#yeah its um. 7 characters 6 items. kill me about it

[ufolvr]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for some of the last people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals, followers and all the wonderful people on here! happy new year and all the best :)

Ily

Hm, right! This isn't my main so I'll keep it contained to my favorite little fictional characters off the top of my head. All familial bc i feel very attached to my little siblings/children rn ^_^

(6 instead of 5 bc i couldn't decide)

Not numbered because if I had to try and Rate my children and siblings I would never forgive myself...

Gas Heeter (DBS)

Brother

This little guy isn't... Written too well, is he. He's got a cool concept pushing him forward, but ultimately we don't spend nearly enough time building the relationship between him and Elec to see it as something lecherous.

However, I can't help but feel for the poor thing. He's so tiny and cute... And he really was just trying his best out of blind loyalty. He felt like he owed his brother the pain and suffering he was putting himself through, because he wouldn't be here without him

I'm sad we don't see much of him and his other siblings, too - they seemed genuinely nice and caring, unlike Elec. I am quite glad they survived the whole shitshow.

Now, this guy is also the catalyst for Viola becoming a better person, overall. Sure, he already had a sibling figure in Saike (Psyche Demon - you know, the one Janemba grows off of like mold), but Gas arrived into his care in such deplorable conditions, Viola's heart shattered despite the fact it's no longer beating.

Seeing a soul arrive at the suspended world immediately after dying so brutally was a much needed reality check to make Viola care about other people. I'm glad they have each other - though, I really need to expand on their relationship some more ^_^

Allister and Kieran (Pokemon SV/SWSH)

Brothers

These guys share a spot bc they're very similar, personality and design wise! They even share some verbal quirks here and there, which I find really cute ^^

Kieran has the upper hand when it comes to backstory, because he's a Main Character and has his own arc throughout the DLC. But Allister is such a little darling in his own way - he's so shy and sweet, but still a strong gym leader - outclassing a handful of adults, even! He chooses to raise pokemon most people consider frightening and scary, and he does so wonderfully!

They're both near and dear to my heart. Kieran I feel especially bad for, however - it's not that I Hated carmine. Really, I think her personality is fun and even cool at times - but she would've been better Not put into contrast with a socially awkward, kindhearted little brother she's always shouting at. I'm not saying Kieran can't be annoying - in fact I'd Like him to be, it's more fun! - but the way she treats him has me on edge from the start.

I really love them both, and think they'd be good friends if they met - I feel like they'd love to sit in a room together doing their own things in silence ^^

Tetsuo Shima (Akira, 1987 - Movie)

Son

Oh this little kid... I know he's meant to be sympathetic by default, since despite everything he's still 15 - but I genuinely just want to give him a hug and talk to him one to one.

He's in so much pain throughout the movie, and put on the spot for things out of his control - it's not the lashing out that makes him dangerous, per se, since (at first) he's doing it out of self defense, at the very least. It's how far he takes his rampage, until it culminates into his own destruction.

Tetsuo never really had a chance. It's not like I think every kid put on his situation would choose to behave like that, but in the end - he'd always felt alone, inferior and pathetic. Pushing his limits into inhuman levels of stress and fueling it with deranged power was never going to help him deal with anything healthily. There's always hope, and I always choose to believe in the possibility of a happy ending - but he really was a ticking time bomb from the very beginning.

Roy Ulthoon/Ruby Hurricane (BTBATB/OC)

Son

Oh I know for a fact there is a hell. You know why? Because I feel its flames licking my skin whenever I think about this poor tormented soul.

He was never meant to be a real child. Roy was a moral, a lesson, a plot device from the very beginning - about how finicky the human spirit can be, especially when you don't treat it perfectly well from the start. Or maybe I'm just being optimistic, and the writers wanted to make a 'humans are monsters' character to drive the plot forward and serve as a foil to Red's blind faith in humanity.

Either way, god, I hate his ep with an inhuman passion. I know for a fact he could've been saved - I KNOW Batman was not the right choice when dealing with this freshly made human soul that's lashing out against abuse. Or, at the very least, he wouldn't have acted the way he did - he electrocuted my son. I want him as far away from us as possible.

In Citrus' story, he's the catalyst to the alien finding his purpose in life, realizing just how much he enjoys children. He didn't, ever, need to die or be put down - he needed someone that would listen. Instead, they wrote Red's thinking to be that of a parent that tells you 'it is what it is because I said so, now suck it up'. It's not... Terribly out of character, but it could've been framed better, at the very least. I could go on and on about this one, since I basically Made It All Up - but that's for later «3

Kid Buu (DBZ)

Son

HOUGH. God I love this kid. I love this little shit just SO MUCH, he brings me inhuman amounts of joy I can barely contain it.

First off - he's so cute. He's meant to be a demonic entity of pure evil, with 0 thoughts in his brain aside from Killing and Destroying. And yet... He's so endearing. He really is, to be blunt, like a cat in that way.

He's so so tiny, too... And the pinks aren't helping. He just looks like something I'd want to hug and squeeze to death (very likely my own). I know I'm not meant to love him As Much as I do, but come on... It's not like it's my fault.

My reasoning as to why he can coexist with Super Buu, Good Buu and even Uub is kind of muddy. I think Pluto just straight messed with reality for that little guy to live with him - and who could blame him? Just let him waste away in hell for god knows how long? Come on now...

And I know I don't talk about Uub much - mainly, honestly, I don't trust the decision to reincarnate a being of pure evil into a dark skinned child, considering dragon ball's history with antiblackness - but I do find him really cute too ^^ he's just not... Son material? I guess? I'm not mad he exists in Kid Buu's place, iykwim - I just prefer crazy evil kids is all.

Oh by the way - if I ever get to developing my AUs this year, he's very important in the reforming of another amoral bastard he happens to live with atm. It's the only person he's in contact with that feels Pain nowadays - which makes the whole thing even funnier.

Baby (DBGT)

Son

Ok I know I said I wasn't rating these in any way. But. Jesus Christ

I LOVE BABY SO MUCH! I LOVE HIM SO SO SO SO MUCH ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY!!!!

He's got such a cool concept, backstory, voice, design... God, he's got it all! He's really unique because of how and When he was created, and it really breaks my heart they'll never write him in a way that makes Me personally happy.

Granolah is usually considered very similar to Baby in concept - but oh brother, the things that set them apart makes the gap so obvious it hurts. Baby is one of a kind, you can't ever try and make another one like him.

And I know, I know. Someone like him is very unlikely to accept being raised and treated as an actual child - a human one, no less, but we'll get to that - but also, isn't that perfect? He's the perfect brood parasite - he gets food, shelter and love from an unsuspecting parent who tends to his every need until he's strong enough to get rid of them and fulfill his purpose. Its genius.

However, he didn't take into consideration the soul that still burns inside of him - no matter how weak, it's still there. He can't help but get attached to Coralia, who treats him so well, and is willing to put his own life on the line to make sure he's safe. God, he doesn't even look human - why is this one so hell-bent on treating him as such?

It's maddening. He's not meant to be nurtured, he's meant to take over people's bodies when they least expect it to end a war that's ended more than half a century ago. And yet... Here he is. A monster in an infant's skin, being treated in the exact same way that made an alternate version of him to murder Dr. Myuu in cold blood. What's happening to him....?

Anyways. These r my delightful little guys!!!!!

#this has been in my drafts since the 20th i didnt post it bc of the strike ^^ #asketh #💛tetsuo #💛baby #💛kid buu #💛gas #💛Kieran #💛allister #💛roy #yeah its um. 7 characters 6 items. kill me about it

[dallanebbia]

betsubara

title: betsubara fandom: bnha pariring: kacchako; bakugou katsuki x uraraka ochako word count: 3.9k (including text in posts) warnings: none synopsis: in which the u.a. test kitchen tries its hand at the whole youtube thing, and the internet collectively ships kacchako. bon appetit test kitchen au + socmed au notes: written for day 3 of kacchako week 2020, with the prompt ‘desserts & sweets.’ i know that BA has its share of problems, but i really wanted to write this after stumbling across ba test kitchen fanfics on ao3 and some social media aus on twitter… i have so much respect for people who make smau fics, i don’t know how you do it. ochako here is a bizarre mix of brad leone, solha el-waylly, liziqi and emmymadeinjapan, and bakguou…. is bakugou :’) ao3: [link]

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別腹 | betsubara (n.) – Japanese, second stomach for dessert

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Susan Anderson @susan.anderson – Jun 29, 2XXX My grandchildren said I would enjoy watching the UA test kitchen youtube channel, but I don’t know where to start. Can someone please give me some suggestions? Why do they change chefs in every video? 62 🗨️   133 ⭮   869k ♡

