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#<--mostly 4 my own categorization
spacedykez · 1 year
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violence? WOOO!! lifesteal.
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so, you heard about a silly little server called lifesteal. maybe u wanna try watching it. well what if i told u that we here at lifestealblr have put together a helpful guide to help you succumb to the poisons start watching the server?? join us we are very normal
so! lifesteal! first, a summary. lifesteal is a server where when u die, you lose a heart off your permanent health bar. when you kill another player you gain a heart. heres a list to sum it up:
dying loses you a heart
killing someone else gains you a heart
losing all your hearts = dead and gone from the series, unless youre revived
you can revive dead players through gay sex crafting a special item
you can withdraw hearts from your healthbar and give them to other players
still have questions? heres a better explanation. ok moving on
lifesteal smp has FOUR seperate seasons so far!! the players are the same, give or take a few people. so, where to start?
first, you don't need to watch the seasons in order. you don't need to know anything about previous seasons to watch lifesteal. start with whatever season you want!! that being said, i'd advise starting on season three or season four (the current season) as they are the most popular.
anyways, if you want to just start watching: here is the link to the playlist containing every lifesteal video on youtube, seasons 1-4 here is the link to the playlist containing every season 3 lifesteal video here is the link to the playlist containing every season 4 lifesteal video
[thank you to @a4g and @aroaceacacia for creating and maintaining the lifesteal s1-4 & lifesteal s3 and the lifesteal s4 playlists, respectively]
HOWEVER
if you'd like to start out slow, pick one lifestealer and start watching them!! honestly, the best way to get into it is just to find a guy (or ten) that you like watching and watch their videos!
a note- i am tagging the user who created each propaganda post so that if people change their urls, you will still be able to find the post. theyre definitely NOT the lifestealers themselves lol. also, some of these are not finished! however this has been sitting in my drafts for six months and i need to post it for my own mental health
i should make this a google docs actually. might do that sometime if i get motivation. but anyways, without further ado:
looking for redstone? mrcube (@tater-noodle)
want to feed the adhd? no rlly if u want adhd fuel watch ashswag (@cherubium)*
ever wanted to see capitalist technoblade? reddoons (@bearandhoney-com)
do you want a new cringefail streamer? itzsubz (@rendogdomesticated)
what about a paranoid escape master? rekrap (@vanivanvanilla)
loyalty and storylines to get invested in? leowook (@totallynotrico)
everyone's favorite special little guy? planetlord (@getwoold)
want gay people or pranks? then go watch branzy (@pacificseaotter)
the server's best PVPer? clownpierce [NEEDED] (NOT TAKEN)
1/3 of a whole idiot on a permanent YouTube grind? baconwaffles (@aroaceacacia)
local bird man done with everyone's shit? parrot (@getwoold)
the local funky hand guy? roshambo (@techno-in-a-boat)
background character incarnate? poafa (@simply-scrolling)
the special little guy who can and will kill you? spepticle (@cogmented)
quirky smiley guy who'll kill you? princezam (@vanivanvanilla)
incomprehensible violence! mapicc! (@cogmented)
sillay liddol guy? Creechur™️? pangi [NEEDED] (NOT TAKEN)
DRAGON GUYY!!! vortexdragon. (@vanivanvanilla)
lifesteal's local polar bear? woogie (@tater-noodle)
stuborrn, endearing guy who likes a challenge? jaron (@aroaceacacia)
cringefail foxboy streamer? vitalasy (@rendogdomesticated)
the walking pride flag guy? spoke (@a4g)
"annoying little brother" but endearing? mcclutch!! (@simply-scrolling)
chaotic rascal who loves doing events? midmystic!! (@xxswagcorexx)
awesome visuals and serious storylines? terrain!! (@cherubium)
*my girlfriend's favorite lifestealer and approved by multiple friends of mine with adhd. i really do recommend him just in general.
also, please do go check out the blog of everyone who helped me with this, they're all amazing!!!
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cafeinthemoon · 7 months
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Ruins - Part XX
Chapter 20
Wordcount 3,4k
Title Part XX
Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok
Previous chapters 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19
Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 💛
Warnings: none
Tagging @holdyourwine @lilacshouko @shirayuki-ayumi @telvess (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)
N. A.: Finally, one of my favorite parts of this story is about to begin! As I said before, I've been planning the next scenes for a long time and couldn't wait to share them with you. Honestly, I think there should be more events during the party, but I decided that it would be too much and wouldn't add to the main plot, so I cut out some ideas. Maybe I'll post them as an extra chapter, but for now have this one ;)
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If you sat down to write about all the encounters and surprises you had during that memorable night, you’d have to spend the first months of your marriage recollecting and categorizing your memories, for you were presented to many people, some of them known in your homeland at Midgard, others completely new to you. While your husband was mostly congratulated as the gods’ elder brother who finally had time to find love for himself, you were a novelty in each social circle, and everyone wanted a chance to see the newly created goddess from close.
Some of those new acquaintances, like the Solar Gods and their little conflict, had a deeper impact in you, and you had a special place in your heart for them.
One important friendship you began was with a goddess from your own pantheon, Athena. Months ago, Hermes has informed you that she has been absent from Valhalla for quite some time but hasn’t justified this attitude yet, but now she decided to attend the celebration and welcome her new pair.
You were curious when you saw that tall, elegant young woman with sober garments – including a head accessory that resembled a helmet and a necklace with a golden owl on its front – who approached you with no hesitation, and after the presentations you understood the sensation of depth and perspicacity you had when you looked into her brown eyes.
The first words exchanged between you were hers.
– This attentive look in your eyes, that has been watching my moves from far, and this undeniable, but respectful anxiety for our first contact… – she opened an enigmatic smile – It’s an avid reader we have before us, right?
You smiled back.
– You can say that, my Lady.
As always, Hades made the presentations.
– Y/n, this is Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Zeus’ daughter – and with a smile, – She has been willing to meet you since she heard about you.
– And this is not an exaggeration – Athena corroborated – After all the wonderful things my uncle said about you, Y/n, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see you with my own eyes.
You ignored the warmth on your cheeks and stared at your husband with an inquiring look.
– Does your uncle always talk this much, Athena-sama?
The goddess covered her mouth with both hands as she laughed at the said uncle’s surprised expression, then joined the game:
– Men are just like this, more than they’re willing to admit. You better get used to it.
Hades let out a loud sigh in an imitation of boredom, but you saw the diversion in his eyes.
– Won’t you show some respect for the old uncle who taught you how to read even in a day like this?
Athena crossed her arms.
– Absolutely not. Specially in a day like this.
There was laughter between you three, then the Goddess of Wisdom led her hands to her neck and took off the necklace from it. You were going to ask of she was about to do, but you didn’t have to: she offered the accessory to you with both hands, and after a second of hesitation, you accepted the gift.
– The life as a goddess and a queen is everything but easy, and there will be moments when you will think you will never succeed – Athena explained – In these moments, let the owl be your companion, and you will regain your courage and your wisdom. This is my blessing to you.
You spent a moment observing the animal’s big eyes, formed by a pair of black jewels, and a feeling of gratitude and comfort invaded your heart.
– I will surely do this – you raised your eyes to the goddess – Thank you for your blessing, Athena-sama.
– It’s good to hear that! – she replied with a satisfied smile – I hope our meetings in the future to be as pleasant as this one, young Y/n.
You nodded.
– Me too.
When Athena said goodbye to you and walked away, Hades helped you to put on the necklace. With all the new, grown hair you would never manage to do it without a mirror, and you said that to him.
– I think my challenges as goddess and queen started sooner than expected!
Hades agreed with a laugh. When he finished adjusting your hair, you turned to him and were going to ask how you looked, but gave up on it once you noticed the peculiar scene happening not so far from you.
Your sister Luna was chatting with a pair of cheerful nymphs you’ve met days ago. You couldn’t hear their voices from your spot, but you were able to observe and understand what was going on with precision: someone appeared suddenly behind Luna and made her startle; she turned to him and, though she didn’t know his identity, she wasn’t less impressed than the nymphs, for the intruder had the form of an attractive young man with fine clothing and green hair, who gave his attentions primarily to her.
You narrowed your eyes to the man, sensing something strange about him, but you only understood what it was when he made a swift gesture with his hand, making a flower appear between his fingers.
In a second, you were fuming.
– I can’t believe that! – you greeted your teeth – Not in my wedding!
Hades frowned, but soon understood everything.
– Well, well, if that’s not our friend Loki…
You were almost running to take your sister way from the Nordic god, but your husband held you in place.
– Hades, please, I…!
– Look – he interrupted you – Someone’s already there for Luna-san.
You looked again and saw the moment when, after your sister accepted the flower from Loki, your mother suddenly appeared behind him and poked his shoulder. He turned to her and, blushing at the serious expression on her face, he moved his hands and created a flower bouquet formed by the same species of the flower he gave to Luna, offering it to your mother. She held the flowers with hesitant hands, staring at them while trying to understand what was going on. Before she could do or say anything, a third person joined the group: your father, and he was as dissatisfied as your mother in the beginning, judging by his frown and his arms crossed over his chest. But Loki had a surprise for him too: smirking, he snapped his fingers and a flower crown became visible on your father’s head, to his confusion and to Luna and your mother’s diversion.
You stared at the group for a moment, then sighed and smiled at your own foolishness. Your family, you understood, would be alright taking care of each other; they’ve been really good at this for all the time you’ve lived with them, and nothing indicated that this would change. You gave up before you took the first step toward them.
However, you wouldn’t have much time to rest from the surprises of that night. You barely looked away from your relatives, you saw a small silhouette passing by you, coming from nowhere, so fast that when you were able to identify her, she was already five meters away: Ellie was running around as if playing a game, and before you could run after her, Helena passed as fast as the baby, calling her name.
– Ellie-chan! Stop running! – and, glancing at you with some embarrassment, – I’m sorry, y/n-san, she just escaped my grip!
You opened your mouth and closed it again as your sister followed the same direction as the baby, who kept running and provoking curious looks and laughter from the observers… until she bumped into someone’s leg and fell on the floor, sitting, and the entire room fell silent. Helena stopped immediately and didn’t approach Ellie’s spot once the person into whom she bumped turned and looked down at the little girl.
You held your breath and murmured to yourself.
– Ah… Poseidon-sama!
The Lord of the Seas, with his cold eyes glued on the child, spent a moment in silence, observing, as if he was trying to guess of kind of living being he had at his feet. Ellie – for your relief – didn’t make tricks, started crying nor did anything that could be considered petulance by someone like him: she just stood there, staring back at him and not understanding the situation she put herself into.
And, to everyone’s surprise, the god’s reaction was simple, and had nothing to do with discontentment or irritation: he bent down and took the baby by her armpits, with a delicacy you guessed that came from his inexperience with human beings: to him, if the adult ones looked so fragile that holding them the wrong way would cause permanent damage, even more their children. Ellie didn’t protest or showed fear: instead, she found it funny to be held like that and smiled at the strange man with ocean eyes.
The said man was clearly not used to have people who showed no fear in his presence, so he kept staring at the girl showing off her little teeth in an innocent smile, intrigued with her behavior… Until the shadow of a smile appeared on his lips as well.
– Are you always this audacious and brave, little person? – he adjusted his grip on her and allowed her to hold his finger.
Your heart calmed down as you looked around, while the faces of the guests softened at the scene. So, everything ended up well… Or so you thought.
You saw the moment when Ellie, with the typical childish curiosity, held Poseidon’s finger with more strength than usual and, before anyone could stop her, led it to her mouth, closing her little teeth around it as she used to do with her favorite treats.
You noticed the god’s eyes widening and a wave of gasps spreading across the room; you covered your mouth with both hands and your husband put his palm over his face.
After the first scare, Poseidon managed to free his finger from your niece and stared at his own skin, left reddish and wet. Again he looked at the girl, who still had that unsuspecting look in her little eyes, and the first thing he said in response would have provoked intense laughter if it was someone else in his place:
– Such a strong bite for a tiny little thing... Almost like a baby shark.
***
The next minutes of the party followed with no surprises, that is, nothing that resembled the incident involving Ellie and your brother-in-law, with you and Hades receiving congratulations and blessings from people from many pantheons and lands. Though you couldn’t remember all their names, you certainly would remember their kindness and receptiveness. However, not even this was enough to keep you in the room for more than those few hours.
It happened that, as time passed, the sensations that started right after you consumed the ambrosia continued to develop, and you noticed a strange tiredness taking over your limbs and your senses, leading you to a state of hyperstimulation, making the lights, colors, smells and sounds around you unbearable.
After saying goodbye to another group of gods, you turned to Hades and told him you couldn’t stay on your feet for much longer.
– I’m sensing the beginning of a headache, and I don’t think it will be a light one – you whispered to him – It will get worse if I stay here for too long.
He passed his hand on your hair, not disguising his worry.
– It must be another effect of the ambrosia. If this is the case, I’ll take you to our room now.
He closed his mouth when his brothers joined you: Zeus, with his calm demeanor and his hands on his back, Adamas with a goblet in hands and Poseidon, still with Ellie in his arms; now the baby was sleeping with her head on his shoulder.
– If you’re feeling a bit tired, it is, in fact, because of the ambrosia – Zeus, who overheard your conversation, told you – Your body is still mortal, thus sensitive, so that adapting to such changes is hard. You should really take some rest now.
– That’s what I’m intend to do – you replied – Thank you for preoccupation, Zeus-sama.
The chatting was interrupted by Adamas’ laugh.
– It’s always funny to observe these formalities toward my little brother – he approached and messed your hair on a spot away from your crown, – Still haven’t time to tell you that, but welcome to the family, y/n-chan.
You smiled with sympathy.
– Thank you, Adamas-sama.
You turned to Poseidon, who has been silent since the start. The memory of his abrupt encounter with Ellie made your cheeks warm as you observed her snoring on his lap, but you approached him with confidence.
– I apologize for the incident involving my niece, Poseidon-sama – you stretched your arms to her – I will take her back to my family, so she won’t be causing you more distress.
– Of course – he nodded and gave the child to you; she moved a bit when you held her, but didn’t wake up.
Finally, you tuned to your husband and told him you were going to leave Ellie with your parents. He agreed and replied that he would be waiting in the company of his brothers.
That was the last time you spoke with your family that night. You approached your parents and your mother took the initiative of holding the baby. She raised her eyes to your face and frowned.
– You’re certainly as beautiful as ever with your new appearance, my child – she passed her hand on your face – But you seem a bit tired.
– I am – you smiled – I’m leaving the party to take a rest. Zeus-sama explained that it’s one of the effects of the ambrosia, so it’s the best for me now.
– And I agree with him – your father approached, putting his hand on your shoulder. He still had Loki’s crown on his head and was now holding the bouquet.
You opened your arms and hugged them at the same time, involving the baby between you, then walked back to Hades after saying goodbye to them.
***
Because of the growing tiredness on your legs and the increase of your headache, the way from the room where the party was happening to the private chambers where your honeymoon should start seemed longer than you remembered it. There was a moment when you held your husband’s arm and told him you couldn’t go any farther.
– My body feels heavier at each step – you murmured – I guess I’m going to pass out…
Hades took you in his arms the moment when your feet failed you, stopping you from falling on the corridor.
– Guess the party was too much for you, little one – he whispered to you – Sorry for not taking you away before.
You smiled.
– And awakening the wrath of my new pairs so soon with this rudeness? No, I pass.
You didn’t remember if anything more was said between you or if you really passed out, but you only opened your eyes again when you heard a knob being turned and the door of your room was opened.
Hades crossed the living room, where you spotted candle lights on each corner, and took you to the bed area. Moving the sheets away, he left you on the right side of the bed and went to the balcony’s doors, opening them to let the fresh air and the soft light of outside in. When he came back to you, you were sitting on the bed, trying to take off your shoes.
– Allow me – he sat on your side and, without waiting for a response, put your feet on his lap and started to untie the straps of your shoes.
You sighed.
– The numbness is leaving, but I’m still tired – you passed a hand on your face, not worried about blurry your makeup – And this headache is increasing…
Hades bent down and left your shoes on the floor beside the bed.
