#Audio Video Game Interview

[xflowerstarx]

Simulacrum Funk - Imagine Malcolm X as a Game Designer at the Future Visions Festival

[gbhbl]

Interview: Talking Gaming with Kate Davies of Pupil Slicer (Video/Audio)

When they’re not creating intense metal and tearing it up in venues across the country, Pupil Slicer's Kate likes nothing more than to play some games. Which is what prompted this specific interview.

Kate Davies is the vocalist and guitarist of UK mathcore heavyweights, Pupil Slicer. A band that has grown and grown following the release of their latest album, Blossom last year. You can read our review of that excellent album here. When they’re not creating intense metal and tearing it up in venues across the country, Kate likes nothing more than to play some games. Which is what prompted this…

[aceattorneygamesfan]

Some links to official Ace Attorney media you might be interested in

aka how much shit I found when I was going through AA withdrawal

Let me know if any links are broken or if there is anything else that can be added. Gonna add this to my pinned post too(check it to see updates)

last edit: June 24

- Manga scans collected by Reddit user u/aascantoss. More here

-Light novels Gyakuten Aidoru /Turnabout Idol and Gyakuten Kūkō /Turnabout Airport translated by Reddit user u/SaiyamanMS. There is also a novel "Turnabout of the Time Traveler", but as far as I know it has not been translated and there is only a synopsis of several chapters by u/tanteikid on Reddit. Edit: Thanks to astrikonaou in comments for finding a partial translation by mokochan314! And more about Turnabout Bridge (Gyakuten no Kakehashi)(and Japanese version)

-Movie with fan made subtitles

-4koma and more translated by turnaboutarchives and akechiscans. Scans without translation

-Drama CDs playlist (there is no audio drama for AJ Trilogy in the playlist but there is more on the HikariKaitou channel) Check their blog too they have a lot of cool stuff like Naruhodo Fan Book Plus translation

-Ace Attorney Fanbook(found translation by livixbobbiex who also made translation of "forbidden hospital scene" and also interesting post by akoichoi and translation of Valentine’s Day pic by hikari-kaitou

-Stage plays playlist (bonus) and more

Edit:YouTube is blocking a lot of videos now so thanks to u/Mininux42 on Reddit for saving them on archive.org

-Special Court Skits playlist

-The Great Ace Attorney Rundown Theatre translated by Shobrisu on YouTube

-Edit: huge thanks to keineahnung-ichhalt for finding this and other musicals(including for tgaa) link to google drive , link to swisstransfer

There used to be a musical Gyakuten Saiban: The Truth Reborn with subtitles on YouTube but I can't find it now, looks like it was removed due to copyright. Let me know if you know any other way to see it

-The Gavinners-13 Years Hard Time For Love translation by makaira-art and "LOVE LOVE GUILTY (Guilty Love)" by space coyote on YouTube. Also Apollo's song original and english version

-Pachinko game playlist

-Ace Attorney Trilogy: Turnabout Tunes playlist

-If you like collecting evidence for Narumitsu, you might want to check out the comments on my old Reddit post (and this subreddit too its awesome) as there are quite a few interesting links there. Also check narumitsuarchive its awesome too. And famous "Evidence is Everything: A Comprehensive Essay on Narumitsu" by sophie_inthesky" on archiveofourown

-Comics by Shu Takumi

-There is also an official concert that I love

-PLvsPW special episodes. Also for SoJ and tgaa escapades

-T&T Special Blend Mix

-In gyakutengagotoku blog you can read about the difference in translation of different versions of pw trilogy and why they were made. Also check croquis-el and turnaboutfix(their other blog)

-Thanks to sevenyeargap (please check this link to their reblog) for adding so much more stuff like links to google drive with more art and merch for aa and tgaa+ trilogy assets.

-Ace Attorney-That's Wright! Ace Attorney TV!

-“otamedia june 2016” anime interview and wedding page and translation notes by Bytemite on Reddit

-Q&A with Phoenix and Edgeworth-translation by demon-prosecutie

-Shu Takumi Talks About His Tight Deadlines While Writing Ace Attorney: Justice for All

-"Naruhodo Gyakuten Saiban! " and more translated by Out to lunch

-Janet Hsu's posts about Ace Attorney localization, also an Interview with Alex Smith

-dgs2 models by winter-doggo

and again let me know if I missed something or if something doesn't work

Edit: also it kind of sucks that as far as i remember reblogs don't update with the post

[ilovecowboysandpink]

‎₊˚ 𓂃˖ quiet shots  𝜗𝜚 ｡˚

she finds you in every crowd, texts you things she shouldn't, lingers longer than she should. you’re just doing your job — and still, she makes it feel like more.

pairing: caitlin clark x player!media!liason!reader

warnings: player injury, and thats about ittttt

word count: 2.2k

authors note: hiiiii, my first fic please bare with me 😩

you’re not supposed to be nervous. not anymore. you’ve done the intern phase, late nights editing footage on a folding table, scrambling to write captions with one bar of service in the tunnel. you’ve stood in the middle of a huddle with your camera pressed to your face, pretending your heart wasn’t racing from being shoulder-to-shoulder with the entire starting five.

but this is different. this time, your name’s printed on a lanyard that says player media liaison, and your phone buzzes with direct messages from agents, reporters, and, god help you, caitlin clark herself.

first day of training camp and she’d already texted. not anything huge. just:

caitlin clark: hey. what time do i have to be at the tunnel thing tmrw? also is it the black hoodie or the blue one lol

you’d stared at the message for longer than you’d admit. reread it. checked your spelling four times before replying.

you: 10:15 sharp. and black. always black. caitlin clark: u sure? i feel like that blue one lowkey eats you: black’s undefeated. caitlin clark: fine. but if i look bad it’s on you lol

and then a follow-up, ten minutes later:

caitlin clark: also hi :)

you remember smiling at your screen. stupid, soft. something about the way she used the smiley like it meant more than “hi.”

training camp moved fast.

you were everywhere: lining up media kits, checking off shot lists, threading tiny microphones through jerseys, smoothing ponytails before post-practice interviews. you barely had time to breathe most days, but she noticed you.

not in a big way. not in a spotlight way. but in the way that mattered.

“you good?” she asked once, when you’d been crouched behind a baseline camera for half an hour, barely blinking. her voice low, close.

“fine,” you’d answered, too quickly.

she squinted at you like she didn’t quite believe you, then tossed you her towel. “hydrate or die-drate.”

you snorted. “that’s not—”

“don’t care. drink something.”

by the time the season opener hit, she was already in your phone under her name, with no emojis, no nickname, just caitlin, like she didn’t need anything else.

the texts were still mostly work.

caitlin: can we post that pic from warmups or will nike kill me caitlin: which mic are we using today? the scratchy one hates me caitlin: was i blinking in that video?? pls be honest

but they started getting longer. warmer. more… her.

caitlin: tbh idk if i’m ready for this game. not like nervous, just… off. idk. do i look off?

you’d looked at the photo before you posted it. it was her mid-laugh, eyes scrunched, jersey half-tucked. she looked real. human. strong.

you: no. you look like someone who knows exactly what she’s doing.

she replied with a heart. not an emoji. the word.

caitlin: heart.

the nights got longer after that. game days stretched into interviews, post-game content meetings, long van rides where you stayed up syncing audio. somewhere between shootarounds and media scrums, you started getting used to the way she lingered.

after warmups, she’d drift toward your side of the court. after practice, she’d catch your eye before heading to the locker room. after games, she’d scroll your story posts and dm you commentary:

caitlinclark22: why did u choose THAT one of me caitlinclark22: i look 4’11 caitlinclark22: ok that one’s fire nvm

and then, one night:

caitlin: you see me in a way i don’t usually see myself. weird.

you didn’t know what to say to that. not right away. but you typed:

you: not weird. just honest.

she didn’t respond until morning.

caitlin: thanks. means more than you know.

by week three, she wasn’t looking 100%.

you noticed it before anyone else said anything. not in the numbers, not on the box score. just in the way she moved—tight shoulders, shorter strides, wincing when she thought no one was watching.

“you good?” you asked, flipping your camera off between shots.

