I also had a family. Three young boys of my own: Brooks, Wyatt and Joey. And for the first time in my life, it was my job to build the rink in the backyard. I had never done it before, but it was so fun. I felt like I was my dad.

I wanted to give my boys all the things that I had growing up, except now I’m the old guy flooding the rink. They were still very young in those years. Joey had just been born a few months before (I actually watched him being born on Skype from my hotel room while I was playing with Ottawa in the playoffs against the Penguins).

When I skated on that outdoor rink, it was the first time I had done so since I left my home in Minnesota in 1997. I was just as excited as the kids to be on the outdoor rink. It was the coolest thing. It certainly brought back a lot of memories, but mostly I felt my life coming full circle.

That included sharing in the Cullen family tradition of attending the Minnesota high school tournament. We actually saw a young Jake Guentzel skating there for Hill Murray on that ice sheet. I definitely didn’t think I’d see him scoring 30, 40 goals in the NHL alongside Sidney Crosby one day. It’s funny how it works out.

But those three years in Minnesota, it was really about family. We spent holidays at home with my boys and the entire family. It was a really special experience getting to play at home. I really enjoyed it. It gave the kids the experience of growing up on the outdoor rink.

It was during that time in Minnesota that they started to really love the game. For me as a dad, that was the ultimate to be able to share it with them.

Part 6

The phone didn’t ring on July 1, 2015, the annual start to NHL free agency. I had just finished two great years in Nashville, but my future was still unclear. I still wanted to play even at 38 years old, but I was pretty sure that it was the end.

That day came and went without a call. Then the next day came and went. Then the next week. Then the next month. Even so I continued to train and keep myself ready just in case an opportunity came up. At least I would be in shape and could make a decision for myself. I didn’t want it made for me because I was out of shape.

One day in early August, the phone rang. It was Jim Rutherford.

Bridget was out for a run. When she got back, I said, 'You’ll never guess who just called.’ And she goes, 'Was it Jim?’ It was crazy. She just knew.

As usual with these decisions we talked for a while and prayed on it. But we felt like we kept getting these opportunities and it would be crazy not to jump on it and give it a try. We took that leap and went to Pittsburgh.

The rest speaks for itself. We won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the next two years, the first team to do so in two decades. It was a historical run.

I just pinch myself and think about how close it was to not happening. Those were probably the best years of my whole career and life with the Penguins. Going through all that with the boys and Bridget and that group of players, the whole organization, everything was perfect. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I certainly couldn’t have imagined it the way we started that first season, though. We had such a terrible start that nobody had any expectations. I remember my son Wyatt coming to me at Christmas and crying because we had dropped out of the playoff picture.

Then Mike Sullivan came and we made a bunch of changes. Things started rolling from there. It was a unique group. It was a special group. That first year everything came together, and we were having so much fun. We were like a machine, all the way to the Cup.

The second year it was the same group, but it was a totally different year. We had to really lean on each other the most that year. The expectations were high going in and it brought our group closer together. It was rewarding because we stuck together through so many ups and downs.

I’ll always have the Cups and those memories. But when I think back on those times what really stands out is watching my boys with those guys. A lot of the guys would come over to my house, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Sidney Crosby, Ian Cole, Marc-Andre Fleury, Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin. We’d all have a couple glasses of wine and the guys would play mini sticks with the boys (the most intense games were between the boys and Patric Hornqvist; I know you’re shocked).

That, for me, was the coolest thing ever to watch. It was like the boys were part of the family. They’d come in the locker room after practice trying to avoid doing homework. They’d steal gum. One time, Joey hid in Ian Cole’s change stall. He jumped out and scared the crap out of him.

Those are the memories I’ll treasure, probably more than anything. Just seeing them around the room every day. I know the boys will remember it forever.

Part 7

I’ve been in a constant state of almost-retirement for the last few years. But coming into this last season, I knew that no matter what it would be the end. Even if we had won the Cup I would have been done. Playing those last few years really gave me the clarity to know this was it.

It was an emotional time, but I knew it was coming. It just felt right and I was really at peace with everything when it was over.

I felt like it was only right to retire in Pittsburgh with everything that the organization had given me and done for me. I’m so happy I came back and finished my last year in Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t trade that last year for anything.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. More than anything I’m just so appreciative of everybody that helped me along the way. Looking back on it there are people that came into my life at the right time to lead me one way or teach me something. It’s not an easy thing to play for that long of a time. It takes so many people to step out of their way to help you, and I needed a lot of help!