– Come here – and, when you took off your feet from his lap and did as he said, – Untying your hair will release you from part of the discomfort.
He took off your crown and hairpin, then started to untangle the strands. You stood in silence as his fingers ran through your scalp, and realized you were feeling asleep; when you noticed, you were already leaning on your husband’s shoulder. He passed his arms around you and kissed your hair.
– I’m going to call Hermes and tell him to send Asclepius to see you – he said.
– The god of Medicine?
– Yes. He has seen cases like yours before, including Psique and Hercules – he explained – He will help you to get through the transformation.
You made a “hmmm” and sighed.
– I think I’m going to take a bath while he doesn’t arrive.
– Do you need help?
You shivered. Of course, you knew that showing yourself unclothed before your husband would become part of your private routine, but you haven’t thought too much about it, so the naturalness with which he asked that sounded sudden, to say the least.
– No… No, thank you.
When you were able to stand again, Hades left to call Hermes and you headed to the bathroom to prepare everything.
***
Contrary to what you imagined, taking a bath without help in those conditions wasn’t that hard. Your clothes were light and you were already on barefoot, so that the only struggle was to organize all the stuff you’d need. Besides, there was a bathtub large enough for you to stretch your legs and carved at a reasonable distance from to the wall, so you could rest your head on its border and leave all those inches of hair out.
Your right foot touched the warm water and a shiver was sent through your entire body. You passed your arms around yourself, finding the sensation strange: you weren’t that cold, right?
Well, whatever.
You were too tired to deliberate. You entered the water and stood there for the longest time possible.
***
You were already back on the bedroom, took your new side of the bed, wearing a night gown that didn’t reveal too much under a robe that you wrapped tight around your waist to wait for the doctor – that is, the Lord of all them – to see you. Hades hasn’t still come back when you left the bath and the chambers were too quiet, except for the sound of the evening birds out there and the ruffling grass touched by the wind.
You frowned.
I’m sure that they’re are at a good distance from our place. It’s funny that I’m able to hear them from here.
And even more funny was that you had the impression that those soft sounds were increasing your headache. You pressed your fingers against your temples. Could it be that the ambrosia was causing all of this?
If so, how long must I endure these symptoms? I only hope that Asclepius-sama answers my questions. That would surely make me less anxious.
You were thinking of this when you heard the noise of a door opening and footsteps approaching the room. You straightened up on the bed and, a moment later, Hades entered, accompanied by a young man… whom you already knew.
– Ah! Apollo-sama? – and, frowning, – You’re a bit different from earlier…
In fact, the visitor was like a living shadow of Apollo, but as your eyes got used to his figure, you were able to spot crucial differences: instead of the extravagant garment and golden jewelry, this young man wore nothing but a common, white tunic with a slit on each side, and a pair of leather sandals which straps reached the spot under his jerks; around his waist, a blue stripe of the same fabric, and no accessories were seen, except a satin stripe tying his long hair, which was of a darker shade than Apollo’s, and the same could be said about his eyes. On his right hand, he carried a sort of cane in the form of a column, with a serpent’s body wrapped around it, and over his shoulder there was a large bag, similar to the one of a traveler.
The young man, you also noticed, seemed to have the exact opposite of Apollo’s expansive personality and mannerism.
In the middle of this, Hades laughed when he heard your words.
– It never gets boring – and, turning to the visitor, – But I bet it ceased to be funny for you long ago, right?
The man carried a gentle smile on his face.
– It used to bother me in the past, but now I really don’t care much, Hades-sama – he commented with a low, composed voice – After all, my father is known for his presentable looks. So being mistaken for him is rather a compliment.
That conversation left you even more confused.
– I don’t understand – you alternated your look between your husband and the other man – You are Apollo-sama’s son?
– Yes. I am Asclepius, God of Medicine – the man nodded in respect – It’s been a while since I’ve met a newly formed goddess, so it’s an honor to meet you, y/n from Midgard.
Part XXI + Extra Content
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anonymouspuzzler · 10 months
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today in puzz: i thought really hard about power-scaling and categorizing the different capabilities of psychonauts-verse psychic powers and made charts about it. please click the readmore to see a lot of rambling thoughts and also the charts
first of all i genuinely don't know why you decided to click through but i'm impressed. second of all let's start with the blank template chart i made (feel free to use for your own blorbos and such. i set it free) and touch on the explanations
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[Image ID: A chart with seven sections, each with a bolded handwritten section title, a handwritten explanation of the section below, and five outlined star shapes to the right. The stars are labeled, from left to right, in handwritten text: "low", "below avg." (NOTE: "avg." short for "average"), "avg.", "above avg.", and "high". The seven sections and explanations are as follows:
Raw Psychic Power: Raw potential, regardless of application. Specialization: Capability in chosen signature power(s). Adaptability: Ability to learn new powers or apply them in new ways. Stability: Mental soundness and ability to preserve it. Mental Defense: Ability to resist outside psychic forces (ie. projection, Psylirium...). Mental Control: Ability to control their own mindscape. Non-Psychic Abilities: Capability in physical, mental, etc. abilities (ie. acrobatics). (NOTE: In this context I'm considering this specifically in ways the non-psychic abilities can be used in complement with and/or to otherwise enhance otherwise separate psychic abilities.)
End ID.]
So this is the chart! While it wasn't my explicit aim, I kind of focused on something, like, the Psychonauts as an organization might use to assess potential or existing agents - categories that would be useful to measure and consider in the field and such. I did three quick off-the-cuff samples with specific characters too, ranging from stuff we know pretty darn well to more speculative, but I tried to stick to "things we see fairly explicitly and unarguably in canon", which is why you'll see a couple things marked "insufficient data" - I'll explain my reasoning there and for everything below.
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[Image ID: The previous chart with a picture of Raz from Psychonauts 2 pasted to the left, and the stars for each section colored in to represent "score" in the given category. These "scores" are as follows:
Raw Psychic Power: 3 stars (average) Specialization: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Adaptability: 5 stars (high) Stability: 4 stars (above average) Mental Defense: 4 stars (above average) Mental Control: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Non-Psychic Abilities: 5 stars (high)
End ID.]
So here's our favorite little guy Raz! He seemed like an obvious candidate to assess with this chart since we see so much of his powers in action in a close-up, extensive way. The "raw psychic power" is admittedly debatable - you could probably argue for it to be above average and I'd be like "yeah". I mostly set it as average because some dialogue implies his use of his powers isn't particularly refined/spectacular, and comparing to say, the other campers or interns suggests as such as well. (For the record, for comparison, I'd consider the likes of Sasha, Milla and Oleander above-average in terms of raw power, and the likes of Ford, Maligula and Bob Zanotto on the high end.)
Where Raz really shines is his adaptability, which I set to the max rank accordingly - he picks up powers super fast and utilizes more distinct, unique psychic abilities than pretty much any other character we see. The next closest are the likes of Sasha, Milla, and Oleander, who seem to all use the "basic" suite of powers (TK, shielding, levitation, and PSI-blasts) at a high level with ease, on top of their specializations and/or more advanced capabilities. It's also implied that Raz is using the powers he picks up in unexpected and interesting ways, too, most notably in how the others react when he starts using Mental Connection. At least part of this is because of his other big high point, non-Psychic abilities - it's very clear and textual that Raz being an accomplished acrobat is a huge part of his success and plays a large part in how he approaches and uses his powers.
The other few categories... specialization, I'd argue we don't really see any concrete evidence of him "specializing" in a particular power or powers; in a lot of ways he's such a capable jack-of-all-trades because he doesn't seem to have any particular standout specializations. It's entirely possible he just hasn't had a moment of "clicking" with a particular power in the Three Whole Days we see him learning, though, so I've marked it "insufficient data" rather than low. The stability rating should probably also be "insufficient data", but like. The fact that the kid's still smiling after the Fucking Three Days he had is enough evidence for me to earn that 4-star stability rating. Mental defense, we see at the very start of the first game that he's able to resist Oleander's mental probing, and he's the least effected by the Psilirium in RoR outside Coach, so I think it's safe to say he's a bit of a standout there. Mental control, "insufficient data" again because we never actually see his mental world without external influences - first the interference from Coach/Loboto/Linda in the brain tumbler, then the Meat Circus when he and Oleander get their mindscapes all tangled. As such, I don't think we can make any kind of fair assessment of Raz's control of her his own mental world.
speaking of Oleander, though...
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[Image ID: The previous chart with a picture of Coach Oleander from Psychonauts 2 pasted to the left, and the stars for each section colored in to represent "score" in the given category. These "scores" are as follows:
Raw Psychic Power: 4 stars (above average) Specialization: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Adaptability: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Stability: 1 star (below average) Mental Defense: 5 stars (high) Mental Control: 5 stars (high) Non-Psychic Abilities: 2 stars (below average)
End ID.]
aw yeah baby it's Morry Time. let me explain my Visions. Raw psychic power - as mentioned earlier, I'd consider him above average, alongside Sasha and Milla. alongside just what we see of his powers in-game, I'd argue for the three of them to have the kind of separation they do from the rank-and-file Psychonauts agents, they must be a bit outside the norm power-wise as well. (yeah you could argue that they're separated from Motherlobe NPC #5 because they're main characters but whatever i'm approaching this in-universe it's more fun.)
as you can see we've got two sections for Morry that are marked "insufficient data", both of which probably require some explanation from me. Specialization I marked as this because I think the info we get here is conflicting and circumstantial - the first game doesn't really suggest Coach has any particular psychic specialty (you could argue maybe PSI-shield based on how you get it and some other circumstantial stuff about Oleander - it's what I like to imagine is his specialty - but it's hardly super foundational evidence), and the second game kind of retroactively implies it's PSI-punch (or at least that Coach signed off on Raz's merit badge for it), but we literally never see him use it. As such, insufficient data, I says! Adaptability, you might be able to argue it's low or below average since all the powers we see him use are pretty in line with the "standard" we see for everyone, but we also don't see him use a lot of his powers nor where or how he picked them up, and as I argued above for Raz, just the fact that he can use multiple powers capably at all is noteworthy. So, "insufficient data" seems most fair.
Now let's look at where Morry really shines - Mental Defense and Mental Control! Everything we see suggests he's really exceptional in both these regards. On mental defense, he's literally the only character we see resisting Psilirium to such an extreme degree, and even outside of that we see circumstantial evidence of him being able to keep folks out of his head - the two times Raz gets in, the first time he's explicitly invited in, and the second Morry's a disembodied brain stalling out by the side of the road. Mental control, similarly, he stands out - he, Sasha, and Milla I would argue are all above average on that front, being able to partition their minds and memories enough to create safe training grounds for the campers, but Oleander's also actively creating false memories to be discovered and passively maintaining his mental construct for the campers even when he's actively doing other shit (compare and contrast the vast majority of people basically going temporarily comatose when their mind is entered and like. damn morry).
On the flip side, the places where Coach really falters. Stability - This One Is Obvious I Think. the man processed his trauma so bad he kidnapped a lot of people about it and even after addressing that his solution was to keep doing the same exact thing but kidnap people less. That man aint well. Non-psychic abilities, well - take your pick. This is a himbo who can't swim. He doesn't know shit and he's a coward and he's bad at talking to people. Ironically, I genuinely think he's in the best possible place could be as head of Whispering Rock - he's genuinely protective and seems all right with kids, so he seems much better placed as a coach than as an agent.
anyway now that I've laid all that out perhaps you will allow me a more Speculative Argument.
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[Image ID: The previous chart with a picture of Doctor Loboto from Psychonauts 2 pasted to the left, and the stars for each section colored in to represent "score" in the given category. These "scores" are as follows:
Raw Psychic Power: 5 stars (high) Specialization: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Adaptability: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Stability: 1 star (below average) Mental Defense: 4 stars (above average) Mental Control: 4 stars (above average) Non-Psychic Abilities: 4 stars (below average)
End ID.]
if you're here, I assume you follow my blog. you knew this was coming.
ANYWAY! My Argument: Specialization and Adaptability, not enough data to say anything. We literally see him actively using powers for like, 30 seconds tops, which isn't enough to say if he has a particular specialization or if he's picking up multiple powers/using them in interesting ways. (You might be able to argue he's a TK specialist based on circumstantial evidence, but that's not particularly foundational, so I won't be arguing it as fact.) Stability, just like Oleander, obvious - he's not, like, well. At all. (I could argue, funny enough, that he's actually less stable post-Raz's interference in RoR, but that's a whole 'nother post.) Non-psychic abilities, again obvious, in the absence of access to his powers they're the only abilities he's been able to develop, and they're nothing to sneeze at! unstable though he be, he's an undeniably accomplished bio-mechanical engineer, and there's enough circumstantial evidence to indicate he's pretty physically capable as well (he survived the fall from the tower in the first game, for one, and need I mention the implication that he swam to the Rhombus of Ruin at least in part. fully clothed. carrying a suitcase)
Raw psychic power - and again I emphasize that this is raw potential, whether it's utilized or not - I think Loboto is really exceptional there just based on what little we see of his powers. Like, he's using telekinesis in a natural and fairly refined way as an infant, and there's enough circumstantial evidence on the level of his mental control and defenses (which I'll get into), as well as stuff like "whatever the Hell he did with Linda and Crispin and the like" that even without any conscious access to his powers, he's still using them pretty effectively. I genuinely think Loboto would be on the level of some of the strongest psychics we've seen if he could still use his powers.
and speaking of "I'll Get Into That", Mental Defense and Mental Control! this is where we see the most substantial evidence of loboto's powers, IMO - you'll see I marked him one down from oleander on both, who, as I detailed above, I think is very exceptional on both fronts. we see Loboto being very mentally defended in the first game, with Raz totally unable to get into his head, and if we take his words as truth Loboto somehow protected Crispin from psychic projection as well. Raz isn't able to get in his head alone until RoR (during which time he is Literally Surrounded By Psilirium, The Rock Which Dampens Psychic Abilities, Which Literally Only Oleander Has Been Shown Able To Resist In Full), and in Psychonauts 2's version of his mind it takes the efforts of Five Trained Psychics, who are also functionally hypnotizing him with a false mental construct, and even then it takes Literal Minutes for him to notice the ruse and start circumventing and ejecting them. this guy's got something going on and Sasha's theory that it's the fault of Loboto's employer doesn't hold much water because Loboto's employer is a complete non-psychic.
on the same front, mental control! this one's a little shakier, because in some respects it seems like the lobotomy has had a significant impact on this for Loboto (obviously in him being unable to use his powers anymore, at least consciously, but also in things like him being unable to access his mental compass and recognize right from wrong until Raz interferes). but at the same time, even with that, he's able to exude enough mental control to fight back against Sasha's construct and impose his own version of his mind over it, not to mention we him construct a false memory similar to Oleander (I personally believe Gristol at least partially had something to do with that, but that's, again, a whole other post, and the point is Loboto's still able to create and maintain a false memory for others to find in his own mind). given all that, I think we have enough evidence to conclude that Loboto's pretty capable on this front, and would probably be on Oleander's level if he weren't Actually Literally Physically Brain Damaged.
anyway. I don't actually have a nice clever ending to this rambling. I'm just Like This
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ladytauria · 7 months
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4 and 50 for kisses! Jaytimkon or some combo of?? And here! for luck! a kiss on your hand for you my friend!
🥰 thank you, leo <3333
i changed up one of the prompts a little~ mostly just the order tho. uwu i hope you like this!
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>> AO3 <<
Jason hums absently to himself—his own, unique melody, blending the song his mother used to sing while doing dishes with the one Alfred hums, occasionally,  in the kitchen, or whistles in the garden. Sauce bubbles in front of him. The scent of it tickles his nose, making his stomach gurgle inaudibly. He lifts the spoon to his mouth, tasting.
Hm.
Needs more spice.
He sets the spoon aside. Tim is perched on the counter, right in front of the spice cabinet. Jason arches a brow at him. “You plannin’ on movin’?”
He gets a small, cheeky smile. “No.”
Jason rolls his eyes—the effect ruined by the way his lips twitch—and steps between the spread of Tim’s knees, reaching around him. Tim moves his head just enough to let Jason open the cabinet door, shifting back into place as Jason rises up, one hand on Tim’s hip.