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↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX Replying to @susan.anderson Hi Susan! I’m the kitchen manager for @ua_testkitchen, and I’d be happy to help! We have playlists for each of our web series on our YouTube channel, but I’ll do my best to explain each series below. 23 🗨️   241 ⭮   3.2k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX Hot Takes – If you don’t mind some occasional foul language, this is a very popular series! Chef @bakugoukatsuki demonstrates techniques on how to make Japanese staples, from omurice to hand cut soba. It’s extremely educational! 123 🗨️   213 ⭮   3.5k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX Bon Appetit – This series is all about French food, with Japanese twist! Chef @foreversparkling breaks down intimidating recipes like souffles, gougeres, and quiches for the amateur cook to try at home! 89 🗨️   165 ⭮   2.8k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX Farm to Table – If you’re interested in where your food comes from, this is a great choice! Chef @u_ochako shows viewers what it takes to grow and cultivate ingredients. She also delves into the science behind making things like kombucha, natto, and beer! 155 🗨️   188 ⭮   3.9k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX From Scratch – This is our only series with two hosts! We ask our chefs @shouto and @yaomomo to tackle the challenge of recreating popular junk food and snack items entirely from scratch. These can be anything, from your favorite candy to foreign staples like Twinkies! 102 🗨️   288 ⭮   2.7k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX 10 Chefs – This series asks ten of our @ua_testkitchen chefs to undergo a series of culinary challenges of varying difficulties. These can range from cutting a durian to cooking a live lobster! 48 🗨️   85 ⭮   1.4k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX The Great U.A. Bake Off – These are special videos that showcase U.A.’s biannual dessert competition! We invite renowned chef and television star @AllMight to join as our host and judge. Our resident pastry chef @satousugarman has held the title for the past four years! 99 🗨️   174 ⭮   2.1k ♡

↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jun 30, 2XXX We also film various instructional videos, which are not part of any particular series. These can be recipes or in-depth guides to various kitchen tools and appliances. Hopefully these give you a good place to start, and feel free to contact me if you have any other questions! 21 🗨️   98 ⭮   1.1k ♡

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↳ Susan Anderson @susan.anderson – Jul 01, 2XXX Thank you, Mr. Midoriya. I started watching Farm to Table, and I’m enjoying it a lot. I do have a question – I’m reading the comments, and there’s a cooking term I’m not familiar with. What is a “kacchako?” Is it a cooking appliance? 721 🗨️   2.1k ⭮   8.9k ♡

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↳ Just Call Me Midoriya (✓) @dekiru – Jul 02, 2XXX Replying to @susan.anderson … Um. 202 🗨️   4.3k ⭮   10.4k ♡

↳ jfc they’re actually clueless @hitoshinsou – Jul 02, 2XXX Replying to @susan.anderson and @dekiru yeah @dekiru, what is a kacchako? 180 🗨️   961 ⭮   2.9k ♡

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“Hey guys!” Uraraka waved cheerfully at the camera. “My name is Uraraka Ochako, and welcome back to Farm to Table, a show where we explore where our food comes from!” 

“For today’s episode, we’re going to be doing something a liiittle different.” On the counter was a pile of misshapen brown lumps, mottled with different black and brown spots. “On our cacao episode, a lot of you were a little… shall we say, disappointed with me, when I didn’t make chocolate out of a cacao pod.”

Uraraka’s smile turned icy, as a screenshot popped up on screen. She held up a little slip of paper from her hand and cleared her voice.

“ ‘Making chocolate isn’t easy,’ ” she read, widening her eyes for emphasis. “ ‘This girl has no idea what she’s talking about.’ ”

The dark, saccharine expression on her face never faltered as she ripped up the paper into tiny pieces, throwing bits over her shoulder.

“Now, I’m here to show you that actually, yes – making chocolate can be easy!” The hard smile was replaced by a warm grin. “My friends at Tokyo Cacao sent me some pods to work with, and lucky for us, they’re ripe and ready to go!” 

She beamed, picking up a pod and showing it off to the camera. “I’ll show you guys how to turn these bad boys into chocolate - and after that, I’m gonna share one of my favorite chocolate recipes with you!” 

Uraraka then grinned mischievously. “First things first – we gotta crack this little guy open.” Reaching under the countertop, she whipped out a gigantic chef’s knife. It was easily as long as Uraraka’s forearm, and the polished blade was engraved with two characters that clearly read, ‘Bakugou.’

A choking sound was heard off screen. 

“Holy shit Uraraka, you took it?!” A man popped into frame, gaping at the knife in Uraraka’s hand. “Dude, Bakugou’s been looking for that all morning - he’s going to kill you for real this time!” 

“Not if he doesn’t find out,” she said seriously, fixing the blonde man with a pointed look. “You’re not going to rat me out, are you, Kaminari?” 

“And get killed in his Baku-rage? No thanks.” He shivered, staring at the knife as if it was going to attack him. “At least you’ve got a chance of surviving.”

Uraraka laughed, rolling her eyes. “You’re acting like he’s going to eat you or something.” 

“You don’t know about poor Mineta,” Kaminari looked grave as he closed his eyes in a moment of silence, before scurrying out of frame. He called out, “If anyone, especially Bakubro, asks – I was never here!”  

“O… kay?... ” Uraraka blinked at the camera for a few moments and then shook her head in amusement. “Anyways, back to the topic – opening the pod! The rind is pretty thick and slippery, so be careful where you’re cutting! The best way is to set the edge of the knife in one of the grooves and give it a good whack, like this - !” 

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Pro Chef Makes Omurice | Hot Takes | U.A. Test Kitchen 3,439,062 views ･ August 29, 2XXX

To quote our favorite foul-mouthed chef: “Even a F***ing idiot can make omurice.” 

Join Bakugou Katsuki in the U.A. Test Kitchen as he makes a Japanese comfort food staple, omurice. This isn’t your average, amateur omurice omelette video - Bakugou breaks down the special tricks and techniques he uses to achieve the perfect taste, shape and texture. His recipe uses buttery chicken, fried… 

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10,237 comments

hvf26 – 3 hours ago Japanese gordon ramsey 👍 2.7K   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 25 replies

TipTop – 2 hours ago new drinking game: take a shot every time you hear “fuck” EDIT: 13 shots in and 18 minutes left, i give up 👍 8.6K   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 93 replies

shroomaster3110 – 9 hours ago bakugou: “even a fucking idiot can make omurice” also bakugou: “veal stock, red wine, honey, tomato paste, reduce for 3 days” me: instant ramen it is 👍 749   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 8 replies

obsssd1992 – 6 hours ago hOoly fuck the sound uraraka made when she tasted it 👍 9.4K   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 155 replies

vulcanus – 3 hours ago 7:33 cracking two eggs at the same time with one hand he really be flexing on us huh 👍 233K   👎   REPLY

periperi – 10 hours ago 22:18 is it just me or does bakugou look like he’s blushing??? like, his ears are so so red 👍 5.1K   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 84 replies

dinovino44 – 7 hours ago “just fucking flip it” I blinked and that shit literally went from goo to an omelet HOW 👍 144   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 3 replies

Angela B – 8 hours ago I would love to try this but i dont want to waste 17 dozen eggs trying to make it properly 👍 3.7K   👎   REPLY ⯆ View 29 replies

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“Oh fuck, that’s good,” Bakugou groaned, mouth full as he chewed. The mango-coconut tart in front of him was dotted with swirls of candied orange peel as a garnish, but it did nothing to hide the fact that the entire thing was dusted with a liberal coating of violent red chili powder.

At his side, Uraraka beamed, sniffling a little from the pervasive scent of spice in the air. “I added some lime too, just to break up the richness – it’s not too sweet?”

“S’fucking perfect.” Bakugou scarfed down the last bite of the piece in his hand. He let out another long moan, the sound of it deep and guttural, and Uraraka’s eyes widened as she stared, her cheeks turning red. “Screw it, I’m eating this for lunch.”

“Eh?” Uraraka blinked, snapping out of her daze just as the tray was snatched from her workbench. “Wait, wait – Bakugou! Give it back, I haven’t even tasted it yet!”

“Pft, like you wouldn’t down a carton of milk after one bite,” he scoffed, holding the tart above his head and trying to fend off Uraraka with his free hand as she pulled at his arm. “Fucking get off, Uraraka, I – !”

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SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Aug 17, 2XXX alright since some of y’all are fucking BLIND here’s a list of every bakugou x uraraka moment on the u.a. test kitchen youtube channel (a thread) 184 🗨️   5.3k ⭮   12.6k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Aug 17, 2XXX [01] the great u.a. Baking show, cheesecake: during taste tests bakugou hated every single person’s cheesecake EXCEPT uraraka’s peach and plum one. He said it was acceptable BUT THEN HE GOES BACK FOR ANOTHER PIECE 2 🗨️   229 ⭮   10.4k ♡

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↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Oct 28, 2XXX [33] farm to table, jicama/watermelon: bakugou says there isn’t enough heat in the dipping sauce during taste tests, uraraka then pulls out the extra spicy version she made just for him and bakugou looks flabbergasted when he tries it and then HE TAKES THE SAUCE HOME 10 🗨️   121 ⭮   2.4k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Nov 01, 2XXX [34] from scratch, shrimp chips: at 14:53 you can see bakugou and uraraka in the background working on something together and when aoyama comes in waving around a whisk like a madman bakugou PUTS HIS ARM AROUND HER WAIST AND PULLS HER OUT OF THE WAY 15 🗨️   146 ⭮   2k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Nov 01, 2XXX [35] from scratch, shrimp chips: when uraraka’s taste testing the final versions, she tells bakugou to come and try them. Bakugou grabs the chip she’s eating out of her hand and takes a bite AND THEN STUFFS IT BACK IN HER MOUTH BEFORE WALKING AWAY 29 🗨️   132 ⭮   2.4k ♡