And the friends I’ve made along the way, whether it was Eric Staal or Mike Fisher or Ryan Suter or Paul Kariya or the guys in Pittsburgh. There are just too many to name and I’m sorry if I left anyone out.

I just hope I had a positive impact with my teammates wherever I went. I tried to be the best teammate that I could be throughout my career, and be there for other people, try to be a good example.

But the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my 21 years and 1,500-plus games in the NHL is that you have to take a risk.

By my nature, that’s not me. I’m not a risk-taking guy. I think you’re given certain opportunities in life and if you’re willing to take a risk and throw yourself in all the way then special things can happen. For me, that was the case. We leaned on our faith a lot and took leaps of faith. Thank God we took those chances and opportunities where He was sending us.

I remember waking up in the middle of the night many times these last few years thinking, 'What am I doing? I’m 40 years old. I don’t think I can play another year in the NHL.’ After each time I signed the past few years I woke up in a cold sweat, not sure if I could still play.

Honestly, if I could play forever, I would. All I know is hockey. I’ve never done anything. I never wanted to do anything else. I don’t know anything else.

I may have skated my last shift, but I’m not hanging up my skates just yet. After all, there is a sheet of ice in Minnesota that needs to be flooded every night. That’s where you’ll find me, sipping my thermos. Maybe, even using the hot water to get the surface nice and smooth so the next day me and my three boys can have our own little intense 2-on-2 tournament with a malt on the line, skating in the open air, on the outdoor rink, under the hanging lights, under the Minnesota stars.

For me to be able to take them to the rink and play with them on the ice, as a dad, that’s as good as it gets. I couldn’t ask for more. That’s what I had as a kid and to be able to share it with my kids is my greatest joy.

It’s funny. When I was a kid, I used to hate making those malts. Nowadays, it’s not so bad.

[Whitney’s note - all images are from the original story. Please click through to the source, there’s also a video that goes along with this]

#pittsburgh penguins #matt cullen #PLEASE click through to the source #there are lots of great pictures

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kagehinataboke · 5 years

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may i request a tdbk prompt, pretty please? ^^// au 11 (bonus points if bakugou is the nerd lmao, but as you want is fine!), situation 8, sentence 2 (bonus if todoroki says it and bakugou gets all flustered *U*) ty!!!!! ^^

with pleasure dear!

from the prompt list we’ve got todobaku nerd x football player au, going camping with friends, they meet for the first time, and “You look breathtaking…”

uwu this au was so much fun (and i did all your bonus points! c;)

It was Todoroki’s last year of high school, and he felt more than satisfied. He’d lived through the last four years doing everything he’d wanted to do: their football team had even won the championships with him as captain. After four perfect years, he was ready to move up in life and finally take on the real world.

The last stage of his high school career would be graduation, which was only a month away. Before then, his friend Uraraka had invited him on a camping trip. It was supposed to be sort of like a graduation trip, but Todoroki saw it more like one last time to remember the glory days of their youth.

“Todoroki, let’s get going!” Iida called from the driveway. “The campsite is an hour away and we have to be there by noon to meet the others!”

Todoroki had barely buckled his seatbelt before Iida sped off down the street, the route to the campground already GPSed on his phone. Always the punctual one…

“Who all is coming to this, again?” Todoroki asked, settling down in his seat for the long ride ahead. “Uraraka said she was bringing a few other people, right?”

“I think she invited a few of the less sociable students,” Iida responded, taking a left that would lead them to the highway. “She said she wanted to get a chance to make new friends before graduation. It’s you, me and Sero, Uraraka, the two others she invited, and… Kaminari and Shinsou. I think that’s it.”

Todoroki frowned. “Any idea who the two newbies are?” He thought he knew everybody in the Senior class, but he couldn’t think of anybody ‘unsociable.’

“She didn’t tell me their names, but I know she invited one of the honor students—actually, I think he’s the one who placed first in final exams.”

“First, huh?” Todoroki muttered, watching the countryside roll by outside the window. He’d placed second in finals, but he couldn’t remember the name of the top slot student. “I wonder what he’s like.”

“I hear he’s actually super unfriendly,” Iida mused. “I heard Aizawa-sensei call him ‘the delinquent honor student.’ He’s not the typical ‘nerdy’ type. Apparently, he’s got a terrible temper and is always cursing. I’m just hoping he doesn’t ruin the whole trip.”