Their lips brush in a brief, fleeting kiss; breath mingling.
Jason finds what he’s looking for through memory alone. It’s not hard. He has a strict organization system for his spices, to his boyfriends’ endless amusement.
As soon as he lowers, he sets the cayenne aside in favor of splaying both hands on Tim’s sides, nudging Tim’s head back with his nose before kissing him again, on purpose this time. Tim’s hands bunch into the front of his apron—a silly, frilly thing Kon bought him as a joke but which has become one of Jason’s favorites. It pulls taut around Jason’s neck, the pressure making him melt, fingers tangling in Tim’s shirt.
Kon enters the kitchen. Jason is aware of it, distantly, his hind brain picking up on the distinctive sound of his step but categorizing it as a non-threat. Neither he nor Tim acknowledge it—not until Jason starts, a little, as Kon presses up against his back, strong arms locking around his waist.
He melts again immediately, sighing into Tim’s mouth as Kon kisses up the column of his neck, and as much of his jaw as he can reach.
Tim is the one to break away. Jason is breathless, a little weak in the knees, the solid press of a boyfriend on either side of him feeling like all that’s keeping him upright. Kon presses one more kiss behind his ear—and then he presses tighter against Jason’s back, pushing him further into Tim’s chest. Kon kisses Tim over his shoulder.
It’s a gorgeous sight.
They kiss lazily, like they’ve got all night; like Jason isn’t sandwiched between them. It’s— There's something… Jason doesn’t know if he can call it hot, because honestly, he thinks he’d be perfectly happy if it didn’t turn sexual at all, but—
There’s something appealing about that, about the idea of being held between them for hours, as they trade slow, lazy kisses over his head.
A thought to indulge later, maybe. If he finds the courage to ask for it.
When Kon and Tim finally break apart, Jason finds himself pulled into another kiss—this time by Kon, his torso twisting to make it easier.  He’s got one hand fisted in Tim’s shirt—the other in Kon’s.
Tim is the one to kiss his neck, now, and everywhere else he can reach.
It’s overwhelming in the best of ways. Kon pulls away—and then there’s Tim again, stealing what little breath he has left.
Kon bites into his shoulder, worrying a mark there. Jason moans embarrassingly loud against Tim’s mouth. Tim grins, slipping his hands behind the apron and under Jason’s shirt to toy with the curls on his belly.
Jason’s head spins, dizzy with desire and the sweet, heady feeling of being loved. He sinks into it, into them—
A loud hiss breaks the reverie; all three of them tensing at the sudden sound. He flinches away from Tim, jerking his head toward the sound so quickly he hears his neck crack.
His sauce is splattering; droplets hissing and burning on the stove.
Jason swears. Fuck. He forgot about the sauce!
[ 50 Types of Kisses ]
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shinji-hibiki · 3 months
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Gimme your top 5 genres (however niche u want) you like to listen to!!
oh my god Awesome question. generally im a big enjoyer of rock and metal but ill get into some of the more specific genres i like!! (not really in any order)
Shoegaze/Blackgaze/Dreampop
This one is a little broad because there are so many genres and artists that overlap and I get a bit confused at how people categorize music. However. Fuzzy guitars incomprehensible vocals... the distortion...the Reverb...god
I got into this genre at the beginning of the pandemic and it completely bore itself into me. I could gush about how it makes me feel forever but this subset of music was just made for me. Here's some of my favourite fuzzy tunes for u...
Progressive Metal
Ohhh yeah. having a true Music Liker moment but i love it when songs are 11 minutes long and have like 3 separate breakdowns.
You got your Tool. you got Dream Theater. Caligula's Horse. My mom even recently got me into Sleep Token (lol) Hell, dir en grey has some prog metal under their belt dude it Rules
If you want to have a Really transcendent progressive metal experience lay down before u sleep and listen to This Shit:
Darkwave/Gothic Rock
Covers classic staples in the gothic scenes like Type O Negative, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie, The Cure, Bauhaus, etc.. and newer contemporaries of overlapping genres like Drab Majesty, Cold Cave, Linea Aspera, Rendez Vous!!
listen 2 some truly sexy darkwave stuff i dare you. its so good. both of these examples are really gay especially workout
Indie/Contemporary Folk
During and after the pandemic, my musical sensibilities shifted considerably based on my relationship with my immediate surroundings. Long story short, now that I didn't have to go to fucking Public School, it was a lot easier to realize that I lived in a beautiful town that I could explore and connect to all on my own.
This was the kind of music that I listened to while drinking tea on the porch with my cat, biking to the shore, walking into the woods, thinking about the boy i still liked. those days kind of served to clue me in that i was a real person with a real life to live i guess lol
Post-Punk (The Weird Kind)
I'm not very good with music labels so I really didn't know what Post-Punk entailed for a while. But looking into it, I realized it's a really broad label covering a lot of shit that I really like.
Post-punk mostly encompasses some of the experimental artsy type nerd music I like!! Devo! Talking Heads! Squid! Viagra Boys! Technically it also encompasses the gothic rock stuff above too but. Oh well. Hey you should listen to squid listen to them do it
if u listen to any of the above i will love you forever. i am holding your hand and leading you. do not be scared
@good-wine-and-cheese thank u so much 4 prompting this and now im curious!!! whatre YOUR top 5 genres..
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irlwakko · 3 months
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OKAY my thoughts on the punishments that Mal gave all of the alters in Total Drama All Stars! Because @fraudulent-cheese asked and I've been waiting YEARS for someone to ask me about my theories!
(Disclaimer: I know the writers probably didn't put this much thought into this. I know that I'm being one of Those Total Drama fans and I categorically Don't Care because I have so much fun thinking about this.)
The reason I use the word "punishments" first of all is that 1. I need an easy name to call them to group them all together and 2. I do genuinely believe these are punishments Mal gives the alters as revenge for forcing him into dormancy. Because I ALSO think that Mal scaled them to how much he hated/blamed that particular alter.
(As an aside, there's a LOT to be said about Mal spending a formative period of time in juvie and then modeling his punishment for the alters after a jail, as Manitoba says. I wish we knew more about Mal's time in juvie so I could talk about this more.)
The first person we see is Mike, who's just all alone surrounded by (it seems like) miles and miles of nothingness. And I think his punishment is the worst, but we'll circle back to him.
Chester's punishment is really obvious: he's stuck selling skateboards because it's a symbol of the youth nowadays, which he absolutely hates. There's also something to be said for the fact that Chester's working a retail job, wherein you have to be constantly standing, and we know Mal took away Chester's mobility aid (which he had in the innerworld in Season 4 and did not have in Season 5). He probably didn't think Chester was capable of escape, but also put him in a position where he'd eventually become so physically incapacitated that he COULDN'T escape.
And ALSO, to skip ahead a little (sorry I have a lot of thoughts on this), Mal knew that even if everyone began to escape, Chester's legs would give out long before they reached the tower (which requires five people to enter). Mal was counting on the assumption that the others would leave Chester behind once he became unable to walk (more on this later!)
Second up is Svetlana, and though I don't know why Mal picked fish, I know why he picked butter: simple, because Svetlana's a gymnast. You can't do gymnastics if your hands are covered in butter. Being unable to do gymnastics would not only physically incapacitate her but also completely demoralize her. More than the physical impediment, the hopelessness of the situation would keep her from escape. I also think the reason he kept Svetlana under such close surveillance (the ears everywhere) was because he knew he might need physical control of her in the future (which we see when he forces her to co-front in order to fight off Alejandro).
Third is Vito, and Vito is my FAVORITE of these because his "punishment" isn't a punishment at all. It plays to all of his strengths! We already know that Vito loves attention; he would love to perform. Secondly, it's obvious by his reaction to his own joke that he REALLY enjoys cheesy jokes. Third-- and this is where I go from reaching to REALLY reaching, but bear with me-- in a very literal sense, Mal chose Vito as the mouthpiece through which he can speak to the rest of the system (the puppet is the only way we see Mal communicate with the alters, outside of the mirror he uses to talk to Mike, and only once).
Also, on rewatching the full scene to write this post, I wanna say two things I noticed: first, Vito seems... not all that surprised that the puppet can talk. He does clarify that he "didn't say nothin'" after puppet-Mal starts to talk, but he's mostly startled that it flew into the air and caught on fire. Everyone screams in terror when the puppet starts talking except Vito. Maybe Mal communicated more with Vito than we saw on camera. Mal must sleep, but we never see him sleeping, so it could totally happen then (<- completely delusional). And second, especially compared to everyone else, Vito doesn't seem all that enthusiastic. His exact words are "Woah, uh, sure" (in comparison to Chester's "I'm with ya", Svetlana's "hoorah!", and Manitoba's "took ya long enough"). It seems like he mostly just follows along because that's where his "audience" is going and also because he wants to find the club district.
So finally Manitoba! It seems like, besides Mal, Manitoba's the alter who feels the most animosity towards Mike, so it's understandable that he'd give Manitoba the job of destroying Mike's dreams (besides the fact Manitoba has lasso skills, I also think any other alter would probably refuse.) (Also, I think Manitoba's the gatekeeper/dreamkeeper/etc. of the system, so he'd be the one with easiest access to the dreams, but all the reasons I think THAT is a different essay for a different day.)
Also, like Vito, Manitoba's "punishment" actually plays to his strengths instead of to his dislikes and weaknesses, so like Vito, I think Mal doesn't feel too much hatred towards Manitoba either. Also understandable! Because it seems like Manitoba has a lot of the same criticisms of the system's inner workings as Mal does.
So what ARE the criticisms Mal has? They show through at the very start and very end of the journey-- how Mal punishes Mike, and how Mal sets up the guard tower.
(By the way, just for the record, I HATE the reset button. But for this post, let's accept the reset button as canon fact.)
The system has been Mike's coping mechanism and support system for as long as Mike can remember. And as much as Mike hates to admit it pre-season-5, he DOES need them. In Season 4, he got through situations that would've been impossible for him to navigate without Vito and beat challenges that would've been impossible to surmount without Svetlana and Manitoba (and he loves Chester too, even if he isn't always the most outwardly useful). That's not even to mention the emotional support (as shown by Svetlana's "Mike is the best" pep talk in Season 5) that he probably received from them over the years as well. As much as he hated them, they're so important to him.
The worst possible punishment Mal can inflict is cutting off all of his access to that support system.
To be fair, he did this to all the other alters too. But for Mike, it was the only thing he did. He felt that taking Mike away from the alters on its own would be enough to incapacitate and demoralize him. And he probably knew that it would prove a point-- you need them. You need us. And now it's too late.
But keep this in mind-- when Mal went into dormancy, he left behind a system that was constantly fighting amongst itself for control, that couldn't agree on anything (except for getting rid of him), and was bickering every time they interacted. So this is the lens that Mal constructs his prison with.
He doesn't count on the system working together! What he hopes for is that, even if one of them managed to escape, they 1. wouldn't bother looking for the others and would try to do everything themselves, which would leave them shut out of the tower, and 2. even once they did realize they needed to gather up everyone else, they would be too distracted by infighting to actually do anything to take him down.
And that's probably what season 4 Mike-- the Mike that Mal knew-- would've tried to do. He wasn't counting on the fact that the system would now be working towards functional multiplicity by the time he came out of dormancy! And it caused them to defeat him much sooner than he would've anticipated.
(Quick note: I know integration =/= death in DID, but I used the term "kill" here in some places because I feel like that's how Mal would view it. Literally none of this has anything to do with accurate DID because Total Drama is so so inaccurate and the absolute worst.)
Also, here's a theory I like: I don't think Mal would've just built a self-destruct button on his own life. He wouldn't build a button capable of killing him and then put it in a place where someone else could access it, even if the chances (in his mind) of them accessing it would be really remote. So I think the button was set up in such a way that whoever pressed it would become the core. It wasn't truly intended to be used by anyone except Mal. It was a final failsafe measure. Even if the system managed to work together long enough to free each other, reach the tower, and ascend the stairs, Mal was hoping that-- upon realizing that this button could give any of them the life they so desperately wanted as of pre-Season-4, and that if anyone but them pressed it, it would kill them-- the alters would return to squabbling, fighting for their lives, for long enough for Mal to intercede and ultimately take control. Just like Mal never counted on them working towards functional multiplicity, he also never counted on them being able to agree upon integration.
Why didn't Mal just press the button at the first opportunity? I don't know. Dramatic villainous timing? Lingering feelings of affection for the other alters? Perchance.
Anyway. I know TDAS is a horribly written season in literally every other aspect, and also that the writers probably didn't put THIS level of thought into things, but I read too deep into Total Drama as a hobby so I will be putting this much thought into it forever and ever and ever. :)
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pigswithwings · 11 months
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ramble abt ur ocs buddy. for me <3
I LOVE YOU. OKAY SO . basically . ill be rambling about some different ocs thank you :]]
first oc. my friends have heard ALLL about this guy but my proudest oc is nova.
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^ it looks like this and is incredibly shivering beast btw . hops under the cut
anyways the setting for nova is basically. it's many, many millenia into the future. aliens have been discovered (sick and rad). capitalism still exists (not sick or rad).
anyways the No Space Unexplored corporation, or just N.S.U, developed the NOVA project, which consisted of sending several intelligent humanoid droids (called Navigators) onto various habited planets by themselves, mostly to figure out whether they were profitable. whoops! some of the Navigators happen to be a bit buggy, and a few behavioural errors are noticed early on during some of the droids' first few days after landing on different planets. hopefully nothing happens because of that!
Flashforward a few weeks and the N.S.U becomes involved in a big old legal case that ultimately shuts them down. oh boy well what happens to their property and various pioneering space related projects? instead of being regular about the whole deal, the company just. destroys any old property. cuts off all contact with various rovers and projects because they're petty about it. the Navigator droids are shut down and presumed destroyed by any alien environments or animals.
oops. welll except for one. Navigator #4 sure did get cut off from any contact with Earth, but guess who lived, bitch? she did. built different.
and yeah Nova gets pronouns now (she/it). anyways Navigator #4 gets her name from the company project. she doesn't have a very good imagination or as much creativity as the average human because she runs on literal numbers, but she is pretty good at surviving on planet #5098 like she was designed to. although it does happen to have a varied ecosystem and several very large predator animals. but it's okay! it's living life pretty well and has settled into its (possibly permanent) residence on this planet. so thumbs up!!
OKAY SECOND OC. this is mike. he/him. unidyne microphone for a head but otherwise normal <- lies
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get it? anyways he's pathetic. he basically lives in a cartoon world. the cops hate him because he keeps trespassing as part of his work and also interrupting. he has horrible time mangement and does not sleep enough. forgets to take off his hat and tie before collapsing into bed.
now mike says he's a private investigator, but really he doubles as a sort of bodyguard for people who pay. and triples as "the guy who works part time at the grocer's, but only on the third weekend of every month".
he loves music but hates singing himself. humming is great, but he was born into a family of performers and always feels like his own singing isn't worth the effort or embarassment. hes my favourite and one of my oldest characters :]
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third oc! zero. or xeyr real name, which is 0000. uses xhe/xher and xey/xem.
they're a bit messed up! but it's good for xem because they are incredibly nihilistic. xhe is always, constantly, 24/7 aware of xher audience and the fact that xhe is being judged for xher actions. which can make a person both paranoid and aggressive when criticized.
this isn't to say that zero's actions are always 10/10 ethical, of course. xey work on a submarine researching the deep ocean and mainly help to identify/categorize species. one win for the science community! and as a side gig, xey are employed by some pretty shady people to conduct some pretty shady experiments. normal things :]
hope everyone enjoyed ... i have more tidbits but this is the general overview for some of my ocs !!!
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internatlvelvet · 3 months
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hi!! welcome to my blog x
i’m charlie, short for charlotte, 18. this blog is mostly my own posts. i have an extensive and very helpful tag system, so if you’re going to do any searching or any kind on my blog, click ‘read more’ to see it.
i speak french, english, and italian, and am learning korean as well as other languages. interests and posts include:
ANDY WARHOL AND HIS FACTORY, mainly susan bottomly. under my susan bottomly tag you will find my archive of every photo of her i’ve ever found.
