#i love my shitty local anime store

[cowboy-robooty]

[wutheringmights]

After I finished reading The Epic of Gilgamesh today, I entered a fugue state where I sat down and read the entirety of Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.

On the record, I have had a lifelong love and adoration for Pierce's Tortall books. I first read the Song of the Lioness quartet when I was 11, and they rewrote my brain. I love them so much. I reread them and the other Tortall books on a semi-frequent schedule.

It's been a while since I reread any of the Alanna books, if only because my sister took our shared copies when she moved out. I've been meaning to buy my own set for a long while now but haven't been able to justify the purchase. The other week, I just so happened to find the first two volumes at my local indie bookstore. I bought them immediately, as well as ordered the third and fourth book. (And discovered that the store owner knows me by name-- when I went to pick up my order, she saw me and said, Hi Frankie! I got your books over here.) (I may be spending too much money there.)

So I have been in a bit of an emotional rut these past few weeks. Work sucks. Life stinks. The temptation to run off to Tortall and curl up in the fantasy story that captivated me as a kid has never been stronger.

Ergo, I ran off to read the first book as soon as I could.

If you're looking for any critique of this book, series, or Tortall in general, I will never give it. Sure, it's problematic and dated, and in many ways imperfect, but someone else can list out all of its issues. They're all perfect to me.

Anyway, the book. I should say something about this book in particular.

One thing I appreciate about Pierce's writing is how she handles school settings in fantasy. Learning and training is so mundane. All of her heroines have to work hard and put in extra hours of study in order to improve, much less keep up with their peers. It's so normal that it circles around to being weirdly refreshing.

Also, there is still no other fantasy author who handles period talk and birth control the way Pierce does. We make fun of the trope of fantasy birth control nowadays, but I rarely see it presented as it is here: as a part of normal puberty lessons and given long before sex is in the girl's radar. And even today with the glut of YA fantasy stories out there, I still have yet to see menstruation be portrayed as frequently or as bluntly as Pierce writes it.

There was a period of time publishers really tried to push the Tortall books as straight YA, which doesn't work for that reason alone. You gotta market them to middle schoolers. They're the ones just starting puberty talks, and getting scenes like this is so good for their brains.

Moving on: I fucking love these characters. Alanna was an icon of brash, temperamental heroines that have shaped my taste to this day. I love how even in the first book, Jon is kinda shitty. I adore George Cooper. Talk about a taste maker the way this man sets a standard.

I just can't be coherent when it comes to any Tortall books. I have no thoughts. Head empty. I am going to binge the rest of this series as quickly as I can before my library book comes in. Then normal book content will resume.

Before I go, I need to talk about the book covers.

Growing up, my sister and I had these covers:

Which, god. I love them. The black is striking. The art is incredible. Alanna looks so good. They were the perfect pocket-size too. I was going to buy the same edition for my copies, but instead I got the 40th anniversary reprints:

Not bad at all! These books have had some seriously bad covers, and these look great! Very anime, which will appeal to the 11 year olds who need to have their socks rocked by this series.

But, man. I really miss those black covers. One day I will splurge and buy a second set of them just so that I can stare at the art.

[the-jesus-pill]

Is there a word for missing being in a shitty religion because it made you feel like you had a purpose? I dunno, it's just. I know it's a cult now, I never want to go back, but fuck if I don't miss actually Knowing who I am and what I'm supposed to do and feeling like I belong somewhere. Is that a thing that usually happens? Do you have any resources for dealing with it? I hope this isn't an inappropriate question.

This is normal! I haven't been a part of the church for probably more than a decade and sometimes I still wonder if I'd be happier being part of something where if you say the right things and make the right decisions you will be accepted, praised and loved.

It's both the positive and partially the negative of leaving - now you can decide who you want to be, what you want to do, who your friends are.

I think everyone who leaves a community, whether that community was religious or otherwise, whether it was healthy or not, experience this feeling of 'well, what do I do now?'

But the good news is that there will always be another group for you, whether you find them right away or not. Humans are social animals, and there are people who want you in their lives as much as you want to be in theirs. Finding them is the difficult part but it's so rewarding when you do.

My advice is find out what you like or what you want to learn and see if there is a community for it nearby!

This can be paid lessons like dancing, yoga, hiking groups, learning music or other languages, or it can be hobbies like cosplay, table top roleplaying, crafting, theater, etc. Learning a sport or doing local activism can also be a good way to get to know others (although be careful with activism, while it's a very good cause, it should not be a hobby and it can have its own complications)

If there's nothing in your immediate local area, try online communities! Online book clubs, writing groups, fandoms and roleplaying, music appreciation are good examples to start, lots of people there and many of them looking for newcomers to share their passions with.

Check out your local library or fandom stores (like comic book or cosplay shops) for smaller events - and Reddit has a lot of communities for basically anything you can come up with.

Feeling like you don't have a place is a very common feeling, even amongst those who aren't apostates. Everyone feels self conscious about not having enough friends - or not having ANY friends. We're told we need to belong somewhere to matter.

But in truth you have all the time in the world to find your people. You might find a group of friends and then it doesn't work out - friends leave or there are falling outs and it can feel like you're not cut out to have relationships. It's normal to not immediately find your soulmates, your BFFs, your found family on the first try. Keep trying! They are out there.

Edit: I recommend reading this article! Ask Polly: How Am I Supposed To Make Friends In My Late 20s?

[incomprehensiblelentils]

@purlturtle tagged me in this, thank you! <3

15 Questions for 15 Friends

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Not my first name, but my mom got my middle name (Melissa) from a coworker she really admired.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

Ooh...I think it was a couple weeks ago while I was watching the Fantasy High episode where they find the corpses of *SPOILERS* and Kristen does a ritual to free their spirits. I just found that scene very beautiful and touching.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Nope! I'm very excited to be a gay auntie to any of my friends' future kids. And B and I have our dolls (see @saintalectoshomeforwaywardgirls).

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

I rode horses from ages 8-16 (had to stop bc school got too overwhelming). I toy with the idea of getting back into it as an adult sometimes, because I do miss it.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

I don't know the meaning of the word. (I know this joke doesn't really work but I couldn't resist)

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

This is a weirdly difficult question - I am hilariously non-observant at times and have had to ask more people than I should if they recently got their hair cut/styled differently. I guess maybe their way of speaking? Not necessarily accent but the cadence and pitch of their voice. Physically I guess it's just their general bulk and/or the way they take up space in the world.

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOR?

Light brown.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Depends on my mood honestly! I am dipping my toe into horror films (I generally prefer audio dramas or books/short stories) but sometimes I want a good creepy time. I think generally I will go for happy endings most of the time, but I like horror as a container for my anxiety to go into.

ANY TALENTS?

Writing, I'd like to think! I'm also reasonably good at drawing (mostly animals) and I'm a speedreader. Nothing that's any good for a talent show unfortunately.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

In a suburb of Seattle, which happens to have a tiny airport they use to fly in celebrities who come in for the local ComiCon (which is very embarrassing, because that means like, Gwendoline Christie has seen a lot of my shitty hometown).

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Cosplay, general fandom bullshit (affectionate), reading, writing, and I think my Warrior cats spreadsheets count as a hobby by themselves at this point lmao.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Not yet - we'd like to get cats but shit keeps happening to put it off lol. We love our friends' and parents' animals though!