“Interesting…” Todoroki couldn’t help but get a little excited about meeting a proclaimed ‘delinquent honor student.’

***

They arrived right on time, of course. Todoroki popped the trunk and started unloading his supplies while Iida went to check in with Uraraka. He’d probably brought too much for a weekend excursion, but oh well: better safe than sorry. Lucky for Iida, his boyfriend Sero had already arrived and set up their stuff. Todoroki was the only one with work left—that just figured.

“Todoroki!” Uraraka jogged over, wearing comfortable hiking clothes and a big smile. “I’ll show you where the campsite is.” She helped him unload the rest of the supplies, pointing down a winding gravel trail to their left. “It’s this way.”

The camp was only about twenty feet from the parking lot, but it felt like it was miles away. The foliage was incredibly dense, making it impossible to tell they were only a short walk from their cars. Todoroki had never been camping before, but he thought he might have to make a habit out of it. It was nice to be surrounded by nature.

Approaching the clearing where their group would be staying, Todoroki was met by a circle of tents with an open space in the center where Iida was busy helping Sero create a firepit. Not far from them were Kaminari and Shinsou, apparently arguing over the proper way to roast a marshmallow.

“Guys, you’re doing that all wrong!” Camping expert Uraraka rushed over to help Iida and Sero, leaving Todoroki to migrate toward an empty space to set up his tent. He’d never done that before, but it didn’t look too hard, but… What? Wait, where the hell was that supposed to go?

“You’re doing that wrong, y’know.”

Todoroki jumped, nearly stabbing himself through the hand with a tent stake. A scowling blond was peering over his shoulder—probably one of the strangers Uraraka brought along.

“That piece goes in last. Haven’t you ever set up a tent?” The boy took the stakes from him and tossed them aside. “Grab that side of the tarp— that side! Oh my god. You know what, just let me do it.”

Before Todoroki knew it, he’d been barred from putting up his own tent. He wandered away from the angry boy, muttering irritably, until Uraraka intercepted him.

“Oh, I see you’ve met Bakugou.”

“He stole my tent stakes.”

“Yeah… You’ll get used to him.”

***

“It’s getting really late.” Uraraka glanced up at the stars through the trees. “I think I’ll go to bed.” The other others were already asleep: it was nearing midnight.

Todoroki blew on his hands, scooting closer to the fire. “I’ll stay up for a little longer.”

“Don’t get eaten by coyotes,” Uraraka joked, string her empty mug of cocoa by his feet. She disappeared into her tent, leaving Todoroki alone under the sky.

The stars were bright through the trees, so close he felt like he could reach out and touch them. It was beautiful—until he heard a crack from off in the forest. Gah, why did Uraraka have to say that thing about coyotes?

Todoroki reached for a stick in case he had to fight off a rabid animal, but the figure that exited the trees wasn’t on four legs: it was Bakugou. He hadn’t noticed Todoroki because his head was tilted to the sky, the starlight reflected in his dark eyes.

Todoroki was left mesmerized for a moment. After spending the day with the constantly-irritated, foul-mouthed Bakugou Katsuki—the so-called ‘delinquent honor student’—Todoroki never expected that he could look so… “Breathtaking.”

Bakugou jumped, turning to squint at him through the darkness. “Fuck… you scared the shit out of me.” He moved closer, the firelight casting flickering shadows across his face. “What did you say?”

“‘You look breathtaking…’ is what I said.” Todoroki couldn’t be embarrassed when it was so late at night. (At least, that’s what he told himself. )

Bakugou, on the other hand, had no trouble with it. Even in the dark, Todoroki could tell he was blushing like mad. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Are you picking a fight or something?”

“No…” Todoroki studied Bakugou’s face, wondering how he’d never noticed him before. He seemed like the type that was impossible not to notice. “I think I want to know you.” What the hell was he saying? “How come we’ve never met before?”

Bakugou sat down across from him with slight hesitation. “I’m… not interested in sports or popularity, so I got written off as a loser. I could fucking care less, though: I’ll never see any of you mobs again, anyway.”

“Hm.” Todoroki looked up at the sky, letting the words roll around in his head for a bit. “Popularity… I never really wanted that. I played sports because everyone said I should.” He sighed at the sky. “I guess I’ve kind of been… living for others all this time.”

Bakugou scoffed. “Well… that sounds like a shitty way to live.”

