#rich do more interviews i couldnt find anything for you

[saysbruh1]

i literally forgot i made this account....see yall in another month

#rlm #red letter media #jay bauman #mike stoklasa #rich do more interviews i couldnt find anything for you #rich evans

[souryogurt64]

music documentaries are saurrrr interesting for no reason because one band guy will say one thing and its immediately contradicted by another and then another completed unrelated story is told and then cue crusty dusty footage where you cant even make out what its supposed to be and after youre done watching it you wonder what the point of all that was

I didnt know the theater of imagination panic doc existed until recently. They got brent for it and brent never talks in interviews and it was actually fascinating. He came across as very intelligent and musically driven, which I was not expecting at all. Im not an expert or anything but I did feel like it was apparent he was on something as well.

There was also a pretty awkward cut during his last scene in the doc and then he never showed up again, and it genuinely felt like he was about to say something bad about the band or their music in relation to their next record. He had been pretty calm up until that point but he was starting to get a little worked up.

The girl who directed the fever dance troupe said something like “panic have never had to work for anything its just handed to them” and she framed it in a way that was very glowing and positive but honestly extremely true

I also think the calendar business doc is interesting too because i think the filmmaker knew the band was toast and was clearly conveying that but also had to make it all feel good and kind of hide that a bit

There was also this really high production mini doc from vices era and a bunch of other very high quality longer videos that were full of like weird split drama. I feel like I have never seen anyone mention any of these ever, a lot of them were hard to get to which might be why but I was honestly very surprised given how everyone obsesses over certain photos or posts or articles. I think when people talk about the split they must only be looking at pretty odd era stuff or something

I also have theory a lot of bandom lore from like 2010-2012 is just gone because thats when people were kind of shifting from old social media onto “new” social media and fan communities were less consolidated and stuff got lost in the transition.

one also contained an extended scene of brendon and spencer on the phone with a journalist and then complaining about him and I tried really hard to find who it was and couldnt lol. Which is so incredibly and unbelievably immature to professionally film and post, I feel like so many band dudes want attention and followers and gifts and money and to be on TV blah blah blah but the second there is any heat they start publicly crying and saying its not fair. Like yeah it sucks and every job has bad parts and people are allowed to dislike parts of their job. And there are some artists who dont like any of it and want to go the more indie route or retire and thats perfectly fine. But someone like Brendon who only sings about how much he adores being rich and famous publicly whining about being asked about his band breaking up is SOOO like the definition of have your cake and eat it too.

Like you cant sing/brag about how much you love being rich and famous, sue your former friends, and act inflammatory on livestream/post dumb shit 24/7 AND still throw a hissy fit over a journalist doing THEIR job and not cooing and fawning over you and asking about your band splitting lmao

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Logan's Birthday (1/7)

-------------------------

Logan was a smart man, he always had been, top of his class since he was little. But being smart only got you so far, there always came a time when you just werent smart enough.

For Logan, that time was adulthood. So many years worth of studying, gone at the slightest notion that someone else was- better. And of course, Logan knew exactly what made his competitors better, but saying it out loud, that was paramount to insulting the company.

So here he was, twenty-two years of age and stuck in an apartment, sifting through job applications and bills, as if he'd ever have enough to pay them off.

"Oh yes Logan go on take only honors and AP classes for the rest of your life, I'm sure it'll all turn out fine," Logan muttered bitterly.

He let out a groan of annoyance as the tv flickered through one of his least favorite commercials.

He'd always despised fashion and makeup companies, but the Kingsley company was another story on it's own. He couldnt explain it, for all he knew it was some odd combination of self hatred and toxic societal expectations, he just couldn't stand those twins, with their overly wide smiles and stupid overzealous compliments. But of course, most other people bought it. So Logan always assumed there was something wrong with him.

Eventually Logan finished with the papers, setting them aside and walking to the kitchen.

"Like anyone would pay thirty bucks for a makeup set that's going to fall apart two days afterward," Logan muttered, glaring at the tv. He walked over to the coffee machine and got started on his fourth cup for that day. It wasnt healthy, Logan knew that, he'd done an entire report on it in sixth grade, but it was the only way he could seem to stay up without having a breakdown.

Logan looked over at his to-do list for that day, he never seemed to finish them, so he had no idea why he bothered. He checked off the section labelled "bills and applications" before walking back to the coffee machine and picking up the mug. He watched the sunrise outside the window, he always liked sunrises more in the colder months, they were much brighter.

Logan finished his coffee and set the cup in the sink, checking his watch. His mother had set up a job interview for him, but all she'd given him was an address and a time, he certainly didnt want to be late. He walked to his closet and pulled out a blue sweater, black vest, black pants, and dress shoes.

"5629, Ridgeport Avenue, should be interesting," Logan muttered as he fixed his tie. He'd never exactly liked Ridgeport, it was a rich people and idiots thinking they could make it big on stupid ideas.

But what awaited Logan when he reached the location was far worse than what he was expecting.

"Mother I told you I dont want anything to do with this company!" Logan hissed over the phone, currently hiding out in the bathroom, he may have hated the Kingsley company, but he wasmt stupid enough to insult them where someone might hear.

"Its good pay! You can suck up your pride for once in your life cant you?" His mother replied.

"Me, a secretary for those- those-" Logan couldnt seem to find the right words for it, all he cod think was 'Ew' and 'Not in a million years'.

"I'll call you back after the interview," Logan said, hanging up and stuffing the phone back in his pocket. He fixed his hair in the mirror before rushing back out, after all, he did have a meeting in thirty minutes.

"Logan Sanders," The intercom sounded, the voice of Remus Kingsley flooded the room. Logan felt his stomach lurch as he stood up. He trudged down the hall, fiddling with his tie. He finally reached the door to Remus' office, and knocked twice.

"I'm not naked if that's what you're thinking," Logan held back the urge to vomit as he processed the sentence, and then he opened the door.

Remus Kingsley was a tall man, with a white striped birthmark in his hair, and a mustache that gave him the impression of a man who'd gorged himself on mud. His clothes didnt help much, a ripped jacket paired with a green shirt and twice as torn black jeans, his feet were even propped up on the desk for gods sakes.

"I'm here for the secretary position," Logan said as he closed the door.

"Well secretaries arent supposed to stand are they?" Remus said, moving his feet and gesturing toward the chair in front of the desk. Logan took a seat and finally let go of his tie.

"So what sparked your interest in the position?" Remus said, very obviously reading off notecards.

Logan bit back the urge to say 'brute force and a ransom note'.

"I've seen a lot of your commercials, the name was recognizable," Logan said.

"Oh so you've heard of us?" Remus said, now checking his nails. Logan was getting more annoyed by the minute.

"Yes, I have," Logan replied, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from growling.

"Great! You're hired! You can start tomorrow," Remus said with a grin, Logan noticed he was missing one of his front teeth. He slid a sheet of paper across the desk, Logan looked it over and pocketed it before getting up.

"Very well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow," Logan said as he walked out.

"I could get used to seeing that face every day," Remus said, Logan felt his face heat up slightly, though he could scarcely tell if it was from rage, or from something else. He merely nodded and closed the door behind him on his way out, rushing through the lobby and out into the streets of Ridgeport.

"This is it- my life is over, this is how I die," Logan had decided to meet up for coffee with his friend Remy, and the conversation had turned very quickly to Remus' comment at the end of the meeting.

"I mean it could be worse, at least you're both in the same age-range," Remy replied, taking a sip from his iced coffee.

"I dont know how you're drinking that when its 27 degrees out," Logan said with a laugh.

"Nothing will ever be as cold as my heart," Remy said, grinning.

"Oh? Cold-hearted are we? Then please, do tell me where all those photos of Emile huddled up under your arm with his head buried in your chest came from,"Logan said sarcastically.

"Oh Em, the only person warm enough to melt my poor icy cold heart," Remy said, bringing a hand to his forehead and falling back slightly.

"Gods you're so cheesy," Logan said, rolling his eyes.

"You're just mad because you dont have a queerplatonic partner to give you forehead kisses every night before you go to sleep," Remy said.

"I dont need a partner of any kind, I'm fine on my own," Logan replied.

"Sure you are bud, sure you are," Remy said.

And that stuck with Logan the rest of the week. He had a lot more interactions with Remus than he'd expected to, sometimes they felt- planned. But Logan could swear up and down he was imagining things, there was no way someone as influential, nor as self-absorbed, as a Kingsley would've spared him a second glance.

And he carried this thought process with him, that is, until he found a letter on his desk. A letter, inviting him to the company Christmas party, from Remus.

"Did you get my letter?" Remus leaned on Logan's desk, that same grin he always wore plastered on his face.

"Yes, though I dont think you specified the office you want it delivered to?" Logan replied.

"Oh! My bad, I think it was right abooouuuuttt- here," Remus pressed a finger to Logan's nose, Logan tensed slightly, his cheeks flushed red.

"You turn a very pretty red when you're nervous," Remus purred, resting his head on his arms, which were now crossed over Logan's desk wall.

"I-" Logan wasnt sure what to say, here was all the evidence, right in front of his face, and yet he still didnt dare believe it.

And he didnt believe it, not until the day of the Christmas party, where he arrived in a limousine, hand in hand with the man, to a cruise ship of all places, wearing, for the first time in his life, a stunning midnight blue dress, that made him feel like he was worth a glance.

Though of course, no amount of party dresses could top that which he wore on his wedding night, a floor length gown of Remus' own design, studded with pearls and sequins, reflecting blue lights everywhere he walked.

"Remember how I said I wouldnt mind seeing a face like yours every day?" Remus said, smiling as he moved Logan's veil.

"Well, you wont have to worry about that now, will you?" Logan said, smiling, and he relished in the kiss that Remus placed on his lips, Remus' arm pulling Logan closer and closer by the waist, until the space between them was so thin that they were almost attached.

----------------------------------------------

Tag list:

@thefivecalls

@willowaudreykeyes

@pricklyfish777

@the-sad-strawberry

@private-snippers

@extercs-experiences

@theonetruebeepboop

@mycatshuman

@teamplutoforlife

@melodiread

@meowthefluffy

@frawkeye

@cemmy

@nerosdayinhell

@thecolorfulolive

@frog-candy-bee

#cori writes #long post #birthday fics #intrulogical #romantic intrulogical #remile #queerplatonic remile #ts logan #ts remus #ts roman #ts remy #ts emile

[brelione]

The Surfer And The Siren

Chapter Three:The Conspiracy Blog,The Investigation and The Shitty Sister In Law

Chapter One       Chapter Two

Warnings:Mentions of racism,homophobia

S0rry that this chapter is kind of short.The next one will be longer.

You didn't understand how you had never found out about this.The article was from 2012 by a conspiracy blog.There were dozens of photographs of you,a bright red circle showing where you was in group photos that were taken in the fifties and more from the seventies.There were a few photos of your large scales the size of quarters that had been found on coral reefs and posted on facebook with captions asking for someone to tell the finder what animal the scale belonged to.Another photo showed a photo of your fluke splashing out of the water.In some your hair had been tucked into your old red hat so the mess of blue waves wouldn't be seen.But somehow those photos had been linked to others from the bridge of your nose and the color of your skin.You kind of missed the old days before all the facial recognition technology.

