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burningdeancookiefestival · 7 months

Text

BDCF Tells All!!!!!! (Fic Recs)

Hello Tumblr...

I have never made a real post on here despite having secretly and silently scrolling for years now!!!!

Due to being a woman of the internet, starting on wattpad in 2015, I am a woman of many many fics. And now I find myself thinking... why not share my fatiguing, back-breaking years of research into a lovely little post so that those with like minded interests can strike gold early!! Manyyy fandoms have I been apart of in my time, I hope some resonate with you!!

Of course all credit to these lovely talented writers who are truly doing god's work

Also warnings, they basically all are smut... sorry not freaking sorry

Without further adieu-

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BTS

Kim Taehyung

Crazy for you | kty

Bro my first ever BTS fic... she changed me...

☆summary: you’ve known Kim Taehyung your whole life. When you meet again at a party hosted by your best friend, alcohol looses your lips and you spill your secrets to your childhood crush. Will Taehyung give in to your desire, or will you be struck by remorse?

Jeon Jungkook

The Boy With Galaxies in His Eyes | jjk

☆summary: you had never thought the night sky could be found in someone’s eyes. That is, until you met Jeon Jungkook and his gravity pulled you in. Will he crush you with the galaxies in his eyes, or will you learn to explore his worlds and make them yours?

Cool With You | jeon jungkook

summary: your break up from kim taehyung sent you spiraling into what felt like a midlife crisis of tear stained cheeks and tubs of half eaten ice cream with a broken heart. after finding out that your neighbor, jeon jungkook, was eavesdropping on your meltdowns and came to find out that your ex was his old friend, he found himself wanting to comfort you.

Number 7; m | jjk

My best friends brother is the one for me 😝

summary: pov: your jealous fuck buddy pounds you in his jersey. Hockey player jk.

Kim Namjoon

All aboard! (the passion express) | knj

This one quite literally got me kicking my feet and giggling.

Summary: There were not many things that got your blood boiling in the same way that two simple words could. Kim Namjoon. The name of your irritating and (unfortunately enough, as the universe would have it) incredibly handsome co-worker. Which is exactly why you never expected to find your self on your knees for him on the train home.

Christmas Vacation

Every year your family spends Christmas with the Kim family. Your parents have been friends since long before you were born...

all night | knj ft. myg

literally again, kicking feet & giggling

summary. in which listening to music during a smoke sesh with your best friends namjoon and yoongi in the studio turns into much more

Min Yoongi

Now We Reign | myg

Everything this account posts is absolute gold istg

☆summary: when working on a collab together makes you and Min Yoongi seek comfort with the other, you discover there’s more to life than loneliness. Only, hurdles mark your path in Min Yoongi’s life, and it’s unclear what the outcome will be. Will you be destroyed by him and his world, or will you learn to reign over it, together with him?

Wildest Moments

This is a series but gah daym.. pls trust me its worth it!!!

“Min Yoongi is forbidden territory. And although you both know better, the two of you just can’t seem to stay apart.” Mentions of cheating.

Carnal Desire

Feeling: freaky

The last person you expected to see was an ‘old friend’ from nearly a decade ago, but you’re determined to show the man that you’re no longer the little girl he use to know.

Park Jimin

I want to be with you | pjm

This had me GAGGED, seriously I trust this writer with my life

☆summary : moving to Seoul has always seemed like a good idea, until the bubble bursts when you realize your new neighbor is Park Jimin, and he's not the sweet angel you've always imagined him to be. Will the reality of Park Jimin forever be a nightmare, or will he turn into a sweet dream?

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Formula One

Sebastian Vettel

till the sun comes up | SV5

synopsis: fresh off of winning his first drivers championship whats a better way of celebrating [2.2k]

christening s.v.

This author... another one who actually can't ever go wrong

Don't Play Games With Me || Sebastian Vettel

Red bull Seb hehe 😚

005 - SV5

when I tell you I'm a changed woman...

summary: sebastian vettel insists you dress as a bond girl to attend his birthday party.

Carlos Sainz jr.

the love we left - Carlos Sainz jr.

summary: you weren’t aware that your family’s worry had extended so far that they’d brought in the heavy artillery, it being carlos sainz of all people. the very same person who’d turned you into someone you didn’t recognise in the mirror anymore.

last friday night // carlos sainz jr

summary: after her best friend's bachelorette party, she wakes up in bed with a stranger and no memory of what she did the night before. carlos can't remember either, but he knows he wants to spend as much time with y/n as he can, so he offers to help her figure out what happened.

SUMMER NIGHTS || C.S. ||

part one and two!!!

Best Man - Carlos Sainz x reader

Summary: You always thought being a bridesmaid for your best friend would be a dream come true but meeting her husband-to-be best friend proved that it would be harder to enjoy than you planned. You also didn’t plan for it to end with your dress around your hips as he fucked you in the bathroom whilst everyone tucked into the wedding cake, so much for hating one another.

Mirror Mirror -- C.S.

in which your last resort attempts to gain carlos’ attention after a busy week in miami has him reminding you who you belong to.

Charles Leclerc

Old Habits -- C.L.

toooo good

in which you and charles fall back into old habits, but is it for better or worse?

Sex and Regret -- C.L.

The best Charles ficcy out there!!!! (in my humble opinion)

in which you and charles find yourselves in a never ending cycle of sex and regret since the end of your relationship, until you think you’ve moved on.

more than anyone ✴︎ cl16

You moved out of Monaco at fourteen with an unrepaired friendship hanging by a thread. Ten years and a whole lifetime later, you’re forced to work with him confront it all over again.

Repeat Offender

Summary : Charles is recently single and quickly finds himself in a "friends with benefits" situation with none other than his ex-girlfriend's best friend.

"You do not want me to show you what jealousy looks like"

Charles x best friend reader

Blurred lines ✴︎ cl16

Things with Charles finally come to a head. In a cramped room. In the Red Bull garage. Of all places, really.

Work 4 it. {two}

synopsis; you and charles work together in the office, by mutually hating each other you find out that there are bigger things than dislike.

--- What the heck

summary: the swearing game has come to an end, with a drinking game deciding the winner. the following weekend, a new drinking game is introduced, turning things steamy in no time. (Part 2 of all drivers hang out)

quiet - charles leclerc

summary: in which, you and charles spend some alone time together while away with the boys.

Max Verstappen

and they were roomates!!!

THE best Max fic out there and trust me ive looked!!

Our dirty little secret

summary: Five years ago you used to love Max but you had to say goodbye, will you be able to save what you could have been?

Daniel Ricciardo

Forbidden Fruit Never Tasted So Sweet

Summary: After not seeing you for nearly a month, a well timed visit back home has Daniel salivating to taste what was still all too forbidden to him.

Pity -- D.R.

in which you and daniel are reunited and forced to work together once again, leaving you with the aim to not end up in his bed like you did last time.

Makeup -- D.R.

in which picking up your stuff to say goodbye doesn’t go quite to plan

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MattTrey/ Baseketball

Matt Stone

late-night

summary: dropping by matt’s office while he works late results in some late-night fun :P

CIRCUMSTANCES matt x f! assistant reader

This is actually the best Matt Stone content you will ever find. The best. (Another series also)

summary: your friends leave you at a bar and you only have one number memorized

Dude...Dude... (feat. Trey)

based on the movie BASEketball where you play one of the cheerleaders and are having a bit of naughty fun with Trey and Matt off camera.

Doug Remer

why didn't i kiss you sooner? | Doug Remer

Smoking and drinking with Doug leads to more..

NEW EXPERIENCE

summary: remer convinces you to watch a specific type of movie with him

hazy

It's another smoking with Remer fic!!!

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Succession

Kendall Roy

fithly fucking rich--part one

Synopsis: You are out at an elite club in NYC and meet a handsome stranger. Smitten by each other, your flirting escalates and important details are left unsaid.

fithly fucking rich--part two

Summary: After meeting Kendall at an elite, NYC club, he takes you home for some fun, neither of you realizing how intertwined you are with his already tarnished family dynamic.

Roman Roy

like a leopards tongue in the mouth of a snake

power dynamics, he's ur boss blah blah blah

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Matty Healy (yes i went back there)

Drunk | Part 1 |

Another whole series which ate!

When you come back home to Manchester from University, you get invited to a house party filled with your old friends from high school. You hadn’t seen most of them for 4 years and the house brings back some old memories of the parties you once attended. Getting drunk with old friends ends up being better than you imagined.

Deal With It - Matty Healy

Plot: I had this idea where the reader is Matty’s plug and it seemed kinda cool so I’m running with it. Has a little bit of George Daniel. Also based on she way out but set around 2015/16 time.

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Timothée Chalamet

Paul Atreides

Little Cakes

Summary: You panic as your wedding date draws near and a trip to a famous sex planet doesn't help with these growing emotions. Thankfully, Paul is there to distract you.

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Pedro Pascal

Javi Gutierrez

hidden pleasures

Summary: You and Javi are hosting a dinner party and he wants to make things a little more interesting to get you both through the night

Javier Peña

You're my Best Friend Chapter 2

Summary:Javier and you had been best friends since Kindergarten, and you’d been secretly in love with him for years. The night before his wedding to Lorraine, you sleep together, sparking him to leave Lorraine, and you. Ten years later Javier returns home before leaving again for Cali and tries to fix the mess he left. But, passions run high and alcohol flows and you can’t resist falling back in to bed with him, the only thing you didn’t plan was ending up married to him.

Maxwell Lord

Working Late

Summary: Maxwell Lord has been working long, late hours this week. He’s lucky to have a partner that understands. He comes home late one night and can’t help himself from showing you his appreciation.

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Paul Dano

Klitz

Punctual

reader walks in on klitz jacking off? he’s really embarrassed and tries to hide it but the reader helps him out?

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Euphoria

Elliot

LESSONS (series)

summary — the reader is new to all things sexual, so her best friend elliot decides to help her out with that.

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Star Wars

Cassian Andor

The Sun on Both Sides

I've gone back here... many times. Very, very good.

Summary: Cassian Andor is your very close companion. He says best friend, you say pain in your ass—neither one of you are entirely wrong. But then one night you smoke some unfamiliar spice with him, and everything you once thought you knew goes sideways.

Poe Dameron

Mercy, Sabotage and Dead Space The Bet Series

This one had me tweaking

Din Djarin

The Rough Day Series

Okay.. this fic is literally what made me download tumblr so pls, im so fr, this is the best thing I've ever come across!!! Warning it is veryy long and sadly unfinished :(

they all hate you mando, because you're a legend

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5 Seconds of Summer

Calum Hood

2011 (C.H.)

summary: just a classic quickie before the ‘2011′ cover shoot 😇

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Daredevil

Matt Murdock

thank you; m.m.

summary; you convince matt that you deserve a reward after you succeed during a mission.

You're My Religion (part I)

Priest Matt... Confessional Booth..

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just-another-frender-blog · 1 year

Note

Do you think that the Hulu revival is going to correct any of the issues that the other seasons had, like the queerbaiting and "Haha Leela and Amy secretly hate each other because they're women!"? I have a liiiittle hope because the cultural landscape has changed so much. Unfortunately, I feel like the writers are a little set in their ways, and some of the fans definitely are. Can you imagine the meltdown if the show outed Bender? (Which would make it even better.)

I personally don't believe that Futurama had any queerbaiting. Like most other Western cartoons in general, I believe it has queer coding with many of its characters. Queerbaiting has a more negative connotation, while queer coding is much more neutral. And it's possible a lot of what I would consider queer coding is on accident, or me reading into things as a queer woman. The main reason I don't think Futurama has any queerbaiting is that it wouldn't make any sense at all. An adult cartoon that came out in 1999 for the more conservative Fox network would not try to market itself toward queer audiences at all. Hell, I would argue that one of the reasons Futurama got canceled back in the early 2000s was because it was too liberal for the network.

I would also like to consider Matt Groening's history as an artist. Before he did The Simpsons, he wrote a comic called Life in Hell. This comic was about funny-looking rabbit creatures, and I believe two of the characters lived as a gay couple (the rabbits cameo a few times in Futurama). Not to mention Smithers in The Simpsons who was clearly meant to be gay back when characters like these weren't portrayed in mainstream media. I just can't believe that they would put queerbaiting into the show with malicious intentions. I have to wonder if he wanted to put more LGBTQ characters into his projects like The Simpsons and Futurama, and was held back by Fox. However, there are a lot of people who worked on both shows, so I can't say for sure.

I don't even think that queer coding has any malicious intentions (for the most part). For example, when Fry acts as though Bender is cheating on him in The Honking, I don't think that the joke is that they are acting like a gay couple. I believe the joke is that Fry's reaction is so out of the left field for the situation at hand, to the point where it circles back as charming. I see this goofy, playful type of queer coding in a lot of cartoons, such as Wander Over Yonder or Looney Tunes Show. It doesn't bother me, but I also respect that it might bother others. The fanservice with Amy and Leela bothers me, but it would bother me less if they had a closer relationship like Fry and Bender.

I'm not sure if I would say the writers of Futurama are "set in their ways" as much as I would say that aspects of Futurama have aged very poorly due to the time it came out. That's not to say that these aspects shouldn't be criticized at all. I think that it's important to warn people when recommending the show, and it's important to discuss negative portrayals of minorities in fiction. I don't know much about the writers of Futurama so I have no idea what their beliefs are and I also have no clue how much freedom they were given with the show. It's possible that they had the best intentions and they fumbled with certain aspects.

Futurama is over 20 years old and it ended nearly 10 years ago. I think that this is a lot of time for the people who created the show to reflect and grow as writers. And I think every good writer wants to improve their flaws and listen to feedback. I've seen incredibly famous writers state that they could've done better. And then they take strides to improve on their older mistakes. I could definitely see the writers for this show reflecting on the way Amy and Leela's relationship was handled or the trans jokes made in very poor taste. Not to mention, it's very possible that they may bring new writers on board to get a more diverse writing room and a fresh perspective.

I admit that I have a great deal of respect for the writers of Futurama as an aspiring writer myself. Comedy is considered to be one of the most difficult genres to write, and Futurama has some of the tightest writing I've seen on TV. I think that can only be achieved by a great deal of effort and a strong writing team. The dialogue is fantastic; each character has a very distinct voice. I was impressed by the continuity in an episodic format, as well as the complex concepts they executed so well.

I adore how this show is "smart" but it never talks down to its viewers. I like how it can take jabs at itself from time to time without being too overt about it. I've always felt that even through all the dark humor, the heart of this show is kind, and you don't often get to see that with adult cartoons. There were so many instances when I finished an episode of Futurama and thought "I hope I can write like that one day." Maybe this is naïve of me, but I really do think the writers can fix some of the older issues that the show had now that time has passed. And maybe they will want to push for queer representation this time.

As for Bender being portrayed as queer; I definitely would like it if some of the more bigoted fans were pushed away from this show. I have to admit, seeing bigots get something they enjoy taken away from them always fills me with this vengeful glee. I would love it if Bender was confirmed queer; I fully welcome an unhinged and morally dubious queer character. However, the idea of backlash makes me incredibly nervous. This is mainly due to the way I've seen people talk about the LGBTQ community online and in real life, especially recently. I always want more representation in media, but I'm starting to feel worn down and depressed by the constant backlash anything remotely queer (or anything with minorities at all) receives.

#futurama #analysis post #long post #queer analysis #thoughts on the revival

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sexybabystevie · 9 months

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I agree with what you said about b/lers viewing the Duffers as their friends and allys and therefore watch the view in a different lense and make it out to be this carefully thought out masterpiece that it simply isn't. Like they forget Stranger Things was supposed to be only one season, b/ler wasn't a thing. Yeah, they queercoded Will but not with the intention to have him pine over his best friend. Plus, like you said, Will is more of a plot point than a real character, esp in s1. In s2, he also wasn't much of a character he was again a plot point, and we never saw his real personality on screen. In s3, he was almost nonexistent, and that's sad, but I genuinely don't think the Duffers know how to write him. So his stans have to rely on the crumbs they are given and then delude themselves into thinking this is all part of a big love story bc that's easier to admit than the show being not that great and Will being a flat character.

