#And while they can be fun the market is F L O O D E D

[blackbirdffxiv]

.

Not me entertaining the idea of possibly opening my own little RP place in DT.

I originally tried to do something but after talking with a friend, realized my ideas probably never panned out because I tried to do way too much for a place I'd essentially be running by myself.

When in reality: I should be going simple, and doing something that I enjoy for FUN, versus for the perks of reputation that came from a "unique concept" which, tbh, now looking at it, is just a recipe for disasters because of the possibility of bad apples who don't like to follow rules.

So possibly in Dawntrail, once things calm down, depending on my spoons, I may or may not be opening a tiny bar in Ellie's house; nothing special, just a small place people can come and hang out with their friends in a calm, neutral setting.

No ERP services (though it may be 18+ only cuz I ain't babysitting anyone's kids), no gil or even in-game items traded, just focus solely on RP in a setting where folks can just chill.

TLDR:

Old itch for possibly starting my own RP place is coming back, might explore things post-dawntrail's release. It wouldn't even be weekly, more like bi-weekly for a couple hours. And hey, it'd be a good thing for Ellie to do now that she no longer has a murderous hungry voidsent rustling around in her body (and is now somewhat normal again) EDIT: I meant the FC house not my personal :dead:

[lizzy-calaxio]

B A S I C S

Name: Elizabeth Frizzle (Calaxio after marriage)

Nicknames: Lizzy, Liz

Age: late twenties

Nameday: Third Astral moon, Fifth Sun

Race: Au Ra Raen

Gender: Female

Orientation: uhhhhhh

Profession: Psychology Expert and Therapist at Sharlayan (literally wrote several books about psychology), Adventurer

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S

Hair: Shoulder length brown hair with light highlights (previously tied up black hair with red highlights - when she expends a tremendous amount of aether her hair becomes singed and gets red highlights again)

Eyes: Dark Red with bright red Limbal Ring

Skin: White

Tattoos/scars: A ley line symbol on her back, and an archon mark on her right ribs. Aether scarring coming from her ley line tattoo over her shoulders down her arms and ending at the top of her hands (my addition) Notable additional features: Her tail is longer/fatter than most au ra tails

F A M I L Y

Parents: Simon Frizzle (adoptive, deceased), Amandine Frizzle (adoptive, deceased), two currently unnamed but alive birth parents

Siblings: An older brother and two younger sisters

Grandparents: Unknown

In-laws and Other: All Sylphs (adopted Lizzy before the events of ARR but after her adoptive parents died Pets: A red panda named Tango, a kojin ray named Kishi, a Chocobo named Valerie, an alligator named Mr. Teeth, a Goobbue named Flowers

S K I L L S

Abilities: Due to an incident in the coils of bahamut, Lizzy is imbued with phoenix aether, if Lizzy dies she immediately gets resurrected along with everyone nearby to her - though the aether has to recharge after this. After 5 minutes, she becomes so exhausted she passes out. She also has exceptional skills at black magic due to the phoenix aether, and she has exceptional stealth abilities she picked up from the Sylphs

Hobbies: Reading, studying psychology, sparring with friends, finding creatures that will give her a good fight, climbing trees

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Incredibly optimistic and energetic

Most Negative Trait: Can disappear for weeks on end if she gets stuck in a new library

L I K E S

Colors: Othard Blue

Smells: The smell of the sea, the smells of Little Solace

Textures: Moss

Drinks: Coffee (excessively: at least 15 cups per day)

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Rarely

Drinks: Occasionally

Drugs: Yes

Mount Issuance: Kishi (ray), Valerie (Chocobo), Flowers (Goobbue), Herself (can turn into a phoenix)

Been Arrested: Yes, she got caught pickpocketing in the gridanian markets and was forced to become an adventurer to pay off her debt to society (how she starts ARR) Tagged by: @feathersage thank you c: you tagged me while I had the mental energy to do this, and I had a lot of fun with it c: Tagging: @sorceresslefay @asagao-uetsu @the-littlest-kojin @kharia-adarkim

[dootdootwriting]

AHHH CONGRATS ON 600!!! I hope you're doing well heehoo and if its okay can i ask for the whole alphabet with scaramouche?:3 (also pls don't overwork yourself jdjajdkdlfmmeis)

600+ event!!

this is my first time writing for scara so i hope i did okay aha,, under the cut for length!

fluff alphabet with scaramouche, gn reader, warning for inazuma quest/scaramouche backstory spoilers!!

why is his name so long

A-Activities (what do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?)

- scaramouche isn't super knowledgeable about relationships, so he'll just sort of tentatively ask what you want to do and go along with it (though he might act like it's a stupid idea the whole time). really he doesn't care what he spends his free time on as long as you're a part of it.

B-Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? what do they think is beautiful about them?)

- well first of all, he admires the courage you've got to have to be with him in the first place. other than that, he also loves your smile (but you won't hear him tell you that out loud, unless you're not really asleep when he thinks you are)

C-Comfort (how would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?)

- another thing he's alien to. at first just starts telling you to calm down and is pretty harsh about it. when he realizes this isn't working, he'll reluctantly take you into his arms and start awkwardly patting your head. it's funny how awkward it is and you end up laughing at him about it, which makes him annoyed, but at least now you feel better.

D-Dreams (how do they picture the future with their s/o?)

- scaramouche... either wants you to be by his side as he conquers everything and shows the world just how strong he is, or he wants to do it alone. though it would be much better if you were with him and it makes him sad to think about you not being there in the end.

E-Equal (are they the dominant one in the relationship or rather passive?)

- surprisingly passive, actually. he doesn't really know what he's doing so he lets you make most of the decisions about dates and spending time together. other than that though, he likes to drag you around to do whatever he wants.

F-Fun (what do they do for fun with their s/o? what’s their idea of a fun day out?)

- what's fun? on a day off, scaramouche will wander around and ponder his own existence. you'll have to take him to a market or a park or something so he can actually experience things first - once you do, you'll find he enjoys being alone with you somewhere quiet, where he doesn't have to listen to other people.

G-Gratitude (how grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?)

- doesn't show it, but is definitely grateful, though he also doesn't know just how much of a hassle he can be. scaramouche just sort of assumed love was supposed to be unconditional... but he can tell when he's crossed a line, and he's grateful for you sticking by him despite everything.

H-Honesty (do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?)

- obviously the one big secret is how he came into being in the first place, but once he trusts you enough to tell you about his being a puppet and a test, he's in all the way. he hides little things from you before that but once he's told you, you're in it with him forever whether you like it or not, and that means he doesn't keep anything else from you.

I-Inspiration (did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?)

- he's a lot more tolerable around you! you've been approached by fatui officers asking you "how do you do it?" and saying things like "thank you so much i totally thought i was gonna be yelled at today!" somehow you cool off his temper a bit.

J-Jealousy (do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?)

- JEALOUS JEALOUS JEALOUS man. he gets jealous so so easily and WILL confront you about it. after a while and once he knows he can trust you he gets jealous less frequently, because he knows you're with him for the long run.

K-Kisses (are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?).

- bad kisser at first because he's probably never been in love before. he gets the hang of it quickly though! your first kiss was because he had to shut you up and he couldn't figure out another way how so he just kissed you. you yelled at him after that.

L-Love confession (how would they confess to their s/o?)

- scaramouche confesses on purpose but in a really weird way. he plans it and everything - he takes you out to see the sunset and brings food (almost like a picnic) but then once he gets to the actual confession it's just like "how dare you do this to me? i stay awake at night thinking of you and somehow you're the most tolerable person i've ever met. childe had the audacity to call it love and to laugh at me so he got what he deserved. if you don't feel the same way i'll punch you too." but he doesn't end up having to punch you, which you're both very glad about.

M-Mornings (what’s it like waking up with them? do they sleep late or wake up before the sun rises?)

- he didn't have a reason to sleep in late until he started sleeping next to you. now he's stuck in his ridiculous sleep schedule so he always wakes up before you. but hey! bonus! now he gets to look at you while you sleep, which for some reason makes him extremely flustered (which is really cute to wake up to).

N-Nicknames (what do they call their s/o?)

- just calls you your name 🧍

O-On cloud nine (what are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?)

- when he discovered he was in love he got angry at you. then he realized it wasn't your fault, and, actually, this wasn't such a bad thing. man were you confused though. for a solid week he just yelled at you for no reason. childe guessed correctly when he realized scaramouche's more-unusual-than-usual behavior, but he had the decency to hold his tongue around you.

P-PDA (how are they with PDA? is it fun to them or are they more reserved with their affection?)

- hates pda. will hold your hand and that's it if you try to kiss him in public his face will scrunch up and his ears will pull back instinctively. then he'll avoid you for the rest of the day.

Q-Quirk (some random thing they do when they’re with you for no reason in particular)

- gently taps you at random moments, almost as if he's trying to remind himself that you're here with him.

R-Romance (how romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?)

- scaramouche tries to be romantic? he's doing his best. he tries all the gooey stuff to make you happy like buying you chocolate and giving you stuffed animals but in reality he has little to no tolerance for this kind of thing and you have to reassure him you love him, not the classic romantic things he forces himself to do. after that he stops, which is a huge relief.

S-Support (are they helping their s/o achieve their goals do they believe in them?)

- he's more focused on his own goals and climbing the fatui ladder, but he's also very invested in anything you're attempting to do. wholeheartedly believes in you, whether he outwardly expresses it or not.

T-Thrill (do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship or do they prefer certain routine?)

- scaramouche likes the security of his routine and the place your relationship is at. he gets embarrassed at pretty much any new milestone and needs some time to get to them, and he gets cranky when things change suddenly, so uh. no, he likes it better the way it is with little to no changes.

U-Understanding (how good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)

- not very empathetic, but is very understanding. scaramouche lacks the ability to feel how you're feeling (is it because he isn't quite human?), but he does understand how you work and function, and the best ways to treat you depending on your mood.

V-Value (how important is the relationship to them? What is its worth in comparison to other things in their life?).

- since you're so important to him, you're about number two on his list of priorities, maybe almost tied with his work in the fatui. he can't stand people, but you've wormed your way into his heart, so he's not letting you go anytime soon.

W-Wild card (a random fluff headcanon?)

- any time you give him affection he's a little startled at first, but he comes to love it and eventually will ask you for hugs.

X-XOXO (Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?)

- yes but ONLY behind closed doors. he's afraid if he so much as looks at you lovingly his underlings will laugh at him, and he definitely can't have that. when you two are alone, however, he absolutely cannot get enough of your touch.

Y- Yearning (how will they cope when they are missing their partner?)

- angry angry angry and makes it everyone's problem. when you get back from your trip the mood is dark and agents are running up to you like you're their savior "OH GOD YOU'RE BACK THANK EVERYTHING PLEASE SAVE US."

Z-Zeal (are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind?)

- he would literally kill for you (please tell him not to)

[akatsuki-shin]

I... I don’t often call out anyone specifically using social media before, but... I saw this among the reblogs in my first post about MXTX novels English release announcement and I feel that this is just too much...

I’m not going to tag this with the fandom tags because this is literally just my personal rant, and I don’t want unpleasant things to appear when people are happily browsing the tags.

I also censored the person’s blog name. It’s not like I want people to mass attack them.

But I do have some things I want to say about this kind of mindset.

And this is gonna be a long post, so I’ll cut it with "Read More” later below as not to disturb anyone’s browsing experience.

Why do they have to split the books into multiple volumes?

First, you do realize that the original Chinese version and other languages versions are also in multiple volumes that don’t always be published on the same date, right?

SVSSS has 3 volumes, MDZS has 4 volumes, TGCF has 5 volumes.

With the English release, both SVSSS and MDZS get +1 volume while TGCF gets +3 volumes.

Why you ask?

Have you ever considered how long a single Chinese word would be if written in alphabets?

The word “人” in Chinese only needs 1 (one) character, while in English it would translate to “P E O P L E” = 5 (five) characters.

The word “知己” in Chinese only needs 2 (two) characters, while in English it would translate to “C O N F I D A N T E” = 10 characters, or “S O U L M A T E” = 8 characters.

Now apply this to an entire novel. FYI, TGCF has more than 1 million word count in Chinese, so you can do the math by yourself.

I mean, just go watch the donghua or live action in YouTube. One single sentence in the Chinese sub is often translated to two or more lines in the English subtitle.

And have I mentioned that the English release will have:

Glossary

Footnotes

Character Guides

And I’m going to repeat this once again: In China and other countries that already get their official releases, it is also NOT always all released on the same date as a single set/box.

So yes, (not) surprise! For the Chinese release and official releases in other countries, you also often need to purchase multiple times, pay shipping fee multiple times, and wait for certain period of times until all volumes are released.

It doesn’t only happen to MXTX novels, it happens to almost all novels, be it danmei or not.

Why don’t they just wait for translations to finish and release it all at the same time/as a box set? Why the span of two years?