MANIC STREET PREACHERS, 90s welsh rock band
THE BLOOMSBURY GROUP, an early 20th century group of writers and artists including virginia woolf, vanessa bell, duncan grant, and rupert brooke
OLD HOLLYWOOD, mainly loretta young, tyrone power, charles “buddy” rogers, and jean harlow
other actors including bruce robinson, drew barrymore, jane seymour, hugh grant, and scout taylor-compton
THE CRANBERRIES, mainly dolores o’riordan
HISTORY, mainly english medieval and tudor
LOONA—there will be the occasional kpop post but don’t be frightened lol x
thanks for stopping by!!! i’d love to be friends and am open to all interaction :) dms are open!!!!!
TAGGING SYSTEM: ⬇️
each person on my blog follows the rules of my tagging system… very helpful if you’re looking for a specific photo or specific kinds of photos!! i.e., nicky wire with black hair, vogue magazine scans, side profiles, etc. rules below:
anyone and everyone on my blog is tagged with the hair color and style they’re wearing in each photo. i.e.:
haseul black hair
susan long hair
drew short blonde hair
nicky red hair
dates are also categorized, both broadly and specifically…
2020s
1966
susan bottomly 1970s
nicky wire 1990s
may 2024
6/05/24
main colors in the photo are also tagged, i.e….
black and white
loretta young black and white
purple
choerry purple
people are tagged….
nicky and richey
jinsoul and choerry
vanessa and duncan
vanessa and angelica
often, magazines, photographers, etc are tagged…
photographer: billy name
elle france
us vogue
photographer: helmut newton
hair: jean louis david
makeup: way bandy
a new system i’m tagging is the way faces are positioned in the photo, and various expressions and odds and ends…
susan bottomly profile
loretta young profile
jinsoul 3/4
jinsoul 3/4 left
tyrone smile
richey edwards candid
all of these types of tags listed can be used for anyone you see here on my blog. have fun exploring!
my tag system is ever-evolving and old posts that aren’t tagged properly are constantly being updated! if you have any questions, shoot me a message or an ask
thank you ❤️❤️❤️
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mwahkazu · 2 months
Note
Thanks a lot for your reply!
I'm very glad for your support! I hope I'm not bothering you too much :3 Should I call you Teacher now? :)))
So, this questions are related to Stealing the Spotlight since my smau has a similar au (like idol!au). How did you build the entertainment industry, the audience and pieces related to performances in general?
Sorry if this sounds curt, because I'm really rushing right now.
Take care!
_Cecilia-
( long post ahead )
hello cecilia! apologies for the delayed answer to your inbox! i wanted to make sure i covered everything you were asking but here it is! teacher yuomi is in the house now and please don’t worry about being a bother, i’m always up for helping other fellow writers <3
i’ll try to explain everything as best as i can and basically go over my process/inspirations i had when creating the world of stealing the spotlight! and without spoiling stuff 😭
currently there are three known company labels in STS: fontinalia record labels, sumeru entertainment, and inazuman music industries. lots of inspiration for making these comes from already existing industries irl especially within the idol/kpop scene ( which i generally think a lot of other smau stories especially the idol au ones take inspo/ref from! )
the name fontinalia record labels was taken from one of the genshin events we had recently! the fontinalia film festival i believe it was called and i just switched it lol
of course this company was designed to be fontaine-centric meaning the majority of it’s artists/idols are mostly composed of fontaine characters 4 of which we already know! same applies to inazuman music industries/sumeru ent. really it’s kind of like categorizing the characters to each nation as it’s done in game
though kuni is an exception cause he has his own backstory and such for being with sumeru ent. havent decided whether or not he’ll got his own spin off story yet LMAO
now as for the main stars of the story; lyney and lynette hehe…i had the most fun making their characters and really everything just kind of came together once they were established
if you came from my main blog or read in one of my after notes of STS i explained before that the biggest inspiration i had when making lyney and lynette’s characters as idols was velvet and veneer…yes those two characters from the trolls 3 movie. you heard me right🧍‍♀️
here’s a link actually to where i talked about the story idea of STS way back when from my main!
so to briefly summarize their characters ( spoilers ahead for the movie ) velvet and veneer are these overly confident and arrogant artists who just want to be famous and make it big in the entertainment industry😭i honestly remember loving their dynamic and personalities
that and in addition to their songs from the movie itself were the main foundation for making lyney and lynette’s character! lyney was based off of velvet: arrogant as hell, a bit bratty, and ofc his already existing element as a smooth talker magician. and then lynette with veneer but not entirely.
her character isn’t as similar to veener’s since i wanted her to be the more lax sibling and really the one that’s done dealing with lyney’s shit
when making the audience for them hmm i based it off my own experiences as a fan of kpop idols or artists and being within these fanbases! it’s kind of hard to explain this one if you actually haven’t been in that kind of experience yourself but the best advice i can give is to just put yourself in their shoes!
imagine lyney and lynette were actually real life idols how would people react, what would fans be like, etc! that kind of thinking helped me a lot when creating their performances and audience
the 4nemo boys and reader was a bit tricky. i knew when planning out the story i wanted them all to be underground artists who know each other but had zero clue what their audience/performances would be like
that’s when i took some inspo from looking at already existing fanarts of 4nemo being idols or a band and decided to make them this sort of unofficial college indie/rock band that just hop around performing at small venues like bars and such
and since they’re underground artists that meant they didnt really have huge audience so there’s would definitely be smaller in comparison to lyney and lynette
the twins i thought of being more pop and kpop/jpop oriented! having their performances similar to the grand scale and high budgets of kpop groups shows and the energy of jpop music
from that you can already start to pinpoint the differences that will come about between the characters! for example because lyney is more well-known and famous within the entertainment industry it becomes a fuel for his confidence and arrogance you see throughout the story and that then clashes with a character like the reader who is in a more mellow environment and performs for the sake of wanting to, not driven by fame or anything
ALSO! i ended up doing a lot of research about this stuff too! learning more about indie/rock bands, what an underground artist is, kpop/jpop industries, etc! world building itself will at times require you to do some research of your own and that’s okay!! if anything it’s a sign in the right direction :D
PHEW so…tl:dr creating entertainment industries, performances and audience for your story involves both research and looking for some inspiration! whether that’s from music, films, games, or anything else! experiment with some ideas on a rough draft play around with character dynamics/personalities, tropes, everything! don’t worry too much about staying true to a character, hell even lyney from sts is ooc as hell but that’s why it’s called an au/fanfic for a reason!
hopefully i was able to answer your questions cecilia anon and if i didn’t i apologize! please feel free to send another inbox for clarification of certain things you’re still confused about or didn’t feel was answered right 😭i won’t be offended dw
oh and here’s some additional recourses encase you need them! special thanks to my mootie vee for one of them! she’s also another incredible smau artists who can offer advice as well if mine didnt meet to your satisfaction :3
vee’s smau tools | yuomi’s smau resources
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emypony · 1 year
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Honkai Idol AU
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this is all ur fault @spectral-claws IDOL FELIS BE UPON YE
I will now proceed to go ahead and post my rambles, thank you to @izzyandviolins for letting me ping her all the time and just dump all the brainrots I have whenever
Idk how much sense these will make AND i will put more specific stuff at the end for everyone else who would just like the general AU idea at the start
DISCLAIMER I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IDOLS OR KPOP GROUPS ASIDE FROM A VERY OUTSIDER PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT I SEE ON MY DASH 🙏
EDIT: This actually got hella long so I will be putting it under a read more, oh my god I am so sorry
Now for the groups:
1. there's obviously our 4 main girls: Kiana, Mei, Bronya and Fu Hua
Himeko is the coach / choreographer, Tesla makes props and Einstein does Costumes / Makeup, Welt is the Manager (this is REALLY. im well aware theres a ton more ppl behind idol / kpop groups but you know its just. ITS JUST WHAT IT IS WITH THE CHARACTERS THAT WE HAVE, OKAY)
2. Senti's main group consisting of!! Senti (obviously), Sirin (HoV), Seele, Veliona (they're a package duo), Sushang and Carole (yes she is here, no I will not elaborate --- ok maybe I will)
3. A few flamechasers: Pardofelis (which is a!!! New Idol!! She's the main focus of this group atm since the stans love her to bits--- catgirl charm. I promise there is a reason for this statement) Elysia, Eden, Mobius (I am not that familiar with her so she would either be part of the group OR maybe act like the on-set medic or whichever), Sakura, Vill V AND Aponia (maybe, there's a 5th group I'm thinking about however it's kind of still an idea so I will leave her here for now)
4. The GuysTM: Kevin, Su (the most marketable out of all of them), Kalpas (shocking, I know. I hc he's in gacha debt from genshin impact) and MAYBE Adam and Lyle but only bc Carole is there I'm putting them with a ?
I don't know where to fit Kosma, Griseo and Teri or Durandal and Rita (im sorry fellas im not that acquainted with them but you're 100% free to suggest something for them)
Now a bit about relationships between members of the groups or other groups:
Seele and Bronya are Dating so Seele (and by extension Veliona) are always hanging out with Bronya's group (though Veli might stay behind sometimes because she gets on relatively alright with Senti)
Sirin and Senti have a one sided rivalry from Sirin because she wants to prove she's the best and always challenges Senti to dance battles or. whatever it is that Kpop / Idols do (idont know dont ask me) but Senti is distracted by her own one sided. Rivalry (and it is NOT towards Fu Hua LOL) They're just dummy but they are a nice combo together when dancing
Speaking of Senti and Fu Hua, I see them like a past dance Duo that was supposed to compliment each other however after Senti was mostly cast and categorized by the fans as a twin / copycat of Fu Hua, she got fed up and went to develop her own solo style. things were mostly tensioned between them however Fu Hua doesn't hold resentment over what Senti did and she also feels like her new spot with Kiana, Mei and Bronya is better, and she also really likes Senti's own evolution apart from her own. Whenever Senti gets dragged along to Kiana's group and meets up with her, she's a bit awkward, but Hua is able to get past that and manages to get her talking (Senti doesn't start a conversation when they meet up, even if she does seek out Hua more than Hua herself, although she doesn't mind. It doesn't take much to go "so what's the recent idol group news" and then Senti goes off abt things the media reports on and other things and. she just starts talking and doesn't stop. Hua listens and gives advice but mostly lets Senti talk about whatever she's dealing with and maybe figure things out on her own by voicing them out loud. She values her as a more awkward friend (compared to her original hard go getter attitude from when they were a duo together) so she doesn't mind listening to her (mostly funny and unhinged) rants about the world of idol / media since she doesnt keep up with whatever drama is going on
+ Senti has got a funny friendly rivalry with Kiana at least and they're able to enjoy themselves ((compared to Sirin and Kiana who have REALLY got their own more serious rivalry))
Mei hangs out with Ely and Eden frequently enough to hold a friendly relationship with them as well as the rest of the flame chasers group and the guys. Elysia keeps begging their managers to let Mei Collab with them much more often.
Carole and Fu Hua go way back before their Idol days and Carole isn't shy whatsoever in jumping Hua whenever she gets the chance. She's way more into fashion and makeup and skincare and all of that and while Hua loves that she's so energetic, she can get a bit much but thankfully Carole knows when to step back a little and focus her energy beam on someone else. (They are great friends that don't talk on the daily but they can catch up without issues)
Li Sushang has a more ... mmm whats the word. Cordial? Relationship with Fu Hua? I'm a bit lost where to place her, mostly because I see her as Fu Hua's dance duo that didn't work out so she got relocated to another group better suited for her style. Unsure if this was before or after Senti teamed up with Hua, but Sushang does hold a bit of animosity towards Senti for that (nothing too bad, but she does wonder how the hell could they have been a dance duo when Senti seems like the complete opposite of Hua in regards to what she does - because she is a little bit crazy at times especially if left alone with Carole). They do have a general ok relationship and Sushang enjoys hanging out with everyone
Senti finds Carole a bit much at times (shocking, I know) but she is fun to hang around with and do mischief (Especially when Veliona joins in. They are banned from the kitchen along with Kiana)
Most of the Flamechasers and the guys keep to themselves BUT Carole will bother Kalpas to no end and he's so pissed off about it except she works out and he cannot beat her in an arm wrestling contest or anything for that matter so he has to rightfully suffer the wrath of a girl with 17 steps of bedtime skincare routine <3
NOW HERE IS WHERE WE GET INTO THINGS THAT ARE INCREDIBLY SELF INDULGENT FOR ME mostly because they are Sentifelis so. I do apologize but also I tried to keep most of it towards the end
OK SO AS I'VE SAID PARDO IS A NEW ADDITION TO THE FLAMECHASERS IDOL GROUP AND THE STANS ARE OBSESSED WITH HER !!! She's literally a catgirl with a cute aesthetic, it's a recipe for success
the funniest part: SENTI HATES HER (at the beginning at least) because until her, she was kind of one of the top spots on the 'idol leaderboard' or whatever (idk if thats a thing, people like diff idols / kpop artists etc but like. POPULARITY POLL?) and she's out there with Elysia BUT AS SOON AS FELIS CAME SHE JUST BULLDOZED RIGHT THROUGH ALL OF THAT and she's UPSET (or thinks she is anyway)
Fans also started comparing them a lot because of their different dance styles - Senti has more of a street dance type, and Felis is good at doing very fluid motions (mostly because of her tail) and fans love them both
Felis actually admires Senti so much as a fellow idol and somehow even after working with the group for a while she doesn't get to meet Senti at all and that's kind of her dream she just wants to 🥺befriend Senti she thinks shes SO cool
Senti would rather die before admitting that she actually thinks that Felis is really cute and isn't surprised that she's garnered such a large fanbase even though she hasn't worked as an idol for as long as the others, she finds her dance moves really nice ESPECIALLY because of her tail. BUT SHE IS GOING TO DENY THESE TILL THE END OF TIME (or so she claims) -
Like Sirin will just come to her on the daily to ask to practice and dance battle and will get completely brushed aside. See:
Sirin: "Today i will!! finally be top center stage instead of Senti!! i will finally beat her in the popularity poll!" She tries to get a rise out of Senti by claiming she is better and such but there's nothing, because Senti is just. too busy scrolling on her FYP on Tik Tok.
Senti: "Can you believe people made Fancams of Pardofelis AGAIN??? WHAT DOES SHE HAVE THAT I DON'T!! I HATE HER SO MUCH!!" (real 100% not clickbait) SHES TOO BUSY GOING OFF ABOUT "HATING" THE MEOW MEOW
Veliona: "you watched like 20 different fucking fancams. i thought you hated her"
Senti: "I DO I HATE HER SO MUCH ugh look at how they added a green sparkles and a neon cat ears and whiskers filter to this one. She looks way better in pink."
Sirin: "STOP LOOKING AT FANCAMS AND DO A DANCE BATTLE WITH ME RIGHT NOW!!!" *gets ignored*
Veliona, giving a look to Seele who just smiles and waves her hand to leave them be (insert 'I know what you are' dog meme here): 🧍‍♀️
I'm not sure if this ever happens in kpop 'biz' but imagine the 4 groups end up under the same publishing company so now they will all be living closer to each other (I have no idea wtf housing looks like for kpop stars or idols LOL) and collab more often and just meet at the workplace. SENTI HATES THIS OBVIOUSLY and like!! Felis definitely notices the cold shoulder she is given 🥺. She tries to say hi to Senti because she's super excited but Senti thinks she's just there to. Like show off that she's somehow better?? With her cute flicking ears and waving tail and her painted nails and her mismatched stockings BYE Senti cannot deal with this (she is confused and just hides it all behind an unfriendly facade)
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Poor Felis is sad because she thinks she's done something wrong and she was so looking forward to meet Senti 😭😭😭
The same kind of behavior continues, because Senti can't really bring herself to be mean to Felis and tell her to get lost (especially when she's got that sad puppy look on her face) and always attempts to flee to another place instead. Their fellow idol coworkers DO notice, but most of them console Felis and say that's how Senti usually is with newcomers and that maybe she will warm up with time.