You went through the photos to see paragraphs and paragraphs with quotes from the interview with Linden. “Linden Sislip,sister of poet and former pawn shop owner claims that her brother was in love with the sea monster of Outer Banks.For decades a murderous mermaid-like creature has haunted the waters and supposedly lured multiple men to painful water related deaths.Outerbanks is known as Paradise on Earth and is home to countless millionaires AKA the sea monsters preferred prey.Some think the creature has migrated elsewhere because of a string of similar deaths closer to California.What do you think?”That article had to be the most bull shit thing you had ever read.Luckily most of the comments agreed,calling the photos fake and saying the scales were that of a tuna’s.

That was pretty insulting to say the least but at least they didn't actually believe you were a serial killing sea monster.That made you feel better but knowing how much Linden hated you definitely hurt a bit.She had hated most people though.She hated the poor,people of color,lgbt+,cats and babies.What kind of sociopath hates cats and babies?You couldn't wrap your head around the fact that somehow she was raised by the same parents he was yet she ended up like that.He was ahead of his time.He was respectful and kind and he loved everyone regardless of social status,race or sexuaity.That’s what made you feel so close to him.Linden had always stared in disgust when he bought extra newspapers to bring to people who couldn't afford them or when he saved his food to bring to children whose parents worked three jobs and still couldn't pay for a decent meal.

You pitied Linden,you couldn't even imagine being that closed minded and ignorant.Things were much worse in the South for sure but you tried your best to get to people.After he had passed away Linden had forced the rest of the family to completely shut you out.You couldn't go to the funeral or even go into their home to grab things that you could remember him by.She blamed you fro his death when she should have blamed herself.It was a terrible thought because in reality there was noone to blame but he had spent so much time in his life trying to convince her to be a good person and convince her to respect people.It had been a waste of years trying to wear her down and make her good but you cant help them all.

The interview didn't really shock you that much.She had always been bitter about you and your origins bit what did shock you was the fact that she had a son in 1950.A son named Bellamy Maybank. “Shit.”You whispered under your breath.Richard waited for you to explain your shock but when you didn't say anything he grew impatient. “What?”He asked.You just nodded,trying to form words.This was real life.This wasnt some weird dream or a conspiracy.This was actually real.This article was published 8 years ago and you had never seen it.

How could you have never seen it?You wondered if Richard knew and had hid it from you but that couldnt be.He knew just as little as you did. “You were right...but theres a time gap.How good are you at investigating?”You asked.A wide smile came across his mature,wrinkly face. “Are you forgetting about how I sunk Ward Cameron’s boat and completely trashed his plans in like...two hours?”He asked.You laughed quietly.Richard had always been so proud of that. “God,how could I forget?”You grinned,looking back up at the TV. “So what do you need me to find out?Make me a list in my notes app.You know which one the notes app is,right?”He teased.You rolled your eyes,opening the app and making a new note.

Close the time gap (after 50-now)

Learn about JJ,Pope,Kiara and the other one.

Check up on Ward’s plans

It had been a hot minute since you had Richard investigate someone.Last time had been nearly 20 years ago.Turns out Ward Cameron was hunting you down in attempt to kidnap and sell you.he was a fucked up son of a trout and you would most definitely say that to his face if given  the chance.You placed the phone down,looking back up at the tv.The main character was threatening a rude looking blonde boy with terrible fashion sense. “Could we drive around for a while?”You asked.He nodded,standing up from his chair.His feet were sore but he always pulled through for you.You two went back out to his car.He turned on your favorite CD that belonged to Billie Eilish.So much had changed since just a few years ago.Someone like Billie would absolutely be an outcast back when you were her age.

Something about the way that cars moved made you happy.It was strange to see the world shifting around you.How poor people rode horses and the rich had cars and how the tables had turned.You had seen so many wars and so many deaths yet you had watched multiple births.You watched segregation end and witnessed people of all races and ethnicities get the right to vote.You had seen the day that the lgbt community finally got rights.And you had helped with it all.You had experienced the life of the poor and of the filthy rich and you were only a quarter through your life.You had been a friend to Marilyn Monroe and saw the day that JFK was assassinated.You had seen so much that no one else had experienced.

You had heard so many old folks complain about the music of today and how it had been so much better back in their day but you could not disagree more.There was no reason to bash the modern ones music.All music is good music except for country music,of course.Richard drove through figure 8 so you could gaze at all the houses.It was quite disgusting that there were only an average of three people living in huge mansions with six bedrooms that they didn't need yet there were families of eight suffering in tiny houses made for three people maximum.The rich were greedy,bitter and overall selfish and annoying.

The poor were generous and grateful for everything they did have and were more likely to be kind and understanding.It was really just a sad place but you didn't want to go anywhere else.A lot of other areas had water that was far too polluted but definitely had better people and a better atmosphere on land.It didn't really matter how great the land was when you could only see it once a month anyways.Plus OBX had a great cave system and pretty nice weather.Richard turned his car,going back to The Cut.If you were to live anywhere in Outer Banks it would most definitely be The Cut.It had an all around better atmosphere,friendlier people and better hiding spots. “So how are the naiads?Have you heard from them?”He asked,purposefully driving slowly.You sighed,turning down the radio. 

“Not really,the only river entrance got blocked off by a ton of fallen branches.I haven't gotten any calls from them though so thats good.Its not that I don't like them or anything but they're just….god,they're so annoying.”You leaned back in your chair.He chuckled. “Does Esmerelda still have a crush on you?”He asked,turning down the dirt road.You nodded. “She’s just….she’s cute but she’s annoying,you know?”You asked.He nodded. “That ones always been kinda strange in the head.”He agreed.Once you got back to the house the sky was lightening up which meant you had such little time.You sat in the backyard in one of the camping chairs with your paper bag in your hand and the drawstring bag hanging off your shoulders.Blue sat with his head on your knee,staring up at you with his big shiny eyes.

He knew the drill by now,his drool making a dark puddle on your jeans as he whined for attention before you had to leave again.Richard had tried to bring the dog out to see you before but it never worked out.Blue got eager and excited and walked to fast for Richard and it wasn't safe for a dog to walk along rough and bumpy rocks.It wasn't exactly safe for an elderly man either but it sucks to suck.You stared up at the sky,wiggling your toes while you still could.As the sun began to come up over the horizon a similar aching pain spread from your heels to your thighs,your body feeling heavy. “I’ll see you next week,(Y/N).”Richard stood up to hug you.You hugged him back,tears pricking at your eyes.

Blue pawed at you,licking your jeans.You kissed his forehead lightly before limping down to the water.You dragged yourself into the water,collapsing when you were at your knees.Your legs tingled,your head slipping under the water as your legs knit together in a painful mess.From below your hips your tail grew,your hair falling in your face as all evidence that you had been human left you.Your hend clenched the deteriorating paper bag as you swished your fins,gaining control over your body again.The sun was now reflecting off the water,nearly blinding you.You ducked under the water,going deeper and deeper.

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[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas: Zookeeper’s Son

Also on AO3!

TL;DR: 

An iconic personality in the animal conservation scene has a popular zoo that people flock to from all over the world. But this isn't about him, it's about his son. And his son's massive crush. (Cheesy ShinDeku Crush) 

steve irwin inspired au, aka if you didnt know hamlet was australian, you do now

Ok but All Might is basically Steve Irwin in this au, Izuku is a huuuuuge animal fan

Allmight is Izuku’s dad and Inko is his wife and izu hung around animals loads when he was young, 1A are the zoo volunteers

is he like, steve irwin with crocodiles? or something like big cats or wolves. Honestly let's just stick with crocodiles

aizawa is the sleepy big cat handler

mic yells with the birds, mostly his job is actually the PA system but he teaches the birds to talk during his lunch hour, And he runs birds of prey shows

Shinsou comes to the zoo a lot cause he likes watching the tigers and their babies. shinsou giving a bottle of milk to a baby tiger because aizawa needed an extra pair of hands and our boy is crying actual tears because its So Cute

Todoroki was never allowed pets or to go outside much because he has to be a respectable rich boi tm, but he's always loved watching all mights ridiculous nature shows

w a  it

this means

,,,

allmight dies. Damn ok I guess this is getting sad now.

Todoroki goes to the zoo for the first time ever and sees a mural to Allmight and just starts crying

so aizawa has been working at the zoo since izuku was born and was honestly his babysitter a lot with mic and tensei because tensei, the onsite vet, had a little brother the same age. and when the news came in? aizawa's heart sank because this little 6-year-old ball of sunshine didn't have a dad anymore

inko is the badass but soft mum but shes not at home, shes actually on a shoot at the time

izuku is running around the zoo and aizawa just scoops him up and gets him icecream because the kid doesn't know yet and he wants izuku to have 5 more minutes before his world collapses. aizawa lets out a single sob because izuku picked the allmight themed icecream thanks

Aizawa helps Inko around the house as much as possible and drives Izu to school when Inko is having a rough day

All mights animals being depressed cause he's gone and blessed 6-year-old Izu sneaking into a fucking lion enclosure because 'dad would want to cheer them up'

there was a lion cub litter born really close to izuku and allmight dotted on these cubs because he was all soft because his wife was pregnant, there are photos of toddler izuku with these lions. izuku burying his face into one of their manes and crying while the lions lay around him

Aizawa has been interning at the zoo since he was 15 and is 22 when allmight dies. its his first year really "working" there because he just finished uni and hes on fulltime

aizawa thought allmight was going to be kinda snobby but allmight said hi to him every day, remembered his name and attended his uni graduation, told him he was proud and told him he'd never seen anyone as good with the cats as he was

aizawa babysat his kid, saw this man almost every day since he was 15

Ok but what if Inko wakes up in the middle of the night hearing All mights voice. She's freaking out, but then finds Izu rewatching old footage of his dad. Crying but also using them to learn how to be as good with the animals as him

animals a d o r e izuku, all of them

like, even the crows at the park will sit on his shoulders and give him little shiny things the wolves like to lick him and crowd him when he walks in, the crocodiles like head scratches

allmight was so proud of his son, because even he couldnt get animals to like him instinctually

1A are all the little highschool interns

Shinsou crushes on the cute zookeeper boy and Izu gets him an internship eventually, he just sees izuku hugging a lion and falls in love instantly

aizawa is his uncle and is complaining about this "kid that doesnt listen to safety protocol" and shinso is like ",, h im"

Aizawa thought that shinsou hated outdoors and animals, but is confused when suddenly Shinsou starts going to the zoo after school everyday

the way this family works

aizawa was a foster kid bc his family wasnt trusted with him but he still had contact, shinso's family was falling apart and aizawa didnt want his cousin to go through the same thing so he takes shinsou in age 10

they say uncle bc aizawa is so much older than shinsou

izuku like, doesn't tell shinso hes allmights kid and izuku wears a facemask and dyes his hair all the time so its fair that shinso doesnt guess

so izuku is on messenger and tells shinso to open his window izuku is sitting on his balcony. hes got a torch in his mouth and a swipecard in the other. he just kinda, grabs shinso and hauls him over the balcony. shinso is in pyjamas and all he has is a phone

izuku grabs his hand and they run down the street and shinso is just??? so lost. aizawa lives su p er close to the zoo and they get to the gate and shinso is like?? why are we here its midnight

and izuku o p e n s th e g a t e

shinso is crying bc he has every reason to think he'll go to jail

(izuku turned off the alarms and warned his mum he was doing this but didnt warn shinso because thats not fun)

so izuku takes shinso to the farmyard, wakes up the horse, which is his horse, a pulls shinso up on it too the horse has little lights on it

so its midnight and shinso is hugging izuku on this horse because its cold and hes in pyjama's and hes cold and its dark and he doesnt wanna fall off this massive horse

so izuku takes him around the zoo at night on this horse and its honestly great? bc loads of the animals are awake and the zoo is empty. izuku whispers that hes not really supposed to do this but hes going to do it anyway and shinso is like??? please dont im too young for jail

but izuku just giggles

izuku lets them into the back deer enclosure and its m a s s i v e

so its 2am by now, all the deer are awake so izuku ties up the horse and leads shinso over to his fave deer