Similar with Steve, we also only get crumbs and make the best out of but we can see the Duffers as our enemy because we have no problem to admit that they are shitty writers when it comes to characters. Like we never delude ourselves into thinking he is the main character and the Duffers know what to do with him and the lack of information is this big twist we will get paid off in the last season. I don't think he will die, narratively, it doesn't make sense, especially with Dustin involved (who is arguable one of their faves) so I'm thinking we get a shitty end for him (aka St/ncy). Like I still have hope for Stobin best friend shenanigans in the big city after s5, but it's only slim. I don't trust the Duffers that much, and like you said, b/lers whorshipping them is setting them up for failure if their "clues" turn out to be false.

For b/ler to happen, m/leven had to break up for sure in s4. Like Mike's monolog is a pivotal point in s4. And even if b/lers say he was lying, well that makes it everything worse, because El thinks he loves her. M/leven breakup has to be handled with care in order for b/ler to start.

I hate when ppl say st/ncy = m/leven and j/ncy = b/ler, and they view this as something great. Objectively speaking, the st/ncy breakup was so messy and unfair to Steve that I don't get why people want El to go through the same thing. Because the foundation of j/ncy was cheating and not them being a cute sweet couple, star-crossed lovers style. Every time people joke about the Wheelers not saying I love you to their respective partners bc they fancy someone else I want to puke because it's not a cute parallel and the other person in that relationship is lied to which is horrible. Plus, it already makes b/ler about 3 completely different characters that have nothing to do with it. There should not even be the want to compare relationships because everyone is different. And I need people to realize j/ncy getting together was done in such a disastrous way you don't want that for your couple.

Sidenote people who get mad at Steve stans for giving him trust and abandonment issues after Nancy are not getting the severity of what emotionally cheating does to a person. Steve wasn't aware of problems, Nancy told him she loved him a day prior, and then it all came crashing down. Plus him not committing to anyone because he is scarred from that experience is valid and it's an explanation for his behavior in s4. It doesn't make Nancy a bad person, but her actions hurt him, and he should be allowed to feel that way, especially if she was his first love. If El went through that with Mike, I also think she would develop trust issues (on top of her already abandonment issues).

Anyway, I think b/lers are in this secluded bubble, and if things don't go exactly their way, it will break them, and I'm actually scared. Like even in s4, I had witnessed complete meltdowns over b/ler, and I need everyone to chill bc we talk about two 14 year old kids. Especially when older people (mid twenties and up) are overly involved in shipping children, I get this weird feeling. There's nothing against ppl going into fan spaces, but it's weird obsessing over the love life of two children in such an intense cult-like way.

response under the cut again! <3

yeah, i honestly don't even know where this entire narrative about stranger things being a secret love story started, because the primary theme has always been friendship and the power that people have when they come together platonically. it's bizarre to me too, because i've been in this fandom for years (not always on tumblr, some on instagram or whatever) and b/ler just kind of massively grew up out of nowhere. i'd seen maybe one or two people before talking about it during previous seasons, but there was just this huge uprising of the b/ler community after s4 (which sort of makes sense but is still a little odd to me that they came up out of nowhere? i also don't remember previous b/lers being this exhausting to deal with). anyway, yeah, it all pretty much comes down to the fact that they all believe that the duffers have been hinting at this for years (which, hindsight vision is 20/20 so that's not really a valid point tbh) and fully believe that they're getting this picture perfect endgame.

honestly, i think another thing people are neglecting to think about is all of the stuff that we have to wrap up in 8-9 episodes. there is SO much going on now in this show that plot holes are pretty much guaranteed, not even considering the possibility of b/ler becoming canon. i'm honestly not really sure what they think is going to happen - the show will just take an entire shift into being solely about mike and will JUST to resolve the possibility of b/ler happening? i'm not even trying to be bitchy and put these people down or something, it's just crazy that people think that the show will take this massive shift in direction or that they'll just add in a whole new plotline when we probably won't even have enough time to satisfyingly and properly wrap up everything else.

also, there are so many characters that i think the duffers just don't know how to write or what to do with now. jonathan, will, erica, probably dmitri and murray now that they've basically joined the giant cast. and the sad thing is that fans come up with plotlines and stuff all the time for their fics or just for silly posts online, but the duffers just seem not to know what to do with most of their characters ever. (cough cough st/ncy s4 revival for NO reason).

the setup for b/ler just ISN'T there, like you said. yes, there are a few cracks in the foundation of m/leven's relationship, honestly, but that's not enough to wrap everything up and end AND start a whole new relationship in 8-9 episodes. whether b/lers want to realize it or not, b/ler is NOT the main plotline. defeating the upside down and vecna is. those are just obvious facts, and therefore this is the priority when it comes to things that have to be addressed and finished by the ending. maybe, if we have two more seasons to go instead of one, or if this was a show with 22-26 episodes per season, i could see where s4 was the setup, but it just isn't. we don't have the time to focus on it.

mike's monologue may have been a lie, who knows, but again, like you said, this is just... bad??? like why would you want that. there are already parallels between the whole st/ancy = m/leven thing at this point, but that was so messy and it's still not resolved to this day, and that was from s1!! again, we don't have the time to reenact all of st/ncy's breakup with m/leven because it was a disaster. and also no one ever knows how to hold fair accountability over people, so i'm 100% certain that that happening would lead into people shitting on el even more than they do already and blaming her for everything.

also a small point that's been in the back of my mind lately that i want to point out, as a queer woman myself, is that this ship would not be so popular if it was two girls/women instead of two boys/men (speaking in terms of actor ages since they're adults now). it's a thing that happens where everyone LOVES mlm rep and shits on anything wlw because theres always some bullshit reason to hate seeing a wlw relationship portrayed in the media. i know this isn't a primary issue but it still upsets me so much because it's so obvious, just from the treatment of robin and her literal canonical love interest vickie!! there's some fucked up misogyny in all of this, and also in the way that everyone will throw el to the side, putting this idea onto her that she either doesn't like guys so she can't possibly like mike or that she just is basically "too traumatized to know what love is" and i'm so tired of it. i'm SO tired of it.

back to the st/ncy = m/leven thing, i REALLY appreciate you pointing this out, "Every time people joke about the Wheelers not saying I love you to their respective partners bc they fancy someone else I want to puke because it's not a cute parallel and the other person in that relationship is lied to which is horrible." because that's exactly how i feel. it's not cute or funny, it's immature and deceitful. and yes, they're all children/barely adults at this point, but still. it's not some parallel that you should be happy about. i've been in that situation, i've been the steve harrington of the st/ncy & j/ncy love triangle, it's not fun. it hurts, someone is quite literally saying they don't love you (or perhaps worse when they CAN'T say they love you because they don't) and it's traumatic and everyone yet again ignores that.

j/ncy's getting together WAS chaotic and messy and honestly i'm not even surprised that they're falling apart in canon right now because you can't start out like that and then expect a good, happy, fairytale ending. it just doesn't work that way. everyone's mad about them having issues and raged about them being "couples goals" and the "best ship of the show", whatever, but honestly it was quite literally just someone cheating and lying to try and escape a relationship she didn't want instead of having proper communication. and i get it, it's hard to do that, but the show and the fandom never hold nancy accountable and always blame steve for everything, so i'm honestly annoyed with it. seeing all this mess, how could you possibly want that for your ship?

LOVE your steve sidenote there, because you're so right. everyone ignores the fact that steve has trauma, both from nancy and the upside down (seriously, how can we agree that EVERYONE ELSE except him has UD related trauma but he doesn't?? i don't get it). and i get it to an extent because the duffers ignore it just as much, but still. for some reason steve fans adding onto his character with realistic things is just a horrible thing to do, despite the fact that will fans have to do this as well and it's fine when they do it. i don't know how any of the st/ncy fallout was 100% steve's fault, and i will defend it until the very day that i die, honestly. the show has a narrative, and then it was to equate being popular and being a jock to being a villain, so they tried to make the audience take nancy's side and sympathize with her. which, again, is fine, but don't go and attack other people for wanting to see from multiple perspectives here.

i quite literally saw a post the other day that was like "the people who go and add all this stuff to steve's character are so annoying because none of that would happen in the show." well sweetheart, it's not happening in the show because the duffers don't care and also don't know what the hell they're doing lol.

"Plus him not committing to anyone because he is scarred from that experience is valid and it's an explanation for his behavior in s4." THIS. why are we all just glossing over this??? the pining after nancy again for old time's sake, the serial dating that never develops anything intimate - some people for some reason think it's just "proof" that he truly wants/belongs with nancy, but no! it's literally him being afraid to commit to anyone again, and honestly i don't blame him. and like you said, it doesn't make nancy a bad person, but honestly i just wish canon would at least have them talk about it so he can have actual closure or something for once. that's the best ending for him i can think of - st/ncy closure and stobin platonic besties forever.

absolutely agree with getting the weird feeling about shipping two children. it gives me an odd feeling too, honestly. which, i'm not taking it too seriously, it's just a little weird. other than that, they definitely are in their own little bubble of delusion and when that bubble inevitably pops, i'm not even sure what to expect, because it is a little scary. they attack anyone who disagrees and are genuinely so rude for no real reason, so who knows what they're gonna do when they realize that they don't get this happy ending that they've manufactured? honestly this is just another solid reason that i'm glad it'll take a while for s5 to come out.

#em speaks #stranger things #asks #dear anons #<33 #also i slashed through all ship names just so we can stay unbiased #i dont wanna bring in anybody. even for j/pper lmao

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terapsina · 2 years

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Fanfic writer asks: 16, 26, and 34.

16. A fic you're very proud of?

Can I cheat a bit and choose a few of the fics I'm particularly proud of?

5 Times The Doctor Talked About River Song With Graham (+1 Time The Fam Finally Met Her)

This one's the story where I have Thirteen opening up to Graham about her wife. Plus my Library fix-it where I managed to give the Doctor and River a happy ending.

She's Come Undone and Set Free

My current WIP. Where I deal with Elena and Caroline's trauma and give them a support system (with each other and also with Bonnie and Rebekah).

But also there's some Elejah and Klaroline.

And I torture the Salvatores.

the ones that seek and find (six years in the relationship of harry and luna)

An alternate version of canon that's basically the same except Harry met Luna in second year and the way their relationship might have developed through the next six years.

5 Times Monica and Her Mom Have Difficult Conversations About Auntie Carol (+1 Time She Plans A Parent Trap With Her Skrull Friend)

The Danbeau fic from Monica's POV which starts sad with the day Carol went missing and ends funny with Monica deciding to parent trap her mom and Auntie Carol.

Morai's Call To Hope

This is another WIP which is giving me lots and lots of guilt because I really am proud of it even though I haven't updated it in quite a while (but I'm planning to go back to it after She's Come Undone).

Basically, it's the story where pre-worst decision Anakin travels forward in time to save Ahsoka from Darth Vader and proceeds to be hit over the head with the consequences of all his WORST DECISIONS until he learns things like: don't trust Palpatine, and you should have hugged Snips more, and there's more people at stake than just your wife.

Seriously, I am going back to this fic. I've got the entire thing plotted out.

26. Do you write for yourself or for the readers?

Both? I mean when the idea for a fic strikes I NEED to write it, I want to see how it turns out and what happens and it helps dealing with all the feelings that the show and the characters have given me. But I also really really want to see what other people think of it, if they like it. If it's any good.

34: Favourite comment you ever received?

I love all of the comments I've ever received... that sounds like a very political answer but it's really true.

But. I have received some extra EXTRA special comments on occasion too which have just literally blown up my heart (I will use 'literally' incorrectly if I want to).

It would be way too complicated to go find all of them. But basically, it's the comments that tell me stuff like that the person read the story multiple times, or the person loved it so much they read it even though they were supposed to be doing homework/sleeping/working, or they didn't even ship it before but they do now, or they hadn't watched the show before they read the fic but my story made them go watch the show. Or it's a comment from someone whose fics I've read and adored and I go into a slight meltdown.

So, yeah, those are my favorite kind of comments I guess.

#writing meme #ask meme #sunless garden #answers #river x thirteen #elejah #lunarry #danbeau #snips and skyguy

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bisluthq · 3 months

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I'm the other anon. Just wanted to clarify something. I have seen a few videos of Taylor and Travis some from the post party and others from other occasions in public. I haven't seen all of them, because if I don't like them it doesn't really make much sense to seek content about them. These are just the videos I came across. I'm actually really glad I haven't seen that boob grabbing video. I think they have awkward chemistry or not much. I have seen a lot of people saying the same, so it's not about being a contrarian against the world. I'm sure if you ask a swiftie, none will have that opinion though. It's also not that deep. I mean, my opinion doesn't really matter to them. With or without chemistry they're together. Doesn't stop me from thinking this is like 2015 Calvin and Hiddleswift on steroids situation rolled into one. If that's what she wants now though, good for her ig

I think this is a healthy attitude - if it doesn’t interest you, don’t follow it. If they spark joy, rad. If they’re a lil triggering like to that other anon maybe actively disengage and mute his name. It def isn’t that deep. It’s her life and she can live it however the actual fuck she wants to and like as she should. She seems happy rn. The rest isn’t our business.

also I mean Tayvin ended badly but they had really good times before it did and she’s barely badmouthed him since (a similar thing imo will happen with Joe although she was writing through the end of Joe and she was in a writer’s block through the end of Calvin) beyond saying he called her a freeloader (I suspect metaphorically but I do think that was a vibe she felt when she was living at his house like he was pushing her into his like little perfect wife thing and she wasn’t entirely keen on it and also he was a cheating cheater who cheated but highkey she’s not exactly clean on those types of issues) and saying he cramped her style (because imo Bejeweled, while paralleling Joe, was mostly inspired by the end of Tayvin). She’s actually been pretty nice about Calvin overall. I mean like he wasn’t great but he wasn’t a monster either and he was her first VERY serious relationship.

Travlor has already gone on longer than Hiddleswift so that’s an irrelevant comparison beyond the media frenzies for both. The vibes seem quite different. Hiddles was a distraction for her from how shit everything else was (work, friends, Calvin, public perception of her) and Travis is a cherry on top of how great everything is going (work, friends, public perception of her, a relatively amicable breakup with Joe where he isn’t like fighting people on Twitter about this etc or having meltdowns in public).

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bedlamsbard · 3 years

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All right, reactions to Mando 2.05, “The Jedi”, in...semi-coherent form. Spoilers, obvs. I hated this episode, so keep scrolling now if you don’t want to see negativity. This is not in any kind of order except stream-of-conscious.

again, I reiterate, spoilers.

again, I reiterate, this is REALLY negative.

Rosario Dawson...yikes.

how...did Bo-Katan know that Ahsoka was on Corvus? are they in contact? since when? Ahsoka seems to have been on Corvus for long enough to be a nuisance to the Magistrate (Morgan Elsbeth), but normally Ahsoka is very efficient and she just...really does not seem to be here? I did not get the impression she was planning on sticking around for any period of time.

(the same could be true for Frog Lady and Bo-Katan on Trask several episodes back. that wasn’t a convert, that was three Mandalorians hanging around the port in cloaks. I guess they could be doing that on the regular, but? would the Empire not then be more worried about being attacked by Mandalorians?)

there was only ever a very, very slim chance that I was going to be happy with any translation of Ahsoka from animation to live action. I am on record as thinking that animation is the medium for Star Wars and that live action is always going to be a weaker medium than animation and that a lot of things that can be done in animation just cannot be translated to live action in any meaningful form. I knew Ahsoka’s fighting style couldn’t translate to live action convincingly (here’s what I said about the mo-capped duel in TCW); it never occurred to me that they couldn’t pull off TOGRUTA given that Shaak Ti, you know, exists, and also there are so many excellent Ahsoka cosplayers.