BONUS: There is a tiny part of the fandom shipping them - as you would and while they never got to get an interview from Felis about it, Senti is SHOCKED to find out that there's ppl making fics and fanart AND FANCAMS OF THEM (which are mostly taped together bc there's barely any interaction between them in media lmao). Like who in their right mind!! This is inconceivable to her!! She is so pissed about that too bc shes like "WHY ISNT PARDOFELIS SAYING ANYTHING TO THE PRESS ABOUT IT ... WE ARE NOT A THING!! WTF!! THIS IS ALL HER FAULT" (does not actually think its her fault and actually wonders where the fuck did fans get that impression but people will be people. ALSO no I don't condone rpf or any of that with actual real people, these r just fictional characters. and this is fanfiction inside a fanfiction)
Meanwhile I believe Felis would have a secret account on all social medias at least taking a look at that side of their fandom / fanbase and seeing what the people think in regards to that (she cant figure out why Senti won't be her friend, so maybe others will??? The theories and speculations people come up with are so funny though)
Afterwards, I would love to have them all taking a trip somewhere - to ... celebrate the fact that the companies and groups have merged or whatever (preferably the woods or. SOMEPLACE. Maybe with Caves? Yeah I'm pulling the 'stuck in a cave with no reception' trope on them, what will you do about it?) and that's how they finally get to have a 1 on 1 together, mostly because Felis is going to get a bit scared and thinks there's no way out of there.
Felis: "oh my god im too young to die!!! i didnt even get your autograph yet in my journal And I still have curry leftovers in my fridge that I didn't eat and I was so looking forward to them!!!"
Senti: "what."
Felis: "what ?"
Senti: "You...want my autograph?"
Felis: "Of course!! 🥺👉👈you're my biggest inspiration I admire your dance moves so much you look SO good on the screen and in concerts I I don't know how you do it I freak out all the time and think people can notice it BUT YOU LOOK SO CALM AND COMPOSED AND COOL-" and she has to stop herself because she's gushing dfjkghfd
and oh. okay maybe. MAYBE SENTI WAS HATING ON HER FOR NO REASON ACTUALLY...
With this they finally have a heart to heart and Senti apologizes for being so cold to Felis, she (begrudgingly) admits that she felt kind of threatened by Felis's onset popularity from the get go. Felis doesn't mind at all and is rather relieved that Senti doesn't ACTUALLY hate her and now they can be !!! friends!!! (Senti is actually overjoyed at their new friendship and hopes to hang out with her a lot more BUT she's incredibly trash at managing her feelings so it still comes off across as a little aloof and 'well, whatever...' but Felis doesn't seem to register that at all and has now resorted to holding Senti's hand because THEY ARE STILL TRAPPED IN A SCARY CAVE AND IT'S DARK
Obviously they are rescued a little while later because people noticed they were missing and such, and while still awkward around each other (mostly Senti, because she is now suddenly RECEIVING A LOT OF ATTENTION from a girl who she will never admit she finds cute, it's still a lot to get used to on day one but she powers through for the sake of it.
After this their friendship and such get better and Felis is no longer a stranger to their group, because she starts hanging out with Senti A LOT MORE once they get back. (and neither of them will tell the others what happened for that change)
Also I like to think Felis barges in Senti's room all the time to give her updates on the. ON THE FANS SPECULATION ABOUT THEM LOL
Felis: "YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS NEW FIC THAT WAS JUST POSTED"
Senti: "what fic"
Felis: "ABOUT US, DUMMY"
Senti: "YOU READ THOSE THINGS?"
Felis: "OF COURSE I DO. SOME ARE REAL GOOD... Someone wrote an Alternate Universe where we're like magical knights fighting against some unknown forces called 'Honkai' !"
Senti: "These people will make up just about anything, I swear"
Felis: "Btw did you know our ship tag is called Sentifelis"
Senti: "Our what."
ANYWAY THATS. JUST ABOUT ALL IM SO SORRY THAT THIS GOT EXTREMELY LONG I HAD NO IDEA I WROTE THIS MUCH? (it looks WAY less in discordf kdjfhgjkdfgdfhjn)
Would love to draw a few of them in idol / kpop like outfits.
ANYWAY UM. ✌ STAN SENTIFELIS
me about to tag every honkai character known to man:
(jk i wont do it I know how tag spam works, I will do my best to be courteous and put the most important ones)
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virgothozul · 2 years
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About Commissions
INFO & TERMS of SERVICE
🐸 How do we proceed ?
1. Send me a DM about your idea. (Perhaps, at some point I’ll build a form to make it easy and clear, we’ll see). 
You can mention references if you want - It can be for an OC and you have pictures of their design, or there’s a style or posing that inspired you, either in my work or in a Renaissance painting or a movie or idk. If there’s a specific format you’d prefer you can also specify. :)
2. If I take the commission, I may ask for details. Depending on complexity I can send you a rough sketch to approve the intention.
It may happen that I can’t accept a commission. Whatever the reason, don’t feel offended it’s all ok ! You can probably find another artist that will be inspired by your concept :) I’m not here to judge your ideas, we’ll all benefit interacting with content that we feel comfortable around.
3. Payment is sent by Paypal. The pricing is determined according to elements (sketch, color, amount of characters, background, etc), although it can increase depending on the complexity. 
Payment in EUR is preferable for me. If needed, USD is also ok 👍 (I will convert currency to price fairly)
4. Now I get to do the commission ! It may take time considering I’m mostly drawing on my free time ; sometimes for health reasons I can’t draw as much, and other times I can achieve a lot. Thank you for your trust and patience ! 🙏☺️
🦩 Heads up 
I reserve the right to refuse any inquiry for any reason.
Commissions are for personal use. (If you’re unsure you can ask. :) 
Commissioners may not claim the artwork as their own.
If I am unable to complete the work, I’ll refund payment.
Commissioners may not ask for a refund once the commission is complete.
I will take only a couple commissions at a time.
I may use the commission as example in this kind of post. However if you’d like to keep it private, you can mention it in your request.
And if you’re okay with me sharing the artwork publicly on my socials, with or without a specified credit to you, please let me know ! :)
PRICING
Just a note about the meaning of pricing (bc it can be confusing !)
in France, as of January 1st 2023, gross minimum wage is €11,27/h. Besides, it took me all my life of drawing almost everyday and 4 years of art studies to get where I am now in my artistic progression and knowledge. I have also spent quite a bit for my equipment. So Ideally I’d manage to charge at least minimum wage for the time spent commissioning.
⚡️Sketch 
Headshot/Bust : 
1 character €7
extra character €5
Fullbody :
1 character €12
extra character €9
Background & Props : €6-12 depending on complexity
⚡️Colored Sketch 
Headshot/Bust : 
1 character €15
extra character €10
Fullbody : 
1 character €20
extra character €15
Background & Props : €8-16 depending on complexity
(Like said before, prices may vary a bit based on amount of details and refinement etc)
CONTENT
👍 I’m ok with :
OCs
Fanart
Most ships 
Sensuality and artistic nudity
NSFW
Simple backgrounds
🕸 Nope :
Real Persons ships
Extreme gore
Lolicon/Shotacon
Super complex backgrounds or props
>> More notes << 
Be polite please :)
If you’re asking for NSFW or other kind of explicit art : make sure it’s clear somewhere in your bio or your request you’re 18+.
If you want to share reference, for security reasons I won’t click unknown links. Either give the source’s name, @ # or pictures. Thank you !
As for more details about the complex elements : if your idea includes a challenging bit (architecture, weapon, vehicules, …) I can try to do it but yeah.. might not be my most trained area.
My artsyle is usually sketchy, so make sure you’re ok with what I do. Sometimes I experiment and try to get creative, if you see something you like in my artworks, you can ask to have a similar render. I want you to be happy with the result ! 🌻 
> This post may be edited in the future ; categorization, prices, options etc may evolve as I learn from this :) Thank you for reading ! If you have questions please ask 🙌 We can figure this out together <
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storkmuffin · 3 months
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Oh what ballets have you gone too and would you recommend them? The ones I do want to go to havent been put up locally yet so im thinking of widening my horizons until im in a better position to travel.
OKAY Omg I'm so happy to spout off about this!!!!!!!
My absolute favorites are ballets by the choreographer Balanchine, who founded the New York City Ballet. To start I would recommend Serenade (Tchaikovsky music to die for), Concerto Barocco (Bach), Symphony in C (Bizet), Jewels and Chaconne as entries. He has GREAT leotard ballets set to modern classical music but you have to like dissonant or atonal music (like Hindemith) and have patience for no costumes no sets no story and only movement which is not friendly if you don't already know his style. He also made a wonderful Nutcracker and a Midsummer Nights Dream if you want a story ballet. The New York City Ballet owns that repertory but! The Paris Opera Ballet has for years been doing a FABULOUS job of it too as have Stuttgart Ballet.
I have been to 4 types of ballets (my own categorization) put up by the following companies - New York City Ballet and other Balanchine type ballet companies, the American Ballet Theater, the Marijnsky, the Bolshoi, the Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Korean National Ballet, Universal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and the Bulgarian Varna Ballet too.
The four types of ballets are
1. Story ballets. 2. No story ballets 3. Modern ballets (sometimes story sometimes costume sometimes neither) 4. Total reworkings/Broadway adjacents
The Story ballets are Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Romeo and Juliet - that most companies will cycle through and put on. Oh Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty too - I like the English National and the Royal Ballet versions of these a lot.
The English, French, Danes and Russians all have very distinct styles from each other in terms of how they like to do movement and narrative using very similar steps and the same music so I would start anywhere and just dig in. I wish I could say stuff about the Italians like the Scala but I have only seen individual dancers like the IMMENSELY AMAZING Roberto Bolle and Alessandra Ferri doing guest spots with the ABT so I can't say.
The no story ballets are mostly Balanchine to me bc I see them as separate from the work of Jerome Robbins who sometimes had little plots and sometimes didn't.
These I would call Modern Ballets. Jerome Robbins is another WONDERFUL choreographer who is known for West Side Story which is sad bc I don't like those dances and his modern ballets are so much better! Like Afternoon of a Faun (two dancers meet in an empty rehearsal room and have a whole compact romance), Dances at a Gathering, Goldberg Variations. Fancy Free puts three Ballet boys in sailor outfits doing the cutest moves ever. He also made The Cage where female insects kill their males after mating. I recommend all of these but for Goldberg - the pianist can have a hard time lol.
Roland Petit made a Carmen for Paris Opera Ballet which is super sexy, which I also recommend.
Once you've seen a couple Swan Lakes - I would go with Bolshoi and Paris Opera just for comparison - and you like more Broadway type dancing you might want to watch Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake with boy swans. Completely reworked but so good.
I want to know more about Danish Ballet because of Bournonville- there's this wonderful friendly energy, a relaxed elegance to Danish Ballet that is very unique to that country but I haven't had that much chance.
Shading over into straight up modern dance, Twyla Tharpe made In the Upper Room which I saw danced by the American Ballet Theater which I found so cathartic I went into a crying jag of hysteria in the elevator down to the parking lot of Lincoln Center. Jerome Robbins also made a Ballet set to music by the same composer, Phillip Glass, Glass Pieces, which is so fun and feels very loving to New York City.
Uhh I think I have to stop even though I can say more. Anyway Ballet is great and I think everyone should go. Even bad Ballet performed badly is always worth it to me
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bowelfly · 1 year
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while i usually keep this blog focused on art and bugs, movies are my third big passion, and since i don't believe in streaming services i don't have a spotify wrapped for 2022 to show off but i do have a letterboxd account so i felt like going through my 2022 movie watching stats. this post is basically for me alone and will be obnoxiously long so i'll put in a read more thing here out of courtesy:
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ooh so close to almost 1000 hours of movies! still 718 films is pretty good, though that does also include around 80 or so shorts, mostly animations, that i also logged.
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i was averaging around 2 movies per day for the year. being 500 miles away from all your friends, family, and partner does give you a lot of free time it turns out. the most movies i watched in a single week, december 10-16, was 28. the weeks i only watched a couple things were either when i was visiting my partner or too depressed to even watch movies
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one of the things i've done this year to keep myself sane in isolation was to stream movies for friends. however since i have multiple non-overlapping friend groups, there were a number of movies i watched multiple times because i have a deep psychological and emotional need to share weird shit with the people i care about. NOVA SEED, FANTASY MISSION FORCE, and BUDDHA'S PALM were the triple crown winners this year.
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i only watched 7 movies that came out in 2022. my sweet spot is genre movies made from the late 70s through the mid-90s which you can see clearly if you look at my lifetime stats. predictably, i have very strong opinions about practical effects and stunts and film stock
my ratings spread for 2022 is about what it normally is for other years with a lot of things ending up in the 3.5-4 star range. maybe i'm just generous with my stars or maybe i just like what i like and try to not watch things i won't like unless they're bad in a fun way but i really feel like i've been moving away from the whole so-bad-its-good thing over the years and focusing on things that i unironically like--though these are often films that other people do categorize as bad or so-bad-its-good.
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my most watched actors is a bunch of golden age hong kong dudes because i went super hard on the kung fu and wuxia films this year. like about half of these are big name stars and the other half are less well-known character actors that still are in like 200 movies playing assorted emperors and evil administrators. really glad to see my main man lo lieh running away with first place. he's most well known for playing evil white-haired kung fu masters usually named pai mei or variations of that, but he's also played the protagonist or antihero of a number of great films like FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH or THE FUGITIVE (1972, not the harrison ford one). my favorite role of his is without question Bi Gu of East Island the rascally kung fu wizard who hollers his name from offscreen before every time he enters a scene in BUDDHA'S PALM (1982).
also very pleased to see one of my favorite american character actors, brion james squeaking his way onto the list, though sad that he got separated from his best friend and frequent collaborator tim thomerson, who i think is just below the cut here.
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most watched directors. i've been a huge fan of the very recently deceased albert pyun for years now, largely on the strength of his absolute god-tier masterpiece NEMESIS (1992) though he has a number of other very entertaining movies (RADIOACTIVE DREAMS, CYBORG) and also a cavalcade of very bad movies that are nonetheless all fascinating in their own ways. i could go on about him at length but this post is long enough. maybe another time.
other than that, chor yuen (THE MAGIC BLADE, DESCENDANT OF THE SUN) and chang cheh (CRIPPLED AVENGERS, FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS) are gods of early wuxia cinema and fucking rule, and keita amemiya's 90s work (ZEIRAM, MECHANICAL VIOLATOR HAKAIDER, CYBER NINJA) are pinnacles of kickass japanese practical effects work.
i also watched a lot of russ meyer and john waters films because i'm a pevert.
