#give us better rep or choke challenge
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𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴
≛ 𝘧𝘵. 𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘬𝘶, 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘨𝘰, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰, 𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘪, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘪, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘴.
≛ 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘵. 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵.
≛ 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴: 1𝘬
≛ 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢 /𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘹, 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨/𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺, 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘥𝘰𝘮 (𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘪), 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 18. 𝘥𝘶𝘩.
𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘬𝘶:
i’m gonna be honest
that whole “innocent bby deku🥺” shit is played out. this man will demolish your pussy and will not apologize for it.
izuku has the full capacity to be rough in bed, so don’t let his sweet and demure presence fool you
he’s really into overstim surprisingly enough
watching you stir and keen as you cum again for the third time in a row fills him with a sense of pride
knowing nobody else could make you whine like this, make you sputter and stumble over each word, make you cream all over the dick the way he does
he also adores fucking you to the point where you can’t form a comprehensible sentence
he’ll give you deep, slow strokes while holding a bullet vibe directly to your swollen clit, pine eyes sparkling as he watches you plead for him to stop, yet buck your hips into him, chasing another orgasm.
calls you bunny instead of puppy bc ew
“you’re so insatiable, bunny. you like it when i—ah, fuck!—tease your pussy like this? ‘like it when i take what’s mine?”
the pleasure is overwhelming, insurmountable as he brings you to that prepice over and over again until you’re crying.
he’ll then flip you onto your stomach, hands digging into the dimples and slopes of your hips before absolutely impaling you on his length
he’s thick, and comes in at a solid 6-7 inches, so you’re always sore after a round or two
also
breeding kink. like a major one.
izuku wasn’t always the most confident in his abilities as a boyfriend let alone a lover
so when you started letting him cum inside you it was a huge boost
likes breeding you before work so he can think about the guys that hit on you in the break room smelling the scent of sex all over your body as you walk past them, sticky white fluid creeping down the leg of your pantyhose.
he couldn’t keep other guys from looking at you, but he could damn sure remind you of who you belonged to.
oh, and he’ll slide two fingers in once he’s done and scoop as much of his cum between them as possible before slipping them in your mouth so he can watch you suck it all off
this mf is possessive and nasty.
𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘨𝘰:
facefucking.
that’s it. send tweet
nah but in all seriousness, katsuki loves watching your eyes well up with tears as you squeeze and milk his dick for all it’s worth.
he’s a good 7-7.5 inches
not an insane amount of girth but the length more than compensates for it
most definitely uses it as a punishment
and isn’t afraid to do it while you’re in public either
which brings us to his exhibition kink
he’s very prideful when it comes to his reputation as a hero, so you would think that it would keep him from doing anything scandal worthy
wrong
it only adds to the searing arousal he gets from watching your tongue fondle his sensitive head, knees bruised from being beneath him for so long
it’s a power trip for him, especially if he’s in costume
depending on your behavior, he’ll be generous and let you swallow while praising your performance
or he’ll wrap a hand around the back of your neck, slide your mouth off of his spit-soaked cock, and stroke himself until his cum splatters all over your eyelashes, fully debauching you in the desolate alleyway
he’s made you walk back home with cum all over your face before, after you’d been particularly bratty over the course of a week
“katsuki! i can’t walk back home like this, what if someone notices?!”
“should’ve thought about that before you decided to visit me while you weren’t wearing any fuckin’ panties. nasty little girl...now hurry up and get a move on, and you better not wipe it off either.”
loves the thrill of humiliating you
unrelated, but he’s an ass man through and through, taking such pleasure in watching it jiggle and ripple under each heavy blow he delivers
takes photos of the marks afterwards and has an album for em.
he also loves fucking you on different surfaces around your penthouse (and his agency)
the man is territorial
so what better way to mark his territory than by making his gorgeous girlfriend squirt and cream all over it?
𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰:
babe i am so sorry for your neighbors
cause if there’s nothing else shinsou loves it’s to make you scream
he’s got a corruption kink, but not in the way most people do
he doesn’t give a damn if you’re sweet and innocent, or if you’ve got the mouth of a sailor and could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch
what matters to him is making you lose your composure.
one day you’d been anticipating a call back from a job interview you’d gone to a few days prior
and shinsou just so happened to be observing your blissed-out expression as he ground into you from below, your body atop his
when your damned phone started ringing
being the sly little shit that he is, he saw an opportunity
“answer the phone pretty girl...don’t wanna keep them waiting, do you?”
reaching for your buzzing cell, you press the green ‘accept’ button, raising the device to your ear as you jolt forward
“hello, may i speak to y/n?” a chipper voice chimed through the receiver.
“t-this is sh-she. how can i—ah!—help you?” you garble your words, trying to suppress your moans
hitoshi merely takes this as a challenge, opting to drive into you deeper whilst trying to keep the noise down, it’s less fun when it’s obvious what you two are doing
his dick is thick as FUCK. 6 going on 7 inches but honestly you couldn’t give less of a fuck with the way he’s stretching you
surprisingly enough you managed your way through the phone call, telling the white lie of “helping the neighbors move”
but little did you know this was only the beginning of hitoshi’s new favorite pastime
he’s another exhibitionist too
so uh...good luck with that
remote control vibrators on dinner dates, fingers stuffed deep inside your sloppy cunt while he makes small talk with your mom at the dinner table,
even kneeling beneath your desk and sending you to heaven and back while you’re on a video call with your fucking boss.
he’s addicted to watching you fall apart, and is more than willing to apply that pressure.
𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘪:
dabi’s dick would fuck anyone stupid.
let’s make that clear.
it’s canon that he’s got a jacob’s ladder, blah blah blah, but let’s discuss how fucking pretty it is
creeping in at a firm eight inches, and about 4 and a half in girth with a drool-worthy mauve tip, his shaft slightly lighter than the rest of his tanned, unscarred skin
it’s dangerous, barbells running up the underside of his shaft or not
definitely into temperature play
and i’m not talking about that soft shit like warming up his fingers whilst they’re plunging in and out of your sweet center
no no no
that fucker will BRAND you and will not apologize
you’re his pretty little cumdump, and he’ll stake his claim upon your body how ever the hell he pleases
degradation is a given.
“—what a fuckin’ whore. tch, you really think you deserve this dick?”
“how about you get on your knees and beg for it then if you’re so damn needy.”
“quit your god damn whining, or i swear i’ll leave you spread out on this fuckin’ bar for shiggy to find. maybe i’ll even get a promotion for giving him such a slutty little bitch to use.”
“what’s wrong? does it hurt sweetheart? can’t take it after you talked all that shit earlier?” you shake your head no, thighs trembling as you struggle to maintain the position dabi’s folded you into. “...good.” he smirks, eyes gleaming with malice before pounding you to filth, cries spilling from your mouth as you beg for release, knowing he won’t give it to you.
making you cry? a specialty of dabi’s. your tears get him harder than anything; to watch your lips quiver as you sniffle, wiping away tears while he palms himself through his sweats
has shown you off to shigaraki, and will not hesitate to tongue your fluids off his digits while carrying on a full conversation with the other man.
after all, when you know your toy’s better than someone else’s, you tend to brag.
𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘪:
speaking of this mf
he’s the reason gamer boys get the rep of having massive dicks
cause god damn did you not expect this man to be slinging around eight bordering on nine inches of dick. four and a half to five inches of girth. poor you.
he’s also got a penchant for angry sex, so if that’s not enough of an indication that you’re going to have trouble walking afterwards i don’t know what is
but one thing he loves more than taking you apart piece by piece and cumming inside of you with zero remorse?
doing it when he’s in the middle of a game, and he’s online with the party’s voice chat.
“mmm—god, you really will do anything i tell you....swallowing every inch while these guys get to listen, and you’re not even embarrassed, you’re getting off on it!”
“i love little sluts like you, always doing whatever it takes just to have a cock pry them open at all times. that’s what you are, right? my little slut, made for me to do whatever i want to.”
yes, he’s made you whine so sweetly for him, cry as you beg him to touch you, while he plays fucking valorant.
and you can’t count how many times he’s mocked the way you gag and choke on his massive length while he played genshin impact with random guys online.
is a sucker for a good set of nudes, and isn’t afraid to ask for them on a regular basis
plus he just likes taking pictures/videos of you in general, saving them to a private album of his phone for him to use when you’re not there
he may parade you around as though you’re a lifeless fuckdoll, but if nothing else he’s possessive, and would rather relive the pain of losing to all might than let another man see you the way he does
but i’ll be honest, tomura’s not always a teasing, possessive, vindictive asshole with a huge dick.
he’s also a teasing, possessive, vindictive asshole with a thing for being dominated....and a huge dick.
see, it balances out!
it started with a bet that if he lost another round of mortal kombat you got to peg him
it took a lot of convincing, but he agreed to the terms, certain he’d win regardless
and after button smashing like your life depended on it with subzero, you managed to secure the win.
a grin stapled itself to your face after being treated to two hours of tomura’s incessant sobs and wails
“mhm—please...i can’t take it—ah! fuck, fuck, fuck! right there!”
“don’t make me work for it, i promise you’ll never be player two again, just please let me cum—m’ so close..”
game nights are always fun with him, you can count on it.
𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘴:
my god my god
i’m gonna say it right now: keigo doesn’t eat pussy for you.
he does it for him.
and that makes all the difference in the fucking world when he’s pulling you to sit on his face
scruff scratching at your inner thighs deliciously as he makes you squirt alllll over aforementioned facial hair, rolling your hypersensitive clit between soft lips and a fluid tongue
he could stay between your thighs for hours and hours on end
will propose to devour you in the most inappropriate of places
and honestly? isn’t the least bit ashamed about it. elevators, in front of large office windows just a few stories above the street where you’re just barely visible to the people below,
on endeavor’s decorative towels after he spread them out on the floor so he could fuck you senseless on top of them, etc.
the flame hero had pissed him off earlier, and he needed to exert some petty rage. this was most sensible use of his energy.
also in case it wasn’t obvious: breeding kink. duh.
no thoughts head empty just hawks begging to breed you during his rut
“come on pretty girl, let me make you a momma....can’t wait to stuff you full of my chicks....”
he blushes so deeply when he’s close to cumming
and boy does he fucking whine
dick is just as pretty as he is, he’s a good 6 inches with a three inch girth; tip flushed and pink
definitely cherishes intimacy during sex
and will certainly go out of his way to make sure you feel comfortable/desired
he could have all the money/fame in the world
and it still wouldn’t compare to the feeling of your thighs suffocating him while he slurps at your cunt like it’s his last meal.
#izuku midoriya x reader#bakugo x reader#shinsou x reader#dabi x reader#shigaraki x reader#hawks x reader#mha x reader#bnha x reader#mha smut#bhna smut#deku x reader#bakugo smut#dabi smut#kittybutmakeitferal
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(Most of) The Worst Generation as famous Youtubers
Warning: long post ahead!
MPV - most popular video
Monkey D. Luff (Mukbang/Daily Vlogger)
1,5 mln subscribers
vlogs about everything, most of the time captures only his face with the shaky front camera phone
always has some of his friends in the videos - whether they consent to it or not
as soon as Luffy started hitting bigger numbers, Nami got involved
- “Oi, Luffy, do you know how much money you could make on this?!”
she’s both fascinated and deeply terrified as to how Luffy even got that many subscribers in the first place - most of the videos consisted of a shaking view of Luffy’s nostrils and his loud voice reporting every little thing he does at the moment, as well as teasing all of his friends
after countless arguments, Nami settles for adding ads only at the start and the end of the video (as opposed to slapping them every 2 minutes)
merely enjoying a random video he found is enough for Luffy to try and make a collab with the youtuber behind said video - thanks to that, his channel is filled with various topics and lots of unrelated communities
his most popular collab so far is with Kid - where they go to a haunted house together
MPV: WE GOT KICKED OUT OF A PRIVATE ISLAND DAILY VLOG S.30 EP. 996
Roronoa Zoro (Health and Fitness)
320k subscribers
most of his videos are shot from an identical angle - he sets up his camera in the same spot every time and starts working out
once a month he throws in a recipe for protein powders he uses (it’s actually Chopper’s recipe)
Zoro despises one particular video on his channel that surprisingly went viral and earned him a lot of new subscribers - when Luffy made a compilation of Zoro sleeping in various spots around Sunny, not waking up even during extreme weather conditions (title: SWORDSMAN SLEEPS THROUGH A HURRICANE - FUNNY VIDEO MUST WATCH)
MPV: weekly vlog 18,000 rep squats bench workout bicep curls
Trafalgar the Bastard (Study Vlog/Conspiracy Theories)
500k subcribers
a rather diverse channel - at first his videos only consisted of him studying at his favorite study spot, but as soon as he began to be more popular, he decided to add some of his own conspiracy theories reviews, as well as vlogs from where he simply wanders around the city
more often that not, his videos involve Bepo, Shachi and Penguin - not that it’s Law’s choice to involve them. Usually they just steal his camera and zoom in on him when they’re on a camping trip in a forest; they title the video as “lonely man wanders around in the woods - he attacks us at the end!”
at the beginning, Law asked Shachi to be his editor, but since he always cut out the parts where Law started speaking, he went to Nami instead - she agreed to be his temporary editor (not for free, of course) until Law learns editing himself
MPV: my armageddon 2020 theory proved to be true
Eustsass Kid - (Music/Pranks and Challenges)
470k subscribers
messy videos with all kinds of challenges - no matter how ridiculous they are, Kid has to complete them
for the Ice Bucket Challenge, the video is just a compilation of him absolutely drenching his friends with a bucket of ice water and his own evil laughter in the background
when it came to the Cinnamon Challenge, Kid dared Killer that he won’t even budge when doing it; of course, it only resulted in a disaster
as soon as he takes a spoonful of cinnamon, his face turns redder than his hair - he starts to give Killer signals to end the video right now
“Cut. Cut!” he chokes out while spewing cinnamon powder on the table. “CUT!”
Kid’s pranks are mostly either waking Killer up in the middle of the night with an Air Horn, or putting himself in dangerous situations just to see Killer’s reaction
MPV: DROWNING MYSELF ON PURPOSE PRANK ON BOYFRIEND (HE FREAKS OUT)
Killer - (ASMR/Music/Cooking)
200k subscribers
he puts a lot of effort into his channel, mainly because it’s a hobby that takes his mind off of things and lets him relax
the videos consist of him standing in the kitchen and calmly following a recipe with relaxing background music - he includes the proportions and ingredients in the bio
his main goal is to be able to make an ASMR cooking video, but so far he hasn’t succeeded - mainly because of Kid interrupting him every second with either his yells or clanking of pots on the other side of the kitchen
wanted to make a cooking collab with Kid and, surprisingly, that earned him a lot of subscribers - not because of his cooking skills, but thanks to Kid being awfully entertaining (as depicted in the gif above)
aside from food-related videos, Killer also makes music videos where he collabs with Kid
since Killer is an innocent victim of Kid’s merciless pranks, sometimes he snaps and pranks Kid instead - he figures it’s only fair if there is some kind of retribution from his side
MPV: ignoring my boyfriend for 24 hours (he leaves me)
Basil Hawkins (Design/Beauty Guru/Lifestyle)
320k subscribers
just like Killer, he does his best in order to produce entertaining content, puts a lot of thought and effort into his videos
he’s an amazing editor and an even better graphic designer; all of his shots fit into his own aesthetics - symmetrical, with a lot of pastel colors
he mostly focuses on make-up tutorials and reviews, since that’s what produces the most views for his channel
one time he collabed with Law, where he got to do a stunning Halloween make-up on him - the video was also made in ASMR (Hawkins secretly rewatches that particular video at least once a week, he’s so proud of it)
MPV: My daily night routine || winter 2020
The Allosaurus (Lifestyle/Science)
222k subscribers
with simple editing, his videos are filled with science terms and shots of the night sky as he gushes to the camera about the beauty of astrophysics
most of the time, he records himself on a balcony with a telescope, pointing at the stars and planets and providing all of the known information about them
however, the video that really blew up was the one where he made a vlog about his exotic pets - either zooming in on them through the terrarium glass, or taking them out of their reptile houses and placing them on his hands or arms as he shows them off to the camera and talks about each animal
MPV: Real time Perseid Meteor Shower in observatory 2020
Bonney (Mukbang/Daily Vlogger)
140k subscribers
the only reason she still uploads to her channel is because it gives her money to buy more food
most of her audience is still in awe - just how is she able to fit that much pizza into herself?
she agrees to collab with Luffy whenever he proposes such idea - and they always end up challenging each other as to who will eat more in less time (hint: she always wins)
MPV: ULTIMATE MUKBANG | FIRE NOODLES FRIED CHICKEN PIZZA TRIPLE CHEESEBURGER
Urouge (Travel Vlogger)
108k subscribers
he made the channel mostly for himself, to document his experiences; but soon it turned out he gained quite a following due to his outgoing, peaceful nature that is just pleasing to watch
mostly talks about his day and which places he visited - and gets a lot of questions from his subscribers about his daily life and how he handles living by himself in a rusty van
MPV: MY VAN BROKE DOWN! (a day in my solo travel VAN life)
Capone Bege (Family/ASMR)
350k subscribers
he records his chess games with Chiffon and tries to make them ASMR, but more often than not, it fails miserably - his crying son simply doesn’t know what ASMR is all about
Bege also takes part in a lot of tournaments where he’s considered one of the best chess players in his region
MPV: ASMR CHESS GAME (SON CRYING IN THE BACKGROUND) RELAXING VIDEO TO HELP YOU SLEEP
Teach (Gaming/Conspiracy Theories)
2mln subscribers
gaming, gaming, and gaming, either during livestreams on twitch or on youtube
he genuinely enjoys posting his game reviews and let’s-plays where he simply tells about his first impressions with the latest video games
because of his spot-on critique and charisma, he’s one of the most popular youtubers in the gaming community
does lots of collabs, but never with other gaming channels - he treats them as nothing more than a competition
he’s hired a top-notch editor for his videos; thanks to that he produces high quality content
sometimes he also throws in a video about his end-of-the-world predictions, as well as what he thinks about the popular conspiracy theories
MPV: TOP 10 CRAZIEST 2021 PREDICTIONS || WILL ALIENS DESTROY HUMANITY?