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

5'3", which I recently found out - I have been saying I'm 5'2" for like a decade and this revelation was kind of destabilizing.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT?

English/Writing.

DREAM JOB?

I think I should be one of the guys making up shitty puns for children's valentines, because I'm way better at coming up with them than the stuff I see every year in stores.

Tagging @toriasimmons @swiftzeldas @jenny-dreadful @emmaswanned @theomenroom @dannypinot @amidalleia @zenithofdork @ben-g99 @areax @dollsome-does-tumblr @mrdistracted @nerdfaerie @afterword @thydungeongal only if you wanna! (also if you see this and you wanna do it count yourself tagged!)

Also stealing purlturtle's genius idea to include this at the end of the post - a version for easy copy-pasting!

15 Questions for 15 Friends ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? DO YOU HAVE KIDS? WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED? DO YOU USE SARCASM? WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOR? SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? ANY TALENTS? WHERE WERE YOU BORN? WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? HOW TALL ARE YOU? FAVOURITE SUBJECT? DREAM JOB?

[steviewashere]

One of my biggest (and admittedly nerdier) fascinations/special interests is lost media. Doesn't matter the type of media; it could be a TV show, animated children's movie, a commercial that premiered once and was subsequently vaulted, a religious show on a local public broadcasting channel, a misprint copy of a book, etc. etc.

I just love it all. Anyway. I want to share a lost media thing of my own that I remember interacting with at one point in my childhood, but has little to no attention on it. More on it below the cut, if you're interested.

If you were a kid (fuck it, any age) in the late '90s and into the 2000s/early 2010s specifically, you might've had one of these:

This is a Baby Bottle Pop. They are a sucker/sugar combo candy. Basically acting similar to FunDip; you suck on the lollipop top (the part that looks like the nipple for a baby bottle) and then dip it inside the bottle, where there's flavored sugar. Typically, the sugar is flavored something like strawberry or blue raspberry, something fruity. These are still produced; although, I haven't seen them on a grocery store shelf in years—seems like they're sold at special confectionary stores in malls now, like Lolli & Pops, but I haven't seen them next to Kit-Kats at the checkout stand since I was a kid.

Anyway.

Back in the early 2010s, Baby Bottle Pop had this promotional thing going on. Where, if you bought one of these candies, you'd be given an exclusive online code. (The cultural zeitgeist of late 2000s/early 2010s internet.) The online code gave you access to this MMO game, much like other exclusive online codes on products at the time—functionally similar to Webkinz, though you weren't redeeming a virtual pet to take care of.

You'd make an account via Baby Bottle Pop's website, babybottlepop.com, once you had access to the code. You needed a code from a purchased product in order to get in. (If the product wasn't purchased and you tried to use the code, it would be immediately invalidated as it hadn't been activated. Y'know, think of it as an inactive gift card). (Also, this is what really separated BBP's MMO from other advertised children's MMOs. Webkinz, you didn't have to purchase a pet in order to play, but it was cooler if you did. BBP required that you purchased a product or you couldn't play. Shitty, I know.)

Once in the game, you'd design an avatar that looked exactly like a baby, and then you'd have access to mini games, other player's avatars, and a point and click free roam world (highly similar to how Club Penguin functioned).

There is one commercial that I found from the Baby Bottle Pop campaign I'm thinking of. It's circa 2012, advertising the candy (of course) and then telling you that if you redeemed the code given to you, you could make what they called a "Crazy Baby."

That's it. It's a fifteen second commercial. The live action kids turn into Crazy Baby counterparts, the art style similar to that of the game. Featuring them complimenting each other on the way they eat their Baby Bottle Pops.

And, also, I don't even know if this commercial is advertising the MMO. It could just be advertising the exclusivity of making an online avatar. This commercial mentions nothing about roaming around a virtual world and making friends with other Crazy Baby players. But since it advertises something that could be similar or even exact to what I'm talking about, I'm bringing it up.

The only things I've found that mention or are on the same lines as this game/avatar creation are one article from 2008 (when the website first launched, I'm assuming?), this commercial, a post made on the r/LostMedia subreddit, and a singular twenty-five minute YouTube gameplay video.

Speaking of the gameplay video, it's from user, Crawler929. It's the only gameplay video I found. It's the only one other people have even mentioned. And while I'm a little skeptical of the commercial I linked, it's worth noting that this gameplay video and that commercial are from the same year, 2012. It's highly likely that those things are connected. Though, there was a promo campaign for another online game called Baby Bottle Pop Message in a Bottle from the late 2000s—probably 2009, as that is the posting year from the person who shared it. (And considering how the main child actress looks similar to Hannah Montana, the character from the show of the same name that was on air at the time, this year could be accurate).

Visiting the BBP website on the Internet Archive via the Wayback Machine is basically one huge error. You'll reach a turquoise and orange-accented screen with a load up bar with the word "Ruffle" on it, and then be met with a black screen. Scrolling up and down on the black screen leads you nowhere, it's basically just a void.

There's nothing else. No other part of this MMO shows up on the internet. The original site no longer exists, now replaced with something called Candy Mania. I'm assuming BBP is owned by the same company or is made by the same manufacturer as Push Pop, as Push Pop has a game on this site. BBP, though? There's barely anything, possibly nothing.

Honestly, I just wanted to share this because it's kinda crazy and kinda sad that stuff like this is just gone. But it's worth saying, too, that this game will most likely never exist again or be resurfaced. Games like this made for promotional events for products never last. They're around for like a year and then get shut down when the event is over. It's sad, but true.

These games also don't have the same sort of fanbases as other big MMOs for kids did at the time. They won't be remade like Club Penguin, ToonTown, or even The Pirates of The Caribbean Online were. Lost to time and also conglomerate company greed.

Anyway, this is just some nerd stuff that I'm into. And I have so many other lost media stories that I like talking about, but this is the only one that I actually have ever interacted with. A game I never thought I'd lose.

Protect all media types and archives, as you never know what could become lost media next.

[brynnterpretations]

hi! I saw you were doing ship requests for The Boys and just couldn’t help myself.

I am a mid-twenties bisexual woman. I have a degree in psychology and worked in therapy (specifically for PTSD in veterans and medical staff/first responder types) for a few years before transitioning to a marine mammal rehab and research non-profit. I have an avid love for reading, pop culture, and specifically movies. I am a huge fan of both well told stories and well made art, and I enjoy watching all sorts of movies to see both. Especially shitty action movies tbh. I also love to have a drink with friends and play games, as I am wildly competitive. Other likes include Dad Rock, dogs, and nature. Plus I love to bake.

Personality wise I would say I’m mildly stubborn, overtly loyal, and tend to be the extroverted glue that brings different friends together. I tend to be optimistic, despite having gone through Some Serious Shit™️ in my life. In fact, I would say the aforementioned shit has made me a kinder, empathetic person, but given I have lost a lot of people, I hold the people I have close, even when my gut tells me to push people away. I strive to be a good friend. I’m a hard worker, and as I consistently say to my friends, I can’t half-ass anything. If I’m gonna do something, im gonna do it all the way, which leans into the fact that I have a pretty dramatic flare.

This all feels wildly self indulgent and it’s so weird to describe yourself in a few paragraphs right? But I really appreciate you!!! Thank ya 💕💗

You sound like such an amazing person and, not to be dramatic, but the world is so lucky to have you. Thank you so much for the ship request and keep being awesome!