"ok so, dad used to do this to me when i was litte, but i figure youre still light enough”

and izuku just hefts shinso onto this deer. shinso is laughing and clinging to this deer for his life and so izuku gets on another and they run around the paddock

shinso is yelling and cheering as izuku laughs, the other deer are running beside them because deer do that and its honestly the coolest thing that shinso has ever done

4am and the deer have all fallen back asleep and shinso and izuku are on the roof of the vet clinic because the vet-clinic is still heated at night so the roof is warm and they kinda,, fall asleep on the roof. izuku wakes up at 6, but doesnt wake shinso up for 20 minutes because hes smiling even in his sleep

they have to sprint back to shinso's house

izuku helps shinso climb back up his balcony and waves goodbye and shinso just watches him run back to the zoo and hes blushing and messy and cold but hes just so happy

aizawa walks into his room a minute later and asks shinso if he slept outside for some ungodly reason because his lips are blue and there are leaves in his hair

izuku doesnt like people knowing hes allmights kid when hes just out and about or working or honestly doing anything that isnt a show or interview so the only people that know are tenya, bakugo, tensei, mic and aizawa

Every year at the anniversary of all mights death they all bring Izu and Inko to his shrine and thousands of people come from all around to pay their respects and Shinsou finds a crying Izu after and takes him back to the zoo after hours so Izu can be with the animals

shinso still doesnt know izuku is allmights kid and izuku just sobbing and shinso doesnt know what happened

izuku just talks about his dad vaguely, shinso knows aizawa used to babysit izuku too

aizawa makes a tradition of getting icecream for izuku on the date every year, they both get the allmight themed one

bakugo isnt a massive dick in this au but hes still not a soft friend. he will roast you every 24 seconds but the 2 weeks around allmights death? he looks out for izuku, makes extra sure no one works out izuku from school is "allmights son" izuku, makes sure he eats lunch, helps inko make dinner

bakugo threatens to rip off shinso's dick and shove it down his throat and shinsou is like???? WHat dID i DO???

Izu is being bullied for crying in school around the date, Bakugo fIGHTS

bakugo gets suspended for a day and aizawa picks him up bc his parents are busy. bakugo looks angry but also kinda, embarrassed for being caught and for getting that mad. aizawa just parks on the side of the road just out of school and lets out a massive sigh

"you shouldn't have done that-"

"You dont think i fucking know that??"

"shut up and listen kid. you shouldn't have done that. and im not giving you a pat on the head for breaking the rules like that. but you did a good thing. hes got enough on his plate. youre a good friend"

aizawa lets bakugo stay at his place so mitsuki doesn't have to find out bakugo got suspended, izuku takes bakugo to pat the wolves as a "thank you for throwing down for me" present

#bnha au #zookeepers son au #bnha #mha #midoriya izuku #Midoriya #Izuku #shinsou hitoshi #Shinsou #shindeku #aizawa shouta #dadzawa #dadmight #All Might #bakugou katsuki #todoroki shouto

[magioftheseas]

Day 1 - Reserve

Written for @the-hinata-project 

Prompt: Reserve Course Student Hinata

Rating: G

Warnings: Lowkey manipulation and insecurity, but other than that, not much.

Notes: Alright, so I’m still in the middle of these, but like... Here’s the first one! They’re all going to be pretty short, around 2K but I’m gonna do my best to finish all of them so wish me luck...! And this first fic is gen. No ships. Next ones won’t be so gen. It’s also pre-HPA. Kind of.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

The last wish he made on New Year’s was a simple one.

I want to get into Hope’s Peak.

But of course that  would never happen.

“Can’t you dream more realistically, Hajime? Do you have any idea how expensive Hope’s Peak actually is? We can’t afford that.”

“I... I know that, but...”

“If you know then why are you burdening us with this? Please. Just think about other people besides yourself for once.”

“...sorry.”

His mother sighs, but ruffles his hair in a show of affection.

“You current high school isn’t so bad, right? You can make good friends here, and it’s a fine school.”

“I guess it’s...decent,” he mumbles.

“Just don’t even worry about Hope’s Peak anymore,” she tells him. “It’s impossible, and it can’t be helped. Keep your chin up. Okay?”

“...fine...”

Because he knew, after all, that she had a point. They couldn’t afford it. And he wasn’t talented. It was a pipe dream to attend. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Still...

--

For his birthday, he was given a new laptop to replace the old. It was a fairly recent model. Pretty expensive. Likely compensation. He can’t say he didn’t like it.

He wasn’t ungrateful. He doesn’t think so.

It’s just that I admire Hope’s Peak more than anything.

So much so that he finds himself on the forums first thing.

>Does anyone have any idea who’s going to be in the upcoming batch?

>They haven’t finished scouting, right? Oh, but I just saw on the news that an actual princess was accepted! Hope’s Peak really can get in anyone!

>Wow, actual royalty?!

>There’s this photographer I follow. She’s getting in, too, I’m pretty sure.

>I just saw Saionji Hiyoko-san’s performance last week. I’m positive she’s getting in.

>I’m more interested in the princess. Can you imagine how lucky it would be to meet an actual princess?

>>They’ll be running the lottery in a month or so. What I would give to have more of a chance...

>Wow, they’re doing that again?

>With how much getting into the reserve course costs, you probably have a better chance with the lottery...

>But if you win the lottery, you’re actually considered talented. Reserves are just...y’know, reserves.

>But you’ll get to meet the princess, potentially. I think the money’s worth it, even if all I can do is steal a glance!

>Still... Seems so lame that you can just pay your way in...

>But brand name recognition is pretty powerful...

>>I heard you can actually get into the main course from the reserve course if you do well enough.

>No way! That’s a pipe dream! Maybe if you paid like, twice as much!

>Must be nice to be rich, huh...

Hinata stares, wondering what to type, but also letting the thoughts swirl around in his head.

>>I would do anything to get into Hope’s Peak. But my family just can’t afford that.

>Yeah, mine neither. Who actually can?

>You’d be surprised... They’re getting a lot of enrollments.

>You can’t like...get a scholarship or anything? It’s not like you need to go to college after attending Hope’s Peak.

>Well the golden gates can’t open that wide, I suppose...

>It’s for the best. If just about anyone could get in, it wouldn’t be that special.

Hinata bites his lip, picking at the peeling skin with his teeth.

>>Still. I want to get in more than anything.

>If you aren’t talented, it can’t be helped.

>>I would give anything.

>Pffft. No kidding. I’d give an arm and a leg, probably.

>>I would give anything.

>A lot of people would.

>You’re like a super fan, huh. Well, I am, too, but still...

>>Getting into Hope’s Peak has always been my dream.

>Everyone wants to be special, man.

>But if everyone was special then no one would be special.

>It can’t be helped. You’re either born talented or you aren’t.

>Right?! I must have spent hours drawing but there was always that one person I could just never compare to. It’s hopeless!

>You shouldn’t say hopeless on the Hope’s Peak forums!

>Haha, sorry!

>>I’ve never been talented. There’s not one thing I’m particularly good at.

>Normie...

>>But I want to get into Hope’s Peak Academy... More than anything.

>Give it up. For your own good. Wishing for the impossible isn’t healthy.

>Hey, don’t tell him that! What if he ends up winning the lottery?

>Yeah, right!

>>I’m not particularly lucky, either.

>Luck’s not a talent anyway.

>Are you sure? I’ve known people who get ridiculously lucky while gambling...

>If they gamble too much, that luck’s bound to run out. And I bet they’re not that lucky, they just brag a lot.

>That might be true... Still it would be nice just to get into Hope’s Peak by chance...

>Whoever wins that lottery probably is ridiculously lucky considering how many people are participating. We’re talking like, every high school student in their first year in the country.

>Sucks to be other countries, huh.

>Maybe someday but for now, I like not having that much competition.

>Still a ridiculous amount competing...

>I bet it’ll be someone who can afford the reserve course if they haven’t already enrolled.

>No fair! That kind of thing should disqualify you immediately!

>>I just...want to get in...

>Yeah we all do. But it’s impossible.

>Impossible.

>Totally impossible.

>Pigs will fly first.

>I heard some Ultimates actually can make some crazy shit. We might see flying pigs pretty soon.

>That’s terrifying.

>>I just want to get in.

>You should get offline.

He should. He really, really should.

Is it really impossible?

“Of course it is,” he can practically hear them murmur. “Not only are you untalented, you can’t afford it! And you’re going to win the lottery, either!”

Hinata buries his face into his hands, shuddering.

I just... I just...

--

To his surprise, he later receives a DM. Shivering, he clicks it open.

>Would you really do anything for Hope’s Peak?

He doesn’t recognize the name of the sender but...it looks official.

>>Yes. Of course. Why?

>There actually is a program you can sign up for that will get you in without having to pay a coin.

Hinata blinked once. Twice.

It’s way too good to be true.

But he’s desperate. Beyond desperate.

>>What is this program? How can I sign up?

>Here’s the information.

--

What he’s about to do is how people get themselves abducted, he’s pretty sure. But right now, he’s desperate and... If it really was someone associated with Hope’s Peak, how bad can it be? What’s the worse than can happen?

I already have no chance getting in. I know that... But...

His heart was pounding as he took the train. He stared out the window, at HPA’s towering buildings in the distance, getting closer and closer, and he sucks in his breath.

It’s so shining that it hurts to look at.

Shining like a dream...

--

“Ah, Hinata-kun, you made it after all. So you have the necessary information?”

“Uh... Yes...” Truth be told, he didn’t understand most of it. There were a lot of words that were hard to read and pretty...advanced. “I just...well you said you couldn’t explain everything in just files, so...”

The other looked pretty professional. Sharply dressed and smiling in a way that at least seemed pretty welcoming. But...still pretty intimidating, considering the circumstances. Hinata ducked his head, feeling rather flustered.

“Yes, it’s meant to be kept very tightly under wraps, you see,” they laugh. “I need to assure confidentiality before explaining, Hinata-kun. Surely you understand.”

That’s...weird.

But it made his blood thrum with excitement to be a part of.

“I... Y-Yes, of course. Absolutely... Of course...”

“Sign this form, then, promising that.”

“O-Of course...!”

He scribbles down his signature without a second thought. The other smiled more, pleased. Hinata squirmed in his seat, and tried to keep his posture straight.

With that, the other sat across from him, polite and yet...expectant.

Ah... Hah...

“So you’re willing to do anything for this school,” they say, voice almost light but also dense with significance. “Might I ask why?”

“It’s...as I said on the forums,” Hinata mumbles, fiddling with his tie. Even dressed professionally for this would-be interview, he feels underdressed. “I’ve always admired this school. Always. It’s always been my dream to...to go there...”

The other nods, expression unchanged.

“And why do you wish so badly to go there, despite not having a talent that can be cultivated?”

Hinata flinched.

“T-That’s...! I...” He hesitates, but he soon finds the words just spilling out. “I just want to be someone I can be proud of. Someone who can stand tall. Be confident. Be significant. Isn’t that what I deserve?”

“Isn’t that what everyone deserves?”