#no apoo cuz i dont really get this guy#one piece#the worst generation#op headcanons#one piece headcanons#imagines#trafalgar law#eustass kid#monkey d. luffy#trafalgar d. water law#capone bege#urouge#basil hawkins#x drake#diez drake#jewelry bonney#roronoa zoro#killer#the eleven supernovas#xoxobb#dino content#Marshall d. Teach
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@attrociteas (x)
It takes a moment to register the full meaning of Aleks’s words, murmured almost too casually against his ear, and when they do register, all he can do is let out a choked laugh in surprise. It’s to his own embarrassment; that choked laugh has the heads of a couple of their nation colleagues turning to look at him, and given that he has spent the last thirty minutes sending all manner of indecent texts to Aleks (was there really anything better to do at these godawful meetings?), maybe he does deserve the brief embarrassment.
Cheeks somewhat reddened (a rare sight on its own), he looks down, and gives it about a minute before he stands up to exit the room. As he does, he places a hand on Aleks’s shoulder to indicate he should follow. Once they’re out and the door’s closed behind them, he can only meet Aleks with a raise of his eyebrows. “You know, I don’t think you can talk to me that way,” he challenges, but the look on his features is, quite clearly, more one of excitement than of reproach. And more than anything, it feels like a victory that his creative string of text messages has managed to, in the end, get them both out of that horrible presentation Alfred was giving.
“No?”
The hallway is quiet, as is their exchange. Making a spectacle of his conversations with the Englishman was not something Aleksander ever planned to do. He preferred to keep his private things, well private. Arthur and his deluge of raunchy texts apparently had other ideas and got under Aleks’ skin enough for this to be happening.
“Says who? You?” He cocks his head to the side, encroaching on Arthur’s personal space in the empty hallway, hands tucked nonchalantly into his pockets, fingers wrapped around his phone. “Might I read some of the messages you’ve sent me, remind you of the things you’ve said that’s gotten us out here? How you can’t wait to leave, to get me alone?”
They should not be having this conversation in such a public location, though the building seemed relatively empty save for the national reps all piled into the ostentatiously decorated conference room. Aleks supposed that was because the American had decided where they were meeting for his presentations.
“Come on, kjære, you know the game you play.”
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Death 3
Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 7
"Lila, why are still not in school?" Mrs. Rossi asked her daughter. "Oh, it's just that after Ladybug was replaced by Lady Luck the school couldn't possibly trust her, given the rise of more akumatizations," Lila replied smoothly. Her mother smiled and and nodded as she placed a kiss on the girl's head. "Alright, be safe here and I'll bring it up in the meeting. Tell me when the school will reopen again," her mother said as she took her leave.
However, the truth behind her it all was that Lila didn't want to see them all. She hated Marinette more because of what she had done. "If that bitch didn't kill herself I would've been living in luxury by now," Lila exclaimed, still blaming her for what had happened. She still couldn't accept that her tower of lies would fall down in front of her. "I hope that she'd choke on her respiratory," she says. "You couldn't do one thing right even when you're about to die. It's because of that damn cat that you're still alive," Lila continued to banter on how Monsieur Noir saved Marinette at the final second.
...
"Sir, Lila's anger has reached a devastatingly high level. Ever since Marinette's parasuicide she had become more wrathful and petty," Natalie stated. This made Gabriel smile wickedly at the thought. Ever since the death of his son he couldn't handle it any more. He akumatized Natalie in order to retrieve his son's body, which now lies with his wife's. His drive was twice more powerful now that he had nothing to lose at all, making him double the number of akumatizations.
However, he was still highly disappointed at the predicament of Marinette. She was supposed to be his masterpiece. She was going to be the one to guide him to victory, if it weren't for Lila's pets for going too far, he would have had her. Or if it weren't for that cat for summoning his cataclysm to destroy the akuma he sent for her. Although it had paved the way for a more malicious Lila Rossi that will likely succeed this time.
"Hmm, this is an absolutely wonderful predicament. Nothing better than a vengeful heart in need of help," he began. "Nooro, dark wings rise," he called as Nooro entered the brooch and powered his master.
"Ah, such a vengeful soul who only wishes for the rightful punishment to those who had wronged her. A perfect prey for my akuma. Fly away evil one and reunite with this toy," Hawkmoth stated as he released an akuma to Lila.
Lila, on the other hand, continued her anger tantrum by checking the Ladyblog only to find hate comments on her after Alya posted the truth and took down all her interviews. As she was about to throw her phone away, the butterfly immediately entered it taking control over her.
"Castigare," Hawkmoth greeted as a smile appeared on her face. "I'm giving you the ability to cast the suitable punishments to those who have wronged you in terms of Dante's Inferno. In return, as always, I ask for the miraculouses," he conditioned as Lila replied, "Of course Hawkmoth."
With that Lila was engulfed by the purple and black plasma and transformed her. Her hair stayed the same with an addition of a golden crown. However, her skin turned to ivory while her clothes were the typical skin tight costume with the colour of balconies and purple. Her gloves, boots and top are in the colour black, while the rest of it was purple. Her phone turned into a sceptre that she would be able to use against those who wronged her.
Looking in the mirror, Lila—Castigate smiled wickedly as she stalked out for her rebelling subjects. "First, François Dupont, next you, Marinette!" she declared as she laughed manically.
...
"Allan, Allan. Where are you? Come back before you hurt someone," Marinette called. "Did you find him on your end?" Felix asked Marinette as they met at the corridor. "No," she replied with worry. "I-I don't want to see him like that again," she said anxiously. "It's alright, we'll find him. Don't worry, Claude will know what to do like always," Felix consoled. "I'm sure that he would not try to possess anyone again," he added. "It's just that, I can't. I can't see that much sorrow in him. Not to mention how that girl almost died," Marinette began to panic.
"Hey," Felix said as he touched both her arms as she began to panic. "We'll find him. I know how spiteful he could be, but we have to stay calm. We don't want your heart monitor to go haywire," he added as he tried to calm her down. "I just, I just don't want anyone to get hurt. You know how he is when he realized what he had done," Marinette said as she slowly calmed down. "I know, depressed souls aren't the best to see," Felix agreed as they reminisced on how Allan had almost cut off the electricity and generators around two days ago, and because of that there were surgeries that were almost undone. It was terrifying, not to mention that almost all of their life support was cut off.
"Let's just wait for the rest to finish their side and see if they found him. Come on," Felix suggested as he guided her to a chair. Marinette nodded as she followed and tried to calm down her worrying mind. "Everything will be alright, I assure you. He'll have his temper tantrum for a moment, without any causalities, and calm down on his own," Felix consoled.
After a moment of silence Marinette decided to break it. "I wonder what it would be like if I died when I tried to kill myself?" Marinette asked out of the blue. "I'll probably never met you and you would go to heaven," Felix replied. "How sure are you that I'd go to heaven, I'm not a good person? What if I would end up like Allan? To wander the earth aimlessly waiting for my turn to crossover," she pondered. "Why are suddenly having an existential crisis?" Felix asked curiously. Marinette sighed and kept quiet as she waited for the rest of the gang to arrive.
"It's because you're a good person," Felix replied after a few moments. "What?" Marinette asked, wondering what he meant. "I know that you're going to heaven. You're a way too good person to even begin with," Felix added as he turned his head away from hers trying not to make eye contact with her. "You always put other's needs before yours. You're kind to everyone you meet and you always have a silver lining to those who are misunderstood," he continued.
"I'm more of a doormat than a 'good person.' I let everyone walk all over me even when I'm hurting. I mean look where it got me," she denied as she tucked her legs and hugged her knees. "I even feel responsible for Adrien's death. If I just took the high road maybe, maybe he wouldn't have been sent to America. It's too much of a heavy sin for me to think of going to heaven," she continued as she began to feel more of the guilt that's been eating her. "I-I just think that what if—."
"You are not responsible for his death!" Felix stated in a stern voice as he looked her in the eyes. He placed his left hand on her cheek as he wiped away the tears and made her face him. "It's not your fault," he said in a more comforting manner. "Remember that. Accidents happen, none of us meant for that to happen. No one expected it and no one is to blame. Mostly you, you did nothing wrong," he said in a soft voice that was now her rock during her distressed times. "You're too much of an angel to even be here. You care so much for everyone, but sometimes you neglect yourself. But you are a good person who deserves to live like everyone else. Please, don't stress yourself for thinking that you're not one," he added with a consoling voice as he took the girl into his arms and embraced her whole body.
Marinette buried her face into his chest as she sought comfort in his touch and words. She doesn't know if she regretted her failed suicide or not. She sometimes felt like if it weren't for it, she wouldn't have met them all, specially Felix. But she can't help but feel guilty, guilty that she's loving him more than she could've loved Adrien, not to mention that they're cousins.
The more that she's with Felix, the more she felt that Adrien was more of a fleeting crush and a brother like figure who would be there for her. Adrien is someone she could trust to catch her when she falls, someone who would trust her with his private life. But the life that she dreamt for them slowly faded when she found out that he was Chat. Chat is very much a brother to her. A brother who would be ready to defend her when someone wronged her or would not hesitate to tell her that she's wrong. It was probably the rush she felt when she found that they were the same person that she didn't realize that Adrien couldn't be more than a brother to her now.
Felix, on the other hand, after getting to know him these five days, she realized that he was more of an attentive companion than Adrien. He would always be there to comfort her and hear her out. He's ready to be there for her through thick and thin. He would understand her during her depressing moments, something that Adrien couldn't do due to his own situation. Felix helped her cope with her new state and guide her gently with care. He always challenges her, which made him more endearing, and he is equally attractive as his cousin. He also always knew the right things to say and would tell her to love herself more than what others did. He taught her how to be a stronger character and learn how to say no unlike others who just ignore that attitude, which got her there in the first place. However, they're both not exactly alive which could make their situation a bit difficult.
These thoughts continued to invade her mind as she buried her face deeper, wishing she could smell his scent to confirm more of her confused emotions. As Felix had one arm around her waist to keep her from falling as the other calmly brushed her hair and rubbed circles on her back. He, too, felt to same for her, wishing that they were both alive right now to make it feel more warm, than the cold that they felt from each other.
"We couldn't find him," Lindalee interrupted as she and Kenya arrived. Both of their heads turned to the girl's direction like a deer caught in the headlights. "Oops, are we interrupting something?" she asked with a giggle as they both grinned at the couple. Instead of pulling away, Marinette placed her head on his chest again and mumbled, "In a way." This made Felix blush lightly at what she had said as she sighed. "No, but do you have any news from Claude or Allegra?" she asked. "No, and Allan wasn't in any of our areas. I'm afraid he would be heading for the door," Kenya solemnly replied.
"This is bad, this is bad," Lindalee said as she began pacing. "Sit down Linda, before you burn a hole on the floor," Felix said as he patted the chair beside them. "I just hope that Claude finds him," Kenya said as she sat beside the two. "Don't worry, I'm sure that he will," Felix reassured the child. Not long after, Claude appeared with a displeased look on his face. Marinette looked at him to which he slowly shook his head no. This made her slump more at the disappointment.
"He wasn't in the morgue. I checked every container and observed the dieners to make sure he didn't possess any of them," Claude rolled as he ran his hands through his hair. "I always worry about him ever since he began his temper tantrums. I don't want him to regret anything he does in the end," he added as he looked at his friends who were already standing up as they looked behind him.
There, Allegra was running with all her might to reach them and stopped. Despite being ghosts, they still get tired since they're not really dead. Once she caught her breath she said, "I saw him. He, he." She continued to pant, still not getting used to running as a ghost. "He what? Where is he?" Kenya interrupted, since she always see Allan as an older brother. "He, he got out. I couldn't stop him. He stormed right out the hospital," she replied sadly. "I guess this would be a big one," Claude commented as he turned to look out the windows. "Big enough to not let us see him so dejected," Felix added as he looked down. "I hope that he'll just be in the cemetery," Lindalee piped up. "Yeah, he's more docile at cemeteries than anywhere else," Claude seconded.
Allegra sighed as well as she went to stand next to Claude. Both of them looking over the city of Paris. She looked over and tried to take in every detail of the city that she didn't appreciate until she was stuck in a hospital. But in the distance she could see something odd. It wasn't a building and she was sure that there would be no parades any time soon. But as she looked closely, she knew what it was and it was heading straight to the hospital.
#miraculous ladybug#miraculous lb#marinette dupain cheng#marinette x felix#felix graham de vanily#felinette#quantic kids#allegra#allan#claude#linadalee#kenya#gabriel agreste#natalie sancoeur#hawkmoth#lila rossi downfall#lila rossi#lila salt#adrien agreste mentioned#dante alighieri#dante's inferno#akumatization#akuma#death#fluff#angst
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This is my gift work for @bad-batch-of-fics for the Star Wars Valentines Exchange! I hope you enjoy!!! And thank you so much @lilhawkeye3 for hosting @starwarsfandomfests !
Tags: Reader/Fives, Enemies to Lovers, Modern AU, Fives being annoying gym bro, but he has a good reason!, Gender Neutral Reader
The loud clang of weights hitting the floor startles you so badly you nearly hit yourself in the face with your dumbbell. You whirl around to glare at the culprit, getting your first good look at the two loudmouths.
They’re both incredibly fit, skin tight shirts highlighting well-defined muscles. And incredibly handsome, your mind unhelpfully points out.
Or: Your morning gym routine, and your life, gets interrupted by the appearance of a well-intentioned nuisance.
No Y/N used.
There’s a bird outside your bedroom window, singing the song of its people as loudly as it can. You blink blearily at the ceiling, mind hazy with sleep. A quick glance at the alarm clock indicates five minutes until it rings, so with a sigh you roll out of bed, shutting the alarm off as you go.
The bright light of the bathroom does an excellent job of waking you up, and you hum under your breath as you go about your morning routine.
Dressed in workout clothes, you double check you have your keys, phone, and a towel before leaving your apartment. You take the stairs down to the complex gym, jumping the last four steps in a sudden burst of energy.
You don’t see anyone on the short walk to the entrance, 630am being apparently too early for many of the residents of your complex to be awake. The sun is barely peeking in through the windows, and the snow piled on the sidewalk makes you glad everything is indoors.
There are a handful of people already there, but not so many that you have to worry about getting adequate time on the various machines.
You’re almost done with your last set of bicep curls when they walk in. You pay just enough attention to check which equipment the two men are going to use, just a quick glance in the mirror, as you couldn’t care less about the other patrons, before concentrating on your workout again.
But then the talking starts.
It’s easy to tune out at first, focused as you are on counting your reps.
The loud clang of weights hitting the floor startles you so badly you nearly hit yourself in the face with your dumbbell. You whirl around to glare at the culprit, getting your first good look at the two loudmouths.
They’re both incredibly fit, skin tight shirts highlighting well-defined muscles. And incredibly handsome, your mind unhelpfully points out.
The bald one with the huge facial tattoo smacks the other on the arm with a loud “Watch it, dipshit! If you break it, they’re gonna kick us out!”
His friend just laughs, a warm, vibrant sound that makes you flush. His eyes crinkle, drawing attention to the blocky ‘5’ tattooed on the side of his forehead. Who the hell tattoos their face?
“It’s fine, Jesse.” He dismisses the other man’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “Now, you gonna try and beat my number? Or you just gonna stand there, complaining and stalling?”