I ship you with...

Hughie Campbell ♡

Boyfriend

GIF Source: @yocalio ★ (link)

You and Hughie meet in a small local record store in Washington Park. Even in the age of iPhones and streaming, Hughie is a huge CD guy, and always makes sure to stop by vinyl and music stores to stock up on some of his favorites (and stare wistfully at the guitars, but that's another story).

When he spots you over by the section of your favorite band, Hughie is thrilled; he, too, is a huge dad rock connoisseur, and it's not often he finds someone as cute as you in the CD store. Usually it's just very strange old guys who give me mean looks. So, as Hughie does, he walks over to you and very, very awkwardly starts a conversation with you ("oh, you like [band name]? That's a great pick!" queue nervous laugh).

Surprisingly, his nervousness works on you, and you two end up exchanging numbers at the end of your exchange. Hughie's a painfully earnest guy and has not mastered the art of subtlety, so it doesn't really start with any smoothness. Instead, expect a lot of cat GIFs, smiley emoticons, and general millennialness (but make it cute, and make it Hughie).

After texting you and learning about the work you do, Hughie is smitten, and invites you out on a date to volunteer at an animal shelter, because who doesn't love puppies and conversation?

Would routinely invite you to more and more dates, and as he gets to know you even more and learns small bits and pieces of your past, he falls for you hard. We all know Hughie’s been through a lot, so he greatly admires people who have, too, yet don’t let it stop them from moving forward and making a positive impact on the world.

Isn't really someone who feels the need to move slow, but is very anxious, so would ask to be formally girlfriend-boyfriend by coming to your apartment or house with flowers and a lot of tripping over his words, because oh shit, what if you say no, he'd fine with still being friends but that would be super awkward—

However... the guy won you over, and when you say yes, expect the sweetest hug.

Hughie will always send you good morning and night texts, as well as random things throughout the day that makes him think of you, like a daschund puppy he saw on the street or a t-shirt with your favorite band's logo imprinted on it.

Expect a ton of cute dates, and expect them often. He's not a very sporadic person and values your time (he knows damn well you're busy), so he'll always schedule with you in advance.

And, while he loves his cute, casual dates, also loves to treat you — you deserve it — and tries to do a big one once a month. He's definitely a roses-and-candles sort of guy, and he won't let you forget it.

Hughie and you have a similar taste in movies, so he loves marathoning with you. You two always dominate any trivia nights at the bar close to you, and have become an infamous pair there.

He always sends you songs throughout the day, especially ones that remind him of you ("Rosanna" by Toto, "You're My Home" by Billy Joel, "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears", etc.) and you two have a joint Spotify playlist!

Loves being the little spoon with you, and loves cuddling in general. He's not a huge PDA person — he's pretty shy, and would kiss you or hold you in front of others at most — but once you two are alone together, will be all over you (in a cute way).

Hughie is endlessly in awe of you, from your work ethic to your personality, and when he senses you're having a tough day, is not shy about reminding you of it.

Also, he's definitely the type of guy to adopt a dog with his significant other, so once that anniversary comes (and it will)... expect a puppy.

Hughie would try to hide his work with The Boys from you, and when push comes to shove, would try to dissuade you from getting involved. However, he knows you're smart, capable, and doesn't want you to think that he's hiding anything from you, so he would (albeitly reluctantly) introduce you to the boys while still trying to keep them at a healthy distance from you for your own safety.

The Boys ☻

Friends

GIF Source: @peach-coke ★ (link)

Annie is your number one fan, and your best friend in the group, due to your personality and work ethic. It's extremely hard to come by someone like you in "The Boys" universe — someone who does so much good for the world, and in spite of how the world treats them, does their best to keep giving back to it positively — and would make a point to become friends with you ASAP.

She tends to rewatch the same movies, listen to the same songs, etc. — she's a creature of habit — so she loves asking for song recommendations and going out to movies with you. She also is a big Facetime person, and would call you every other night to catch up, whether she's taking off her makeup or coming off of a crappy patrol.

Additionally, once she starts the Starlight Foundation, she would immediately try recruiting you to work hands-on due to your experience.

M.M. adores you as well. While mostly a fan of oldschool hip hop and rap, he can get down to some dad rock (the guy could probably recite Led Zep's entire discography on the spot if you asked him), and whenever you wear any band tees, you get a nod of approval from him. He's a pretty busy, but would always take time to talk to you whenever you stop by.

Frenchie and Kimiko love you — they both think you're an absolute badass. Interactions with them would be pretty limited due to Hughie not wanting you to be put in any unnecessary danger, but they always hang out with you when you stop by, and Kimiko definitely invites you over to movie nights.

Those movie nights are very fun, and cute, by the way. She makes popcorn and sets up the hideout to be as comfy as possible. The girl loves ya.

Butcher has a lot of unresolved romantic feelings for you which he pushes down because A) our boy is not a homewrecker, and B) it's always hard for him to grapple with those sorts of close, intimate emotions. He likes you for the same reasons Annie does, and your caring, hardworking nature are the best qualities he's felt he can find in a person.

But, because of this... Butcher avoids you, to the point it seems borderline rude. The guy usually will at least throw one snarky remark at any newcomers, but he won't really give anything to you but a nod of acknowledgment.

To end things on a positive note, though: you and Hughie are the happiest, sweetest couple there is in NYC, and you've got some very, very good friends on your side.

[ginger-snap-talkin-nonsense]

Okay, I'll give you a third, fourth, fifth, EVERY REASON to never watch Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball anon was talking shit, the car episode is no different to the rest of the series, which is actually fucking horrible. Not only is it boring as fuck (yes, they really do stand around and power up for like 20 episodes at a time with maybe one badly animated punch thrown in every now and then), but has introduced some of the worst characters and tropes in fiction. Master Roshi is a rapist pedophile who started the pervert trope in anime, 16-year-old Bulma is drawn with her vagina and tits out for comedy (and don't even get me started on ChiChi), Mr. Popo is THE most racist depiction of blackface in media (which they STILL haven't fixed, yet fans love him) and Vegeta... oh dear lord Vegeta... Vegeta is a NAZI who crosses the moral event horizon tenfold yet is given an instant redemption because Akira Toriyama wanted to give him an "uwu edgy sad boi" backstory (guess who's also a fan favourite). You know all those shitty redemption stories we have nowadays, like why Rebecca Sugar forgave literal nazis? GUESS WHICH SHOW ALSO HAS DRAGON BALL REFERENCES!

Speaking of Akira Toriyama, the man is literally a disgusting piece of shit. He penned the "Lady Red" comic (where the joke is a woman gets raped and becomes a sex worker, yes, really) and said in an interview that he wishes to become so senile when he's older that he ends up raping his granddaughter. He also said in regards to comedy that "any humorous work should aspire to not be like The Big Bang Theory, but regardless it's more important to worry about high stakes over fun".

I know you said that you weren't interested any way but I IMPLORE you to let your fans know too and take an active stand against this nightmare fuel. It's literally the Birth Of A Nation of our modern age, and I'm disgusted that not only does cartoon fandom hold it in such high regard, but it's becoming popular with zoomers too. I nearly broke down when I saw Dragon Ball toys at my local toy store.