Hinata’s nails dig into his palms.

“I admire Hope’s Peak...more than anyone. I will give whatever I can...and then more than that...if I have to.” His teeth grit. “Whatever it takes... W-Whatever it takes...!”

Even though I know it’s selfish and impossible, I just...!

He just wanted to be someone. Someone other than...this.

Unimportant. Unremarkable. A faceless, meaningless part of the mass. The idea of being consumed by mediocrity and insignificance for the rest of his life, never to matter, never to even be remembered, just to disappear, just like he never even existed—

“I’ll do...w-whatever...it takes...” He’s shaking, eyes wide and crazed. “Whatever it takes... Whatever I can...and then more than that...if I have to.”

“Ah. I see.” An easy smile. And yet, the atmosphere felt so heavy that it was near suffocating. “Very well then, Hinata-kun. That’s exactly the kind of attitude we’re looking for.”

Hinata lit up.

“R-Really?” He dares to let hope slip into his tone. “D-Do you really mean it?”

A nod.

“Hinata-kun... If you could be reborn from the faceless body of a miserable nobody into the world’s hope... Would you?”

“That...sounds too good to be true...” His heart really was racing, but he was flushed with excitement. “But... Y-Yeah... I... Of course...”

“Then, allow me to tell you about how that can be possible. If you agree, you’ll be accepted into the school, free of charge, no talent necessary. In fact, it’s even essential that you be talentless.”

I...don’t understand.

He doesn’t understand but it just sounds so incredible that he can’t help but be swayed.

“...tell me.”

“Very well.”

A folder of files is placed before him. They look too important to grasp. And the stamped out letters of CONFIDENTIAL stare back into his wide-eyed, shimmering gaze.

Fingers trembling, Hinata actually slices his finger open as he flips it open.

He doesn’t even feel the sting, as engrossed as he is in the text.

“I...”

The words swirl around in his head, over and over until he drowns in them.

“Do you need time to think about it?” the other asks him kindly. So kindly that Hinata is struck cold. “Tell you what... You can still get into the reserve course. You don’t have to say yes right away, and the deadline will be in a few months from now. You can attend classes here until then...and then make your decision on whether or not you’re willing to stay. Okay?”

“I... O-Okay.” Hinata swallows. “That’s... I’m okay with that.”

I said I’d do anything. And I do...want to do anything. But...

His hands are shaking while still gripping the files.

I can’t...let this chance slip by...even if it’s something like this. This is everything I ever wanted. Why am I even hesitating?

“It’s alright,” the other says reassuringly, taking the files away with ease. “Hinata-kun, I know you’ll make the best decision for yourself.”

For...myself. Myself...

“I...yes.”

“I’ll have them send in your acceptance letter and uniform.” His hand is shook, the grip warm and calloused. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Hinata-kun.”

“A-A pleasure... Yeah.”

Just like that, Hinata was stumbling out of Hope’s Peak, trembling and falling to pieces with every shaky step.

I have to do it, he can’t help but think. I have to do it, for...for myself...

This was going to be the year his life changed irreparably. He was sure of it.

#thehinataproject #hajime hinata #hinata hajime #Magi fics #the hinata project #although it's not going to show up #I might as well #I'll probably have to message someone anyway #The tragedy of being muted

[ree-archives]

the verzosas

old money, prep, family angst(?)

a very wealthy and prestigious family, rarely seen in public together- save for the family portraits during interviews or in publications. the only son, jonathan, is subject for many rumors and controversies, due to recent events that transpired.

i. the family

Enrique Verzosa (father)

the patriarch of the family- born and raised in america, a product of old money himself. he's always been privileged. runs several businesses, but more focused on oil.

Christina Rose Yale (mother)

was not born rich, but her family became rich when she was very young, thanks to her father's contributions at a technology company. she now runs it, very hands-on and dedicated: she doesn't like losing control especially if it involves their status.

Jonathan Albrecht Verzosa (son)

the sole heir to multiple assets and establishments under his family's name. went rogue and left, also was disowned a year later, although there are no official documents supporting this.

ii. on jonah

"always has been the problem child."

it's not that his caretakers weren't skilled at their job- jonah just thought they weren't good enough to replace his parents. he craved both attention and approval: things he never received from his mother and father. they're basically strangers- they want jonah to meet their expectations, but they didn't even play the roles he expected them to fill.

it started off mild enough, picking fights. being too violent in play. finding a lighter in his pocket. the incident with the dead bird.. then they had to pay for some hospital bills following that. as jonah grew older, it became bails. hush money. bribes.

no matter how extreme the act, they did not reprimand jonah in person even once. maybe they did but jonah doesn't really remember anymore. always busy, always working.

they probably didn't even know he killed someone. or maybe they did, they just didn't care. they had money to burn- lots of it.

so jonah ran away.

iii. sociopathy, interests, fears

ok enough of the formal writing

i alr long planned jonah to be a sociopath after i developed him a little bit more : D his first art was the serial killer one and my partner wanted to pair him up with someone and i couldnt justify having one piece of art and a one liner to sum up my character so now i have this whole lore for him LMAO

he has token characteristics of sociopathic behavior which developed due to neglect, then manifested into action at school. he knows what he's doing may be wrong but he doesn't really.. care for it? its more of a "so what" situation to him most of the time, and the only time he's thinking twice is when he gets caught up in it

jonah does have interests.. he'd never admit if but he likes doing geometry (trig especially), developed a liking for cooking, and conquered his fear of dogs. during his time in prison he's literally had the library as a second home with the amount of time he's in there, related to reading or not :•)

his most dangerous interests are fire and knives. a really bad combination lmao

(the pyromania bit is still under construction, theres limites research on it so it might take a while)

he has a mild case of pyromania- still has a habit of using the lighter for the trash can at his current home.

his pyromania is paired with his impulsiveness. another thing that developed from being neglected. it's almost like a drug to him, gives him a rush. lighting a cig kinda satisfies that and mitigates lighting anything extreme but he doesnt want to die early either AHAHAH

(r-18 content here(?) skip if you don't wish to read)

i'd even go so far as to pin him with someone for a knife kink. something is oddly satisfying about having power over someone, even if it's sex. surprisingly he knows what hes doing- i guess itd make sense for him to study it if he's rlly invested?- very thin and fine lines, enough to bleed or turn red but never leave a scar. he saves the deeper cuts for the back sometimes.. and he ended up overdoing it one time to his partner at the time. that's how he ended up being brought to prison , and the murder allegations came after.

so fear of dogs, and fear of lightning, developed when he was rlly young. tbf he hurt a dog on purpose- threw a stick at it and he got bitten (i know he was a kid but he kinda deserved it). lightning since he'd usually be alone at night (parents gone as per usual) and he had to deal with storms by himself in a mansion too huge for his liking

iv. the murder(?)

i think i'll write abt this another time 😔✌️

#jonah #verzosa #lore #family

[desolate-rose]

Chapter 11 growing, glowing, knowing

This plant is super weird.

Like seriously, I had expected that the seed the korok gave me was going to be weird but wow.

A few days after the picnic mother had followed through on her promise and a small pot filled with rich soil had been delivered to my room. It was a pretty little thing all white ceramic with graceful blue lines sweeping across its surface to create a stylized dragon swooping over small blue flowers.

It honestly made me a little nervous. It looked way too expensive to be placed in the clumsy care of a toddler. A smart toddler but still a toddler. It seriously looks like some sort of antique ming vase or something that should be in a collection at a museum or on a shelf in a mansion some wear housing an equally prettily expensive bonsai of some sort.

I mean technically I am a princess who would have these sorts of things, but my solidly middle class broke teenager mindset was shying away from touching something that looked so expensive and breakable.

So I had gently, gently placed the little pot on the floor in the corner of my room right in a patch of sunlight from the window. (I was too short to reach the top of my dresser or the table by my bed without climbing on something and I was NOT risking the vase by climbing with it.) Then I carefully planted the little seed in the damp dark soil.

That's when things got weird.

Within seconds of planting the dimly glowing seed, it had sprouted. I had still been patting the soil down when it had sprouted into my hands. Literally sprouting into my finger tips. The little sprout hasn't grown since.

I had diligently watered the little sprout daily since. Carefully experimenting with the amount of sunlight and water it received each day. I had even started talking to the thing based on the half recalled hearsay that plants grew better when you talk to them. (his name was now neville.) It was surprisingly nice to have an excuse to babble away in english again and be able to express my true thoughts. (even if no one could understand me.) nevertheless nothing had seemed to affect the little sprout. It was still perfectly unblemished and unchanged.

It was weird.

I had decided to start a field journal to record my observations of the odd little thing. It was a part of my push to be more organised in my research. I had finally reached a point in my literacy to be able to make the most simplistic of notes. It was also good writing practice. (I would have probably started earlier if I thought of it, but welllllllll, I had been distracted.)

I had separated my notes into three journals, one for Neville, one for the history of the world that I had discovered so far (and what I remembered from the games), and one for what I could find out about magic.

The first two were progressing decently, Neville's journal being mostly data tables recording his nonexistent growth and the amount of water and sunlight he had gotten that day, whereas my history and plot journal had been filling slowly but steadily from what i could read and the stories that granny or dotty would read me before bed.

My magic journal on the other hand. It was frustratingly empty. All that i can find is either one, stupidly beyond my level, two, stupidly complex in a way I don't understand, three, stupidly simple in a way that doesn't explain any thing, or four some how a stupid mix of all three.

All in all, I'm feeling frustrated.

But it's fine, I'm fine.

Oh! That reminds me! It's been a week or two, surely that squire has returned my (hopefully undamaged) book!

I had kinda forgotten about it with all the commotion but I never had gotten to finish reading that book on special plants! Neville! I know what we're going to be doing today! carefully adjusting Neville's too pretty pot so that he was fully in the sun, his two small perfect leaves practically glistening in the golden sunlight. Perfect!

“Granny?” I looked to where Granny was carefully filling out some probably important forms on the couch while watching over me, white hair carefully pulled up and away from her tan and careworn face.

“Yes, my princess?” she replied, clever hands carefully placing her quill down.

“Can we go to the library?”

“What’s the magic word?” Ughhhhhh, I somehow keep forgetting how annoying being three is.

“Can we go to the library please?” I said, giving her my best puppy eyes.

She elegantly stood sweeping up her paperwork. “Of course my princess.”

Off we go!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THERE WAS SOMEONE ELSE IN MY SECTION OF THE LIBRARY!

it wasn’t unusual to see people other than myself and Mr. Tommieson, it was a semi public library after all, But the section of simple childish books I could actually read was usually empty other than myself. I mean why would you go to the royal library for children's books? And yet, there was a knight in my library.

Looking again, he wasn’t quite a knight yet. His dirty mud covered tunic had the symbol of a squire instead of the distinctive armored appearance of a knight, but the point still stood. What was he doing in my haven of literature!

Now normally, I would be all for people getting educated, (go get you an education man!) but I was decidedly wary after my unfortunate encounter with those in my father’s army. (The Hylian royal line was matriarchal, my father had married into royalty. Before that he was a general of the Hylian army and he still kept in the practice of overseeing the troops.)

I shouldn't judge an entire contingent by the actions of two lazy soldiers. Still I hesitated. He didn't look too intimidating, tall and gangly in the way that all teenage boys were after a growth spurt, messy brown hair, brown eyes, and a non discriptly perfect face in the way that all hylians had perfectly even features.

All in all just a normal teenage squire who is for some reason holding MY COOKING PRIMER!