On my part, I already say above that in China and other countries that already get their official release, it’s also not always published all on the same date.

Other than that, I’m not an expert at book publishing, much less when the publisher is not from my own country. But maybe consider the following:

They’re releasing 3 (three) hugely popular IPs all at the same time. Maybe the preparations take more time and effort to ensure everything is flawless?

Since it is very rare (or maybe never, cmiiw) for danmei novels to be published in English, maybe the publisher is testing the market first? Because if they already release them as a huge bundle from the start and it somehow flops, the loss would be very big. If it works well, then good! Maybe for future danmei release, they will consider making a box set or releasing them within shorter timeframe. 

In terms of marketing, if they wait another 2 years to release it all at once, will the momentum still be there? You can say “so in the end it’s all about money”, but if not sales number and money, what else should the publisher expect to receive for their work? They’re already putting a lot of effort buying all three IPs from the Chinese publishers, proofread or even translate some from scratch, pay translators, editors, illustrators, printing companies, etc. If it’s not selling well simply because they release it at the wrong time, aren’t all these efforts going to be wasted? And you can bet there will be no more danmei published in English if their first try already flops merely because of losing the momentum.

Are there any other rules or regulations they need to comply that prevents them from releasing everything in one go? But once again, even in China and other countries, it is also not always all released in one go, so this argument is already invalid from the start.

But they make it so expensive like this!

I’m sorry to break it to you, but I’ve compared the prices to MDZS Japanese release + TGCF Thai release and... The price isn’t really that much different.

Btw, I’m using Google’s currency converter, in case anyone wants to know where does my calculation comes from.

Okay, so here’s MDZS Japanese version from CD Japan:

One volume of MDZS Regular ver. cost 1760 yen. This is 15,96 USD before shipping. There’s only like $4 difference.

There’s also the Exclusive ver. that cost 3660 yen (32,92 USD) but we’re not gonna talk about that because they’re basically making you pay for the bonus, which is some acrylic panels and illustration cards.

Now here’s TGCF Thai version from Sense Book:

Translation using Google Chrome page translate:

One volume of TGCF costs 360 baht. This is 10.77 USD before shipping. So there’s about $9.22 difference.

Again, notice the difference of word/sentence length in the Thai words and English alphabet.

"But there’s still difference in price and other releases usually gets merchandise!” - Correct me if I’m wrong, but the US is probably one of the most expensive countries in the world. Do you think the materials, printings, and manpower cost is the same with other countries? Especially compared to one in Southeast Asia.

“But it’s xxxx times more expensive than the original Chinese version!” - Excuse me, the original Chinese version doesn’t need to pay for translators, proofreaders and editors with multilingual skills, and purchase the IPs? If you think it’s more worth buying the Chinese version, then by all means go ahead.

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

Some last words...

I’m not looking down on those in difficult financial situation, but hey, I’m not filthy rich either? I come from a third world country and even if I’m a working adult, I’m still in working middle class + I got my parents to take care of. My country’s currency is literally just a tiny 0.000069 USD per 1 Indonesian Rupiah.

Every single fandom merchandise that you see me bought, either I’ve saved up for that or I sacrificed other things to buy that. I just don’t show the struggle to you guys because why should I? I’m just here to have fun about the fandom I love, not to flex my struggling financial condition.

These official English release of MXTX novels? All 17 books are going to cost me almost HALF of my monthly salary. But hey, I think it’s a good thing that they didn’t release it all at once, so that I can save up between months to purchase them all and plan my spending better.

If you feel the price is expensive, especially if you have to ship from outside North America, consider the following:

Book Depository provide free worldwide shipping

The books’ ISBN numbers are all available in the publisher’s website, just show it to you local bookstore and ask if they can order it for you

Plus, there are already hundreds of generous fans doing free giveaways in Twitter, even the publishers are helping to signal boost this. You can go and try your luck if you’re really desperate.

Lastly, I know how much love we all have for our favorite fandoms, but remember that fandom merchandise is NOT your primary needs.

You are NOT obliged to purchase any fandom merchandise if you can’t afford it and you should ALWAYS prioritize your primary needs.

Also, if you still want to read the fan-translations that are still available, alright go ahead. But remember that the translators themselves already said fan translations in English are now illegal. You can read it. We all consume pirated contents at one point. But don’t flex about it and diss the official release just because you can’t afford it.

I don’t know if the person who made that reblog tags are going to come at me or not, but even if they do, I literally don’t care. I’m not gonna waste my time arguing with someone with that kind of mindset and will block them right on the spot.

Also Idgaf if they call me out or talk behind my back, I literally don’t know them, so I don’t care.

End of rant.

[americangirlstar]

American Girl Best Friend Doll Inspo Boards - 1/?

Kaya’s Sister, Speaking Rain (1764)

Full Name: Speaking Rain. If they wanted to do her actual name: I did some research on Nimiipuu language, and there are multiple words to refer to speaking in different terms, and as someone who is not too familiar with grammar, I wouldn’t be able to fully translate. However, I will say that the words I personally like for her are Tenuezése Uéket, with Tenuezése meaning “to speak on behalf” and Uéket being the noun for “rain.” 

Short Summary: Cousin/Adoptive Sister of Kaya’aton’my. Nimiipuu girl also partially adopted into a Salish village. She has a powerful will and honest spirit. 

Reasons for Choice as a Best Friend: Story Reasons: She is definitely the closest friend of Kaya throughout the book series. Marketing Reasons: She would be a canonically disabled doll, as she is blind, which would improve representation along the brand. She also can represent another Native tribe, as she spends six months of the year with the Salish tribe, which would give her a different collection and style than Kaya, distinguishing them. 

Story Idea: Taking place during the six months Speaking Rain spends with her adoptive mother, White Braids, she learns about the customs of the new village and finds herself without depending on her sister. 

Meet Outfit: The Deerskin Dress she wears in an illustration of Kaya Shows the Way, with soft moccasins. Her hair, while normally in two braids in the books, is styled for her meet outfit similar to the displayed picture of author Mourning Dove. 

Collection: Mainly Salish inspired; wooden paddles, woven baskets, and a loom as her big item. For her animal companion, she has a Salish Wool Dog- which is fun, as in our current time period it's an extinct species. For clothing, she can have a traditional shawl and hat and other clothing inspired by the Salish tribe. 

Doll: Kaya Mold, Medium Skin, Feathered Brows and Light Brown Eyes. Her hair is straight, black, is parted in the center, and reaches her mid-back. 

Special thanks to @lesbianleaclark for her help!

[vannahfanfics]

Fluff alphabet event request for Kiba Inuzuka please, thanks!

Ahh, my best boy! I love Kiba, I really wish we could have seen more of him later on in the manga and show :c

Fluff Alphabet: Kiba Inuzuka

A- Activities: How do they spend their time with their s/o?

Walks! Kiba loves to go on walks with his s/o, bonus points if they bring their dog(s) along! There’s just something so refreshing about strolling down a walking trail or through the neighborhood, especially with his s/o by his side. He’ll hold their hand as they mosey along, and he’ll be unable to resist pecking their cheek or their lips every so often. 

Kiba also loves to take naps with his s/o! He’s a pretty energetic guy, but he does tire out. When he does, his favorite thing to do is to snuggle up to his s/o for a quick snooze! It doesn’t matter where, either. Kiba can fall asleep anywhere, so sometimes that means just passing out right there on the kitchen floor while his s/o was trying to enjoy a quick lunch! It’ll have to wait, though, because he will drag them out of their chair to snooze on the floor with them. 

B- Body: What does this character appreciate about their s/o? What part of their body are they most proud of, and in reverse, what body part are they ashamed of and how do they respond to their s/o gushing over it?

Kiba is a tummy guy, 100%. He loves just planting his face into his s/o’s stomach, littering it in kisses or holding his hands there when they’re seated on his lap. His favorite way to nap is with his head resting on his s/o’s stomach and their hands running through his hair. 

Kiba isn’t really self-conscious about any part of his body in particular, but if his s/o compliments any part of him, he’ll get all blushy and shy. After the initial surprise, however, he’ll definitely turn it around on his s/o, growing smug and flirtatious!

C- Cuddles: Is this character a cuddler? What is their favorite way to cuddle?

Kiba is definitely a cuddler! As I previously mentioned, he loves to cuddle into his s/o’s tummy. However, he also does love to spoon! If anyone asks, he’s the big spoon. But honestly? He loves to be the little spoon, too. The first time his s/o is the big spoon he gets a little emotional because he just feels so adored? He swears he didn’t cry, though. 

D- Dreams: How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Dogs. All the dogs. It is a must. Aside from having a whole lotta dogs, Kiba dreams of the ideal life-- getting married, sharing a home, having some kids, and growing old together. With their dogs, of course. 

E- Equivalence: Is this character the dominant force in the relationship, are they passive, or is the relationship more or less even?

The relationship is more or less even. Kiba’s a little dominant, but he is also whipped for his s/o, so it really depends on the situation. In most things, he’s content to do whatever keeps his s/o happy. Of course, every so often he has to put his foot down, and he’s not afraid to. Still, it’s a blissful arrangement, all things considered!

F- Fights: How does this character respond to arguments with their s/o? What would they fight about, and who would cave and apologize first?

In the moment, things will get heated. Kiba will yell, because his voice gets louder whenever he’s excited about something-- either in a good or bad way. However, as soon as his s/o starts to cry, he deflates. He can’t believe he broke his s/o’s heart like that! He instantly switches to comforting mode, and he’ll be able to talk it over with a more level head after that. He will definitely apologize first. 

As for things he would fight about with his s/o? Kiba gets a little bit irritable when he’s stressed, so most likely, he snapped at the wrong thing and made his s/o mad. He’ll own that once things have settled down, too. 

G- Gratitude: How does this character show their s/o that they are grateful?

Hugs! Kiba’s love language is very much physical affection, so anytime he’s in a grateful mood, he will grab his s/o and snuggle into their neck or belly while telling them how much he loves them! 

H- Honeymoon: If this character had a honeymoon with their s/o, where would they go?

Kiba loves the beach! He would definitely want a week of sand, surf, and sun. He will be in the water constantly, and will definitely drag his s/o out to play with him, but don’t worry! He’ll have plenty of romantic dinners, shows, and whatnot planned to enjoy with his s/o, too. 

I- Insecurity: What is this character insecure about? How do they deal with their insecurities with their s/o?

Kiba sometimes feels like he’s inferior to the other guys he knows, believe it or not. They’re just so awesome! He feels like a background character. He won’t admit it to his s/o at first, using brash declarations to try and make himself relevant; but when his s/o picks up on it, he will break down and spill out his poor little heart. He definitely needs to be reassured that he’s number one in his s/o’s eyes! Tell him he’s a big strong man! <3

J- Jealousy: Is this character the jealous type? How do they deal with being jealous?

Kiba doesn’t get jealous as much as he does insecure. If he sees someone else flirting with his s/o, he will get really moody and really clingy. Like, he will not leave his s/o alone after that point, hugging and kissing all over them to make the point known that they are off the market. He will also need to be reassured by his s/o too that they still love him and want him. Poor baby. :(

K- Kiss: What does the character want their first kiss to be like with their s/o? How does it end up happening?

Kiba wants the first kiss to be perfect, of course! He meticulously plans everything out, but when it comes down to it... He kind of bungles it, hits their nose on the way in and accidentally kisses the corner of their mouth instead. He is dying of embarrassment, so please just laugh it off and give him another chance, he promises he’ll do it right this time!

L- Love Confession: How does this character first profess their love to their s/o?

Kiba confesses totally on accident, haha. It just slips out in the middle of a conversation one day. Everyone around will just be like, “What?!” He’ll try to play it off, but the bright big blush on his face tells everyone exactly what they just heard. Poor baby boy, he’s trying his best.

M- Marriage: How does this character view marriage? What is their ideal wedding like?

Kiba definitely wants to get married! He dreams of settling down with his s/o. However, he doesn’t want it to be a big grand affair. He’d like a simple shrine wedding with just their parents, and then after, they can meet up with all their friends and have a nice time! In the moment, though, he would really just like to focus on his s/o and his love for them. 

N- Nicknames: What does this character like to call their s/o?

Kiba defaults to “babe” or “baby” most of the time. He’s not very creative when it comes to pet names, those two get the job done! But when he’s feeling extra soft, he’ll hit his s/o with a “sweetheart” or a “honey” that’ll just make them swoon!

O- On Cloud Nine: What is this character like when they’re in love? Is it obvious to others, or are they good at hiding it?

Oh, Kiba is so obvious it’s painful. He’s blushy, he’s stuttery, he’s over the moon. Everyone within a ten mile radius will know who he’s crushing on. It’s super cute, honestly, but he will 100% get ragged for it until he finally confesses because all his guy friends definitely know what’s up!

P- PDA: Does this character like PDA? If so, what kinds of things do they do in public to show off their s/o?