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↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Jan 11, 2XXX [69] hot takes, udon: bakugou says he’s only doing this video because someone said he had to, and uraraka mouths at the camera “he can’t say no to me” and bakugou sees her doing it but just rolls his eyes HE DOESN’T DENY IT 34 🗨️   204 ⭮   1.8k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Jan 11, 2XXX [70] hot takes, udon: bakugou’s testing the dough consistency and yells at uraraka to come over so he can compare it TO HER CHEEKS and the man no cap says “not soft enough, it needs more pounding” and the blush on her face AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 119 🗨️   451 ⭮   3.6k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Jan 24, 2XXX [71] the great u.a. bake off, pavlovas: honestly just take this entire episode as proof you can FEEL the tension through the screen my god. the way they’re play-fighting/flirting throughout the episode jesus fucking christ the flavor is immaculate 85 🗨️   154 ⭮   2.1k ♡

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↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Mar 01, 2XXX [82] bon appetit, coq au vin: aoyama asks uraraka for help and bakugou literally spends the entire video glaring at aoyama from the background and ochako mouths “I’m almost done katsuki” at 15:43 SHE USES HIS FIRST NAME 26 🗨️   98 ⭮   1.9k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Mar 09, 2XXX [83] hot takes, takoyaki: uraraka asks bakugou to taste test a smoothie for her and he goes, “the one you made yesterday was better” but later he says something about hating Mondays WHICH MEANS HE AND URARAKA WERE TOGETHER OVER THE WEEKEND 37 🗨️   159 ⭮   2k ♡

… 13 more replies

↳ teatime @kabedondon – 6h Replying to @retrograade the detail in this thread is scary but even more concerning is the fact that you’ve somehow managed to convince me, at the very minimum, that they’re fucking 13 🗨️   1.1k ⭮   4k ♡

↳ SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – 4h Replying to @kabedondon welcome to the club, hope you enjoy your stay 21 🗨️   59 ⭮   573 ♡

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Todoroki stared down at the gooey, green-streaked mess of chocolate in front of him mournfully. At his side, Yaoyorozu looked equally despondent, poking at the dull sheen of dark chocolate covering the biscuit in her hand. 

“Should we…?” Todoroki glanced over hesitantly, and Yaoyorozu bit her lip. 

“I was really hoping we’d get it this time.” She sighed heavily, before turning around. The camera zoomed out, the frame widening to show a few people milling around in the background. “Uraraka! Do you have a moment?” 

A chirpy voice replied, “Sure!” Todoroki visibly sighed in relief, quickly dumping his mixing bowl into the sink of dirty dishes as Uraraka came into the shot. 

“Huh, that’s definitely not right…” The brunette poked Yaoyorozu’s chocolate mixture with a frown. “What temperature did you heat this to?” 

“45 degrees?” Uraraka hummed, scooping up a bit of the mixture and dumping it into her hand. She rubbed at it, frowning. “What did you use as your seeded chocolate?” 

Todoroki slid the half-empty bag of chocolate chips across the counter, and Uraraka dumped a pile of them out. Little disks spilled across the marble, and she tested one piece between her clean fingers. “Uh, you know that you’re supposed to use tempered chocolate to seed, right?” 

Todoroki opened his mouth, paused, then closed it abruptly. Yaoyorozu buried her face in her hands and audibly groaned.

“Hey, the good news is that you can totally reuse this!” Uraraka tried to smile encouragingly. “Did the matcha chocolate come out weird too, or –?”

“Oi, what the fuck is this?” The camera panned to the side, where Bakugou was holding up Todoroki’s abandoned mixing bowl in a fist, features twisted into a grimace. “Did all those e-cigs fry your brain, Half-and-half? Who the fuck doesn’t sift matcha before –” 

“Hey, lay off of him, Bakugou.” Uraraka stomped over and snatched the bowl away. “Tempering is hard! And you know white chocolate is tricky.” 

“Tch, please.” He scoffed. “What kind of idiot can’t temper chocolate?” 

Uraraka’s eyes flashed, and she planted her arms on her waist. “Have you ever tempered chocolate before?” 

“What kind of dumbass question is that?” Bakugou growled. “Course I have, I didn’t live under a fucking rock like these two morons.” 

Yaoyorozu bristled indignantly, but Uraraka held up her hand. Todoroki just looked tired, and muttered under his breath, “Here we go again…”

“Then you wouldn’t mind giving us a demonstration, would you?” Bakugou looked at her sweet, smiling face suspiciously. “Or are you too chicken to prove it?”

Red eyes flashed dangerously. “... the fuck did you just say?”

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The video cut to a shot of lumpy, melted white goo, before zooming out to show Bakugou’s scowl. “What the fuck is wrong with this shitty chocolate?” He kept stirring, even more vigorously this time, and looked down at the mixture as if he was trying to set it on fire with his glare.

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were tucked a little ways away, snickering quietly as they watched from a safe distance away. Across from Bakugou, leaning casually against the counter, Uraraka smiled gleefully.

“Hur-dur, ‘what kind of idiot can’t temper chocolate?’ ” she mimicked, her voice lowered in an approximation of the blonde’s low growl. Uraraka laughed, and then ducked as a chocolate-covered spatula sailed over her head.

“FUCK OFF, ROUND FACE!” 

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smolbean678 reblogged kryssalys ochaakou:

reasons you should stan uraraka ochako, u.a.’s farming goddess and resident bakugou whisperer:

- has probably saved about half of the “from scratch” episodes by virtue of being the only person in the entire u.a. test kitchen who can consistently temper chocolate

- speaking of chocolate, this woman pulled the hardest flex by making her own chocolate from a raw cacao pod, and then proceeded to make chocolate chicken mole with it just to prove to the haters that she could 

- is the acting president of the musutafu ninniclub, a japanese club for lovers of garlic. she also openly admits to sleeping with a ninnikyun plushie, aka the club mascot which is apparently a giant garlic clove (seriously, you can’t make this shit up guys)

- vocal advocate of Feeding Japan, a hunger relief organization that works to combat food insecurity, and is frequently seen volunteering at food banks and soup kitchens (1) (2) (3) (4)

- a lot of the ingredients she features in the “farm to table” series come from her parent’s farm! (pics) she grew up working at her parents’ stall at her hometown farmer’s market and promotes buying locally to support regional farms and businesses.

- this masterpiece of a tweet: “I love food and I love to eat. If someone wants to shame me for my body then they can go fuck themselves.”

- creates recipes that not only taste good but are also healthy, quick, easy and beginner friendly – yes, I’m looking at you, mr. bakugou “just fucking flip it and reduce for 3 days” katsuki – see the archive of her recipes here (x)

- has a tiktok dedicated entirely to trolling todoroki’s reactions with weird flavors of soba, these are my favorites (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

- she’s a self-taught chef who started as a dishwasher and worked up to being the sous chef at ryuko tatsuma’s restaurant dragoon before coming to the u.a. test kitchen and was regularly praised by food critics (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

- has single-handedly saved u.a. millions of yen from that one time she stopped bakugou from ‘accidentally’ exploding an air fryer

- speaks fluent baku-rage, not to mention their chemistry is off the charts hoO BOY the slow burn is fucking real y’all

alright there’s so much more stuff but I fucking hate formatting links, so watch farm to table and follow uraraka on social media (twitter / instagram / tiktok) because this queen deserves our love. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

hoooooot-hoot:

[link] to the twitter thread for my fellow kacchako shippers, i gotchu

54,230 notes #ua test kitchen #kacchako #stan uraraka #bakugou better worship our queen or im gonna throw hands

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

“Ugh.” Uraraka glared down at the sad, deflated lumps sitting in the middle of her ramekins. “Where is Aoyama when you need him?” 

“That looks pathetic,” a blunt voice said, and Uraraka sighed as Bakugou came into the camera frame, leaning over the counter to peer into one cup with a skeptical look. “What the hell are you making?” 

“Well, it’s supposed to be a pistachio-strawberry souffle.” She huffed, rubbing at her neck in frustration. “I can’t figure out how to get the nuts to distribute evenly… and it’s just not rising? I don’t get it – I remade my pastry cream like, three times, I know it’s fine, and I buttered my molds but it just…”

“You try freezing the molds after you butter them?” A frown came over Uraraka’s face as she shook her head. Bakugou grabbed one of the little cups, prodding the contents with a finger, and made a face. “Keeps it from contaminating your mixture and fucking up the rise.”

“When I make them at home, they’re usually fine at room temp,” she said dejectedly. “I don’t know why I can’t get it right today.” 

The camera zoomed in a little, focusing on Bakugou’s expression as he glanced towards Uraraka. He looked a little concerned, and after a beat of silence, he came around the counter to stand beside her.

“Oi, don’t get all mopey on me, Cheeks.” He nudged her shoulder lightly, settling a hand across the back of Uraraka’s neck. “You good?” 

She sighed heavily, leaning a little into his hand. “Yeah, yeah, I just… I don’t know. My brain isn’t working right now.” 

“Tch.” Bakugou looked over the mess of bowls spread across the counter, eyes settling on the deflated looking egg-whites on one side. “Look – I’ll help ya out, just this once. Don’t quit on me now, yeah?