(Consider KM Creations’ excellent silicone lekku (S7), which have beautiful movement; the cosplayer behind that is CallMeSnips and her epilogue prototype is from SWCC is in there somewhere. I think Rei Kennex’s are latex (you can tell they don’t have much movement) but at least they’re the right length. I think Ahsoka94′s are also latex (again with the movement); this is her Mortis vision grown-up Ahsoka.)

AND YES, THE LEKKU/MONTRALS WERE A DEAL-BREAKER FOR ME.

I feel very “you have made your bed and now you have to die in it” about that -- apparently the reasoning is for stunts and movement, but for me here’s the thing: her lekku length wasn’t optional. This is not the equivalent of changing a hair style, which some people seem to think (believe me, I have read so many hot takes); this is like...I’m trying to think of a good comparison. Like putting Peter Mayhew or Joonas Suotamo in a wig because Chewie’s head was too hard for the actor to see out of, or giving them normal human hands because they can’t grip with the Wookiee hands.

Also your main character wears a helmet at all times that (if it’s anything like my Mandalorian helmet) is pretty poor visibility and full body armor and THIS was your breaking point for stunts?

Ahsoka’s lekku and montrals grow as she ages. These are about S7 length; as @reena-jenkins put it, THEY DE-AGED HER HEAD. Ahsoka fans coming in know this. PEOPLE SAW THE REBELS EPILOGUE.

I wonder how many of the people being self-righteous about being totally fine about Ahsoka’s lekku are the same people who claim that Katee Sackhoff is too young to play Bo-Katan.

this also puts them in a weird position in regards to the inevitable merchandise: do they go with normal Ahsoka from TCW and Rebels, the one everyone is familiar with, or do they go with these stunted lekku?

(I can’t believe they’re going to make Her Universe sell merch with this Ahsoka on it. it’s not going to happen but I wish HU was going to be petty enough to not sell any nu!Ahsoka merch.)

Here is some nice art of how Ahsoka’s lekku and montral should have looked.

hoo boy were those prosthetics also just Bad.

“but the stunts” buddy I’m sure Pedro Pascal and his various stunt doubles aren’t having a great time in full armor with almost no visibility either

if you’re going to put the character in, do it right

YOU CAN’T CHEAT

look, I am really, really aural -- the best example I can give is that even though intellectually I know that Matt Lanter and Hayden Christensen both play Anakin Skywalker, I literally cannot parse them as both being the same Anakin Skywalker and for that reason TCW and the PT don’t exist for the same continuity for me. (This also goes for Ewan McGregor and James Arnold Taylor, Natalie Portman and Cat Taber, and Samuel L. Jackson and TC Carson. I can kinda cope with the multiple Palpatine VAs. Yes, the decision to use Hayden and Sam in Ahsoka’s vision in “Shattered,” even blending into Matt’s voice from Hayden’s, threw me so badly I couldn’t take the vision seriously.) Ashley Eckstein has a very distinctive voice, and moreover has been the only person to ever voice Ahsoka up to this point (even in the Ahsoka novel audiobook). Barring a MIRACLE I was never going to be able to parse another actress’s voice as Ahsoka’s, solely because of how my brain works.

I could probably have parsed someone else’s face because animated Ahsoka is pretty stylized but the voice thing is a huge problem for me because of how aural I am.

(I say this but when Squadrons did a more live action-style Hera -- knowing they mo-capped Vanessa Marshall I think they used Vanessa’s face for Hera’s, which is also what it looks like on the revised art and face sculpt for the Black Series Hera -- I kind of had a meltdown about it (for...weird reasons). And that was the same VA.)

(The timeskip between TCW and Rogue One, then Rebels, probably saved Saw Gerrera for me here, but he was also never a main character.)

can you believe that Sam Witwer’s Maul got more live action respect than Ashley Eckstein’s Ahsoka

I love Sam’s Maul but wow

this is particularly jarring because Dave Filoni and Ashley Eckstein always seemed like they were friends? I realize that this gets skewed by how little of their actual lives we see online, but that is the vibe that I’ve gotten from interviews and social media posts.

can you believe that TROS gave more respect to Ashley Eckstein’s Ahsoka than Dave Filoni’s Mando episode did (here is her statement on TROS.)

back in March, when the Dawson casting rumors first dropped (or leaked, as the case may be), Ashley posted a statement about it saying that she was not involved in The Mandalorian. she has over the years been very vocal about desperately wanting to play live-action Ahsoka, who is a character solely associated with her up until today, and honestly this just breaks my heart.

I am not the massive Ashley Eckstein fan that many Ahsoka fans are, but I have never heard anything bad about her (I saw her at my hotel at SWCC while I was waiting for my roommate to arrive! that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to her, a distance of about six feet), and I really desperately hope that someone told her about this beforehand and she didn’t find out from watching the episode.

Also, while I’m here talking about Ashley Eckstein, the characterization here was extremely off, in that specific way that happens when a writer/director is working with their absolute favorite character, DAVE FILONI. I do trust Ashley to course-correct Dave on Ahsoka (in the same way we’ve heard about Sam Witwer pushing back on people about Maul), and that...was not happening here. (I think Katee Sachoff said something similar to this about Bo-Katan in her interview last week, as well.)

how did you get Bo-Katan so right and Ahsoka so wrong

look, Dave Filoni is truly living up to George Lucas’s legacy in that he can story tell pretty well but he’s not actually that great at nitty-gritty of writing and directing. (none of the really good TCW episodes are his.)

this episode made me think of A Friend in Need (which he directed) which is not, like, a BAD episode but quite notoriously includes the Bo-Katan ass-slap and also Ahsoka beheading four Mandalorians at once.

it also includes a helpless village of oppressed and exploited Asian-coded civilians who are there mostly as background scenery so the bad guys can be bad and the heroes can feel righteous

I’ll come back to that one

the level of violence in this episode was...weird. honestly, too high? in a way that probably would not have registered if it was anyone but Ahsoka. look, I am an animated shows person. I know TCW and Rebels inside and out. I know that neither one is particularly shy about killing off faceless bad guys (though if you watch Rebels S1 compared to Rebels S4 they really dial back the amount of fatal violence the main characters commit in the last season, lol). But this felt off for Ahsoka in a way I can’t really articulate.

why is Ahsoka attacking a random Mandalorian (her allies are Mandalorians!) who is walking through the woods WITH A BABY? WITHOUT WARNING?

part of that is just her movement -- when they animated her for TCW back in 2008, they made a deliberate decision to give her mannerisms and movement and a fighting style that a human can’t do because she isn’t human and animation can do that. which means that they hobbled themselves when they came to translating her to live action because uh a human can’t do that.

something about her lightsaber blades looked really, really wrong and I can’t put my finger on what. it’s like they just used the illuminated blades of the stunt sabers but didn’t do the extra CGI that the films do? I don’t know.

Ahsoka did a LOT of dramatic posing and what WAS that?

Dave can’t direct live action, that’s what that was

since when can you canonically convey that much information mind to mind

are Ahsoka and Grogu a dyad in the Force (I know the answer is no but also: what? what was happening?)

the only people we’ve seen who can do that sort of thing are Quinlan Vos and Cal Kestis, who both have the rare talent for telemetry, and even that’s not mind to mind communication, that’s touching a thing and going “YIKES”

you are telling me that Ahsoka Tano, whom six months ago we saw take on Darth Maul, a whole barrage of Mandalorian warriors, and her entire clone trooper battalion and walk away without a scratch, had to work up a sweat fighting one woman with a spear

you do know that we all saw TCW and Rebels right

and here’s the problem! this episode makes zero sense if you HAVE seen TCW and Rebels because (1) she doesn’t look right (2) she doesn’t fight right (3) timelines? we’ve never heard of them? (4) is Thrawn back? did you find the Chimaera? (you all do remember that Ezra and Thrawn aren’t out there alone and are in fact with a 40,000 man crewed star destroyer right) (5) did you NOT find them? (6) are you even looking? (7) this is supposed to be AFTER the Rebels epilogue unless you’ve decided to take advantage of that specific ending scene not being super specifically dated and if it’s before IT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE! because I desperately hate that epilogue and its implications EVEN AS IT IS! (8) why would you call this episode “The Jedi” when since 2013 Ahsoka’s whole thing has been not being a Jedi

to be fair I’m pretty sure S7 tried very hard to course correct that but unfortunately, they could not because the rest of canon exists

are you still trying to deny me grown Ahsoka and Rex when we know you got Temuera back for a five second shot of Boba

to be fair I would have the same aural problems with Temuera voicing Rex because that’s Dee Bradley Baker as far as I’m concerned (I reiterate that this is because of how my brain process character and sound, not anythign else)

if you haven’t seen TCW and Rebels this is a random Jedi wandering around for no specific reason namedropping a completely random person who has no prior significance unless it’s going to turn up later

this entire show has consisted of namedropping random people and things with no prior significance within the show itself and it remains entirely unclear whether they’re ever going to have significance within the show itself

look, I can buy Ahsoka not wanting to train the kid both for her stated reasons and for some implied stuff from earlier on in canon (the kids in the Ahsoka novel, the babies from Future of the Force), even what happened with Ezra, and obviously she has Plans and cannot haul a baby around with her when that baby is going to be a baby for an indeterminate amount of time

which honestly is something that ought to come up because even if Ahsoka wanted to train the kid by the time she grew old and died he might, if we were very lucky, have advanced to being essentially a pre-teen and then would be on his own again? this is also true for Din.

lol sure go cast yourself out into the Force, I’m sure there’s absolutely not a single darksider still wandering around the galaxy who might perk up at “ooh, free apprentice!”

I’m literally starting to think that this show takes place in an alternate universe where Luke and Leia either don’t exist or died at some point in the OT

me, baffled, last season: you’re telling me Cara Dune, Alderaanian, had never heard of the Jedi? was she not keeping up with whatever Leia Organa was doing? was the Rebel Alliance actually big enough that PEOPLE IN IT HADN’T HEARD OF LUKE SKYWALKER?

what...is Luke doing right now. isn’t he training Leia?

WHAT HAS AHSOKA BEEN DOING FOR TEN YEARS are we seriously supposed to believe she peaced out of the Rebel Alliance after Malachor and whatever the hell they’re going to make that out to be (honestly at this point I’m betting on “they will never touch it”)

does or does Ahsoka not know that Luke exists

hoo boy can you just see them trying to cast a younger Luke, or do you think they’d CGI de-age Mark Hamill?

oh yeah let’s go through this again in a season with someone else playing young Luke, let’s, I’m not emotionally invested in that so I’m prepared to be entertained

hasn’t Sebastian Stan been floated (even if just on Twitter) for young Luke?

why are these not-imperials on this planet. what are they doing here. what’s the point.

why is the planet...being burned? I was half-expecting, like, normal deforestation (in terms of logging for lumber) but I’m also a bit ??? about this.

since when is beskar resistant to lightsabers, I thought cortosis was the only thing that was? whatever, it’s new canon, they can do whatever they want. (ETA: apparently that’s been true for a while; I am more a Jedi person than a Mandalorian one as far as the EU goes and my Mandalorian lore is my weakest point.)

dear god were these fight scenes bad

I did spot Morai and I appreciated the tookas

okay, I am taking the next thing out of bullet points because I was really, really upset by it, and as an Asian-American woman it affects me directly.

I was really, really shaken by the use of village of (space) Asian people who were portrayed solely as background victims to be tortured and exploited. Star Wars has a long history of Orientalism, and some of it I can look away from and some of I can’t. Mando especially has a very bad track record with its treatment of Asian characters (Fennec Shand), and in recent years the rest of Star Wars live action has also been pretty bad about it; I will never forget how shaken and upset I was by Paige Tico’s death at the beginning of TLJ, and Rose’s sidelining in TROS was a lot to deal with. There has also been some pretty appalling anti-Asian racism from the Mandalorian fandom that I have seen in regards towards casting rumors about Sabine (which brought me to the point of tears as recently as yesterday).

I had been braced for Rosario Dawson Ahsoka because it’s been rumored for so long, if never officially confirmed by Lucasfilm, and after they pulled the original VA for Leia from Resistance a few years ago (without ever making an official statement but it was after she made really dismissive statements during the Kavanaugh hearings) I was still really hoping they’d pull Dawson for the transphobic assault allegations, or that the rumors were false, or...something. I was not expecting the way that they treated the Asian civilian population here. I kept hoping that there was going to be something, and it’s like they kept almost going there with Governor Wing (you want to make either his name or his position clear in the actual episode, maybe?) but then kept pulling back, which just made the whole population victims that had to be rescued by outsiders. And exploited, and tortured, and abused in general.

And yes, I’m aware the Magistrate/Morgan Elsbeth is an Asian-American woman. That doesn’t make it better? Since Ahsoka presumably kills her offscreen?

(Also Diana Lee Inosanto is a stunt performer and a fight choreographer, why is that fight scene so wooden, damn.)

okay back to bullet points to wrap up

I realize I haven’t said much about Din and the kid and that’s because they didn’t...do...much? I guess if you’re actually invested in them “YAY HE HAS FEELINGS” is a major thing but I’m not

I have flashes of being invested in Din, but the problem is that I never know what the hell this show is doing because it’s all over the place. We are 5/8 of the way into season 2 and I have no idea what it’s trying to do: they keep setting stuff up and then not doing anything with it. I can make vague predictions based on what’s set up and based on my knowledge of canon, but this show is so weirdly set up and paced that I can never tell if they’re something for A Reason, for the lulz, or for the Aesthetic.

I feel extremely vindicated by the revelation a few weeks ago that Din grew up in a cult but I also straight-up feel like I spent the past year being gaslighted about what Mandalorians were, and that’s...not a great feeling. Do I think that the show is going to do anything with that? Fuck, I don’t know. I hope so. I know what I’d do as a writer. But I can’t predict anything they’re doing and that makes me really uneasy.

jeez, at least when George Lucas was making Star Wars you knew he was doing it to entertain himself and tell a specific story rather than constantly having to go back and wonder what story lines got compromised for a project down the road.

like, is this why they did mo-cap Ahsoka in S7, to brace us for live action Ahsoka here? I know they had already filmed Mando S2 before S1 came out. WHY THEY DIDN’T THEY REUSE LAUREN MARY KIM AS AHSOKA’S STUNT DOUBLE THEN? it’s not like she hasn’t stunted in Mando before?

if this was supposed to be a backdoor pilot to a Rebels sequel...I will flip a table

I enjoyed the Bad Batch eps in TCW S7 but knowing that there’s going to be a Bad Batch show I’m now wondering if they’re only in S7 to backdoor pilot that show

how far back does this go? did they put the Legacy of Mandalore story line in Rebels S4 solely to set up for this? especially considering that that’s the one thing in S4 that actually has saga weight and then they immediately got rid of everything it accomplished to set up for this?

I presume that this is the reason they refused to release the turnaround for Ahsoka’s epilogue look two years ago. apparently it doesn’t matter given they changed her entire epilogue color scheme and also her lekku and personality.

Look -- at the end of the day, there was only about a 2% chance I was ever going to like this episode, but I was holding out for it nevertheless. I do get surprised from time to time! I liked the Bo-Katan episode! This was, however, a hot mess. And yes: a lot of the things that bother me are not going to bother other people. (I haven’t seen anyone comment on the Asian villagers, for example.)