“Yeah, it does.” Todoroki grinned at him. “This is why I said that—that you’re breathtaking, I mean. You say whatever you want like you’re totally confident in your words.”

Bakugou blushed again, and Todoroki thought he might like to see that expression a lot more. “The breathtaking one is you,” he grumbled. “Even If you didn’t live for yourself, you lived the best life someone could in high school—and all without giving a shit.” Their eyes met across the fire and Todoroki thought Bakugou might’ve smiled. “That’s pretty damn breathtaking, if you ask me.”

No: he was definitely the breathtaking one. Even sitting under the sky, Bakugou Katsuki outshone the stars.

#a little long but i hope you like it!#<333 #3-prompts #my writing #todobaku #bakutodo #tdbk #bnha #answered asks #calla.txt #long post

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violetlunette · 5 years

Text

Tropes/Cliches I Hate

So there are a lot of lists stating cliches people hate and this is another one. If you like these, that’s fine, I just get irked when I see them myself and want to rant a little. This isn’t a top ten list, just a list of things I dislike. There won’t be any romance tropes here as they deserve and have their own list. Also, most of these are story telling tropes, so just a heads up. Anyway, let me know what you personally think and tropes you hate and why. Oh, and SPOILERS! Before warned.

Tropes/Cliches I Hate

Too Much Drama/Unearned Drama: My most HATED trope. Don’t get me wrong; I like drama okay, but if it’s over loaded or feels like it was just thrown in for by the writers I get frustrated. Yes I know that writers do that to keep people interested, but can’t they make it feel natural or earned?

I liked “Finding Carter’s” drama; This is a story about a girl who discovers she was kidnapped as a toddler by the woman she called mother all her life and being reunited with her birth family. The drama makes sense and is earned by the whole family; (SPOILERS)

Carter’s whole world is turned upside down so her attitude, while mean at times is understandable.

Taylor has spent her whole life terrified of disappearing like her sister and has had her fear fed by her parents, so has lived a sheltered life.

Their mom lost a kid which has affected her marriage so she started to sleep with her partner and was even planning to leave, however when she found Carter she didn’t want to break her family again. Hell, even the drama with the villain is understandable as Carter and Taylor came from her eggs/she was a surrogate mom who was sleeping with the father at the time. You can see why she might think the twins were hers and that she had a right to take one. This is great drama and I would have loved it, but then they had to give the side characters the angstiest backstories they could which distracts from the family at times and felt unneeded.

And I know; that what drama are about. Angst central, I know, but that’s why I don’t watch a lot of drama. At the very least I want it to be earned an in character or story.

The fifth book of Harry Potter did this fairly well as all the drama came from the characters and their actions. Sirius died due to Harry’s impulsive actions and Dumbledore want to keep Harry in the dark to “protect him.” And the drama hits all the harder because it’s something that could happen in real life (minus the magic stuff.).

A bad example is Gilmore Girls where they force the character April in with a bunch of random drama just to keep Luke and Lorelei apart. There was a legitimate way to put off the wedding; have Luke be afraid of rushing things and feeling like he’s the one who has to make all the compromises and give up things and he runs away for awhile. Hell, they could have kept the plot line of her jumping into bed with Christopher because as terrible as that was it was still a very Lorelei thing to do. But the plot with April and everything after? UNNEEDED AND UNWANTED.

We’re not together, but I’m Pregnant/The Baby Plot: Okay, I love babies—when I don’t have to change them or be woken up at 3:00 in the morning. They’re soft, cute, adorable, and squishy! However in TV the baby is usually born to a “will they won’t they” couple as a way to force them together when the writers made the audience believe they were separating them or for drama. News flash writers; if the only way you can keep a couple together is to throw a baby in the mix, then just give up on the pair!

Babies are used for like one arc to cause drama, then are tossed to the side with maybe a passing mention so it’s like what’s the point?

It’s a cheap way to keep a couple together. A child should NOT be a plot deceive to keep a couple together or create drama. Ross and Rachel were the worse along with Belle and Rumple; Ross and Rachel had fallen into a slump and the audience were starting to move on and look at other options for them so the writers thought they could yank us back by revealing they had sex and Rachel was pregnant. All this led to was the same slapstick they went through when they were together before and they never worked through the issues they had before, mainly that they were jealous, possessive, and vindictive except now they had a BABY.