She blinked, looking up at him with furrowed brows. “But I thought… don’t you have that thing, with –”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. This is more important,” he said, shrugging off his leather jacket and rolling up his sleeves. Uraraka just looked back at him in confusion. 

“But…” She bit her lip hesitantly. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.” Bakugou smirked back at her as he tied on his apron. “I got you, Cheeks.” 

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

[Video: Todoroki, frozen in place with blank eyes and noodles falling out of his mouth as someone shakes his unresponsive body]

u_ochako: i… may have made chocolate flavored soba. PLEASE DON’T CRY TODOROKI #imsorry ♡ 137.4K   🗨️ 3251 

trololoki: holy shit he actually looks like he’s about to cry View replies (157) ⯆ 

augusttine: can we all agree that what makes this 10x funnier is bakugou’s hyena cackling in the background View replies (209) ⯆ 

u_24: this is soba-sphemous View replies (54) ⯆ 

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

Uraraka rubbed her eyes, blinking as she gaped.

“You…” She looked up at him, chin trembling. “Did you really…?”

“Tch.” Bakugou huffed, trying to hide a smile. “What, your eyes don’t work now, Cheeks?” he teased. 

“I just - ” Uraraka pinched herself, yelping at the pain, before a huge, toothy smile broke out across her face. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you actually did it.” 

“You did get on your knees and beg, so…” He shrugged, snickering as Uraraka approached the counter reverently, her face glowing in sheer joy. “Ten kinds of mochi, as fuckin’ promised.”

She turned to him pleadingly. “Can I…?” 

“I already took the photos.” He nodded at the spread, a rainbow of different colors delicately arranged with a pot of tea, ready to be eaten. “Go for it, babygirl.”

Uraraka already had a daifuku mochi halfway to her mouth, lips open as she got ready to take a bite, when an unfamiliar voice cut into the video. 

“Wait a second.” Both of them paused to look at the camera in confusion. “Did he just call you babygirl?” 

There was a beat of silence, before Uraraka’s face exploded into a bright red blush. Next to her, Bakugou quietly muttered, “Fuck.”

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

[Photo: an image featuring white sheets and pillows, a woman’s bare upper back, and messy brown hair with a woman’s face half-buried in a pillow]

Liked by dekiru, redkiri, and 541,803 others bakugoukatsuki: delicious u_ochako: UM bakugoukatsuki: @u_ochako did i lie though shouto: thank god fucking finally View all 6,248 comments

3 HOURS AGO

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

SHIP KACCHAKO @retrograade – Jun 04, 2XXX RT @marsali: I. FUCKING. CALLED. IT. 

THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF @marsali – 21m @retrograade THE SHIP HAS SAILED I REPEAT THE SHIP HAS SAILED #kacchako [media attached]

42 🗨️   3.8k ⭮   8.7k ♡

#kacchako #kacchakoweek2020 #bakugou katsuki #uraraka ochako #bakuraka #by nebbia #bnha #fanfiction #ba test kitchen au #socmed au #kacchako smau

[sxltedcxramel]

12/12/12 tag game

Rules: answer 12 questions in character as an OC, ask 12 questions, & tag 12 people! 

I got tagged by the lovely @livvywrites!

Ok So I haven’t put any of my Ocs on Tumblr I wanna wait for that because this novel won’t come around til late August/September then I’ll post bits and pieces on my writing blog.

Answering as Estella Santos

Post is to long so let me spare you the scroll

1.) What teachings from your parents still affect you to this day? Do you wish that they didn’t

“Actually yeah. My mama used told me to dream small” “Don’t let your dreams get in the way of what’s important” I-I guess that's what's always stopped me from doing some things why even bother I don’t know if I-I’m any good at things or trusting people as a matter a fact but that’s not important I have to provide for my familia mostly my siblings my dad’s an alcoholic. Ugh, why am I even talking about this?”

2.) Who is the person who has made the greatest impact (good OR bad) on you, and who you are today?

 I think that might be my dad after my mom died he became different... abusive if you must. After all the abusive I’ve gone through I don’t know who I am today I have no self confidence and I push my friends away I’m not really used to talking about feelings and Estella shake her head violently “Ok I’m done with this question are we done.”

3.) If you could do anything, without strings or consequences attached, what would you do?

“I’m not sure I would like to run away from home forget about everything just leave all the chains that have been holding me back. But wishes don’t come true this is the real world. I have siblings who I can’t leave for even 5 minutes in the same room as my dad they can’t cook or do basic house chores. I’m they are only around 5 and 6 so could at that age anyway.”

4.) A genie gives you three wishes. What would you wish for?

“Wait what are the rules for genie’s again?” someone whispers in the background. “Oh ok right.”

1.) “A better life for me and my siblings.”

2.) “A decent paying job.”

3.) “I would also kill for some food too sometimes there isn’t enough food to go around so I stay hungry and give my portion.”

“I guess that all fall under number one.” She shrugged  “Right so I guess I only have one wish that I want.”

5.)When you go to pack for something—whether it be as simple as tucking items in your pocket for a normal day, or an overnight trip—what are three or so items that you couldn’t live without? 

“Damn these are really personal um lets see “My stuff bear Coco.” She mumbles 

“I’m sorry you’ll have to speak up.” 

“My stuffed bear! I’m going to kill my writer for making me do this and no you will not know anything about her.”

“My locket, and my mp3 player. O they aren’t in style anymore Ok well sue me I hate trends.

6.) Is there someone in your life you can’t live without? Who are they, and what is your relationship like?

My aunt Olivia. She my late mother’s sister she would take care of us when I wasn’t able too she really is the only person I can trust.

7.) What do you think your childhood self would think of you now? How is your life different from what you pictured then?

“Umm I think she would be embarrass to be me. When I was younger I thought I would have the perfect life but you know this don’t always go the way you expected it.”

8.) How do you feel about where you are now? About the person you are now? What, if anything, would you change about yourself?

“My confidence in myself that’s literally all I have to say for this.”

9.) What do you do to de-stress, and take your mind off of things?

“Listen to music while sketching music really brings me into another world and when I draw its really the only way I can express my feelings.”

10.) What is the most ridiculous thing that you can recall doing? Do you remember why you did it?

“when I was in 1st grade I remembered telling my classmates I was married to elmo...” Don’t ask! Estella points her finger at the interviewer

11.) If someone were to record what was happening to you, the story of your life, how would you want to be portrayed?

“What I want to be is a brave person who isn’t scared of anything but I’m not so I don’t really know how to answer this one.” 

12.) What is your ideal future life like? When all is said & done, what does peace look like to you?

“Omg I would love to live by the beach painting portraits everyday listening to music and watching the sunsets. that would be a dream.”

With all that said and done I think Ella had enough (she may or may not have almost cried)

“I did not!”

Of course not. This is literally the first piece of my little girl I’m posting on tumblr No spoilers yet she’s still a WIP along with everyone else but I’m pretty sure you can figure out bits of pieces with this Q & A.

My Questions

1.) What's one flaw about yourself do you hate the most and wish they could change? 2.) Does your personality shift when someone gets to know you well? 3.) Do you prefer time alone, or with other people?

4.)  Have you ever experienced deja vu?

5.)  What your three clearest memories?

6.)  If you could go back and speak to a younger version of yourself, what would you say?

7.) Do you have a love life?

9.)  If you could choose to have themselves born at a specific time period, which would you pick and why?

10.)  Do you feel guilty about anything in the past?

11.)  If you could erase one memory from your mind, what would it be?

12.)  What's the easiest way to annoy you?

Tags: @wordlegacy @unassumingsoda really its just @anyonewhowantstodothis I don’t know people with Oc’s

#tag game #12/12/12 #Oc #Estella Santos #Lily tags #writeblr

[legendofmischief]

Title: 2013 Harry Potter Christmas Drabble Challenge [2018 Repost]

Author: @writemeashot / @holykryptonitekitten / @legendofmischief

[MattsMarshMello on fanfiction.net]

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing/Characters:  James & Lily Potter, Severus Snape, Harry, Ron, & Hermione, Ginny Weasley, Draco & Narcissa Malfoy, Neville & Luna, Draco, Astoria & Scorpius, George & Angelina, Harry & Dobby, Lily & Snape, and George & Fred.

Rating: Teen [Due to some heavier themes such as loss/grief/death etc]

Notes: Hi there! This is a holiday drabble collection I did for a challenge on fanfic.net [Ash’s Monthly Competition]. The challenge was to write a short drabble while listening to specific Christmas songs, of which I will also link. This is old writing so be aware of possible growth (hopefully lol) between this collection and how I currently write.

1. Lily’s Boy Child

Lily smiled at James as he brought her a cuppa, she let go of the muggle sales magazine she had been looking at to take it.

"I'm thinking of having a white crib, what do you think James?"

He sat down next to her with his own cup of tea and peered over at the magazine.

"Whatever you think looks good Lily, just make sure to have some blue and red in there."

He put an arm behind her on the couch as he took in how she studied the items in the catalog, he couldn't believe that she was already glowing after just finishing her first month of pregnancy. She smiled and leaned into him as she picked out what decor she wanted.

After a quiet silence, she suddenly looked up at her husband.

"I want to name him Harry."