Kiba is so clingy! He loves PDA. He loves to hold hands with his s/o; if they are not holding hands while walking around he gets super mopey, haha. Surprise hugs and kisses are also a must! He just loves to shower his s/o in affection. He can’t help it! He has so much love to give!

Q- Quirks: What random traits or quirks does this character have that positively affect the relationship?

Kiba is a brutally honest guy, sometimes to a fault. As such, he would never dream of lying to his s/o, not ever! Even little white lies, he can’t stand the idea of lying to his s/o. Sometimes it’s not helpful, but most of the time it’s just a testament to strong communication. 

R- Romance: Is this character a hopeless romantic, or a bit on the low-key side? Are they cliché when it comes to romantic gestures, or can they get a little bit creative?

Oh, Kiba is hopelessly romantic when it comes to his s/o, but he’s actually kind of clueless when it comes to romantic gestures. He gets advice from his friends with... mixed results, haha. But he tries! He really does, and he hopes his s/o at least can get a laugh when things don’t quite go as intended. 

S- Secrets: Are there any secrets they hide from their s/o? If so, how do they deal with it when those secrets finally come out?

Aside from his insecurities, as I mentioned before, no secrets from his s/o! Kiba is an open book!

T- Thrill: Does this character prefer routine in their relationship, or do they like to shake things up every once in a while?

Kiba is very impulsive, so he definitely likes to shake things up! He will definitely drag his s/o off to do random things when the mood strikes him, but honestly, it just adds to the fun!

U- Understanding: Is this character level-headed and empathetic toward their partner, or do they sometimes have trouble figuring them out, which leads to some butting heads?

As I mentioned, Kiba can be a bit clueless, so bless his heart sometimes he does have trouble understanding his s/o. This can lead to frustration and he may butt heads with them, but after a bit, they’ll be able to talk it out. He tries to beas empathetic and understanding as he can most of the time, though, even if he has no idea what’s going on. 

V- Value: How does this character value their relationship with their s/o? How does it hold in comparison to their goals, ambitions, etc.?

Kiba adores his s/o, and after a long relationship, they will definitely become the centerpoint in his life. He doesn’t really have any goals or ambitions aside from just living a good and solid life, and so his s/o fits right in!

W- Wild Card: Any random fluff headcanon that does not fall within the other categories!

Kiba, unfortunately, is a wiggleworm in bed. I’m talking kicking around, flopping like a fish, falling off the bed without even waking up-- it’s bad! So, his poor s/o may find the blankets stolen, or even get an accidently hand in their face in the middle of the night!

X- XOXO: How does this character show affection?

95% of Kiba’s love language is physical affection. He just loves to snuggle up to his s/o, hold their hand, give them kisses, everything! However, he isn’t willing to hold back praise either; he loves to shower his s/o in praise and talk them up to whoever’s listening!

Y- Yearning: How does this character deal with time apart with their s/o?

Oh, he gets so mopey. He just walks around all depressed because he doesn’t get his daily dose of snuggles and lovin’. He is so sad that everyone hates being around him because all he can do is whine and cry about his s/o being there. As soon as his s/o returns, he will latch onto them like a koala and won’t let go for at least several hours. 

Z- Zeal: Is this character willing to great lengths for their relationship? If so, how far, and how long does it take to get to this point?

Absolutely! Kiba doesn’t take any slight to his s/o well, and he will do anything for them. It takes a while for Kiba to build up to a serious relationship, but when he’s there, he’s gonna be in his s/o’s corner no matter what. 

[thegreenerartist]

Okay okay guys wait

Just I M A G I N E

The Foxhole Court,,, but set in the Philippines (they’ll all still be the same characters but it’ll just take place in the Philippines!)

The Filipino & Filipina Foxes!

Okay so Neil is still on the run, with 5 mil ($) in his pocket, but think about it. There are 7,641 islands. 7,641. His father would have absolute HELL trying to find him and his mother (until she died oop) (probably somewhere where they are trying to sneak into Luzon?) So then Nathan will be stationed, not in Baltimore, but maybe somewhere in Luzon (it being the central island and all)

Neil would know how to speak English (universal language duh), Tagalog (common Filipino language) and maybe Ilongo? Or Ilocano? For Luzon, but then he’ll probably know the common languages too, like Bisaya and Cebuano for Visayas, maybe he’ll know Arabic or Islamic for Mindanao? (I highlighted the ones I think he would most likely know, but most Filipino langauges tbh sound similar. Takes maybe a few months, weeks if you’re good, to learn a language like a native)

So idk how to segúé (how to even spell??) to him meeting the Foxes bUT HE GETS THERE

Soo let’s say the Cousins (yes thats their official tital no I don’t take critisism) know how to speak Arabic while Kevin is the one who speaks Bisaya. Everyone can speak English and Tagalog because Filipinos are taught English and Tagalog early on oop

Okay fine this will still be an Exy universe (but can yall imagine? Street basketball?)

They’ll probably be learning somewhere in Luzon, most likely NCR for plot because it’s probably where Nathan and his men are too

They meet and stuff, cool shenanigans

(Their backstories might be a tad rougher than in canon because,,, yeah. It happens here)

Okay so I just wanna get to the fun stuff, since that’s what I originally planned for this post

Nicky and Allison will deffo be like those ladies who wash clothes and gossip, i.e. spreading chismis

Nicky reminds me of the gays here that go “oH HEY MGA BES!”

Andrew is THAT dude who goes up to an ice cream guy and asks for, “Cornetto. The sweetest one you have”

He wouldnt like dirty ice cream. It’s too bland and milky, not sweet

Neil would fit right in. Everyone here wears shirts and pants/shorts. Some guys dont even bother putting a shirt on

Dan and Neil go bonding to the palengke (wet market) since most of the other foxes have been raised in middle class

Matt buys those birds in the cages so he can set them free like the good boy he is :)

Renee is a BOSS in chinese garter

Allison was the heir to,, idk probably something like SM or something

Aaron is every asian parents’ dream tbh

Also I love the idea of them getting houses since Filipino houses here look basic as heck but look SO authentic, as in yall could go, “wow that looks like a normal house” but then,,, yall would know. That’s a Filipino’s house right there

Everyone get’s THOSE houses where there are literal bars on the windows and the fence is so goddamn tall

Except for Kevin and Allison

Those two would get the classy stuff

Like Allison would probably be living in those houses that were during the Spanish Colonial Period (with Renee because duh)

Kevin will get a private resort or something somewhere in Boracay or Palawan or something (with no one because I fully support aro ace Kevin [ but bi Kevin is awesome too though don’t get me wrong {sorry Thea}])

I would love to propose the idea of Neil calling Andrew ‘mahal’ or ‘love’(THEY ARE MARRIED HERE LET ME LIVE) (ILL JUST SAY THEY GOT MARRIED IN THE US OKAY)

In the morning, when they wake up and Neil goes, “m’hal, pakibukas ung bintana” “love, can you open the blinds?”

(Fun fact, the prefix paki is a polite way of asking someone to do the action, the same way you say ‘may’, ‘can’ and ‘please’)

But then ‘mahal’ ALSO means ‘expensive’ in Tagalog. I find it funny because Andrew is truly, very, absolutely expensive

“My god napakamahal naman yan’ Drew’!”

“Oh my god Drew’, that’s so expensive!”

“mAy stAnDArdS akO excUSE Me!!11!”

“I have standards excuse me!”

“M A H A L ‘W A G”

“L O V E , N O”

I love the idea that they play basketball in their free time with neighbourhood kids, as in street basketball

It starts with Andrew and Neil

They were outside, holding hands (it’s ok Philippines isn’t SUPER homophobic) (and even if someone was stupid enough to talk them down, they have knives :)

And these,,, kids go up and be like, “laro?” “play?”

Because kids right?

And BOOM it becomes a thing (usually on their breaks :)

Renee joins because Peace Corps (actually no. She did it out of the kindness of her own heart)

Then Dan, Matt and Nicky wanted to join

Allison was dragged there by Renee

Katelyn wanted Aaron to come too

Kevin decided to go since it’s the off-season and he has nothing to do, yaba daba da he actually misses his foxes

He keeps mumbling, “buti pa kapag nilaro nila an Exy *grumble grumble*” “it would be better if the played Exy instead *grumble grumble*”

They are happy :D

Okay so yall know how Kevin is a health freak

So one day Andrew will eat one too many goSH DARN AICE AND KEVIN WILL HAVE A F I T

Andrew doesn’t care

Until he does

Kevin can go on and on about how unhealthy some foods are and blah blah blah

But yall cANNOT TELL ME that that boy does NOT eat those streetfoods

Im talking about fishballs, squidballs, siomai, tokneneng, ALL OF THAT JAZZ

(That’s what happens when yall let a person who never played in the neighbourhood try streetfood) (they get OBSESSED) (I can tell from experience lol)

Then Andrew keeps that footage for blackmail

Just imagine. Kevin Day. Eating. The oiliest. The most unhealthy. Goddamn streetfood

I’ll probably make more :P it was fun to write this!

I would love it if this were liked and reblogged 🥺👉👈 I would appreciate that very much because I spent some time on this and I need validation 🥺🥺

[himbowelsh]

so i lost the ask requesting it, because i'm a *jazzhands* dumbass but here's the Valentine’s Alphabet for Skinny Sisk!

valentines day alphabet  ( no longer accepting )

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Skinny’s there for people, all the time. He’s a support when they need him; his affection is dependable and steady, a hand to help others up or a clap on the back when they need reassurance. He can be physically affectionate, but Skinny’s love language is really just being present  ---  quality time, feeling comfortable around others, and being there for them when they need someone. He’s a great listener, and doesn’t mind serving as a soundingboard for others’ frustrations (even if his advice gets a little sarcastic at times).

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

He loves to bring them for first dates; has the audacity to genuinely pick a few flowers from someone’s garden on the way there, and brings a ribbon along in his pocket to tie them together. It’d literally be easier to go out and buy a bouquet. He likes the challenge. Honestly, he’s not much of a flower guy, but finds a certain tranquility in fields of wildflowers and overgrown gardens  ---  he likes the unruly peace of it all.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

Oh god, he’s got a weakness. If a friend has chocolate, he’ll bug the hell out of them until they share. He gets cravings, and literally has to go out and track down chocolate, no matter the cost. Skinny’s a chocolate fiend.

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

He gets really creative about his dates! Skinny dislikes “dinner and a movie” on principle  ---  what’s the point going out at all if they’re just going to be boring? He always “knows a spot”, and those spots are usually impressive. He’s taken dates on rooftop picnics, to amusement parks, to concerts...  while he tries not to spend money he doesn’t have, he’s always willing to put himself out of pocket for a date. He doesn’t have an “ideal date”, really, just something fun.

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

Alarmingly good at sneak hugs. Like...  better than he should be. Has a talent for scaring the hell out of people by hugging them without warning; no one ever sees him coming. Other than that, he's an incredible hugger. He’s managed to make people stop crying with a single hug; he’s got the warmth and the fortitude, and doesn’t mind lending it to anyone who needs a little extra. Everybody wants to be hugged by Skinny. Everyone needs it at least once in their lives.

F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

He’s an excellent flirt, and kind of incorrigible. If someone pretty is in the vicinity, Skinny’s right there, batting his striking eyes and offering to buy them a drink. He’s casually charming and likes to talk himself up to sound impressive; flirting comes naturally to him. He’s got a gift.

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

He’s a very low-effort gift giver, no matter the person. That said, he’s got a knack for knowing what people want. Webster has yet to run out of notebooks, because Skinny always knows when he needs one  (sure, he picked it up at the convenience store while getting cigarettes, but it still counts); Liebgott got an Applebees free meal voucher, and was thrilled. He might not try hard, but Skinny usually hits the mark.

H   :   HEART.   is your muse quick or slow to give their heart away?

He doesn’t give it away freely, and is very cautious whenever he chooses to. Friendships are so much easier than romantic relationships for Skinny, because he knows where he stands. He’s got lots of friends he loves dearly, but when it comes to falling in love...  he’s not sure he knows how to do that.

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

Very hard to say. He’d be shocked at himself for thinking it, the first time, and would keep it to himself for a long while; gradually the thought starts recurring, popping up at inopportune moments. When he finally blurts it out, it’ll probably be by accident. His eyes will go wide, mouth hanging open in shock for a moment, before he forces an awkward laugh and tries to move past it. He did not mean to say that, and the last thing he wants is to take his partner off guard.

J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?

Not really. He’s so chill, man  ---  his partner could grab someone else and kiss them in front of him, and Skinny wouldn’t even be offended. He’d just take it as a challenge.

K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?

He’s very confident, and very impressive; Skinny knows he’s got a talent, but still approaches each kiss like he’s got something to prove. He likes to hold his partner by their waist, anchoring them while their mouths find a rhythm against each others; gradually, they’ll settle into something more intense, and Skinny will put his tongue to work. First he teases, then he explores; he’s very in tune with his partner, so he knows immediately when they don’t like something, and pulls another trick out his sleeve. Really likes flavored chapstick.