Dragon Ball fans over the age of 13 are truly fucking evil, and we need to punch them like the nazis they are.

...I ain't reading all that.

[dabisbratz]

Okay so I looked up eren and he doesn’t look much different then I expected. The hair is def brown but he looks like a anime version of what I imagined but with longer hair lol.

On a separate note let’s talk abt dilf Aizawa… istg you take every thought I’ve ever had out of my head and put it in your stories. I love ur babysitter AU and I had a similar one but mine was daycare worker instead (Sorry for the long post in advance)

Hear me out tho, you’re a gullible and very broke college grad trying to get by on an internship at a daycare in a better part of the city that markets towards rich people like heros, celebs etc. basically anyone who needs to worry abt their kids safety more then usual. You don’t really do much and have barely interacted with parents or even kids in the few months you’ve been there. You really only talked to Aizawa once or twice in passing. To you he was just another hot single dad among many. That was until suddenly this hot single dad is at your local grocery store. It’s a little strange that he’s in a crime ridden downtown area nearly 45 mins away from the daycare but you try not to think much of it. It’s not that big of the deal.

It’s just a coincidence when he’s at the shitty dog park you frequent with no dog in sight. It’s just a normal every day run in when you catch him on his morning run… in front of your out of way apartment. And surely he didn’t mean to knock on your door in the middle of the night. I mean he says he’s just visiting a friend after a long night of drinking but can’t find or remember the apartment #. Surely you’ll let him in so he can sober up <3333

Sorry if I’ve been sending too many asks you’ve just got so many wheels turning in my head😵‍💫😵‍💫

you could never send too many!! jus… drunk zawa goin on n on about how handsome n pretty you are, says he knows you’d never go for an older guy like him but he can’t help himself..n that he liked you since the day he saw you trailing around the daycare…he keeps to himself obviously but he’s leaning in close to talk to you n never makes eye contact!! jus stares at your lips n nibbles at his own.. n when you’re handing him a glass of water hes brushing his fingertips over your knuckles n there’s jus… so much… tension…

[orcelito]

ok SO i went and got out Most of my knives (i remembered I have a nonbinary knife only after i took the photos & also idk where it is currently. just imagine all these plus a nonbinary flag knife ok? ok)

HERE ^ is the most of them, minus that nonbinary knife. look at that fuckin mess. 32 shown here (i think) plus my nonbinary knife makes 33 blades (minus cooking knives, i dont count those for these purposes)(also counting the swiss army knife as only 1 bc lol)

& some explanations for them! gonna put these under a readmore bc it got Kinda long on accident whoops. Read Ahead if u wanna see me nerd out about my knife collection.

STARTING WITH my big ones.

my spear (gifted to me), my cane sword (from anime convention), my shitty $20 sword (also from anime convention. low quality but cool as hell), my teal mini sword + matching throwing knives (from online), my decorative axe (from a local store), my twin blades (my sharpest blades, theyre actually kinda scary how sharp they are, but i love them bc of it. from online), red saber (from online),

ANDDDDDDDDDDDD my favorite hefty bitch of a machete that i sleep with in my bed frame on the very right (inherited from my grandpa bc i was the first one who spotted it at Family Claiming Day)(this thing really is as long as my leg & much heavier than Any of the rest of the blades pictured here. i love it)

another view of the blades so u can better see how long they are. the big boys. they're lovely. 2nd heaviest blade is the cane sword when it's in its cane, mostly bc that handle has some Heft. tbh id feel safer using it as a bludgeoning weapon than a stabbing weapon, but having a cane sword is just plain cool

AND my smaller blades!

i have a lot of pocket knives. starting from the top left: golden pocket knife (from online), rainbow dragon (from online), rainbow HEFTY boy (heaviest pocket knife, from online), spider knife (from online), stiletto jade (from online), pathetic army boy (from local store, this knife has NO redeeming qualities, but it's mine <3), black stiletto (from local store), plain dagger man (from online), my damascus steel knife (was a gift, probably my singular most expensive knife. fancy boy), Dull Dagger Man (first blade i ever bought, from anime convention)

& for bottom row: teeny black knife (first pocket knife i owned, gift from my dad), lil rainbow knife (from local store), plain steel knife (from sketchy shop in gatlinburg + one of my Favorite knives), green dragon knife (from online, a real beaut), triple throwing knives (also from same sketchy shop in gatlinburg), the baby throwing knives again from the Big Boys pic but i included them again bc they r so teeny tiny, my keychain key blade (from online), swiss army knife (from online), & the pair of claw keychain baldes (from online)

many blades, many stories, so little time. theyre great tho.

SOME FOCUSES:

^ these are all my spring-assisted knives, sorted from worst feel to best feel to open. based on quickness, ease, & general satisfaction. leftmost is leftmost bc i didnt even Know it was spring assisted, bc it doesnt have a nice lil tab on the back to press. no u gotta press on one of the rungs. but once u do it Does spring open, so i included it. next 3 are just Average in feel (these 3 are sibling blades anyways, nice of them to be together). jade stiletto is smooth and quick, nice to open. Hefty Boy rainbow has some THUNK to it when i open it. like that babey's got PURPOSE to it. added to the general size of it & it's just pretty great. AND THEN MY TWO FAVS, green dragon is a perfect beautiful knife & feels very great to open. and then Steel Sketchy Knife aka my 2nd pocket knife & first i bought for myself. it looks plain in comparison to the others, but she's anything But. quick, light, Sharp. it has the Best feel to open, bc it's just a fast SHHK. probably my knife that's seen the most use (aside from my small black knife) just bc of how great it feels to open. i love that knife so much for Real.

& the final highlight, somewhat related, are the knives I actually use the most in my daily life!

on the left are the knives I keep in my bag by default, & thus the ones I carry with me Everywhere i go. small black pocket knife bc she's Ol' Faithful, & a pretty lowkey knife for basic tasks when I dont wanna raise any eyebrows lol. silver knife bc as previously stated i Love using it so much. i take it out when i gotta breakdown a lot of boxes at work, & it Never disappoints. small rainbow keychain key knife bc it's cute & i like to keep it on my keychain. & swiss army knife bc Obviously im gonna keep the swiss army knife in my bag for if i need an emergency tool.

on the right are the three knives I keep out in my apartment. black stiletto lives on my bathroom counter, for bathroom knife needs. green stiletto i keep on my table next to where I hang out in my bedroom, for any couch time needs. & then green dragon beaut camps out on top of some shelves by my front door bc it's Great for opening boxes, aka something I will do for packages I receive after pulling them in the front door. it works for me.

all the rest of my knives live either in a box (for small ones) or my closet (for big ones). i may have a lot of knives, but somehow I never feel like i have enough. i just love collecting them so much <3

[k-ru-h]

theres something to be said about inherent human kindness and art and all that

i had an absolute trainwreck of a day and an hour long gap between classes, so i decided to plop by the local art store thats too far away from my home but maybe a 10min walk from school. they had really good prices and i wanted to buy the pretty pastel watercolors for myself and my friend, to make the day less miserable.