Song: Mary's Boy Child, Character(s): James & Lily Potter

2. Severus’s Shameful Night

He stumbled into Spinner's End, and fell to the floor gasping for breath. He couldn't believe he had accomplished what he had. He did it. He killed.

Oh Merlin, the woman's screams wouldn't stop echoing in his head, causing him to sob and cringe. Tears tracked down his cheeks as he hugged himself and another sob escaped him as a horrible thought struck him.

What if it was Lily.

What if she had been the target during the death eater mission? What if she had been the Dark Lord's chew toy?

"No, no, no...never Lily...never Lily." He vowed to himself that it would never be her on the receiving end of a death eater's wand. He would make sure of that, somehow.

He lost himself to his tears of grief and shame, falling asleep in the fetal position on the floor in front of the door to his house.

Song: Oh Holy Night, Character(s): Severus Snape (Teenage/Young Adult)

3. Christmas Of Laughs

It was such a breath of fresh air, for them all. She and Ron had help Harry decorate Grimmauld Place for Christmas, they were spending it together this year. Just the three of them. Some people understood, others didn't but it didn't matter. They were celebrating a freedom from having to plot, dodge danger, and wage war against a mad man. She couldn't help but snort some of her hot chocolate as she laughed and spluttered. She was watching Harry and Ron trying to catch the enchanted elf on the shelf and the little pixie like toy was giving them a run for their money. Hermione proceeded to cough, laugh, and sputter.

"Oh shut it Hermione, I don't see you over here helping us." Ron replied to her just before he dove at the elf, missed and went sliding head first into the sooty fireplace. A curse was heard before he emerged coughing and half covered in black soot.

"Ron's right Hermione, if you were helping we'd have caught the damn thing already." Harry said before taking a running charge at the elf, only to slip on a rug and fall back onto the Christmas tree knocking it over and getting tangled in the lights.

Hermione lost it then, to a fit of tear filled giggles.

Song: Happy Xmas (War is Over), Character(s): Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, & Harry Potter

4. Working On The World

"Draco darling, what do you want for Christmas?"

He looked over the top of his tumbler of scotch at his mother, an annoyed scowl on his face.

"Mother, you cannot afford what I want for Christmas."

"Try me Draco, you might be surprised."

He rolled his eyes and tossed back the rest of his liquor.

"I want peace. I want a better world for my future children."

A smile graced Narcissa's face and she came to sit beside of her son.

"That will take longer than a shopping trip, but together we can work towards that goal."

Ginny stared out her frosted window, listening to the sounds of Christmas prepping going on in the Burrow. In the past she would have been downstairs eagerly helping her mother, but not this year. It was the first Christmas after the Second Wizarding War and she was ponderous. Was it safe to move forward? Would there always be a villain in the world? In her life? She hoped not. She just wanted to live a normal, peaceful life with Harry. She supposed that could happen. Putting her finger to the icy glass, she smiled after glancing at the acceptance letter on bed. She would be playing for the Holyhead Harpies after she finished Hogwarts.

Song: My Grown Up Christmas List, Character(s): Narcissa & Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley

5. Brave Stars

"They are so pretty tonight, don't you think?"

Neville looked up from his dessert and followed his date's gaze upward to the clear night sky filled with sparkling stars.

"Oh, yes they are bright tonight." He gave her a smile, he had always appreciated Luna's ability to notice the little things.

After finishing their dessert he asked her dance to the slow music in the background, she accepted and they started to sway.

"Um,...Luna...I.."

Her dreamy voice stopped him from completing his sentence.

"Oh yes Neville, I would love to. Perhaps a mountain retreat will do."

Neville blinked owlishly for a bit before piecing together her abstract sentence, yet another he adored about her was the riddle like way she spoke.

"I've never done that, but I would love to with you." He caught her eye, smiled and then leaned down bravely to seal their lips in a chaste first kiss. She gave him butterflies as he felt her smile against his lips.

"It's a date then."

Song: Do You Hear What I Hear?, Character(s): Neville Longbottom & Luna Lovegood.

6. Santa Is Stealing Mummy

Scorpius snuck down the stairs silently after hearing the floo activate. He snuck towards the door and peaked through into the room. His eyes went wide as he saw Santa, and he was about to dart forward and shout out loudly with excitement but the other figure that appeared stopped him. It was his Mum and she leaned up on tip toe, smooching Mr. Santa for what seemed like the longest time. A loud gasp came out of his mouth, startling the two in the room and then he shot off like a rocket up to his parents' room screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"DADDY! DADDY IT'S A 'MERGENCY! SANTA IS STEALING MUMMY! DADDY! DADDY WHERE ARE YOU!? IT'S A 'MERGENCY! SANTA KISSED MUMMY! DADDY!"

Meanwhile downstairs, Astoria and Draco were clutching their sides and wheezing slightly as laughs wracked them, tears sliding down their cheeks. Once they were discovered, Scorpius pouted and sulked until it was time to open his presents. Then all was forgiven.

Song: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Character(s): Scorpius, Astoria, & Draco Malfoy.

7. Eggnog Dance Party

"George really? Don't you think it's a little early for eggnog?"

"Nonsense Angelina, it is never too early for eggnog."

He gave her a sexy smile and handed a glass over to her.

"Cheers darling!" After downing a few swigs, he flicked his wand towards the stereo and it started to play up beat music. George started to dance around, doing his own little sway and jig while being careful not to waste a precious drop of eggnog.

Angelina watched him over the top of her own glass, preferring to drink then dance but he suddenly came towards her and grabbed her forward to join him. A giggle erupted from her throat and she got lost in the way his eyes sparkled when they were together.

"Oh George, I don't think I will ever get tired of you."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, "That's what they all say darling."

"Of course they do." She rolled her eyes while a smirk toyed at her lips before she draining her glass and started to dance around, letting loose and just being in the moment with boyfriend.

Song: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Character(s): George Weasley & Angelina Johnson.

8. Dobby’s Tree

Harry finished hanging the last ornament and readjusting some tinsel before waving his wand to light the little tree. A grim smile formed on his face as he took in the sight of the tree next to the gravestone nestled in the sand.

"I'll put a charm on it so that it will last, its not near enough to give you what you deserve Dobby..but I suppose it will have to do."

Harry fidgeted with the little Christmas tree some more, he wanted it to be perfect.

"Oh, I had Hermione teach me how to knit this year...I made you a present." After an awkward pause, Harry continued. "I suppose I should open it for you."

He slowly unwrapped and opened the gift he had brought with him, and his smile brightened slightly as he gazed at the little bright colored knit hat.

"I managed to make a hat for you Dobby, it's not the best but it's as good as I can do for now."

Using a sticking charm, he stuck the hat to the top of gravestone.

"Let's see if I can get any better at it between now and next year, yeah? Merry Christmas Dobby."

Harry dusted off some sand from the stone before turning on the spot and apparating away before he choked up with tears for his friend.

Song: One Little Christmas Tree, Character(s): Harry Potter, & Dobby's Grave.

9. Beautiful Christmas Lily

"Well, sing a muggle Christmas song for me. Please Lily?"

A cherry smile met those words, before little Lily replied.

"Sure Severus." Little Lily Evans began to sing 'The First Noel' while sitting in the courtyard of Hogwarts by the fountain. It was this moment that little Severus Snape sat stunned and was sure that he was friends with an angel. Her voice was so pretty and it brought a little blush to his face. He laid his head down on her lap, which prompted her to start threading her fingers through his hair. He was content to listen to her forever, even if she attracted a small crowd of students who listening but kept their distance.

Once she had finished the song, he sat up giving her a brilliant smile before conjuring a bouquet of red poinsettias with a pure white calla lily in the center and handing it to her.

"You have a wonderful voice Lily."

A blush crossed her cheeks as she took the flowers from him before quickly kissing his cheek, "And you have wonderful magic Sev. Oh no, we better get to class before the bell rings."

Lily carefully put the flowers into her school bag before darting off, leaving Severus sitting in the snow with rosy cheeks, wide eyes and shy smile on his face.

Song: The First Noel, Character(s): Severus Snape & Lily Evans.

10. Two Ginger Boomers

"GEORGE AND FRED WEASLEY!"

"Run George, run!" Hissed Fred as he kept pace with his twin, he glanced back at the Burrow and winced as bright flashes appeared from inside.

"Oh yeah Fred, with that mad clock she has she'll find us anywhere!" George replied then cackled as he heard more shouts and a never ending string of booms and crackles.

A groan came from Fred, "Perhaps we should break our hands on that damn clock eh?" he ducked as a stray firecracker whizzed over his head.

"Eh, naw. Hey Fred, do you think we-"

"-should've moved the firecrackers into Dad's garage like Mum asked us-"

"-due to the heat from her cooking the fire place?" George finished, a quick beat passed before Fred grinned wickedly.

"Naw! This is much better!"

Song: Six White Boomers, Character(s): George & Fred Weasley.

TAGS: @wickednerdery @manip-loki @succumb-to-your-king @nuggsmum @vargrlokean

No idea who to tag on this, sorry y’all

#holykryptonitekitten #legendofmischief #writing #old writing #holiday writing challenge #holiday fanfic #fan fic #fanfic #christmas drabbles #drabble #harry potter #james potter #lily potter #severus snape #fred weasley #george weasley #ron weasley #draco malfoy #ginny weasley #narcissa malfoy #lily evans #dobby #dobby's grave #angelina johnson #scorpius malfoy #astoria greengrass #astoria malfoy #neville longbottom #luna lovegood #hermione granger

[marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #179

BTVS 7x01 Lessons

Raise your hand if you never thought I’d make it to season 7!