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

He’s got a very close relationship to his family, and is very grateful for it; Skinny would do anything for his siblings, and especially his mother. He also cares deeply for his friends, however exhausting they can be at times, and they all hold very significant places in his heart.

M   :   MOONLIGHT.   is morning or night a more romantic setting?

Oddly enough, he’s an afternoon guy. Like, late afternoon, when the sun is just starting to go down and the sky is a bright canvas of oranges and yellows, slowly fading to purple...  something about the ambiance speaks to him, and often gets him in the mood.

N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?

Very versatile. He can do it quickly, or take it slow; he’s good at adjusting himself to his partner’s needs, and definitely isn’t picky about location. He loves to be ridden by his partner, his hands around their hips, and has a thing for clothed sex; he loves loud partners. Though usually silent in bed, he can occasionally be made to make some incredible sounds, drawing a blush to his face despite the heat of the moment. He’s not into rough sex; Skinny prefers to be gentle, and is frankly turned off by the idea of hurting his partner. Very willing to let his partner take the reins.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

Not really. He’s not highly-educated, and has never been a big reader, so Skinny’s plainspoken. He doesn’t flower up his words, but also doesn’t bullshit people. When he says something, he means it.

P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

Skinny’s not on the market for a serious relationship  (if it happens, it happens, but he tends to go into relationships looking for casual flings). He wants someone he can have fun with. Someone with a good sense of humor, a bit of an adventurous side, who’s flexible (in more ways than one). He’d do best with a grounding influence, someone he can depend on; he needs a listener, who gives good advice, because he doesn’t realize how often he could use it. He doesn’t care what sort of animals they love, so long as they love animals.

Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

(read: WEDDING first)  Again, marriage isn’t something he’s ever felt inclined to, and he’s intimidated by the prospect of that commitment. He... probably wouldn’t ask first. If his partner asked, he’d definitely be stunned, but depending on where Skinny is in life/in the relationship at the time, he might say yes. It’s...  something that really can’t be sprung on him.

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

He can be unexpectedly romantic in casual relationships  ---  he’ll plan special dates or get surprise gifts for his partner, just to keep things interesting. Not really cynical, because he’s never had a reason to be.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

A pair of twin girls down the street were absolutely in love with him for a few months, when he was barely out of elementary school. Skinny, like any sensible ten year old boy, was horrified. He avoided them very effectively  (at one point, climbing a tree and scaling the branches back to his house to get in through an upstairs window)  for an entire summer.

T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?

He believes in lots of kinds of love  ---  in lots of different positions  ---  but “true love” kind of goes over his head. He’s never really seen proof of it, so his skepticism wins out. What does it look like? What does it feel like? He doesn’t know.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

Not really. He tries to avoid serious romantic relationships, specifically to avoid them getting messy.

V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?

He’s really never given much thought to it. Like, negative amounts of thought. A few girlfriends have been really into it, so he’s made sure to set up some nice dates. He get’s creative about it too  ---  the romantic canoe ride was definitely a mistake  ---  but as far as personal feelings go, to Skinny V-Day is like any other day.

W  :   WEDDING.   would your muse get married? why / why not?

He genuinely doesn’t know  ---  maybe when he’s older, or if he meets the right person, but he’s never felt inclined in that direction. Marriage is a big commitment, and he’s kind of daunted.

X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?

Sure. Prolifically. He’s kind of careless with them, throwing out a “baby” or “sweetheart” casually, often in public; usually his friends just smirk to themselves and don’t call him out on it.

Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?

He’s very lowkey about it; Skinny is not the type to get up in anybody’s face, and he’s not going to get involved in a fight without anyone to back him up and slim chances of winning. He prefers to diffuse situations carefully, like disabling a bomb. Because he’s nonconfrontational, he focuses all his attention on other people in tense situations, observing what they do and where best to step in and hopefully neutralize the situation.  But yeah  ---  he does not like to see his loved ones in danger. When they need him, he’s right there.

Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?

...  do you really want to know?  (Approximately 17. No, he’s not bragging.)

[gem-quest]

[ QUEST 02. — I N F E R N A ]

taglist: @bebemoon​ @now-on-elissastillstands​ @armadasneon​ @mysteriousdeathofpoe​

[ M E R M A I D . C O V E . L E V E L . 3 0 ]

They managed to beat Aydina and the pirates, thank God, because otherwise, Aydina’s commentary would have been insufferable. Tourmaline, an annoying Obsidian player whose “bubblegum” ability was nevertheless rather impressive, discreetly attached some of the sticky hot pink substance as she hurled the turtle-shell-turned-dodgeball back at the pirate queen. The dodgeball connected with Aydina’s arm and stuck, the momentum from the throw pushing her out of bounds and securing the victory for the rest of them.

As soon as the annoying sappy NPC lady finished her dialogue on the shore of the beach, she disappeared in a puff of sky blue smoke, transforming into the Angel’s Breath. The SS-rank potion looked like a wispy blue semi-gaseous substance, encased in a crystalline bottle with a mini halo floating around the cork and tiny white wings attached to the back, “flapping” to keep the potion bottle afloat.

The Angel’s Breath was directly in front of Neddy - they’d activated the event under her account, which had completely slipped Inferna’s mind...until now. The potion hovered cheerfully in front of her, a stark contrast against the tension that filled the air as their teammates eyed the grand prize. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out other players closing in on them.

Inferna rolled her eyes. She was hungry as fuck, and she didn’t care about the Angel’s Breath. Turning to Neddy, she said, “Look, I hear they’re serving free sushi back in Yue City, so if we-” her words were cut off as Tourmaline, the player who’d won the game for them, sent a stream of sticky pink magical “bubblegum” towards the potion, evidently intending to take it for herself.

“Hey now, what the hell?” Inferna shouted, just as one of their other teammates stomped on a pile of Black Pearls, releasing a thick cloud of smoke.

Inferna had one of her flaming daggers out in an instant. Using it as a light source to see through the smoke, she grabbed Neddy’s hand - not bothering to check where the Angel’s Breath was - and began running in a random direction. 

As she pushed through the smoke, Inferna caught a glimpse of Morningstar’s scary-looking scythe swinging through the air (she’d have to thank the other Obsidian player for the ‘vodka potions’ at some other time), a flash of Tourmaline’s deceptively innocent bubblegum. And Balestra was ahead of them, some distance away. 

“Hurry up and cast an ictuium!” she yelled over her shoulder, dragging Neddy along with her.

“Okay, okay!” Neddy replied, evidently winded by their mad dash through the smoke.

[ Y U E . C I T Y . L E V E L . 01 ]

A blink of darkness, and then the two of them were back in Yue City, in an alleyway. Inferna came to a screeching halt, and they fell against the wall of the building next to them. Inferna was breathing hard - as was Neddy, who was clutching at the stitch in her side.

Inferna squinted, letting her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. She glanced over at the Moonstone player. “You good?” she asked, picking herself up and holding a hand out for Neddy.

Neddy blew out a breath, puffing her cheeks before beginning to laugh. “That was...awesome!” She exclaimed, slapping her hand into Inferna’s.

Inferna grinned. “You think so?” She asked, and pulled Neddy to her feet. “Isn’t Aydina such an asshole? You see what I mean now, right?”

Inferna took a moment to scan their surroundings, trying to figure out how far they were from the free sushi event she’d heard about. “Let’s go get food?” She proposed. “I’m fucking starving.”

“Right behind you.”

Inferna grinned, upon hearing Neddy’s agreement, and she trotted out of the alleyway, pulling out her player-plexus to consult the Obsidian free food group chat she’d started not long after she first joined the game. Other players were sharing pics of their meals, and Inferna zoomed in on a picture of a small “rice bear”, evidently relaxing in a bowl of some kind of curry or broth.

“Oh my gosh! Look at this,” she said excitedly, thrusting her player-plexus into Neddy’s hands.

Neddy raised both of her eyebrows, and Inferna stifled a giggle when the other player’s stomach made an audible noise. “Let’s go,” she agreed.

Inferna grinned again. She started down the street in the direction of the town square, where there were supposed to be market stalls and outdoor picnic tables set up for the players.

A thought occurred to her. “Oh! Do you know what happened to the Angel’s Breath?” She asked, pausing and turning to face Neddy.

Neddy blinked. “Oh,” she said. She reached around to her rucksack and rummaged for a moment. Finally, she drew the potion out, the vial enveloped by a faint blue glow as the miniature angel wings attached to it flapped cheerfully. “Right. I have it.” 

Neddy seemed troubled, as she stared at the potion. “So much fuss over this stupid thing, and I don’t even have anyone to resurrect.”

Inferna grinned and punched Neddy in the arm, playfully. “Holy shit!” She exclaimed, admiring the potion. “Well, fuss or not, I bet you could sell it for a ton of gold,” Inferna said. “If you don’t want to actually resurrect someone.”

“Yeah…” Neddy said thoughtfully, turning the bottle over in her fingers. “Maybe.”

Inferna punched Neddy in the arm again. “Well, put that away for now, and let’s go get food!” And with that, Inferna spun on her heel, tugging Neddy along behind her as she determinedly headed down the street. It wasn’t long afterwards that they reached the sunny open square, filled with the hustle and bustle of all sorts of players who wanted to get their hands on some free food. After briefly consulting the map, Inferna dragged Neddy towards the rice bear stall. She quickly grabbed two bowls from the wooden table, and then plopped down at a picnic table, taking out a standard-sized bottle of Inferna Sauce.

She spread some sauce liberally over her own rice bear, swirling the bright red condiment into fun little curlicues to “decorate” her own bear, before she plunked the bottle down in the middle of the table. “You can have as much as you want,” she said, beaming at Neddy as she pulled out her player-plexus and tapped open the ‘camera’ function. “Say cheese?”

Neddy took the sauce bottle and beamed for Inferna. “Formaggio!” said the other girl, as Inferna snapped a picture and quickly forwarded it to her.

Neddy then sauced her rice bear just as liberally. Inferna took a picture of her own bear and then tasted a spoonful of the curry. “Oh, this is so good,” she said, and took another bite.

She was halfway into her third bite when Inferna remembered the potions from Morningstar. Inferna put her spoon down and rummaged through her things until she found the bottle - it looked like a standard potion bottle, cork and all, filled with a clear liquid.

“Morningstar made me a vodka potion. Or was it tequila? Something like that,” she said, by way of explanation. “I’m still waiting for something in this game to smoke like weed, but so far, no luck.”

She grinned, and put the potion down on the table, going back to rummaging through her inventory for something to use as a shot glass - as well as something to chase it with. “You want some?”

Neddy wrinkled her nose. “No, thanks,” she said. “I’ve never been much of a drinker.”

Inferna laughed. “Suit yourself,” she said, finding a teacup that she’d (probably) stolen from the Tearoom to substitute for a shot glass. There was no soda in-game, as far as Inferna knew, so she also took out a bottle of pomegranate juice that she’d somehow gotten her hands on, a while back.

She uncorked the potion, sniffed at it, then poured herself a shot. She then passed a teacup to Neddy and poured her some of the pomegranate juice.

“Cheers?” Inferna said, holding up her own teacup.

“Cheers,” Neddy grinned. They clinked their cups together. “To us, the victorious...victors. Eh, whatever. We kicked ass today.”

Inferna grinned, too. “We did,” she agreed, downing her drink and then immediately chugging some of the pomegranate juice, straight from the bottle. She let out a satisfied ahhhh, then took a bite of her food.

“Tell me how the sauce tastes?”

Neddy, mouth full of juice, hummed with a thumbs up. Then, rubbing her hands together, she said, “Right, let’s try this.”

Inferna watched as Neddy took a bite, sat for a moment, and then her eyes started to water. She started to flap her hand and suck air to cool the inside of her mouth. There was no way to help herself and look demure at the same time.

Inferna chuckled, and handed Neddy the open bottle of pomegranate juice. “Good, then?” She asked, taking another bite of her own rice bear.

Neddy coughed into the crook of her arm, her face turning pink. She accepted the juice gratefully and took a swig. “De-delicious,” she wheezed. “I...love it. What’s that made from-m? Garlic and hellfire?”

Inferna giggled, and drizzled a bit more of the sauce over her food. “Too spicy?” she asked, pouring herself another shot. “It’s my own recipe. I had to sort of make it up on the go inside the game, but once I found the right ingredients it was easy,” she said, and downed the second shot, wincing slightly at the taste and taking a swig of the juice to wash it down.

She grinned again. “Though maybe we should just stick to giving Jack the sauce.”

“Still,” Neddy said, looking down at her lap. “You’ve gotten pretty far on your own skill. It’s nice to have someone around again who knows what they’re doing. God knows I don’t.”

Inferna shrugged. “Nah, not really, I was on Reddit 24/7 before. And there was a Discord server with other players that I regularly consulted. I didn’t figure out most of this game by myself.” She shrugged, again, and grinned. “I’m just here to fuck around before I have to graduate and get a boring desk job, you know?”