“totally,” she said. but then her voice dipped. “just sore. training camp still in my legs, i guess.”

you didn’t push. just handed her a water bottle.

caitlin: don’t post that tunnel fit pic btw. i look stiff af you: just rest, caitlin. the real ones don’t care about stiff arms.caitlin: do you? you: no.

and you meant it.

now it’s mid-july. she’s officially listed as out. the feeds are swirling with speculation, and the locker room feels quieter without her on the court.

but your phone is louder.

caitlin: this sucks caitlin: i hate watching. hate sitting. i feel like i’m letting everyone down caitlin: you. you’re stuck with the boring injured version of me

you’d sent back:

you: i’m not stuck. i’m here. big difference.

and she didn’t answer right away. not like usual. you’d gone to bed thinking maybe you said too much. maybe you crossed the invisible line.

but when you woke up:

caitlin: you’re the only part of this job that doesn’t feel heavy right now. caitlin: just thought you should know.

you’re at shootaround with your camera. she’s on the bench in sweats and a brace. the gym feels different—slower, like it’s waiting for something.

you pan your lens across the baseline, catching players in motion, sneakers squeaking, voices echoing. and then you feel it before you see it, eyes on you.

she’s looking again. not just looking. watching.

you lower your camera.

she lifts a hand. just two fingers. a quiet wave. her smile soft, like she knows something you haven’t said yet.

your phone buzzes.

caitlin: do i look okay? i feel like a ghost in these gray sweats lol

you glance up at her.

you: you look like yourself. that’s more than okay.

this time, she doesn’t text back.

she just holds your gaze.

and for the first time all week, you don’t need a screen to hear her.

there’s a rhythm to the work now.

you get good at knowing where to stand. when to shoot. how to be invisible and still the one caitlin looks for.

sometimes it’s catching the light off her cheek when she turns toward the tunnel. sometimes it’s holding her gaze just long enough before lifting the camera. she’s started sending a few of the photos to her mom. you know because she tells you, unprompted, one afternoon during media day when you’re kneeling to fix her mic and she doesn’t stop talking even after you’re done.

“my mom says you make me look sweet,” she says, soft around the mouth. “not just tough.”

you laugh, because she is tough. anyone who’s watched her play knows that. but in this moment, she’s all long lashes and a nervous glance at your hand still brushing her collar.

you step back too quickly. “well. i’ll take the compliment.”

the next day, she dm’s you a picture someone on the media team reposted from training camp. it’s a behind-the-scenes photo—meant to show off the staff, but you’re in the background, crouched low by the sideline, adjusting a camera lens. intense. tunnel-visioned. unaware.

caitlinclark22: look how serious you are. yourinstausername: i’m focused. caitlinclark22: you’re cute.

you stare at the message for ten minutes before answering. she doesn’t unsend it. doesn’t take it back. just reacts to your reply with a heart and sends a tiktok an hour later.

you start keeping her contact pinned.

the injury happens quiet. in slow motion. you don’t even see it. you’re on the opposite end of the court, fiddling with a camera battery. but there’s that sharp hush of the gym, the sound of shoes stopping too fast, the way bodies cluster without celebration.

you spot her on the bench later, arms crossed, jaw tight. she avoids every trainer’s eye, every camera lens.

until you crouch down next to her.

“you okay?” you whisper.

her eyes are a little glassy. her voice is steady, but barely. “i’ll live.”

you don’t say anything, just stay there until someone calls your name. before you walk away, she nudges her water bottle toward you.

later that night, your phone buzzes.

caitlin: sorry i was short today. you: you weren’t. caitlin: i just hate sitting still. you: i know. caitlin:…you looked nice today. you always do.

you read that one twice, maybe three times. your fingers hover.

you: you sure you’re not concussed? caitlin: if i was i’d probably be texting you worse things tbh.

you cover your face with your hands.

you don’t sleep for hours.

there’s a week where you hardly see her on the court.

she’s rehabbing quietly. walking slower. the only time she seems animated is when someone tells her to take it easy and she doesn’t want to.

you’re helping set up postgame content when she finds you behind the scenes, jacket half-zipped, hair damp from the shower.

“can you walk with me?” she says, like it’s simple. like you haven’t been avoiding staring at her hands all week.

you nod.

you don’t say anything until you’re both out back behind the arena, where no one goes except staff and players who want a cigarette and silence.

“they think i’m fragile now,” she says, eyes on the ground. “i hate it.”

“you’re not,” you answer. “you’re just… healing.”

“that’s the same thing, isn’t it?”

you shake your head. “it means you’re still here. still going. fragile is something that breaks and stays broken.”

she looks at you like she’s never heard anything kinder.

and then, so quietly it barely registers, “thanks.”

she doesn’t let go of your sleeve until someone texts her to come back inside.

the bus pulls in late, and the air feels too heavy for july. you're already sweating through your fever media tee when the equipment cart tips and a tripod crashes to the pavement. no one laughs. no one really talks.

you check your phone once, then again.

nothing from her.

you’ve learned not to expect it, she disappears into herself sometimes, especially when things go quiet. when her body won’t do what it’s told and her name is still on the back of every jersey in the crowd.

they announce it right before warmups: out tonight. precautionary.

you’re crouched baseline, adjusting the focus on a new lens, when you hear it. a chorus of groans, murmurs, something bitter beneath the buzz. you don’t look up right away. don’t need to. you already know.

you spot her on the bench in warmups, legs crossed at the ankle, hoodie sleeves pushed to her elbows like they itch. she doesn’t glance at the camera once.

it’s the first time in weeks you haven’t caught her looking.

and still, your lens finds her.

during the anthem. during opening tip. during a timeout where she chews on her thumbnail and doesn’t clap when the team huddles.

later, when the lights are too bright and the court is too quiet, a photographer from the league posts a shot of the fever media team setting up in tunnel lighting. you’re in the corner of it, blurred, halfway through clipping a mic onto someone’s jersey.

your phone buzzes.

caitlin: look at you. all official.

you don’t expect it. not with how the day’s gone.

you type something, erase it. type again.

you: thought you weren’t looking today.

a pause.

caitlin: i was.

another.

caitlin: you looked mad focused. tunnel-vision.

you smile a little, chewing the inside of your cheek.

you: i was just doing my job.

caitlin: you’re cute when you’re working.

this time, you don’t wait ten minutes to reply.

you: stop flirting with me while you’re benched. caitlin: i can’t run so i have to shoot my shot somehow.

your hands shake a little.

after the game, she’s quiet in the back hallway, arms tucked inside her sleeves. she’s barely said a word during postgame. but when you pass her, she hooks a finger in your backpack strap.

“walk me out?”

you nod. hand already halfway to hers.

outside, the sky’s gone violet-blue. everything smells like concrete and heat and summer that won’t let up. she kicks a pebble with her good foot, scowls.

“the worst part is sitting through it,” she mutters. “knowing i could be playing.”

you glance sideways. “you’re still part of it.”

“doesn’t feel like it.”

she slows. looks at you. then, quieter:

“you always make me feel like i’m still in it.”

you blink. “what do you mean?”

“you show me the good stuff. even when i’m not moving right. even when i feel like i’m wasting space. your pictures… they make me feel like me.”

you don’t know what to say to that.

so you don’t say anything. just let your hand brush hers once, twice, until she links your pinkies like it’s instinct.

you sit in her silence for a while.

it’s not the good kind, not yet. but she lets you stay there anyway.

you walk her to the car.

before she leaves, she looks back over her shoulder. “hey.”

“yeah?”

“don’t take any ugly pictures of me on the bench.”

“i never do.”

she smiles. then, as if it costs her something: “send me one?”

you do, right after she drives away.

she replies with a heart. then a voice memo.

you don’t play it for another hour.

when you do, it’s her voice, soft and cracking a little, like she recorded it in one breath:

“thank you for being here.”

you listen to it twice. then again.

just in case she meant it more than once.

[catastrophic-crisis]

The Video Game History Foundation just launched early access to its (digital) library, which contains development materials, artwork, press kits, promotional materials, and more relating to video games - some of which has never been public before - as well as "Over 1500 full-text searchable out-of-print video game magazines—including game industry trade magazines rarely available to the public."

More magazines ranging from Game Informer to Girl Gamer (the short-lived official Nintendo magazine) linked here.

Some highlights of the digitized library are the Cyan collection (the developer of the Myst adventure game series), which boasts over 200 videotapes and audio recordings including original FMV filming footage and "never-before-seen" interviews with the development team, Fromsoft promotional materials (given with a blessing from Fromsoft to be donated and including materials from Bloodborne to Kuon), and guidebooks and emphemera from video game events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

The library collections contain notes that designate whether materials are reproducible (for use in books, videos, etc) or restricted use, if that is a concern.