Shame on you, Wallace, I thought you’d always have my back!

Stray thoughts

1) Except for Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest, I’m of the opinion that this show always delivered lackluster season openers. It’s not that they’re bad per se – most of them are pretty solid episodes. It’s just that they don’t hold a lot of promise for things to come, you know? And while they do tend to set the tone for the rest of the season, they are usually far from stellar. “Lessons” is no exception. It’s a good episode, with some very nice moments and a very promising ending (oh, the promise of what The First could be was definitely captivating!) But a good ending does not make for a great episode, you know? And now I get to another point I wanted to make. “Lessons” is probably one of the weakest episodes in an otherwise pretty balanced, quality-wise, season. Yes, I said it. Season 7 is not bad. In fact, it’s rather good? (cue gasps!)

Season 7 is flawed alright, but so are all the other seasons. I think that what probably bugs most of us is the fact that this season’s flaws are more noticeable, kind of always there, and, in most cases, extremely grating (The First, the focus on the potentials, the wedge between the Scoobies…) But – and I hope I don’t change my mind as I proceed to rewatch it – season 7 is an overall good season, with its hits and misses. I’ve found that I’ve grown to like it more and more with each rewatch.

2) The first scene in the cold open is an interesting change of pace from the usual way most seasons start. First of all, there are no Scoobies in sight and we are nowhere near Sunnydale. Then there’s the fact that the chase scene is very suspenseful. We don’t know who this girl is, but you can’t help to root for her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make it. But it’s clear whatever went down will have some relevance. And it’s all made clearer when the scene cuts right to…

3) 

It’s hard to miss the connection when you get such a tension-filled scene leading to our main character delivering the very first line in the season, a line that will basically embody the backbone of the whole season.

4) I love the fact that Buffy has kept her promise to show Dawn the world.

5)

BUFFY Never forget it. Doesn't matter how well prepped you are or how well armed you are. You're a little girl. DAWN Woman.

BUFFY Little woman.

DAWN I'm taller than you.

6) Why would this recently born vamp be afraid of the Slayer, though? How would he know what a Slayer is? (remember how Spike didn’t know about her for a while after being turned?)

7) I love the fact that Dawn missed the heart just like Buffy did her first time. Like mother, like daughter.

8) Where this super-sized scissors store, though?

Oh, yeah, also, Sunnydale High is back, btw. Get it? Because this season is about going back to the beginning… *rolls eyes*

9) Giles needs to stop getting cooler and cooler. 

This was also a very gratuitous shot just so that Anthony could show off his horse-riding skills. And I’m very grateful.

10) 

GILES Then why aren't you in your lesson?

WILLOW Sorry.

GILES It's alright. She was just—

WILLOW —afraid. Yeah, they all are. The coven is—they're the most amazing women I've ever met. But there's this look that they get. Like I'm gonna turn them all into bangers and mash, or something. Which I'm not even really sure what that is.

Can you really blame them, though? She literally almost ended the world. You can’t hold it against others if they don’t exactly feel like hanging.

11) 

GILES This isn't a hobby or an addiction. It's inside you now, this magic. You're responsible for it. (I guess we’ll just cross out all of season 6, then...)

WILLOW Will they always be afraid of me?

GILES Maybe. Can you handle it?

WILLOW I deserve a lot worse. I killed people, Giles. (like, I get that you’re a main character, but you should be in jail, like Faith is...)

GILES I've not forgotten.

WILLOW When you brought me here, I thought it was to kill me or to lock me in some mystical dungeon for all eternity or—with the torture. Instead, you go all Dumbledore on me. I'm learning about magic. All about energy and Gaia and root systems.

I repeat, Giles: too little, too late. THIS MAKES ME SO ANGRY! Please tell me ONE good reason why he couldn’t have done this BEFORE Willow got the Extreme Makeover from Hell and went on a killing spree.

12) “I want to be Willow.” Even though it’s a bit hard – at least for me – to sympathize with Willow at this point, my heart literally melts at Alyson’s delivery of this line and the heartbreaking expression on her face. Alyson is such a great crier.

13) 

XANDER I ate. I'm good. How are you?

BUFFY My sister's about to go to the same high school that tried to kill me for three years. I can't change districts, I can't afford private school, and I can't begin to prepare for what could possibly come out of there. So, peachy with a side of keen, that would be me.

14) I do enjoy how domestic Buffy and Xander are with Dawn. Like, yeah, Dawn has a bunch of parents and she deserves it.

15) You gotta love all the callbacks to early seasons, though. 

BUFFY Now, remember, if you see anything strange... or, you know...dead.

DAWN I got it

BUFFY And stay away from hyena people, or any lizard-type athletes, you know, or if you see anyone that's invisible.

16) 

Now, isn’t this something that would’ve been cool for the show to explore? Like, isn’t this something that should haunt Buffy? All the lives she couldn’t save? All the people she failed?

17) Dawn’s intro is so early 2000s it hurts…

DAWN I love to dance. I like music. I'm very into Britney Spears' early work, before she sold out. So mostly her, um, finger painting and macaroni art. Very underrated.

And… do you think Joss was taking a jab at Britney because they couldn’t arrange for her to be on the show in season 5? In which case, how dare you judged Britney?

18) So… Anya is not that into vengeance anymore. I guess spending a few years as a human and fighting the good fight really did put things into perspective. And apparently, this was their attempt at giving Anya her own arc? Unfortunately, it won’t last long.

19) So why do you think the spirits or demons were targeting Dawn and Buffy specifically? I mean, other than because of Contrived Plot Device. I get Buffy: she’d touched the talisman thingy or whatnot. But what about Dawn…?

20) I do love how Buffy’s conversation with Wood is intercut with Dawn meeting Kit and them getting sucked into the basement by the manifestations. There’s something off about Robin, and we can just sense it as much as Buffy does. I didn’t think he’d be evil, though, it would’ve been too on the nose if he had been. But we immediately get the feeling he’s hiding something. There’s just something about his word choice and his fixation on Buffy that raises a lot of red flags. And of course, the fact that he’s questioning Buffy while her sister and her friends are under attack kind of paints him as supect número uno.

21) And the great reveal… Dawn’s gift/weapon…

That was a bit underwhelming, especially considering it was 2002 and cellphones were already a household item. I get that the show was kind of making fun of itself and its lack of technology awareness. But I find the joke counterproductive. Instead of making me go “Oh hahaha, they have cell phones now!”, it reminds me how little sense it makes for these teens – now young adults – to have NEVER EVER used any type of electronic devices or technology other than the computer. It feels, again, as a Contrived Plot Device. Technology, in some cases, would’ve made the Scoobies lives much easier. They definitely would’ve have avoided some misunderstandings and miscommunications.

22) And then… 

23)

BUFFY What did you do?

SPIKE I tried... I... tried to cut it out.

Hm. I wonder what this “it” might be... huh.

24) We can safely say that Joss’s primary focus when writing this scene was Spike, right? Did he even remember the last time Buffy had been in a room with Spike he’d tried to rape her? Why wasn’t her reaction to seeing her would-be-rapist again explored? Why wasn’t that the focus of their reunion? Why have her acting so nonchalantly, as if she wants to pick up things where they left them off (that is, prior to Seeing Red, of course…)? She literally asks him if he’ll come help her...

25) Now, why didn’t we get to see more of these two – the punk/bohemian, and, I’m assuming, bisexual, girl and the troubled yet sweet latino boy – instead of introducing like a dozen new characters – most of which were pretty forgettable - almost halfway through the season when the focus should’ve been placed somewhere else?

 26) At least Buffy got a new job out of it. But let’s be real, the only reason she got the job is that she is a fictional character in a fictional world. Like, Joss tries to play it off as “oh, she only got it because it is a crappy position with very low pay.” But even crappy positions at schools require some kind of qualifications. Working at the Doublemeat Palace? Yeah, that’s not gonna cut it.

27) And then the scene that nearly makes the episode…

WARREN Of course she won't understand, Sparky. I'm beyond her understanding. She's a girl. Sugar and spice and everything...useless unless you're baking. I'm more than that. More than flesh...

GLORY ...more than blood. I'm... you know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me. Oh, my name will be on everyone's lips, assuming their lips haven't been torn off. But not just yet. That's alright, though..

ADAM ...I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be. And so are you, Number 17. You're right where you belong.

THE MAYOR So what'd you think? You'd get your soul back and everything'd be Jim Dandy? Soul's slipperier than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine? (laughs) Well, you probably thought that you'd be your own man, and I respect that, but...

DRUSILLA ...you never will. You'll always be mine. You'll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs. You like our little songs, don't you? You've always liked them, right from the beginning. And that's where we're going...

THE MASTER ...right back to the beginning. Not the Bang... not the Word... the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride. And I think we're all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You'll learn you're a pathetic schmuck, if it hasn't sunk in already. Look at you. Trying to do what's right, just like her. You still don't get it. It's not about right, not about wrong...