Jesse squawks in outrage, immediately reaching for the discarded weights.
You huff, turning back to your own weights as the bickering picks up volume again. You hurry through your set, all the while mentally cursing the handsome nuisances with their powerful arms and thick thighs for cutting your workout short. It’d be too distracting to finish on the rowing machine like you usually do — the machine is across the room and it’d only give you a better view of their shifting muscles and gorgeous tan skin on display.
You glance at the stranger with the ‘5’ tattoo one last time as you walk past them to the exit, blushing but staring back in challenge when you accidentally make eye contact. You pick up your pace to the exit, hearing laughter and a smack behind you.
You never notice the third man sitting on a nearby bench, prosthetics gleaming in the light.
🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️
Pushing through the gym doors, you groan at the sounds that greet you. The loudmouth and his equally aggravating friend were here again. This was the sixth time in two weeks! Your coworkers were even starting to ask if something was wrong, since you were coming in grumpy so often, mood soured by an unenjoyable workout.
You make your way over to the mats that are unfortunately right next to them, grabbing a resistance band on the way. Settling into the first of your stretches, you try to ignore the running commentary and aggressive grunting. You would not injure yourself because one disgustingly handsome tattooed stranger caused you to cut your stretching short!
You shake out all your limbs, checking for any soreness or tight muscles. Feeling loose and limber, you replace the resistance band and move to the treadmill slightly further away.
The only upside to those two clowns, you think as you program the treadmill, is that I’ve become stronger, faster because I try to spend as little time here as possible. Working out at a different time isn’t an option; work is too demanding for you to exercise after you get home in the evenings and you refuse to skip mornings just to avoid them.
So your only option is early morning and dealing with the Terrible Twosome.
You take a deep breath, centering yourself, before turning on the treadmill.
As the bickering behind you turns into an argument, you think you might set a personal best just to get away from them.
🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️🏋🏽♂️
The clack of billiard balls colliding recedes into the background as you lean against the bar counter, patiently waiting for the bartender to finish with their current customer. It’s pretty empty for a Wednesday evening, so you don’t mind watching them as they mix the drinks with quick, efficient movements, placing them on the bar counter with little fanfare. Transaction completed, they wipe their hands on a towel and move towards you.
“What can I get you?”
“Could I please get a Manhattan, a Rum Collins, a Tequila Sunrise, and a Diet Coke?” You pause, trying to remember what else your friends had requested. “Oh, and three shots of your best tequila, please.” The bartender nods, pulling down the requisite glasses for the drinks, starting with the shot glasses.
“That’s gonna be a lot to carry for one person,” a voice interjects from your left. “Need a hand?”
“No thanks, I can—” You turn, breaking off as you get a good look at the stranger next to you. At the blocky ‘5’ tattooed on the side of his forehead. “YOU!” You’d laugh at his look of shock if you weren’t overcome with sudden anger. “Do you know how hard it is to concentrate with the racket you’re always making?”
He gapes, helpless in the face of the outburst a month in the making.
“Mornings are supposed to be calm and peaceful! And your grunting and smack talking ruin it!”
“Is everything alright here?” The bartender’s stern interruption makes you abruptly aware of how you’ve gotten up in the stranger’s face, finger poking his chest. You flush in shame at making a scene, ducking your head and opening your mouth to apologize when the stranger beats you to it.
“We’re fine. I was just leaving actually. I don’t want to cause any trouble.” The reasonable voice cuts you, deepens your shame, and you reach out to catch the stranger’s arm before he can leave.
“Wait! I’m sorry. That was incredibly rude of me.” You lift your head, determined to make eye contact and fully own up to your behavior. “I’ve needed to get that off my chest for a while, but that doesn’t mean you deserved to be ranted at. Can I buy your next drink to make up for it?”
He regards you for several long moments, dark eyes intense before brightening with humor, one side of his mouth quirking up in a half-smile. “Sure, why not. Never turn down a free drink, huh?”
His full attention is enough to leave you tongue-tied, and you barely manage a nod. Glad I tried to stay away from him at the gym. I’d have definitely hurt myself if he looked at me like this.
He stares at you, lifting an eyebrow as he glances down at his arm. You follow his gaze, choking on your breath as you realize you’re still clutching his arm. You hurriedly let go, cheeks heating as you mumble another apology.
“No harm done,” he chuckles, relaxing to slouch against the bar counter. “I’ll have the IPA on tap, please.”
At his order, you’re reminded the bartender witnessed everything and you cringe, hoping they don’t throw you out for yelling at another patron for no apparent reason. But to your relief they simply move to fill the beer.
“So.”
You look up at your companion (you should really ask him for his name). “Mind telling me what I’ve done that warranted getting ranted at?” He cocks an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. It serves to make him even cuter and you have to look away, face burning.
“Well, you see, um…” Just spit it out, can’t embarrass yourself any worse. “We go to the same gym at the same time, and you’re always talking and being loud, and it’s really annoying and distracting.”
When several seconds tick by with no reply, you look up to find him grimacing.
“Oh, that. Ah,” he pauses, rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “I promise I’m not trying to be an asshole and that I have a really good reason for it.”
Really? There’s a good reason for dropping weights and getting into arguments with your gym partner?
Your disbelief must be obvious, because he straightens up from his slouch, fire kindling in his eyes. “I draw attention to myself so people ignore my twin. He’s there every morning too, and if you haven’t noticed him, then what I’m doing seems to be working.”
“You mean the guy with the huge, questionable face tattoo?” you interrupt, eyebrow raised. “I hate to break it to you, but he’s just as noticeable as you are.”
He laughs, shaking his head. “Nah, Jesse’s my friend. He comes with me so it’s easier. Echo has prosthetics from a really bad car accident that left him a triple amputee. He doesn’t want people to stare at them while he works out, so I act up so people focus on me. ”
Shit. You laugh awkwardly. “Uh, congrats then. It definitely worked. I only remember ever seeing you and Jesse.” You lapse into silence, not sure how to continue the conversation.
Eventually, the stranger huffs. “Look, let’s start over, okay? Clearly neither of us is good at first impressions.”
That’s a massive understatement. You snort, ruefully shaking your head. “Sure. Let me take these drinks back to my friends, and then we can find somewhere to talk?” The last part drifts up in a question.
“Sounds like a plan.” He grins crookedly. You ignore the butterflies in your stomach, inclining your head at him in a short goodbye before turning to grab the now full tray of drinks. You head back to your friends, the weight of his eyes on your back making something inside you shiver in anticipation. You hope your friends didn’t notice how long it took you to come back, but that hope is dashed immediately.
“What was that all about? You got kind of up in that guy’s face. Mirage was about to check on you when the bartender interrupted you guys.” Their palpable concern brings your shame rushing back. You squash it down, reminding yourself that not only had you already apologized, but you were going to reintroduce yourself.
“Nah, it was just a misunderstanding. I’m actually going to sit down and talk with him.” That sets the wolf among the hens, and you do your best to ignore their questions and suggestions as you grab your jacket.
Diet Coke in hand, you gaze around the bar until you find the stranger. You slide into the booth across from him and smile nervously, butterflies making a reappearance. He smiles back at you, and you sit in silence for a moment, neither of you sure how to restart the conversation. Gathering your courage, you take a deep breath.
“So, I gotta ask.”
He visibly tenses, smile growing a little strained.
“What’s with the tattoo? Does it have some special meaning?”
He relaxes at the question, clearly having expected something else. In fact, if he wasn’t so tan, you would say he was blushing.
“It has to do with my name.” He coughs. “Well, my nickname.”
“Oh?” Now you’re really intrigued.
“Yeah. I’m the fifth of five kids, fifth with the name Felix, and part of the fifth set of twins to be born in my extended family that year. I heard it a lot, and at some point decided my name was gonna be Fives.”
You raise your eyebrows, amusement coloring your voice. “Really? You decided to name yourself after a number?”
“In my defense, I was four and Great Uncle Felix spent the whole party counting all the Felixes, and always pointed at me when he said five.”
You don’t try to stop the laugh bubbling up in your chest, Fives joining in with a rueful chuckle of his own. “Not my finest moment. What about you? Does your name have any “special” meaning?”
“Not really,” you shrug. “It’s kind of the opposite of yours, actually. My parents had two names in mind for me and went with the one that wasn’t shared with five of their immediate relatives.”
The ice properly broken between you two, the conversation flows easily. Fives is full of interesting stories, having led a very interesting and action-packed life, and you get lost in his passionate retellings, sucked in by his expressions and gestures.
You’re so absorbed in your conversation that it’s a shock when the bartender comes over to inform you the bar is closing in half an hour.
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” Fives winks at you, grinning roguishly. You laugh, shaking your head in amusement at his antics.
Putting on your jacket, you call a goodbye to the bartender before leaving, Fives gallantly accompanying you to your car.
“Don’t want anything to happen to you.” He shrugs, suddenly bashful.
Your heart warms at his thoughtfulness. Hours ago, you would have never considered thoughtfulness and Fives in the same sentence, but you knew better now. The regrettably short walk to your car passes in comfortable silence, the beep of unlocking startlingly loud in the late night quiet.
“So…”
You turn to Fives, head tilted in a silent question. He takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders, seemingly gathering his courage before making eye contact.
“I had a really good time tonight, and I was wondering if I could get your number so we could meet up again.”
Your smile feels like it splits your face. “I’d love that.”
Numbers exchanged, you pause, debating with yourself, before thinking fuck it and stepping close to press a kiss to Fives’ cheek.
“Thanks for a wonderful evening. I’m sure I’ll see you around, Fives.” You get into your car, Fives standing stockstill with a dopey smile on his face. He moves out of the way when you start your car, but he’s still grinning the whole time he’s visible in your rearview mirror.
(Next time turns into a coffee date, turns into lunch, turns into dinner, and pretty soon you’ve been dating for 6 months. He introduces you to Echo and Jesse, and they both question your taste in men. Fives’ feigned outrage (“I am a catch, thank you!”) hides his relief at all of you getting along. The gym routine doesn't get any less annoying.)
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an extremely varied summer 2019 vis a vis annie may. let us reflect:
Dr. Stone has the biggest false start. It’s genuinely hilarious how much of a misstep the first arc is. It ditches 80% of its main cast 5 episodes in and is so, so much better for it. Senku faking his own death and sending his friends away to “spy on Tsukasa” is like sending a dog away to the farm. Anyway this show is ugly and the pacing is bad but you know what, after we arrive on Gilligan’s Island and Senku begins interacting with the people there I became reluctantly invested. The critiques I had at the beginning of the show—that the premise wanted me to believe in the Power of Science above all things and also gave me a Jojo high schooler who punches a lion so hard it dies—fell away after those things became irrelevant and it turned into a quirky little science camp show. It’s fun like that, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it to anyone new. A huge spike in my investment came in giving Suika, the little girl with a watermelon on her head, a pair of glasses, so those are the kind of stakes we’re dealing with here in Dr. Stone.
I don’t know how Ohkubo did it the first time. He captured lightning in a bottle with Soul Eater, and a huge part of that is Maka carrying the entire series on her back. Fire Force is bad. Narratively it’s a mess that doesn’t spare a moment for the characters in its story and instead flits from one plot point to the next, and emotionally it’s empty and, to be honest? Unsettling. Studio Shaft’s finger prints are all over this series and even that can’t save it—and in some places it actively hurts it. There’s so much dead space. Also, let’s address the elephant in the room: this show is misogynist. This show delights in making its female characters uncomfortable. Whether it’s Iris getting her clothes burned off or Tamaki’s “oops I’m accidentally sexy!” bit, it’s Bad, Folks. There’s an uncomfortably long moment where we, the audience, watch Tamaki cry, largely naked, after having her face punched in by her former idol. On a smaller note, Shinra just isn’t a strong enough character to carry the plot; his defining character traits are Smiles Weird and Kicks Things, neither of which are a personality.
Vinland Saga thrives almost exclusively on the uniqueness of its setting. It’s a dark historical seinen and I welcome the change of tone from traditional seasonal fare. There’s something to be said about the incidental nature of Thorfinn’s presence—the narrative moves almost without him. It gives the story this larger-than-life historical backdrop. We, like Thorfinn, are just kind of along for the ride. Time marches on with or without us there to participate. Also it’s got a sick OST.
O Maidens in Your Savage Season is a show with an audience that’s hard to pin down. I mean, the audience is me, but outside of that it’s a hard sell. It’s a series penned by the divisive Mari Okada about a handful of high school girls coming to terms with sex, sexuality, and girlhood. If you turn your brain off now and stop listening you’re doing yourself a disservice because this show is bombass. It’s incisive and biting without being lewd or over the top or conservative. It tackles some heavy shit and does so with relative grace. It’s got LGBT rep. In one of its soaring moments, a pedophile is punched in the face. It also features a girl walking in on her crush beating it to train-themed porn. It’s extremely uncomfortable to watch and had my heart rate spiking. It’s anime Eighth Grade and it’s harrowing and relatable and challenging without pitting girls against each other and turning a love triangle into yet another tortured shoujo romance. It deftly handles each character’s agonizing and embarrassing struggle with adolescence. I understand why this one flew under the radar but it shouldn’t. Also, Sonezaki’s boyfriend is the smoothest boy alive and I would like any romantic confession to be at least half of what his was.
There’s a show like Wasteful Days of High School Girls every season. You know the drill—it’s a comedy about some girls in high school. Each one of them is a trope. And yet? The glee this show takes in making its cast deliver stupid punch line after stupid punchline, the surprisingly heartfelt moments that give way to absurd freefall, the single digit collective IQ of the cast? Charming and highly successful. I had a good laugh at least every other scene.
Granbelm is a serviceable magical girl/mecha fusion that treads common ground but manages to have its own voice. In fact, the finale struck me as very engaged in a conversation with Madoka, and the penultimate episode was raw and emotional and even got me a little misty-eyed. Weird flex to say that this is a rare non-Gundam anime to have hand-drawn mecha. If dark magical girl shows are your thing, this is one of the better ones.
The continuing Fruits Basket loses its luster for me the further along I watch. This may change now that we’re getting into all new anime territory, but I couldn’t help but feel as if I just had more fun watching the 2001 anime. I still haven’t come around to Kyo and knowing what’s at the end of this long road just makes it harder. I did enjoy the two episodes each that both Hana and Ou got, and that’s certainly a plus for this new iteration.
Carole and Tuesday petered off a little at the end, but despite the general consensus that it spent too much time on episodic adventures, I quite enjoyed it. Watanabe shows are consistently odd, offbeat passion projects of love and it is clear that C+T wanted to be a showcase of artists and musicians first and a political narrative second. I got what I came for and even if in, say, my most ideal version of this show features a little more character and a little less Mars Got Talent, I still liked what I got. Besides, soaring cast-comes-together-to-sing-the-final-song moments always get me choked up no matter what.
Astra Lost in Space was the surprise of the season. The source material is a little-known cult favorite, but I had heard no real buzz about it at all prior to watching and was all the more impressed for it. Astra is a tight little sci-fi narrative that knows its strengths and saves its twists for when you least expect them. It’s filled with charming characters you root for and is competently directed. I had a lot of fun guessing and shooting wild speculations off while I watched. Perfect for a 12 episode adventure complete with a wholesome and warm ending.
If you haven’t checked out Kimetsu no Yaiba yet, do. Just do it. If you’ve been on the fence, just take the leap. This second cour of Demon Slayer went from “this is an enjoyable show” to “holy shit I wish I could watch every episode again for the first time and all at once”. To speak nothing of Ufotable’s absolute mastery over 3D space and the Action Scene, the source material is no slouch either. There’s such a solid backbone of character and empathy and every story featured in Demon Slayer only furthers its ultimate message of family, found and otherwise. I make no exaggeration: episode 19 is one of the most perfect episodes of anime in recent memory. It hits every beat. I watched it twice, back to back. And then after I was done with the season, I voraciously ate up the source material. If Ufotable adapts all of the manga to the level of care and attention as this first installment, I am very confident in saying that Demon Slayer could be one of the Best.
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Captain America Fitness Challenge
A short fic of how the Captain America PSA in Spiderman Homecoming might have come about
An elementary school teacher in Queens had noticed her students obsession with superheroes and in true blue fashion had arranged her teaching program around said heroes. The science section of the classroom was labelled “Iron Man’s lab” and the kids did deep breathing to calm their “inner Hulk”. Quiet reading time was Spy Time and every game they played had some sort of Avengers theme.
The school board got wind of it and lost their minds. They called in the education media director, Clark, to see if he thought this kind of thing would work throughout all levels of education.
Clark sat facing a board of grey faced old people and very kindly explained that young children loved anything with the label of their heroes slapped on it. But teenagers were cynical machines of sarcasm and they would not stand for cheesy characactures.