[anonity]

SOMEONE BETTER -- oneshot

been gone for a min for a last min road trip w/ friends for new years :) happy 2025! had this in my drafts after watching the paige ep on flau’jaes podcast

WC: ~1200 summary: paige catches you and your saved basketball edits

the amount of paige edits that popped up on your for-you-page was diabolical. especially considering she was your roommate.

you were waiting for her to return from practice, feet kicked up on the coffee table of your apartment, when the first of the day came up.

originally, you’d justified your ever-growing collection of edits as hype-videos: something you could scroll through before paige’s games to get you in the right mood. for a while, that checked out – you only saved her highlights, quick moving graphics with smooth transitions.

but then it had quickly devolved into what can only be described as an obsessive fan folder, filled with edits so thirsty you think you would actually combust if anyone saw them, let alone paige.

it was bound to happen.

you continued watching edits when the door opened, kept scrolling when it closed, and carried on even as paige leaned curiously on the kitchen counter. its not like she would know who you were watching – hell, you had juju watkins videos coming up on your page every couple days, too. 

this arrangement had worked perfectly for you for months. you got to indulge in your quietest delusions, and your best-friend-turned-roommate could continue on none the wiser. 

until her voice rang out clearly from your phone. you would’ve played it off, really, said it was an interview clip or something, had her voice not immediately been followed by the “or nah” audio. 

mortified did not even begin to describe the feeling clawing into your throat.

you scrolled impossibly fast and began praying. maybe she hadn’t been paying attention. maybe she wasn’t even in the kitchen anymore. maybe you’d imagined the entire thing and paige wasn’t even real and this was all some kind of awful dream you’d wake up from in 3, 2, 1…

“whatcha watchin’?”

you think your soul has left your body. 

paige is sauntering over and looking very smug. you’re wondering how fast you can make it from the couch to the balcony. 

“an interview,” you try anyway, despite the fact that not a single interview in the history of basketball has ever included fucking ty dolla sign.

paige smirks, leaning over the back of the couch. her breath tickles the top of your head and you shiver despite yourself, eyes trained on the tiktok now repeating on your phone – one of those orange muppet videos (pepe? is he supposed to be a shrimp?) stuck on the first slide. really, if it weren’t for the horrors of your current situation, you would find the irony funny. if you survived this event, maybe you would make one. you can see it now. “i’m watching edits of my roommate – my roommate walks in – i have to defend myself to my roommate –” i have to defend myself to my roommate.

“which interview?”

“umm,” you say, eloquently. you can’t think past your orange muppet spiral. “overwatch?”

paige laughs, a noise that distracts you long enough for her to yank your phone away. “overtime?”

shit.

you can barely get out a disdained “paige!” before you hear the audio repeating again. would a fall from the third floor kill you? is it still considered a fall if you jump?

you stop lunging for your phone – maybe you can just play it cool. who cares if theres a paige edit on your FYP? it's only weird if you make it weird. “you act like those don’t pop up on your for you page too.” 

paige shushes you, biting her cheeks in mock-seriousness. she shushes you! the nerve! if you weren’t so mortified you would argue with her! 

but you are mortified, and so you stay quiet.  the silence stretches on and on until your phone also goes silent. the apartment's heating unit is suddenly very loud, and for once you aren’t irritated at the noise – instead, you just think of how much you will actually miss your loud heating unit once paige processes the situation and kicks you out of your apartment in the dead of winter. 

you think it can’t get any worse, until another audio starts playing and a self-satisfied grin stretches across paiges face. “you have like 70 videos in here.”

somebody kill me.

the original silence is filled with mr. lover lover, and there is absolutely no way you can “it’s for the hype” your way out of this. she continues scrolling. you stare helplessly at the floor. after what you can only guess is six or seven incriminating edits, she pauses, her jaw clenching inexplicably. here it comes. 'get out of my apartment' – 'i can’t look at you the same anymore'. you’re so cooked. fried, even.

“whatchu got caitlin saved in here for?”

what?

you must’ve voiced that thought out loud, because she responds. “you got a thing for iowa players too?”

your brows furrow. this was not the direction you thought this would be going in. instead, theres an edge cutting through paige’s words that you can’t quite place. is she still pissed? you let out a nervous laugh. “relax, paige, it’s not like i’m making wedding plans with her.”

paige stiffens. “it’s enough for a save-the-date.”

“paige, it’s like a 30 to 1 ratio.”

“yeah, our points ratio is 30:1 too.”

what the hell? first of all, you watch enough basketball to know that's not true. second of all, again, what the hell? 

“i mean, it’s fine, i get it.” paige shrugs, suddenly uninterested in your phone. she tosses it on the couch and you (slowly) slip it into your pocket before she can change her mind. “i just think it’s funny you watch her when you literally live with someone better.”

“better at what?” paige splutters. “basketball.” 

suddenly, it clicks. you sit, quiet, stunned for a second. “paige, if i didn’t know any better i’d say you sound jealous.”

“it’s not jealousy! it’s.. like, respect.” paige gestures wildly, and you’d almost believe her if there wasn’t a flush creeping up her neck.  you raise a brow. “respect?” “we share a netflix account! and you’re saving edits of my competition!” “you’re totally jealous.” 

paige looks cornered, backing towards the kitchen. her gaze falls to the floor. “i just think, like, i dunno – i just think i care about you and i’m right here and you’re saving edits of caitlin freakin’ clark.”

you can’t help the laugh that escapes, the absurdity of this situation catching up to you. somewhere in the back of your mind, you see the orange muppet again. 

“what’s so funny?”

“you’re just –” you take a deep breath. “i can’t believe your jealous over a caitlin clark edit. you act like we’re together or something.”

“maybe i wanna be.”

paige freezes. you freeze. the heater kicks off. you're moving before you can think about it, standing in front of her. her eyes stay trained to the floor.

“i’m sorry. i just – you drive me crazy.”

“you say that like it’s a bad thing.”

she finally glances up, a smile cracking. “it’s not.”

“then what are you gonna do about it?”

her hand is on your jawline in an instant, and the nervousness bubbling in your chest is finally cut off with her lips on yours. when you pull away, she’s grinning.

“30:1 edit ratio, huh?”

your face heats, and you push your head against her chest. “not funny, paige.”

“i’ll make a new folder for you – poor decisions, filled with caitlin clark edits.”

"alright that's enough."

[cuteandhughesy]

5 Times ╰┈➤ MK23

summary: where a fan creates a mini compilation of all the times you and your boyfriend, matthew knies, were seen kissing and being cute on camera.

[word count] 2.0k

warnings: SFW! pre-established relationship | fluff | matthew being a cutie

a/n: just a short and sweet little imagine for my pookie kniesy :) the next story to be worked on is a jeremy swayman fic based on a request ! so stay tuned for that

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

you and matthew lounge together comfortably, your libs tangled together on the couch. free evenings with matthew typically all looked the same - the two of you snuggling and enjoying each others presence in the homey comfort of matthew’s apartment. most of the time, including right now, you'd find yourself lazily scrolling your tiktok's for you page, and matthew watches amusingly over your shoulder - head resting against yours as you both laugh at stupid videos.

it wasn't uncommon for you to get hockey related videos and compilations among other varying tiktok videos - you were dating an nhl player after all. but tonight one edit in particular had your thumb freezing mid scroll - you and matthew re-reading the capitalized title that flashes on the video screen.

"matthew knies and y/n being cute and kissing on camera"

with much curiosity, you and matthew let the video play - intrigued on just how often you and matthew had shown affection in the public eye.

1st clip

the video starts with an interview clip that was taken at the last tavares foundation event just a few weeks ago.

at first, you're wondering how a clip of max domi smiling his toothless smile as he talks about how beneficial and important the tavares foundation is, correlates to you and matthew.

but then the screen is cropped, focusing in on the background behind max. in the back, you and matthew are standing near one of the backdrops covered in the foundations logo, facing one another as you chat together.

the fabric of your pastel, silk summer dress is looking reflective under the studio lights, which instantly draws your eyes in - no wonder fans spotted you lurking in the background.

you're smiling as you sip on some of the fancy cocktail held in the long stemmed glass. that moment you remember your face flushing from an inappropriate comment matthew had made regarding your boobs - and your memory is confirmed as matthew throws his head back in the video, his laughter just catching the audio through your phone.

matthew reaches out for you, one of his suit covered arms wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you through the short distance of space between your bodies. now that you're tightly pressed against him, matthew smirks sweetly and leans down, planting a cheeky kiss on your lips.

just before the clip ends, you watch yourself reluctantly pull away from the kiss, a smile on your face. both of you are completely oblivious to the interview happening a few feet away, and that it’s recording your interaction - matthew leans back in, pressing two more chaste pecks to your mouth as the video cuts.