Before I had consciously thought to move I was at the young man's side staring up imploringly at the startled squire.

“Ummmmm, hi? Are you lost?”

“Is that ‘How to Cook and How it Works’ by Lana Dodson?!” I was practically vibrating as my eyes locked on my target. I could finally finish my book. My magic notes will finally be more filled out. I was a literary shark and had locked eyes on my prey.

The squire blinked surprised, “Oh, yes…”

There was a moment of silent dead air between us as I buzzed in place.

“...Did, did you want it?”

“If you're finished! I wouldn’t want to interrupt you!” I would just make you incredibly uncomfortable by staring at you until you were done to insure that the book wasn’t damaged.

“Uhh, go crazy with it kid.” He hesitantly handed me the book with a bewildered expression on his face.

I bobbed into a clumsy curtsy with the book that was aporoquamently half my size clutched in one arm. “Thank you sir!” Sucker, I mentally cackled. now to go enjoy my book and finally get some info to add to my note book on magic.

I wonder how much of the ‘magical’ ingredients in cooking are magic and how many are hormonal reactions like coffee or chocolate? I had so many things to investigate!

The next two weeks were spent in a fevered state of research and questions where I would haunt the library until Granny or Dottie would literally drag me out.

But even through my focused daze, I noticed the odd squire repeatedly visiting my section of the library, by the time I surfaced from my research I had decided that I needed to talk to him.

I was curious, sue me. it wasn’t often I saw a squire repeatedly visit the children’s section of the library.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

This was it.

I was going to talk to him.

I can do this.

I've had 17 years of social interaction before this, I might be a little rusty, BUT talking to people couldnt be that hard could it?

Who am I kidding? I KNOW it is that hard.

But nothing worth doing is easy, so I squared my shoulders, gathered my courage and approached the wayward solder.

Eye contact! Eye contact is important! My teacher would tell me to make eye contact during an interview, the same rules probably apply here right?

God I hadn't tried to talk to anyone in the last three years. Keep it cool Zelda.

“So uhhhh, you come here often?”

Granny muffled a surprised snort from behind me.

ABORT ABORT MISSION ABORT.

OH S-

“Oh I'm sorry did you ask me something?” The squire tilted his head curiously looking up from where he had been studiously scanning a simple book on the animals of hyrule. It was basic, elementary even not going into detail on any of the creatures and only listing a few but interesting from what I've managed to gather from it.

“Um uh, I've seen you all the time here i'm just uh, wondering what brought you to my side of the library?”

God someone, kill me now. I have completely forgotten how to people.

“Oh uh, I’m uh,” the kid flushed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I've been teaching myself how to read.” He glanced at granny hovering behind me and winced. “Before I became a squire I didn't have access to a library, we don't have much access to anything beyond the basics out in the countryside.”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

He shrugged, uncomfortably glancing away.

“That's so cool!” I gushed excitedly and unconsciously started to beam at him. “What?” he whipped his head back around to look at me surprised, why was he surprised? I fully understood the hell that is learning to read and write in this stupidly pretty language.

“It's super impressive that you're teaching yourself how to read! Hylian is super hard to read and write in! I'm having the worst time at it! Do you have a teacher or tutor to help you?”

He still looked a little shell shocked as he shook his head. “Uh no, I've been pretty much teaching myself.” I gaped, it’s been hard enough learning to read with the help of granny spots and mom to do it on your own!

“Wow! Thats incredible! I would have never been able to read without the help of my teachers! Do you think you could help me with my reading too!” This was awesome! Finally I could talk to someone who understood! Learning to read and write was hard!

He flushed a darker red. “Umm, I’m not all that good at it yet. I’ve mostly been guessing and trying to work out what words mean from context.” relatable! God finally someone who understood my struggle!

I gave him my biggest grin, “That’s okay! I'm pretty much doing the same thing! Do you want to work together? Having someone to help always makes things easier!”

“Uh,” he glanced once again at granny hovering over my shoulders, I ignored the sassy eyebrow she lifted at him as if to say ‘I’m not the boss of her’

He shrugged and gave me an unsteady grin, “Sure, why not. Where are you at with your reading?”

“Oh!” I gasped smacking myself on the forehead. “I forgot to introduce myself, im so sorry that was terribly rude of me!” I dropped into a proper curtsy before beaming up at the still bewildered looking squire. “Hi! My name is Zelda, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

His face turned white then green as he glanced again at Granny, a new wariness in his gaze. My heart dropped and I could feel my smile dim. I had forgotten the whole princess thing in my excitement of meeting someone new, who had the same hobby as me. It wouldn't be entirely unrealistic for him to try and bow out now that he knew-

He looked at my face and let a tired resigned sigh, the color returning to his face as his grin reserfaced, smaller and far more exasperated but also more real.

He swept into a half bow from where he was sitting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty. My name’s Jiro.”

It turns out that I was better at reading than him, that's okay. I was happy to finally have a study buddy. Perhaps even a friend.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A few weeks later, I was helping my young padawan in the ways of the stupidly complicated symbols once again when I noticed he was slightly down.

I frowned “hey Jiro, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay? Should we cancel today's session?”

“No no, I'm fine, it's just...” He sighed dejectedly.

My brow furrowed in worry. “It's just what?” I gently prodded, I couldn't have my only friend upset!

He frowned before putting his charcoal stick down.

“The captain of the guard and his family just died.”

“What!” I gasped in shock. I had never met the man, but my father spoke of him fondly. “What happened!” Surely nothing good could take down one of Hyrule's best soldiers.

“His family was attacked by a group of monsters on their way to visit some friends for a wedding. I didn’t even know him that well, but from what I saw he was kind, and… they never even found his son's body. He was only 4.” I felt a chill go down my spine. This was the first real mention of monsters that I had heard and it made my heart drop to my toes. This was real people dying, and there was nothing I could do about it. This wasn't a video game where you could just respawn when you died. It was real and these people’s deaths were permanent.

He glanced at my white face before his eyes widened and he hurriedly back tracked. “But you don't have to worry about that princess! You're perfectly safe here in the castle! No monsters could get past the guards, or more importantly the queen!” I could literally see the moment he remembered I was only 3 and not the young adult I tried to project myself as.

The young adult I used to be.

I gathered myself and took a deep breath falling apart now wouldn't help anyone.

“Are they certain that his son did not survive? You just said that they didn't find his body.”

He wavered, not wanting to hurt me with the truth but also knowing I was smart enough not to believe the pretty lies one would usually tell.

“Please,” I asked, conviction in my gaze.

He sighed, “I highly doubt it, he was only four he would have no chance to out run the monsters, besides even if he did…” he sighed again face grim. “They found the wreckage beside the lost woods. If he ran and ended up their… he’d be as good as dead.”

My throat went dry. He had only been four, really for not four plus seventeen extra years of a past life. I swallowed. Even before the Calamity, the world was growing darker.

________________________

*Zelda gushes about how cool he is and gives him the kicked puppy look when he looks anxious about her being a princess*

Jiro: well I guess I’m a big brother now

Also on FanFiction.Net! https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13547505/11/

#botw #princess zelda #zelda #botw fic #botw oc #zelda botw #loz botw #breath of the wild #the advertable inevitability #t.a.i #inevitability

[bitchfitch]

Prince Art Fight resource

currently Prince mostly exists as concept art and half finished 3d models >> so this is all i really have for him. on the images front

the following is an excerpt from a no longer canon/ old draft that gets his vibes across fairly well:

Lowell rounded the corner, and saw nothing in the dark alley way beyond.

No masked man, no trash cans, or crates, just a bare alley. That in of itself was suspicious. Why would the alley have been cleared out like this? Lowell's hand strayed to grip of his pistol, his blood was thundering in his ears as the sounds of the nearly empty street behind him melded with the soft grited sound of his footsteps.

A shape stepped from the darkness as a light turned on, back lighting them and blinding Lowell. The prince giggled as he stepped forward, but the sound was wrong, the footsteps were coming from behind him, not in front of him.

He turned, drawing his gun in the instant it took him to react.

Lowell sucked in a breath as he saw the barrel of his weapon land less than an inch from the smooth plastic of The Prince's mask. Lowell's hand shook, as the prince bowed his head to lightly tap the front of his mask against the barrel.

The light bonk of metal on plastic would have been comedic if not for the dread running through Lowell's veins.

"Hello, Cailean Lowell," his voice was softer than Lowell had expected it to be, and he pronounced Lowell's name correctly without having to be coached, "It's nice to meet you finally, I heard you've been looking for me?"

Lowell lowers his gun. His finger had been on the trigger, one twitch and he would have been no better than his coworkers.

He speaks without thinking, "Are you The Prince, or is your name just Prince?" he momentarily considers turning the gun on himself.

The masked man cocks his head, the huff that rattles through the modulator sounds just slightly amused, "It's just Prince, i don't know where the 'The' came from, but it felt to late to start correcting people,"

Lowell nodded lamely. He had a few scripts he used when speaking to new people. Rules of engagement and guides to keep him from looking as socially incompetent as he often was. He had absolutely no idea to which to use with Prince.

"Hm, does the cat have your tongue Hound Dog? If its if your earlier remark was not what you wanted it to be. just know that it's going to be nice to work with someone who actually knows my name," he put his hands in the pokets of his jacket and rocked back on the edge of his heels, looking as at peace and confident as could be,

"Sorry, I'm just not exactly sure what to do in this sort of situation," he finally thought to reholster his weapon, and did so hurriedly and awkwardly.

"Well then just let me be your guide. Let's start over, ok?" he stuck out his hand "It's nice to meet you Detective, I'm Prince,"

Cailean smiled nervously as he took the smaller hand in his, shaking it as he said "Hello, I'm Cailean Lowell, its… This has been a long time coming hasn't it?"

Prince huffs again as he takes his hand back, Lowell can tell it's almost an laugh. He wonders why Prince doesn't laugh fully.

"It has been, Now come inside we have a lot to talk about,"

---

La Lunch was usually a very hipster establishment, with reclaimed wood nailed artfully to the wallsvand those uncomfortable metal chairs, edison bulbs on low hanging cords, Lowell actually appreciated those, on cold winter mornings the heat they emitted was a godsend.

But, that's not what La Lunch was today.

All but one table had been pushed along the walls with their chairs stacked neatly on top of them. Rich red and gold fabric was draped artfully over the legs of the chairs, making them look something between a palace decoration and a circus tent.

the sole table with two chairs in the center had small battery operated tea lights scattered across the center with two place settings.

Lowell marveled for a moment at the set up, and everything else about this encounter so far, it was all so… Funny. Like a joke or a harmless prank was playing out around him, and not like he was sitting down with a man wanted in connection to multiple murders, disappearances, and robberies. His nerves were prickling at the back of his mind but he was still comfortable in this situation.

He took his seat as Prince disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. When he returned a moment later he was carrying a plate with a slightly burnt steak and some undercooked veggies.

"I have never once claimed cooking as a strong suit, but i hope this will do," he chirps as he sets it down in front of Lowell,

Lowell bit his tongue before he could offer to tutor him, "Why are you doing this?" He reminded himself to be suspicious, Prince worked on misdirection and and subtle tricks, Lowell absolutely should not trust any food he made

"You know what they say," Prince sighed as he took his seat across from Lowell, "The fastest way to a mans heart is between the fourth and fifth rib, but a close second is through the stomach," he gestured with one hand as he leaned his chin on the palm of the other.