#just so there is no doubt: I HATED THIS EPISODE #the mandalorian spoilers #bedlam watches the mandalorian #mando the jedi

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appleinducedsleep · 3 years

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Never Let Me Go discussion @readerbookclub

Never Let Me Go is a 2005 dystopian science fiction novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro. The story is narrated by Kathy H., who describes herself as a carer (and has been for twelve years), talking about looking after organ donors. Her story often returns to Hailsham, a boarding school in England, where she grew up with her friends and where the teachers are known as guardians.

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 I liked the writing style, the first person narrative really worked in this story. It might not be everyone's cup of tea though. The theme is interesting enough, but the universe itself is underdeveloped and you finish this book with more questions than answers.

Next up *spoilers* :

For our March book club book, a new set of questions was provided by @readerbookclub (thank you!)

Is this a book you would have otherwise read? If not, are you more open to similar books in the future? Are dystopian novels something you typically enjoy? How would you say this book compares to other dystopian literature?

I do like dystopian stories, though I don’t read them regularly and it’s pretty much all YA or George Orwell books. Maybe that’s why the stories I read were more about changing the established order. This story was not about changing anything, it was bleak and passive and nostalgic about it.

Other people already pointed out how frustrating this mind-set is, and I absolutely agree. Perhaps because the big scandal that rocked the country wasn’t even about clones rebelling, but about genetics being used to make super-humans. The clones themselves were an after-thought, not even considered human anyway.

If you had to describe this book in three words, what would they be?

Passive, tragic, trapped.

Do you think the donors are a metaphor for something in the real world?

According to the interview, they aren’t. It’s about love, friendship and mortality. It’s easy to put some sort of meaning into it though. Whether it be organ donations or a religious theme. But it’s not. More the pity. Yet it was obvious that the universe wasn’t really thought out. It didn’t seem to extend beyond Hailsham and England, and even the way the donations worked was kept vague but inescapable.

Did the story play out in the way you expected, or did it surprise you? Which scene stood out most to you? Why?

So I actually had read this book before, but didn’t remember it. The first chapter already was familiar enough though. The more I read, the more I already knew how all the big plot points would play out. Still I wanted that referral to work out... and even that dream, the referral itself, would have bought Kathy and Tommy only three or four years. That’s how little they allowed themselves to hope.

That said, several scenes were pretty heart-wrenching and memorable, I’m picking three:

1) Ruth not knowing how to play chess, pretending she did, and then freezing Kathy out when Kathy asked her to teach her (p.53), was not even the first red flag, but it was significant. How different would Kathy’s life at Hailsham been had she struck up a friendship with Moira right there and then, instead of living for Ruth’s approval. I thought that really reflected childhood friendship though.

2) Tommy catching Kathy looking at porn mags (p.134), and realizing it went much, much deeper, though the truth wouldn’t come out until the Norfolk trip, where they would find the lost cassette (which was also memorable). Tommy was so underappreciated in this book.

3) But the moment on page 264, just suckerpunched me; Miss Emily, this fighter in the trenches, said:

“Make no mistake about it, my child, Marie-Claude is on your side and will always be on your side. Is she afraid of you? We’re all afraid of you. I myself had to fight back my dread of you all almost everyday I was at Hailsham. There were times I’d look down at you all from my study window and I’d feel such revulsion...” She stopped, then something in her eyes flashed again. “But I was determined not to let such feelings stop me doing what was right. I fought those feelings and I won. Now, if you’d be so good as to help me out of here, George should be waiting with my crutches.”

What a hero, indeed. Where do you go from there? Even your fiercest supporter flinches back from your existence.

And how does that make sense in the narrative... why prove these children have a soul at all, if you think them so unnatural? How can you say this to your two former charges, who you watched grow up, whose art you took, and comforted when they couldn’t produce any? Who exactly is the real monster here?

What did you think of the authors style? Have you read any of their books before? Would you read their work in the future? How did you feel about Kathy as a narrator? Do you think first person narration suited this story?

The author had a way of making the horrible absolutely mundane. There was almost more emphasis on the teenage squabbles than on the organ donation. It makes sense, the writer said this story was supposed to be about love, friendship and mortality, and there was something unsettling about this creeping horror in the background.

While I mostly enjoyed Kathy’s way of narrating, sometimes it jumped around a lot. Like ‘to understand [this moment], we have to go back to [some other moment]’. Sometimes I just wanted to understand the story about the vegetable patch without jumping through three memory hoops.

@elfspectations also talked about how Tommy would be an interesting narrator, and while I don’t think this story would have lend itself to multiple narrators (I’m so glad there was just the one!), it’s an interesting thought.

Would you say the characters’ personalities changed throughout the story? If so, how did you feel about these changes? The characters were often unnecessarily mean in the way they talked to one another. Why do you think that is? Did this affect your sympathy for them?

Not until the actual donations, except for Tommy. Like Ruth suddenly became weak as a kitten, and Kathy felt bad for kicking her when she was down, but still ganged up on her with Tommy. Ruth was always the one that needed attention, the one who would lie and manipulate and wanted to be special. I can’t blame her exactly. Growing up with the knowledge that you’re just on earth to give away your organs... like I can’t blame Ruth for wanting some control in her life, for wanting to be special, to be singled out by a guardian. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but Tommy had his meltdowns (he developed as a character though, because he mostly grew out of this), while Ruth fiercely tried to cling to control, and Kathy found safety in being the objective observer. Still, Ruth is just unredeemable after she admitted to just wanting to keep Kathy and Tommy apart, cheating on Tommy and pretend Kathy was a freak for her sexual urges. She gave them Madam’s address, but too little, too late.

So for a book supposedly about friendship, I felt the friendships were actually pretty terrible. Tommy was often the butt of the joke, even by Kathy. Something that should have been innocent teasing, often didn’t feel that way. Still, Kathy and Tommy’s friendship was the one positive note in this whole book.

If you could ask the writer a question, what would it be?

However did Ruth and Tommy end up together? I want that scene, because their relationship didn’t make any sense to me. Ruth was, of course, a terrible, terrible friend, and wanted to keep Tommy away from Kathy, but this whole thing just baffled me anyway. Everyone deserved better (and with everyone I only mean the clones).

#readerbookclub #books #booklr #never let me go #kazuo ishiguro #miss emily can go to hell #book photography #quotes #my books #never let me go discussion #book discussion

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aurorawest · 4 years

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ten faves

Rules: name ten favorite characters from ten different things (tv, movies, books, etc.).

Thank you for the tag @thegirlwholied!

Loki (Thor, The Avengers, general MCU)

I mean...obviously, right? He’s got it all. A sympathetic villain with a tragic backstory, a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor, The Smart One, but also, complete and utter trash fire, emotional wreck; just wants to be loved. His redemption arc hits me right in the feels and I’m here for the disaster of a relationship that he has with his big brother. His angst and dramatics make him an utter joy to watch and write about. V pretty, too; makes me wonder if I am in fact just a little bisexual.

King Candy (Wreck-It Ralph)

YMMV but another villain with a sympathetic backstory. The way he turns on a dime from goofy and fun to kind of straight-up murderous is great. Another one where there’s a rich trove of angst and pain to explore in fic. Alan Tudyk’s spot-on Ed Wynn imitation made me fall in love with this guy before three words had left his mouth the first time I saw Wreck-It Ralph.

Stephen Strange (Doctor Strange, general MCU, yes I’m cheating because this is 2 MCU characters)

Okay, so my soft spot for Strange admittedly came about because I ship him with Loki, but I’ve come to love him in his own right. He’s a smartass and a jerk—plus magic! How can I not like a guy who has all the terrible qualities I love in a character, but who dies over and over and over again to save humanity? And in a weird twist, I vastly prefer Benedict Cumberbatch’s American accent to his actual English accent.

George Weasley (Harry Potter)

Though I came to be a huge Snape fan later, my first loves in Harry Potter were the Weasley twins. And George is the one I keep coming back to. Who doesn’t love the Weasley twins, right? But I appreciate kinder, gentler George, and imagining his life after Fred’s death has resulted in thousands and thousands of words of fanfiction.

Weyoun (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

We stan one Vorta clone who presided over a genocide, got his neck snapped by Worf, eats pizza with chopsticks, and had to put up with both Dukat and Damar. Another villain for the list here. Weyoun (and the Vorta in general) are fascinating and it’s a crime that we never got to learn that much about them. The DS9 writers seemed to think we all wanted to know more about the Jem’Hadar, but I just wanted more of these weird, purple-eyed gremlins. Weyoun trying to appreciate art despite his lack of aesthetics? A+ moment from a guest star in a series that was full of them (both A+ moments and guest stars).

Megavolt (Darkwing Duck)

Ah Megavolt, the character that I’ve loved since 1991. He’s crazy! He’s definitely committed murder (he’s been sent to the electric chair multiple times)! And yet there’s something kind of sad about Megavolt; high school bullies turned into who he is, his memory problems are...a hindrance. He’s not all bad either—he has a friend group and sometimes he even works with Darkwing Duck.

Vinny Santorini (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

(with bonus Audrey Ramirez, because I’m not going to lie to you, it was hard to choose between the two of them)

Vinny is the snarkiest on this team of looters and he blows stuff up, so how can I not love him? Atlantis does its best to give us character development for its ensemble cast but it can only give us the broad strokes (its runtime is only 96 minutes. 96 minutes!), but it’s hard not to see Vinny as someone who uses sarcasm and humor to cover up a pretty big heart. In a way, a character with a minor redemptive arc, since the team betrays Milo.

Benjamin Linus (Lost)

The first thing you need to know about Ben is that he spent the majority of Lost looking beat up, which is a really attractive quality in a character. Ben is another one of those villains with a sympathetic past and a redemption arc—though unlike many of the villains I love, he actually survived! So he’s an exception to redemption=death. I loved Ben, I think, from the moment he hypothetically detailed how, if he were an evil Other, he would have tricked Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie and lured them to their deaths, and then looked up at Locke and asked with that dead-eyed stare over his cereal, “Got any milk?” He was the one character who continued to get interesting on Lost as the rest of the show was falling apart.

Telemain (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles)

So I couldn’t find a photo of the back cover of Calling on Dragons, which actually features an illustration of Telemain, so you’ll all have to trust me that he’s My Type. His description from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles wiki:

Blue eyes, dark hair, and neatly trimmed beard and mustache

Plus he wears knee-high black boots and a giant, useless belt with a bunch of stuff hanging off it? Might I point you to another wizard on my favorite characters list. Telemain is a know-it-all wizard who doesn’t understand how to talk to others like a normal person. He’s very smart, fiercely solitary, and very snarky. Hm.

Éowyn (The Lord of the Rings)

How can you not love her? The absolute shit this woman has been through. Her parents are dead. Her brother is banished. Her cousin is killed. And her uncle looks like a ghoul and is going crazier by the day, all while she’s got freaking Grima Wormtongue undressing her with his eyes at every opportunity. I love Éowyn because she’s basically in the process of having a constant meltdown but dammit, she’s going to keep it together because what else can she do? And I mean, obviously, “I am no man.”

I’ll tag...ummm @iamanartichoke, @mareebird, and @thelightofthingshopedfor but no pressure! And anyone else who wants to do this definitely should! Consider yourself tagged, I’m always interested to know what characters other people like!

#meme #loki #stephen strange #ben linus #weyoun #megavolt #king candy #long post

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amandaoftherosemire · 5 years

Text

Bulletproof -- Part Six

Fandom: Marvel/College AU

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader, Platonic!Steve Rogers x Reader

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Gamora, Natasha Romanoff, Tony Stark

Author: @amandaoftherosemire

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 6,168

Format: Series (Complete)

Warnings: Language, angst, sexual themes, fluff, flangst, mutual pining

Summary: You spend your Sunday with Bucky and Steve.

A/N: Welp, This train is starting to get up to speed, so we’ll be barreling toward our final destination at full velocity when we wreck. If y’all knew how much fun I have writing this ridiculousness, you’d be even more angry with me. I don’t know how other fanfic writers feel, but mutual pining is the best. I cackle like a witch the whole time.

Loooove youuuu...

Banner by @hellzzzbelle

Part Five here

Part Six

At a quarter to ten the next morning, Bucky opened his front door with his heart pounding in both dread and excitement. He knew it was you on the other side, the rhythm of your knock the same as always. His breath sped at the anticipation of seeing you, no matter what he'd told himself over and over again all fucking night.

He hadn't slept a wink, staring at the ceiling and seeing nothing but you. Despite what the guilt-ridden part of him wanted him to believe, he had been the only one fazed by the interaction between him, Steve, and you that night. Whatever was going on between you and Steve, Bucky concluded that he obviously did not have all of the information. He knew you, and he knew you weren't the type to cheat on anyone, let alone Steve. For fuck’s sake, you’d step in front of a bus before you'd willingly hurt Steve.

Which meant that whatever the nature of your relationship with Steve, it hadn't progressed as far as Bucky had assumed. If it had, there was no way you'd have reacted as casually to Steve's appearance as you had.

Because amongst all the things he didn't know about this entire situation, one thing he was sure of: you had been as caught in the moment as he. You had been pressing closer even as he pulled you in, your lips coming within a breath of his. He hadn't been the only one leaning in. You’d had your fists in his shirt, pulling him closer. He didn't know whether to beg his best friend for forgiveness or curse him for his fucking timing.

Instead, Bucky decided to give himself a break. He'd been in love with you for most of his life; he couldn't help but want you. Though loving you, wanting you was out of his control, he could control his own behavior and he'd long ago vowed to never get in the way of you and Steve. He'd reminded himself of that vow repeatedly in the wee hours of that morning whenever his mind wandered once again to how perfect you'd looked in the curve of his arms, your eyes soft and your lips parting for his.

Bucky's pounding heart seemed to stop when he swung the door open and your smile beamed out at him. The next thing he knew, the door was closing and you were wrapping your arms around him in a warm hug. All his good intentions went straight out the window at the feel of your hands against his skin.

Meanwhile, you were having an internal meltdown at the sight of Bucky's bare chest. You'd moved in for the hug in a desperate bid to drag your eyes away before he noticed you staring. Not that sliding your palms over smooth skin and firm muscle was going to help you calm down, but burying your face in the warmth of his chest had multiple benefits. Not only did it allow you to hide your face in that delightfully firm muscle while you tried to pull yourself together, it also let you breathe in the delicious smell of Bucky still warm from his bed. It took all you had to suppress a shiver of need at the scent.

"Morning, sweetie," you murmured against him, your lips brushing his skin like a kiss as your mouth moved. Where you'd barely succeeded, Bucky failed, and you felt the tremor shudder through him. His failure triggered one of your own and you trembled in response.

Bucky's arms had come around you automatically, unable to refuse anything you offered, no matter how dangerous. The feel of your hands on his skin had already set him aflame, the feel of your lips was softer than he could have imagined and, considering the pang of lust that rocketed through him, possibly lethal.

Feeling you tremble against him left him feeling both protective and predatory and the juxtaposition left his voice gruff as he answered. "Hey, babygirl." He cleared his throat and hoped you'd assume the rasp in his voice was normal of a morning. He was going to keep his desire for you to himself if it killed him.

You pulled back to smile up at him, catching your lower lip between your teeth, looking as though you were contemplating lapping him up like cream. As his stomach tightened almost painfully with lust, he thought it just might.

As a matter of fact, you were contemplating exactly that. You’d gotten no more sleep than Bucky had, but you’d come to very different conclusions. Or rationalizations, depending on your point of view.

Of course, you’d spent the night cleaning the apartment instead of staring at the ceiling, but you’d been no less tormented by the memory of Bucky’s face taut with desire as he’d been by yours. You knew you’d have to spill your guts to Gamora when she got home, the evidence of a sleepless night obvious to someone much less observant than your friend, but you’d had to put the nervous energy somewhere.