2nd clip

the clips transitions into a different setting, and you and matthew are met with the sight of an almost empty scotiabank arena. the video is actually from another girlfriends instagram story as she films her partner greeting his family in the stands after the game.

once again, the creator of the video zooms into the background of the video. a few sections away, you and matthew were stood with matthew's family. it was from the end of the previous nhl season when matthew's parents and brother had flown in for a couple weeks to watch some games and spend time with their son.

matthew is standing behind you, pressed tightly against your backside. he's got his arms around around you in a gentle hug, and you reciprocate the intimacy by holding onto his forearms, keeping him close. both of you are blissfully unaware of everything around you, the two of you laughing and chatting with matthew's mom and dad about the game and even upcoming dinner plans.

you both look so domestic and in love - you've never seen the clip before and you honestly barley remembered that day before watching this video - but now you know it exists, you'll definitely have to save it.

you watch as matthew laughs at something seemingly particularly funny, and he sweetly leans into the crook of your neck, his chest rumbling against the material of your toronto maple leaf branded jean jacket. you're laughing as well in the video, and without even knowing what's funny, present you and matthew laugh along.

3rd clip

the next video was also from last season, and you and matthew are met with a scene from nathan phillips square in downtown toronto. the edit is clipped from a fan account, and they had captured a sweet video of you and matthew.

it was from the yearly family skate for the leaf players and their families, and your boyfriend had asked you to come along. the camera follows you and matthew, gliding leisurely along the expanse of the slippery ice rink with one another.

matthew is infront of you, skating backwards so he's able to look at you while he does so. you've got your hands clutched in your boyfriends warm palms, and he is pulling you gently along the ice with him, so you don't actually have to move your feet.

the smile on your face is bright, lighting up your entire winter kissed face. matthew is chatting away happily, his usual animated expression giving away the lightheartedness shared between you.

your lips move, but you can't tell what you're telling him - keeping some privacy and intimacy between you despite the cameras.

matthew's response isn't with words, but instead he slows you both down, coming to a halt before leaning in and kissing you. it's not a very long kiss, but it is definitely more than a peck - there's no tongue, or teeth, or grabbing onto one another like animals - the kiss is just simple and sweet.

matthew pulls away, his usual cheeky grin gracing his bright coloured lips.

right before the clip changes, you and matthew continue back at the slow skate you'd been doing just moments before the kiss - both of you looking at one another with the glimmer of light in your gazes. 

they throw another short clip in from the same day of events. this time you're on the bench, cuddling up to william nylander's adorable puppies when matthew waddles over to you, his balance off because of his skates touching floor rather than ice.

he's slightly breathless from the scrimmage he’d just finished with his teammates, and just like all the other previous videos, he's got no clue there's a camera on.

matthew runs a hand through the dogs curly hair once before repeating the gesture on your head, smoothing over your styled hair before coming the rest on the side of your face. he tilts your head upwards in search of your gaze, and once he has it, he smiles quickly - leaning in to press a hello kiss to your lips.

4th clip

the next video has a recency favouritism for you, because it was only a few days ago. at the leafs home opener, you and some of the other established wags were standing along the boards for warmups. their kids were bringing the energy, happily watching their dads and the team greet them in between warm up drills.

the video is clearly taken by a fan - a shaky recording taken from the adjacent side of where you were standing.

matthew is standing right infront of you, and the video captures him blatantly flirting with you through the plexiglass that separates you two. matthew jerks his head at you, and a smirk is tugging at the corner of his plump lips.

although it's not the best quality, the video captures when you roll your eyes playfully - looking very amused at your boyfriends typical flirty antics.

matthew laughs, spinning on his skates so he's properly face to face with you. you smile warmly at your boyfriend through the glass, and matthew smiles back - tapping the heel of his hockey stick on the plexiglass right by your face.

the he turns away, shooting you one more charming smirk before he skates away, a puck sitting against the tape of his stick - shooting it over to marner.

5th clip

you've seen the next video before. it's from the leafs blueprint series on youtube - a series where they follow around players and the team to capture some lighthearted, behind the scenes footage. the rookie episode was one of your favourites merely because it had matthew in it.

the clip used in the edit was taken when your boyfriend was giving the camera crew a tour of, at the time, his new apartment. matthew loved his time living with john tavares and his family, but he had been over the moon at having his own space to come home to and have you spend time in.

towards the end of the tour, you're seen watching happily on one of the barstools, smiling encouragingly at your boyfriend showing off his stuff - furniture and framed photos of his family and you two together. matthew introduces you proudly, making some ridiculous joke about you being his 'professional dress shirt iron girl.' it has him smiling proudly at his joke, while you shake your head resting on the heel of your palm - a gentle, amused grin on your face.

the camera crew captures matthew's departure to the rink from the apartment. he's got a small duffle bag in one hand, containing his practice necessities, and a protein shake clutched in the other. even without the use of his hands, he parts from you sweetly, kissing you firmly.

he mumbles goodbye against your mouth before completely pulling away. this time, matthew was very much aware of the camera filming your interaction and he didn't want to subject you to crazy pda.

but you don't care about the cameras, and you watch yourself blush under your boyfriends intense blue eyed gaze. your clear flustered face has matthew's sultry smirk deepening - shouting out another goodbye as he leaves his apartment.

the producer asks a question about you in the car on the way to the rink, asking matthew about your relationship and what you mean to him and his career. matthew's response to that always had you melting, and as you watch the video for what feels like the hundredth time, those warm, loving feelings are just as strong as every other time.

"y/n is not only my girlfriend but she's my best friend. we've been dating for a few years now, and every year she's never failed to be the most supportive and loving human i've ever met. she doesn't care if I win or loose, she just cares about me. without y/n I probably wouldn't of made it as far as I have. I love her so much."

-

the video ends, and immediately you're looking over at matthew. you've got a watery expression on your face, your lips forming into a gentle, loving pout.

matthew smiles sweetly, wrapping his arms around your body and pulling you onto his lap. he kisses the side of your head with a loud smack. "I had no idea we've been filmed being all lovey with one another that many times - I guess i'm pretty social unaware." matthew hums, fingers tickling the outside of your bicep slowly.

you giggle, "you're not socially unaware, honey. people are just sneaky."

"wanna know what I think it is?"

you hum, brows raised curiously. you look at matthew from the corner of your eye, head lolling against his chest so that your cheek is pressed to his peck.

"I think i'm just too infatuated by you that when you're around I can't help but focus on anything but you."

you squint slightly. "whipped."

his mouth falls open, eyes wide in surprise from your teasing remark. matthew wastes no more time, leaning in to blow a tickly raspberry against your pink, rosy cheek.

you squeal pleasantly, trying to squirm away and escape matthew's adorable attack.

once you're laughter subsides, and matthew's done assaulting your cheek with tickly blows and kisses, he smiles. it's a sincere smile, one where he looks truly relaxed and happy. "I love you sweet girl."

you deflate against his chest warmly, and you press a quick kiss to the corner of matthew's mouth. "I love you."

[onaswife]

Putellas Jr. Headcanons.

Couple: Mapi León x Putellas!Reader

(Reader will be called Alondra )

Au!Omegaverse. Alpha x Alpha

Word count: 2.7k

Warnings: None, just that English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes.

Enjoy~

PERSONAL LIFE. FRIENDSHIPS, FAMILY.

Alondra Putellas Segura (1999) is an alpha.

Her name was chosen by her father.

Younger sister of Alexia Putellas (1994) and Alba Putellas (1997).

When Alondra grew up she had problems with her scent glands because they did not develop correctly, which ended up affecting her scent. She has a sweeter scent, an aroma not characteristic of an alpha and characteristic of an omega, which is why she was often mistaken for one.

Her scent is sweet, warm, with a touch of vanilla and soft wood.