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this is mostly just a reminder to check out my WUXIA WIZARD WARS tumblr post and letterboxd list if you like movies about wizards shooting lasers at each other and summoning fucked up monsters and shit like that
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finally, because i have a brain disease, i made a list of the 100 best films i watched this year, mostly first-time watches but probably like 15-20 rewatches that i especially enjoyed or think more people should know about or give another shot. if i didn't already have way too many projects i'd consider setting up another sideblog just going through all these one by one with reviews and screenshots but that's a lot of work and i am a tired old man. i might give an occasional highlight post like i did for THE BARON AGAINST THE DEMONS
and i guess that's about it? this has been an especially heavy year for golden age hong kong kung fu and wuxia films but i explored a lot of other interesting places and times and genres and microgenres and have a lot more i plan on checking out next year. i've got stacks and stacks of unwatched japanese V-cinema and pinku violence and kaiju and tokusatsu films; tons of giallo and hammer horror and eurotrash lesbian vampire flicks; classic westerns, revisionist westerns, spaghetti westerns; SOV horror, eastern european stop motion, hong kong CAT III sleaze, russian postapocalyptic dirges, poliziotteschi, krimi, and noir films; AIP and PM Entertainment action schlock; italian mad max ripoffs, italian alien ripoffs, italian conan ripoffs; approximately 300 movies with NINJA, BLOOD, or SHAOLIN in their titles; and probably some other shit too.
finally, if you've made it this far and you're a nasty little film freak like me i'll let you in on a secret: i have copies of every single one of these movies on my hard drive. literally thousands of movies dug out of dozens of digital dumpsters with my own two greasy grabby raccoon paws. if any of them particularly catch your interest but you can't find a copy, well you can maybe slip old professor bfly a little private request and get yourself a copy of whatever you need. it may take some time since i only have so many google drive accounts unless someone wants to subsidize a deluxe mega.nz subscription for me to mass-upload things to. i also have a soulseek account sharing the entire hoard but it's very slow and not always online but you can DM me for that as well. again though you may have to be patient because i am old and tired and slow and have a full time job and a hundred dumb hobbies and social anxiety and generalized brain damage
happy new year everyone now go watch a movie about some dudes kicking the shit out of each other for me
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levil0vesyou · 8 months
Note
i'm so sorry for that monday production story, i hope it doesn't affect you as much now. adults really do say some wild shit and don't even realize how damaging it can be. my dad would point out all the broken and abandoned houses and dirty cars on the street and say they were mine, and i always replied they were his, and we'd start bickering, and then laughed it off, and i only thought about it recently and have no idea why he would say such a thing? i think it subconsciously got ingrained that i'm not good with housekeeping and generally don't deserve nice things (sorry for trauma dumping). just, adults are so weird with their kids and don't realize the damage
(ask is in reference to my tags on this post)
(there's more trauma in this reply btw, fair warning. under a cut bc long)
Thank you, it actually means a lot!! I wasn't even sure if anyone was gonna read it lmao, tag rambling sometimes feels like just straight up screaming into the void lmao
Hate to disappoint, but its effect on me has been increasing for years 😎👍 It's so weird how you can have shit like that lie dormant for ages until you one day go "hang on" and then it starts eating away at you
It also goes really well with her "Niemand wünscht sich ein behindertes Kind" (lit. "Nobody wishes for a disabled child" but can more accurately be translated as "Nobody wants a disabled child") which she only said once and not even about me but basically one shotted me and has been squatting in my brain evilly ever since. Top ten fucked up sentences to completely devastate your disabled child, number 4 will surprise you 😎👍
(I actually did bring that one to her attention years later but she dismissed any effects it had on me on grounds she didn't mean it that way 😎👍)
Yea, that's some bullshit tbh. Like, that's not the kinda shit a father should be saying to their kid, like bro this is an impressionable young mind in your care who trusts you blindly, not your fucking sibling or highschool bestie you can shoot the shit with. Parents give like zero shits what they say to their children, it's wild. And very concerning sometimes
And it would probably be possible to heal that shit more easily if they actually recognised that, maybe even apologised, but at least in my mum's case, she categorically refuses to acknowledge any instances of one of her children being negatively impacted by something she's said or done if we're the ones bringing it to her attention.
Like, I think she recognises some of the stuff she's said and done as not great but any attempt to amend that list will result in her "oh so I'm a horrible person and at fault for all your problems and you refuse to take responsibility hmmm?" spiel 😔
For the record tho I wanna say I don't think she's a horrible mum and especially when it came to material well being/physical health/etc she really did try her best and I could've had it much worse. She was an underpaid nurse raising three children (two of them disabled) mostly on her own while also caring for different sick elderly relatives over the years.
It's a miracle she made it work and while I do think some stuff was unnecessary, some of especially the later stuff that was more affective (not like hitting or anything, the only parental figure who ever hit me was my grandma who did it exactly one time tho even that took many years to process which is how I know "it's okay to hit your kids" ppl are full of shit) which I can far more easily understand & forgive. That said, if your own child says "[thing you did or said] had a negative impact on me" maybe believe them lmao
...yea this is a bit too long huh
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ninjagirlstar5 · 8 months
Text
Protag Teruya AU - Yuki Maeda's FTEs (Part 1)
I'm BAAAAACK!!!
Dear lord, first of all, I'm sorry I've been mostly radio silent on both of my SDRA2 projects. I was dealing with college, socializing in clubs, I got sick, got better, and then got sick AGAIN, and I've been streaming SDRA2 with my buddy on discord whenever they're available between all of that, so I have! Been! Busy!
But good news is, I've been plugging away at part one of Yuki and Protag!Teruya's FTE during my breaks slowly but surely, and now it's done! Hopefully the next updates won't take as long as before but perhaps we shouldn't get out hopes up too much. It's been a busy semester and I have no doubt it'll get busier now that I'm past the halfway point.
Anyways, are Teruya and Yuki hanging out okay? Let's find out.
AO3 Version
Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!  
Fic is under read more!
Teruya watches Setsuka and Yoruko leave the U-Mart to hang out. This wouldn’t have bothered him as his own investigation of the U-Mart didn’t yield any clues, although he did get a better understanding of the area. Not to mention that he actually had a bit of fun categorizing and making a list in his head of all the supplies found in the store. It somewhat surprised Teruya that he would enjoy something as bland as this, but he was glad to learn a bit more about himself. Especially since his amnesia had left him with no clues about his own life. But he’s not surprised that Yoruko was a bit more disappointed with the lack of clues to escape the Killing Game. He can also tell that she was getting a bit bored about halfway through the investigation of the U-Mart. So Teruya understood why she’d leave as soon as she could with Setsuka, even if it’s only to take a break.
There was just…He has a hard time calling this a problem but it still left Teruya feeling very uncomfortable.
He slowly turns towards Yuki Maeda, who was also left behind despite investigating with Setsuka just mere minutes ago. Yuki catches his gaze and faces him with a raised brow. Teruya, realizing that he should probably say something, clears his throat.
“So…” Teruya starts, only realizing a few seconds too late that he had absolutely no idea where to go with this. Yuki scratches his cheek with his finger, averting his gaze.
“So.” Yuki said, but didn't add anything else. Almost like he had no idea what to say either. The thought actually gave him a little comfort, knowing that he wasn’t the only one that felt that way. “Um…So you chose the U-Mart as your first investigation?”
“Uhhh, yep.” Teruya gives him an awkward grin, trying to push down the uneasy feeling in his gut. “I didn’t really get a good look around the first time. I…It’s where I found out my amnesia was most likely permanent…” He trails off. Kokoro was the one to tell him that, but can he really trust her word for it? She’s the mastermind, after all. And yet, she’s also the Ultimate Psychologist, so that had to count for…something. Right?
“That makes sense. The U-Mart has a lot more stuff compared to the gift shop on the ship. Honestly, it feels more like a warehouse than an actual store though.” Yuki let out a sigh as if this didn’t really make sense to him. Teruya tilts his head.
“Really? It feels pretty normal to me.” Teruya looks around the store. One side of the store held food for them to pick out from, including convenience bentos that can be eaten cold or warmed up from the microwave, the middle held regular everyday and seasonal items, and the other side had tools that ranged from wrenches to drills. By the register was the alcohol, but he ignored it as he held no interest in it, especially since they were all minors. “Although, I guess if the store was a bit more specific then it would be more odd.”
“Specific…? Like, a clothing store?” Yuki curls his fist near his mouth. Teruya nods his head.
“Yeah, like…You wouldn’t find a clothing store selling food. That would be, like, false advertisement. People would only enter a clothing store for clothes, while they would go to a grocery store for food. Now, if there was a store that sells anything and everything, it’d only be natural that they would have a wide variety of supplies for the customers to search for. It’s not that uncommon…I think.” Teruya pauses. Yuki tilts his head.
“You sound like you know a lot about stores.” He points out. Teruya couldn’t deny that. If there was one thing he was certain about himself, it was definitely this. And yet, he didn’t know why he knew so much about stores. The puzzle piece was there, it’s just that he lacked so many others that there was no way he could understand what it could mean right now.
“It seems like it, haha…” Teruya said, rubbing his head. “I…uh, don’t know what that means about my life. My past life? It’s uh, a lot. It’s a lot.”
“Yeah, yeah, totally.” Yuki quickly goes quiet. So does Teruya and the little bit of small talk they managed to create disappears into awkward silence.
Teruya shifts on his feet.
He wants to say more.
But when he tries to think of something to say, it quickly grows into a struggle. Why? It’s not like they ever met before, at least according to Yuki. So there’s no reason to feel the way he does.
But every time he looks at him, he feels his stomach drop like he had fallen from a tall height. Something that made his chest tighten as his stomach twists and turns. It was a wariness that felt too damn familiar for him to ignore, but Yuki would only stare at him in pure ignorance.
Yuki didn’t know anything.
And with Teruya’s amnesia, he didn’t know anything either.
Which only made these feelings not only confusing but frustrating.
He wanted to talk to him more than anything else but he also didn’t because he doesn’t deserve his attention.
“Um…Teruya?” A small voice reaches his ears, bringing him out of his thoughts. Teruya blinks before focusing his gaze back on Yuki. How long had he zoned out? Hopefully not too long. That would only make things much more awkward between them. “Can we…investigate together?”
“Huh?” Teruya feels floored. And perhaps, a lot more anxious than he appeared to be. He points to himself. “Me? You, uh, want to investigate with me?”
“Yeah! If, uh, that’s okay with you.” Yuki said, giving him a smile. A smile that was stabbing needles into his heart, even as it swells with joy.
“Uh, sure! I don’t mind.” Teruya smiled back as it strains against his cheeks.
He minds. He minds a lot.
“Great. So…where do you want to go?” Yuki asked, adjusting his tie. Teruya pauses before scratching the back of his head.
“To be honest, I already had a…pretty decent investigation of the island with Mikado when we first woke up here. But I barely know anything about the Monocruise.” Teruya then shrugs. “Yoruko brought me outside while I was looking around my room. I didn’t pay much attention to it since I was pretty tired last night.”
“You must’ve spent a lot of energy looking after Mikado.” Yuki said before a smile grew on his face. “You’re really kind for doing that, Teruya.”
“O-Oh, um, thank you.” Teruya felt himself smile more genuinely, a little bashful at the praise. “Just…doing what I need to do.”
“Yeah…um…” Yuki then points to the doors. “Why don’t we make our way back to the Monocruise then? I’ll guide you around and then we can loop back to the entrance when we’re done.”
“Sounds good to me.” Teruya nods and the two of them leave the U-Mart without another word.
Yuki leads the way back to the Monocruise and the two of them are mostly silent as they walk. It was still a little awkward between the two of them, but once they were inside, they immediately focused on trying to investigate the Monocruise. In the hallways were a couple of grandfather clocks but none of them were working, the restrooms, bookshelves filled with books that Teruya didn’t have much interest in, and huge chandeliers that hung from the ceiling precariously. He can only hope that they don’t fall. But what did grab Teruya’s attention almost immediately was the large, double stone door that was to the right of the staircase. But when he tried to enter it, it was completely locked and Yuki explained that “Big Bro,” a.k.a. Shinji, had already tried to brute force it and it didn’t work. In the end, they decided to leave it be for now since there’s nothing they can do about it. At least, not without the risk of breaking one of the school rules.
On the first floor of the Monocruise, there was the infirmary that Teruya had already become familiar with due to taking care of Mikado in it for an entire day, but also a workout room with various equipment, including huge dumbbells, punching bags, and treadmills. There was also a ping-pong table to play, well, ping-pong, a cleaning supplies closet in case there was a spill, a large basket filled with sports balls for the basketball hoops hanging on the walls, and a nearby trash can. There was also a storage room that Teruya had to resist the urge to organize and memorize every bit of supplies and sundries left around inside, and simply said that they should leave this for another time since all of the miscellaneous stuff would take forever to sift through even with the both of them together. Yuki agreed and they left the storage room alone. The auditorium was a bit more of a sad excuse as there was a lot of space in it but nothing else aside from a clock that told the time, a piano sitting next to a desk for someone to speak from and chairs piled up on top of each other by the walls. They stopped by the dining hall to check if there was anything they could’ve missed, but it had mostly stayed the same since they were last there. The large table where they ate their meals together was still where it was left, with the chandelier hanging nearby, and shelves filled with various utensils and cups. Teruya had found some crow cards lying about in those shelves, but otherwise there was nothing useful to be gained by sticking around the dining hall. The kitchen was also attached to the dining hall, fully repaired after Mikado’s poor attempt at cooking nearly destroyed it in a fire. It looked like a fancy cooking station you’d find at a restaurant while still feeling like something you’d find in any other house in the real world. They left the kitchen untouched as well, as neither of them were hungry enough to make something for brunch.
The second floor hallway was pretty identical to the first floor in layout, minus the doorway to the left of the staircase. There were plenty of grandfather clocks and chandeliers, with doors leading to the game room, library, bathhouse, and laundry room. All of which he hadn’t checked out for himself yet.
But the one thing that caught both of their attention pretty quickly was a door almost hidden away in the corner. Unlike most doors, it was metallic with a keypad serving as it’s lock. And to top it off, there was a minigun attached in the corner and aiming directly at the door.
Out of everything they’ve seen so far, this is definitely the most suspicious thing yet.
And yet, neither Teruya or Yuki took a step closer to the door.
“…Do you want to check it?” Teruya asked, making these the first few words he had said in a while. Yuki’s jaw drops as he gapes at him.
“No way! What if I do something wrong and that minigun goes off??” Yuki points at said weapon. “I’ll be turned into Swiss cheese!” Teruya couldn’t help but snort and cringe at the same time.
“Y-Yeah…that wouldn’t be good at all.” Teruya agreed but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the door. Yuki sighs.
“We all tried to think of ways to enter the room, but…none of us has the guts to try the keypad. Not with that minigun silently threatening us with death.” Yuki shudders as he adjusts his tie. “It wouldn’t be a good idea anyways. We don’t have any hints on what the passcode could be, so the effort would just be useless.”
“I think that’s a wise decision. I don’t want you guys to get hurt when our chances are so low.” Still, that door is going to bother him for as long as he's aware that it's here. Teruya forces himself to turn away. "Let's just check out the rest of the floor."
"Ah, right." Yuki doesn't say anything else, leaving the both of them in awkward silence once more.
Teruya almost wanted to say something.
But his mind was blank, so he kept his mouth shut.
The library was, naturally, filled up with books, with the shelves lined up against the walls. The bathhouse has cabinets for changing, a cleaning supply closet, a clock, shower stalls, and, of course, a large hot tub to relax in. Now wasn't the time to take a bath, though, and they left without bringing up the idea of having a shared bath. You know, to deepen their bonds as friends.
He did find some money in the bathtub, though.
("...Who left their card here??")
("I don't know, but it's mine now!")
("You're…surprisingly greedy.")
("Hey, you can't live without money, you know!")
("...Unfortunately, you're right.")
The laundry room was probably the most normal room there was on the Monocruise, being of decent size with a few washing machines and dryers to accommodate everyone on the Monocruise. The game room, though, was everything a minor should steer clear from for their age: roulette tables that reminded Teruya of casinos, slot machines that pour out coins when you manage to line up three of the same images, and a shelf behind the counter that held plenty of alcohol of different types. Teruya can’t help but grimace at the amount of games that are just begging to give someone a gambling addiction.
“I can’t believe there’s a room like this here. Isn’t this supposed to be a school field trip for high schoolers?” Teruya questioned, absently running his hand along a nearby pool table. It was clearly of high quality and he had a feeling that Setsuka would love spending her time here if she hasn’t already.
“Honestly, I’d agree with you if this was a normal school trip.” Yuki said before a random note of a piano key being hit was heard. Teruya turns the corner to see his fellow student nearby the piano, testing it out if only to distract himself. He closes his eyes with a sigh. “But this is the School Trip of Mutual Killing. Nothing about this has been normal since we got here.” He then pauses before furrowing his brow. “Besides, Hope’s Peak Academy did invite the Ultimate Gambler before. Stuff like this on a Hope’s Peak school trip would probably be normal since they would want to see the Ultimate Gambler in action.”
“…That would actually make a lot more sense.” Teruya scratches his forehead. If Hope’s Peak Academy was more than willing to invite students that had more…questionable talents, then of course they’d have the resources to help support and nurture them as well. Hell, they had Yoruko, who was the Ultimate Hostess, and Syobai, the Ultimate Broker. While Yoruko’s talent is a lot more innocuous compared to the literal criminal, she was still breaking the law by lying about her age to work in an age-restricted job. And yet, they were still willing to take both of them. Albeit they had to blackmail Yoruko to agree to come. Syobai…he’s not certain about his reasons for why he chose to come, or if he was also blackmailed, but either way, he was here as well. “…Still, none of us are the Ultimate Gambler so I don’t know why we have this room.”