“You know memes? They will make memes,” he tried to explain.
Somehow the board took this and interpreted that Clark wanted to work with the genuine article.
“We want you to find an Avenger to do some PSA and training programs for high school students,” they formally said. Informally, they told Clark to jump and when he asked how high they said the moon.
“This is impossible,” Clark groaned to Kelly and Lola, his assistants.
Kelly was not listening and was entirely focused on the possibilities. “We could have Thor do weather announcements, and Iron Man and Dr. Banner could do science facts, and when we find Black Widow, she can do the discipline reprimands.”
Clark stared at Kelly
“Find… Black Widow?”
Kelly was jazzed, not sensing the irony. “Yeah man! She’s terrifying, she’d scare all the kids straight.”
Clark pinched the bridge of his nose, “Kelly, if you find Black Widow you’d better apply for SHEILD because you’re a better spy than any of them.”
Lola, his tiny camera-Woman, smacked Clark on the shoulder. “The Avengers have a PR rep, you idiot. We can go talk to her. She’ll give us someone’s number.”
The Avengers’ PR representative was a terrifying lady named Maria Hill. For a split second Clark thought she was Black Widow in disguise and then he remembered that international spies didn’t work for PR firms.
Ms. Hill folded her hands on top of her desk. “You want to do what?”
“A couple of short PSA docs with one or two of the Avengers. We’d show the video clips in schools to promote education and behaviours.” Clark repeated his spiel he’d gotten from the board of education.
“You want Captain America to tell kids not to do drugs?” Ms. Hill interpreted.
“Yeah, for starts,” Clark answered.
“Captain America is a product of drug experimentation,” she said.
Huh. Clark had to sit back and think about that one. “Well someone else can do the drug PSA then. What about Iron-,”
Ms. Hill started laughing before he finished and didn’t stop until Clark was worried she’d busted her gallbladder.
“Hulk?” He offered weakly.
Ms. Hill had to excuse herself for a full five minutes.
In the end, she set up meetings for Captain America, Iron man, Scarlet Witch, and Bruce Banner.
“Thor is off world and as agents of SHIELD, Black Widow and Hawkeye are on assignment,” Ms. Hill explained.
“Off world,” Lola mouthed at Clark. She was vibrating with excitement.
They picked a cafe to meet Captain America at.
“Do you think Cap drinks Americanos?” Lola asked. She was on her third iced coffee and was quickly approaching a new plane of existence.
Captain America walked into the cafe in a white t shirt and blue jeans. The Falcon followed him and Clark nearly lost his mind. The two heroes seemed to be in the middle of some kind of argument as they approached the table.
“He’s not in Cuba, Steve. Would you go on vacation if you were a terrorist?”
“But Hydra was definitely involved in the Cold War and Buck might have been-,” Cap cut himself off when he noticed the attention of the three nerds at the table.
Cap was painfully polite as he sat down and listened to them introduce themselves and explain their hopes for working with him and Falcon. He insisted that they call him Steve.
Kelly short circuited at this request and called him Captain Steve for the remainder of the meeting.
Lola, still jittering at a higher frequency, asked the first question. “Mr. Falcon, have you ever done drugs?”
“Excuse me?”
Clark resisted the urge to slam his head against the table.
Kelly explained. “We want at least one drug PSA, but we’ve discovered that some heroes have,um, experimented? In the past. And we don’t want to be hypocritical.”
Sam turned a wide grin on Steve, who looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.
“Hypocrites, Steve,” he said.
Steve narrowed his eyes. “You said other heroes. Who else is doing this?”
“Well, you’re the first we’ve talked to,” Clark explained, “But we’d like as many people involved as possible. Iron Man-,”
“No,” Steve interrupted, hands splayed in the table. “Do not talk to Tony Stark. He will corrupt all the children.”
“That’s a bit mean,” Sam said.
Steve turned on him. “Do you remember Halloween?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sam nodded. “Get him far away from the kids.”
Steve met Clark’s eye. “I’ll do it, as long as you don’t contact Tony Stark or let him anywhere near this.”
Clark nodded dumbly. “Yeah, okay.”
Falcon shook his head, “I don’t need more attention. Count me out.”
In the end, only Captain America agreed to do the project. Dr. Banner turned green around the gills when they sat down with him and had to leave halfway through the meeting. Scarlet Witch didn’t return any of their calls. Hawkeye somehow got Clark’s number and rang him to ask why he wasn’t invited to do the thing.
“I am an exceptional role model,” he claimed. “I can teach the kiddos all kinds of stuff.”
“Aren’t you a spy?” Clark asked.
“Yeah, so?”
“Don’t you need to keep your identity a secret? These videos are going to be shown across America and will be posted on the internet.”
The phone was silent.
“So I might not have thought this through,” Hawkeye said at last.
Captain America was not Steve Rogers, Clark decided. Steve Rogers was a guy from Brooklyn, with a foul mouth and an attitude. Kelly had to go out back and take a breather when he heard Steve call the president “A loud mouthed capitalist, elitist, entitled waste of oxygen.”
Steve walked onto the sound stage with Black Widow in tow. Kelly nearly plotzed.
Black Widow was wearing a black t shirt with “From Russia with Love” printed on it in gold cursive. She called it irony with a smile like a shark.
“The love, or Russia?” Lola tried to clarify.
Black Widow cocked her head. “Both.”
“Are you maybe willing to do a couple of short videos for us?” Clark asked.
She smiled like a knife. “I’m just here to make sure Steve goes through with it.”
Steve whined, making it very clear that he was regretting his decision.
“Think of the children.” Black Widow said, patting his arm.
Steve whined, “The children can learn from their own mistakes.”
The suit changed Steve. He became apple pie, picket fences, and justice the second the mask went on.
The camera was rolling, the teleprompter booted up, and away he went. The star spangled man with a plan flew through the Captain America Fitness Challenge.
Clark yelled “cut” and suddenly he was Steve again.
“I hate you,” he snapped at Black Widow. “I am not an example for children.”
Lola approached Steve. “We want to do the discipline memos next.”
“Discipline?” Steve straightened. “Are they still caning kids in schools?”
Lola’s eyes went wide and Clark had to smother a laugh. “No, detention.”
Steve nodded sagely. “Caning never worked anyways. It's not much of a punishment when you’ve already lost a fight.”
Lola made a horrified squeak and hurried back to her camera.
Clark asked, “Hey, do you want to go off script for a bit? Impart some wisdom to the youngsters?”
Steve perked up. “Really?”
He leaned into the camera. “To every single one of you kids. Get your vaccinations. I don’t care what your parents say. Polio sucks, trust me.”
From behind the camera Black Widow yelled, “You’re a dirty liar, Rogers. I’ve seen your file, you never had polio.”
“No, but I had measles and mumps,” he volleyed back.
Steve addressed the camera again. “If you’re going to punch a nazi, don’t tuck your thumb into your fist. You’ll break your hand.”
“Okay, thanks,” Clark choked. “Let's go back to the teleprompter.”
“Hi, I’m Captain America. Here to talk to you about one of the most valuable traits a student or soldier can have. Patience.”
****
Thanks for reading! If you like what you read, consider buying me a coffee.
#avengers#spiderman homecoming#captain america#steve rogers#fic#black widow#natasha romanoff#sam wilson#falcon#fanfiction
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#20 😍 love love love the idea of him getting ill at the gym because he works out too hard !!
It’s OC day today! Here’s Jason working out a little too hard and making himself sick at the gym. This is another one that lends itself to a pretty short story, so hopefully it still satisfies (Edit: It’s 1100 words. I thought it was going to be like 700.)
Additionally, I hope this doesn’t feel too anxious or ED-related. Suffice to say everyone at casa Deangeles-Carson has food/body issues even though Mike’s the only one with a diagnosis. I can own up to this one and say it’s all me working through my shit in the form of OCs.
___
Jason steps through the double doors, waving to his buddies and leaving the basketball court for the greater open space of the gym. He breathes heavily and pauses to pick up a towel from a stack on a table against the wall. He buries his face in the white terrycloth and wipes the sheen of sweat from his brow.
Jason’s already tired. An hour of casual 3 on 3 is enough of a workout most days, but the high that comes from the physical activity and moderate social interaction has him inspired. And so does his anxiety.
It’s the beginning of the holidays, the best time of the year. Which is also the worst time. School ramps up into finals, parents expect visits, shopping has to get done, and there’s not a square meal to be found because once-a-year holiday treats are around every corner.
Jason knows he’s a less-than-wholesome eater on the best of days, but he can’t help regretting the Halloween candy he’s still working through and cursing the Thanksgiving pies he knows will be shoved under his nose in a few weeks. He may be svelte and muscular now, but that doesn’t take away the memories of being the chubby kid, perpetually juxtaposed to Mike’s beanpole-ish frame.
Usually a pop tart or a burger is cancelled out with a workout and that’s that. But today Jason’s determined to balance his scales a little more in the direction of calorie burn, especially since he isn’t sure how many Reese’s cups he ate last night. He heads for the inclined sit-up bench, illogically deciding that working abs will make him feel a little better about what he’s been putting in his stomach.
Jason works through sets of 20, crossing his arms over his chest and bringing them up to brush his thighs on every rep. It’s a challenge to keep count, though. His mind continues wandering to the next visit back home and what kinds of awful challenges it’ll bring. He’s sure his parents will waste most of their criticism on Mike, which will leave him feeling safe and guilty. But a joke about him finally gaining the freshman 15 in his sophomore year is definitely an unwelcome possibility if he doesn’t keep up his fitness through the season.
When his abdominals are burning, Jason moves onto chest press, leg press, lat pulldown, and seated row. He doesn’t have a plan like arm day or leg day, he just wants to do as much as possible in the time he has before class.
His arms feel heavy and shaky when Jason finishes on the rowing machine. He stays perched on the small seat, mopping his face and the back of his neck. A slight tremor is sinking into his muscles, denoting that he’s thoroughly worked out.
Jason checks his watch. It’s almost 10 in the morning. His first class isn’t until 11:00, and since he’s already on campus, there’s still plenty of time to spend in the gym. Especially if he forgoes a shower and just opts for a dry shirt and Old Spice.
There’s a free treadmill in the bank of machines up by the gym’s large front windows. A little cardio cooldown seems like the perfect end to today’s session. Jason leaves his towel draped around his neck and hops toward it. He presses the illuminated buttons on the treadmill’s dashboard, starting at a brisk walk and working up into an easy jog.
Outside, the sprawling campus glows in the morning sunlight. Trees are beginning to molt to their naked winter forms; crunchy leaves drift to the grass while brightly colored ones still cling to finger-like branches. Jason spins through a few ideas in his head, wondering if it would be too kitschy to use something with imagery about the seasonal change in his next creative writing assignment.
He ticks up the speed on the treadmill to a quicker jog, then to a run. Just for five minutes, he tells himself. Then he’ll truly take a cooldown. A leisurely walking pace for a while to let himself really get his breath back. Just not quite yet.
Minute one is fine. Minute two brings a fresh wash of lactic acid into Jason’s legs. By minute three there’s pressure creeping into his shoulders. And it washes through his chest and throat during minute four.
Before the ascending timer shows the completion of minute five, the dashboard before Jason starts to blur. His head seems heavier on one side than the other, and the feeling that his insides are rising up within his core is pronounced. The idea that this is not good forms at the front of his foggy brain, and he fumbles for the emergency stop button.
Jason isn’t sure what he’s pressing, and it takes a few tries before the treadmill belt begins to slow under his feet. He’s already bolting before it comes to a complete stop, and the rising nausea is impossible to swallow. Dizziness makes it a challenge to track where he’s going, but luckily there’s a trash can only a few feet away.
Jason heaves hard, hoping no one is staring at him, but knowing everyone has to be. He’s so shaky he almost can’t feel his limbs or his face. The first gag brings only spit, but the second pulls up an arsenal of water and breakfast cereal and candy and dinner and god knows what else he’s eaten and not digested over the past day and a half.
“Hey, you ok, man?” The flash of a neon yellow t-shirt in Jason’s peripheral vision tells him it’s one of the gym’s staff coming to check on him.
“Ugh. Yeah,” Jason chokes, coughing a couple times. “Just probably a little much…” Vertigo swells and he feels himself swaying on his feet.
“Here, sit down for a second.” The personal trainer puts an arm around Jason’s back and lowers him to the scratchy carpet, pushing his head down between his bent legs.
A chill runs through Jason’s body, and a second later, his cheeks burn with mortified frustration. “I’m fine, really,” he says, trying to scramble back to his feet.
“Hold on, give it a minute,” the trainer says. He keeps a hand on Jason, oddly steady against Jason’s shaking body.
He does, giving in to the embarrassment and breathing in the rubbery scent of the carpet and the saltiness of his own sweat.
“Stay put while I get you a Gatorade,” the trainer instructs. “Then you can try to stand up.”
Jason nods into his knees, increasing the dizziness still swinging around his temples. God, he’s dumb. And now he’s probably going to be late for class. But at this rate, schoolwork is becoming the least of his worries.
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How a team of women remade the empowered Bo Peep in ‘Toy Story 4’
Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts) reunite in “Toy Story 4.” (Disney/Pixar 2019)
Michael Cavna
Writer/artist for Comic Riffs, covering visual storytelling, cartoon art/illustration, comedy/satire and animation.
June 24 at 8:00 AM
For two decades, Bo Peep appeared to lose not only her sheep but also the number of her Hollywood rep. Last seen in a feature film in 1999’s “Toy Story 2,” the porcelain-skinned shepherd disappeared until this weekend, as the new “Toy Story 4” gives her something even better than an agent — her own feeling of agency.
No character emerges from Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” exuding a stronger sense of self than Bo (voiced by the returning Annie Potts), who has left behind the world of toy servitude to children, now fearlessly careening her way through a fairground of bright, whirring wonders — a colorful setting that could neatly symbolize Pixar’s Emeryville, Calif., headquarters.
Bo’s empowered “Toy Story 4” presence itself rises like a symbol, reflecting the contributions of leading women every creative step of the way.
Bo’s evolution to bold adventurer began, in a way, before “Toy Story 4” director Josh Cooley had even been hired at Pixar. He was fresh out of the Academy of Art in San Francisco — where he met his future wife, Erin — and living with his parents. One day, as Josh and Erin were tooling around the Bay Area, they drove past the Pixar gates.
“I had no idea they’re so close,” the filmmaker recalls saying. Erin replied: “Well, you’re going to work there someday.”
Cooley was initially upset — such pressure — before he weighed her words. “She was giving me hope and I was mad at her,” he recounts. “But she’s like: ‘Nope, I believe in you 100 percent.’ “
“I’m choking up thinking about it,” Cooley, 39, tells The Post. “She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”
[If I’m not trash, what am I? What Forky from ‘Toy Story 4’ has to teach about identity and self-worth.]
The late Pixar leader Joe Ranft recruited Cooley as an intern, and the young animator worked his way up while working on “The Incredibles,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille,” “Up” and “Inside Out.”
Once Cooley was hired to direct the fourth “Toy Story,” he was “given free rein to rethink everything,” he says. “And the one thing I couldn’t let go of was Bo Peep. I had people ask me: ‘Why is this character in the movie?’ “
He shared his tale of Erin’s early belief with the story team. From there, things began to snowball — until the studio’s code name for the entire movie became “Peep.”
Bo had been a secondary character in the first two “Toy Story” movies — Woody’s minimally developed romantic interest. She had a limited role in the action scenes, too, suggesting she was perhaps as fragile as porcelain itself.
[How does ‘Toy Story 4’ rate among all Pixar sequels? Here are our rankings.]
Yet what if her path now took a dynamic turn and she shed her child ownership, becoming as confidently adventuresome within her animated world as any Disney heroine, be it Mulan or Captain Marvel? What if she boldly embraced the unsheltered “lost toy” life?
“We were having her really challenge Woody’s point of view of what a toy is, could be — that intrigued us,” says “Toy Story 4” producer Mark Nielsen. “So that, mixed with the idea of a new chapter in Woody’s development, was the thing we wrestled with — as Bo opens Woody’s eyes to a whole new purpose.”
And as Bo’s character became central to the story, an organic thing began to happen: a team of more than a dozen crew members across creative disciplines — most of them women — took shared ownership of the character. Friendships formed over their sense of mission, spanning such departments as story, character, art and animation.
Soon, throughout the studio, they became known as Team Bo.
“It became this rampant passion project,” says Becki Tower, a directing animator.
“At its core, you had opportunity to give such depth to a character who was so minimal” in the first two films, Tower says. “It was just this whole fertile ground for opportunity to give her more complexity in all the best ways.
“I think people became really attached to that opportunity to redefine her and flesh her out more,” Tower continues, “to give her more interest and more specificity and really try to make her a beautifully complex character.”