At around the same time the sun was peeking over the horizon, you’d been on your hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor and trying to figure out what to do about Bucky when you’d lost your patience. You’d thrown your sponge down as you sat back, tilting your head upward and squeezing your eyes shut.

You’d obsessed for hours, going over your past and present, trying to decide your future. All you’d figured out was that picking apart the minutiae of your relationship with Bucky hadn’t worked yet. You decided to shift the lens and focus on the big picture.

You loved Bucky. You’d sighed in exasperation as you acknowledged the fact that over and around everything else, you loved Bucky with all your heart and always would, no matter what. He could fail you, betray you, break your heart and you’d still love him. You had no more power to stop loving Bucky than you had to stop time, or stop death.

On top of that, years of isolating yourself from him had done nothing. An hour at his side and you were only reminded of all the reasons he’d been your best friend for most of your life. An hour more and you’d learned a dozen new reasons to adore him even more than you already did. One way or another, you and Bucky were meant to be in each other’s lives; you were certain of that now.

However, you also could not stop thinking about trying James Buchanan Barnes on for size.

You’d bet he’d be a perfect fit.

That dangerous craving led you down a line of thinking that had ultimately pushed you to carefully disguise the signs of a sleepless night under a light layer of makeup and put on the necklace Bucky had given you for your eighteenth birthday. You’d deliberately left your shoulders bare as the day was forecast to be warm and you knew Bucky had a weakness.

Why should the Lilahs, the Ginas, the Dots get to have all the fun?

You were just going to have to seduce him.

Frankly, you didn’t really know why you’d have to, but you could tell Bucky still thought of you as off-limits, something you’d never understood. You knew he desired you, but he’d always seemed oddly shamed by it. You’d only recently begun to suspect the real reason.

If you were right, your choice was simple. If you had to live with the regret of what might have been, you were going to wring whatever joy you could from the experience first. Everything inside you screamed that if Bucky could love you the way you loved him, you’d be amazing together. If you could never have that, you’d take what you could get until your heart couldn’t take anymore.

If you were right, you were going to get your heart broken, but you couldn’t live the rest of your life with this craving, this ache.

If you were right, you’d take what you need because you could never have what you want. Steve had casually shared months ago that Bucky had confessed to a belief that he was incapable of being faithful, which is why he avoided any kind of commitment. You were sure this was why he was reluctant to touch you, afraid to hurt someone he loves. And so, you'd do whatever was needed to make certain he never knew it was anything more to you than sex.

Because that was something else you knew. Bucky loved you, too. So, you’d take what you could get, treat it like play, and never let him see you cry when it all falls apart. A voice in your head that, incidentally, sounded a lot like Steve insisted it was the worst idea you’d ever had, but the rest of you was taking in the sight of a tousled and stubbly Bucky Barnes in no shirt, hastily pulled-on and thus unbuttoned jeans, the waistband of his boxer briefs peeking out, making your fingertips itch to dip underneath.

The rest of you said fuck it. Future You could handle the fallout. You'd been resisting temptation for far too long and as your eyes devoured every delicious bare inch, you couldn't stand it any longer. It was only your heart at risk, and it was your heart to break. Your lips curving in an appreciative and sultry smile, you lifted your gaze slowly back to his.

You expected the flash of his grin in response, as well as the warm burn of lust to shiver over your skin, but you didn't expect to see the signs of exhaustion under his casually flirtatious smile, or the misery in his eyes. Your smile faded as you saw beneath the mask.

Even more, you were all of a sudden infuriated that it had come to this between you. You hated not just that he was wearing a mask with you, but that he felt the need to.

Your eyes narrowed as you reached up to take his face in your hands to examine it more closely. “Did you sleep at all last night?” you asked tenderly. “You look exhausted, sweetie.”

Bucky let out a shuddering breath and pulled you back into his arms as his head dropped to your shoulder. Temptation he could resist; your genuine, uncomplicated affection he could not. His voice utterly miserable, he replied softly, “Babygirl, I just don’t feel like I understand anything anymore.”

Your heart melting in love and sympathy, your body did the same as you wrapped around him in comfort. You combed your fingers through his hair and murmured softly, “Tell me where it hurts, sweetie.”

Bucky’s arms tightened and he muttered into your throat, his face hidden in the crook of your neck. “Are we friends again, y/n?”

His voice was so small and broken, you felt the uncomfortable sensation of guilty tears burning in the back of your throat. You evidently had way more power to hurt Bucky than you’d thought. If you were going to fix this relationship, you were going to have to deal with the years long snub.

You sighed a little, but when you spoke, your voice was eminently gentle. “I’d rather not get into it right this second, but we never really stopped being friends.”

The rhythmic movement of your hand through his hair had his muscles relaxing, but Bucky’s mind was racing, trying to figure out what the hell that meant. Too tired to truly have a chance, he gave up quickly. “We didn’t?”

The almost rude skepticism you could hear in the question made you smile. You replied airily, hoping it would irritate him out of his melancholy. “I was mad at you for awhile, but I’m better now.”

Irritate it did. Bucky jerked his head up to glare into your face. “Awhile!?” As soon as he caught sight of your mischievous expression, his annoyance faded into a wry sadness as he caught the chagrin that colored the edges of your smile. Under the mischief, he could see your discomfort.

Despite your reluctance to discuss the Falling Out yet, the thawing between you too new, you took his pretty face in your hands and looked deeply into his eyes. You didn't know you had your heart in yours. “Bucky. We have never stopped being friends and we never will. No matter how mad I get.” Your mouth twisted in a wry, lop-sided smile. "Can that be enough for today?"

Bucky desperately wanted to press, this the closest he'd come to understanding what had happened, what was happening between you, but he could see the vulnerability in the curve of your lower lip and the slight anxiety around your eyes. Loving you with everything he had meant he knew your face as well as his own and made it impossible for him to refuse you anything when you looked at him like that.

Steve's raspy morning voice sounded behind him. “Everything okay?” Bucky quivered with the need to move, but your hands held him easily in place.

"Morning, Stevie." You answered cheerfully but didn't stop looking at Bucky. You felt the quiver and wondered why he seemed so skittish around Steve of all people. "Bucky and I are just making up."

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Steve scratch at his stomach as he yawned. "Huh. ‘Bout fucking time." He turned into the kitchen, tossing over his shoulder, "Want coffee?"

You chuckled a little; you were so tired it felt like your brain was throwing a tantrum for caffeine. “Only more than my next breath,” you called back. Still holding Bucky’s face in your hands, you did something you’d only done a couple of times, when Bucky had needed the most comfort. Not really thinking, you pulled his face close and gently kissed the frown line in between his eyebrows. At the touch of your lips, the line disappeared.

Surprised at yourself, you pulled back and smiled at his flushed face as you murmured, “We okay?”

You didn’t know that you’d set off an internal storm, love and lust, warmth and heat tangling and reinforcing one another. Bucky was baffled that such a simple, chaste gesture could have him so thoroughly and completely wrapped around your fingers.

Bucky's voice was gruff when he could finally answer. "If you say so. You’re the boss."

Your smile beamed out. You were more surprised than Bucky by the ultra-sweet gesture, but you didn't want to take it back. Trying to put things on a more playful level, you smushed his cheeks together with a laugh. “That’s fucking right, so first coffee.” You stepped back, trying and failing to keep your eyes off the chiseled muscles of his chest and abs. “Then you can go get dressed and we’ll go to breakfast.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bucky couldn’t help but smile back. The most important question was answered: he had his girl back, at least for today. The rest could wait.

“What is this?”

The smile fell from Bucky’s face at the sharpness of your tone as you asked the question. When you reached out and poked at the skin where his prosthetic arm met his shoulder, he looked down, surprised. “It’s nothing. It just itches sometimes, that’s all.”

“Itches?” His shoulder was red and a little raw from where he’d been scratching at it. You narrowed your eyes and fixed him with a gimlet-eyed stare. “Anything else?”

Bucky moved his shoulders in a dismissive gesture, too uncomfortable with the subject to notice the ripple of muscle drawing your eyes, your gaze heating. He rarely discussed his arm, but he reminded himself that you were different. “Tingling, some shooting pain. It’s nothing to worry about, babygirl.”

Bucky’s response drew your attention away from the part of your brain that was wondering what he’d do if you gave into temptation and slid your hands up and over all that luscious skin. At his words your eyes snapped to his. “That sounds like nerve pain and you know it.” You thought briefly of the homework you needed to get done and decided to hell with it. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.” Bucky spoke absently, his attention on the opal nestled in the hollow of your throat. You’d worn it nearly every day for months after he’d given it to you. That you still had it told him more than anything you’d said.

“If you’re free,” you said slowly, your attention drawn by the surprised pleasure on Bucky’s face as he noticed you were wearing his gift, “we can go to Stark R&D and I can see if I can figure it out.” You took a quick gasp of breath, your skin warming under Bucky’s heated gaze as it skimmed over your bare shoulders. “If I can’t, Tony practically lives there, and I know how to get him to stick his nose in.”

At the sound of Tony’s name, Bucky started to balk. Tony, who had a big soft spot for you, had barely been civil to him since the Falling Out. “It’s really not that big a deal.”

You said nothing, merely lifted a disbelieving eyebrow with a wry twist of your mouth. You knew why he was reluctant, but you were more than capable of handling Tony.

“Like I said, you’re the boss. I’m in if you say so.” Bucky smirked as he flirted. “Any excuse to get my shirt off.” He was again surprised at how easy it was to fall back into old rhythms with you.

As you’d already obsessed over that during your cleaning spree, you easily did the same. Why some friendships didn’t degrade with distance was a mystery, you’d decided, and not worth worrying about. With a roll of your eyes, you poked him in the stomach, and pushed past him to head towards the kitchen. “You’re the one who answered the door half-naked.”

You shot him a sultry look over your shoulder, but it quickly melted into an affectionate smile at his look of smug self-satisfaction. “Bucky,” you said, and though there was a laugh in your voice, it was clear you were serious, “no matter what happens, no matter how upset we may get with each other, I will always take care of you. If you’re having trouble with your arm, I want you to come to me. No matter what. Got it?”

By the time you were done, Bucky was smiling affectionately back at you. “No matter what. Got it.”

Steve couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen either you or Bucky so happy and at ease. He also hadn’t realized how much he’d missed these lazy days, the three of you simply hanging out. There’d once been a time the three of you spent most of your free time together.

Steve sat in a low armchair against the wall in Tony’s private lab. He’d snagged a sketchbook he’d left here the last time he had accompanied you while you worked. When your course load was lighter, you went in frequently for specific projects, but right now you visited the private lab only when you had time and Tony wasn’t busy.

Steve often came with you, partly because he liked to visit with Tony, but also because it was an exceptionally restful place to be. You and Tony both went into a different mode when you worked together, Tony into a calm mentor/teacher mode and you into a thoughtful apprentice. It was remarkably serene and a wonderful place to sketch in silence.

Today had been like a blast from the past, from the moment you, laughing, dragged Bucky into the kitchen for coffee. You’d bossed the two of them around, as you’d done for forever, until you were all on the sidewalk heading towards breakfast, you in the middle with a man on each arm.

Steve got to experience the same astonishment that had struck both you and Bucky at how easy it was to slip into old habits and patterns. By the time you reached the restaurant, Steve had stopped worrying about it and was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Seeing Bucky happy and relaxed, something he hadn’t been for months, Steve knew this was why Bucky had been depressed lately. He’d missed you, been unable to stand being shut out of your life any longer. And Steve had known that all he’d had to do was draw your attention to Bucky’s pain. You’d done exactly what Steve had expected and given Bucky what he needed most: You.

The real you, not the hard-eyed, sarcastic bitch you’d become in Bucky’s presence for the last two years. Not that you couldn’t be a hard-eyed sarcastic bitch sometimes, but it wasn’t your go-to attitude. Today you’d finally dropped the shield and Steve, like Bucky, was basking in the joy of being a trio again.

There was one difference in the old rhythms, and that was Bucky. Rather than accepting your attention and affection as his due, as was his wont when you were younger, he seemed dazzled by every smile you sent his way. Bucky hadn’t been arrogant exactly, but he’d definitely taken you for granted.

Breakfast with Gamora and Natasha added another layer of enjoyment, the former quietly pleased to see you and Bucky so easy and happy together, the latter carefully watchful but withholding judgement for the time being. Neither woman, however, was capable of completely hiding their amusement at Bucky.

Bucky most definitely was not taking anything for granted. He was in full chivalry mode, holding doors for you, pulling out your chair, using his own body to protect you from the crowd. Every time he did so, you’d shoot him a sweet smile. The lovestruck smile he sent back had Steve internally snickering, Gamora smiling, and Natasha darkly amused.

When Nat teased him about “sucking up” he’d turned bright red, but you’d laughed and declared that you loved it.

“Take note, Steven.” You’d infused his name with as much mock disapproval as you could muster. “This is how I shall expect to be treated by my boys from now on.”

Steve sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest and grinned cheerfully at you. “Expect all you want. But get used to disappointment.”

You laughed, but neither you nor Steve noticed the worried look Bucky shot the two of you. Gamora, however, saw and took note. Later, when your group stood on the sidewalk saying your goodbyes as you split up after breakfast, Gamora gave Bucky one of her rare hugs.

As she leaned in, she murmured softly. “Welcome home.” When Bucky drew back to fix her with a quizzical stare, she went on with a small smile. “Don’t fuck up this time.” With that she gave him a slow wink before turning to you.

Steve had seen and heard the entire exchange with amused appreciation. Gamora was as protective of you as he was. During the Falling Out, the two of them had bonded while taking care of you and she'd confessed that you'd been the first friend she'd had that she actually trusted. He didn't know much about her childhood but knew she and her father were estranged due to his abusive behavior and that he'd raised her and her sister in a cult. If she was okay with Bucky being allowed back into your sphere, no one else would raise a stink.

Present company excluded. “The fuck is this shit?” Tony flopped down next to Steve with a bad-tempered scowl on his face as he watched you and Bucky flirt while you tested his arm across the room.

Steve sighed a little. Tony could hold a grudge until the end of time. Steve didn't know if that was a strength or a weakness. "I don’t know." Steve kept his eyes on his sketch. He needed the look on your face for his project and he didn't know how else to get it. You only lit up like this for Bucky. "They’ve been like this since last night."

Tony glared at the top of Steve's head. Some days he wasn't certain whether Steve was his best friend or worst enemy. They so often ended up on opposing sides of some moral line. How they'd maintained the relationship this long was a testament to the mutual love and respect. Today, he wanted to punch the man, simply because he was nowhere near as concerned about the situation as Tony felt was warranted. His voice insulting in its sarcastic aridity, he clipped out, "I have concerns."

Steve loved Tony; he did. He also knew that Tony thought him too morally certain, too black and white in his thinking. Because he wasn't entirely certain Tony was wrong, he valued Tony's opinion far more than the other man realized. Even when they ended up on those opposing sides, Steve could appreciate that Tony was doing what he thought was right.

In this case, however, Steve could recognize when Tony was considering interfering in things not his business. He had no intention of encouraging such behavior. "Duly noted?"

Tony took the pen he'd been toying with by flipping across the back of his knuckles and jabbed Steve in the shoulder with it. "Look, Rogers, I know he’s your best friend, but if he hurts that woman again, I will not be responsible for my actions."

"Are you ever?" Steve had jumped when the pen made surprisingly painful contact, dragging his pencil roughly across the page. With a scowl for Tony, he went to work erasing the errant line.

The other man sat back, fixing the couple across the room with a suspicious sneer. "I’m a rich, white man in America. What do you think?"

You leaned in, partly to speak for Bucky's ears alone and partly to give him an opportunity to smell your perfume. "Ugh, and they say women are gossipy."