With the Rumbelle the writers couldn’t decide what the hell they wanted with Rumple (did they want him to be evil or a hero), but knew his actions were pushing Belle (and the fans) away. So what did they do? Threw a baby into the mix with a whole contrived plot that was just—what? I mean, it COULD have worked, but not the way the writers did it.

Writers, people; IT IS NEVER A CHILD’S JOB TO FIX A COUPLE. A baby is not a plot device they are people and deserve more respect than they get. If a couple can’t stay together by themselves, then a baby is not going to help. All it does is trap two people and why would want a couple that’s forced together that way?

“We’re trying to protect ya so we ain’t telling ya shit” and Bad communication skills: How many problems in stories could be solved if two people just sat down and talked instead of keeping secrets. Like “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” If Dumbledore had told Harry that Voldemort could get into his head and could hurt people Sirius might be alive. And in a couple? I don’t need to list an example. You’re already thinking of a moment where a couple got into a fight because they didn’t just sit down and talk.

That being said I do like this trope as a potential reason for a hero being ignorant of their past at the beginning of a series as I like the hero from a muggle world. At the very least I want the person keeping the secrets to be called out on it.

Insane maniac pixie girl: This a low one as there are some I like, however I feel this character is over done lately and honestly I can only take so much of the personality. They’re always so loud, screaming all the time, squeaky, and have no sense of personal space. I mean, I like Webby and Mabel, but even then I can only take so much squealing. (I dunno, maybe I have sensitive ears.)

I’m not dead!: Disney gets away with this because the brought backs happen towards the end of the film and isn’t done time and again in the same movie. Compare to the Dragon Ball series were death is like a mosquito bite. Why should I care if they get hurt or the world dies? Just wish them back and everything is fine! Seriously, is anyone who watches DBZ concerned when a character gets hurt or dies still? It’s a cheap trick that feels like a “ha! Fooled you!” moment.

High school drama / Skewd Priorities: Okay when I say high school drama I mean focusing on a school dance when the world is at stake or worrying about whether or not a boy likes you when a murder is on the loose, or focusing on school junk when we as the readers want tto focus on the fantasy elements. This is mostly in YA dealing with kids, so some of this is understandable, but even so it’s not fun to read and even teenagers hate being portrayed like this (at least the one or two I know). When I was teenager I liked the prom and stuff for quiet moments in stories, but NOT when there was a villain loose or danger was coming. Whenever that popped up I was like, ‘bitch wtf is wrong with you! Who cares about a zit when you have super magical powers.’ When I read a fantasy I want to focus on the fantasy elements, not school! School is boring.

Too Easily Forgiven: Forgiveness is wonderful thing, however it should be earned and you know some things can’t and shouldn’t be forgiven. For me it’s murder. Now if it’s between two warriors in a fight that’s one thing, but hurting or killing innocent civilians? No. No, no. Or hey, what if a person has been horribly bullying you or making your life miserable? Do you have to forgive, fuck no. Now I’m not saying you should seek revenge, but I’d rather they just choose that they don’t want to be angry and anymore and decide to move on.

Forgiveness should be earned when they’ve truly hurt someone and even if they feel remorseful, characters still have the right to be angry when they’ve been hurt or had someone they love taken from them.

All humans /muggles are bastards / idiots: Yeah, humans are assholes. We get it. No one knows how bad humans are than other humans, but you know what? Humans have done amazing things to conquer natural selection and the fact that other humans is humanity’s greatest enemy shows just how powerful the human race is. And not everyone wants to blow up shit, some of us work VERY hard to help and save everything we can and the rest are just trying to live our lives without hurting anyone. We may not be top dog, but we’re not bottom of the barrel either. And why should other races get put on pedestal as the woobie race or holier than thou? That doesn’t make them more interesting it just makes them annoying. I see this trope in almost every fantasy, can’t we switch it up a little?

magical speciesism / the blood must remain pure: Ignoring the real life implications this trope’s just been over done. Can’t we turn this around and have it that cross breeding between a magical and a human is considered the norm or a good thing? Switch it up a bit?

Ron the death Eater and Draco in Leather pants: This annoying enough in the fandom where we like to exaggerate and things we like and dislike, but in the actual show it’s insulting to the character AND the fans. If there’s something wrong with the character then the writers should make an arc to improve them, not drag the character through the mud.

On the other end if a character is an asshole you can’t just make them a hero suddenly and expect the audience to buy it. The characters have to earn their redemption.