[Why make ‘Toy Story 4’ after a satisfying trilogy? Here’s how the director found his inspiring answer.]
In “Toy Story 4,” Bo’s former hoop skirt becomes a cape evocative of a superhero, as she wields her staff like a martial-arts bow and drives a small vehicle with the precise abandon of a “Mad Max: Fury Road” star.
“Who is this character? The answer changed through time,”’ says directing animator Patty Kihm, also a Team Bo member. “My first interpretation was that she was like Rey from Star Wars.”
As Team Bo explored countless iterations of the character, they found a through-line of Bo’s core characteristics.
“You had this character who predominantly was only there as in relationship to Woody,” Tower says. “I think many of us now looked at her identity as it wasn’t in relation to him, but who should be on her own … and how does that play out in everything from her wardrobe to her porcelain material to how she moves to what confidence and charisma and pride and wisdom look like on-screen.
“That became this glue that sort of bonded us” as Team Bo, she said.
Now that the film is released, with millions of viewers enjoying the new Bo, the team takes pride in what she embodies.
“That idea of independence was so attractive for us as artists and creators and as independent women ourselves,” Tower says, “to be a part of that journey ourselves and to define that.”
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Kacchako fanfic: New Prey Chapter 9
~~~The next day of school ~~~ "WHAT DID YOU SAY? Did I just hear that right?!" - Mineta said. "No way did that bully Bakugou steal my sweet caring Uraraka. It's not fair!" - the pervert purple hair balled boy said. The whole class 1-A quickly learn the secret of their classmates dating. Everyone was shocked. "Since when? And how? HOW?!" - Jirou said. She looked at Kaminari dumbstruck. "Okay I don't know since when. But I know they are dating. Kirishima and I got it out of them." - Denki said. "Must say I didn't expect that anyone like Uraraka could handle a high temper guy like Bakugou." - Tsuyu said. "I can't believe she didn't say anything! How could I have not seen it!" - Pinky. Iida and Deku just came in class. Everyone looked at the two. "Izuku why didn't you tell anyone that Uraraka was dating Bakugou? Did she tell you to keep it a secret or did Bakugou threaten to kill you?!" - Pinky questioned. Deku suddenly choked when he heard what she said. Did I hear that right? Ochako and.... Kacchan? He thought. He gulped and his chest started to hurt. "W-what did you just say? Uraraka and Kacchan are dating?" - Deku questioned. "Oh so you didn't know either? Man they did a pretty good job hiding their relationship. I didn't even noticed. I don't think anyone did." Pinky said. Uraraka came running to the class. "Oh thank Geeshes. Am not late. " she sighed. She looked up to see people staring at her. They found out. Oh well better be prepared for their questions. She thought. "Good morning everyone." She said. "HOW? why did you choose Bakugou? Why not me. I would always praise your body and your breasts and-" mineta got slapped away by Tsuyu. "I think what this pervert meant to say was how and since when did you start dating Bakugou." Tsuyu calmly said. "Ahh it just kinda happened." Uraraka shyly said. "I find that hard to believe. How can Bakugou just date someone out of the blue?" - Kirishima said. "Come on give us the details. How did you win the beasts heart?" - Kaminari said. "Everyone please go to your seats and stop talking! Homeroom will begin soon and we should be in our most behaved behavior when Sensei gets here!" The class rep demanded. As everyone went to their seats. The man in question came with his usual frown on his face. They looked at him. "Why the fuck are you extras fucking looking at me! Fuck off you losers." He grunted and went to his seat. "You stole my perfect Uraraka you bully!" Mineta cried. He looked like he was gripping fake breasts with his palms. This bothered Bakugou. "The fuck did you say you sticky ball looking idiot! Fuck you and don't you ever say she is yours again!" Bakugou threatened. The look on his face could easily scare any Prey away. Mineta screamed and looked away. Bakugou looked and saw Uraraka smiling at him. He quickly looked away. He didn't want anyone seeing him blush. It would definitely ruin his reputation. While looking away he saw Deku. Deku was staring at Uraraka with bothered confused eyes. Stop staring at her you fuckin nerd. He thought. He just grunted and waited for class to start. When class did start, he could feel his classmates staring at him. Like they were trying to solve a mystery. Arghhhhh this is going to be so fucking annoying. Fuck me. He thought. Today for class. Aizawa said that they were going to battle with a partner. He told everyone to pull a paper out of the box and find the person with the matching number. "What number you get Deku?" Uraraka said. "I got four. And you?" He said. "Bummer I got two! Oh well I guess maybe fate doesn't want us to fight." She giggled. "Hey Uraraka you got two? I guess we are battle partners." Kaminari said. "Don't worry I'll go easy on you. "You will regret it if you do Kaminari." She challenged. "Hey pikachu. Don't fucking underestimate Uraraka. If you go easy on her. She will fucking kill and embarrass your ass idiot. " Bakugou said. "And what number do you have?" Kaminari gulped. "Number one duh. Cause am the fucking best. Who dares rival me for number one?!" He says. "Uhh Kacchan. The number is just to know who you will be fighting...." Deku said. It's just by luck he drew the paper that has the number one. He thinks "Well Bakugou this will be an interesting match." Tokoyami said. Waving up a number one paper. "Ahh bird bastard. I never beat you up before. " Bakugou smirked. "Yo Midoriya am your opponent today. Let's have fun!" Pinky said. Showing him a number 4 paper. "No way.. you can't be serious." Momo said. Showing shouto a number three paper. He shows her the same number paper as well. Everyone got together with their partners waiting for Aizawa to announce the first battle pair. ~~~FIRST MATCH~~~ "Alright. Bakugou and tokoyami begin your battle. You guys are third year students. So you don't need me to stop a battle. Begin!" Aizawa said. Katsuki and tokoyami both ran at each other with full speed. Tokoyami summoned his dark shadow to defend against Bakugou's strong explosions. Bakugou is strong on the ground. I don't think he knows How to fight properly mid range like I do. Dark shadow allows me to defend and attack on the ground and mid air. That's how I beat him. Tokoyami used his quirk to quickly launch Bakugou in the air. This match is mine now! Tokoyami thinks. Bakugou smirked. Realizing the bird mans plan. This fucker thinks I can't fight mid range. Fucking idiot. My fucking sparring partner is my girlfriend that has zero gravity. Bakugou smirked. He used his explosions to stay in the air and challenge Tokoyami with ease. Tokoyami eyes widened. He doesn't look like being in the air is any trouble at all. He is smirking! "What you fucking bird man? You shouldn't be surprised. Am number one!" Bakugou yelled while releasing an explosion 💥 to his opponent. Tokoyami fell and lost. "Match goes to Bakugou!" Aizawa said. "Whoaaaa I guess Bakugou is good at everything. He can fight in the air now. Since when did he learn that?" Kirishima said. Uraraka was just silencing whistling to herself. ~~~SECOND MATCH~~~ "Alright Uraraka and Kaminari begin your fight." Aizawa said. Kaminari and uraraka stood in front of each other. "As long as you don't touch me you have no chance of winning Uraraka! Am sure Bakugou will comfort you though. This is going to end quickly. Sorry Uraraka!" Kaminari says. Uraraka just stares at him and in her battle pose. "Here you go 1.2 million volts!!!" He says. Uraraka moved her arms apart and brings her fingers to touch each other. "ZERO GRAVITY!" she says. Kaminari looked dumbfound as his electrification quirk suddenly went floating. Uraraka then used her quirk to control the electrification power and had it stun the ground. She knew that his own quirk can't hurt him so she planned on using the collateral damage to attack her opponent. She touched her fingers again and made the boulders float. She need Kaminari to come closer to her range for she can use zero gravity on him. She controlled the rocks to make him run a bit closer to her. "I am not the same fragile girl from freshman year! I don't need to have physical contact to make things float. I can control the movements and where the objects go now! I told you don't underestimate me!" She says. While still controlling the boulders of rocks, she also touches her fingers again and used zero gravity on Kaminari. "WHOA what the heck?" He screams. She then makes Kaminari and the collateral damage struck against each other. Kaminari then falls and touches the ground. "Owww" is all he can say before he passes out. "The winner is Uraraka!" Aizawa said. The class was shocked. They saw how much Uraraka quirk improved. Uraraka walked back to the sides and is greeted by her friends. "That was amazing Uraraka!" Mina said. "You came so far!" Invisible girl said. "Uraraka I had no idea you could use your quirk that way! It's amazing." Iida said. "Aha thanks guys!" Uraraka blushes. As the recovery nurses went to pick Kaminari up and place him on the bench. Bakugou smirked. "I fucking told you not to underestimate her you dumb fuck." Bakugou laughed. Uraraka looked at Bakugou and smiled. He smiled back. ~~~after school~~~ Uraraka left school with Deku and Iida like she normally does. But this time it's awkward and quiet. Iida tried loosen the mood when he talked about how much Uraraka's quirk improved. He talked about how he noticed the change in her powers. "Your zero gravity quirk is amazing Uraraka! Since when could you control gravity on your opponents by not even laying physical contact with?! It's is amazing. You can even repeat the gravitational pull for a huge arena. It's limitless cycle of zero gravity! It's fantastic. How long did it take you to get to where you are now?" Iida said. "OMG it took multiple months of hard and brutal training Iida! I still have some hidden tricks up my sleeve. But I wanted to show everyone my improvement. To be honest am glad that I can use my quirk without contact now. It was really difficult to fight an opponent with no openings. Just you wait. I'll improve much more!" She yelled and raised her arm up. "That's the spirit Uraraka! I will look forward to seeing your new skills soon!" Iida said. "That's great Uraraka. I didn't even know you were doing your own training." Deku said. "Of course I am. I have to improve if I want to help my family! Training is hard but am getting better." She said. "When do you train? Maybe Midoriya and I can help you." Iida said. "I train everyday after school. And it's okay I already have a training partner." She announced. "Is it Bakugou?" Deku said. Uraraka stopped walking and started to scrunch her hair. "Yes he is my training partner." She says. "You could have asked us to help you. We're friends aren't we?" Deku said. "Of course we are! But I needed someone who wouldn't go easy on me because am a friend or a fragile girl. I wanted someone who sees me as an equal. Cause that's how you improve by em giving it your all and no hold backs." She said. "You mean Kacchan still goes hard on you when fighting? Aren't you guys dating? He should care and worry for your well being. Not setting explosions on you." Deku said. "Bakugou believes in me as a hero Deku. He only trains hard with me for I can succeed. I help him too! He trains in midair with my help. He wants to become an all round strong hero. So we help each other." She responded. "But he should know that you can't handle a full explosion!" Deku yelled. He immediately puts his hands on his mouth. "Wait.. sorry that's not what I meant to say. It just came out." He apologized Uraraka looked at Deku with confident strong eyes. "Deku. Please stop making me sound like am a hopeless girl. This is why I trained with Bakugou. He respects my strength and allow me to fight him with 100 percent. That's how I improved so much. Please stop saying that he doesn't care about my well being. If I get hurt. It's on me, but I learn from my experiences. I can handle a few explosions... am not fragile." She announces. "She isn't fragile Midoriya. Anyone can see her fighting spirit and her improved skills. I don't believe that Bakugou will hurt her just because he feels like it. They are dating and from my experience it looks like with Bakugou's quirk pushing Uraraka to the limit is a good thing. Her zero gravity is powerful and a threat to any villain." Iida defended her. Deku grasped his hands and looked down. What is wrong with me. Why am I acting like a jerk to Uraraka. She isn't doing anything wrong. But I can't help but feel jealous. I admit I had a small crush on her when we met. But I wanted to focus on becoming a hero. But knowing her and Kacchan are dating. I don't feel like myself anymore. Sure I had a date with Tsuyu and it was nice but... AHHH I don't know. I like Tsuyu and Uraraka. But she is dating Kacchan now. So why am I all tensed up?! I should be happy for her. Deku thought. "Well I got to meet up with Bakugou now guys. See you later!" She says. Iida and Deku both waved her off. Deku saw her leave. To go to Kacchan. She looks so happy and confident. He thinks. Is Kacchan the reason for this?
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The Trailer: The ‘squad’ gears up for two tough primaries
DETROIT – The day after her 44th birthday, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) gathered supporters and volunteers at a juice bar in her district for a socially distanced party. Rashida-for-Congress sanitary wipes shared table space with birthday cake. A tracker snuck in and was quickly ushered out by the congresswoman herself. When it came time to speak, Tlaib choked up, reflecting on how her district had come together to protest police brutality and stand with Black Lives Matter.
“This is the only place that ever truly embraced everything about me, including that little edge, and that little rawness that I have,” Tlaib said. “All the different colors of rainbow are out there, marching, and saying black lives matter. And they know that it’s not only about who killed George Floyd, and police brutality; it’s about the systems that set up George Floyd to be killed in that way.”
In nine days, Tlaib will defend her seat against Brenda Jones, the Detroit City Council president she defeated by just 900 votes in the 2018 primary. Last time, the district’s mostly black electorate splintered behind other candidates. This time, her opponents united behind one opponent.
One week later, fellow squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) of Minnesota will face challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, who rocketed from obscurity to raise $3.7 million by arguing that the congresswoman is too “divisive” to represent Minneapolis. Omar, who won easily in 2018, is feeling the backlash from comments she made about pro-Israel donor influence and from a trio of campaign finance controversies, all of it thrown back at her in millions of dollars of ads.
In the first primaries of this year, as the presidential contest wound down, the resurgent left that elected Tlaib and Omar was mostly focused on expansion. Campaign organizations that had helped elect the “squad” – Tlaib, Omar, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) – ousted more conservative Democratic incumbents in Illinois and New York. There are a few more targets on the calendar, such as activist Cori Bush’s rematch with Rep. William Lacy Clay of Missouri, and a challenge to House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal in western Massachusetts.
But for the next few weeks, the squad is playing defense. Seven hundred miles apart, Jones and Melton-Meaux make roughly the same argument about the incumbents: That they are too abrasive and too famous, that their cities would be better off with representatives who could work across the aisle and make less news. In an interview, Jones repeatedly cited the comments Tlaib made on her first day in Congress, promising to impeach the president, and referring to him with an unprintable epithet.
“How often have you, as a reporter, heard someone speak like that?” Jones asked. “Even when you disagree with someone, there is a professional manner of disagreeing with them. I am a professional legislator. I am a professional worker. And I think that professionalism is important in doing the job of representing the people.”
Jones did represent the district briefly, at the end of 2018. The resignation of Rep. John Conyers Jr. created a special primary election to fill his seat the same day as the primary for a two-year term. Tlaib won the six-way primary, while Jones won the four-way special. That put Jones in the House for a few weeks, and her campaign’s advertising asks voters to “return” Jones to the seat. In advertising from Concerned Citizens of Michigan, a pro-Jones PAC, black voters are told that “the 13th belongs to us” and that it’s time to “take our seat back.”
Tlaib’s rebuttal has been her record. When she mentions impeachment, it’s typically to say that the same president she voted to impeach has signed her legislation; when asked about that, Jones points out that the Republican Senate hasn’t taken up some of Tlaib’s work, such as an amendment to spend billions of dollars replacing lead water pipes.
Local Democrats long expected Jones to run, pointing to the results from 2018, when nearly two-thirds of Detroiters backed one of Tlaib’s rivals. “I think it’s about numbers,” said Ian Conyers, a former state senator and grandnephew of the former congressman. Like the three other candidates who ran behind Tlaib and Jones two years ago, he has endorsed Jones: “If there had been a runoff in 2018, Brenda Jones would have won. It almost feels like Rashida has an opinion and a prescription that the people of the district themselves have not asked for.”
Tlaib does hold some advantages. The city council president did not officially announce she was running until March 25, a week into the state’s stay-at-home order. Eight days later, Jones tested positive for the coronavirus and has made only limited public appearances since. Tlaib has raised more than $3 million, double what she spent to win the seat in the first place; Jones has raised less than $140,000, less than half of what she spent in the crowded 2018 race.
It’s another story in Minnesota, where the official Democratic Farmer-Labor Party has rallied behind Omar, but her challenger is set to outspend her in the final stretch. Melton-Meaux, an attorney who’d never run for office, trailed in fundraising until the last few months before the primary. But he established himself a credible competitor. Since March, Melton-Meaux has brought in millions of dollars, most of it from Minnesotans, and nearly half a million of it bundled by the pro-Israel NORPAC and Pro-Israel America PAC.
The money has funded a steady stream of direct mail and TV ads against Omar. The ads don’t focus on the incumbent’s position on Israel. Instead, they portray Omar as “aggressive” and corrupt, emphasizing some fundraising controversies that made as much news in national conservative media as they did in Minnesota. One involves a misuse of funds for travel, which Omar paid a 2019 fine to settle; one is more personal, accusing her of funneling campaign money to her husband’s firm.