"Ah," Lowell regarded him cautiously, he had to pick his next words carefully, "Should i take that to mean you wont be letting me leave alive?"

Prince froze, "Yeah, i worded that badly. You can leave at any point, and i promise the food isn't intentionally poisoned. I don't intend to hurt you,"

"Intentionally poisoned?"

"Like i said, I'm not a good cook," he huffed that non laugh.

Lowell couldnt help but smile a little. Maybe it was Prince's small size that just made him cute? Or was it the way he over emphasized all his motions to make his body language reflect what a facial expression normally would? The soft voice and easy charm probably played a part in it.

"Prince, why did you ask me hear? You know im looking to arrest you, right?" He hesitated for a second before pulling his handcuffs from his pocket and setting them on the table,

Prince froze as soon as the cuffs came into view, he turned stiff and his tone carried barely contained nerves, a near 180 from a moment ago. "Yes, but you haven't yet. And i know i intrigue you," he took a moment to force himself to take a breath, Lowell hadnt been prone to panic attacks in many years but he still recognized the symptoms, "I can help you, and I think we could work well together,"

Lowell had never heard of Prince having such dramatic reactions, or even having any fears. he briefly considered putting the cuffs away, but he needed to know more, and it seemed they gave him a modicum of power in this situation, "What could you need from me?" he tried to pretend he didn't notice the change

"Smart muscle," he replied his voice back to being that cool neutral but his posture still tense and nervous, "You were very close to finding me on your own, not many could say that detective. I would like that sort of analytic mind on my side." he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, still trying to present calm confidence, "And you're big."

"Should I take offense to that?" Lowell cracks a smile, guilt is starting to eat at him, Prince hadn't flinched at a gun in his face but a pair of handcuffs has him this scared. What was going on in his head? Why was it the cuffs that got him?

"No, Its actually a very nice trait. A few of my… roudier clients have started to key into the fact that I'm not very big, and i make a point of being unarmed." he cocks his head "I don't particularly like it when people try to push me around. Having a fellow your size at my back would probably get them to settle down,"

Lowell nods, he isn't really considering it is he? Is it the guilt? "I… will consider it." Prince perks up a little, "But, I want answers first."

Prince slowly taps one of his claws against his mask's chin, Lowell had wondered what they were made of but the sharp metallic sound answered his question, "how about this? you can ask me as many questions as you like, and while I may not answer all of them, i will always tell you the truth when i do. Does that work?"

"Only if you give me a reason for not answering."

"Fine, i will not be specific if i dont want to," he holds out his hand, "Deal?"

Lowell shakes it with a nod. "Why are you scared of handcuffs?" its a quick and easy question to start off with.

"You'll most likely be finding out latter tonight whether i want you to or not, until then I'm passing on this one, i dont want to get into it right now," he settles back into his seat, "But, now that youve told me you know i dont like them. Put them away." his tone turned sharp enough to nick Lowell's confidence.

"Of course, sorry," he quickly shooves them back in his pocket, "Sorry, What do you mean ill be finding out later tonight?"

"This is an interview, and before anything becomes official id like to take you on a little practical test."

[themoneybuff-blog]

Helping Mom apply for Social Security -- More complicated than it needs to be?

My mother turned seventy a couple of weeks ago. This means a couple of things: First, shes reached the age at which she can receive maximum retirement benefits from Social Security.Second, its time for her to start taking Required Minimum Distributions from her retirement accounts. If youve been reading Get Rich Slowly for a while, you know that these two routine tasks are less than routine for my family. My mother has fought a long-time battle with mental illness. After a crisis in 2011, my brothers and I realized that she could not live alone. We found a highly-regarded local assisted living facility that specializes in patients with memory issues. (Mom has some sort of cognitive disability that includes memory loss, but which the doctors have been unable to diagnose.) For the past seven years, Mom has lived at Happy Acres in a comfortable apartment with her cat (Bonnie) and her television. When I see her, I often ask if theres anything more she needs or wants. She assures me that this is all she needs to be happy.

At this point, Mom struggles with routine personal hygiene, so theres no way she can take care of tasks like signing up for Social Security or taking withdrawals from her retirement accounts. As her sons, thats now our job. (And were happy to do it.) You might think that this process would be easy but youd be wrong. I suspect that in most cases, getting retirement benefits started is easy, but its much less so in our situation. A Little Bit of Kafka At first, my brother Jeff and I thought that setting up Social Security would be simple. He and I both have Power of Attorney. Were accustomed to this allowing us to breeze through most financial tasks as if we were Mom herself. In March, about a month before Moms birthday, I spent an afternoon at the local Social Security office. I took all of the documentation that I could gather. I arrived to find the waiting room was packed with other folks applying for benefits. It was standing-room only. Rather than get frustrated, I sighed and resigned myself to waiting. And wait, I did. I waited for two hours before my number was called. (It was all fine, though. I spent the time absorbed in a good book.) When my turn came, I sat at the desk and talked to the clerk. Im here to apply for Social Security benefits for my mother, I said. Is your mother with you? the clerk asked. No, I said. But I have Power of Attorney. I pulled out the paperwork to offer proof. The clerk waved her hand and shook her head. The Social Security Administration does not recognize Powers of Attorney, she told me. To conduct business on your mothers behalf, you must be a designated representative, a legal guardian. What does that mean? I asked. For all practical purposes, it means you probably should make an appointment to bring your mother in with you. Thats going to be the easiest thing to do. Okay, I said. But shes not really going to be able to carry on a conversation or to make an informed decision about anything. Still, lets make an appointment. Even if shes not mentally fit, she has to be the one who applies in person, the clerk said. She clicked at her keyboard, searching for appointment times. Im sorry, but we dont have any appointments available. I was puzzled. Let me get this straight. Mom has to apply in person. To apply in person, we have to make an appointment. But there are no appointments available? Well, there three other options, the clerk said. She can do what you did today and wait in the lobby. She can call each morning to see if there are any cancellations. Or she can apply online. However, she has to apply herself. You cant fill out the application for her. Ill admit that I was both baffled and a little steamed. Shes not able to fill out the application herself. Shes not capable, I said. I dont think its a good idea to have her wait here with me for two hours as a drop-in. And calling the day-of to get an appointment is problematic. It would take roughly three hours from the time I called in order to get her here. The clerk shrugged. I dont know what to tell you, she said. Those are your three options. Skirting the Law When I returned home, I called my brother to explain the situation. I feel like theres no way we can get this done, I said, unless we fudge things a little. What do you mean? he said. Well, theres no way for Mom to complete the application hereself, right? Legally, shes required to. But what if we completed it for her while shes in the room? Im okay with that, Jeff said. And thats what we did: Jeff and I sat with Mom and worked through the online Social Security benefits application. Much of the application asked for standard stuff, such as age, mailing address, and so on. It was easy for us to answer those questions. But some of the questions required sleuthing. To set up Moms online Social Security account, for instance, we had to puzzle out a battery of questions drawn from her credit history. (Solution? Just pull a free credit report, which youre allowed to do three times per year.) To actually complete the benefits application, we needed to figure out important dates regarding her marriage and her work history. Whenever we reached a question that stumped us, we asked Mom for the answer. She never had the answers, though, so we had to dig through various documents to find the info. After a couple of hours, wed finished the application. We asked Mom to type in her name for the digital signature. (Even that was tough for her.) The process was overor so we thought. About a week later, we got a letter in the mail from the Social Security Administration. Thank you for contacting us for an appointment to visit our office, the letter read. This is confirmation of the date and time of your appointment. What in the world is this? Jeff asked me. We never made an appointment for Mom. I have no idea, I said. I thought wed done everything we need to do at this point. But Ill tell you what. It sounds like we have a firm date and time for an appointment, so lets just take it. We may be duplicating our efforts, but thats okay. Im willing to sacrifice a few hours of my time just to make sure everything is correct. Return to Purgatory Jeff handled everything with the assisted living facility, arranging for Mom to have an early breakfast, and getting her approved to take a field trip. His wife showed up yesterday morning just to make sure everything went according to plan. Meanwhile, I left the house at 7:30, stopped by the family box factory to pick up supporting documentation, then headed to Happy Acres to pick up Mom. When we reached the Social Security office at 8:55, there was already a long line at the door. Theres no way were going to get inside in time for our nine oclock appointment, I thought to myself, but it turns out I neednt have worried. When the office opened, a security guard summoned folks with appointments to the front of the line. Mom and I went inside to meet the clerk who would be conducting the interview. Our clerk was both friendly and helpful. He was also meticulous and business-like. At first, he directed his questions to Mom (as he should have), but when it became clear that Mom couldnt answer for herself, he addressed me instead. Weve received your mothers application for retirement benefits, the clerk told me. But shes also eligible for survivors benefits. Thats what todays interview is about. We want to get her set up in the system so that she receives everything shes due. The clerk interviewed us for about twenty minutes. Unfortunately, we werent able to answer all of his questions because we werent prepared for them. When did Dad die? I remember that date very clearly. When were Mom and Dad married? I dont know off the top of my head and Mom can no longer remember. Do you have a copy of their marriage certificate? the clerk asked. No, we do not. Ah, youll need to get a certified copy and mail it to me in order to complete this process. How do I do that? I asked. Youll need to contact the Department of Vital Records in whichever state she was married, he said. Once you get a certified copy, mail it to me in this envelope. After we have all of the documentation we need, benefits will begin a few weeks later. To Be Continued Last month during my road trip through the southeastern United States, I stopped to visit my pal Cameron Huddleston in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Huddleston, a personal-finance columnist, has experienced something similar herself. Her mother has Alzheimers, so Huddleston has had to learn to manage her money. And, in fact, she just signed a deal to write a book about managing your parents money. Its kind of a boring topic, but its important, Huddleston told me. Its something that more and more people are wrestling with, especially as lifespans increase and personal finances become more complicated. She hopes to produce a useful guide to help people like me figure this stuff out. From what we can tell, nothing like this exists right now. Its like each person in my situation has to re-invent the wheel, to puzzle through the process on our own each time. Im eager to be the first person to buy Huddlestons book! Obviously, my family still has work to do. From what we can tell, Moms application for Social Security retirement benefits has been accepted and now its simply a matter of waiting for payments to begin. (This can take up to three months, apparently.) Meanwhile, in order for her to receive survivors benefits, we need to track down a copy of her marriage certificate, which I suspect is going to eat another couple hours of my time. Thats a task for this afternoon, I guess. Plus, I havent even started talking to Vanguard about how to take Required Minimum Distributions from Moms IRA. We have another 5-1/2 months to solve this piece of the puzzle. (RMDs must begin by the time the account holder is 70-1/2 years old.) Im going to wait until the Social Security benefits are finally flowing before I move on to the IRA. One final task? The next time I see that Mom is having a lucid day, I want to ask her what we can buy her to improve her life. She says shes content sitting in front of the television with a cat in her lap, but I feel like there must be something more we can do for her. Maybe get her a second and third cat? Maybe get her a super-deluxe television? Or how about buying a fancy chair with built-in massage? Mom has some money now. Itd be awesome to use that money to give her a better life. Important footnote: Dad died in July 1995. Mom has missed out on 23 years of Social Security survivors benefits because we werent aware that she should apply for them. Thats crazy! Do you have any literature on survivors benefits? I asked the clerk at the Social Security office yesterday. He have me a few pamphlets. Soon, Ill read all of this material and write a short blog post summarizing the most important pieces. https://www.getrichslowly.org/applying-for-social-security/

[amazingviralinfo]

Beyoncs new tour finds her at the height of her artistic powers. What makes her sound, her dance moves, her image and her feminism so distinctive?