“Yeah, it kinda just…exists. It’s not as if we can’t have fun here and we don’t really have any money to make any bets anyway…unless you count the Crow Cards.” Yuki then pulls away from the piano, smiling as he points to a set of double doors. “But, hey. At least there’s a gift shop here.”
“Oh yeah! Monocrow mentioned the gift shop before.” Teruya said, lighting up at the mention. He raises his hands as his body automatically moves towards the door without another thought. “So it’s here? What’s in the shop?”
“Well…about anything you can find at a tourist shop, I think. With some…odd stuff mixed in.” Yuki said, scratching his cheek with his finger. Teruya pauses upon grabbing the handle, turning to direct his raised eyebrow at Yuki. The student simply shrugs as he smiles awkwardly. “I think you’ll understand once you see it.”
“Alright…” Despite acknowledging the strange comment, it didn’t stop the feeling of excitement rising in his gut. Teruya tugs on the handle and the door slides open, revealing what was inside.
And his heart nearly lept in joy.
Inside were rows and rows of shelves filled with all sorts of supplies of different varieties. Art supplies, notebooks, snacks…you name it, the gift shop probably has it. It was decently large for the amount of goods it had in store, and even had a register counter by the front to pay for the supplies, although no one was there to man it. Teruya almost wondered if someone had tried to shoplift from the gift shop but he quickly shoots that idea down in his head. With the existence of Crow Cards, Monocrow would clearly want that currency to be used throughout this school trip. And while there was no repercussions from taking anything from the U-Mart, it may be because the mart was on the island since it was founded and would have convenience goods that wouldn’t be out of place for its store. The gift shop, on the other hand, was a part of the Monocruise, and is under Monocrow’s jurisdiction. If Monocrow wants them to pay for the goods in the gift shop, he will make them even if he has to threaten them with punishment.
Not that Teruya found himself caring.
He was just…so excited and comforted at the sight of the shop.
He doesn’t know or understand why he’s reacting the way he is now. It was just a shop, after all. One that you can probably find anywhere in the world, as long as the concept of currency or even bartering existed. A place where you can find goods that range from daily necessities to snacks to entertainment to unnecessary knickknacks and decorations.
But, Teruya didn’t care.
It made him happy to be here. And for once, he allowed himself this moment to bask in it, regardless of the circumstances that surrounded him.
“Oh…Oh my god…!” The words slipped out of Teruya’s mouth without thinking about how he looked. He just runs over to the nearest aisle, unable to keep himself from bouncing off of his heels as he goes. The aisle seems to be where the toys are, and he grabbed a rainbow spring toy off the shelf to let it hang from his hand. Yuki, who seemed to have followed him inside, watches as the amnesiac played with the toy in his hand. “Yuki! Yuki, look at this! There’s so much to look at!”
“I-I can see that, Teruya.” Yuki laughs like he was unable to comprehend what he was seeing before him. “Geez, you look like a kid exploring a new place for the first time.”
“I mean, technically, it is a place I haven’t been to before.” Teruya tosses the spring toy back to its little basket. Not a single bit of his memories have come back to him yet, but that didn’t mean he was going to push away this sense of comfort. He walks over to Yuki and wraps an arm around him. Yuki blinks in surprise at the closeness and Teruya was too distracted by his own joy to take note of the uncomfortable tightness in his chest. He points as he speaks. “But there’s loads of stuff you can get here! There’s shampoo and conditioner in that aisle, snacks over there, some stationary supplies and…” He falters when his eyes land on something he feels like he shouldn’t be seeing so out in the open. “Is…Is that bondage gear?”
“Yeeep.” Yuki closes his eyes with a grimace. “Like I said before, there’s some odd stuff.”
“I, why is there bondage gear here!??” Teruya scrunched up his face, pulling Yuki closer to him. “We’re…We’re minors! And this is a school trip, I…What the hell??”
“Let’s, uh, just ignore it! We’re here to investigate, not, uh, get distracted by weird stuff.” Yuki suggests, taking his arm off of his shoulder. Teruya ignores the jab of disappointment upon the lack of contact but he gets over it pretty quickly.
“Right, right. Let’s just…avoid that aisle then and look around.” Teruya agrees, deciding that it was best to move on unless he wished to waste any more time. He heads to the back of the room and finds two other oddities in the shop. One was a vending machine that was half black and half white, like it was shaped in Monocrow’s image and he instantly didn’t like it. The other was the rows of arcade games that ranged from Pac-Man (shaped like, again, Monocrow) and a dancing game that wasn’t Dance Dance Revelution, but definitely similar where you have to time your steps to the beat of the song. He approached the games with curiosity, and Yuki almost instantly appeared by his side like he was also interested in the arcade. “Huh…Why do you think this is here? It’d fit more in the game room itself.”
Yuki opens his mouth to make a suggestion but—
“Allow me to answer that question.”
They couldn’t help it.
They screamed, jumping into each other’s arms as the person — no, that damn thing called Monocrow — suddenly pops out of nowhere in front of the arcade cabinets. The minute they realized who it was, their fear was immediately replaced with disdain.
“You — You son of a bitch!” Teruya snaps, nearly swatting Monocrow off of the cabinet. He squawks indignantly, flapping his wings as if to make himself bigger.
“Hey, hey! Violence against your teacher is against the school rules!” Monocrow says, reminding Teruya that he was on thinner ice than he liked. Yuki scowls at him with furrowed eyebrows.
“You’re not our teacher! You’re a part of the mastermind’s scheme!!” Yuki yells as he clenched his fists. Monocrow sighs, lowering his head.
“Both can be true, you know…” The crow then shakes his head. “But nevermind that. I will let go of your near violation since the hit didn’t land. But you best not risk that again, Mr. Otori.” Teruya grimaces but slowly nods his head. He shouldn’t put his life in danger for something as stupid as breaking a school rule. Especially one that can easily be avoided. “Anyways, you’re curious about these arcade machines, are you not?”
“I mean…yeah.” Teruya admits and slowly nods his head. Yuki lowers his hands but he was watching Monocrow warily. Teruya eyes the arcade cabinets. “Why are they in the shop instead of the game room?”
“Well, to put it simply, I thought having these games in here would be more convenient for you all.” Monocrow said, raising his head. Yuki frowns.
“Convenient?” Yuki adjusts his tie and Monocrow nods before rubbing his wing against his beak.
“Indeed. You see, not only did I hide Crow Cards all around the island and Monocruise, I’ve installed these games to reward you!” Monocrow spreads out his wings, almost as if he was proud of himself. Teruya didn’t understand what he meant by that until Yuki’s eyes go wide.
“Wait…Are you saying that these arcade machines can give us Crow Cards?” Yuki cranes his neck at the machines and Teruya does a double take. Arcade games that give out free money? Even with his amnesia, this feels like a first for him.
“Absolutely! I know not all of you are willing to go on a scavenger hunt for the Crow Cards I’ve hidden throughout the island, even though I encourage investigation…But I couldn’t just leave my students penniless! Consider this as an…alternative way to gain money. To an extent of course.” Monocrow nods his head at the cabinets. Teruya managed to catch his last words and frowns.
“‘To an extent?’ What do you mean by that?” Teruya raised an eyebrow at the bird. Monocrow simply huffs, turning his beak up at him. Which would’ve been funny with how small he is compared him, but the amnesiac only found it annoying.
“I mean that you all only have a limited amount of tries for the games. I can’t just let you get rich so easily by spending all of your hours playing games!” Monocrow flaps his wings at Teruya again. “Each student has about three tickets on their e-handbook+, and regardless of which games you play, the cabinets were made to keep track of the amount of tickets you have. In other words, you can’t spend three tickets on Crow-Man and then try to spend three more tickets on DanceRush Stardom.”
“Please tell me that’s not your version of PAC-Man.” Yuki asked, despite already knowing the answer just by looking at the arcade machine in question.
“Regardless, the tickets will be replenished by the end of the week, and you’ll only get enough Crow Cards according to your high score.” Monocrow said, completely ignoring Yuki’s words. The student narrows his eyes at the bird but sighs, completely giving up on the topic.
“So, basically…” Teruya frowns as he tries his best to understand Monocrow’s words. “If you get a good score, you’ll get plenty of cash. However, if you sucked at the game and get a bad score, you won’t get much and end up wasting your time.”
“Precisely!” Monocrow blushed (somehow), speaking almost cheerily at Teruya’s words. Teruya wasn’t sure if he should be proud of himself or disturbed that Monocrow was praising him at all. “So do choose your games wisely! There’s nothing wrong with having too much cash, after all.”
“I…see.” Teruya eyes the arcade cabinets before him. Now that Monocrow explained what their purpose was, it made more sense to have them inside the store than the game room. While the game room was literally one door away, having the one and only arcade games that give out money inside the store made sense if you want your customers to spend their money there. After all, you can’t forget to spend your money when you’re literally inside the store. And if you want a specific item but don’t have enough cash, you can just walk over to a game right then and there and play a round in the hopes of getting a decent score that would reward you. Teruya brings his gaze towards the black and white vending machine and points to it. He might as well gather as much information that he can squeeze out of Monocrow while he’s here. “What about that one?”
“Oh, that’s the Monocrow Machine I mentioned before.” Monocrow lowers his wings and turns towards the vending machine in question. “For five-hundred Crows, you can get any item from the gift shop for cheap, however, it is completely randomized and based on luck. So you’ll have to hope you’ll get what you wanted. But who knows? Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get some special gifts.”
“Special gifts? What kind?” Yuki looks over the Monocrow Machine, more curious than anything else now.
“That, I will let you find out on your own.” Monocrow brushes his wing against his beak. “If that is all the questions you have, I shall be taking my leave.”
“…You wouldn’t give us a reason on why this killing game is happening anyway, would you?” Teruya muttered as his gut twists. Monocrow chuckles, only confirming his suspicions.
“Is despair simply not a good enough reason for you?” And before Teruya could tell him ‘no, it isn’t,’ Monocrow disappears behind one of the machines and is gone. He knew the moment he left his sight that there was no point in trying to chase down the stupid bird to grill him for answers. It would just be a waste of time anyways.
“Well…I think that’s all we can get from the gift shop, right, Yuki?” Teruya said, turning to his classmate. Just in time to see Yuki pull on the lever of the Monocrow Machine. He gapes. “Wha — Yuki!”
“Huh?” Yuki jumps at the sudden call of his name. He turns away from the machine with wide eyes. “What??”
“Why are you using the machine?? You don’t need to use it when you can just buy what you need here, right?” Teruya gestures to the shelves with all the goods that were in plain sight. Yuki winces but frowns.
“I mean, you’re right…but, if you can get anything from the machine for just five-hundred Crows, that’s actually really cheap and some of the stuff here can be really expensive.” Yuki said, scratching his cheek as if he was embarrassed. Teruya frowned before glancing at the nearest price tag, which just so happened to be for a Playrotation4 and…
Oh.
That’s actually pretty steep.
Even Teruya, who had been scavenging every nook and cranny to find Crow Cards, didn’t have enough Crows to buy it right off the shelf.
“…Okay, I can see your point — wait a minute!” Teruya whirls around when a realization hits him and he points at the game station. “Why would anyone spend money on a Playrotation4?? It’s not like we need something like this and we’re in the middle of a killing game! We shouldn’t get ourselves distracted by stuff like this.”
“A-And you’re right! It’s just…just…” Yuki hesitates, mumbling something under his breath. Teruya raises an eyebrow at him but remains patient as he tugs on his tie nervously. “Sorry…I just…I can't concentrate on the killing game all the time. When I do, I…I get really, really scared. And then I remember how Syobai nearly stabbed me, and start thinking that anyone might be willing to do that, and then it just…just spirals from there. You know?”
“Ah…” That…actually makes sense. It’d be natural to suspect that everyone was out to get each other. Especially since one person already tried to take a life, even without hearing all the rules. How can Yuki not be paranoid? Teruya feels himself soften up as he presses his hand against his chest. “I think I understand. It is a dangerous situation, and you could’ve gotten hurt.”
“Yeah…Which is why I’m glad you were there, Teruya.” Yuki smiles at him, almost stopping Teruya’s heart as it clenched tightly. “If you hadn’t intervened, I might not be standing here right now. Even if you could’ve gotten hurt in my place…”
“O-Oh, it’s…it’s no problem.” Teruya forced himself to smile. “I…I mean, anyone would do that if they weren’t frozen in shock. Hell, I bet Shinji would’ve done everything in his power to protect you if he wasn’t carrying Mikado at the time.”
“Haha, y-yeah, I bet he would.” Yuki chuckles as he closes his eyes, scratching his cheek. The Monocrow Machine goes off and something clatters into the drop-off box, but neither of them paid much attention to it right now. He sighs, the smile falling off of his face. “I’m…grateful that you did that for me. But I also wished you didn’t have to. You could’ve gotten hurt in my place.”
“Hey, don’t say that. You, You’re worth protecting.” Teruya ignored the way he stuttered on his last words. He means it, he really does.
So why was it so hard to say it out loud?
“Mmm…Still…I wish I can repay you back. You deserve something in return for protecting someone like me. And protecting Yoruko, too.” Yuki slumps over and Teruya can’t help but feel surprised at the sight. He didn’t think Yuki had such a low opinion of himself. Sure, he was an ordinary student that got into Hope’s Peak Academy through a lottery, but he had still made it, didn’t he? Teruya didn’t even know his own talent or his past thanks to his amnesia, and the few clues he had were small things that barely told a full story. He didn’t know himself, but at least Yuki knew who he was.
Right?
…He should try to cheer him up. Maybe…
“…Maybe you should take me out for lunch?” Teruya suggested before he could doubt himself again. Yuki lifts his head, opening his eyes wide with surprise. The amnesiac just gave him a shrug. “You won’t stop expressing your gratitude to me, even though I’ve already accepted it. Sooo, if you want to do something more, you can just take me to your favorite place to eat and we can call it even. Once we get out of here, of course.”
“Teruya…” Yuki said, almost like he was in awe. Teruya tried not to shift. It’s not like getting lunch with someone else was anything weird or noteworthy. It’s something people do all the time. Yuki then smiles. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Huh? Really?” There it was again, that surprise. An emotion that only lasted for a moment, but it was there.
“Yeah. There’s actually a really good ramen shop near my house. I’ll take you there, alright?” Yuki said, almost like he was happy at the thought. Teruya…wasn’t sure how he felt about this. He thought for sure Yuki would have turned him down. But he returns the smile, feeling more genuine this time around.
“Then it’s a promise.” Teruya then gestures to the Monocrow Machine, trying to keep up this nonchalant air about him. There’s no need to make a big deal about it. “What did you get?”
“Oh…! Right, uh…” Yuki turns towards the machine, kneeling down to grab his item from the drop-box. The minute he pulled it out, Teruya felt his heart leap at the sight. It was a spray bottle, one with a black cover that made the rainbow stand out in contrast. Yuki furrows his brow. “Oh, it’s just a spray bottle…”
“It is, isn’t it??” Teruya couldn’t stop the excitement that leaked into his voice. Yuki gapes at him as he hovers right over his shoulder. “D-Do you mind if I see it? Just for a second! I’ll give it right back!”
“Uh, sure. Go nuts.” Yuki gives up the spray bottle pretty quickly, letting Teruya snatch it right out of his hand. He takes a moment to marvel at it, rubbing his thumb along the rainbow colors of the spray bottle. He then lifts it up, keeping the button angled away from him before pressing down on it.
A beautiful spray of rainbows comes out and Teruya grins from ear to ear.
“Good golly! This…This thang is the real deal! Look at this color here, Yuki! It’s so vibrant!” Teruya said, spraying the color out a few times to emphasize his point. Yuki laughs, albeit awkwardly and perhaps a little confused.
“Wow, uh…what’s with that sudden accent?” Yuki asked, and Teruya raised an eyebrow at him.