On Saturday, Omar defended her use of E Street, which played the same role in her successful 2018 campaign before she married the firm’s co-founder Tim Mynett. “They’ve contracted vendors for us to not only run ads, digital ads, but also to do all of our mailers, and online fundraising,” Omar said of Mynett’s firm. “They are a one-stop shop.” (The firm’s other founder has also defended Omar.)
Tlaib and Omar arrived in Congress with similar profiles on the issue of Israel, and both opposed a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Asked why donors had rallied behind Omar’s opponent, but not Tlaib’s, Michigan Democrats speculated that Tlaib’s district would likely be broken by redistricting in 2022 anyway. Any map in Minnesota is likely to keep Omar’s 5th District, which covers Minneapolis and its closest suburbs, largely intact. But a simpler reason is that of two immigrants who came up through local activism, Omar has been more combative.
In this race, Omar has questioned Melton-Meaux’s résumé as an attorney with an emphasis in workplace mediation whose old law firm helped companies fight union drives. “There’s no evidence that this mediation is something that’s ever been deployed in bringing people together in our community,” Omar said. “On the contrary, I have a track record of being a coalition builder.” Asked about his legal work, Melton-Meaux said that he had no role in anti-union work at a “multinational firm that does a lot of different things.”
She has also tried to paint Melton-Meaux’s backers as Wall Street cronies and Republicans, like telecom executive and Trump donor Howard Jonas.
“Look at the sheer amount of money that is coming from people who funded Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell,” Omar said in an interview, recalling the cries to “send her back,” an insult directed at the two Muslim members of Congress who were born outside the United States; in Omar’s case, arriving here as a refugee. “They’re giving to a man who agrees with the sentiment that we shouldn’t be in Minnesota, that we shouldn’t have representation in Congress, that our voices and visibility in the halls of Congress is an inconvenience.”
But Melton-Meaux has pushed back. “The support we’ve got from PACs is from nonpartisan organizations that have given to Democrats and Republicans, including Democrats like Senator [Tina] Smith and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and even, yes, Joe Biden,” Melton-Meaux said in an interview. “What’s really happening here is that the congresswoman does not want people to know just how much strength we have here in the district.”
As incumbents, she and Tlaib benefit from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s rule that contractors who work for challengers to Democratic incumbents can’t work with DCCC candidates; Melton-Meaux has criticized that rule. “It’s a decision that I think, frankly, is trying to chill the democratic process. I have a constitutional right to run for this office,” he said.
But Melton-Meaux has less than three weeks to convince Minneapolis to ditch Omar, and Jones has less than two weeks to win over Detroit. Meanwhile, Omar’s campaign has activated her national supporters, bringing both Tlaib and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont together for a virtual “day of action” on Sunday. At Tlaib’s Saturday party, Angela Gallegos, 34, recalled how she met the future congresswoman at a protest, more than a decade ago, before either of them were involved in electoral politics.
“When I see the opponent’s sign, that’s almost equivalent of a Trump sign to me,” Gallegos said. “Like, why are you doing that to my girl? It’s Rashida. Everyone knows her. We should get her back.”
Reading list
Inside the futile quest for a big MAGA party in Jacksonville.
What it’s like to run for office and watch a post office throw the election.
The next stage of the fight with Xi Jinping.
One of 2020’s left-wing underdogs is on the ropes.
The backstory of how Portland’s endless protests became a focus for the White House.
The simple, fixable and politically fraught reason behind hours of long lines.
How the end of traditional campaigning also means the end of tracking and gaffe-catching.
In the states
After New York’s primary debacle, which has left tens of thousands of votes uncounted and more in limbo, the Democratic-controlled legislature in Albany passed another reform of the absentee ballot process. Instead of being processed 30 days before an election, voters’ requests for absentee ballots will be processed as soon as they’re received. Like voters in states that previously implemented expansive mail voting, New Yorkers will be informed of their ballot status and get chances to “cure” it — ie, to fix an error that left the ballot uncounted by election officials. Connecticut, one of the few remaining Democratic-run states that requires an excuse for requesting absentee ballots, took a step closer to nixing that with a broad, bipartisan vote in the state House of Representatives.
In Illinois, the first state where Kanye West obtained signatures to petition onto the ballot, five voters have challenged his filing. While West only needs 2,500 signatures to appear as a presidential candidate — he did not file the name of a running mate — he filed around 3,200 total signatures. That’s in the danger zone for a successful challenge, as scrutiny can sometimes remove 20 to 30 percent of the names on petitions, if voters’ identities cannot be verified. (In weekend tweet, West suggested he could “beat Joe Biden off write-ins,” though only 10 states and the District of Columbia count write-in votes for candidates who have not filed for official status.)
West may have missed the deadline to make the ballot in Maine, where petitioning ended on Saturday. Meanwhile, the state’s Republicans are continuing their effort to end the state’s ranked-choice voting system, after a petition drive to put it on the ballot for November failed. A new federal lawsuit argues that ranked-choice voting disenfranchises those who don’t want to rank more than one candidate; if successful, the lawsuit could change calculations about the state’s presidential and Senate contests, where third parties and independents currently pose no “spoiler” risk to either party. (While Democratic Rep. Jared Golden won his 2018 race thanks to second-choice voters who’d supported a left-wing challenger, there is no third party in his race this year.)
Ad watch
Ilhan Omar, “Ballot Box.” The Minnesota congresswoman waited until this week to run ads ahead of her Aug. 11 primary. This one boils down a longer campaign video into a message about activism in which she only sometimes appears, wearing a mask and casting a vote. “We can translate our cries for justice into legislation, and that’s the fight we’ve been leading in Congress,” says Omar, whose voice is the only one in the spot.
Americans for Tomorrow’s Future, “Self-Dealing.” The super PAC has mostly played in Omar’s race with harsh direct mail; its first ad compiles a series of financial controversies into a story of the congresswoman benefiting from her role. “She’s paid her new husband’s business over $1 million in campaign funds,” a narrator says. That’s the only cash total mentioned in the spot, as the civil fine Omar paid for a long-running expenses scandal was just $500.
Rashida Tlaib, “Rooted.” The main ad in rotation for Tlaib’s campaign, it combines quick flashes of her legislative record (“Rep. Tlaib secures $1.5 billion for access to water for families”) to the kind of high-profile stances her opponent, Brenda Jones, has pegged as too distracting from her job (“Deny ICE its request for more funding, abolish it.”).
Concerned Citizens of Michigan, “Take Our Seat Back.” A PAC created to help Jones, CCM’s TV ad argues that the legacy of the late John Conyers can be filled by Jones. It never says outright that Jones can represent the district better because she’s black. But the only white politician seen in the ad is former House speaker Paul Ryan, from 2018, swearing in Jones to fill the final weeks of Conyers’s expired term. “The 13th belongs to us,” a narrator says.
You are reading The Trailer, the newsletter that brings the campaign trail to your inbox.
Poll watch
There are just 100 days left until the general election, and fewer days until early and absentee voting starts across most of the country. The calendar was enough of a hook for multiple news outlets to conduct swing state polls, with some wide variances but one consistency: Democrats are holding a lead, with the president trailing Joe Biden when voters are asked who is best able to handle the pandemic and social unrest.
Here’s a poll-by-poll look.
Michigan
Joe Biden: 49%
Donald Trump: 40% (-1)
Minnesota
Joe Biden: 51%
Donald Trump: 38%
Pennsylvania
Joe Biden: 50%
Donald Trump: 39% (-3)
The two of these states won by the president four years ago were last polled in April, not long into the coronavirus pandemic. Minnesota, narrowly lost by Donald Trump in 2016, is polled for the first time this cycle, with no evidence that the protests that began there at the end of May have altered the state’s defining trend: suburbanites moving toward the Democrats, and “greater Minnesota” voters in rural counties moving toward the GOP.
Joe Biden: 50% (+3)
Donald Trump: 45% (-1)
Since March, the last time NBC/Marist polled the state, the positions of both the president and Gov. Doug Ducey have deteriorated. Just half of Arizonans now approve of Ducey, and just as many as say that the pandemic is getting worse. President Trump’s disapproval rating has jumped to 53 percent, with his personal unfavorable rating even higher, at 58 percent. That has opened up the race for Biden, who just 41 percent of voters view favorably. That was Hillary Clinton’s rating in 2016, when she narrowly lost the state. What’s changed? Just 50 percent of voters have a negative view of Biden, compared to 57 percent for Clinton, and Clinton and Trump entered Election Day with the same favorable rating.
Arizona
Joe Biden: 49%
Donald Trump: 45%
Florida
Joe Biden: 51%
Donald Trump: 46%
Michigan
Joe Biden: 52%
Donald Trump: 40%
Here and in the CBS numbers below, Biden has gained and down-ballot Democratic candidates have inched ahead. In Arizona’s Senate race, Democrat Mark Kelly leads by 7, while in Michigan, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters leads by 16. Both of their opponents have plenty of money and have been on the air for months, but nothing has clicked, and while Michigan challenger James is black, he’s losing nonwhite voters by the same 50-point margin as the president.
Michigan
Joe Biden: 48%
Donald Trump: 25%
Ohio
Donald Trump: 46%
Joe Biden: 45%
The best set of polls for the president this weekend still show him losing; he’s just holding onto more white voters, and his support from black voters is a bit higher than 2016. (He gets 9 percent of the black vote in Michigan and Ohio; four years ago he got 6 percent and 8 percent of the black vote in those states, respectively.
These are the only polls this weekend that suggest a strength for the president: job creation. A majority of voters in both states think Trump would do more than Biden in creating manufacturing jobs, and a plurality of voters think his reductions in environmental regulations have helped the economy. While the Trump campaign has obsessed over policing in its recent ads, there’s an opening there for its anti-NAFTA attacks on Biden. The caveat: In both states, more than two-thirds of voters say they dislike how Trump “handles himself personally,” and in both, only half say that of Biden, who has been appearing in public, at most, for a few hours each week.
Candidate tracker
President Trump stayed off the campaign trail this week, marking a month since what may have been his last traditional rally of the campaign season, in Tulsa. Since Thursday’s White House briefing, when he canceled the Republican convention in Jacksonville, Fla., Trump has only fitfully engaged in the campaign. Still, with little fanfare, he continued his run of announcements and executive orders with an order that would force Medicare to pay lower prices for prescription drugs.
“As a result of the orders I’m signing today, the heads of the major drug companies have requested a meeting to discuss how we can quickly and significantly lower drug prices and out-of-pocket expenses for Americans,” Trump said on Friday. “They want to do what’s right. Look, they’re going to do what’s right. Look, I think it’s so important what they’re doing on therapeutics and vaccines. And we’re going to see them on Tuesday. We’ll see if we can do something here.”
Joe Biden had no public events after the middle of the week, but he participated in a virtual Friday fundraiser that focused on Latino issues, co-hosted by actress Eva Longoria.
“Day 1, Dreamers are staying, period. They’re more Americans than most Americans are,” Biden said. “The idea of having to worry if you go to get tested or you go to get help for COVID that you can be deported? No. Not in my country. Not in my country, not going to happen.”
On Saturday, Biden marked one year since a failed effort to grant temporary status to Venezuelans fleeing the country — a point of contention with some in the party’s left. “The people of Venezuela and Hispanics across our country deserve a real ally who will stand up for what is right, and not just pay lip service to the suffering of the Venezuelan people,” Biden said in a statement.
Countdown
… nine days until primaries in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington
… 11 days until primaries in Tennessee
… 13 days until primaries in Hawaii
… 16 days until primaries in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin
… 22 days until the Democratic National Convention
… 32 days until the Republican National Convention
… 40 days until some absentee ballots start going out
… 100 days until the general election
The post The Trailer: The ‘squad’ gears up for two tough primaries appeared first on Shri Times.
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Georgia editorial roundup
Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
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April 14
The Augusta Chronicle says Georgia is in a good place with its legislators:
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"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
— Groucho Marx
There’s a campaign-style bumper sticker making the rounds nationally that says, "Any Functioning Adult, 2020."
Sure seems that way, at least in Washington, D.C.
It appears to be a much different story in Georgia, and perhaps other states. Georgia appears quite well-run – as evidenced by a just-concluded legislative session where the main challenges were making the state better and safer and preserving its quality of life.
In fact, among the audience’s questions at a recent gubernatorial forum hosted by the Columbia County Republican Women were ones about how best to structure the state’s blend of taxes and how to capitalize on "the economic growth brought on by the film industry."
Most of the problems cited by the 80-some in attendance were, in fact, national bugaboos, including illegal immigration, helping veterans, guns and mental health, assaults on conservative speech (highlighted by the Facebook congressional hearings the week before last) and balancing religious freedom with gay rights.
At bottom, Georgia’s chief challenges are education, transportation, immigration, health care and rural economics.
Other issues include human/sex trafficking – of which there is a vortex in the Atlanta area, but which is also spilling out into small-town Georgia due to crackdowns in Atlanta; the national opioid crisis; and concerns about Second Amendment rights.
As for "functioning adults" in leadership, we’re happy to report Georgia has more than its share. The upcoming May 22 statewide primary — for which early voting starts April 30 — is proof enough of that.
Engaged voters are currently taking the measure, as are we, of the men seeking to be the state’s next governor. The leading candidates are Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, state Sen. Hunter Hill and businessman Clay Tippins.
All are top-quality individuals. Cagle and Kemp obviously inhabit top-tier positions. Hill is an Army Ranger with three tours of duty under his belt. Tippins is a former Navy SEAL with international business experience.
We encourage you to visit their websites – just Google the name plus "governor" – to learn more about them. But it’s hard to see how we can go wrong – despite following a tough act in Gov. Nathan Deal.
Moreover, the just-ended legislative session – while featuring more than the usual sausage-making politics – was highly successful and absent crisis. Legislators confronted major issues such as gun violence, post-Parkland, in what one lawmaker called "a calculated, considerate way."
In large part because Georgia is certifiably the No. 1 state in which to do business – named so in 2017 by Site Selection magazine for the fifth year in a row – revenues have made it possible for the state to fully fund its Quality Basic Education formula for what appears to be the first time since its inception in the 1980s. Recession-era austerity cuts also have been eliminated.
The state also plunked $360 million of additional funds into the Teachers Retirement System.
Meanwhile, the 2019 budget, beginning in July, includes $1.6 million for student mental health awareness training and "response and intervention training" for schools.
A new "Chief Turnaround Officer program" also has been funded to help turn around failing schools.
As for gun violence, lawmakers also took action to strengthen the state’s data base on involuntary commitments, and to punish those who supply guns to individuals who are prohibited from purchasing them.
Contrary to Groucho Marx’s wry observation about politics, Georgia is on good footing and taking steps to improve that footing.
"I just don’t know how people argue with what we’re doing in this state," Rep. Jodi Lott said. "I can’t say enough good things about the direction of the state."
Challenges remain, of course.
Transportation is a continuing struggle – due, again, in large part to the success the state has had in attracting business and industry.
On that front, the General Assembly passed landmark legislation that, over five years, will consolidate Atlanta-area mass transit systems into one "Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority," or The ATL. It will coordinate and expand mass transit across 13 Atlanta-area counties – a huge and welcome step, since 60 percent of the metro area’s commuters work and live in different counties.
The big challenge will be to get the Capital to look beyond Atlanta’s needs to the rest of ours.
And while you’d think that red-state Georgia wouldn’t have a problem with cities giving sanctuary to those who enter the country illegally, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last fall that "three Georgia cities — Atlanta, Clarkston and Decatur — have adopted measures in favor of restricting their interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
Republican gubernatorial candidates are promising to crack down on such lawbreaking.
Still, the state of the state is pretty doggone good.
As state Rep. Barry Fleming noted in his invocation at Columbia County gubernatorial forum, all one has to do to remind oneself of that is to follow the news around the world.
Georgia is in a good place.
It’s up to informed and engaged voters to keep it there.
Online: http://www.augustachronicle.com
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April 13
Marietta Daily Journal says Marsy’s Law keeps victims from being left in the dark:
Marsy Nicholas’ ex-boyfriend convinced her to come by his house after threatening to commit suicide. When she did, he was waiting with a shotgun. But he didn’t turn the gun on himself. Instead, he targeted Marsy, a senior at the University of California Santa Barbara, shooting her in the head.
After the funeral service, Marsy’s mother stopped off at a grocery store. Imagine the horror when she saw her daughter’s killer standing in the checkout line staring at her. No one had informed the grieving mother that he had been released on bail, according to the Los Angeles Times.
To prevent such horrendous scenarios from occurring, the Georgia General Assembly passed this session Senate Resolution 146, commonly known as Marsy’s Law for Georgia.