She followed in the footsteps of her older sister and became a professional soccer player.

She is good at learning languages. The longest it has taken her to learn a new language was 6-7 months.

“My mission in life is to annoy Alexia, to make her feel alive”

She has her group of friends outside the world of football. Matthew and Danielle are Omegas, Jackson and Eric are Alphas. Also Jackson and Danielle are siblings.

Alondra is a hyperactive person, she can’t stay still and some people on the staff suspect she has an attention deficit.

She shares tattoos with her sisters.

When she is nervous, she plays with her ring or the lace of her shorts.

She is a friend of Kerstin Casparij (she has a very similar personality), Jill Roord and Viv miedema. As a joke, they said that Alondra was Dutch in another life.

Even though she is no longer a Young Alpha, she is still treated like a puppy by Alexia, Irene, Kim, Marta and Jenni.

She is the queen of practical jokes in the locker room. No one is safe, not even Alexia or the coaches.

She has the most chaotic relationship with Alba. They love each other, but they can also argue over the silliest thing and the next minute be cuddling on the couch.

She likes to annoy Lucy and if it were an Olympic sport, Alondra would have already won the Gold medal.

She can fall asleep anywhere. On the bus, in the locker room, on the plane and in any uncomfortable place you can imagine.

Her playlist is absolute chaos. You can find everything from reggaeton to alternative rock and the occasional ABBA song.

She always has gum in her backpack.

She prefers WhatsApp audios to text messages because she's too lazy to write.

She's always the last to leave the locker room because she'll keep talking or bothering someone.

She's the typical one who comes in with the music at full volume without headphones, forcing everyone to listen to her chaotic playlist.

She's the only one who can annoy Alexia without serious consequences. Anyone else tries and gets the death stare.

Alba, Olga and her have a WhatsApp chat just to complain about Alexia when she goes into 'intense older sister' mode.

When she's with her mom, she automatically becomes calmer and sweeter. It's like her chaos off button.

When she was younger and Alexia was dating, she interrupted in the most annoying way possible.

At Christmas, she's always the one in charge of making the funniest (and sometimes ridiculous) gifts.

She's the one who sends memes at any time of the day without context.

When she gets obsessed with a series, she won't stop until she's watched it all in a couple of days.

She likes to play video games, but only sports or racing ones because she doesn't have the patience for history ones.

If she finds something she likes (a dessert, a song, a restaurant), she'll repeat it until she's tired.

If she's bored, she starts throwing things in the air just to see if she can catch them with her feet or head.

She wears her sweatpants really low just to piss Alexia off.

She has an obsession with rings and always wears at least one.

She sometimes paints her nails black or dark colors, but she bites them when she's nervous.

Sarcasm is her second language, and she even uses it in interviews.

She talks a mile a minute when she's excited and the only one who can stop her is Alexia with a "Alondra, breathe."

Alexia still can't get over her going out with Mapi, every time she sees them together she makes a face of "how did this happen."

When she comes home, she hangs on to Alexia as if she were still a puppy.

Every time she visits home, Alba and Alexia check her new tattoos to see if they're "suitable" after having joked that the next tattoo she would get would be something related to Real Madrid (she would never be able to get a tattoo about RM) (She hates RM with all her soul).

In her teens, when her hormones were at their peak, she suffered from not being able to impose her presence with her scent like the other Alphas. So she developed a confident and defiant body language to compensate.

Although she doesn't have a strong scent, her Alpha instincts are still there. She is extremely protective of her own, but she masks it with pranks and chaos.

With Alba, she is the typical Alpha sister who teases her younger Omega, but if someone treats her badly, she lets out a low growl that makes anyone back off

With her mother, her bark or Alpha disappears. The only person in the world who can make her sit and eat quietly without a fight.

She is clingy with the people she loves. If she is confident with someone, she will hug them by the neck or lean on you without giving you a choice.

Nothing like the typical Alpha. This makes some Omegas feel comfortable with her immediately, without noticing her dominant presence.

Many Alphas tried to mark her unconsciously because her scent awakened protective instincts in them. The habit did not last long after Alondra brushed them off with a challenging look.

Growing up as an Alpha but with a scent that did not match caused her many doubts in her adolescence. She did not feel completely Alpha or completely Omega.

The media and some fans have been speculating for years about her dynamic as an Alpha. Many believe that she is an Omega who identifies as an Alpha. Alondra does not care.

Alondra's dick size varies between 19 to 23 centimeters, while Mapi's varies between 17 to 20 centimeters.

PROFESSIONAL LIFE.

She studied and started playing at La Masia as a forward, where in 2015 she had the opportunity to move up to the first team and debut alongside her sister in the same team.

In 2016 Arsenal set their sights on her and decided to sign her, there was a conflict between Barcelona and Arsenal, since the first team did not want to lose Alondra completely and Arsenal did not want to accept her on loan. Finally, an agreement was reached and Alondra left as a new signing for Arsenal.

In 2019, Alondra was close to winning a Ballon d'Or, finishing in second place.

Number 11 in the first years at Arsenal. First season in Barcelona, ​​she wears number 18 and after Lucy's departure, she takes over number 15.

Arsenal: 2016-2017 to 2021-2022.

Barcelona: 2022-2023 to the present.

Alondra was part of the Spanish senior team between 2018-2022, being part of the 15 movement.

Getting to know the English team in her first year playing in London and in the first international break, thanks to Leah and Chloe who introduced her at a camp. (Alondra did not want to return to Spain and preferred to stay in London as she had a silly argument with Alba and pride was stronger).

Then very close to all the other English girls.

When she gets angry in games she usually shouts rude things in Catalan, or when she wants to bother in the locker room.

Yellow card duo with Katie McCabe.

In 2022 she decided to leave Arsenal and return to Barcelona. They are the only teams she has played for. The reasons for leaving were due to internal problems she had at the club.

CHELSEA'S HATER N°1

Who gives the most content on social media (team and personal)

At Arsenal, she and Katie McCabe had an unofficial competition of who could receive the most yellow cards without being sent off.

Leah and Chloe consider her their ‘Spanish troublemaker’ and take her everywhere when she is in London.

In the national team, Jenni Hermoso was her ally in mischief.

She always wears the same cleats when she plays an important match. She is superstitious about it.

Has a friendly rivalry with Patri Guijarro at Barça. They are always competing in training.

The terror of the alphas of other teams because she never stops provoking on the pitch.

Can turn anything into a challenge, from who gets to the locker room first to who hits the crossbar the most times.

Always has energy to spare, she is the typical one who wants to keep running in training when everyone is dead.

She is the terror of the medical staff, because she hates staying still when she is injured. Since her scent is not typical of an Alpha, she sometimes confuses others about her rank. This has been a problem on the court, where some rival Alphas underestimate her…

She grew up with a certain complex about her scent, especially when she was younger and other Alphas looked at her strangely for not smelling "correctly." But over time she learned to use it to her advantage, especially in provocations.

With the Omegas on her team she has a very marked relationship: she bothers them all the time, but if someone makes them feel uncomfortable, she completely changes and becomes threatening.

She does not mark everyone with bites, but she leaves "her mark" in other ways: hugs with a lot of physical contact, rubbing her head against her teammates' or biting their wrist when celebrating a goal.

In important games, her Alpha instinct is triggered. She plays more aggressively and her team uses her as a "territory marker."

If a rival Alpha tries to intimidate an Omega on her team, she is the first to intervene. Especially if it's Patri or one of her Omega friends.

In the locker room, she lays on top of her fellow Omegas without warning. "So they smell like the pack," she says.

She doesn't like being seen as a "weak" Alpha because of her scent, so she's one of the first to jump into verbal fights with rival Alphas.

Her scent may be sweeter, but when someone irritates her, it becomes stronger. In a match against Chelsea, her scent changed so much that Leah asked her if she was okay.

Some Alphas taunted her by saying that her scent made her "less Alpha." Katie McCabe was one of the few who told her to her face that "a real Alpha doesn't need a strong scent to get noticed." From that moment on, they became inseparable.

When she arrived at Barça, Patri and Aitana also doubted her Alpha presence... until they saw her play. Now Patri calls her "the infiltrated Alpha."

In the locker room, she sits between the Omegas because she likes the warmth of her presence. At Arsenal, her place was always between Leah and Viv.