And those are ten tropes I hate. How about you guys? What’s your thoughts? Do you hate them or am I alone? And what do guys hate to see in stories?

#Tropes #Cliches #I hate #sorry if there's grammar or spelling issues #I try to catch them all #but you know how it is

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wildandrunning · 7 years

Text

02: Say You’ll Haunt Me

Andy stared at his overstuffed suite case. Nearly all of his belongings were jammed inside, everything he needed for the next two months was in there. The singer sat down on his mattress, looking around his room. Two months of having his legs cramped inside those little bunks, of living off gas station food and cigarettes. At least this tour they actually had a bus instead of that godforsaken van.

‘I should be grateful’ he thought to himself. Here he was living his dream, but all he could do was worry. It was a lot harder than he’d anticipated though. As much as he hated his life in Ohio, he sort of missed it. Things were moving so fast here. It felt like all the fans, fame and attention came about overnight. Granted the band was still reasonably small, it was still a shock.

There was constant pressure to be perfect. All the fans expect this superhero Andy ‘Six’ character. That person wasn’t real. Whenever Andy was on stage, he was this larger than life figure, no fear, no self-doubt, full of confidence... The truth was that he was drowning. Drowning in all the press, pressure and criticism. It seemed like every day there was a new article out about how Black Veil Brides was nothing more than a wannabe KISS band. The young boy never expected the hatred that would get.

It was just like high school with all the names that were thrown at him. Everyone was waiting for him to fail and they would all laugh and say ‘I told you so’ when it happened. How did people deal with this? Of course, he knew the answer, in his short time in Hollywood he’d found the answer. Drugs, alcohol, sex, all things that led to self-destruction.

“Andy you in there?” Ash knocked on the door.

“Oh yeah, um just finishing up packing,” he responded as the bassist walked in.

“You alright?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Mhm..” Andy forced a smile. Oh, you know just having second thoughts about my entire life plan because I’m not sure I’m strong enough to do this he thought.

“Well, are you ready? The bus is going to be here any minute, and if you want to pick your bunk before the rest of the guys, I suggest you get your ass down there.”

---

The last row, bottom left. That was where he’d sleep for two whole months. Andy sighed and threw his stuff in. At least there was a private lounge area in the back of the bus. He wished he knew before committing to life on the road how poorly he did in buses. He’d never had car sickness before, but an entire tour in a cramped van sure did him in. So sleeping while the bus was in motion was out of the question, but maybe he could get in some writing in the back.

The rest of the band was up front, figuring out how to work the flat screen. Ashley had already broken out the liquor to celebrate. Andy felt out of place up there, what fun was watching his friends get drunk?

“Andy! Get your ass up here and come do a shot ya’ pussy!” CC yelled from up front.

The singer rolled his eyes before making his way up front. CC shoved a shot glass overflowing with whiskey into Andy’s hand. “Join in.”

“Uh... no thanks.” “Ah come on man, what’s one shot. We’re finally on a major tour, we’ve got to celebrate” Jake encouraged.

Andy looked at the golden liquid. He’d drank before, just once when he was 13. He’d gone to a party (not one he was invited to of course) and gotten super drunk on cheap beer. He’d been so eager to impress the ‘cool’ kids that he just started slamming beers, the whole night was a blackout. What he did remember was puking his guts up the next morning. Not exactly something he’d enjoyed.

“Really. I’m fine.” he insisted, handing the shot back.

“I’m gonna get you drunk on this tour, mark my words.” CC laughed, nudging the singer.

“I don’t know, I kind of respect that Andy doesn’t drink. Now if only you’d quit that nasty habit of smoking.” Ashley added in, coming to his defense.

Jake, Jinxx, CC, and Ash all clinked their glasses together before downing the first shot of tour. Two months.. let’s go.

Ashley paced around the front of the bus, absentmindedly watching the street lights zip by. He had no idea what time it was, but it was late. The rest of the guys had retired to their bunks, but he stayed up. Tomorrow was the first show, one of many. He was excited, the thrill of the stage was something he’d missed. This tour was important, more so than any of the guys understood. If they could do well, then things would only go up from here.

If they could prove that they could do this, then maybe their chances of making it big time could become a reality. A few shows had already sold out, that was a good sign. Black Veil had to show that they could pack venues.

The band had a good sized fan base, but they were still seen as nothing more than a couple dudes in makeup and women’s clothes. Which, while true didn’t mean they couldn’t actually play as well.