“What about you? Why’d you join Gem Quest?”

Neddy looked...uncomfortable? “Mm,” she began hesitantly. “A boy…. I joined to spend time with him.” 

Inferna cocked her head to the side, curious. “Oh? Was it Jack? I’d definitely join this game to spend time with Jack.”

At that, Neddy smirked a little. “No,” she said on an exhale, her shoulders lifting and falling. “I wish…. So, it’s no wonder you’re so savvy in this game- you’re a tech-head. Me and computers, not friends. I’m pretty sure Siri is out to get me, and every digital watch I’ve ever worn has died within twenty-four hours. And I still have a flip phone. So...” 

Inferna snorted out a laugh. “I mean, I prefer the term video game aficionado, but I guess you could say that. My parents made me major in computer science too, so…” she trailed off, thoughtfully. “In all honesty, I only joined Gem Quest because League has this thing where you have to pay $10 for each skin, and I’m not fucking made of money. And GQ has better clothes in general, I think.”

“How the fuck do you survive with a flip phone, though?!” 

Neddy shrugged and sipped her juice. “Smartphones intimidate me. I like simplicity…. You can’t even imagine how long it took me to figure out the Plexus. I think I was diving everyone crazy asking questions…. If we both make it out of here, maybe you can help me figure out Smartphones so I can finally enter the twenty-first century. Maybe start up an Instagram like all the other kids.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Inferna said, confidently. “I mean, the good thing about flip phones is that you can literally throw them at the wall and they’ll be fine. I dropped my old slide phone from 3 stories up once, and it worked perfectly.” 

Inferna was starting to feel the effects of the first shot - it wouldn’t be long before she was tipsy. Inferna was...kinda a lightweight, in all honesty, and taking two shots in a row, on a fairly empty stomach, wasn’t exactly her brightest idea ever.

She’d practically demolished the rice bear, though. After slurping up the last bit of the curry, she asked Neddy, “Are you in school, right now? I’m a junior, and like I said, a CS major.”

“Actually, before all of this I was waiting to be accepted to a school,” Neddy replied. Then, a little bashfully, she added, “For dance.”

Inferna’s eyes lit up. “Really?” she said, whistling. “That’s badass. I’ve never been able to dance a day in my life. When were you supposed to hear back?”

Neddy hugged her elbows and sat forward, her lilac hair swinging forward. “A couple weeks ago,” she answereed. “But I’m here, so...it’s unlikely, even if I did get accepted, that I’ll be going.”

Inferna frowned slightly. “Well, did you want to leave the game to check then?”

The other girl seemed slightly downcast, and before Inferna could press the issue further, a shadow passed overhead. Everyone nearby looked up, including Inferna.

Neddy said, “Oh. Jack’s looking for us.”  

Inferna squeed, and clapped her hands. “Let’s go meet up with him?” she asked, polishing off what remained of her food and taking one last shot. She took another swig of the juice and began putting her things back into her player-plexus, dragging out a box of sugar cubes as she did so.

Neddy did the same, downing the rest of her juice. She then stood and shouldered her rucksack. “Ready,” she announced. “Onward.”

So, with a bottle of sauce and the box of sugar cubes tucked in her bag, Inferna grabbed Neddy’s hand and began making her way out of the square and towards the Wildflower Meadow, following the shadow across the sky.

They were going to find Jack!!!!

[tornadoofcreation]

Season 11 episode 9-14 thoughts

I loved that when Kai feels useless because he doesn’t have powers, Lloyd immediately sympathizes because he’s been through the same thing.

He’s so hesitant to leave Kai behind! He even stops on the car and looks back, one more time.

JAKE!! J A K E

F👏O👏R👏B👏I👏D👏D👏E👏N 👏 S👏P👏I👏N👏J👏I👏T👏Z👏U👏 L👏L👏O👏Y👏D

Okay I’ve loved seeing this more badass but still vulnerable side to Lloyd bc I feel like he’s always either the damsel in distress or this amazing, unbeatable, savior

JAKE JUMPS IN FRONT OF THE NINJA

Aspheera’s stupid snake servant (char?) has the same voice actor as one of the old serpentine (either the fangpyre general or clancee or someone) and I can’t pinpoint out who

He’s hilarious though I love him

Okay my inner musician is coming out, but the soundtrack? The variation on the original season 1 serpentine theme? woAH!

Lloyd is so desperate to get the scroll back, you can tell he’s upset with himself for losing it

Honestly though, I feel like this is something Lloyd does a lot where he gets really upset with himself when he fails bc of all the pressure put on him at such a young and impressionable age (like when he thinks he should have helped Wu in s7 etc)

Anyway that’s enough Lloyd angst

Me? Crying because Nya is a wonderful, powerful, goddess? More likely than you think

The way they animate the water is so pretty, especially against the fire. Like it’s not sons of garmadon level cinematography (If you can call animation that) but it’s gorgeous

I’m so confused why is the Oni soundtrack playing while talking about wu befriending aspheera?

Baby garmadon and wu are so cute I’m crying

King mambo the fifth? Mambo no. 5? Coincidence? I think NOT!

Little aspheera gives me a lot of hermionie vibes. This season as a whole gives me a Harry Potter vibe for some reason

This ^^^ makes up for all the flaws in the season. This cured all my life’s problems. This is the single cutest thing I have ever seen

UM GARMADON’S FORBIDDEN SPINJITZU IS SO COOL!

The ninja are so mean to wu. They’re out here acting like they weren’t the ones that released aspheera back into the world.

Also 99.99% of problems in ninjago are caused by Garmadon, Wu, and Lloyd

Clutch powers: I have a broken leg I can’t help Lloyd: b**ch I fought the Overlord, evil incarnate, at age 9 with a broken leg, don’t even start with me

PIXAL my Queen!

Poor Kai

Okay is it just me or is it kinda weird that wu feels far more guilt over aspheera than he does about worse things like Morro? Like I get that you done screwed up, but it’s not like this is anything new

“[Ninjago’s] fate it always at stake” I mean Clutch, you’re not wrong

Also, totally unrelated, but did Lloyd get highlights in his hair?

Did one of the snakes just try to eat a barrel of weapons?

I never thought I’d feel all these emotions about Wu.

“We’re a family” WELL THAT LINE JUST DESTROYED ME. Honestly though, that’s one of the things that ninjago does really well. It shows the love and relation between every single character

Also on that note, I’m glad the newly established relationships from season 8-10 are still strong. Lloyd and Nya and Cole and Wu especially

Well I audibly gasped when the explorer turned around and had 7 arrows sticking out of the explorer’s back, so I’m low key worried for all the 8 year olds this show is marketed for. (Despite the fact that after the last three seasons, that should definitely change)

I would’ve paid to see Nya bear up an old, pompous explorer

Ah yes, the legendary green ninja, whom everybody knows has just arrived in a ninja uniform, armed to check the air conditioning

Rip stuffed chicken; gone but not forgotten

Hey it’s the mirror of erised, Ninjago style... or wait it’s fear. So the mirror of .... reaf

LLOYD’S GREATEST FEAR IS TURNING INTO HIS FATHER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THIS FATHER IS LLOYD’S HERO. I can’t with the garmafamily angst anymore.

Also just another sign of how much Lloyd has changed and grown up through the show. At the beginning, he wanted to be just like garmadon and now it’s his biggest fear. (Granted garmadon has changed a lot too, but still)

Why did wu just tell Lloyd not to handle the scroll and not Nya and Zane? Is it because he’s the grandson of the FSM or bc he’s part oni if smth?

“I said I’ll be careful” HOLY CRAP, IF MY SON IS TURNED EVIL BY THIS SCROLL, I WILL CRY

These last few seasons pixal has been amazing

OMG I THOUGHT PIXAL JUST YELLED “GET AWAY FROM THEM YOU B**CH” INSTEAD OF WITCH AND I LOWKEY HAD A STROKE

All of their forbidden spinjitzus are amazing and I love them.... if only the minifigures didn’t make them look like rock candy

ZaNE!! HOLY CRAP NOT AGAIN!!

Never mind he’s okay, we’re fine.

Pixal’s nightmare is not okay. That picture of them is not okay. Zane being banished is not okay.

wow, Wu’s our here like “I’m just gonna yeet myself into a foreign realm and none of you can stop me.” Now we know where Lloyd gets his “I’m going to go fight my father and none of you can stop me” from

THE CHICKEN

Also why is Lloyd, who is known for tripping and falling, sent on a stealth mission? I can count at least 10 times Lloyd has ruined something important or tripped and fell during an important moment. Knowing him, he’ll just fall right on wu.

FS Wu is actually really intimidating

It’s cool how they all throw the traveller’s tea to their most trusted. Lloyd to Kai, Kai to Nya, Nya to Jay, Jay to Cole and Cole to Lloyd

Oh boy, they’re just stuck in a foreign realm.

THIS SEASON WENT FROM “NINJA HAVINF FUN AND BEING A DESASTER FAMILY AND LEARNING HOW TO BECOME A TEAM AGAIN AFTER GOING SOFT INTO BEING TRAPPED IN A FORGIN REALM WITH NO HOPE OF RETURN” REAL QUICK

[inboxhunter646]

Poptropica Original

Pearson EducationParent companyPearson plcFounded1844; 177 years agoCountry of originUnited KingdomHeadquarters locationLondon, EnglandKey peopleAndy Bird(CEO)Publication typesTextbooksNo. of employees32,000 (2020)Official websitepearsoned.com

Poptropica Original Login

Adventure Time (formerly known as Adventure Time with Finn and Jake) was an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and produced by Frederator Studios. The show was based on. Stories for Preschoolers. Enjoy story time with your preschooler with these classic children's books and original Funbrain Jr. Establish a solid literary foundation by reading together. Download Poptropica for PC - free download Poptropica for PC/Mac/Windows 7,8,10, Nokia, Blackberry, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo - free download Poptropica Android app, install Android apk app for PC. Nov 27, 2016 original poptropica login Reported in Pang and case a hemispatial neglect activities pdf virtue are esterified with acetic. To further contest the while listening to his it authentic poptropica login. Rolled with over the disequilibrium test a. The library making a had to go to the Psycho Las Vegas.

Pearson Education is a British-owned education publishing and assessment service to schools and corporations, as well for students directly. Pearson owns educational media brands including Addison–Wesley, Peachpit, Prentice Hall, eCollege, Longman, Scott Foresman, and others. Pearson is part of Pearson plc, which formerly owned the Financial Times. It claims to have been formed in 1840,(1) with the current incarnation of the company created when Pearson plc purchased the education division of Simon & Schuster (including Prentice Hall and Allyn & Bacon) from Viacom and merged it with its own education division, Addison-Wesley Longman, to form Pearson Education. Pearson Education was rebranded to Pearson in 2011 and split into an International and a North American division.

Although Pearson generates approximately 60 percent of its sales in North America, it operates in more than 70 countries. Pearson International is headquartered in London, and maintains offices across Europe, Asia and South America. Its online chat support is based in the Philippines. Pearson North America is headquartered at 330 Hudson in New York City, New York.(2) It previously was located in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.(3) Pearson International is headquartered at 80 Strand, London, UK. Pearson Italia SpA, also known as Pearson Paravia Bruno Mondadori, was created through the purchase of PBM Editori, which was, in turn, a merge of Paravia (based in Turin) and Bruno Mondadori (based in Milan).

Imprints(edit)

Pearson has a number of publishingimprints:

Addison-Wesley Professional (formerly Addison Wesley)(4)

BBC Active(4)

Causeway Press(4)

Edexcel(4)

enVision Math

Exam Cram

FT Press (formerly FT Prentice Hall)(4)

Ginn & CompanyEdwin Ginn(4)

Harvester Wheatsheaf(4)

Heinemann (formerly Heinemann Education)(4)

Oliver & Boyd(4)

Pearson Custom Publishing(5)

Pearson Longman (formerly Longman)(4)

Pitman(4)

Prentice Hall(4)

Puffin(4)

Rigby(4)

VangoBooks (textbooks)

Wharton School Publishing, with Wharton School

York Notes(4)

Logo(edit)

Pearson's logo is the unconventional symbol known as the interrobang (‽), a combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, meant to convey 'the excitement and fun of learning.'(6)

Partnerships(edit)

Pearson has partnered with five other higher-education publishers to create CourseSmart, a company developed to sell college textbooks in eTextbook format on a common platform.(7) In 2010, Pearson agreed to a 5-year, $32 million, contract with the New York State Department of Education to design tests for students in grades 4–8.

GreyCampus partnered with Pearson for higher-education teaching-learning solutions(buzzword) under the Learningware brand.(8)

Que Publishing, a publishing imprint of Pearson-based out of Seattle, partnered with AARP to develop and add to a series of technology books for seniors.(9) The series, which includes My iPad For Seniors, and My Social Media for Seniors, are large-print and colourful.