The sound: It sounds like a push to dominate all of pop

Of late, some music writers have got into the habit of referring to Beyonc as Queen Bey. It doesnt exactly imply a great deal of critical distance, but you can see why the nickname has stuck. It is hard to think of a recent album that feels more commanding and imperious than Lemonade, not just in its lyrics where defiant woman-scorned wrath meets righteous social anger but in its music. It sounds not like an R&B record, but a push to dominate all of pop. Country, alt-rock, left-field electronics, hoary Jack White blues-rock? I can do the lot. That seems to be one of its messages.

So pervasive is the Queen Bey persona that it is easy to forget that there was a time when Beyonc didnt seem to know what she wanted to be, at least musically. Her solo career never faltered commercially she continued the run of peerless pop hits that had begun with Destiny Childs No No No as if the groups dissolution were a mere formality, as if she had been the only thing that mattered about them all along but she also gave the impression of being torn between a career as an R&B diva and the desire to be an MOR entertainer.

Many of the best tracks on her first two solo albums tended to point up her voices similarity to R&B singers of the 60s and 70s the raw drums and see-sawing organ of Freakum Dress, the funk-rock of Suga Mama, Crazy in Loves blaring Chi-Lites horns but they were surrounded by stuff that erred on the sickly side of perfect, as if she were quietly investing in a future that might have more to do with cabaret than clubs.

Beyonc at the BET awards in Los Angeles. Photograph: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for BET

The sense of an artist being pulled uncomfortably in two opposing directions reached its peak with 2008s wildly uneven I Am Sasha Fierce: one disc full of self-help-motto power ballads and tracks that sounded as if they were following trends (Halo was audibly made in the image of Rihannas Umbrella), and another that suggested, for the first time, a willingness to experiment the percussion battery and oddly doomy minor chords of Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Video Phones minimal fusion of crunk rhythms, sampled groans, and needling synthesisers.

I Am Sasha Fierce sold 8m copies, but its follow-up suggested a rethink or at least a focusing of her approach. Made after she had severed ties with her manager and executive producer father, 4 built on its predecessors more experimental aspects, and introduced the I-can-do-anything musical expansiveness that you hear on Lemonade. There were influences drawn from Afrobeat, dancehall and alt-rock; thrown together with Kanye West collaborator Jeff Bhasker, the Sleepy Jacksons Luke Steele contributed the psychedelicised Philly soul of Rather Die Young.

Destinys Child had largelyshied away from the kind of ultra-futuristic R&B sound big in the late 90s and early noughties their singles were always about the chorus rather than the novelty of the production but, just at the point when the charts were awash with R&B stars making tinny pop-house tracks, Beyonce released Run the World (Girls), based on Major Lazers Pon De Floor, a battery of drums, dancehall rhythms and squealing noise. It was refined on Beyonc, the album on which she finally abandoned the last vestiges of conservatism. The sound was rooted in hip-hop, but dragged everything from chillwave to the Aphex Twins abstract electronica to doo-wop into its orbit. It was filled with tracks that stopped abruptly, as though she was impatient to move on to the next idea. There were songs that sounded like suites (Haunted, Partition), even, on No Angel, an audibly off-key vocal allowed out into the world.

A gushing profile in Vogue found her joking that she might take on jazz or even country next time. As it turned out, she wasnt joking. Alexis Petridis

The dance icon: She and her troupe move as one unit a drill team, an army

Beyonc performs at the Super Bowl in 2016. Photograph: Thearon W Henderson/Getty Images

Beyoncs music, style and message make her an untouchable ruler at the top of the pop-culture pyramid. Her dancing, however, is what makes her feel reachable.

We have watched Beyonc grow from seductive showpiece to sexually empowered woman. She has graduated from the male-gaze booty-shaking of Crazy in Love to the unapologetic, hard-hitting struts of Formation. Sure, all the action still happens in her pelvis and chest, but the execution is different, with a sway back, upturned chin and heavier step. Something about it says: This dancing is for me and no one else. Not for your eyes; not for Jay Zs.

Notice that Beyonc is rarely without her all-female squad of dancers, and that she doesnt usually deviate from their choreography. That is completely deliberate, because Beyonc can certainly carry a stage alone. Instead, she and her troupe move as one unit a drill team, an army in the name of black pride and girl power. Allow your eyes to blur and it is as if Beyonc is multiplying, until 50 of her are swarming the stage.

More from the Super Bowl show. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Refocus your vision and she is just one woman among meticulously organised rows of dancers. She might be the point of a pyramid or centre of an X, but she is always standing with them. It helps convey the idea that Beyonc is your spokeswoman; that she is in this with you, fighting the same fight. That no matter how rich and powerful she is, she is a girls girl, the Everywoman. That she walks, spins, and grinds like each dancer behind her. Because what anchors Beyonces persona once a shiny display, and now a little more vulnerable isnt the dancing itself, but the staging. She does not underestimate the simple and persuasive power of movement in unison.

That is not to say that the actual movement that Beyonc and her team puts out is particularly inventive (though they have certainly come up with some great hairography). While Beyonc has become more radical in message, she has actually toned down the creativity of her dancing since the days of the Bob Fosse-inspired Single Ladies video. Formations punchy isolations, booty-bouncing and chest-popping are evenly set with the beat and the melody, with knees twisting in and out. At its most basic, its a heightened, polished version of something you would do in the privacy of your own living room, music blasting, two glasses of wine in a feel-good romp. Its another way to connect with her fans. For modern-day Bey, dance is no longer a main event; its there to serve her highness. And sometimes, that is all dance is supposed to do. Kristin Schwab

The brand: She doesnt release albums; she creates cultural events

Beyonc and Jay Z at the Met Gala in New York. Photograph: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Theres the A-list, and then theres Queen Bey. Beyonc has risen to a rare level of fame where she has surpassed mere celebrity and become an archetype of achievement. When she dropped Lemonade, the world dropped everything to listen Beyonc doesnt release albums; she creates cultural events.

Beyonc has been famous for almost 20 years, but, it is only in the last eight that she has gone from phenomenal to phenomenon. This is no accident, but the result of strategic brand-building learned from Madonna and Apple.

Her metamorphosis into a brand can be seen in three key milestones. First, she married Jay Z. Then she killed Sasha Fierce. Finally, she fired her father. Strategic partnerships can be a highly effective way to build a brand and, leaving romance aside, Beyoncs 2007 marriage to Jay-Z was as strategic as you can get. Both benefited from the merger I mean marriage, gaining new fans and elevating their respective statuses.

When Beyonc married Jay Z, she was going through a period of transition. You can see this play out in the character of Sasha Fierce, an alter-ego that let Beyonc experiment with a more risqu sexual persona while maintaining her traditionally wholesome image. The 2008 album I Am Sasha Fierce reflected this tension. One side had more mainstream songs for new fans, the other was aimed more at old fans.

The I Am Sasha Fierce album cover

In 2010, she announced she didnt need to separate her persona from that of Sasha Fierce any more. Killing off Fierce signalled a Beyonc newly confident in what she stood for. This was reinforced shortly after, when Beyonc made arguably her most important move ever: she dropped her father as manager and seized control of her brand. When I decided to manage myself, it was important to me not to sign to some big company, she said. I wanted to follow in Madonnas footsteps and be a powerhouse.

Part of becoming and staying a powerhouse was exerting painstaking, Apple-like control over her brand. Its a mistake to call Beyoncs notorious attention to her image diva behaviour; its businesswoman behaviour. Beyonc understood that she couldnt let Beyonc-the-person encroach on Beyonc-the-brand. So she stopped saying much, and rarely gave interviews. In 2013, she made waves by appearing on the cover of the September issue of Vogue without deigning to give the customary interview that went with it. Her silence made her voice even more powerful, and reinforced the mythology she was creating.

A couple of months later, Beyonc really dropped the mic when she launched her fifth album, eponymously titled Beyonc, unexpectedly on iTunes. The launch broke all the conventions of music marketing and announced to the world that she only played by her own rules. The next year, she was on the cover of Time for their most influential people issue.

Today, Beyonc is more influential than ever. She has become a voice for feminism and civil rights. While this move to the left may seem to run the risk of being polarising, remember that her timing has always been flawless. She understands exactly when she can activate activism for her own benefit. Further, the sign of a strong brand is that it can evolve with culture, and weather the occasional controversy. The strength of Beyoncs brand is such that, at the moment, it seeems she can do no wrong. After all, to err is human but Beyonc is divine. Arwa Mahdawi

The feminist: She calls out to the masses to rise up

The Lemonade album cover

Its all Maya Angelou in those now iconic first 15 seconds of Beyoncs visual album masterpiece Lemonade. As the most famous pop star on the planet, golden cornrow coiffed, and supine on the back of a sports utility vehicle, comes up off the back of her ride in haunting slow motion, the spirit of legend Angelous classic 1978 poem And Still I Rise pulsates like an undercurrent: You may write me down in history/With your bitter, twisted lies/You may trod me in the very dirt/But still, like dust, Ill rise. Our heroine has taken Angelous words (that many a black girl has memorised) to heart, turning the wisdom of her lyric anthem into a long-form visual and sonic meditation. The result is a feminist breakthrough in the world of stadium pop. It is 18 million cracks in pop music cultures glass ceiling delivered by a sister wielding a baseball bat in a marigold sundress.

One of the biggest pop-culture events of the year so far, Lemonade has nonetheless weathered some high-profile handwringing from feminist scholars such as bell hooks, a notorious Beyonc hater, who conceded that the albums visual imagery shifts the gaze of white mainstream culture challeng[ing] us all to look anew, to radically revision how we see the black female body while nevertheless continuing to warn of her oppressive ties to capitalism and patriarchy. These sorts of concerns about Beyoncs brand of feminism are nothing new.

Beyonc at the Super Bowl in 2013. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

If you are a woman whose independence depends on making money, as Yonc and her fellow children of destiny would sing about in the year 2000, can you ever really be free of the systems that have historically oppressed women and people of colour? If, in your celebration of the single life, you are still chastising your ex for not having sealed a commitment with a rock, are you more of a material girl than empowered woman warrior?

The ambivalences in Beyoncs pre-Lemonade musical repertoire have led some, such as critic Andi Zeisler in her razor-sharp new book We Were Feminists Once, to characterise the superstars relationship to the F-word as a form of marketplace feminism, a mainstream, celebrity, consumer embrace of feminism that positions it as a cool, fun, accessible identity that anyone can adopt But Zeisler is also quick to point out that we need not hate the player, but rather the game in which our reigning queen of pop is ensnared.

The difference that Lemonade makes in Beyoncs career-long, increasingly sophisticated engagement with feminist politics is that it is an album that ambitiously aims to address the game of large-scale, deeply entwined racial and gender oppression, even as it foregrounds a tale of intimate deception and duplicity. True, this is still the Bey weve come to know who extols the virtues of revenge by way of paper, when many a feminist longs to hear her say instead that best revenge is dismantling patriarchy in all facets of modern life. But Lemonade is ultimately an album that moves well beyond a focus on being black Bill Gates in the making.

Just when a series of pop starlets from Taylor Swift to Emma Watson and Chlo Grace Moretz were willing to embrace a kind of feminism that oversimplifies its meaning, that thinks in limited and sometimes twisted ways about girl squads, making womens equality welcoming for men, and gender neutrality, along comes Bey with a new album that demands that we think about feminism as a sophisticated and multilayered practice rather than a slogan. The album encourages black women, in particular, to examine the wholeness of their beings and the complexities of their identities.