No use worrying about it now, time would tell.. better to get some rest. He walked back into the bunk area, his bunk was directly across from Andy’s. Speaking of which, Andy’s bunk was wide open and empty.

A light was seeping out from under the door that led to the lounge. He pressed the door, cracking it open slightly. Andy was sitting on the couch, hunched over with his head in his hands.

“Andy..?”

The younger boy jumped at the sound of his voice, quickly wiping at his eyes. His black makeup was smeared in faint trails down his pale cheeks. He’d clearly been crying.

“Are you okay? What are you doing up?” Ashley asked, closing the door behind him.

“I’m f-fine, I’m just... I can’t sleep I guess.” his normally confident voice was shaky and broken.

Ashley walked over to the boy, carefully sitting down next to him. Andy looked away, hiding behind a veil of jet black hair. The bassist shifted his weight awkwardly. Emotions were never something he was good with, and if he’d learned anything about Andy, it was that he had a lot of them.

Andy seemed to feel everything intensely.

“Come on kid what’s wrong? Did something happen?” After a few moments of silence, he finally responded. “What if I can’t do it...” Andy whispered.

“Can't-do what?” “All of it. What if I can’t live this life, what if I fail?” Andy looked over at the man next to him, his powder blue eyes were red from crying.

“Aw Andy.. of course, you can. You’ve made it a hell of a lot farther than most people do. We’re on a headlining tour, we’re making it.” “I know that, but what if I can’t handle it?” “You’re strong, of course, you’ll be able to,” Ashley assured him.

Andy bit his tongue. He wanted to trust Ashley, to tell him everything he’d been hiding inside. He barely knew the man though, and he didn’t want Ashley to feel like he’d taken a chance on him for nothing. The truth was that Ashley’s fate was riding on his being able to keep it together as well. Andy knew this was about more than just him, four other people’s careers were at stake. Which only made him feel worse...

“Look, I know this is probably stressful. It’s a lot to take in, but you’ll be fine. Plus you’re not doing it alone. You’ve got the guys and me.” Ashley hoped that the kid would snap out of it, this was just the first night. It’s probably all nerves.

Andy nodded, looking down at his lap. Ashley looked the boy over, how could anyone like Andy be so self-doubtful? He was.. breathtaking and talented. He’d seen that kid absolutely command the crowd, he was a natural on stage. Why in the world would he think he couldn’t do it?

Ashley tilted Andy’s chin up, leaning in close to him. “Hey, if I thought you didn’t have it in you I would have never agreed to do this with you. Okay?”

Andy bit his lip, “Okay.” he whispered. Ashley stared into the singer’s eyes, fighting back an overwhelming urge to kiss him.

That was the intention with Andy from the start, that’s why he even gave him the time of day. Ashley had a thing for pretty boys, something he kept secret except for a couple of close friends. Andy was his type. When he first laid eyes on him after finding his ad online, he had every intention of sweet talking him into bed. Just a one night stand, no need to get involved in some kid’s drama.

Andy had impressed him though, the kid really had something good with his band. Ashley made the ‘business’ decision that he would actually join the band and cross out the one night stand idea. That didn’t stop him from still wanting it though. God, he wanted it...

Andy rested his forehead against the older man’s. A shiver went down Ashley’s spine as he felt Andy’s breath against his lips. He needed to stop this, now.

“So it’s settled then. No more doubting yourself, and no more tears.” Ashley said, leaning back and patting Andy on the back.

“Y-Yeah... no more.” Andy stuttered.

Andy watched Ashley walk out, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. What the hell was that about he asked himself? He really thought that Ashley was about to kiss him, and he was going to let him? Would he let him?

‘Of course, I wouldn’t let him, I mean that would be gay.. and I’m not’ he thought to himself. Okay, so maybe he had kissed a couple of guys before, but that was just normal teenage experimenting right? He’d had sex with a girl before that meant he couldn’t be gay.. only he’d hated it. The truth was he didn’t enjoy having sex with that girl back in high school, but maybe it was just her. Everyone knew she was loose...

And yeah maybe he did have some thoughts that involved guys, and maybe he gets off a few times to those thoughts, but that was normal right? He would never actually do any of that in real life. He just hadn’t met the right girl yet, that was all.

All in all, just another thing that haunted him...

#andley #bvb #black veil brides #andy biersack #andy black #andy six #ashley purdy #wild and running #fan fiction #slash fiction #02

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