On the national team, Irene Paredes spent half of the training camp reminding the others that, despite her deceptive scent, Alondra was an Alpha.

When she is upset or in the middle of a competition, her scent changes and becomes more spicy, with a slight hint of clove. It is the only time she imposes herself as a traditional Alpha.

In the locker room, she was often asked to calm panicked Omegas because her scent calmed them more than that of the other Alphas.

She always felt that she had to prove more than any other Alpha to be recognized as such. In every match, she played as if she had something to prove.

At Arsenal, some new Alphas doubted her presence until they saw her train. One time, a new Alpha commented that Alondra “looked like an Omega with too much energy.” Kim Little replied: “Tell her that on the pitch and see if you still think the same.”

Despite her soft scent, her Alpha instinct is immediately activated when she senses danger for her pack. If an Omega on her team is attacked on the pitch, Alondra is the first to arrive with a defiant smile and her body ready to defend.

Although she is an Alpha, in the Arsenal pack she would often curl up between Leah and Viv, as if she were another Omega.

RELATIONSHIP WITH MAPI.

They started dating Mapi in 2018.

When Alexia found out she wanted to hang Maria.

Designed some of Mapi's tattoos, but she has also suggested some absurd ones just to annoy her.

Shares a tattoo with Mapi. (Looks can be deceiving)

She has a list of tattoos she wants to get but can't decide because Mapi always convinces her to wait.

She doesn't obsess over couple marks like other Alphas, but she does obsess over couple scents. Mapi always ends up smelling like her because Alondra hugs her by the neck and hides her against her chest after games.

She knows that her bite isn't as strong as other Alphas, which made her insecure at first. She thought she'd never be able to properly mark her mate. But Mapi reassured her by telling her that, if she wanted to, she'd bite her until the venom was gone.

When Mapi is in heat, Alondra doesn't leave her alone for a second. If anyone gets too close to her, even her own teammates, her inner Alpha wakes up and automatically growls.

At first, she was afraid that she wasn't "Alpha enough" for Mapi. But Mapi took it upon herself to show her that it didn't matter.

Mapi sometimes bites her just for fun, but when Alondra does it, she does it with intent.

Mapi loves to see her in her clothes, especially her old t-shirts. It's her way of "marking" her without needing a bite.

One time, Alexia found them cuddling after a game, and her Alpha got so activated that she was in a bad mood all day.

When she first met Mapi, she thought she would be one of those who wouldn't take her seriously as an alpha. But Mapi sniffed her once, smiled, and said, "You're different. I like it." From then on, Alondra knew Mapi was her person.

Mapi loves her scent. She says it's "gently addictive," especially after workouts, when sweat intensifies it.

When they sleep together, Mapi clings to her shirt or collar, as if Alondra's scent relaxes her.

Sometimes when Mapi is in heat, Alondra feels like her Alpha instinct isn't enough. But Mapi always reassures her with a look, reminding her that it's not the scent that defines her, but who she is.

When Alondra is in heat, Mapi becomes much more territorial than usual. She's not aggressive, but her body language changes completely: she stays close, with her hand on Alondra's back or an arm over her shoulder. Her scent also intensifies and becomes thicker, like a silent warning.

Although she is not the type of Alpha who seeks to mark all the time, with Alondra, it is different. She does not mind if another Alpha approaches her partner, but she always makes it clear who owns the territory. She loves that Alondra smells her after training.

First I want to give credit to @insomniakisses who gave me the idea to do this and helped me with many things

[secretlittlerandezvous]

Bounced Back - Jack Mcbain

Summary: After a messy, public breakup with F1 driver Lance Stroll, Y/n decides to hard launch her happiness.

Words: 633

The worst part about dating someone famous wasn’t the attention. It wasn’t the travel, the headlines, or the whispers on social media.

It was the way people kept talking after.

After the messy breakup, after the betrayal, after she walked away and refused to look back. People still couldn’t stop putting her name next to his.

Lance Stroll had been her first taste of the high-profile life. Flashy paddocks, yacht parties, and luxury hotel suites. But behind closed doors, there were cold silences, broken promises, and eventually the texts she wasn’t supposed to see.

He cheated. Repeatedly. Carelessly. With more girls she could count. And when she confronted him, all he said was, “You knew what this world was like.”

So she left.

No statement. No drama. Just quiet heartbreak and a vow to never let herself be treated like that again.

Almost a year later, she met Jack McBain.

Or maybe Jack found her.

It wasn’t love at first sight; it was quieter than that. Steady. He showed up when he said he would. Held her when the old wounds stung. Jack loved deeply and without ego, the kind of man who kissed her forehead before games and told her she was the strongest person he knew.

She had moved on.

But Lance hadn’t.

Even a year after the breakup, his name still popped up in her notifications not from him directly, but from interview clips, podcasts, even TikTok edits.

And then there was that clip.

It wasn’t even subtle.

A behind-the-scenes F1 video caught him scrolling on his phone, then turning to the camera. “Crazy how people downgrade after me,” he laughed. “But hey, good for her.”

It made her stomach turn.

She hadn’t wanted revenge. But now?

Now she wanted clarity.

She wanted the world to see what real love looked like.

So that evening, while Jack was back from morning skate and roaming their apartment with wet hair and sweatpants slung low on his hips, she pulled out her phone.

“Hey babe,” she called, already recording.

Jack turned toward her, smile lazy. “Yeah?”

“Just come here,” she said softly.

As the audio began to play. “Bounced back and found another and he hates you” - Jack stepped into the frame. He didn’t ask questions. Just wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and tucked his face into the crook of her neck.

“Was that... TikTok audio?” he mumbled into her skin, laughing softly.

Y/n didn’t answer. Just leaned into him, heart thudding. She caught the last shot: his hands resting protectively on her stomach, his lips brushing the side of her head, his presence grounding her like no one else ever had.

She posted it with no caption.

The video exploded.

@nhlfangirl: "Jack McBain? Hugging her like that? I’m sobbing." @f1gossipqueen: "Lance Stroll lost the plot and she bounced back with a HOCKEY PLAYER?? That’s on being iconic." @goals: "This man treats her like gold. And looks like it too."

Jack read a few of the comments and snorted. “Didn’t know I was starring in your revenge arc.”

She smirked. “You’re the plot twist.”

But later that night, as she lay curled against him under the soft glow of their bedroom lamp, Jack turned serious.

“I know what he did messed you up,” he said quietly. “And I know this video was more than just fun for you.”

She blinked at him, heart caught in her throat.

“I just want you to know,” he added, brushing her cheek, “you never have to prove anything again. You’re not someone’s ex. You’re not a headline. You’re mine. And I’m proud of you every single day.”

Y/n pressed her face into his chest to hide her tears. She finally, truly, felt loved.

Lance could keep talking.

But she wasn’t listening anymore.

[the-sassy-composer]

Oh hey that's me! If you're interested in learning a bit more about my journey into audio dramas, video games, or starting my own audio editing company, I talk about all three and more in this interview.

Black History Month for Podcasters!

In celebration of Black History Month, Afros & Audio will be interviewing different black creators working in podcasts every day for the entire month. Our founder @the-sassy-composer will be featured in February 11th's episode. So much podcast knowledge from some amazing creators!

[maerossi]

resources for learning Japanese

I'm just making this post because someone asked me! This is stuff I've used and liked; it's not comprehensive by any means. For every resource I enjoy, I know a bunch of Japanese learners who managed to reach a high level of proficiency without using it.

First:

The person who messaged me mentioned motivation. I'm gonna play devil's advocate for a quick sec, so bear with me. Japanese, for native speakers of English who do not know any languages similar to Japanese, is really time-consuming to learn. I am teaching Japanese to a student rn, and I just had a conference with their parents in which I straightforwardly said: In the time it takes your child to learn Japanese, they could probably have learned Spanish, French, how to sail, and a bit of carpentry instead. I'm personally learning Japanese for a lot of different reasons: I want to live in a country where I can afford health care and rent; I love Japanese literature and feel intellectually stilted without access to it; lots of my homies speak Japanese; etc. But there are real trade-offs, and I have sometimes wondered what my life would be if I'd gotten super into Dutch or computer programming or moss instead. It's worth thinking about whether the investment is worth it for you, and taking the time to write out why you're doing this.

The Resources

Grammar

A very nice guy named Tae Kim wrote a perfectly good textbook on basic Japanese grammar that he shares with folks for free (https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar).