If approved when it comes in front of Georgia voters in a November referendum, Marsy’s Law would give victims of crime such constitutional rights as:
Notice of any scheduled court proceedings involving the alleged act or changes to the scheduling of such proceedings;
Notice of the arrest, release or escape of the accused;
The right not to be excluded from any scheduled court proceedings involving the alleged act;
The right upon request to be heard at any scheduled court proceedings involving the release, plea or sentencing of the accused; and
The right to be informed of his or her rights.
The legislation passed the Senate last year and was assigned to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, chaired by retiring state Rep. Rich Golick, R-Smyrna. There, Golick worked on it with advocates and prosecutors to come up with agreeable language. The intent of the constitutional amendment is to take the rights and protections victims have under Georgia law and enshrine them in the constitution.
"Because, of course, the statute can always be changed," Golick said. "A constitution technically can also be changed if it passes two thirds of the House and Senate and is ratified by the people, but any kind of change in the constitution certainly has more permanence."
The goal, Golick says, is to ensure the rights of the victims of crime are placed in the constitution while at the same time making sure those rights don’t cause the wheels of justice and court proceedings to come to a grinding halt. The court system has to keep moving, but while it’s moving, the amendment’s purpose is to afford victims of crime the right of certain notice and the right to be heard.
While these rights are already in state law, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said they aren’t consistently applied and there’s no recourse for victims if their rights are violated. By placing the rights in the constitution, Cagle said victims will be able to go straight to the judge and demand a remedy if their rights are violated. This can be a matter of life and death, Cagle said, citing the case of Tamiko Lowry Pugh of Austell, whose former husband was arrested after beating and choking her until she passed out. He was released without her knowledge, and he showed up at a house that Pugh, a real estate agent, was showing. He beat her again, and fortunately, she escaped.
"Knowledge is power," Golick said. "And the ability of a crime victim to know what’s happening, when it’s happening, and the ability to go ahead and be heard in conjunction with those proceedings is powerful. It is empowering for a victim. Does it guarantee a result? No. But understanding what’s happening, when it’s happening and why it’s happening is very important. If a crime victim has that ability, has that right under the state constitution to have that knowledge, very arguably a situation like that might not have occurred."
In Cobb, District Attorney Vic Reynolds said victims of crime are notified of court dates, bond and sentencing hearings and when people get out of jail. Some district attorneys in smaller circuits, given the sheer volume of cases and limited staff, were initially concerned about being subject to a lawsuit if a notice failed to be sent out and that notice was made into a constitutional right. But Reynolds said those concerns were hammered out in Golick’s committee and he plans to vote in favor of the amendment.
In 2017, the Cobb DA’s Office Victim Witness Unit had 130,687 contacts with victims through letters, emails, phone calls and personal visits.
"We do everything humanly possible to make sure victims know. But we’re fortunate in this county: We’ve got people who can do that, and some circuits don’t. But I think the way this law is crafted right now you’ll see an overwhelming amount of support around the state, and I think you’ll see that by DAs and solicitors as well," Reynolds said.
Reynolds believes it’s vital for those who work in the public safety field to remember one of the primary reasons for their service is for the sake of victims. Few things will affect you more than having your home robbed, your identity stolen or your body assaulted. This is why Reynolds says he’s always amazed when he sees the resilience of victims — their strength, dignity and ability to overcome what’s happened to them.
Observances commemorating victims of crime unfolded throughout the country as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which spanned April 8-14.
"And so I think during this week, if we remember as public safety individuals what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and who we’re doing it for, it certainly means a great deal to us to look at these victims and feel that we’ve done everything we can do to help them in their case," he said.
After observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, it’s fitting that Georgians will have the opportunity to enshrine the rights of victims in the state’s constitution this fall.
Online: https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/
___
April 17
The Savannah Morning News says Georgia officials owe the public answers regarding the spaceport:
As scientists and Star Trek villain Khan like to say, it is very cold in space.
The Federal Aviation Administration is proving equally frosty when it comes to the public’s concerns about a proposed spaceport on Georgia’s coast.
Spaceport Camden is planned for a former industrial property near the Cumberland Island National Seashore. The facility would cater to the growing commercial space industry and include launch and landing sites.
At issue is the potential danger to residents whose properties would be overflown by rockets blasting off from the spaceport. Inhabitants of Little Cumberland Island, located across the marsh from the site and in the projected launch path, are understandably apprehensive.
Those islanders and other members of the public were invited to meet with FAA officials last week. The agency is reviewing the project’s potential environmental impact as required prior to issuing a launch operator’s license.
Yet FAA officials on recently closed what had been advertised as a public meeting. They excluded two journalists, claiming the session was to "have an open discussion with residents … not a discussion on the record," according to a spokeswoman.
The FAA didn’t limit attendance to residents, however. Several environmental advocates sat in, as did the Camden County government’s legal counsel.
If the FAA were a state agency, this would be a clear violation of open meetings law. Georgia’s sunshine laws limit closure except in cases that involve personnel reviews, real estate transactions or strategic planning.
The feds have more leeway. They can legally hold private sessions with specific stakeholders, as they did on April 12 – although allowing select non-residents to attend invalidates their stance.
Legal arguments aside, if the FAA wants the public to have confidence in this process, the agency should drop the cold shoulder.
Spaceport Camden is an intriguing project. The facility offers the promise of jobs and economic development in an industry, such as aerospace, that can remake a community.
Think about what Gulfstream means to Savannah. The benefits go far beyond the 10,000 well-playing jobs to investments in education and philanthropy, not to mention the fact that simply by being here the company inspires multitudes of young people to pursue engineering careers.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration did the same for Florida’s so-called Space Coast. Now, the government facility at Cape Canaveral is home to commercial space pioneers like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Camden wants to join that orbit. But in shooting for the stars, the stakeholders should not ignore those here on Earth.
Spaceport Camden would be the only launch site in the United States that shoots rockets over an inhabited area. The inherent danger is why other spaceports are located on barrier islands, like at Cape Canaveral, Wallops Island, Virginia, Kodiak, Alaska, and one under construction near Brownsville, Texas, or in desolate areas.
Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world, is in the New Mexico desert adjacent to an Army missile range. The Mojave Air and Space Port covers 3,300 acres in the California high desert.
Interest in developing more launch sites underscores the commercial potential. Camden is part of a new-age space race. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation has licensed 10 spaceports in the last 22 years and is receiving regular inquiries.
One comes from a Georgia neighbor. The Alabama Space Authority, birthed last year by that state’s legislature, is working to identify potential spaceport locations.
Spaceport Camden’s viability deserves scrutiny. The county has invested $3.5 million in the project already, and more expensive work remains, including cleanup of environmental issues spawned by the previous site user, chemical manufacturer Union Carbide.
At least one expert doubts Spaceport Camden would ever get clearance to launch a rocket because of the flight path over Little Cumberland Island, even if it were awarded a launch operator’s license. Ray Lugo, a rocket scientist with the Florida Space Institute, put it bluntly when he said of Spaceport Camden, that he didn’t understand why people would throw money away.
Camden officials and the FAA need to ask themselves the same question. Or at least show a commitment to an open dialogue, where the public is allowed to voice such concerns and journalists have the access to report on them.
Online: http://www.savannahnow.com
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11 competitive tactics I wish I'd known before my first elite-level CrossFit competition
When I first show up to Flex on the Beach, a daylong, four-event, team-based CrossFit competition in Long Beach, NY, the first thing I see is another team warm-up their snatch lifts with the same weight I normally use for my one-rep max.
This four-event slugfest has attracted 175 teams, each with two men and two women. Sixty-four teams comprise the most challenging division, including mine ("Marriage Material") and the team paired with us for the day, “Tropic Thunder Thighs,” which consists of four impossibly jacked humans who are still loading plates on their barbells by the end of the warmup.
To be fair, I've done CrossFit competitions before. My home gym, CrossFit Virtuosity, hosted a "Subway Series" contested between a few Brooklyn boxes. And while it's immediately obvious that Flex on the Beach is another monster entirely, little do I yet realize how grueling the next eight hours will be.
But in the process of snatching, squatting, sprinting, and burning in the sun, I'll learn myriad important lessons for my next competition. Here's the event-by-event breakdown.
[RELATED1]
@hai_intensity and @antlucic
Photo: Derek Godwin and Moran Dankner of team "Marriage Material" compete at Flex on the Beach in Long Beach, NY. Photo credit: @hai_intensity and @antlucic.
Event One: The Snatch Complex
(one-rep max of 1 snatch + 1 hang snatch + 1 overhead squat + 1 hang snatch)
For the past few weeks, I've been practicing my technique for this first event, which I know will be my weakest. I recently cleaned 200lbs but haven't been able to transfer that same power to the snatch, so I've been working on high pulls and dropping below the bar. In training, the best I've done is 115lbs, and I'm hoping for 125 today. To make sure we're hitting clean reps, Tropic Thunder Thighs will judge us, and then we'll switch.
The four members of our team have 20 minutes to hit our one-rep maxes. I open at 95lbs, hit it, and then snatch 105 and 115. A little too buzzed with adrenaline, we're moving at a frantic pace, and within eight minutes, everyone's hit a personal best. Collectively, we take a deep breath, and then I do the complex at 125. I shout and pump my fist. The musclebound members of Tropic Thunder Thighs do not look impressed.
When I load 135 on the bar, I talk myself through the lift: Drive through my hips and move quickly. I pull from the ground and get it overhead: a new snatch PR. Then, I drop it to my waist, lean over, re-grip, and hang snatch it. The overhead squat is fairly easy, leaving only the last hang snatch. I readjust my grip again, but when the bar gets to eye level, I'm too slow dropping below it and fail the complex. No rep.
A coach from my gym is watching, and he pulls me aside. "On your hang snatch, you keep pushing your knees forward instead of your hips back," he tells me. "You can't get any power that way." I try the weight again, but fail. I'm too burned out, but am stoked with a new one-rep max. When the next heat starts, a guy on Tropic Thunder Thighs opens at 185, hits 205, and barely misses 225 twice.
Lessons learned: On the snatch, push your hips back—not your knees forward—and drop underneath the bar.
[RELATED2]
Event Two: The AMRAP
9-minute AMRAP of:
10 single-arm kettlebell snatches (53lbs)
10 burpees over the bell
Then a 2-minute rest, followed by:
9-minute AMRAP (divide the work between partners) of:
30 deadlifts (225lbs)
20 alternating pistol squats
We have about 40 minutes between the first and second event, and I try to eat an Rx Bar, but have no appetite and can't take more than a few bites. I'm glad that my weakest event is over, but my back is unreliable, and I'm nervous that it won't survive the second part of the next workout: deadlifts, on the sand, at 225lbs. Since pistols are one of my strengths, my partner Derek and I divide up the work accordingly: We'll each do sets of six deadlifts, but he’ll start and finish (and do six more). I'll make up for it on the pistols by doing seven at the beginning and end, leaving him with six in the middle.
[RELATED6]
First, though, we have to do the kettlebell snatches and burpees. Since it's only nine minutes and we're alternating rounds, we say we'll sprint the whole way. I make Derek go first, and as soon as he finishes, I grab the kettlebell. When we practiced this workout a week earlier, Derek told me to swing the kettlebell so it wouldn't rotate at the top and hit my wrist, but I ignored him, which I regret as soon as the kettlebell slams into my arm. As I rest in-between rounds, I try to spit out the sand that's now living in my mouth, but there's no moisture left in my body.
Finally, the nine minutes end, and what feels like a few deep breaths later, but is really two minutes, Derek starts the deadlifts. My back feels good as I begin my reps, but my legs are more tired than I expected. Soon, I’m gutting through each rep one at a time, and when I drop the bar at the top of the deadlift, it makes the divots in the sand even deeper.
The pistols are unpleasant but bearable, and since Derek's wobbling on his (and since he's doing six more deadlifts each round), I switch to doing 16 of the 20 squats. By this point, it'd mid-afternoon and at least 80°. When the round finishes, I feel dizzy, leave the women on the team to judge, and go eat ice under a tent.
Lessons learned: Rotate your grip on the kettlebell to save your wrist; never do deadlifts in the sand. Also, hydrate.
@hai_intensity and @antlucic
Photo: Brett Ferguson of team Tropic Thunder Thighs competes at Flex on the Beach in Long Beach, New York. Photo credit: @hai_intensity and @antlucic
Event Three: The Relay
4 rounds, 100-meter relay sand sprint
After event two, I'm not in a good place. Derek brings me an ice pack to put on my chest, but 10 minutes later I'm still lying on the sand, overheated. Nicky, one of my teammates, brings me a banana, which I choke down, and Moran, our fourth teammate, delivers frozen blueberries, which are surprisingly delicious. We all take a salt pill for the electrolytes, and I try again to wash the sand out of my mouth. Thankfully, we have another 40 minutes or so until the next event: four rounds where we each sprint 100 meters on the sand.
We debate whether it's best to run on the sand with shoes or barefoot, and opt for the former. I volunteer to go first, and when the buzzer sounds, I sprint the first 50 meters, touch the tape, and turn to run back. During the last 50, I feel myself slowing down. But, as hard as I will my legs to move faster, they only sink further into the sand. It's startling how the first two events have crushed my fast-twitch muscles, and on each of the next three 100s, I go slower and slower. We finish the mile in 6:19.
After the event, I talk to Katie Harper, one of the women on Tropic Thunder Thighs and a coach at CrossFit South Brooklyn. She ran track in college and gives me some advice for the next time I sprint: "Focus on keeping the shoulders back and down, away from the ears, and pinch the ribcage down toward the hips. Use your arms to counterbalance your stride, not to produce force, and swing them freely, with the fists pointed forward."
Lessons learned: Running technique is worth learning, and make sure your CrossFit training has enough volume. Also, frozen blueberries are the ultimate mid-event snack.
[RELATED5]
Event Four: The Serpent
Round 1:
50m walking lunges while carrying “The Serpent” (Rogue Worm for two people)
40 serpent thrusters at 70lb
10 bar muscle-ups
Round 2:
50m Serpent walking lunges
40 serpent thrusters
60 ring dips
Round 3:
50m Serpent walking lunges
40 Serpent thrusters
60 chest-to-bar pullups
Round 4:
50m Serpent walking lunges
40 Serpent thrusters
60 box jump-overs at 24"
After the sprints, I drink some more electrolytes and finish an Rx bar. Shockingly, I feel better now than I did after the deadlifts and pistols. We have over an hour to rest and only one workout left to complete. No matter how painful it is, I tell myself, it'll be over in 20 minutes.
We know we need to be smart about dividing up the work, and decide that one pair will lunge 25 meters down, the other will lunge back, and the first will start the thrusters. We'll switch off sets of 10, and then tackle the gymnastics.
Nicky and I need about 10 meters to synchronize our lunges underneath the bulky weight. When we start the thrusters, we need to stop after each shoulder press to make sure we're together, which adds an extra second or two to each rep. Because we have the strongest muscle-ups, we each do five after the thrusters are complete, and we start lunging again.
By the third round, I'm entering the pain cave. My shoulders are roasted not just from the snatches earlier in the day, but also from the thrusters, muscle-ups, dips, and the fact that we have to hold the Serpent while our teammates do the gymnastics. If I were on my own, I'd stop, but Nicky isn't slowing down, so I can't either. The Serpent is also grinding sand into my sunburnt shoulders, but the pain from that is helping to distract me from the pain everywhere else, so I don't mind.
[RELATED3]
When we finally get to the box jump-overs, I can barely breathe. Instead of taking them laterally, I face the box, which means I have to do a half-turn after every rep—a huge mistake. Because my legs are essentially useless at this point, I skim the top of the box, almost tipping it over a few times. After I finish my 15th rep, though, my contribution is complete. A few seconds later, Derek hits our 60th, and we collapse on the ground with a time of 18:10.
Lessons learned: Practice the movements (with the implements) ahead of time; don't pause on partner movements; take the box jumps laterally; wear a shirt (but only under exceptional sand-related circumstances).
Out of the 64 teams, we take 34th. Tropic Thunder Thighs takes 11th.
A few minutes after our team finishes, we take a swim in the ocean, which stings our shoulders but feels great everywhere else. For the first time that day, I don't have sand covering my body.
[RELATED4]
CrossFit
from Men's Fitness http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/11-competitive-tactics-i-wish-id-known-my-first-elite-level-crossfit-competition
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Text
11 competitive tactics I wish I'd known before my first elite-level CrossFit competition
When I first show up to Flex on the Beach, a daylong, four-event, team-based CrossFit competition in Long Beach, NY, the first thing I see is another team warm-up their snatch lifts with the same weight I normally use for my one-rep max.