"To be fair, we’re the only ones not acting like it’s weird." At his wry remark, you tilted your head back from where it was bent over his arm to give him a laughing grin, but quickly focused back in on your work. He watched as you gently and carefully removed a plate on his shoulder to expose the connections beneath. As you took out one of the thousand gauges you used to test his arm and started touching probes to each electrical intersection he wondered if you had any idea how much more tender your touch was than anyone else. "Babygirl, will you do something for me? If you get mad at me again…"

You didn't lift your head, but your voice was deeply amused. "You planning to make me mad?"

"I don’t plan shit, but it still happens." At your snort of humor, Bucky grinned down at you before the rush of emotion he felt in that moment robbed the moment of its levity. "Seriously, if you do, will you yell, slap the shit out of me? I don’t think I can take it if you let me in just to shut me back out in the cold again." The last was said in a low, broken voice. He hated the sound, hated the vulnerability, but he was also fairly certain losing you a second time would destroy him.

You had guilty tears burning in your throat again and you hated the sensation more than almost anything. Trying to lighten mood, you joked a little weakly, keeping your eyes on your work. "Baby, I don’t slap, and you know it. It’ll be a bare-knuckle punch to the face or nothing." When Bucky didn't answer, you lifted your gaze to his melancholy expression and shattered eyes. You'd once thought you wanted to punish him for hurting you the way he had but had been convinced you couldn't because he didn't care. You weren't so sure of any of that anymore. You set down your multimeter to take both his hands in yours. Your voice low, remorse throbbing in your tone, you murmured to him, "I’m sorry. I won’t ever shut you out again, I promise."

Bucky's eyes warmed; you were famous, or infamous depending on one's perspective, for never breaking a promise. For the first time in years, you and Bucky smiled at each other for real, with nothing held back, no hiding. Though neither of you knew it, you were each thinking the same thing, that you’d forgotten how beautiful the other was when they truly smiled. You didn’t know that neither of you smiled that way for anyone else.

Across the room, Steve’s pencil flew.

That evening, after the three of you had grabbed pizza on the way home, Steve gave you a big bear hug at your door along with a whispered, “I’ll tell you all about Peggy tomorrow.”

“Good.” You answered curtly but quietly as you hugged him back before grinning up into his pretty face. After quick good nights, he turned and walked toward their apartment, disappearing behind the door without a backward glance, leaving you and Bucky alone.

After the warm but chaste hug you’d given Steve, Bucky was surprised to feel your arms twining around him like silken ribbons, your body pressing against his in an invitation as old as time. Unable to help himself, he pulled you closer, his stomach tightening with lust at the quiet hum of pleasure that sounded in the back of your throat.

Equally unable to resist, you brushed your mouth across his collarbone. When you pulled away to say good night, you ran your tongue over your lips and trembled at the flavor there. Between the sight of your eyes heavy with desire and the feel of the tremor of lust working through your frame, it took everything Bucky had to not back you against your door and take that tempting mouth.

He was still staring after you, his eyes narrowed dangerously and glittering with hunger, when you closed the door behind you. Keeping his hands off of you seemed a Herculean task when faced with the possibility that you might want his hands on you. If you offered him all he’d been dreaming of since he hit puberty, could he say no?

Bucky turned, rock hard and more lost than he'd been that morning. He felt like he understood nothing, and every time he felt like he was getting a handle on it, you changed the ground on him again. He wondered if he should just relax and let you take him on a ride. He imagined whatever you were up to was bound to be interesting, and he trusted you to take care with Steve if not yourself.

Lost in thought, Bucky didn't realize he was standing at the entrance to his living room staring into space. Steve was on the couch pulling books out of his backpack, and at the look on Bucky's face, had also pulled out his phone.

When Bucky came back to himself, he stood there a moment, trying to decide whether to ask the question at the forefront of his mind. Over the course of the day, he’d had a chance to see your and Steve’s relationship up close for the first time in years. He was now utterly confused.

You and Steve had acquired a physical ease and closeness that suggested deep intimacy and that Bucky would swear hadn’t been there even a couple months ago. When combined with the sketchbook Bucky had found, he could only conclude that you and Steve had been intimate in some way.

That said, though there was warmth, there was no heat between you. Though you were now as likely to lean against Steve as Bucky, when that hadn't been the case before, when you did so, Bucky couldn't see that you pressed against Steve in the same way. The feel of your body against his was electric, but both you and Steve appeared unmoved by the touch of the other. He had to wonder at it.

After all, as Bucky could personally attest, it was most assuredly not because you were cold by nature. On the contrary, you had heat to spare. He was still on fire from merely the feel of your breath on his skin; the brush of your mouth had nearly brought him to his knees. The complete lack of sexual feeling between you and Steve had Bucky baffled. It seemed to him you could have chemistry with a brick, he could not understand why you seemed to have none with Steve.

Steve's voice interrupted Bucky's internal debate as to how to ask his best friend if he'd had sex with the girl they were both in love with, and if not, if he’d mind terribly if Bucky went ahead. "Hey, I wanna say that I’m happy you and y/n made up. A little surprised considering how long it’s been, but happy." Steve was smiling at Bucky, but there was worry around his eyes.

Bucky sobered immediately, hope and dread battling inside him. He realized he hadn't yet asked the question because he was afraid of the answer. His heart sped, but his answer was flippant. "I sense a ‘but’ coming."

"I just want you to be careful, that’s all." Steve was now only more worried. Bucky was at his most flippant when he was also at his most vulnerable. He had started the day terrified that you were on the path to a broken heart, but couldn't see how to protect you, even if he could convince himself it was appropriate to interfere. He was even more lost as to how to proceed now that he was becoming concerned that Bucky was the one in need of protection.

Bucky face fell into serious lines as he answered. "I know how important she is to you." He had heard the warning in Steve's tone and figured he knew part of the answer to his question. Bucky was sure now; whether Steve had touched you in that way or not, he certainly didn't want Bucky's hands on you.

But then Steve smiled, and there was nothing but good-natured teasing in his tone as he replied, "I could say the same," leaving Bucky more lost than ever. Steve had sounded exactly as he always had when teasing Bucky about a girl, without an ounce of jealousy.

Too tired of trying to figure it all out, and too elated after an entire day at your side, Bucky let it go and grinned at Steve before dropping onto the couch next to him. Grabbing his laptop off the coffee table in front of him, he put up his feet and went to work on the reading he'd neglected to spend the day with you. He'd be up late catching up, but he didn't regret it even a little bit.

However, it wasn't long before Bucky's mind was wandering back to you. If you had been any other woman, he'd have made a move as soon as he felt your mouth on his skin this morning. You were different, though; he had so much more to risk with you, even if Steve wasn't jealous at all.

Which Bucky couldn't understand; he didn't even have a claim on you, and he'd gotten in Odinson's face for disrespecting you with that booty call bullshit. How was he to know you had been content and trying to help would just fuck things up? Bucky hadn't been trying to fuck up your 'arrangement', but he certainly wasn't going to shed any tears over it.

Despite that, he understood Odinson's willingness to go along with whatever you'd allow him. If you offered Bucky the same option, he'd make the same choice Thor did. Time with you on any terms was preferable to none. Though he'd accept it, he wanted to be yours, for you to be his, more than he wanted almost anything. If not for Steve, he'd devote himself to convincing you he could make you happier than anyone or anything else.

If not for Steve. The only person who could stand in his way did.

Because that was thing. Bucky had lied to Steve. He hadn’t wanted to confess the truth, that he avoided relationships because he couldn’t commit to another woman when he was still, always, in love with you. Bucky couldn't tell the man he loved like a brother that he also hated him for being so much more deserving, for being so much better at making you happy.

Bucky felt guilt wash over him, but today a small, determined voice in the back of his head had spoken up. That little voice questioned for the first time whether or not that fundamental assumption about the world was true. Perhaps he could make you happier. Because though you'd smiled every time Steve spoke, your eyes had only burned when your gaze fell on Bucky.

Part Seven here

Taglist:

@learisa @angieptt @mia-at-work @midnightdream83 @wwecrazed2010 @allandoflimbo @emaywhyayy @cheekygeek05 @lovely-geek @diinofayce @suz-123 @hellzzzbelle @olukewarmo @fairchild21 @thefridgeismybestie @fandomsstolemylife00 @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @australianhorrorstory @buckybarneshairpullingkink @c-ly-g @wishingforahome @strangersstranger @whiskeyandwashitape @eyesfixedonthesun22 @ingenue-q

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#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader #mcu fanfiction #Bulletproof #pantswrites #angst #fluff #flangst #mutual pining #series

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eisforeidolon · 4 years

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Episode: The Rupture

So I'm off to a cranky start with this one before the episode even properly kicks in. These writers think the audience's memory for canon is just as shitty as theirs, so they feel it's necessary to outright spoil Rowena's death via the content of the previouslies. Let literally anything come as a surprise in this show anymore? Can't let it happen!

There's like, the one scene where Dean is trying to make Sam feel better about Rowena … and that's about all I wholeheartedly enjoyed from this episode. Well, beyond the usual of the actors doing their best with what they were given no matter how dumb it was. Such a talented cast to waste on ... this.

I think the writers were trying to do an in media res type start here, with them already on the way to try a new thing? The problem is, like so much else in the show now, it feels like a no-effort cheat because we didn’t see them work for it or even get an implication they did. Oh, they had literally no idea what to try next last episode and made it out to be a big deal? No problem, they pulled a spell out of Rowena's ass and came up with a plan to implement it since last we looked. Even ending the last episode with Rowena saying something along the lines of, “I just might have an idea” would make this work so much better for me.

And seriously are they out of money to pay extras and get new sets? The group makes their way through the ghost-infested area without a single sign of any angry ghosts until they're in the same old crypt where the show can have “ghosts” bang on the door without having to show any people-shapes.

Rowena declaring they're all going to die would have a lot more impact if significantly more people actually stayed dead on this show for more than a hot minute these days. I admit I found Rowena's meltdown a little over the top, but then again, that is a little unfair because I think it makes sense for the character to be so. She's both generally inclined towards dramatics and used to being able to cut and run when shit doesn't go her way, but with allies she actually cares about and the whole world in danger, that's not really an option. Understandably distressing.

Then we have Dean yelling at Rowena and angrily stocking up on bullets to again, fucking futilely shoot at the ghosts because … oh, right. This episode was written by Berens who seems to think Dean is nothing but an idiotic angry bully. Die mad nobody wanted to watch your shitty cardboard MarySuefest, you little bitch. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh, no! Sam is out of ideas! Remind me what ideas he actually had? Like, I'm not digging at Sam, I'm digging at the stupidity of that line and that I suspect this season is going to give me whiplash with the Winchester hokey pokey of angsty fatalism. I genuinely think it makes sense for Sam and Dean to alternately bolster each other when the other one starts to lose hope. However, when they seem to switch randomly at the drop of a hat, it feels more like drama for the sake of drama rather than being particularly realistic or interesting.

Since the spell Rowena arbitrarily pulled out of her ass didn't work, now it's time for an equally arbitrary McGuffin to come up! Yay. That said, I am actually willing to give a bit of a pass on this one. While it's absolutely absurd that Lilith would have needed an item to control demons (controlling demons was not a problem until the writers were desperately out of ideas of what to do with Crowley)? If the actual purpose is to suck up the power of all those demons, I can buy Lilith having a device for that. (Although what was demon guy gonna do if Rowena’s first spell had worked, since the crook thing only calls souls/demons back from Earth? Edit: They go with his plan because they’re desperate, they’re unlikely to agree to a dubious demon scheme if the ghosts are no longer on the verge of breaking free.)

Oh, and can't forget, there's also another spell! Because apparently in coming up with the first one, it was in no way necessary nor did it apparently seem like a good idea to actually inspect the ghost-belching hell-hole. Uh-huh.

Then we have the part where Sam is apparently witch-like now, because ??? I really don't need Dabb's crew of morons trying to turn Sam into as much of a joke as Wayward/Jack with random abilities falling out his ass. Both Winchesters have cast minor spells all along, just say Rowena likes him better since that's true enough. That would involve not taking any given opportunity to arbitrarily make random shit up, though, and these writers can't have that!

It's almost funny how hard they try to talk up Dean's part in this, which is to sit by a hole with a bag and toss it in. Oooh, so dangerous! Except for the part where we see later that there was literally no danger because the ghosts completely ignored him. Aside from that one line about Chuck being a glorified fanboy, why is Dean even in this episode?

Though at least that's not as pathetic as Castiel's dirty diaper faces. This is about saving the world, you giant baby - you're older than humanity, grow the fuck up. Seriously, do the writers genuinely believe the repeat of Castiel getting talked into being a dumb asshole by some rando is sympathetic? It's really, really not, because all I'm hearing is a bunch of undeserved self-pity seasoned with a hefty dash of hypocrisy.

Almost as annoying is wasting our time with the bullshit of Ketch's death. Look, I really don't care that he's dead. He should have stayed dead the first time. What I can't stand is that these writers are so nonsensically obsessed with “redeeming” antagonist/villain characters by having them change who they are for absolutely no reason so they can have a “heroic” death. And this was sloppier and more transparent that most. Oh, the demon can conveniently read Ketch's totally genuine noble intentions, alas, so sad he dies! Don’t try to tell me that actual, in-character Ketch wouldn’t at least try to pretend to sell them out to outmaneuver random demon #7692. The only way I’d buy this is if he has another get-out-of-death-free spell of Rowena’s in play - and I don’t actually want any more unnecessary resurrections so I also hope that’s not the case.

And why bring that other demon into things, you ask? So we can have a brief demonic power play, with demons fighting over ruling hell. Because that is in no way stale as fuck. I guess the idea is that it needs to be there so demon guy reveals his master plan in front of Cas (and it has to be spelled out that blatantly because the writers see both the audience and Cas as idiots)? Except, seriously? A demon screwing them all over for power? What a completely unexpected turn of events! Not to mention that I agree Cas' choice here is, as per usual, highly questionable. Allowing demon guy to suck in all the souls at least gets those souls off Earth. No matter how powerful it makes him, he's still very much a tertiary concern beyond all of hell's souls getting free to wreak havoc on the whole world and Chuck turning against them. Which is assuming that they actually couldn't have worked with him as the power in hell. Not like it would be the first time - he may have immediately turned on them, but he also may not have. If they wanted this to look like it was about Castiel making the smart decision, they really shouldn’t have spent so much time showing him whining and sulking. As it is, this takes on the implication it’s at least as much about Castiel seizing the first opportunity to take out demon guy for using Jack’s body and not caring about his feeewings as it is about making a necessary or prudent decision. Not exactly a great look.

There is no connection between Lilith's crook and Rowena's spell to heal the not-a-door-totally-a-wound hell-hole, right? One is from demon guy’s secret plotting, the other is entirely from Rowena. She's also not doing the same spell she was before where she couldn't finish it because the ghosts were bangin' on the forcefield thing. So after Castiel kills the demon guy and stops the soul-suckage … why can't they just finish sealing the hole to stopper up more ghosts coming through and then deal with what's already there? See if the solidify-the-shield thing can be done now with less ghosties or just use moar crystals? The jump from something’s gone wrong to, whelp, time to self-sacrifice is extremely fast and unless I missed/forgot something, not an automatic conclusion to come to.

This is why I suspect maybe the meta I've seen hypothesizing Rowena was up to something may be true. When Sam asks her if she has any ideas earlier in the episode, they show her looking at a page in the damned book and quickly closing it to say no with this weird little music stinger in the background. If this isn't a fake-out where she makes this “sacrifice” to get the power and takes over hell instead of demon guy, it's just disappointingly bad melodrama that, so far as I can see, has to happen because the script says so. (She wouldn’t even need to have been relying on demon guy’s failure if she just was considering doing it instead of planning on it and then seized the opportunity when Cas killed demon guy.)