There was so much promise in this scene, and it’s beautifully written and masterfully crafted. I think it’s probably one of the most memorable scenes in the show, just because of its jaw-dropping wow factor, the questions it raised, its potential for epic greatness, and the impact of seeing such an iconic group of characters blending together in what promised to be the Biggest Motherfucking Bid Bad Ever. And the biggest question of all…if this thing, whatever it is, is turning into all the Big Bads... then why did he turn into Buffy? 

The answer to this question will be, as most things The First related were bound to be, extremely underwhelming. But imagine... imagine if Buffy had been the Big Bad...

28) Oh, just for funsies, I’ll try and keep count of how many times The First did touch something or someone:

 29) You gotta love the book ends in this episode, though…

#Buffy the Vampire Slayer #BTVS #Buffy Summers #Sarah Michelle Gellar #Spike #Willow Rosenberg #Dawn Summers #Lessons #recap #mine #MTVSepicrewatch #BTVSrewatch2015 #btvsrecap

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon Black 2 Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 6]

With a great deal of things not going well, we reach the sixth part of this adventure. Who do we still have to work with?

Nessy (Milotic)

Caspet (Gengar)

Vertex (Luxray)

Diego (Gardevoir)

See, we’re fine.

Absolutely fine.

Why is this gen so enthusiastic about interrupting my post-gym walk to the Pokemon Center? Clay talks to Russell about the World Tournament, which I don’t think I have any reason to participate in. I might check it out in case people are dropping items places, but I don’t think there’s anything in it for me. I don’t think I even played it when I wasn’t doing Nuzlocke stuff.

Dang it, I was going to be excited about a new route, but this is the other end of Relic Passage, where we picked up Nessy.

Um no.

Clay, I know you mean well, or at least not badly, but. no? I don’t need to be locked into a tournament thing where the AI hates me. Come on. Just let me gallivant off into the sunset. Don’t make me fight. ;-;

(Also hi Cheren.)

Hm. It looks like I might be allowed to get out of this.

The question is if that’s an illusion or not.

Oh what the heck, let’s be stupid.

The sad thing is that even if I lose, I still have my designated survivors left.

It’s going to be fine.

Oh his Dewott is level 25.

This might actually be fine.

It was! Yay! Yay for overleveled pokemon saving me! Yay for Caspet!

I assume this ends with me facing Colress?

Good, Cheren’s stuck with level 25s too. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with that. If they’re all stuck at that, this should be okay.

Then again, his second pokemon is a Watchdog.

Hiss.

But it works out, and now I suppose it’s time for Colress. Whose role in the plot I can’t remember for the life of me, even after he showed up in Ultra Sun.

Still 25s, but the first thing out is a Magneton. Steel is a pain. And now Caspet is paralyzed. And confused. Yet still winning, because Caspet is our eternal hero.

Okay, tournament over, and before we can be relieved about that, a Pirate Plasma grunt runs by our little squad of main characters, and Russell and Cheren speed away as Colress expresses confusion at their recklessness.

Cool. I guess I’ll be following them, then.

In a sec.

We’re on a boat.

We’re fighting pirates on a boat.

They poisoned Diego.

Because Diego’s in front and his only attacking move is Magical Leaf.

One Pokemon Center visit later, we handle the rest of the Plasma Pirates, and then the Shadow Triad teleports us off the ship and Russell is all “why I oughta.”

I guess the plot section is done for now, so I’m going to explore the other side of Relic Passage. Where Skarmory lurks. Oooh, and Wartortle in the dust clouds. Wingull is also here. Hi Kakuna.

I don’t have Strength and don’t remember if I’m supposed to at this point. Given my pokemon, if I could use it, I wouldn’t want to replace a slot on anyone, but it would be nice to know. This is why taking months off in the middle of a run doesn’t work out well.

Aww, hi Charmander. And Shelmet.

Yeah, there’s a door I can’t get to without Strength, so I guess the Relic Passage adventure will be cut slightly short.

Can NPCs be banned from having Watchdog?

I guess I’ll start marching back to Chargestone. Diego up front in the hopes that he’ll soon learn something besides Magical Leaf.

This is why the games have you catching pokemon at the levels they do. If you catch them in the wrong spot of their development, it can be really, really awkward.

The plot is never over in this gen.

Oh, he gives us Surf so we can investigate radical temperature drops around the region. Because he doesn’t like the cold. Cheren, you big baby.

But Surf! Nessy, you’ve got yourself a new move!

Aw dang it. One of the scientists offers me a Deerling. Sorry my friend, I only play with the randomized options.

Ah, and I do have Strength. Oh well, not using it.

Gesundheit.

Oh hi Suicune 2.0. I have no interest in catching you. Scoot.

Dang it, the water has Dewott.

For the manyeth time, I regret that I should only ever use the Randomizer in Nuzlockes. I would not have the self-control to ever focus on my team if I had the freedom to catch whatever I wanted. The squad would change up every single badge. It would be ridiculous and takes two hundred hours.

But Dewott.

But new route! What do you have for me, cave of darkness that I don’t care to explore because I really can’t stand it being this dark?

BITCHING.

Heck, how do I catch this.

I don’t have Quick Balls yet.

Ummm.

Well. I think it’s safe to say that Magical Leaf won’t kill it. Right? Right.

Magical Leaf does as close to nothing as it can without being Splash.

And it knows Crunch, so Diego, let’s. get you out. Vertex, buddy, you’re up.

!

Spark paralyzed Rayquaza! Good boy, Vertex.

Now I pretty much have to risk a Bite.

Vertex.

Please do not get a crit. Crits are for fighting, not catching.

Good boy!

Now comes the endless catching. I have one Ultra Ball, and more than twenty Poke Balls and Great Balls each. Rayquaza’s in the red and paralyzed. This should be okay. Unless it knows something horrific that isn’t Crunch.

Ultra Ball fail. Twister. Twister is fine.

Luxury Ball doesn’t even get a roll. Same for round two. Last one gets a roll, but only one. So. Poke Ball and Great Ball spam it is.

Several turns later, no one’s dead and nothing’s caught.

Several turns later, same.

Down to single digit Great Balls.

HA. GUESS WHO WINS THIS ROUND.

...

Does.

Does its pokedex entry really say Sky High Pokemon?

That is perfect.

Names, though. It needs a name. The only character name I can remember from Sky High is Warren’s, and I don’t want to name Rayquaza Warren. Sooo. Names.

Superhero has to be the theme, but what heroes do I actually like that can fly... and aren’t too obvious, sorry Clark. Hmmmm. Oh, got it. This isn’t one I’m familiar with, but after seeing Captain Marvel, gotta go with topical and fun.

Welcome to the team, Photon!

I hope I don’t kill you like I’ve killed all my legendaries before!

And now the journey of getting Diego a useful move continues.

Oh, wait, I’m sorry Photon. I forgot to introduce you properly.

Photon is Timid and very finicky. Cute. Your Speed shall be appreciate for hours to come, hopefully.

Neat, there’s Lampent the next level down. ...Less neat, it burned Vertex. I really need to get into the habit of buying recovery items when I’m in a Center. I’m going to put on a Max Repel and wait to find someone down here who hopefully likes healing wayfaring trainers.

Yay, a doctor to battle!

More games should have you fight a doctor into giving you free medical care.

Pansear is also in the lower levels.

Duuuude, and Fraxure! Hello favorite Dragon line! Hello!

The Ace Trainers in this cave think Triple Battles are cool. I guess this is technically a Rotation Battle that I’m doing now, but in any case, I don’t care for the added stress of two more pokemon to deal with in a Nuzlocke. Scary.

NESSY NO.

I should maybe leave the cave.

...What’s a Ferrothorn doing down here? That isn’t a randomized happening. :(

There, Armaldo and Aipom. Way better.

Trainers are currently averaging one critical hit per fight. This is too many and I do not care for it.

But I have made it out of the cave, so now I can buy pertinent stuff and maybe wander into a new route. Maybe even find a better place to train Diego? Who still only has Magical Leaf? Maybe?

Such a useful tool. Sadly, I think I want to hold on to it until the plot forces me into a legendary battle. I would love to just use it on the next thing I see. Heck, maybe I will anyway.

New route time! Is it time to have a full party of six again?

Hello there. Are we friends?

...No, Amnesia + Ingrain plus a bunch of Poke Balls lost is too much of an investment. Dead route. ...Probably influenced by me catching a Lileep last time. Oh well. Still five.

Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. I fucked up. I thought. Oh fuck. Oh no.

-whimpering noises-

I screwed up. I screwed up. I’m so used to just clicking through the attacks and I saw that Surf would affect everything because it’s a proper Triple instead of a Rotation, and the second that registered, I was already clicking through, and Nessy is last in the lineup and.

If the Ducklett does anything to Caspet, Caspet dies.

I don’t want to hit the play button.

I’m surprised Caspet even survived the hit.

I don’t want to see what happens next.

-hits play-

THE DUCK ATTACKED VERTEX WE’RE SAVED.

Oh my gosh Caspet. Oh my gosh you’re alive. I am so sorry. So, so sorry. That never should have happened. That was entirely my bad. All on me.

Geez I need to start paying more attention.

Oh hi Azelf. What are you doing in here. Why couldn’t I find you first this route.