the storeworker, a kind-looking old man (surely at least in his 60s), picked up all the aquarelle boxes, saying he didnt want me, a seemingly abled person, to have to kneel on the floor to look at them. and he told me how he doesnt stock all the colors but he explained to me in detail, umprompted, how to order them for myself, with or without paying him. and he told me how hes owned this store for 28 years and hasnt changed locations (despite the location being horrible) because hes genuinely attached to this one. this shitty, tiny little hole in the wall place with no AC or even proper ventilation. and he started talking about his days as an artist, and all the incredible people he met, and how stores from the capital monopolizing certain brands ruined his once proud selection of products, and how to properly use watercolor paper, how to use distilled water and stick to one paper brand and how his personal dream is to get his hands on the aquarelles created only by and for that one russian college, and he treated me, a fucking infant baby child (18) whos been doing aquarelles for like two days (4 years) as a genuine peer and worthy conversation partner. and i almost started crying from the genuine love i felt for him.

and the day after, i got hungry between classes and decided to stop by the bakery. the bakery itself is overpriced - for the same price as other ones, you get maybe half the product. and its been closed for tax fraud maybe a month ago.

and this storeworker is an elder woman - not as old as the artist, but surely near or in her 50s - and she sometimes wears the bracelet i made her. the other students call her the "empress" of the store (named "empress"). she is the only reason i go there, and i only go when shes working the shift. at first it was because of the free food shed give us. shed always toss in a few cookies, she even remembered my favorite, and shed wish you a "royal" day (pun intended). soon, we started going there outside of the rush hours, and actually talking to her. her dream has always been to be an opera singer, but this is a poor country, and she has a sickly mother and a son who lives abroad to take care of. but she told us she found her fulfilment in work through the kindness she spread - not just the free food, but the compliments and kind words. and i almost cry every time i remember she didnt know she was so loved by the students. when i told her everybody only goes there for her, she actually didnt believe me, and when i noticed she dyed her hair (we now have similar haircolors!), she put it down and posed in front of the little hanging mirror with the biggest smile ive ever seen on her.

and i havent seen this person lately, im assuming because i havent been to one of the two places she frequents and she, probably, has, but theres this wonderful woman - i cant tell if shes old or worn down by hard work and stress - who always has the most vibrant, colorful jewelry and carries a little cardboard box.

and she approached me one day, i was going to meet up with some friends to talk about lord of the rings, and she stopped me to tell me how beautiful my hand made jewelry was. and she was holding a puppy under one arm, almost cartoonishly, and told me all about how she used to have a jewlery stand right here in this street. all of the money shes ever made shes invested in taking care of stray cats and dogs. even if it meant shed go hungry, she always made sure the animals she took care of were fed and warm and happy. but the stand was closed because of tax issues, and no cop was sympathetic towards the little kitten or puppy shed always take with her, so she was forced to make ends meet however she could and beg for money or pet food donations. and this wasnt her pressuring me for money - i hadnt even brought my wallet that day, i had my phone and some tea. this was her genuinely just wanting to stop and compliment me, and being delighted to have someone to talk to, and whenever i see people treat her like dirt i want to cry.

my point is, i met a painter and a singer and a craftsman, and all of them were the kindest people ive ever met. and i don't really look approachable, i usually only get hateful looks in public, but these three people, with far more experience than me, just genuinely wanted to talk about the things they cared about, and what they create, and i think creation makes you kinder. i think painting and singing and crafting, no matter if its a life long profession, a dream, or a failed venture, makes you more than the summ of all your parts. or something cringe like that idfk

[basslinegrave]

should i buy a ticket to the local anime con tomorrow or nah... i will be close to the store where they got tickets..... rant->

cuz idk if i wanna go? i mean i do but hhhhh its always too much... like the shitty moments outweigh the fun ones, and its never a given there will be any good moments...but i have a cosplay idea, kinda in the making, i have no idea if i will be able to make it cause im having trouble with one part but it could be quite comfortable... more or less... id just wear some regular ahh clothes and a mask (which is always the best, i get to hide my face and be comfy at the same time!) but i also want some recognition and idk how many ppl will know this. i never know cause if i expect that nobody will know it, i get a ton of people chatting me up (like wwx) and if i expect people will know the character nobody even takes one photo (like tokoyami. i got one pic taken? two? was so weird, the other bnha cosplayers were giving me weird looks and didnt even say hi back 😶)

obvs the cosplays i put the most work into appeal to more people, like wukong which id love to wear again now (with slight alterations like making the tail just hang down instead of standing up cuz that was hell to fix every 2 minutes.. looked great while walking tho) but its 2 outcomes: everyone that asked me to wear it again wont give two fucks and nobody will care. or after the new netflix move comes out, people actually watch it and more will recognize wuk... also, some people dont go in march but go in september so i can meet new ppl?

i go for 2 days so the second is best to have something simpler (so i get to move around more freely and fit into places like artist alley and can play games etc..) aand im trying to make a mxes mask which would be cool to wear even though people are either scared of me or im just weird idk and when it comes to fnaf cosplays ppl only loved my sun cos but other fnaf cosplayers avoided me like the plague i dont know what did i do

that said id actually love to wear sun again too 🥴 but i need to find all pieces and see if i can make the top work... its too stuffy and hot so i didnt wear it last time but like, nobody cares. nobody cares aboit accuracy here

i dunno man its also the local fandoms somehow they feel like nobody is caught up on the last media except the few that know it too much. but if you bring out an oldie Nobody knows it

oh also friend wants to cosplay shadow i think but he didnt say if at this con or what ans if hes buying a full ticket or what but like if i were to cosplay sonic and he would just leave after 10 mins i would be just there like uhhhhh now what and i wanna cosplay him again now really... its just a good backup i guess :/

[milo-is-rambling]

I think I want palm tattoos……… I want soft hand tattoos. Like. Maybe one hand says hold the other hand says me like that would be so cute. Okay wait I might as well list some tattoos I want bc I need need need to get more fuck they hurt so good to get them I miss the feeling so bad it was incredible I loved it. Okay. Anyways. I want to get fish near my ankles. Like something that wraps around my ankle. Like a moray eel and a shark. I think I just want creatures in general I think. What if I got simple doodle drawings of animals. A moray eel. A shark. A jellyfish. A trout or salmon. I could get a mourning dove. and a butterfly for my mom. A tiny lizard obvs. I could get a moose. Ohhhh. I need more tattooooooooos. I want to buy my own machine online and then go hang out with the tattoo artists we really like locally and ask them to show me how to tattoo myself or like make sure I’m doing shit safely. That’s probably a lot to ask of a real tattoo artist who I could be paying to tattoo me but I really do wanna tattoo myself like real real bad I want my own tattoo gun I want to be covered in random shitty doodles. I’d be so happy. Moving on. I want a tattoo of my header on this blog (I think it’s still the header. That midnight gospel mushroom thing. I want that.) I want to get a watercolor style tattoo of these geometric triangle mosaic stupid birds my dad bought at south of the border on the trip down from New Hampshire to Florida and he was so fucking stoned and I was helping him walk through the store and not knock things over and we laughed so hard it was so nice I want to get those stupid birds. I need to get at least one of them on my shoulder. Maybe I’ll do one on each itll be like he’s the devil and angel on my shoulders. I want to get something black ink only on my hands as well. Again I want something that seems badass from afar but then you look at it and you’re like oh wait you’re a sweetheart. Eight letter phrase or word that will look cool in a tattoo font but also is not tough guy words… hmm. Brainstorm. Think on it.

[chuluoyi]

https://www.tumblr.com/chuluoyi/739464723579437056/hello-chuto-you-its-your-cat-anon-here-i?source=share

Hi!