When are Castiel's powers not fucking failing? Seriously. Again, more Castiel is a sad sack of sorrow and I cannot be bothered to give a fuck. You want people to trust you and give you the benefit of the doubt? Maybe stop betraying them and constantly failing to follow through for them - just a thought.

#writer incompetence #anti wayward #anti berens #anti castiel #negativity for ts #long post #spn season 15 #spn 15x03

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runontheroadbeforeidance · 5 years

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Fav New Fic Friday

I was tagged by @disgruntledkittenface to share my new favorite fic! Thanks for this opportunity to share!

I’ve been so busy the past few months that I am crazy behind all the wonderful long fics I want to read, but there have been a lot of great one shots in all the exchanges and fic fests lately that I have to cheat and mention 3 very different fics I’ve loved lately.

1) From the wonder HL Summer Exchange 2019, the fic that read recently and LOVED was The Charles Compass Trilogy by @sadaveniren.

Louis Tomlinson is a successful writer who rents a beach house on the Cape to try and finish the final book in his successful Charles Compass trilogy.

Such a fun, sweet, clever and funny fic. While a short one shot, it really delivers on plot, backstory and characterization while also delivering great laughs, fluff and smut in under 10,000 words. I also love fic that is kinda meta and has an author character who discusses the challenges of writing, especially since its a skill I lack and so look up to with our amazing writers. Its so fun reading about the series that Louis is struggling to finish writing in the fic and the details given about the plot and characters are amazing and lend detail and context to the fic journey of Louis and Harry. Also, this fic’s Harry is so funny and lovely while Louis’ writer’s block is hilarious as are his attempts at getting Harry to repeatedly come over to fix things in his vacation house because he misses his company.

I love this author so I’m not surprised at how great this fic is, but if you’re looking for a sweet romantic comedy fic, this is for you.

2) From the 1D Rare Pair Fic Fest, a Louis/Dermot fic The Cyber Sphere by @jacaranda-bloom.

As the author of The Cyber Sphere, a series of best-selling books which have spawned seemingly limitless spin-offs, Louis Tomlinson hides away from the world in his fortress-like London penthouse. But when he decides to interact with the host of The Cyber Times radio program, Dermot O’Leary, on Twitter, it causes a fandom meltdown and offers him hope for a future he’d never imagined.

OR the one where Liam likes to think he’s Batman, Dermot has terrible taste in sporting teams, and Louis should really get a cat.

I will scream about this fic to anyone who will listen. At just over 17,000 words, this fic in a short space gives such a rich and wonderful story, somehow full of backstory in just a few paragraphs that really helps explain Louis in this fic, as well as his friendship and work/relationship with Liam as well. I love Louis in this fic so much, his character is so complex and interesting. Once again, a theme for me this summer apparently, is a well written fic about a novelist, as once again Louis is a writer. Dermot is the sweet and warmest person in this fic, very loving and gentle and understanding. And their interactions getting to know each other are so warm and soft and sweet and funny and lovely and really very real. (FYI the age difference in this fic is Louis is 28 and Dermot is 32, so if you’re on the fence bc of the IRL age difference, that isn’t at play in this fic).

This is a really immersive fic that you can read quickly in one shot, but this short fic feels much longer when you’re done, in an amazing way, because it is so rich and complex and you understand all the characters so well despite the length being so short.

If you’re looking for a heart warming fic with a bit of famous/non-famous and strangers to lovers featuring adults opening up and beginning a relationship, this sweet and warm fic is for you. Give it a shot if you read outside of HL, its an amazing pair and an amazing fic that just feels like a warm hug.

3) Social media AU Electric Love by @greenandbluebubblegum.

A college au HL strangers to friends to lovers fic told through social media posts and texts. I followed this whole series on this author’s tumblr, and it was such a fun and different way to read fic. Really immersive with all the texts and ig posts. Sweet and funny with some angst mixed in and side Ziam plus friends Niall and Bebe. Loved it!

Bonus mention cause I can’t even stick to my own rules and only list three: if you like Tomlinshaw, I LOVED Walk Walk Fashion Baby by @disgruntledkittenface. A really sweet fic about established relationship Tomlinshaw where Nick dresses Louis for a week for an article, which leads to some much needed self-discovery and communication and personal and relationship growth along the way. Deals with real life personal and relationship issues in a sweet and funny way, and filled with loving supportive mature friendships and romantic relationships. Loved it!

I tag @ireallysawanangel, @toomanylarrytears ,@weareonejazzhand and who ever else reads and/or writes and loves fic!

#mine #fic rec

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williamlwolf89 · 4 years

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600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy

Power words are like a “cheat code” for boosting conversion rates. Sprinkle in a few, and you can transform dull, lifeless words into persuasive words that compel readers to take action.

And the best part:

You can use them anywhere.

In this post, you’ll learn how to use power words like a kung fu master. Specifically:

The definition of power words (and why they’re so powerful);

The 7 types of power words proven to increase conversions;

Examples of how bloggers, writers, and businesses are using power words to boost conversions;

600+ powerful words you can use, bookmark, and reference (again and again).

Download All 600+ Power Words(in one handy, free PDF)

Let’s jump in.

What are Power Words?

Power words are persuasive, descriptive words that trigger a positive or negative emotional response. They can make us feel scared, encouraged, aroused, angry, greedy, safe, or curious. Authors, copywriters, and content marketers use “power words” to spice up their content and compel audiences to take action.

Clear as mud?

Let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill. All the power words are underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something.

In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident.

Power Words = Emotional Words Packed with Persuasion

Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words drenched in sensory details, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

And it goes beyond speakers and storytellers.

Email marketing messages, resumes, copywriting, blog posts, infographics, step-by-step tutorials, sales copy, inspirational quotes, content marketing, and proposals are all designed to influence the reader in some way. You want to pass along information, yes, but you also want the reader to feel a certain way about that information.

Maybe you want to impress them, get them excited, make them cautious, get them angry, encourage them to keep going, or any number of emotions. The better a job you do at making them feel, the more influential you are, and the better your chances of getting what you want.

So…

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe add a little personality or pizzazz — that extra little “oomph” that makes your reader pay attention?

Want to bring your ideas to life, to make them take up residence in the mind of the reader, lurking in the background, tugging, pulling, and cajoling their emotions until they think and feel exactly as you want?

Then you need to infuse your content with power words.

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Fear Power Words

Encouragement Power Words

Lust Power Words

Anger Power Words

Greed Power Words

Safety Power Words

Forbidden Power Words

We’ve organized our power words into seven different types, which all accomplish the same goal: Each elicits emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why these words work.

1. Fear Power Words

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Fear Words

Here’s an example of a blog post headline here at Smart Blogger that utilizes three different fear words:

Open it and you’re greeted by this fear-packed introduction:

I was in agony.

Waves of pain unimaginable shot down my spine, causing every muscle in my body to contract as if I’d been shocked with 20,000 volts of electricity. My back arched up at an unnatural angle. My arms and legs began to shake.

One moment, I was on a webinar talking to a few hundred people about traffic, walking them through exactly how to start a blog and make it popular. The next, everything went dark. I was still conscious, but just barely.

Pretty effective, right?

If you’d like to sprinkle fear power words into your writing, here are a bunch to get you started:

Agony Lunatic Apocalypse Lurking Armageddon Massacre Assault Meltdown Backlash Menacing Beating Mired Beware Mistake Blinded Murder Blood Nightmare Bloodbath Painful Bloodcurdling Pale Bloody Panic Blunder Peril Bomb Piranha Buffoon Pitfall Bumbling Plague Cadaver Played Catastrophe Plummet Caution Plunge Collapse Poison Corpse Poor Crazy Prison Cripple Pummel Crisis Pus Danger Reckoning Dark Refugee Deadly Revenge Death Risky Deceiving Scary Destroy Scream Devastating Searing Disastrous Shame Doom Shatter Drowning Shellacking Dumb Shocked Embarrass Silly Fail Slaughter Feeble Slave Fired Strangle Fool Stupid Fooled Suicide Frantic Tailspin Frightening Tank Gambling Targeted Gullible Teetering Hack Terror Hazardous Terrorist Hoax Torture Holocaust Toxic Horrific Tragedy Hurricane Trap Injure Vaporize Insidious Victim Invasion Volatile IRS Vulnerable Jail Warning Jeopardy Worry Lawsuit Wounded Looming Cringeworthy Last chance Fugacious

2. Encouragement Power Words

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired.

And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Encouragement Words

Here’s an example email from Mirasee:

With two encouraging words — life-changing and magic — in one subject, it’s an email that stands out in most inboxes.

Want to give your readers a pep talk and get them charged up again? Want to encourage them?

Use these persuasive words:

Amazing Jubilant Ascend Legend Astonishing Life-changing Astounding Magic Audacious Marvelous Awe-inspiring Master Awesome Mind-blowing Backbone Miracle Badass Miraculous Beat Noble Belief Perfect Blissful Persuade Bravery Phenomenal Breathtaking Pluck Brilliant Power-up Celebrate Praise Cheer Prevail Colossal Remarkable Command Revel Conquer Rule Courage Score Daring Seize Defeat Sensational Defiance Spectacular Delight Spine Devoted Spirit Dignity Splendid Dominate Spunk Effortless Staggering Empower Strengthen Epic Striking Excellent Strong Excited Stunning Extraordinary Stunt Eye-opening Supreme Fabulous Surprising Faith Terrific Fantastic Thrive Fearless Thwart Ferocious Titan Fierce Tough Force Triumph Fulfill Tremendous Glorious Unbeatable Glory Unbelievable Graceful Unforgettable Grateful Unique Grit Unleash Guts Uplifting Happy Valiant Heart Valor Hero Vanquish Honor Victory Hope Win Incredible Wonderful Jaw-dropping Wondrous Kudos Brighten Lovable Radiant Flawless Classy Affable Stupendous Virtuoso Cheery Openhearted Jovial Beauteous Logophile

3. Lust Power Words

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything.

As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Lust Words

See if you can spot the lust words in this headline from Cosmopolitan:

Okay, the orange underlines probably give it away, but my hunch is you didn’t need them.

Power words like captivating and love jump off the page. And if you use them properly, they can stir all sorts of emotions in your readers’ heads.

Here’s a lascivious list of descriptive words to get you started:

Allure Naughty Arouse Nude Bare Obscene Begging Orgasmic Beguiling Passionate Brazen Pining Captivating Pleasure Charm Provocative Cheeky Racy Climax Raunchy Crave Risque Delight Rowdy Delirious Salacious Depraved Satisfy Desire Saucy Dirty Scandalous Divine Seduce Ecstasy Seductive Embrace Sensual Enchant Sex Enthralling Shameless Entice Sinful Entrance Sleazy Excite Sleeping Explicit Spank Exposed Spellbinding Fascinate Spicy Forbidden Steamy Frisky Stimulating Goosebumps Strip Hanker Sweaty Heavenly Tantalizing Hottest Taste Hypnotic Tawdry Impure Tease Indecent Tempting Intense Thrilling Intoxicating Tickle Itching Tight Juicy Tingle Kinky Turn on Kiss Unabashed Lascivious Uncensored Lewd Untamed Lick Untouched Lonely Urge Longing Voluptuous Love Vulgar Lure Wanton Luscious Wet Lush Whip Lust Wild Mischievous X-rated Mouth-watering Yearning Naked Yummy Sneak peek

4. Anger Power Words

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it.

The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Anger Words

The authors of this Forbes headline don’t pull any punches:

I didn’t realize some people get angry over business jargon, but apparently it’s a thing. And this headline, undoubtedly, had such people frothing at the mouth.

If you want to connect with people’s anger and slowly but surely work them into a frenzy, use the power words below.

Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂

Abhorrent Money-grubbing Abuse Nasty Annoying Nazi Arrogant No good Ass kicking Obnoxious Backstabbing Oppressive Barbaric Pain in the ass Bash Payback Beat down Perverse Big mouth Pesky Blatant Pest Brutal Phony Bullsh*t Pissed off Bully Pollute Cheat Pompous Clobber Pound Clown Preposterous Cocky Pretentious Corrupt Punch Coward Punish Crooked Rampant Crush Ravage Curse Repelling Debase Repugnant Defile Revile Delinquent Revolting Demolish Rotten Desecrate Rude Disgusting Ruined Dishonest Ruthless Distorted Savage Evil Scam Exploit Scold Force-fed Sick and tired Foul Sink Freaking out Slam Full of sh*t Slander Greedy Slap Gross Slay Harass Smash Hate Smear High and mighty Smug Horrid Sniveling Infuriating Snob Jackass Snooty Kick Snotty Kill Spoil Knock Stuck up Knock out Suck Know it all Terrorize Lies Trash Livid Trounce Loathsome Tyranny Loser Underhanded Lying Up to here Maul Useless Misleading Violate Lollygag Quixotic

5. Greed Power Words

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either saving or making money.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Greed Words

Its explicit and implicit use of greed words makes this popular book from Dave Ramsey a great example:

“Money” is hard to miss — it’s probably the ultimate greed word and it’s sitting there in capital letters.

But a title like “Total Money Makeover” also implies another greed word (even though it doesn’t directly state it): money-saving.

(It also gets bonus points for using the safety power word “proven”, which we’ll discuss in a moment.)

If you want to stomp on your readers’ greed glands, use these power words:

Bank Jackpot Bargain Lowest price Best Luxurious Billion Marked down Bonanza Massive Booked solid Money Cash Money-draining Cheap Money-saving Costly Nest egg Discount Pay zero Dollar Prize Double Profit Explode Quadruple Extra Reduced Feast Rich Fortune Savings Free Six-figure Freebie Skyrocket Frenzy Soaring Frugal Surge Gift Treasure Golden Triple Greatest Waste High-paying Wealth Inexpensive Whopping

6. Safety Power Words

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver, and they need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter.

How to Crank Up Emotion with Safety Words

On the landing page for one of our Smart Blogger courses, we use power words to make sure our customers feel safe:

In addition to “legitimate” and “guaranteed” in the screenshot above, our landing page is sprinkled with numerous safety words:

Money-back

Results

Refund

Proven

Risk-free

They work for us, and they can work for you.

Help your customers feel safe by using as many of these power words as possible:

Above and beyond Privacy Anonymous Professional Authentic Protected Automatic Proven Backed Recession-proof Bankable Refund Best-selling Reliable Cancel anytime Research Certified Results Clockwork Risk-free Endorsed Rock-solid Foolproof Science-backed Guaranteed Scientific Ironclad Secure Legitimate Sure-fire Lifetime Survive Money-back Tested No obligation That never fails No questions asked Thorough No risk Trustworthy No strings attached Try before you buy No-fail Unconditional Official Verify Permanent World-class Guilt-free

7. Forbidden Power Words

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

How to Crank Up Emotion with Forbidden Words

This Ahrefs article tempts you with its headline:

What’s the “secret”? Only one way to find out.

Whenever you want to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:

Ancient Lost Backdoor Never seen before Banned Off the record Behind the scenes Off-limits Black Market Outlawed Blacklisted Private Bootleg Restricted Censored Sealed Classified Secret Cloak and dagger Smuggled Concealed Strange Confessions Tried to hide Confidential Unauthorized Controversial Uncensored Covert Under wraps Cover-up Undercover Exotic Underground Forbidden Under-the-table Forgotten Undisclosed From the vault Unexpected Hidden Unlock Hush-hush Unreachable Illegal Unspoken Insider Unveiled Little-known Withheld

Now that we’ve looked at the different types of power words (and gone over a few quick examples), let’s go over all the different places you can use them:

Powerful Words in Action: 14 Places Where Strong Words Can Help You

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-In Boxes

Homepage

Business Names/Blog Names

Product Names

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Button Copy (Call to Action)

Author Bios

YouTube Videos

Book Titles

1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any blogger who’s been in the game for a while knows the headline is the most important part of writing your blog post.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of your content. If your headline fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their tweets and social media feeds.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.)