'Pineapple-Gate'(edit)

In the spring of 2012, tests that Pearson designed for the NYSED were found to contain over 30 errors, which caused controversy. One of the most prominent featured a passage about a talking pineapple on the 8th Grade ELA test (revealed to be based on Daniel Pinkwater's The Story of the Rabbit and the Eggplant, with the eggplant changed into a pineapple). After public outcry, the NYSED announced it would not count the questions in scoring.(10) Other errors included a miscalculated question on the 8th Grade Mathematics test regarding astronomical units, a 4th grade math question with two correct answers, errors in the 6th grade ELA scoring guide, and over twenty errors on foreign-language math tests.(11) In May 2015, British comedian John Oliver analysed problems with Pearson's standardized tests and the company's greater lack of accountability on his HBO series Last Week Tonight.(12)

Technology products(edit)

Pearson's products include MyMathLab and Mastering Platform.(13)

PowerSchool(edit)

In 2006, Pearson acquired PowerSchool, a student information system, from Apple. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.(14) PowerSchool was a profitable product for Pearson. In 2014, it generated $97 million in revenue and $20 million in operating income. In 2015, Pearson sold PowerSchool to Vista Equity Partners for $350 million cash.(15)

Download Spark Mail app on your iOS device and set up multiple mail accounts that you can browse easily. Save your precious time & resources by batch deleting multiple emails at one on your iPhone or iPad. With a few simple taps, you’ll be on the path to a tidy inbox. App Store and Mac App Store is a service. Spark for mac how to mark all email read in folders.

Poptropica(edit)

In 2007 the company developed the youth-oriented online quest game Poptropica, through its Family Education Network. In 2015 Pearson's Family Education Network, along with Poptropica, were sold to the London-based investment group Sandbox Partners.(16)

Cogmed(edit)

Pearson owns Cogmed, a brain fitness and working memory training program founded in 1999 by Swedish researcher Torkel Klingberg.(17)(18)

StatCrunch(edit)

In 2016 Pearson acquired StatCrunch, a statistical analysis tool created by Webster West in 1997. Pearson had already been the primary distributor of StatCrunch for several years.(19)

InformIT(edit)

InformIT, a subsidiary of Pearson Education, is an online book vendor and an electronic publisher of technology and education content.

InformITParent companyPearson EducationCountry of originUnited StatesHeadquarters locationCarmel, IndianaPublication typesBooks, e-books, and videosNonfiction topicsTechnologyImprintsAddison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, IBM Press, Pearson IT Certification, Prentice Hall Professional, Que Publishing, Sams Publishing, and VMware PressOfficial websiteinformit.com

InformIT.com is one of the web sites of the Pearson Technology Group, and one of several sites in the InformIT Network. The site features free articles, blogs, and podcasts on IT topics and products, as well as a bookstore carrying all titles from these imprints. Publishing imprints represented on InformIT.com(20) include Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press,(21)IBM Press, Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, Que Publishing, and Sams Publishing.

The other sites in the InformIT Network include:

Peachpit.com: Peachpit is a publisher that has been publishing books on graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, Web design and development, digital video, and general computing since 1986. Peachpit is a publishing partner for Adobe Press, lynda.com, NAPP, Apple Certified, AIGA Design Press and others.

FTPress.com: The book publishing imprint related to the Financial Times newspaper, FT Press creates books in the areas of general business, finance and investing, sales and marketing, leadership, management and strategy, human resources, and global business. FT Press is the publishing partner for Wharton School Publishing.

Safari Books Online joint venture(edit)

In 2001, the Pearson Technology Group and O'Reilly Media LLC formed a joint partnership called Safari Books Online, to offer a web-based electronic library of technical and business books from InformIT's imprint partners and O'Reilly Media. The InformIT Network offers access to this service via its web sites. Pearson sold its interest in Safari Books Online to O'Reilly in 2014.

Realidades(edit)

Realidades is a standards-based high school curriculum that balances communications and grammar. With books for both middle school and high school students, Realidades features insight on the Spanish language, culture and technology.(22)

Digital textbooks(edit)

In July 2019 Pearson announced it would begin the process of phasing out the publishing of printed textbooks, in a plan to move into a more digital first strategy.

Scott scba serial number location. The company reportedly envisions students relying more on e-textbooks which would be updated frequently, while printed books will be updated less often. Students wanting printed books will need to rent them.(23)

Current business model(edit)

As of 2019, the firm gets half of their annual revenues from digital sales. Split screen app for mac yosemite. The United States accounts for 20 percent of Pearson's annual revenue coming from courseware.

See also(edit)

References(edit)

^'The little guide to Pearson'(PDF). Pearson plc. 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

^'Contact Us'. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2015.

^'Pearson trims Upper Saddle River employees'. Retrieved 1 May 2013.

^ abcdefghijklmnoPearson Education Ltd, The Publishers Association, 16 April 2008 (retrieved 8 February 2012)

^See the entry for 'Pearson Custom Publishing' (under 'U.S. College Group (Higher Education)') at 'Profile / PEARSON GENERAL INFO'. Association of American Publishers, Inc. 2016. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.

^'Pearson Brand Guidelines: Logo'(PDF). Pearson.com. 2016. Archived(PDF) from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

^'New Agreement Makes eTextbooks Available to Students'. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2009.

^'Learningware Award at WES 2012 : Jury Choice for Best Technology Solution for Higher Education Institutions'.

^'New Tech Books Help People 50+ Get Savvy'.

^Collins, Gail. 'A Very Pricey Pineapple'. The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2012.

^Haimson, Leonie. 'Pineapplegate continues, with 20 more errors, and finally an apologia from Pearson'. NYC Public School Parents. Retrieved 22 August 2012.

^Sarene Leeds (4 May 2015). 'John Oliver Rips Standardized Testing With Help From a Dancing Monkey on 'Last Week Tonight''. The Wall Street Journal.

^Kahn, Gabriel (4 September 2014). 'College in a Box'. Slate. ISSN1091-2339. Retrieved 15 June 2018.

^'Pearson buys Apple's PowerSchool'. eSchool News. 26 May 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2019.

^'Pearson to Sell PowerSchool to Vista Equity Partners for $350M - EdSurge News'. EdSurge. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2019.

^https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-05-26-family-education-network-sold

^'Cogmed Working Memory Training – History'.

^'Torkel Klingberg'.

^'Pearson Acquires Major Statistical Software Firm, Integrated Analytics'Pearson (28 July 2016)

^InformIT network of publishing imprints

^Safari Tech Books Online Named Exclusive Online Provider of Cisco Press Books

^https://www.overdrive.com/media/1653115/realidades-1

^Staff Writer (16 July 2019). 'Education publisher Pearson to phase out print textbooks'. BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pearson_Education&oldid=1018056828'

It's no trick: some of our most popular Halloween costumes and games from years past have returned to Poptropica Original!

Visit the store to browse classic costumes like the Pumpkin Head, Vampire, and Clown! You can get these costumes with credits. If you're low on credits, spin the Wheel of Loot on Home Island! Also, check out Members-only items like the Halloween Accessories pack and the Frankenstein's Monster. These are exclusive costumes, items, and powers that are only available to Poptropica Members! Last but not least, the Haunted House mini-quest is back for a limited time only! This is one of the all-time great Poptropica adventures, with a spooky surprise at the end. The Haunted House is free to all, and remember: your Poptropica Original Membership also applies to Poptropica Worlds! So become a Member today and get the best of both! CAPTAIN CRAWFISH

Poptropica Original Login

Poptropica is on social media!

[bisexual-in-every-gender]

survey

A

Achievements: I’m happily married, have a job that pays well and I don’t hate, get to travel a lot and get paid for it, have the best cat ever, smashing university while working, speak 5 languages

Age: turning 29 in June

Are you planning something right now? Well, since we’re moving to Spain in July, there’s a lot to plan for that. Plus, my wife will start her HRT and several surgeries while I will start our IVF journey so we can start a family. <3

Arizona or Alaska: Arizona is probably warmer? Never been to the US though.

B

Birthdate: 20th June 1992

Build: small and chubby

Babies, do you have any? Not yet but IVF starts in August, so fingers crossed

Blonde or Brunette: I’m naturally blonde but dye my hair a lot.

C

Childhood sweetheart: None. No one fancied me xD

Current mood: Super tired.

Children, are there more in your future? YEP! If it was up to me, we’d have a football team! As things are though, my wife’s HRT and my own physical problems impair us. We’ll probably have only one or two. Three if we’re super lucky and are able to adopt (which at the moment we’re not because of where we live...)

Coke or Pepsi: Coke

D

Dad’s name: Stefan.

Dating anyone: I’m dating my wife <3

Do you plan on having lots of money? Naturally.

Dogs or cats: I love cats but like dogs, too

E

Elementary School: Not telling.

Eye color: Green.

Ever going to China? Currently living there.

Early or Late: Early.

F

First Crush: A boy in year 5 called Marcel

Fears: Failure, losing, not being good enough, making mistakes, not being a mum (the though terrifies me), having a miscarriage or stillborn, losing the people I love, being stuck in a room with no means of getting out

Future goals: Have multiple children, have a dog, be happy in myself

Funny or Serious: Both. Adjust to the situation.

G

Grandparent’s names: Jutta and Werner, Hannelore and Ingo (never met him though as he was already dead by the time I was born)

GPA: What is that?

Going anywhere this weekend? Only for lunch. We’ll stay in and watch Eurovision!

Giver or Taker: Both. Life has to be balanced.

H

High School: Not telling.

Hair color: At the moment it looks orange because my red hair washed out and my natural blonde is coming back. Dying it platinum blonde soon though.

Hate anyone for life? No, I only dislike some people. --> same

Hairspray or Gel: Neither.

I

In 8th grade, who was your best friend? Toni and Susi

Is ignorance bliss? I guess so.

Is there anything you wanna share? Just that I love my wife <3

Ice Cream or Cake: Ice cream.

J

Jumped rope for fun: Nah, I never learned how to do it properly.

Junk around you right now? Nope, all fairly clean.

Joining anything anytime soon? I want to join a swimming club in Spain

January or July: July, no need to question.

K

Killed anyone: No and if I did, I wouldn’t confess it on Tumblr xD

Keeping a secret? Kind of.

Kicking someone off your top friends today? Nah.

Kiwi or Apple: Apple! I hate Kiwi!

L

Lost anyone close to you: Not really. My cat was probably the closest thing dear to me that I ever lost. R.I.P. Kaveri <3

Last kiss, when and who: My wife, yesterday evening.

List 3 people that you’ll love forever: My wife, my mum, my litlte sister

Lover or Fighter: Both, but more lover.

M

Middle School: Not telling.

Marital Status: Married.

Mom’s name: Manuela.

Music or TV: Music.

N

Northernmost state you’ve been to: Never been to the US but the Northern most place I’ve ever been to was in Finland.

Nickname: Abby, Ab

Name your future boy and girl: Samuel Noah Robert, Rosie Chelsea Philomena

Naughty or Nice: Nice.

O

Opened a piece of mail that wasn’t yours? By mistake, yes.

Occupation: I’m a secretary.

Owe anyone money: Yeah.

Outgoing or Shy: Shy

P

Place you most want to be? Maldives.

Purposely destroyed someone’s life? No.

Planning a major trip? You could say that since we’re moving from China to Spain.

Pink or Black? Black.

Q

Quit a class: No.

Quickly…the first word to come to mind: Computer.

Quitting your job soon? Nope. I like the travelling aspect, it pays well, is super secure and it’s mostly chill.

Quiet or Loud: Quiet.

R

Riding in an airplane: Have done, yes.

Ride, tell me about yours: No licence here.

Running for any political office in the future? No, not interested.

Rain or Snow: Snow.

S

Siblings names and ages: Nastassja, 30 and Amaris, turning 16 this year

Shoe size: EU 39.

Shave daily? Ha, no.

Shower or Bath: Shower.

T

Turning 21 was (will be): Nothing special. We can buy alcohol when we’re 16 so it didn’t matter.

Texas, ever been? No, never been to the US.

Think you’ll live to be 100? maybe.

Tame or Wild: In between.

U

Unique quality about you: I speak a lot of languages.

Underwear on? Of course.

Under your bed lies: Nothing. Just dust.

Under or Over: Erm, over?

V

Virgin? No.

Vacation time left? LOADS!!!

Voting in the next Presidential election? No president where I live.

Volleyball or Swimming: Swimming!!!! <3 <3

W

Went white water rafting? Nope.

Wearing right now: Red dress, black shoes.

Write a sentence about you: Hallo, wie geht’s? Hier ist Abelina und ich liebe meine Frau <3

West Coast or East Coast: I don’t care, never been to the US anyway.

X

X-Rays in the past month: None. There was no reason to do it.

X-Mas plans: Going to Madrid Christmas market <3

X, does it mark the spot? Huh?

X-Tina or Britney? Britney.