How's ur day?

Ur so right about LYK..the cheater role isn't for him. And that actress doing soomin also not it😭😷 please save me from this drama so disappointing BYE I wish there was someone else for soomin role 😭

I don't have any pets. I wish I had, though. I did have a dog around 8 -9 years ago, but we gave it away. It takes effort to take care of them. im still a student, so I don't have one. Besides, I'm living with my parents. I'll get a retriever and an orange cat🥹 when I start living on my own. Actually, I am scared of dogs.

Flashback to 5 years ago, I went out to get something from a local store, this dog they had was out. The dog kept barking at me (maybe because of my mask), and then it almost bite me. I was crying for my life. That shop owner just kept saying "shh shh." I was so pissed at him lol, but I just came home. I actually think animals hate me or something. There's some cows/ox on my way to college. I have to hold onto my dear life every time I pass them. One time, I got hit by one of those (thanks to my neighbor guy who saved me. It was embarrassing for me. The save was heroic, and I fell in love with him, my savior 😩jk) I took a different path one time when I saw a group of them standing, it felt like those bastards were waiting for me. I took like extra 5 kms to walk and to make the day worse, some guys(I hate) in my class made fun of me. The day is printed on my head!

I do keep attracting reptiles(hate em) and insects. Like snakes, all kinda lizards (they are ewww), skinks!

Story time 2:

2016/7, we used to live in a very foresty(I forgot the word) kind of area, the grass was tall as my dad (6 ft). Basically everything lived there. It's a place straight out of horror movies. Had to live there because of my parent's job there. One day, I was going to take my books from the shelf to study. This shitty huge ass skink jumped onto my lap. I didn't know it got there. IT WAS SO HUGE I didn't know they can get that big. Still gives me goosebumps and nausea. I seen too many snakes,centipedes and I'm not bothered by them atp. Oh and ants and other insects love me, they always kiss me on the lips[sarcasm] (istg they always bite my lips😭😭 I don't even know how they get there)

I had a spider as a pet. I loved it but someone killed it..probably they were scared of my baby.

That was long! We got diverted from the og path.

Do you have any pets?

cat anon!!🥹 i'm sorry for taking a long of time to reply, i just went back from my vacation and i prefer to answer long ask through my laptop :'))

my days are going okay lately! thank you for asking🥹 what about yours??

RIGHT?! omg maybe i'm biased but i still think he's best with comedic roles rather than serious... murder-y roles, like it doesn't suit his personality (or face) at all😭 HAHAHAH the way you scrapped it omg, and now i'm too because yeah... i can't take this farce any longer😭

ahhh i so relate!! my parents didn't allow pets because it'll take a lot to care for them and such, and my househelper isn't that reliable either so yeah, pets are banned in my house😭

omg... that's so scary😭 if i were you i'd be scared shitless too! that shopkeeper grrrrr why didn't he do anything to help🥲 cows?! okay... that's new... i never know that cows can be aggressive🥹 but isn't that sweet that your neighbor helped you out!? i'd swoon over being saved from cows too!!🥹 and experience like that would totally be printed in my head for as long as i live :')))

SNAKES JASDKA i know i hate them too they're scary and dangerous🥲 and insects! i think i also have this magnet for attracting roaches... ew i hate them so much, they look so dirty and what's more... can fly?! i was screaming my head off when i saw one flying over my head ajdsdsdas and centipedes... i'm so scared of them, is it true that they're poisonous?

the "everything lived there" took me out😭 omg cat anon, if i were to be put in your place, i'd do everything you were doing too ahahahah... but spider? i'm also scared of spiders too... (now that i think about it, there are many things i'm scared of lmao) i kind of admire you for having spider as a pet!🥹

pets that i had is limited to fishes and fishes only🥹 they are in an aquarium, you only need to sprinkle food and leave them🥹 they're peaceful and that's why my parents allowed me to have some...

[purplesurveys]

1798

Who gives the best advice?  Trina. She's been through everything I've been through which helps make her advice a little bit more rooted in reality when she gives it to me. She's also always been a great listener and just very empathetic.

Is there any band out there that you like every song by them?  Paramore.

What’s the best song a friend has ever introduced to you?  She's not in my life anymore and I hardly listen to this artist anymore, but Athenna introducing me to Banks shook up my little 17 year old world and it made me go down an indie frenzy for a while.

Have you ever smoked?  I have, but haven't done so since college. I'm glad it didn't turn out to be something I'd seek out.

Does your favorite uncle have any children?  I have three favorites – only one of them has kids. The other two is a pair of brothers and don't have kids of their own.

Have you ever been in a lighthouse?  Yes, local ones.

Do you still talk to your first crush?  I can't remember the last time I spoke with Andi...we added each other on Facebook years after she migrated to New Zealand, but I don't think we even said anything to each other then.

Where would you like to travel?  I'd love to go back to Korea, but in Seoul this time.

Are you shy about singing in front of people?  Yes, both because I'm intrinsically shy when it comes to performing, and because I know I can't sing and like what is the point of doing that for people if I know they won't enjoy it anyway lol.

Do you know anyone who always makes themselves out to be the victim?  Knew, but yes.

Have you ever been insulted or called names by a significant other? I don't think so.

What’s your favorite movie battle scene?  I don't like action/war movies.

Have you ever been to a same-sex wedding?  That wouldn't even be legal here, so no.

What’s the population of your hometown?  Close to a million.

What’s the most difficult experience you and a significant other have gone through together?  Just the whole idea of having to navigate the world in silence in front of our families. Otherwise that relationship was for the most part riddled with shitty petty drama.

What’s something you have zero tolerance for?  Animal abuse and racial discrimination.

When's the last time you said you were sorry?  Yesterday.

Would you like living on the coast?  It'd be nice, but honestly I prefer going to the beach/sea as an occasional vacation. It wouldn't make me tired of the view.

Honestly, do you enjoy arguing?  It stresses me out and I try to be as non-confrontational as possible.

Which theory do you wish but perhaps not believe was true about afterlife?  I wish I can be reunited with the pets I lost in my lifetime.

Are you scared of losing the person you like to someone else? 

Do you have a hard time making decisions?  I struggle with making major decisions because I hate change and I hate breaking up routines I'm already used to. That's why I've been stuck in this job for over three years.

If there was a large spider in your room, would you stay in the room?  No, and I'd call over my mom to help get rid of it.

What’s your favorite kind of meat? (vegan/vegetarian options count!)  Can't ever go wrong with pork belly and raw seafood.

Have you ever been mistaken for staff at a store you were just visiting?  It's maybe happened once or twice, but nothing to warrant an anecdote.

What’s the coolest or most memorable animal you’ve ever seen at a zoo?  The idea of zoos just makes me sad and I've largely just felt bad when I'd see animals that I used to only see in textbooks.

Do you share a bedroom with anybody?  Nope.

What video game have you played the most hours of? If you don’t know, just make a rough guess.  Mario Kart Wii or Warioware Smooth Moves. Wii was my childhood console 100%.

Who will you see within the next week?  Just people related to work afaik. I don't have any upcoming plans with friends so far.

Do your parents live in their hometown(s)?  Nope.

Have you ever modeled before? I have not.