“What accent?” He said, completely missing the way his accent had changed in his excitement.
“…Nevermind. It’s not important.” Yuki is quick to drop the topic and Teruya wasn’t interested in pursuing it anyways. He looks down at the spray bottle in his hand, almost reluctant in giving it back even though it would be going against his word. The student stares at him before smiling. “You can keep it if you want?”
“Really?!” Teruya can feel his eyes shining as he raises his head. “Y-Ya sayin’ I can have it?! For free?!” And when Yuki nods his head, Teruya tosses his arms around his classmate before he could think better of it and starts jumping up and down. “Thanks, Yuki! You have no idea how happy I am about this!”
“I-I’m glad you’re happy, Teruya…” Yuki said, although his voice was a bit muffled due to having his face buried into Teruya’s chest. Before he can complain about it, though, the amnesiac lets him go and starts putting away his precious gift. The student sighs and straightens his posture. “I think that’s everything we can investigate from this place. Right?”
“Mmm…I think so?” Teruya looks back at the aisles, thinking over what he saw and had been told. “…Even with just a glimpse, I can tell that this spray bottle isn’t in stock.”
“Huh…Is that what Monocrow meant when he said you can get special gifts from the machine?” Yuki asked, curling his hand near his chin. Teruya frowned.
“That sounds like a gacha system.” Teruya said, before approaching the machine to test that theory out for himself. With just a quick examination of how it works, all Teruya had to do was swipe his handbook over the scanner to use the Crow Card function, and then pull the level. After some loud scattering sounds inside the machine, it rings as it drops its prize into the drop-off box. He kneels down and pulls out…another mineral water bottle. Which he can get anywhere else, even at the U-Mart. The disappointment was palpable. “It is a gacha system.”
“You sound so disappointed.” Yuki deadpans, which only prompts Teruya to tighten his fists.
“Of course I am! It’s a money sink that relies purely on luck for the one thing you desire. A system that practically encourages gambling in exchange for a single item you may not even get. And even if you don’t mind having the common items, you’ll run out of space eventually if you’re aiming for the ‘best’ prize. You’ll need some good goddamn luck to get what you want in your first few pulls, otherwise you’ll just be wasting money you could be spending on something else.” Teruya huffs as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I worry about the customers' wallet sometimes.”
“Wow, you’re…surprisingly passionate about this.” Yuki points out, surprised at his sudden rant.
“Of course I am. How can people spend money if they’re spending too much of it on this one thing that isn’t guaranteed to give them what they want. Not to mention the kind of repercussions a gambling addiction can have on someone’s life…” Teruya trails off.
Why…is he so passionate over something like this? It’s not as if it’s his business on how much money people spend on something they want, right? But…what if they need that money for something they need? Like, food, water, clothes…If they spend it all on a prize that may not have much use of, how can they support themselves?
…Teruya decided to simply chalk it up to human decency. No one in their right mind would want someone to end up with an addiction of any kind. 
“Well…whatever. Here, you can have this, Yuki.” Teruya said, raising the water bottle up to his classmate. Yuki blinks his eyes before his hand hovers over the drink.
“Are you sure? I think this is mineral water.”
“Yeah, I already got one back at the U-Mart.” There was no point in having two when he hadn't even opened the first one yet. That seemed to encourage Yuki to take the water bottle from him with a smile.
“Thanks, Teruya. I was feeling a little parched from all the talking.” Yuki immediately opens the bottle to take a sip from it. Teruya brings his attention back to the Monocrow Machine, frowns, before swiping his handbook over the scanner again. Yuki sputters on his drink. “Y-You’re using the Monocrow Machine again?”
“Yep.” Teruya pulls the lever down. “…You said you wanted the Playrotation4, right?”
“Uh, yeah, I do, but…you don't have to go out of your way to get one. Especially when you don’t like the Monocrow Machine. And like you said before, I don’t really need it…” Yuki tries to get him to back out of the idea but Teruya just smiles at him.
“Because you said that you can’t concentrate on the killing game twenty-four seven, right? When you do, you get scared and paranoid…That’s not good when we’re in a killing game.” Teruya kept his tone gentle and tried not to sound overbearing in the process. “If playing games helps distract you from your thoughts and keep you calm, I don’t see why you shouldn’t have it. Besides, I wanna get you something and I don’t have enough Crow Cards right now to buy it off the shelf.”
“But…” 
“No buts! I’m getting you that Playrotation4, I swear it.” Teruya wags his finger at Yuki and he starts to crack a smile again.
It was then that the Monocrow Machine started to act out.
It rings, signaling that the prize had fallen into the drop-box, but then it shakes and rattles violently. Teruya and Yuki both jumped at the sounds as it felt as though something was going to go wrong. But, nothing else happens and the Monocrow Machine goes silent again.
Teruya didn’t take another step forward. He only turned to Yuki with a paling face.
“…It didn’t break…right?” Teruya asked nervously. After all, it was against the rules to break school property, and that would include the Monocrow Machine, right?
“Uh…” Yuki looks around. Even when a minute passes, no one shows up and he shrugs. “I think you’re fine. Monocrow hasn’t popped out of nowhere yet, so…”
“I-In that case, I should grab my prize before anything else happens.” Teruya leans over and reaches into the drop-box. However, when he grabs a hold of its thin, seemingly rectangular frame, its side hit the opening of the drop-box and couldn’t be slid out. Teruya frowns, trying to pull it out again but even when he tries to tilt it at a different angle or wiggle it out, the results are the same. “Shit. I think it’s stuck. Hey, Yuki, can you keep the flap open for me?”
“Oh, uh, sure!” Yuki kneels down beside him and Teruya scoots over to give him a bit more space. After what felt like more than five minutes of wiggling, adjusting, and a little bit of cussing over the prize, they finally manage to slide it out of the opening.
And Teruya nearly drops it when he sees it.
It was a portrait of a young man, probably — no, definitely their age and staring straight at them in boredom. His hair was a mess and his tie was undone along with the collar of his button-up, but he knew this face.
He knew it was Yuki Maeda.
Yuki Maeda, who he should know.
Yuki Maeda, who was his classmate.
Yuki Maeda, who was his friend.
And Yuki Maeda was standing before him, bored as he felt himself sink to his knees. Hearing the words he was saying but struggling to comprehend it all.
To deny it all.
And yet, he kept talking.
He kept talking about a truth he was desperate to deny.
“—your money. So, your friends’ deaths? They’re all your fault.”
And Teruya Otori felt himself sink.
Teruya.
Teruya.
“Teruya!”
Teruya blinked.
He stares at Yuki, who has started to shake him by his shoulders.
“Teruya! Finally!” Yuki sighs, as if he was relieved. Why? “You looked so pale and stopped responding to me when I tried to talk to you. Are you okay?”
Okay? How was he okay?
“…It’s you.” The words slip from his mouth numbly. Yuki blinks at him and Teruya’s gaze slowly goes back to the portrait that laid between them. “That’s you in the portrait.”
“Ah, the portrait…” Yuki let’s go, finally. He stares down at the portrait and visibly shudders. “I mean, it’s really uncanny. I won’t deny that. But…”
He frowns.
And then looks Teruya straight in the eye.
“But that’s not me.”
….It’s not?
“Uh, yeah. It’s not.” Yuki said, almost pouting now. Teruya swallows as he realizes that he had said that out loud. “I’ve never had myself painted before, so it couldn’t be me. I mean, I’m pretty sure the guy is wearing my school’s uniform but…” His frown became deeper as Teruya kept staring at him. “Look, maybe it’d be easier for you to believe me if you compare me to the guy in the picture.”
“Uh…” Teruya tried to come up with something to say. To tell Yuki that no, that really is him in the portrait. That this repulsive person looked too much like him to deny it.
But, he couldn’t say it.
Not when his heart ached so much in a way he couldn’t describe.
And when Yuki carefully props the painting beside him so Teruya can better compare their looks, he slowly realizes that he was right.
The differences were subtle. Sure, when you ignore the bored expression and messy appearance, they still looked similar enough to be mistaken for each other. But when you actively compare them side by side, it'd be hard not to notice those subtle differences. The one in the painting had much tanner skin in comparison to Yuki’s obviously paler complexion, along with dark brown eyes and a rounder facial structure. The Yuki Maeda sitting before him has lighter brown eyes and a slightly sharper face. Even their ginger hair was different, as the man in the portrait had a darker shade that leaned more towards yellow while Yuki’s was brighter and more red. And to top it all off…
“...He’s missing your ahoge.” Teruya noticed out loud, almost dumbly. Yuki blinked, looked back at the portrait, and then started to pout again.
“That’s the most important thing you noticed?” Yuki said, clearly exasperated. The tone of voice actually got Teruya to chuckle, feeling the tension slowly seep out from his shoulders as he sagged. It was still there, but he started to feel…a bit more like himself. A bit more ingrained in reality now.
“Sorry, sorry. It was just the first words I thought to say.” Teruya felt himself smile a little bit as Yuki’s pout only got stronger.
“Seriously…? It’s not my fault that this is the only cowlick I can’t get rid of.” Yuki muttered, even though Teruya could still hear him. It was obvious that the ahoge is a bit of an insecurity with the way he kept brushing his hand over it the minute it was brought up.
“If it’s any consolation, I think it’s cool. It makes you stand out.” Teruya reaches over and flicks the ahoge with his finger. Yuki swats his hand away.
“Stop that! I sometimes spend an hour trying to get rid of it. Don’t you do the same??” Yuki points at the tall ahoge Teruya sported himself. Teruya felt a smile grow on his face, even though it was definitely an awkward one.
“...Actually, I have to use hair gel to get my hair like this.” He admits sheepishly. Yuki’s stare quickly becomes incredulous.
“...You do it on purpose?!” Yuki gaped at him with those wide eyes again, and Teruya finally laughed. The student huffs before pushing the portrait into his space. “W-Whatever, just take your prize already!”
“Alright, alright!” Teruya takes the portrait from Yuki, still chuckling over his classmate’s overreaction. Yuki rubs his cheeks as if to forcefully get rid of the smile that Teruya had caught a glimpse of before going back to a neutral expression. Teruya looks down at the portrait, his smile falling off of his face as the man stared back at him. “...He feels familiar.”
“Well, he does look like me. It’s really eerie.” Yuki mutters as he closes his eyes and a sweat drop forms on his cheek. Teruya frowns.
“No, I mean…” Teruya tightens his grip on the portrait. “I think I knew this guy.”
“...Oh!” Yuki opens his eyes in surprise. “Did you remember something?? What is it?”
“I…don’t know.” Teruya lays the portrait on his lap. He stares at his bored eyes and wishes he could wipe that damn look off of his face. “...I think I hate him.”
“...Oh.” Yuki deflates upon the realization that it wasn’t a happy memory. If Teruya could even call it a memory. It was more of a gut feeling than anything else. He sighs. “Well…Not everything in your life is gonna be sunshine and rainbows.”
“I guess…” Teruya hesitates, his eyes darting between the portrait and Yuki. He swallows and takes the plunge. “Yuki. Are you…sure we have never met before?”
Yuki was silent.
And for once, his eyes were really scrutinizing him. Like he was actually trying to figure out if he had seen him before or not.
But he slowly shakes his head.
“No. We’ve never met personally.” Yuki said, before looking down and curling his hand near his chin. “…Sorry.”
“Oh…” What else could he say to that? It’s not like he can just tell Yuki that he’s a liar. He’s not the one with amnesia. Teruya was. And he doesn’t have any evidence that would contradict this.
Aside from the very heavy feeling on his tongue every time he speaks his name.
But besides that, he can only take him at his word right now.
“…Okay. Sorry that I keep bothering you over this.” Teruya said, even though this probably isn’t something he had to apologize for. Yuki gives him a small smile.
“H-Hey, you don’t have to apologize over that. I wish I could do more for you but alas…” Yuki waves his hands placatingly as he trails off. He then drops them into his lap. “Anyway, should we keep investigating the Monocruise?”
“Hm…” Teruya thinks it over his head, wondering if he should keep investigating with Yuki. But then he takes his eyes off of him, sees it — or rather, her — and thinks better of it. “Actually, I think that’s all we can do on the Monocruise. We explored everything we could…at least, not without spending hours going through every nook and cranny in the storage room. And the next two floors are for the dormitories, so I’m sure everyone explored their rooms to the best of their ability.”
“That’s true…There’s nothing else up there other than the bathrooms.” Yuki said, scratching his finger at his cheek. He then stands up, sending Teruya a smile. “Then, I guess I’ll go investigate somewhere else.”
“Yeah, I think I’m gonna stay here for a couple more minutes. Maybe stop by the storage room later.” Teruya nods his head towards the exit of the store. “I’ll see you around, Yuki.”
“See ya, Teruya.” Yuki then turns to leave the store, sees her, and tries to ignore her as he leaves. Teruya watches him go until he disappears, and then brings his attention back to the portrait.
…He could throw it out.
No one would be able to stop him if it did.
And it was technically his, so he had the right to do whatever he wanted with the portrait.
But…it’d be a waste for him to do that.
He just spent five-hundred Crows for this prize. Even if he didn’t like it, he should at least find some sort of use for it. Or just give it away to someone that may like it. Maybe Iroha or Emma would take better care of it than him.
Even if his heart tugged in a way he had trouble explaining.
Teruya manages to put the portrait into his backpack, and clasp it back closed, hefting it back onto his shoulders with a grunt. His eyes rove over the items in the store, lingering on the pens and journals in the school supplies section. Something that he considers buying right this second. But eventually, he turns back to the Monocrow Machine and pays the necessary Crows again. He felt a bit of shame in playing into the gacha ploy. But even he couldn’t resist the idea of getting those rare items.
And Teruya did swear he’ll get Yuki that Playrotation4 somehow. He just has to be careful with how much he spends on the Monocrow Machine.
At least hanging out with Yuki wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be.
He just can’t shake off this uncomfortable deja vu he’d been feeling this whole time.
…Or the drone that has been watching his every move since his investigation of the U-Mart.
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discet · 1 year
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I hope this fanfic creates a fandom ngl!
What games do you play (any type)?
That would be wild. Feels like that sometimes when I get fanart for it and stuff ^-^
I play a lot of games, table top included but Ill focus on video games here.
I really like platformers both 3d and 2d. Celeste, Hollow Knight, A Hat in Time, Tinykin, Rogue Legacy 2, and Shovel Knight are some of my most obsessively played games in the last few years. There is something so satisfying about a game with satisfying movement
I really enjoy roguelites such as Hades, Rogue Legacy 2, Into the Breech, and Binding of Issac have all been favs. Something about honing your skills and building up to overcome a great obsticle feels great. Clearing Heat 36 in Hades was one of my proudest moments as a gamer.
I also have enjoyed every Super Giant Game that has come out Bastion, Hades, and Pyre all being bangers. I also really enjoyed Transistor mechanically, even if I have some misgivings about its story.
Story focused games are hit or miss for me, but when they hit they hit hard. Night in the Woods and Beacon Pines were both delightful stories to explore.
The Return of Obra Din is in my top 10 absolutely, even though trying to categorize it is difficult. It's really its own thing.
I'm not big into Character Action games with the huge exception of the Soulslike games by Fromsoft. Sekiro is definitely my favorite among them, but I enjoyed all the Dark Souls and Elden Ring quite a lot. Haven't played much of Bloodborne tragically do to a lack of PS4.
I really loved Fallout 3 and especially New Vegas, but soured on Fallout 4. I also liked my playthroughs of Skyrim back in the day. RPG's that allow me to really immerse myself are my jam.
I also just love most of Valve's shooter catalogue. Half Life, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 were my top tier games in high school. Portal 2 remains one of my favorite games of all time. I liked the first 2 bioshocks for similar reasons (Infinity mostly pissed me off)
Oh I used to be huge into strategy games. Total War Series, Civilization, Fire Emblem, Advanced Wars, X-Com, Humankind. They used to be my obsession. I haven't played them as much lately, but they still hold a place in my heart.
...
Wow! I had a lot more to say than I thought. Thanks for this Ask Anon, it was fun thinking back on a hobby I've put so much time into.
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