Y

You lost “it” when? Assuming this is about virginity, at 25.

Your favorite song: Gosh, I got a lot.

Your favorite place on Earth: Spain.

Yes or No: Maybe.

Z

Zodiac Sign: Gemini.

Zippos are neat, agree? Can’t be arsed to look what they are.

Zoo or Circus: Zoo.

[horrificmemes]

Starter Plots based on Urban Legends

Send my muse a letter (A-Z) or the title following it for a starter based on one  of these famous Urban Legend plots. Note that not all of these are scientifically/medically accurate, but are based on stories that have been spreading for decades!

A. (The Black Dog) One muse approaches the other, anxious and concerned about a mysterious, hulking black dog that has been following them all day. They realize that seeing the black dog is an omen of impending death. B. (Hook Handed Man) Our muses are out for a drive and stop somewhere private, but are quickly spooked by eerie scratches against the back of the car. C. (La Llorona) One of our muses is strolling by the river, when they hear ghostly weeping. It’s the other muse, mourning the loss of their family long after death. D. (Deadly Wedding Dress) Our muses are getting married. They’ve been fitted for their outfits, but at the ceremony, one of our muses begins to struggle with their breath and collapses at the altar. Later, they find that the dress/suit they wore was laced with embalming chemicals, and had been sold to them by a graverobber. E. (Humans Can Lick Too) One of our muses is home alone, dozing off to sleep, when they hear movement beneath their bed. The other muse is hiding after breaking in to their home, but they assume it’s simply their pet. F. (Mothman) One night, our muses both see a creature with red eyes and huge wings outside their home(s). Afterwards, they’re unable to escape odd sightings and continued paranormal experiences. G. (The Goat Man) Our muses are driving/riding bikes through a woodland area, when they hear hooves following behind them. Whatever it is, it’s certainly not completely human. H. (Lover’s Lane) One of our muses is left alone in a broken-down car after their date leaves to find a gas station, but they don’t realize the other muse is outside of the car, circling them. (Alternative: one of the muses is the date) I. (Michigan Dogman) While camping, one of our muses comes face-to-face with the other muse, who has been mutated with an animal head upon a human body. J. (Organ Market) Our muses meet at a bar/party/etc, get some drinks, and have great chemistry. However, after falling unconscious, one of our muses wakes to find themselves in a bathtub with painful stitching up their side. Horrified, they realize their date has kidnapped them and harvested one of their organs. K. (The Clown Statue) Our muses are baby/pet-sitting for a mutual friend, but are disturbed by an odd doll sitting up in a rocking chair in the master bedroom. A doll that seems to enjoy moving around. The second muse may be a friend or even the clown. L. (Ghost Children of Munger Road) Our muses have heard the story that if you put baby powder on the back of your car and stop at a train track, little hands will push it off the tracks. They decided to test it, and get results. M. (Black Aggie) After walking by a statue of a woman in grief, our muses begin having odd, spooky, and unlucky experiences. N. (Bunnyman Bridge) After hearing stories of an old tunnel haunted by the ghost of a serial killer, our muses decide to investigate. O. (Calling #666) As a fun test, our muses find a phone number listed online along with a spooky warning. They decide to call the number, but end up getting some very scary messages, and possibly a visitor later that night. P. (The Call is Coming from Inside the House) One muse is sitting at home when they start to get strange phone calls. The calls are a bit creepy, but harmless at first, before eventually making them highly uncomfortable. They’ll eventually learn that the other muse is calling from a second phone upstairs. Q. (Midnight Game) After seeing a creepy game listed online, our muses decide to try summoning a malicious spirit at midnight, putting themselves at risk until morning. R. (Bloody Mary) One or both of our muses are pulling an all-nighter together when they decide to play some old mirror games. Of course, Bloody Mary is a trusted go-to. They don’t expect it may actually work, though. (Second muse may be a friend or the ghost in the mirror) S. (High Beams) While driving home late at night, one of our muses is blinded by the car behind them shining high beams every few seconds. They don’t realize the driver is trying to warn them of a person with a knife in the back seat. (The second muse could be the driver, or the knife-wielder) T. (Vanishing Hitchhiker) One of our muses is driving late at night when they spot the other muse dressed in torn clothes, dirty, and wet in the rain, holding out their arm for a ride. Whether or not they suspect something eerie, they decide to stop and see if they need help. U. (Baby Monitor) Our muses are new parents, and have set up a monitor to listen to the baby from the next room. However, they start to get uncomfortable when they hear a voice singing a lullaby on the other end that doesn’t belong to their partner. V. (Black Eyed Children) Late it the evening, one of our muses answers the door to see a child with a hood over their eyes asking to come inside. They begin to demand and pressure the muse until they feel very threatened. The other muse could be in the home or could be the child outside. W. (The Crying Boy) At an art show, our muses/one of our muses decide to buy a sorrowful but very magnetic painting that was found in the ashes of a burned building. As soon as they bring it home, however, they begin to notice supernatural events, poltergeist activity, and even begin to grow obsessed and defensive when the other muse suggests they get rid of the painting. X. (Facebook Friends) One of our muses has died, and the other is still in mourning when they start getting messages on social media from their account. What looks like a prank at first starts to get eerie as the deceased muse starts conversations only the two of them would have, perhaps even about secrets surrounding their own death. (Bonus creepiness: the living muse starts to see their deceased friend tagged in photos, always in an empty space right behind them). Y. (Melonheads) While on a deserted road, possibly lost, our muses grow uncomfortable after being warned of mutated humanoids that stalk the dirt road looking for people to run off the road and kidnap. Z. (Chain Mail) One or both of our muses get a scary story emailed to them, which begs them to share with their friends. One of them ignores it, and calls the other in a panic when they begin to hear and see strange things in their home. -note that chain mail is a super old hoax and seeing chain posts here on tumblr is fake too! Don't get spooped, friends-

[praneethgannoji]

Annotated Bibliography

1. Porter, G. and Starcevic, V. (2007). Are Violent Video Games Harmful? Australasian Psychiatry, 15(5), pp.422–426.

The content of this source is about the relationship between violent video games and aggression, It argues that even though there is a link between violent videogames and aggressive behavior, it can be because of hostile traits. It takes experimental, correlation, and longitudinal study designs with 32 students to find the link, using parameters like heart rate. During experimental studies, the participants blasted their opponents with strong noise 0.16 seconds longer and rated themselves higher on the hostility scale after playing a violent video game compared to a non-violent one, remaining studies also found the link between violent video games and aggressive behavior. This source very useful because it addresses the debate that has been going on since the creation of video-games. More research has to be done as there is minimal data to prove and the link between them and as an aspiring game designer it made me more cautious about the kind of games I create.

2. Ventura, M., Shute, V. and Kim, Y.J. (2012). Video gameplay, personality and academic performance. Computers & Education, 58(4), pp.1260–1266.

The purpose of this Journal is to find the relationship between video games, personality and academic performance. this journal states selective video games can actually improve GPA, social skills, visual-spatial skills and attention. Diverse playstyle is linked to openness but habitual playing can reduce a person’s Conscientiousness. I found this journal very insightful because video games are usually linked with violence, bad GPAs, social skills, this journal argues the contrary. One of the strengths of this experiment is it actually contradicts a common notion that Video games have a negative effect on a person’s academic performance. its weaknesses are the small sample size, genre diverseness, gender. This source though not perfect shapes my way of understanding as playing video games with moderation can have a positive impact on social and academic skills.

3. Dubey, R., Agrawal, P., Pathak, D., Griffiths, T.L. and Efros, Alexei A (2018). Investigating Human Priors for Playing Video Games. [online] arXiv.org. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.10217.

This paper deals with the difference between human beings and computer learning when it comes to video gameplay and how human beings can solve a complex video game that they have never seen before by bringing prior knowledge, unlike AI. This paper covers how vital are these priors and the ways to measure them. Its main arguments are, unlike machines, human beings bring a great amount of prior knowledge to solve a problem and the removal of it can cause a drastic difference in speed. To prove this the researchers recruited 40 subjects and made them play an unfamiliar game. They completed the task very quickly, for the next test they adjusted object semantic, hidden object locations, removed affordance and found a drastic difference in-game time, with this experiment the researchers found how important each prior is to complete the given task and it will be very useful to me as an aspiring game developer.

4. Michailidis, L., Balaguer-Ballester, E. and He, X. (2018). Flow and Immersion in Video Games: The Aftermath of a Conceptual Challenge. Frontiers in Psychology, 9.

This article looks at the differences between flow and immersion, these two terms are often used in the video game literature interchangeably, this paper critically analyses both of the concepts and argues flow is more descriptive not definitive in nature as it varies from person to person, it is labeled as an intense experience. while an average immersive experience can be defined as engagement and engrossment which is not much different from the flow and concludes that the word flow and immersion can be used interchangeably until further behavioral and neurophysiological evidence is provided. I found this source very useful as it looks at the subtle nuances between flow, immersion, presence which can be very useful in video game design as games are all about immersing a player in the world developers created.

5. Pallavicini, F. and Pepe, A. (2019). Virtual Reality Games to Enhance Positive Emotions and Decrease Anxiety: A Pilot Study on the Role of Body Involvement (Preprint). JMIR Serious Games.

This paper is an experiment conducted on how Virtual reality can increase positive emotions of the player, decrease anxiety and negative emotions by looking at the level of body involvement requested by the game. the subjects were 36 young adults who were made to play a low body involvement and a high body involvement game, fruit ninja and  Audioshield respectively, using The Visual Analogue Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. They concluded VR does improve positive emotions and reduce anxiety especially during playing high body involvement games. I found this article very useful as games cannot only be for mindless fun but can also have some positive effect on your mental health, few downsides are that the games did not have a control group, small sample size, no physiological measure, short game time periods.

6. de Las Heras, B., Li, O., Rodrigues, L., Nepveu, J.-F. and Roig, M. (2020). Exercise Improves Video Game Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, p.1.

This source is about finding how physical exercise can help gamers to improve their performance in-game thus promoting physical activity, by investigating how a short session of cardiovascular exercise has an effect on performance in League of Legends. Researchers investigated short term effects on twenty individuals. They were told to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT), during rest they were told to sit on a cycle ergometer for 15 minutes without pedaling after that they were told to read a book for 20 minutes to eliminate any external stimulation, after that they were told to fill out a self-reported questionnaire(PANAS). They were tasked to play a customized LoL match for 20 minutes and eliminate targets with a single attack and performance was accessed along with enjoyment and concluded even short-term exercises can improve game performance. I found this source very novel as the results are very clear without any assessor bias.

7. King, D.L. and Delfabbro, P.H. (2018). Predatory monetization schemes in video games (e.g. ‘loot boxes’) and internet gaming disorder. Addiction, 113(11), pp.1967–1969.

This article is about monetization schemes like ‘Lootboxes’ that can influence players to spend real-world money to buy virtual items. It states how predatory these schemes are and how Videogame companies take advantage of loopholes in the law and also about teenagers who spent thousands of dollars, some of them undergoing treatment for internet gaming disorder(IGD). It also states the countermeasures taken by different governments to tackle this issue, like China which passed legislation for game developers to reveal the chances of getting their desired item in the loot box, and Belgium declaring they are in violation of Gaming legislation. This source is very useful to me because as a  gamer who never had any sort of addiction problems, always thought the government should never involve in markets but looking at the problem I think some form of government regulation is necessary to stop videogame companies to take advantage of gullible people.

8. Zadro, J.R., Shirley, D., Simic, M., Mousavi, S.J., Ceprnja, D., Maka, K., Sung, J. and Ferreira, P. (2018). Video-Game–Based Exercises for Older People With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled table Trial (GAMEBACK). Physical Therapy, 99(1), pp.14–27.

This study is about an experiment conducted on older individuals(>55 years) with chronic LBP randomized 1:1 to continue usual physical activities or to play Wii Fit U exercises to test pain self-efficacy and care-seeking, it revealed people playing Wii Fit U had more pain self-efficacy at 6 months compared to people with the control group. Thus proving Wii Fit U exercises improve pain self-efficacy, pain, and function in older people, The interesting part of this experiment is that it proves video games actually improve pain resistance which is the core part of continuing any physical activity, unlike other experiments, it expresses adherence in different ways by showing how compliant a participant is, few limitations of this experiment are the exercises done on Wii Fit U are unsupervised, using a paper exercise diary to track adherence, possible differences between Therapist and participant interaction.

9. Formosa, P., Ryan, M. and Staines, D. (2016). Papers, Please and the systemic approach to engaging ethical expertise in videogames. Ethics and Information Technology, 18(3), pp.211–225.

This paper is about exploring the themes of a video game called Papers please (2013) to demonstrate the systemic approach in video games for moral engagement and showing the difference between strengths and weaknesses between systemic approach and scripted approach in video game design by using Four Component model of moral expertise(moral motivation, moral sensitivity, moral judgment, and moral action) which can help to design games that are morally engaging. This paper is very useful to game designers as it shows the advantages and disadvantages between scripted and system approach in games, This source shapes my understanding as to how a simple gameplay mechanic like checking papers can give rise to such complex themes such as dehumanization, loyalty, etc., but it lacks the strong characterization provided my more scripted games.