If offered $1 million, would you do a reality show of your life?  I could but there'd be nothing to show. I work all day and only rest when I'm not chasing after a deadline lol.

Who owns the computer you are on?  I do.

What’s your best friend’s favorite color?  I'm not sure actually, but I'm going to guess white even though I could be completely wrong.

What color was your senior prom dress?  Our prom was in junior year, but anyway mine was beige.

How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2014?  One.

Northernmost state you’ve been to:  We don't have states but the northernmost spot in the country I've been to is the actual northernmost province we have, which is Batanes.

Think you’ll live to be 100? No. My family doesn't really have a history of centenarians and given my carefree lifestyle I don't think I'll end up living very long haha.

Which YouTuber do you feel like you could be friends with easily?  Vien! Easily the most relatable and seems to be the most approachable in their whole group.

Who do you know personally that has a nice singing voice?  My cousin Maggie.

If you met your favorite musician, what would you ask him/her?  The next time I go to Korea what's the best place I could possibly go to for meat?

What's something you used to believe in that you don't anymore? One Direction getting back together.

What's something you believe everyone should have?  Access to food, clean water, and an efficient public transport system.

What's the first thing you do once you get home from a trip?  Greet and pat the pets.

Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones?  I don't. I lose attention way too quickly with podcasts because I find I need to be watching something in order to process whatever it is I'm listening to. Otherwise I'd forget soundbites within seconds.

What was the last heavy thing you lifted?  I was at a gym yesterday for a workout-themed photoshoot and I was playing around with all the dumbbells and kettlebells lying around haha. I could hardly believe those tiny things could hold weights of up to like 45 kg lol.

Do you have an anchor tattoo?  Nope.

Are your hands unsteady?  No, but they're also not surgeon levels of steady.

Do you think you’re pretty?  I think I look fine, but I know others who are much prettier.

Who do you know that wears the most makeup?  A couple of coworkers.

Are you anyone’s first love?  Possibly? Idk.

Has anyone ever told you they were in love with you?  Yeah.

How much does your mother know about your sex life (or lack thereof)?  Nothing.

[smtfaggot]

This is the anon that asked if you’re still mostly only into yoi and!!! I was asking because I wanted to make you a present that was about something you really like and like some people just keep blogs a particular thing and yea no it’s rad I just wanted to double check to make sure you’d like a yoi themed gift

oh noooo omgggggg what??????? listen thank u for wanting to make me a gift thats so sweet omg u dont have to omg 

[birdhaslostit]

🎁🎄❄️What the Lupin Gang would do for Christmas!❄️🎄🎁

Helloooooooo Lupin fans! You may or may not remember me as that one chick who made that Halloween headcanon post a few months back, as well as the Jigen’s bangs post. I’m back with a Christmas post!!!

Please note: Personally, I really only celebrate Christmas in a non-Jesus-y way. (Which is how I’m also writing this post, because let’s be honest, do you really think Lupin is going to confession and shit? Absolutely not.) It’s purely out of habit because I was raised Catholic, but I practice witchcraft now. My family doesn’t know that though. Because of this, I considered also making posts for other winter holidays, so I could include Lupin fans that don’t celebrate Christmas. But I didn’t want to accidentally mess it up, or write something inaccurate about a holiday that I don’t celebrate. It felt disingenuous to make a Hanukkah post because I’m not Jewish and it doesn’t seem like my place, and I didn’t want to do a Yule one either, because no two people celebrate it the same way. So, I strongly encourage others to add their respective winter festivities to this post if they want to! We’re all about inclusivity here.

Without further ado:

🎁LUPIN:

I don’t feel like it needs saying, but this man goes bonkers for Christmas.

He flip-flops his choice of red or green jacket by the year. But it always comes with an equally garish Christmas-themed tie, just to make explicitly clear that this is The Christmas Jacket for the year, as opposed to the standard red/green jacket.

The hideout(s) are always decorated to the GILLS inside. It’s an odd mix of older classy decorations he’s inherited from his family, and absolutely horrendously tacky ones he’s bought himself. 

Picture real branch garlands, wrapped tastefully around gilded candelabras that have been passed down through several generations. And then one of those singing, dancing stuffed animals from Walmart that plays “Jingle Bell Rock” when you squeeze its paw, right next to it.

Christmas-themed heists? You know it, baby. But he won’t steal anything on Christmas Eve or Christmas. It just isn’t in the spirit of the season, in his opinion. But he’ll leave a little something-something with his calling cards during the rest of December. A candy cane, a sprig of mistletoe, a bough of holly, etc.

Lupin despises eggnog. He loves any other Christmas drink, just not eggnog. He’s too grossed out by the idea of drinking eggs with alcohol- some things just shouldn’t be mixed.

Will not allow anyone to mention the truth about Santa Claus in his presence. Yeah, he knows, but that’s not the point. It just feels like bad luck to say it out loud. The harder Jigen tries to debate with him that Santa isn’t real, the harder he digs in his heels that “of course he is you absolute Scrooge, how dare you! If you don’t believe, you don’t receive.”

Favorite Christmas Songs: Anything peppy! 

Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney

Step Into Christmas by Elton John

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

We Need a Little Christmas by Percy Faith and his Orchestra

A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

Santa Claus’ Party by Les Baxter

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Literally anything except eggnog.

Favorite Christmas Foods: Anything obscenely sugary. Especially gingerbread men and other decorated pastries.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Loves to ice skate and make gingerbread houses! But his houses usually look fairly pathetic, no matter how hard he tries.

Favorite Christmas Movie(s): 

The Grinch (Jim Carrey version)

Home Alone

Scrooged

Christmas Gifts: The king of gag gifts, but he also gives surprisingly thoughtful presents too. He’s the kind of guy that would get a person something they mentioned once offhandedly that they really liked, and he’d go back and get it for them.

🎅JIGEN:

Lupin always wants to decorate the hideout(s) the second Halloween ends, but it never happens. With Jigen being the only American in the gang, he always puts a stop to it in order to preserve the quickly-disappearing border between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What can I say, dude loves his Thanksgiving excuse to eat like shit and do nothing for a day. Even if it is a fucked-up holiday, historically speaking.

But once the Thanksgiving meal is over, he gives Lupin the okay to go crazy. He’s pretty stoked about Christmas too, but too full of turkey to contribute, so he just watches Lupin hang up Christmas lights everywhere while he lays on the couch and digests.

Jigen likes Christmas a lot, but like, in a normal person kind of way. Nowhere near Lupin’s insane level. He’s surprisingly open about his enthusiasm too. The average person would think he doesn’t really care about Christmas much (or anything else really), but to the gang, Christmastime is the most openly excited they’ve ever seen him.

One year’s Christmas-themed heist involved Jigen dressing up as a mall Santa as a part of the plan. The gang powdered his beard, gave him a pillow for his stomach, and sent him on his way. Everything went surprisingly smoothly, and he actually did pretty well with the kids. At first they were a little intimidated, and Jigen was kind of nervous- but he gave them all candy canes and they changed their minds pretty quickly.

Jigen enjoyed it a lot, actually... to the point that he may have potentially started volunteering to be the local mall Santa. Every year during December, he leaves for a day or two on “business.” Nobody in the gang can prove it though, and trust me, they’ve tried.

Favorite Christmas Songs: The classics and the chill ones, with a few rock ones thrown in for a little kick.

Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby

Sleigh Bells by Gene Autry

(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays by Perry Como

Jingle Bells by Frank Sinatra

Caroling, Caroling by Nat King Cole

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow by Dean Martin

Silver Bells by Dean Martin

Happy Holiday by Bing Crosby

Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry

Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen (Sang this once after too much eggnog and will never live it down)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by the Barenaked Ladies (He’s not into all the Jesus-y stuff, but it’s pretty catchy.)

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Jigen is ALL. ABOUT. THAT. NOG. He’ll make his cup a little stronger than everyone else’s.

Favorite Christmas Foods: He really likes candy canes, especially the mini ones. He’ll keep a few in his pocket with his cigs, and switch between them depending on his mood. Out of habit, it’ll usually dangle out of his mouth like a cigarette would.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Watching Christmas movies and laughing at Lupin’s shitty gingerbread houses.

Favorite Christmas Movies: 

Anything that’s on at the moment, really. He likes to lounge by the TV, and he’s not picky. 

He has a soft spot for A Charlie Brown Christmas though.

A Christmas Story, solely because of the BB gun.

Scrooged, because Bill Murray’s hilarious.

Christmas Gifts: Something practical and useful that the person never realized they needed until they opened the box.

☃️GOEMON:

Goemon wasn’t originally a huge fan of Christmas. Shocking, I know.

He now enjoys some aspects of it, and tolerates others. He likes the idea of giving heartfelt gifts and spending time with loved ones as a tradition, but dislikes the cheesy commercial aspect of Christmas.

He already enjoys the snow and walking through the forest, so the gang usually commissions him to pick a tree for them and cut it down with Zantetsuken. (If they’re somewhere where that’s an option.)

Unbeknownst to the rest of the gang, he will always replant the tree he cut down, and he will wrap something cozy around the bottom of the sapling to keep it safe. Yes, this was directly inspired by A Charlie Brown Christmas. No, he will not admit to this.

Favorite Christmas Songs: The instrumentals, and a few he’d rather die than admit to liking.

The Nutcracker March from The Nutcracker

Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker

Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental) by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Greensleeves by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Last Christmas by Wham! (He likes the storyline and the romantic aspect of it.)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid (He likes that it was for a good cause, even if it has its flaws.)

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Again, flawed, but he enjoys the intended message of peace. Also, represents Japan on the side with Yoko Ono.)

White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Surprisingly fond of hot cocoa. Heavy on the whipped cream and marshmallows. 

Favorite Christmas Foods: Doesn’t really like eating gingerbread men, but enjoys decorating them. They’re always pristine, like something you’d get in a bakery.

Favorite Christmas Activities: See above. Also enjoys going out in the snow, and making ice sculptures with Zantetsuken.

Favorite Christmas Movies: Refuses to admit he likes any of these.

Any of the classic Rankin Bass claymation specials.

Any other animated ones for kids. Has a soft spot for A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Polar Express.

A few of those cheesy Hallmark ones.

Christmas Gifts: Something small and sentimental he saw while walking by a store that reminded him of the person he’s giving it to. Nothing extravagant, but thoughtful nonetheless.

⛸FUJIKO:

Fujiko decorates the tree. Period. Lupin cannot be trusted to do this on his own. Goemon picks the tree, Lupin and Jigen put it in the stand, and from there, it’s all Fujiko. The ornaments, lights, and tree skirt are all perfectly color/theme coordinated, and arranged like a pristine store display. 

She also has a few ornaments that she bought for each specific member of the gang. Lupin’s is a monkey (he was not pleased, but he’s whipped for her, so he let her keep it). Jigen’s is a carved wooden pistol. Goemon’s is porcelain, with hand-painted sakura blossoms on it. She bought one for Zenigata too as a joke one year- a tiny bowl of ramen noodles.

Her ornament? The star on top of the tree, because she’s the star of the show, baby. It’s actually a snowflake, made of the finest crystal she could steal.

Favorite Christmas Songs: Pop music and Motown’s finest.

Underneath The Tree by Kelly Clarkson

All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande

This Christmas by Donny Hathaway

What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder

Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes 

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love

A Marshmallow World by Darlene Love

I Like A Sleighride (Jingle Bells) by Peggy Lee

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Hot chocolate and mulled wine.

Favorite Christmas Foods: Loves baking and eating gingerbread men. She lets Goemon decorate them with her. Hers have lots of candy and sprinkles on them, while his are just icing.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Along with baking, ice skating! She’s the best at it out of the whole group. None of the guys are particularly good at it, but she makes them go with her at least once regardless.

Favorite Christmas Movies:

Hallmark ones, solely to make fun of them.

Babes In Toyland, but only the 1986 one, because it has Keanu Reeves in it, and “I don’t care if I’m your girlfriend, Lupin. In this house, we support Keanu Reeves.”

Christmas Gifts: Something expensive/extravagant that will make the person think of her every time they use it.

🎄ZENIGATA:

Zenigata is the second biggest Christmas enthusiast, just behind Lupin.

He doesn’t get to settle down and decorate anything really, since he’s always running after the gang, but he does lots of other little things to celebrate instead. Like getting hot chocolate instead of coffee, tuning the squad car radio to the Christmas station, getting an air freshener that smells like gingerbread, and wearing a festive scarf and gloves with his trench coat to keep out the cold.

In years past, Zenigata still had to work on Christmas Eve/Christmas, even if Lupin wasn’t out stealing anything. Lupin found out and thought that was a little harsh of ICPO, so he came up with a plan. 

Each year he sends a calling card to the station with the conditions that only Zenigata can come to investigate. Zenigata does some research, shows up to the location on Christmas Eve, and every year, nothing’s there except for a neatly wrapped present from Lupin. 

Zenigata keeps the present as “evidence,” goes back to the station, and they give him Christmas off to go investigate on his own, in case Lupin tries anything else. Lupin never does, but the station doesn’t know that. Bada bing, bada boom, Lupin just got Zenigata a vacation.

Zenigata never catches on, bless his heart.

Favorite Christmas Songs: Ones he can sing/hum along to in the squad car.

The Man With All The Toys by The Beach Boys

Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins

Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano (Does Zenigata understand Spanish? Absolutely not. Does he get the point and think it’s festive? Darn right.)

A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer by Dean Martin

Winter Wonderland by the Eurythmics

Silver Bells by Dean Martin

Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season by Andy Williams

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town by Gene Autry

December by Earth, Wind, and Fire (Let him have this okay, it’s a good song and he gets made fun of for liking it by the rest of ICPO)

Skating by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Hot cocoa and eggnog, but not strong eggnog like Jigen’s.

Favorite Christmas Foods: Anything, really. It’s something besides cup noodles, so he’s grateful. Lupin’s gift always includes lots of various Christmas goodies because of this.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Zenigata enjoys the snow in theory, but doesn’t handle the cold well. So he likes to watch the snow from his window while he listens to Christmas music in his squad car and sips his hot cocoa.

Favorite Christmas Movies: He doesn’t really have a lot of time to sit down a watch a movie, with how hard he works. But he remembers a few from when he was younger, and he really likes those. His favorite is Frosty the Snowman.

Christmas Gifts: Something inexpensive because ICPO vastly underpays this poor man, and he’s always embarrassed because of that, but it’s always something super sweet and heartfelt.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! And for those who don’t celebrate it, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! <3