This four-event slugfest has attracted 175 teams, each with two men and two women. Sixty-four teams comprise the most challenging division, including mine ("Marriage Material") and the team paired with us for the day, “Tropic Thunder Thighs,” which consists of four impossibly jacked humans who are still loading plates on their barbells by the end of the warmup.
To be fair, I've done CrossFit competitions before. My home gym, CrossFit Virtuosity, hosted a "Subway Series" contested between a few Brooklyn boxes. And while it's immediately obvious that Flex on the Beach is another monster entirely, little do I yet realize how grueling the next eight hours will be.
But in the process of snatching, squatting, sprinting, and burning in the sun, I'll learn myriad important lessons for my next competition. Here's the event-by-event breakdown.
[RELATED1]
@hai_intensity and @antlucic
Photo: Derek Godwin and Moran Dankner of team "Marriage Material" compete at Flex on the Beach in Long Beach, NY. Photo credit: @hai_intensity and @antlucic.
Event One: The Snatch Complex
(one-rep max of 1 snatch + 1 hang snatch + 1 overhead squat + 1 hang snatch)
For the past few weeks, I've been practicing my technique for this first event, which I know will be my weakest. I recently cleaned 200lbs but haven't been able to transfer that same power to the snatch, so I've been working on high pulls and dropping below the bar. In training, the best I've done is 115lbs, and I'm hoping for 125 today. To make sure we're hitting clean reps, Tropic Thunder Thighs will judge us, and then we'll switch.
The four members of our team have 20 minutes to hit our one-rep maxes. I open at 95lbs, hit it, and then snatch 105 and 115. A little too buzzed with adrenaline, we're moving at a frantic pace, and within eight minutes, everyone's hit a personal best. Collectively, we take a deep breath, and then I do the complex at 125. I shout and pump my fist. The musclebound members of Tropic Thunder Thighs do not look impressed.
When I load 135 on the bar, I talk myself through the lift: Drive through my hips and move quickly. I pull from the ground and get it overhead: a new snatch PR. Then, I drop it to my waist, lean over, re-grip, and hang snatch it. The overhead squat is fairly easy, leaving only the last hang snatch. I readjust my grip again, but when the bar gets to eye level, I'm too slow dropping below it and fail the complex. No rep.
A coach from my gym is watching, and he pulls me aside. "On your hang snatch, you keep pushing your knees forward instead of your hips back," he tells me. "You can't get any power that way." I try the weight again, but fail. I'm too burned out, but am stoked with a new one-rep max. When the next heat starts, a guy on Tropic Thunder Thighs opens at 185, hits 205, and barely misses 225 twice.
Lessons learned: On the snatch, push your hips back—not your knees forward—and drop underneath the bar.
[RELATED2]
Event Two: The AMRAP
9-minute AMRAP of:
10 single-arm kettlebell snatches (53lbs)
10 burpees over the bell
Then a 2-minute rest, followed by:
9-minute AMRAP (divide the work between partners) of:
30 deadlifts (225lbs)
20 alternating pistol squats
We have about 40 minutes between the first and second event, and I try to eat an Rx Bar, but have no appetite and can't take more than a few bites. I'm glad that my weakest event is over, but my back is unreliable, and I'm nervous that it won't survive the second part of the next workout: deadlifts, on the sand, at 225lbs. Since pistols are one of my strengths, my partner Derek and I divide up the work accordingly: We'll each do sets of six deadlifts, but he’ll start and finish (and do six more). I'll make up for it on the pistols by doing seven at the beginning and end, leaving him with six in the middle.
[RELATED6]
First, though, we have to do the kettlebell snatches and burpees. Since it's only nine minutes and we're alternating rounds, we say we'll sprint the whole way. I make Derek go first, and as soon as he finishes, I grab the kettlebell. When we practiced this workout a week earlier, Derek told me to swing the kettlebell so it wouldn't rotate at the top and hit my wrist, but I ignored him, which I regret as soon as the kettlebell slams into my arm. As I rest in-between rounds, I try to spit out the sand that's now living in my mouth, but there's no moisture left in my body.
Finally, the nine minutes end, and what feels like a few deep breaths later, but is really two minutes, Derek starts the deadlifts. My back feels good as I begin my reps, but my legs are more tired than I expected. Soon, I’m gutting through each rep one at a time, and when I drop the bar at the top of the deadlift, it makes the divots in the sand even deeper.
The pistols are unpleasant but bearable, and since Derek's wobbling on his (and since he's doing six more deadlifts each round), I switch to doing 16 of the 20 squats. By this point, it'd mid-afternoon and at least 80°. When the round finishes, I feel dizzy, leave the women on the team to judge, and go eat ice under a tent.
Lessons learned: Rotate your grip on the kettlebell to save your wrist; never do deadlifts in the sand. Also, hydrate.
@hai_intensity and @antlucic
Photo: Brett Ferguson of team Tropic Thunder Thighs competes at Flex on the Beach in Long Beach, New York. Photo credit: @hai_intensity and @antlucic
Event Three: The Relay
4 rounds, 100-meter relay sand sprint
After event two, I'm not in a good place. Derek brings me an ice pack to put on my chest, but 10 minutes later I'm still lying on the sand, overheated. Nicky, one of my teammates, brings me a banana, which I choke down, and Moran, our fourth teammate, delivers frozen blueberries, which are surprisingly delicious. We all take a salt pill for the electrolytes, and I try again to wash the sand out of my mouth. Thankfully, we have another 40 minutes or so until the next event: four rounds where we each sprint 100 meters on the sand.
We debate whether it's best to run on the sand with shoes or barefoot, and opt for the former. I volunteer to go first, and when the buzzer sounds, I sprint the first 50 meters, touch the tape, and turn to run back. During the last 50, I feel myself slowing down. But, as hard as I will my legs to move faster, they only sink further into the sand. It's startling how the first two events have crushed my fast-twitch muscles, and on each of the next three 100s, I go slower and slower. We finish the mile in 6:19.
After the event, I talk to Katie Harper, one of the women on Tropic Thunder Thighs and a coach at CrossFit South Brooklyn. She ran track in college and gives me some advice for the next time I sprint: "Focus on keeping the shoulders back and down, away from the ears, and pinch the ribcage down toward the hips. Use your arms to counterbalance your stride, not to produce force, and swing them freely, with the fists pointed forward."
Lessons learned: Running technique is worth learning, and make sure your CrossFit training has enough volume. Also, frozen blueberries are the ultimate mid-event snack.
[RELATED5]
Event Four: The Serpent
Round 1:
50m walking lunges while carrying “The Serpent” (Rogue Worm for two people)
40 serpent thrusters at 70lb
10 bar muscle-ups
Round 2:
50m Serpent walking lunges
40 serpent thrusters
60 ring dips
Round 3:
50m Serpent walking lunges
40 Serpent thrusters
60 chest-to-bar pullups
Round 4:
50m Serpent walking lunges
40 Serpent thrusters
60 box jump-overs at 24"
After the sprints, I drink some more electrolytes and finish an Rx bar. Shockingly, I feel better now than I did after the deadlifts and pistols. We have over an hour to rest and only one workout left to complete. No matter how painful it is, I tell myself, it'll be over in 20 minutes.
We know we need to be smart about dividing up the work, and decide that one pair will lunge 25 meters down, the other will lunge back, and the first will start the thrusters. We'll switch off sets of 10, and then tackle the gymnastics.
Nicky and I need about 10 meters to synchronize our lunges underneath the bulky weight. When we start the thrusters, we need to stop after each shoulder press to make sure we're together, which adds an extra second or two to each rep. Because we have the strongest muscle-ups, we each do five after the thrusters are complete, and we start lunging again.
By the third round, I'm entering the pain cave. My shoulders are roasted not just from the snatches earlier in the day, but also from the thrusters, muscle-ups, dips, and the fact that we have to hold the Serpent while our teammates do the gymnastics. If I were on my own, I'd stop, but Nicky isn't slowing down, so I can't either. The Serpent is also grinding sand into my sunburnt shoulders, but the pain from that is helping to distract me from the pain everywhere else, so I don't mind.
[RELATED3]
When we finally get to the box jump-overs, I can barely breathe. Instead of taking them laterally, I face the box, which means I have to do a half-turn after every rep—a huge mistake. Because my legs are essentially useless at this point, I skim the top of the box, almost tipping it over a few times. After I finish my 15th rep, though, my contribution is complete. A few seconds later, Derek hits our 60th, and we collapse on the ground with a time of 18:10.
Lessons learned: Practice the movements (with the implements) ahead of time; don't pause on partner movements; take the box jumps laterally; wear a shirt (but only under exceptional sand-related circumstances).
Out of the 64 teams, we take 34th. Tropic Thunder Thighs takes 11th.
A few minutes after our team finishes, we take a swim in the ocean, which stings our shoulders but feels great everywhere else. For the first time that day, I don't have sand covering my body.
[RELATED4]
CrossFit
Article source here:Men’s Fitness
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How Buying Online for children and Young people Is Delightfully Fascinating for You
Internet kids peppa kids toy are available in a good amount of wonderful selections for all ages
In relation to searching for Peppa Pig em portugues brasil toy, to be a critical mother or father, you can expect to undoubtedly consider all sorts of factors for instance age group appropriateness, basic safety, top quality of building and also the manufacturer name. For your mother or father like you, on-line young children play doh learn colors toy searching has all the responses! There exists lots of choice, accessibility of brands plus the simplicity of property shipping.
How to check out a web based Peppa Pig em portugues brasil toys retailer?
You only log onto the online world with the laptop, at any moment of the convenience and from almost just about anywhere and you also will be in an internet based peppa pig kids toys retailer! How convenient is the fact! You do not have just to walk downward endless aisles and remain pestered by somewhat useful sales reps. You may choose what you desire to view, do a price comparison, read customer reviews and grab the right kind of solution for your personal important just one.
Shopping online
Shopping online for peppa pig toys toys for children gets easy since you have ample option. So, how do you need to do your searching? Simply pickup the first merchandise that you observe or hunt for specific groups like the right after?
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• Rural handled play-doh toys and more.
In case you have a specific item or perhaps a play-doh toys planned, you only have to browse the numerous types which is to be offered on the website of major merchants and pick-up the product or service this is the right one to your child's gender and age group.
Making a like record
Helping to make and giving wants is not really confined to the fairy tale planet on your own! You may also undertake it when you choose to look shopping on the internet for little ones Peppa Pig toys. You could do after you visit the internet site of the on-line dealer who permits you the option of incorporating a selected product for your want collection.
Basically develop a hope checklist on-line and you will then be informed of your accessibility to deals and special discounts with your preferred items. So, if you are searching for a home unit generating equipment but do not have your budget for similar, basically combine it with your like record that you may have created online. After that you can check this collection and get your selected merchandise with a down the road reason for time likewise.
Discounts on every one of the entertaining things
Whenever you go internet shopping for play doh toys toys for youngsters, additionally you can involve some extra exciting whilst accomplishing this. A good way in which this is possible is to consider the offers and savings that internet vendors offer you every so often. As an example, you could get provides on distinct manufacturers, mix of distinct items and so on.
There is absolutely no question the point that buying children's solutions, specially to pick to make it happen over the internet, can be done swiftly and even more importantly, easily. Just visit the world wide web at any time you select, in the comfort of your property and purchase the merchandise. Internet vendors have multiple repayment selections also. Once you have accomplished your searching dealings, you merely must wait for a consignment to get shipped to your household.All of which basically means that your particular acquiring decisions are knowledgeable and taken during the fascination of the little one.
Summing up
As a result, picking to choose a web based enterprise for children's play doh videos toy is definitely an great idea simply because it allows you to get the right type of product or service in the practicality in your home.
Finding Amazing Stuff for little ones at Shopping Centers in Durban
Choosing cool things for youngsters is a breeze together with the sheer collection of store shopping centers in Durban. The greater number of challenging undertaking is discovering inexpensive retailers. Location See Searching Core is a good destination to go shopping if you're searching for value, together with an array of stores which include Ackermans, Reggies, Mr Selling price, Page Street, Kool Young children, Activity, Shoprite, Myrna's Gift idea Shoppe, and more you'll have many hours of searching enjoyment.
Great goods for children: If you're searching for a infant shower area, your individual new arrival or perhaps for child gift items, you can visit Mr Price, Ackermans, PEP, Kool Youngsters and Reggies. You'll look for a value trove of soft infant outfits, soft quilts, educative peppa pig kids toys and lots of other amazing little one products.
Neat stuff for youngsters (and young people)
peppa pig completo toy: Whenever you think back more than your childhood for an grownup, do you recall exclusive play doh toys and games that were offered to you? Very dolls, sorbet-coloured ponies, red automobiles and delightful solid wood workout packages typically restore content recollections of fun and activities! Store shopping centres in Durban provide an comprehensive variety of memory space-producing Peppa Pig Portugues toys for little ones of every age group. City Check out houses retailers like Reggies, Game, Mouse clicks and Page Neighborhood. Reggies specialises in youngsters peppa pig toys toy, so in this article you can try to find from newborn peppa pig compilation toy to toddler puzzles to children's cycles and all sorts between. This is a great location for kids' birthday store shopping!
Again-to-classes equipment: Along with a large number of doh toy, Sport is great for cool again-to-institution devices like stationery, university luggage and pc basics.
Kiddie culinary experts: Have you got a little chef who loves to perform in the kitchen area? Click throughs has a beautiful variety of bakeware that can please young children. Be aware of fun dessert cutters, rainbow silicon cupcake cases and blossom-formed dessert moulds.
Bedroom décor: Visit Sheet Block for making your kids' spaces anywhere they can't wait around to arrive the place to find. At Sheet Streets you could buy brilliant, cheery bedsheets, comfy throws, spread pillows and equipment like photo frames, vases and candles.
Outfits and shoes or boots: Isn't it remarkable how rapidly kids grow out of their clothes? Maintaining the kids in effectively-fitted apparel is an on-proceeding and expensive task. Whether or not you have to purchase a the winter season wardrobe to your pre-schooler, right after-college apparel on your 7-calendar year-aged or informal clothing for the teenager, at Metropolis Look at you can choose modern, affordable apparel and shoes or boots at bargain rates. The selection of shops includes Ackermans, JAM Apparel, Kingsmead Footwear, Kool Kids, Mr Cost and PEP. Looking for little ones is definitely an high priced physical exercise! No matter whether you're trying to find Peppa Pig em portugues brasil toy, apparel or sneakers, consider Location Look at-the most affordable shopping centres in Durban. The offers are your own for any consuming!
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Children Educational Online games Are Actually Excellent Provides
Are you searching for a children's present that is exceptional, exciting, but in addition educational? Whether you are shopping for a birthday party current, Christmas existing or merely a particular gift idea to get a youthful baby in your lifetime, you can find dozens of thoughts internet. Quite a few parents and health care providers value the need for engage in that contains learning prospects. Little ones understand a variety of knowledge from developmental playdoh toys and online games while also having a good time.
In case you are caught for thoughts, look into the subsequent playdoh toy and games that are certain to encourage creatively and discovering.
Puzzles - Puzzles are a great way to assist little ones gain more knowledge of their setting and much better hand eyes coordination. Jigsaw puzzles make the perfect household process for kids to perform. You can buy simple puzzles with large, vibrant pieces for toddlers to more complex puzzles for institution youngsters that have a variety of sections to sign up with together with each other.
Counting Online games - Relying on kinds fingertips is easily the most natural thing to do. All small children start to rely on their palms and our fingers exist to support! A very common checking sport you may not already know of is wooden keeping track of hands and fingers. You could find these web based at dependable online kid's shops that market wooden playdoh toy. This video game is ideal for developing a preliminary understanding of variety techniques.
Wooden Skis - This is certainly wonderful present if you are buying for just two children to talk about. Solid wood Skis are a number of exciting for just two children. If you do buy a set with silicone prevents beneath, they can then be taken outside the house and also interior. This enjoyable and different activity gives satisfying training, while also stimulating movement and co-ordination.
Sense of balance Scales and Weight loads - This is a innovative method of coaching youngsters concerning the romantic relationship between body weight and stability. A lot of equilibrium scales and weight lifting activities feature a array of doh toys weight load to try out, but if not, it will likely be quick plenty of to locate weight load from around the home to implement.
Figure Out How To Tell Time - A artistic method of learning to notify some time requires games in which little ones can shift the hands and fingers with the time clock 24 / 7 deal with to match the numbers of the amount of time. Find a time clock that has the phrase 'quarter past', 'half past' and 'quarter to' written on its encounter; it is a beneficial memory for small children when pronouncing some time.
As you can see you can find a large number of special, fun and creative educational kids' video games readily available. Young children Peppa Pig toy characters made from green resource timbers and low-harmful paints are verifying to generally be fairly well-liked by moms and dads and care providers. You can easily get peppa toys produced from natural materials on-line. Happy searching!
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