Bunpro.jp: Bunpro is THE BEST!!!!! Really thorough, logical grammar explanations; they routinely clarify stuff for me that I've never fully understood before. In addition to explaining the grammar, they have tons of example sentences, most of which have audio tracks with recordings made by professional Japanese voice actors. AND you can add the grammar points you're learning to a flashcard desk and practice that way. Bunpro doesn't just improve grammar, but it really improves your speaking and writing skills as well imo; something about the way the flashcards force me to think really works on my active language skills.

GameGengo is a super cool YouTube channel where one guy explains grammar points while showing you tons of examples from real video games. https://www.youtube.com/@GameGengo

JapaneseAmmoWithMisa is another great YouTube channel where a native speaker explains a lot of stuff that I otherwise don't encounter in textbooks.

Kanji

I like WaniKani and think it's been the best thing for me in terms of knowing how to read kanji combinations that are kind of "weird," unusual, rare, etc. However, it took me a long time to realize that WaniKani really focuses on passive reading skills and not writing at all, so I do recommend practicing writing on your own.

I didn't own a kanji dictionary for years, but I've found them pretty necessary since I started focusing on my writing. Both of the above are equally good imo (the left is probably more readily available in Japan; the right is cheaper in the US). They both put the kanji in a logical sequence, from common to uncommon, and then have useful lists of frequent kanji combinations, tell you the stroke order, etc.

Listening

I really like FluentU, which shows you clips from native materials like movies, shows, commercials, interviews, etc., and then teaches you the vocab you heard, quizzes you on it, and shows you the video again so that you can see how much more you can understand. It's a little expensive to use, though (DO wait for their sales, which happen frequently), and you can definitely find a lot of free stuff to listen to online.

I love JFF Theatre, which has recently released movies from Japan, completely free to watch:

They used to only be allowed to stream movies for one month every year, and now they stream different stuff year-round, which is really cool. They usually have about 6 different movies at a time.

Textbooks

The Shin Kanzen Master textbook series, which is based on JLPT levels, is known for being pretty hard but is also v useful, especially if you're trying to pass the JLPT. The vocab textbooks are cool when you're N2 and above because they teach you tons of nuance between synonyms of words.

Misc

You can follow cool Japanese learners on Tumblr like @tokidokitokyo, @corvid-language-library, and @epivanosilon (and tons of other cool folks!!)

There's a fun monthly book club on Discord that's probably good for N2+ folks: https://www.tumblr.com/tokidokitokyo/785027373105020929/seitokais-june-english-book-club

Ruby Gagotoku on Instagram and Substack makes amazing posts on learning Japanese (she is N1+ in terms of reading), and she's really inspiring to me because she taught herself to read Japanese books while never having actually been to Japan. If you follow her, you can definitely find a lot of resources, communities online, and homies to learn with: https://www.instagram.com/rubygagotoku, https://rubygagotoku.substack.com/

Literally yesterday I found the KuLA app (くずし字学習支援アプリKuLA), which teaches you the basics of how to read kuzushiji (pre-modern Japanese script) in a cute way. I love how the little bug-sensei starts off so optimistic but then freaks out when explaining how hard it is to read pre-modern texts lol:

And remember: There's no shame in learning Spanish, French, sailing, and carpentry instead of this beast of a language that has uprooted my life multiple times and has made me go through probably 40,000 flashcards in the last decade lollllll ganbatte

[txttletale]

actually good doctor who video game ideas

disco-elysium style crpg where you play as the doctor, going around a Planet of the Week and intervening in personal and political conflicts, helping people, making moral choices, etc.

TARDIS spacetime geoguesser. you could make this a full-on edutainment game by mocking up historical time periods and locations

dalek FPS. think doom, with a dalek-like setup of a lone dalek escaping a space prison/research facility and reactivating its functionalities as it progresses

RTS with all the classic factions (daleks, cybermen, time lords, sontarans), and then some deeper/wackier cuts like idk draconians and judoon.

alternatively make this one a space 4x. 'endless space with daleks' is an easy slam dunk

first-person survival horror as either the doctor or a sally-sparrow type one-off companion character commujnicating with the doctor through Random Documents and Audio Logs

first-person environemtnal puzzler a la kairo or antichamber or the witness in e-space/the antizone/omega's antimatter universe/etc. where you play as the doctor just peacefully figuring out some puzzles in a surreal abstract environment

time travel puzzler kind of like that one titanfall 2 level meets return of the obra dinn where you take the tardis back into the past to affect your enviroment in the present

immortality/her story style FMV game where you play a confused normie trying to puzzle together the events of a typical doctor who episode plot through fragemnted police interview clips of a very exasperated doctor trying to explain that there's an alien dog loose

immersive sim/stealth game in the thief or dishonored vein starring one of the doctor's more-violent-than-him companions like ace or river song sneaking through buildings to foil a sinister alien plot

okay now that ive made this list theres no reason for the BBC to ever license out a shitty 2d platformer every again. Please

[melonnmiru]

being a professional volleyball player had gotten kiyoomi an onslaught of— albeit, somewhat unhinged, fans.

he'd never say he hated his fans. in fact, he appreciated their constant support for his growth as both a person and a way too attractive volleyball player. however, the way some of them would show their support was rather... unique for his standards.

the two of you were sprawled out on the couch, you mindlessly scrolling through tiktok, and him ultimately deciding to do the same. this was one of the few times he ever even went on the damn app and the first thing he's greeted with is an edit of him from his most recent game. he somehow felt inclined to open the comments but a part of him knew his scowl would only deepen if he did.

you leaned over and tried to smooth out the crease in between his brows with a hum. "you gotta give them credit, 'omi. you look really hot there."

"it's a 15 second video of me drinking water."

"still hot."

he rolled his eyes, switching his phone off and leaning on your shoulder. you went back to running through his hair with one hand, and scrolling on tiktok with the other.

while kiyoomi was mainly focused on how nice it felt to have your fingers gently carding through his hair, he was also listening along to the random audios that played each time you scrolled onto another video. eventually, a song oddly familiar to kiyoomi started up on your phone.

wait.

kiyoomi paused, turning to look up at you in a comically slow manner with a grimace painted on his face. you bit back a laugh at his sour expression, batting your eyelashes back at him. "what's wrong, my sweetheart, honeybunch, sugarplum, light of my life?"

"ignoring those disgusting pet names— is that the same edit i just saw?"

the familiar song played faintly as you offered him an innocent grin. you glanced at your phone then back at him, quickly swiping up. "edit? don't know what you're talking about."

alas, the algorithm knew you a bit too well. maybe it was coming after you with the fact yet another kiyoomi edit popped up after you swiped. the two of you stared at the screen silently, your thumb sliding over to press another button.

"...what a coincidence, huh 'om-"

"did you just favorite it?"

you didn't respond. he shifted closer to grab your phone, you leaned away. this ultimately led to you and kiyoomi wrestling for your phone. as you two were tugging at your phone, it slid to unsurprisingly, another kiyoomi edit.

"i'm gatekeeping these, get off!"

"they're literally edits of me!"

eventually, he decided to dig his fingers in your sides, causing you to break into what sounded like a mixture of a scream and manic laughter. he smiled triumphantly, using his free hand to grab your phone from your— now weak grasp and going straight to your favorites.

he scrolled through the random collection of cooking tutorials he knows you won't do, cat videos you've shown him multiple times, and of course, edits of him. from clips of him from interviews to his monstrous spikes, you had it all.

"this is— an invasion of privacy!" you whined, trying to get your phone back to no avail. kiyoomi looked through all your saved edits with an amused look. "think you might be even more obsessed than these fans." he teased, his shoulders shaking as a chuckle escaped his lips.

"god, can't someone enjoy videos of their jaw-droppingly handsome, gorgeous, hot, attractive boyfriend in peace?"

"not when you're right next to said handsome boyfriend, watching those videos on the highest possible volume."

you waved off his quip, "details, details." you propped your head on his shoulder and watched in silent amusement as he regrettably decided to open the comments on one of the edits. he's not even sure how some of these comments slipped past community guidelines, while some were rather tame, gushing about how good he looked, some were so depraved he thought he was going to get permanent frown lines just by looking at them.

"if you though that was bad, you should see what i say on twitter."

for the sake of his sanity, kiyoomi decides against checking your twitter account.

my 31 pending school reqs will not stop me from kiyoomi posting!!