The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer.”

Here’s one from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits.

This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

Last one:

This headline from our How to Make Money Writing: 5 Ways to Get Paid to Write in 2020 post incorporates two greed words: “money” and “get paid.”

It’s one of our most-popular posts, and its headline’s use of power words is a big reason why.

2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Too many writers overlook the value of subheads, which is a mistake. Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention.

Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on E-book mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads grab your attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

Adding one or two power words to your subheads will compel readers to stick around longer, which will increase your dwell time — a big deal in Google’s eyes.

3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only a handful of readers bother to open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning,” do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The power phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try to add a power word to your subject line so it stands out in readers’ inboxes.

4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do it is by converting readers into subscribers.

That means — unless you’re using a blogging platform like Medium which doesn’t allow them — you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website.

You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t give it away to just anyone.

(Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

As an example, here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoided feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s understated, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

In short:

If you’re not using power words in your opt-in boxes, you’re missing out.

Big time.

5. Using Power Words on Your Homepage

Your homepage is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who visit your website will see this page first, so you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their homepage to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as a red carpet — welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your homepage is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave (never to return).

Look at this value proposition on the homepage for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds,” “Misfits,” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate it from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong,” “Healthy,” and “Permanently.”

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s homepage:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage.

You can use it in other parts of the homepage too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list:

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Having a forgettable name is poison to your website’s growth. So when you start a blog, you want to make sure you have a name people can easily recall.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding), you should use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands out there.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else about it. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

8. Using Power Words on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your e-commerce products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is followed by emotion-packed subheads:

And he even uses power words in his guarantee:

9. Using Power Words in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a huge list of reasons you should sign up to their email list. And many case studies use bullet lists to quickly summarize information.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through them.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these lists wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

11. Using Power Words in Button Copy and CTA (Call to Action)

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too — even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free” (as in the example below):

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate,” “Money Back,” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

Here’s an example from Tim Ferris:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing — like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site.

Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog (or write a paid article as a freelancer), your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

As an example, here’s the author bio from Henneke Duistermaat in her post on overcoming writer’s block:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each perfect word for maximum impact.

Here’s another example from Sarah Peterson’s post on blog ads:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free,” “Reveal,” and “Begging.”

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

13. Using Power Words on YouTube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on YouTube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles.

All the biggest YouTube channels do this.

They understand most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feeds, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention. If you want your video to stand out and be the one they choose to watch, your title has to be captivating.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting,” “Punishment,” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars, and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting.” It’s another smart trick many YouTube channels use to stand out more in YouTube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid,” his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views it’s received).

14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better.

With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before.

You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Here’s another:

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power.

The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

One more:

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open and read it in one go.

The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Powerful Words Did I Miss?

They’re known by many names…

Emotion words. Good words. Strong words. Powerful words, creative words, fancy words, sensory words, trigger words, smart words, feeling words, descriptive words, impactful words, interesting words, positive words, unique words, and even — yes, seriously — awesome words.

But whatever you call them; smart, attractive people such as yourself have mastered the strategic use of power words and use them every day to pack their writing with emotion so they can increase conversions.

Yes, this is an enormous list of words, but with so many power words available, you’d need a thesaurus or Word of the Day dictionary to catch every single word on the first pass. (Plus, new words seem to be added to the English language every day.)

What are some other good words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the power words list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive “cheat sheet” of favorite power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

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brionyjae · 7 years

Text

soooo i was tagged by the lovely @eucatastrophe--x and since i’ve actually done a decent amount of writing tonight, i figured i deserved to procrastinate a little! ;)

rules; answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people

(i’m gonna put this under a read more just so i don’t block everyone’s dashboard lol)

THE LAST

1. drink: hot chocolate! 2. phone call: my mum lol 3. text message: from my brother telling me i needed to hurry up and watch supernatural already xD i mean, he’s not wrong, but i’ve got a ‘to-watch’ list a mile long... 4. song you listened to: ‘androgynous‘ by joan jett & the blackhearts (thank you, ipod shuffle gods) 5. time you cried: last week, while reading ‘radio silence’ by @chronicintrovert... all the aled and frances feels tho! 6. dated someone twice: what? 7. kissed someone and regretted it: liiiiiike YES but also no? regret bc it was awful, but don’t regret bc otherwise i wouldn’t know it was awful? 8. been cheated on: noooooo 9. lost someone special: one of my cats got hit by a car :( 10. been depressed: ...........not technically? 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: NEVER :D

THREE FAVOURITE COLOURS

12. yellow 13. purple 14. orange

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU

15. made new friends: not really haha 16. fallen out of love: noooooo 17. laughed until you cried: maybe once 18. found out someone was talking about you: nope 19. met someone who changed you: i literally don’t meet people lmao 20. found out who your friends are: no? 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: no GENERAL

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: most of them! some are online friends tho 23. do you have any pets: YES three cats :) *snuggles* 24. do you want to change your name: sometime in the future, probably, i don’t like my surname. my pen name is the only thing that matter tho ;) 25. what did you do for your last birthday: OMG i can’t remember?? D: probably had pizza with my family and watched moana... oh and the day after i went to see two shakespeare plays at the pop-up globe theatre in auckland so that was awesome!

26. what time did you wake up: well one of my cats woke me up at 6:45am, which was good for once since i wanted to watch @chronicintrovert and @laurenjames’s livestream at 7am, but then my laptop had a meltdown and i missed it all anyways D: 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: still trying to get to sleep (i was reading for too long lol) 28. name something you can’t wait for: going to armageddon in auckland in october and meeting JOHN BARROWMAN and TOM FELTON i’m gonna dieeeeee 29. when was the last time you saw your mom: the weekend before last :) i actually live at home but we’re in the process of moving house, so she came back to help me organise the open home! 31. what are you listening to right now: silence... :P

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: indeed i have 33. something that is getting on your nerves: having to keep the house looking immaculate in case our real estate agent decides to randomly bring people to view it... JUST LET ME LEAVE MY CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR DAMMIT 34. most visited website: tumblr :’) 35. hair colour: dark blonde

36. long or short hair: shortish? 37. do you have a crush on someone: nope

38. what do you like about yourself: wow how dare you rofl. um, my glasses? and my eyes? 39. piercings: just one in one ear, i want to get a couple more in the same ear tho. i’ll get around to it eventually. 40. blood type: O+ 41. nickname: bri, BB, BY, BBJ, bumble bee 42. relationship status: FOREVER SINGLE BABY

43. zodiac: pisces 44. pronouns: she/her

45. favourite tv show: JUST ONE?? can’t do it. the flash, supergirl, RWBY, the musketeers, torchwood, sherlock, HIMYM, thunderbirds are go. 46. tattoos: not yet! i plan on getting quite a few tho! 47. right or left handed: right handed 48. surgery: i had two wisdom teeth removed last month, and had a cyst removed from my forehead when i was 13 50. sport: don’t play any, but love watching cricket and rugby 51. vacation: haven’t been on many, but i had such a good time exploring melbourne :) 52. pair of trainers: nike

MORE GENERAL

53. eating: right now i wish i had some caramilk cadbury chocolate... BUT THE SHOPS HAVE ALL RUN OUT BC IT WAS LIMITED RELEASE AND I AM SO MAD RN 54. drinking: tea tea TEA 55. I’m about to: go to bed and read ‘not your sidekick’ by c. b. lee! and then sleeeeeeep 56. waiting for: myself to get my arse into gear and finish my novel? 57. want: idek what this means? 58. get married: can’t see it ever happening, don’t really think about it tbh 59. career: WRITER I HOPE D:

WHICH IS BETTER?

60. hugs or kisses: hugs 61. lips or eyes: eyes 62. shorter or taller: shorter hehee 63. older or younger: idk?? 64. nice arms or nice stomach: uhmmmm arms 65. hookup or relationship: weeeell tbh neither personally lol but relationship

HAVE YOU EVER:

67. kissed a stranger: unfortunately yes, it was after drinking these cute baby bottles of vodka straight that my friend somehow got?? 68. drank hard liquor: see previous question lol 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: i’ve only lost my glasses case before, thankfully the glasses were on my face at the time :D 70. turned someone down: yes 71. sex on the first date: LOLOLOLOLOL 73. had your heart broken: i guess so 74. been arrested: no 75. cried when someone died: yep :( 76. fallen for a friend: see 73 ha

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

77. yourself: i’d like to, but i know that i procrastinate way too much :/ 78. miracles: *shrug* 79. love at first sight: nope 80. santa claus: seriously? 81. kiss on the first date: for people in general? sure 82. angels: i don’t think so

OTHER

84. eye colour: blue/gray 85. favourite movie: AGAIN, JUST ONE? D: i love these films equally: star trek 2009, inception, the man from UNCLE, power rangers 2017, the outsiders, carol, moana, zootopia.

i really can’t be bothered tagging anyone, so if you want to do it, go ahead :P

#all the life etc #this took so long lolol

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frazzledsoul · 7 years

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3-5 episodes of GG that you are indifferent to but everyone else loves and top 3-5 episodes that you love that everybody else doesn't care that much about.

Episodes I am indifferent to (or hate) but everyone else loves

The Fundamental Things Apply - OK, Luke and Lorelai’s movie night is kind of cute, but seriously, Rory’s date goes on and on and on. And what is that stuff about denying that she has a sister? Rory’s attitude towards Gigi is so messed up. I bet she hasn’t even seen the kid since 2006. That’s another topic, though.

Take The Deviled Eggs - I’m still not sure if Sherry actually knew that Lorelai and Christopher had hooked up and was marking her territory on purpose or if she was a totally innocent bystander, but regardless of any of it, she was the one cheated on in this situation. And yes, baby showers are awful, but Lorelai’s immature behavior here really doesn’t fly with me. I just don’t buy that Lorelai was the martyr in that whole mess.

I Get A Sidekick Out Of You - OK, this is pretty much me hating where ASP was going with the storyline, but as cute as Lane’s wedding is, I hate that we have to see Lorelai tarnish Lane’s big day by having a massive meltdown and that Christopher saves the day. I hate that Luke has to be ripped down so that Christopher can be built up just because ASP wanted more time with her favorite. And as much as Luke deservedly gets ripped for his bad behavior in season 6, Lorelai contributed a lot to it by her silence and her passive-aggressive behavior. All of this is me hating the overall season 6 storyline more than the episode itself. But I don’t like it.

Friday Night’s Alright For Fighting - I don’t get it. When Lorelai has to remain packed in with the rest of the town to observe Luke with April in the diner, it’s not funny: it’s sad. When we see that small domestic scene with them where he explains he just wants some alone time with April first and Lorelai appears unhappy, it’s not cute: it’s sad. (Although TBH at that point in time his request was not that outrageous: it’s just when he hasn’t budged in months that it becomes a problem). The fighting is kind of funny, but seriously? This is the third highest rated episode on IMDB? Are y’all high?

I Can’t Get Started - OK, I know that Lorelai was vulnerable because Luke was barely speaking to her and Christopher does kind of give a lame justification for it by claiming his relationship was on the rocks, but seriously, Lorelai. That was dumb. That was really dumb. I don’t buy for a minute that she actually thought that Christopher was on a “break”, either. She knew he had a girlfriend and that he was still emotionally attached to her, and she lets herself get attached despite all of that (along with Rory and the elder Gilmores). This is why Christopher is so toxic for Lorelai: as long as he’s around, she’ll end up getting sucked into making terrible spur-of-the-moment decisions out of a desire to relive her youth because she never set up real boundaries where he’s concerned. And he’ll be gone the next day, while she has to pay the consequences.

Episode I love (or like more than most people) that no one else does

(y’all are really going to hate me for most of these)

Introducing Lorelai Planetarium - My overall attitude towards season 7 (which I did not let myself watch until very recently) is that the season 7 writers were handed a difficult situation and while they dealt with it imperfectly, much of what happened was not terribly surprising. I don’t like a lot of it, but I understand it. Lorelai marrying Christopher was (unfortunately) totally in character for her at that time: she chose getting married over Luke and Christopher asked, plus he does have a record of being involved in her making terrible choices. She wasn’t madly in love with him, but he was good enough because they wanted the same things.

Of course, once they actually get married, it becomes apparent immediately that it’s a terrible idea, and the writers start to have a little fun with it. It’s like they go WHOA! YOU THOUGHT THAT OTHER GUY WAS GONNA WIN? UM, DO YOU SEEEEE HIM IN THE MAIN CREDITS? HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT THE GUY WHO IS IN THERE IS A TOTAL DILF NOW? WHY DO YOU THINK WE MADE HIM SWOONWORTHY AGAIN? IT’S LOVE TRIANGLE TIME, PEOPLE!

So I get that people aren’t crazy about seeing Lorelai and Christopher in this uber-honeymoon period, it has been a week. We see the cracks already:she’s not totally comfortable with him making himself too at home there. Rory adroitly points out why this is a really, really dumb decision. Luke spends all episode in OverProtective Dad mode (and I actually liked this about him in season 7 cuz he’s adorable) and then he does what he never could do during their failed engagement: he asks Lorelai for help. When she shows up with the ring, Luke gets this look of utter devastation on his face because it all comes crashing down for him. I think until that point he was living in this safe little bubble where he could just focus on April and the diner and Liz and convince himself that it was enough, that he didn’t need more. When Lorelai shows up, he’s actually happy to see her: he’d forgiven her by that point and was probably ready to start talking again. It isn’t until he sees the ring that he’s forced to comes to terms with what he’s lost. Then he has a total Lorelai pop culture moment with The Philadelphia Story and after allowing himself that small moment, can go back to taking care of April.

I just feel at this point instead of milking the drama for maximum amounts of misery for so long, the show can take those moments and not make them devastating. It’s not a classic episode by any means, but I actually enjoyed the drama there instead of being upset about it.

Merry Fisticuffs - OK, the writers are really having fun with the triangle by this point. I mean, Luke and Lorelai cuddling with that baby in front of Christopher? Come on. It’s game over, baby. And then they get into a fistfight? Hawt. I love it when I get to literally root for my team. (OTOH, we are subjected to a shirtless Chris scene, but I will forgive this because of the other two things I just mentioned).

Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore - I go back and forth about whether this or Hay Bale Maze is my favorite season 7 episode. I love the townie interaction in this episode and I love that Lorelai can come through for Lane and her mom like this and be focused on something other than her chaotic love life. I love the bond between Rory and Lane in this episode and I feel kind of sad that Rory didn’t really develop that bond with Lane’s boys that they planned on. I love the L/L scene at the end here: it’s often brought up in fanfics as being something really hurtful to Lorelai because Luke is able to change some of his habits because of April but not for her, but I don’t think it’s that devastating. I think it’s more about appreciating the bond he had with Rory and Lane and recognizing that maybe things can be better now than what they were before.

A Tale Of Poes and Fire - Yes, this is the episode where Lorelai reveals her pregnancy dream to Luke, and that’s a moment sighed over by the shippers. But I actually love it overall, because nothing makes me happier than cranky, dueling Edgar Allen Poe impersonators.

But Not As Cute As Pushkin - I actually missed this when I was originally viewing the season and while it’s definitely not a happy-go-lucky L/L episode, we do see some tender moments between them and we see that Lorelai really does understand Luke and tries to comfort him in her way and that Luke really does get that, even when there’s conflict between them. Also, there are some cute Rory/Logan moments as well.

#freelyvivacious #sorree this was so long #but man I do like to ramble #luke x lorelai #gilmore girls

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