Beyonc and her team of artistic collaborators turned what had been an initial embrace of feminism into an epic sonic event. It demands that mainstream popular culture reckon with the conditions of being a modern black woman in ways never before seen and felt.

Beyonc and Coldplays Chris Martin at the 2016 Super Bowl show. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

For the first time, a superstar black female musician aligned herself with intersecting racial and gender freedom struggles by way of a concept album, as well as the Super Bowl halftime routine watched the world over.

Most would be hard-pressed to recall the last time a black female pop star had enough cultural capital and sheer recording industry power to boldly weave together critiques of racial and gender inequality into a full-length recording. The go-to reference for many is still Atlantic Records-era Aretha, crowned the iconic foremother of the feminist pop anthem. Others might cite the audacity of Lauryn Hills ferociously introspective narratives of self-discovery and personal redemption, the biting lyricism and sophisticated instrumentation of Meshell Ndegeocellos or Erykah Badus finest releases, or the recent Afrofuturist liberation odysseys of Janelle Mone. But none of these artists, not even the Queen of Soul, have commanded the kind of multimedia global platform that fourth-wave Bey has been able to seize upon in this rapidly changing digital age.

And so enter Yonc with her Run-the-World army of women: an all-female dance troupe, backup singers, her celebrated Suga Mama band, and her pathbreaking alliances with diasporic black feminist intellectuals such as Warsan Shire and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. At the height of her artistic powers and political vision, she calls out to the masses to rise up, Angelou-style, and ride with her as she sits behind the wheel of a Hold Up video demolition monster truck, driving pop culture forwards and into the future with no turning back. Daphne Brooks

The celebrity: Even sneezing on stage gets her coverage

Beyonc on tour in Houston, Texas. Photograph: Larry Busacca/PW/WireImage

Pop superstars fall into two camps: the boy or girl next door, or the character who would buy the house next door, evict the family and erect a neon and diamant castle in their own honour. Britney, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift would have you believe they would pop round for a cup of sugar; Kanye, Gaga and Madonna appeal because you know they would send in the JCBs. Fans engage with all those artists with a similar intensity, but we attach ourselves to the humanity of some and the audacity of others.

Most artists stay in one lane, but during her two-decade career, Beyonc has deftly segued from sugar (early interviews show an artist with little to say maybe, we might now speculate, she simply wasnt being asked the right questions) to steamrollers: Aprils Lemonade addressed, owned and even exacerbated rumours surrounding her marriage to Jay Z in the pop equivalent of a controlled explosion, by an artist now able to unleash, control and manipulate her own celebrity on her own terms.

Tech companies pivot when their original proposition goes wrong: Beyonc did it when things were going right or, at least, before diminishing returns set in. And she did so while achieving critical and commercial success.

The shift in Beyoncs celebrity status didnt happen overnight. Her relationship with Jay Z created a celebrity whole far exceeding the sum of its parts, while the aggressive sound and styling around Run the World (Girls) put a hard edge on the broad-stroke feminism of early Destinys Child tracks. But 2013s surprise album really saw Beyonc take control. The power of instant releases shouldnt be underestimated: by stripping critics of any meaningful role in an albums release, Beyonc and others have allowed for a frictionless exchange of celebrity energy between fan and artist.

Jay Z and Beyonc in San Francisco in 2014. Photograph: Mason Poole/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment

Six months later, Beyonc topped the Forbes celebrity power list, based on mentions in print, radio, TV and online, for the first time since her initial appearance on the list a decade earlier. This reflects shifting, click-driven priorities of the global news agenda, but Google Trends echoed Beyoncs role in that shift: before 2013 there were clumps of interest around album campaigns, but in December 2013 Beyonc began prompting huge peaks in interest that wildly outstripped any that came before.

As her politically charged Super Bowl performance earlier this year showed us, Beyonc understands tentpole moments, but she also understands the smaller details, the pegs without which tentpoles wouldnt hold up. She knew this early on. Consider Question! in Independent Women, Pt 1 or I aint gonna diss you on the internet when the world was still on dial-up lyrical proto-memes that now seem like Beyonc staking her claim on the modern world of social-driven celebrity culture.

Fast-forward to 2016 and Becky With the Good Hair the woman rumoured to have been a third party in the Beyonc-Jay Z marriage is a celebrity in her own right, while restaurant chain Red Lobster reported a 33% boost in sales after being namechecked in Formation as the ideal location for a crustacean-themed post-coital lap of honour. If that is interesting in itself, interesting, too, is how widely that news was reported. But this is an era when Beyonc sneezing on stage can guarantee coverage from Time, Vanity Fair, Mail Online and the Hereford Times. That, as much as anything else, defines the meaning of celebrity in 2016. Peter Robinson

[viralhottopics]

Patrick Stewart says he’s ‘absolutely’ interested in a Professor X cameo in ‘Legion’

Will David find his famous father in 'Legion' Season 2?

Image: Michelle Faye

Have you wrapped your head around that epic Legion finale? Did you walk away feeling as mentally empowered as David Haller, or was it crazy-making enough to have you ready to check into an asylum?

Either way, star Dan Stevens and showrunner Noah Hawley are satisfied with the results, even if the finale’s surprising mid-credits sequence might leave you with more questions than answers heading into Season 2.

“In terms of putting it as a post-credits sequence, I think there’s a proud tradition of that on the Marvel features side,” Hawley told reporters in a conference call. “It’s the beginning of another thought. I wanted to give people the end song and the feeling of watching the credits, to let them absorb the complete story they just watched. And then I wanted to tease them as to what chapter two is going to be.

SEE ALSO: ‘Legion’ creator wants the show to prove itself before you call it an X-Men series

But what is chapter two going to be?

“I like this idea of having to face our demons, and the idea that in the first season, that was an internal struggle for David, and now we’re taking something that has so much power over him psychologically and emotionally and making it an exterior agent. There’s going to be something very complicated about going to war with yourself,” Hawley revealed. “We’ve now created a villain for David that is worthy of building a whole story around. The backstory of this thing, and their relationship and their history, is so nuanced and rich that it makes for a potential showdown that we’re very invested in as an audience, as opposed to doing a villain-of-the-year kind of approach.”

As David unlocked more secrets about his past, the show grew closer to revealing the identity of his father, who in the comics is Charles Xavier aka Professor X leader of the X-Men. We got a glimpse of his iconic wheelchair in episode 7, and Hawley says they plan to address the mystery of David’s birth parents at some point in the show.

“Any person who learns that they were adopted is going to have those questions and want to seek out those birth parents. I think that’s a very natural story,” Hawley said during the conference call. “Certainly where we left David at the end of the first year, that can’t be his first priority, but in terms of coming to understand who he is and what his purpose is on this world? I think that that’s definitely something we’re going to approach.

SEE ALSO: Bryan Singer explains why the X-Men franchise is perfect for TV

Obviously, if the show wants to involve existing actors from the X-Men franchise, there’s some red tape to get through.

“It’s a creative conversation, but also a sort of corporate conversation on some level, in terms of the movie studio and their relationship to the X-Men and the characters they want in the movies and want to protect, potentially,” Hawley said. “Were we to want to have Professor X on the show, or even Patrick Stewart on the show, or even James McAvoy, or one of the actors it’s a conversation both with the actor and with the studio. I don’t know, I haven’t really dived into that quandary yet. But I certainly need to start thinking about it.”

Luckily, Stevens recently appeared on an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden with Sir Patrick Stewart, joking that since Professor X is David’s father, “essentially I’ve got a job offer for Sir Patrick,” who responded that he was “absolutely, 100 percent” in. So Hawley should probably start making some calls.

Here’s what else Stevens had to say about the first season of Legion and his hopes for Season 2 in a conference call with reporters:

On the truth behind Davids powers and his mental state achieved by the end of the season, and the mysteries that remain:

Stevens: The [finale] has some questions that have been answered [but] I dont think all of them have been. Thats kind of exciting. The show was intended to have a sort of experiential effect, and really to try and get inside Davids head and the way that he sees the situation. I think some of the confusion is delivered, and quite effective.

I think particularly in episode 7, theres quite a lot of exposition and a lot of big questions are answered there. And at the end of [the finale], which I would encourage people to sit through the credits so they dont miss the very final beat of where this is all going Id like that answered in Season 2.

On that crazy, what-the-hell-just-happened mid-credits scene:

Its always intriguing, I think, when you get the final script of the season of anything. How are they going to put a button on this, but also maybe tease out for another one? Of course when we shot that, we didnt know for sure that we were going to get a Season 2.

I like the seasons of any show that hang on a bit of a knifes edge, and its kind of a resolution, but theres a lot of confusion and further questions. Its a really fun scene. It continues to be as playful as the rest of the season was

On whether the door is open to bring in further elements from either the established X-Men cinematic universe, or the deep mythology of the X-Men comic books:

Thats really a question for Noah. Yeah, I dont really have the answers to that. Its certainly possible. Its been fun teasing certain elements throughout Season 1 that do link into the preexisting X-Men universe. Im sure there will be more of that, but I couldnt say more than that.

David faced a lot of demons in Season 1, but this was the scariest

Image: Michelle Faye/fx

On the most mind-bending curveball the show threw him as an actor:

The scene where Im having dialogue with my rational self was a pretty mind-blowing script to read. I had no idea how we were going to shoot that. It reveals a lot about David, it reveals a lot about the story, about whats maybe happening in and around himIt was actually really fun to shoot, but it was challenging.

On whether that British accent Davids rational mind-self spoke in was a nod to Stevens own national origins, or a sly wink Patrick Stewart’s Professor X:

I wouldnt go as far as to say its specifically a Patrick Stewart impression, but it made us laugh that the idea that Davids rational self might be British. David sort of thinks its funny that his dad might be British. Theres kind of a playful thing going on there.

Im pleased that it sounds a bit like Patrick Stewart, I guess! Im not sure I was going specifically for that, but yeah, its nice that theres a hint of it there.

On how much more territory within Davids powerful and damaged psyche remains to be mined in future seasons:

If you know the comics, there are still hundreds of elements that we havent really explored in terms of Davids mental makeup. Its a fun line to play with, where he feels like hes got a grip on things, when actually hes got a grip on one or two things but the rest is still very much up in the air and theres a lot of things flying around in there.

I think one of the interesting narratives, I guess, in the first season was that idea that we are the stories that we tell ourselves. This idea that hes been told that he is schizophrenic and that he is this menace, have really defined him for the majority of his life. Its about dismantling that, and reassembling something in its place. So theres a weird adolescence that he goes through in the course of [this] season. Yeah, theres a lot of interesting elements still to play. Hes not on as concrete ground as he might seem at the end of this season, I think.

On the various sources of inspiration that helped him shape Davids very particular mental afflictions:

There were a number of different sources, I guess, that I took ideas from: a lot of interviews with sufferers that I found online; I managed to speak with suffers of different mental conditions, specifically paranoid schizophrenia; I also talked to a psychiatrist who treats the condition.

I take inspiration from a lot of different places, really, different kinds of literature. Theres obviously quite a psychedelic influence on Legion, so looking at that kind of literature and art; looking back at the original comics and getting a glimpse of the character and his state from that. Bill Sienkiewiczs artwork, particularly the expression really coming through that stuff, was very helpful.

WATCH: Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart know why Magneto isn’t in ‘Logan’

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