[yuurei20]

Navigation

・Character Information Sheets -> Riddle Rosehearts -> Trey Clover -> Cater Diamond -> Ace Trappola -> Deuce Spade -> Leona Kingscholar -> Ruggie Bucchi -> Jack Howl -> Azul Ashengrotto -> Jade and Floyd Leech -> Kalim Al-Asim -> Jamil Viper -> Vil Schoenheit -> Rook Hunt -> Epel Felmier -> Idia Shroud -> Ortho Shroud -> Malleus Draconia (pt1) -> Malleus Draconia (pt2) -> Lilia Vanrouge (pt1) -> Lilia Vanrouge (pt2) -> Silver -> Sebek Zigvolt (pt1) -> Sebek Zigvolt (pt2) -> Grim -> Dire Crowley

・EN-Server Changes -> Character Changes Master List -> Changes in the Main Story Master List -> Changes in Events Master List -> Unique Magics -> Why the audio and the subtitles are different -> Profile Changes -> Pronoun Changes/Mistakes -> Eggs -> "Master" -> Insults -> Flirting -> Manga vol. 1 Changes -> Manga vol. 2 Changes -> Manga vol. 3 Changes -> Lesson Voices Changed -> Lesson Voices Missing ・Birthdays Gifts given and received by NRC students.

・Twst the First Novel Translations Not a complete novel translation: pick-ups of interesting points that vary from the game.

・Twst the Second Novel Translations pt1 ・Twst the Second Novel Translations pt2 (updated 7/24) Not a complete novel translation: pick-ups of interesting points that vary from the game.

・Twisted Wonderland Story Summaries (twstnote.com link)

・Honorifics Honorifics used by the various Twisted Wonderland students.

・Questions and Answers (twstnote.com link) About the characters, theories, language and more.

・Yana's March 2023 Interview Translation of Yana's interview for the Apple app store.

・Voice Actors (twstnote.com link) An ongoing series that tracks projects featuring twisted wonderland seiyuu and where they overlap. (Includes interview translations.)

・Videos (YouTube link) Character relationship summaries, interview translations, EN-server changes, character details and more.

SNS: Bluesky - Twitter

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"Dragon Age Cover Story And Shadow of the Erdtree Review | GI Show by Alex Van Aken on Jun 27, 2024 at 01:57 PM In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses our recent trip to Bioware for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story, our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review, PS5-bound multiplayer shooter, Concord, a new battle royale from former League of Legends developers, atmospheric horror title Still Wakes the Deep, Dustborn, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD and even more! It's a packed show, y'all.  Watch the Video Version: [embedded link to Game Informer video titled 'Dragon Age Cover Story And Shadow of the Erdtree Review | GI Show']"

(On YouTube, the description box for this video looked like this:)

[Article continues] "Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes) The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join us every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Matt Storm, the freelance audio editor for The Game Informer Show, edited this episode. Matt is an experienced podcast host and producer who's been speaking into a microphone for over a decade. You should listen to Matt's shows like the "Fun" And Games Podcast and Reignite, a BioWare-focused podcast."

"The Game Informer Show – Podcast Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:42 - Cover Story: Dragon Age: The Veilguard 00:21:48 - Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Review 00:42:20 - Concord Preview 00:59:04 - Supervive Preview 01:11:59 - The Plucky Squire 01:24:37 - Magic: The Gathering – Assassin's Creed 01:35:01 - Still Wakes the Deep 01:45:52 - Dustborn Preview 01:55:06 - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Review 01:58:26 - Housekeeping"

"The GI Show podcast is a weekly recap of exciting releases, exclusive details on upcoming games, and in-depth interviews with developers. Watch or listen to a new episode every Thursday!"

[source]

----

Felassan's notes section of this post -

In this episode of the Game Informer show, Game Informer talk some more about their trip to BioWare's studio for the DA:TV cover story, when BioWare showed them hours of DA:TV content while playing it live.

Some notes from this and from what they said:

Wesley LeBlanc wasn't a huge DA fan and he went in with no expectations. The job to go to BW for this just landed on his plate due to other peoples' schedules. After seeing the game, it's probably his most anticipated game for the rest of the year and the one he's most looking forwards to

The game really wowed him and stuck with him, he said he is thrilled about it and is engrossed in the fantasy it's bringing

The visuals and world finally feel like what BioWare has maybe always wanted to make

This is the game where the team said, yeah, we feel fully in command of the Frostbite engine, and it shows

The world is more like Fable-type whimsy than prior DA games. It has a high fantasy feel

BW want new people to play the game. They're very aware that it's been 10 years since the last game and the game does a good job of catching people up

Rook as the PC really has no idea what's going on with Solas and all the other lore-specific stuff that's happening in the game, so they kind of act as the stand-in for newer players or people who have not caught up on the lore

But it's not just a game for newcomers, there is still a lot to chew on in the game for hardcore DA fans. BioWare were saying that they know their community, what it wants and what it's looking for out of these characters

Wesley enjoyed the music, visual design, and voice acting

Nothing that they saw about the game stood out as worrisome to him

Wesley has quite a lot of further stories to add to Game Informer's DA:TV hub

Wesley: "On the topic of the [Dragon Age] fanbase, I just wanna give a shoutout to that community, because, wow, I did not, I knew people would be stoked about this cover, but people are really stoked about this cover. And it’s really funny, the day that we announced it, I got like hundreds of new followers. Anytime, if I tweet about Erdtree or Destiny 2, I get like my normal amount of likes, like, a dozen maybe, y’know, whatever. If I tweet about Dragon Age, it’s like. Today I tweeted, ‘my next feature is coming at 3pm’ and it’s at 1000 likes, it’s so funny, like, this community is like rabid for information, which makes sense if you haven’t gotten a game in 10 years. But yeah, so like, shoutout to y’all, I’m loving you guys reading the articles and telling me what you wanna hear about. So if you have any questions or anything, get at me on Twitter for sure, and I will see what I can cook up with some writing for you. But yeah, shoutout to the BioWare community, y’all crazy.”

[source]

[satoshi-mochida]

Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die Receives Full English Fan Translation After 27 Years-Noisy Pixel

A group of fans has released an English patch for the classic Sega Saturn RPG Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, initially released for the Sega Saturn in 1998.

The title also saw ports to PC, Dreamcast, and PSP, but no version has ever been officially localized. This translation project was announced in January 2023.

About Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die & English Patch

This dramatic adventure sequel occurs one year after the first game, following the protagonist Imperial Japanese Navy Ensign Ichiro Ogami and the Flower Division of the Imperial Combat Revue. The group protects Tokyo from various political and supernatural forces in a fitting follow-up to the success of the first Sakura Wars.

This franchise is well-known for its blend of tactical combat, visual novel-style presentation, and dating simulation elements, with this particular entry unfolding across 13 in-game episodes.

Instructions, as well as the necessary patch files, for the Sakura Wars 2 English patch can be obtained via the SegaXtreme site.

The 1.0 patch includes the following content translations:

Story dialog

Battle dialog

Minigames

Battle menus

System menus

Added subtitles to movies

Boss images

Theater room names

Load Screens

Bootup screen

Everything within Long Day

Credits

The team also uploaded a video commemorating the patch’s launch, which was made to recreate one of the game’s original Japanese TV commercials.

Translation Credits

PROJECT LEAD

NoahSteam

REVERSE ENGINEERING, PROGRAMMING AND TOOLS==

NoahSteam

TrekkiesUnite118

TRANSLATION LEADS

MattoBii CrouchingMouse

TRANSLATION

Natsume38

Neko

MatatabiMitsu

LEAD EDITOR

BowlOfLentils

EDITORS

Burntends

CrouchingMouse

MattoBii

Natsume38

GRAPHICS MODIFICATION

Dyn0muTT

Joqu

Gong Xian

TrekkiesUnite118

NoahSteam

MattoBii

SaturnDave

MOVIE SUBTITLES

TrekkiesUnite118

TESTERS

BowlOfLentils

cj_iwakura

TrekkiesUnite118

TALENT RECRUITMENT

Burntends

TRAILER

Edited by TrekkiesUnite118

Audio Mixing by Shadowmask

VO by CrouchingMouse

In case you missed it, check out our review of the Sakura Wars reboot that launched for the PlayStation 4.

We also interviewed the game’s director, Tetsuya Ootsubo.