Photon learns Air Slash before Diego learns a Psychic attack, news at 11.

Apparently this one spot on whatever this route is (-scrolls up- 7) some kind of magnet for calls. Hi mother figure of the game, why is it you are paying me attention? I am an adult ten-year-old.

Wait, I’m sorry, what? Our mother had a canon job?

She was a Pokemon Center receptionist.

...

She had a job?

What sort of fictional mother is this???

Hi death memorial tower, I’m here to complete my party.

And get the Lucky Egg from Professor Juniper.

Thanks for always giving me stuff.

Heeeeeey. Hi you. Wanna be best friends?

Hey I have a question. Why do Net Balls not have a note about working well against Flying pokemon? I feel like some part of that is in error.

Please get in the Poke Ball.

Or the Great Ball, if you insist.

Your health is red. Why are you like this.

There we go!

I dub you Cerberus.

The wiggly grass outside is Cranidos. Neat. And hi random Volbeat.

Howdy Cerberus. You are Adamant and thoroughly cunning. A solid addition to the team. Dodrio is one of those pokemon I never had a reason to add to my team by the time I found a Doduo in the games it’s available. But Dodrio and Tri Attack and Drill Peck is just so cool. I hope Cerberus gets to stay.

Aw, Marshal took his mentor’s place stopping us from going into the mountain before we’re supposed to.

Geez, the dark grass out here has Volcarona and Exploud. I think this might be where I want to grind. Because I still want Diego to have a move besides Magical Leaf. Axew is also here.

lol I found the TM for X-Scissor. Pour one out for Boruto.

Back to the death tower we go. Where a trainer has a level 36 Musharna whose Hypnosis doesn’t have the decency to miss.

Diego is level 39.

Magical Leaf is still his strongest attack.

Hey, Lumineon is on this level. Diego, you have a use!

There’s also Elekid. I wish I had an Elekid. Elekid is amazing.

HALLELUJAH.

This next floor has Treecko.

The floor after that is the roof, not a floor, and first up is Croagunk. Followed by Glailie, nice. But I’m not going to hang around and find out if there’s anything else. I rang the bell, mild feelings were had, and now I get to figure out if I am going straight to the gym or training some more.

Lumineon does make for very easy training.

It’s on the floor right next to the nurse.

I’ll do a little of that. Let Vertex muscle up before his moment in the sun.

Huh, Granbull’s on this floor too. I almost thought Daffy, then my brain caught up with what was going on.

Vertex is at 40, so Photon you help out Cerberus.

Or not, this is boring. I’m just going to try out the Gym.

Extra much, Skyla?

Random Gym Mook has a level 37 Swoobat.

Had.

Vertex ate it.

This is closer in level than I really like for Nuzlockes, but it is a Flying Gym. It should be okay, even with the cursed Unfezant awaiting us.

I really don’t care for this Gym redesign. I don’t mind Gyms giving you a puzzle to work on, but this is just gusts of wind that make you hide behind things periodically. It’s not difficult or thought provoking. Just mandated slowness.

It also doesn’t involve cannons. Major, major downgrade.

If I win you have to change your Gym. That’s the rule.

Level 37 Swoobat. It seduces Vertex. Vertex elects to not attack his new love. Twice. Then Heart Stamp makes him flinch. Twice. Then Vertex is still in love. Again.

...

Vertex.

She is going to kill you.

I have to send Nessy out now. Oh look, one Surf finished it.

Unfortunately, the next thing up is a level 39 Swanna. The 4x effectiveness is worth using a turn up on healing. That’s settled, and Vertex is down to 67 HP to face... a Skarmory? Huh. Okay. Level 37. I think I’ll let Vertex have a shot for a turn, but if it goes as badly as it might, Nessy will probably be called in.

Hm. Agility, Steel Wing, and Vertex can win with one more hit of Spark.

Skyla’s probably going to heal, but oh well, give it a try bud.

Cue Hyper Potion, yeah. But Skarmory is paralyzed, and potions don’t cure that, so I’ll take it.

Coolio, that’s a victory.

Badge number six, a full team, and no deaths.

Phew.

#Pokemon #Nuzlocke Challenge #Nuzlocke

[cadencekismet]

Top ten of 2018

I haven’t read as much as I usually do this year, but I should still have read ten books good enough for my top ten list.

We’re going to start with movies/tv though. I’ve only got three here.

1. Black Panther. If you’ve somehow been sleeping on this one, wake up and watch it. I’m not a big superhero movie person and even I loved it.

2. Casablanca. Took me long enough. But it’s a really good movie, with the sort of queer subtext that even my dad can pick up on (seriously, you have no idea how weird it was to me when they walked off together at the end and he gave me the old person equivalent of “I ship it”. Super strange.) Plus the morals about fighting back against the nazis. The history of this movie. Worth watching.

3. V for Vendetta. I know. Believe me, I know! I wouldn’t have watched it at all if not for a tumblr post about how V isn’t actually the main character, but I’m really glad I did. It’s super interested in queerness and it has Stephen Fry and (honestly, this was the thing that amused me the most) the entire ending of “The Empty Hearse” from Sherlock was lifted practically wholesale from this movie. If you want to be annoyed about s4 of Sherlock all over again or if you want fuel for your tinhatting, watch/rewatch this movie.

Books

1. They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib. This book is my favorite thing I read all year and I wasn’t even expecting to like it. It’s a series of essays about music, and I don’t really listen to much music like that. It’s not about the music, guys. Like Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, this book is a sort of political theoretical memoir. He’s a poet, and you can tell from the way he uses language. It’s fucking miraculous. This book is published by a small press too, which means you can read it and not support Penguin Random House holding 4/5 of the publishing industry. Everyone should read this.

2. On Canaan Side by Sebastian Barry. Listen, Barry is another one who just... his command of language can take my breath away. I read this one because I had read Days Without End. This one is very different but also lovely. An old woman decides to kill herself and writes her life story to explain why. It’s bittersweet and tender.

3. Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor. This is a book of short stories. I particularly recommend the very first (titular) story, mostly because it is about languages and how they evolve and I’m so excited about that. All the stories were great, I can’t honestly think of one I disliked. It was an excellent book that everyone should read.

4. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Um, guys, Walden wrote a masterpiece here. This is a graphic novel with an all female (and queer) cast taking place somewhere in space. It’s gorgeous, the writing is beautiful, I’m in love with every single character... I wasn’t too excited about her last book (probably wouldn’t have bought this one if I’d figured out why her name looked so familiar) but this book. Y’all, I’m so grateful that I didn’t miss out on this book.

5. Winter by Ali Smith. (I can’t remember if I included How to be Both in last year’s list or not, but if I didn’t, this item counts for both.) The second of an eventual quartet named after the seasons, (they don’t share characters so far so no need to read Autumn first) this is a story about hope and redemption. It’s... I don’t think I actually like any of the characters? They’re all a little bit conservative except for Ire. But the whole book is so compassionate and the characters mature and you get the idea that maybe they can learn to do better. Autumn was supposed to be the first post-brexit novel and you can see a lot of that same wrestling with the unexpected conservatism of an entire country here, but it feels hopeful too, like spring is coming.

6. Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older. Full disclosure, this is a kids book. It’s written for ten-year-olds. But. It’s a kickass story about prejudice and dinosaurs and kids being bullied over the color of their skin. It’s really stunning and I 100% recommend it to anyone who likes adventure. Older also wrote Shadowshaper and it’s sequel for YA audiences and Half-Resurrection Blues and its sequel(s?) for grownups. I cannot tell you how much I admire this author. He’s fantastic. I don’t use twitter, but when I do I always check up on his. He’s my hero.

7. Invisible Planets by Ken Liu. This is a collection of short Chinese sci-fi stories translated by the guy who translates the Three-Body Problem books. It’s so damn good, guys. I don’t know that anyone would like all of it, because he made a real effort to include a wide variety of stories but everyone should find something. My favorite premise is from “Folding Beijing” where the whole city folds and unfolds every day. The titular story is a spoof on Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino with more interest in the impact of colonialism. There was an excellent story on censorship whose name I can’t remember... Totally worth reading if you’re interested in sci-fi or even just willing to give it a try.

8. Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. Yeah, look, I know. It’s not that if you hate Shakespeare you’ll magically love this one. It’s just that, as someone who loves Shakespeare, this was a wonderful nuanced portrait of many terrible terrible people. (tw for rape, attempted rape, attempted gaslighting, and acephobic language, among other things. Also, there’s an ace character but he’s a dick.) I loved this play so much, I can’t even tell you, and if you’re ever looking for a super awful play about super awful people, this is the play for you. It’s fantastic.

9. The Gift Horse and Other Stories by Kate Cruise O’Brien. This book of interconnected short stories is about the after affects of trauma, both of the personal familial sort and the larger national type. O’Brien is an Irish author and this book deals with the troubles, among other things. I loved it so much that I finished it and went out and bought her next collection, even though I would be flying internationally and couldn’t carry too many books.

10. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I’ve been recommended Lahiri’s work for years but I’ve never gotten around to reading her before. I shouldn’t have waited so long. This was a great story about names and culture clash between generations. It was about assimilation and about making connections. If you get a chance, definitely pick this up.

#happy new years eve #best of #my top ten #2018