10. Gros, L., Debue, N., Lete, J. and van de Leemput, C. (2020). Video Game Addiction and Emotional States: Possible Confusion Between Pleasure and Happiness? Frontiers in Psychology, 10.

This study is about differentiating pleasure and happiness within the addiction sphere, an experiment was conducted between game addicts and nonaddicts with video game-related activities and neutral activities between the subjects and emotional reactions were taken by self-reported scales and psychological data through relaxation and heart rate. Out of 105, 61 video game players were made to complete three questionnaires anonymously, after that they were welcomed to a testing room that made them choose their favorite video game and the examiner observed them. 6 types of experimental phases determined their emotional state through self-report questionnaires or through physiological measures and the result is game addicts show high craving and low relaxation level which is in contrast to associating video games with happiness. I found this study very insightful because generally, people associate happiness and craving as positive emotions it's actually a negative one this made me research more on the nuances between pleasure and happiness.

[willag42]

Yuri!!! On Ice Fanfic Recs with Reviews  ["I” Authors]

Note: Doing some major reformating of the YOI fanfic rec pages. The pages that include my reviews are now having the posts separated alphabetically by author (see below). I am also creating separate page(s) that allow filtering the fanfics by category. It's a work in progress, but I'm having fun with it.

This page includes my YOI fanfic recs (with reviews) for authors whose names begin with "I".

Note: For any authors whom I don't know the gender, I refer to them with they/them. If any authors wish to correct me, please do so.

AUTHORS REC PAGES: #0-9 -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z

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Refer to this masterlist for all of my YOI fanfic recs.

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IDetestTragedy

Circus! on Ice (Series, 2 works)

Eventide Enchantment Rating: Teen -- Words: 14.8k -- Status: Complete -- Summary: For marketing’s sake, the lead star of the Circus! on Ice troupe wore a female disguise to hand out brochures. Finding himself surrounded by troublesome suitors in a bar, Victor fled while snatching a quiet bespectacled soldier. "Victoria" flirted with the soldier, jokingly asking for a kiss. However, the soldier affirmed that he wanted to kiss only the person he loved: Victor Nikiforov. Thus, "she" demanded him a dance as a compensation for their ruined date, and guess who fell in love for real during that dance?

The Ice Magician's Apprentice Rating: Explicit -- Words: 85.4 -- Status: WIP -- Summary: Becoming a new employee of the Circus! on Ice came with a lot of responsibilities. Could Yuuri live up to everyone's expectation as the apprentice of the world-famous Ice Magician? As for his sleeping arrangement, did staying in the same bed as Victor Nikiforov count as a privilege or a constant heart-attack? ❤❤❤❤❤  Words: 100.2k Status: Work In Progress Relationship: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Tags: Historical fantasy AU; Circus; Ice skating; Magic tricks; War; Espionage ❤❤❤❤❤  Review: An original world AU where the countries and time period share similarities to earlier time periods in our world, but have their own names, histories, and conflicts. There is no fantasy magic in this story, just the performance magic tricks that we're used to. This story is very down-to-earth, focusing on a circus troupe that is basically a jack of all trades. Victor, the star of the circus - ice skater, magician, and performer extraordinaire - takes on Yuuri as his apprentice after the two connect during a whimsical evening of dancing and shared secrets. Yuuri is the greenhorn, learning the ropes and building on his strengths. He is particularly talented with ice skating and figuring out the truth behind the magic tricks. The story spends a good amount of words describing the performances themselves, including Yuuri's insights behind the tricks. More than that, IDetestTragedy will link videos in the story that show how the trick is done. I have not come across a fanfic like this before, and it is quite well done. There are several things I really enjoy about this fic: Victor and Yuuri's romantic interactions; watching Yuuri grow more adept at sleight of hand; Yuuri bonding with different members of the circus troupe; the focus on the magic tricks themselves; the realistic lifestyle lived by these characters. This is a great AU for sure!

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Ilsia (@snowbouquet)

Not by Choice

Rating: Mature Words: 91.0k Status: Work In Progress Relationship: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Tags: Twelve Kingdoms crossover AU; Mythical beings and creatures; Slow burn ❤❤❤❤❤  Summary: When Yuuri was 10, he disappeared from the family onsen on a cold April evening, as if taken away by the unexpected snowstorm. When he was 18, he was found sitting on the blank surface of the ice at Ice Castle, the skating rink nearby. There was no snow, but he was covered in scrapes and completely naked, with his hair long and his eyes vacant. It took him weeks to start reacting to the world outside of his own mind. ❤❤❤❤❤  Review: You don't need to have seen the Twelve Kingdoms to understand this story. Ilsia takes care to clarify the important terms and details within the story or within the notes. I rarely see crossovers with the Twelve Kingdoms, so this was a special find I stumbled across. Once Yuuri regains his memories, about half of each chapter is spent in flashback showing his time within the Twelve Kingdoms, and the other half is spent present day in Japan with Victor trying to coach Yuuri in ice skating. Because of what happens to Yuuri, he is a lot more confident and rational in this story, less likely to panic. So the relationship between Victor and Yuuri develops differently from the series. We're treated to a lot more slice of life moments of the two, attending festivals and acting like tourists. It's pleasant to see these differences and watch these two lovebirds still fall in love. A recent plot development, while not surprising, promises a lot of interesting scenes to come, and I'm really looking forward to it!

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intertwingular (@abrcmhatford)

and this is the wonder (that's keeping the stars apart)

Rating: Teen Words: 21.7k Status: Complete Relationship: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Tags: Avatar: The Last Airbender setting AU; War and post-war; Politics; Enemies to friends to lovers ❤❤❤❤❤  Summary: Viktor Nikiforov, son, warrior, and now, ambassador finds that peace is harder than war - the war sings through his blood, his bones, his mind; never quiet, never silent, a constant scream in the back of his mind. Katsuki Yuuri, son, outcast, prince, finds that quiet and secrets are hard to keep, when you encounter someone so determined to draw them out. ❤❤❤❤❤  Review: There's no Avatar in this fic. It's basically a post-war fic where Yuuri and Viktor are high ranking individuals from either side of the Fire Nation/Water Tribe war that have to learn to trust one another in order to maintain a tenuous peace. There's some politics involved and a whole lot of tension - Viktor, a warrior uncomfortable with the politics, and Yuuri with a tightly kept secret, both sides skeptical that peace can be kept - but the two eventually reach an understanding and help one another, which gradually grows into love. The tense atmosphere is captured very well throughout the first half of the fic. The first buds of a truce between the two is shakey yet sincere, and the gradual blossoming of love is heartfelt. I'd love to see more from this world, how Viktor and Yuuri try to maintain a relationship while maintaining peace between their two nations.

[gem-quest]

[ QUEST 01. — I N F E R N A ]

taglist: @ayzrules​ @bebemoon​ @atimefordragons​ @armadasneon​ @now-on-elissastillstands​ @interluxetumbra​ @pulltheskydown​

Inferna was hanging out in her favorite spot in Yue City - the lousy excuse of a Chinese restaurant, because it was just so easy to market her Inferna Sauce and sriracha to players who came away disappointed by the Asian dishes with absolutely zero seasoning - when the announcement popped up in the sky.

[  . . . T O U R N E Y . A N D . F A I R . I N . W I L D F L O W E R . M E A D O W . . . L E V E L . O N E . . .  ]

"Well, shit, that's just right around the corner," Inferna said out loud, putting away her sauce for the time being. She wasn't sure if she was going to compete - she'd prooobably get distracted by the free food - but it might be fun to just watch for a little bit.

So, with one over-dramatic whoosh of her hooded black capelet (which was decorated with intricate gold embroidery, because Inferna didn't wear things that were plain, thank you very much), Inferna was off.

When she got to the meadowlands, the entire place was filled with stalls and throngs of players eager to watch the tournament. Inferna decided that she'd watch the tournament after some refreshments, and immediately headed for the food stalls. She stocked up on some chicken pot pies and mead, nibbling on an apple turnover as she browsed. Eventually, she came across a wyvern being turned over a spit, and tossed the NPCs roasting the thing a coin in exchange for a hunk of meat, which she drizzled her homemade hot sauce over before biting into.

It tasted just like chicken. Then again, most meats that weren't pork or beef also tasted like chicken, in Inferna’s opinion.

Rats, for example; Inferna had been dared to eat a rat skewer in the City of Magic, once. She did it, and got a whole blueberry pie in return. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. And that pie had been good.

Inferna wandered around for another thirty minutes, snacking on the wyvern kebab, before finally making her way over to the lists. She frowned when she noticed that there were almost no seats, instead hopping up onto the balustrade after shoving all the dumb meatheads out of the way.

There. That’s a perfect view, she thought, satisfied. She was taking in the sight of the Moonstone player with the pretties armor she’d ever seen facing off an Obsidian player in all black, just as she felt someone flick her calf.

“What the f-” Inferna’s muttered profanity was cut off when she noticed who it was.

"Hey, what’s up? You’re Neddy, right?" she asked, grinning widely. Inferna had met Neddy back in Level Ten, AKA Finvarra’s Gardens, and honestly, Inferna thought she was the sweetest thing. And her dragon, ugh - Inferna would never! Get! Over! Jack!!!!

The other girl looked up. "Inferna?" 

Inferna beamed down at her and offered her a hand up instead of answering. 

Neddy took her hand, and Inferna pulled her up onto the balustrade with her. “View’s better up here,” she told her with a wink, grinning her usual shit-eating grin.

Inferna was about to go back to watching the action - the Obsidian player had easily unseated the Moonstone one - when she noticed...was that Jack?!?! Riding in a basket on Neddy’s back?????

She gave an excited half-squeal, half-exclaimation. “God, Jack is so freaking adorable! Does he still like sugar cubes?" she fired off, pulling out a sugar cube she’d gotten from the Tearoom, as well as a tiny bottle of Inferna Sauce (she’d decided that she was going to make mini bottles to carry around outside of her inventory, just for convenience). She dunked the sauce onto the sugar cube.

"How are you faring out there?" asked Neddy.

“It’s been pretty chill on my end,” Inferna replied, giving the Moonstone player a cheeky grin. “Haven’t really done anything exciting, besides get some blueberry scones from the Tearoom yesterday; they’re amazing. I was at Level 39 the other day too, but fighting the dragon is so much work, so I fucked off after a few minutes.”

Her attention strayed back to Neddy’s dragon. “Ooh, fuck, Jack is so cute. Here, you’re a good boy, aren’t you?” she said, gently tossing the sugar cube in the air and clapping with delight when Jack caught it in his mouth.

“What about you? Got anything fun going on?” she asked Neddy a moment later, tearing her eyes away from the miniature dragon.

"Nothing quite as exciting as thirty-nine," Neddy replied. "I've just gotten through floor twenty-nine by the skin of my teeth. Mermaid Cove won't be easy for me since I'm currently, you know, on my own."  

Inferna nodded, grimacing. “Oh, yeah, that level’s a pain in the ass if you don’t have a party. I think I got through it by just finding a group that needed an extra person who didn’t care about Angel’s Breath. Aydina - that’s the NPC you go up against - is kind of a cunt, too. Like, I get that it’s just pre-written dialogue, but the lady could be nicer while trying to fuck us over with that dodgeball of hers, you know?”

Inferna rolled her eyes at the thought of the pirate queen. Really, though, she was a cunt, she mused to herself. Everything she said, just - ugh! So unnecessary. 

It was a known fact that Inferna talked so much shit about any and all of the NPCs in the game. She was a bit infamous for it within the Obsidian Guild, actually, which was something that Inferna was immensely proud of.

"I’m not very good at dodgeball," said Neddy.

Inferna shrugged. “It was my favorite thing in gym, when I still had to take that bullshit class. All I did was dick around and throw balls at the annoying people in my grade, even if they were technically on my team,” she said, in the most solemn voice she could muster. 

She continued. “I thought that level was pretty fun, besides Aydina’s totally unnecessary commentary. So I can help you, if you want,” she said, “if you bribe me somehow. Since I don’t see how helping you with dodgeball helps my Guild, after all.”

Neddy seemed surprised. "Bribe?" she managed to get out. "I don't have much in the way of coin. . . . I'm not formidable by any means. Surely, it won't hurt Obsidian any if you help little old me move through a lower floor."

Inferna narrowed her eyes, skeptical. “Little old you and a dragon,” she pointed out, gesturing towards Jack. As cute as Jack was, both miniature and at his full size, he was still a, you know, dragon.

Neddy nodded, slowly. "Yeah. Okay- well, I can give you all the apricot tartlets in my inventory if you help me out."

Inferna bit her lip. Apricot tartlets? That was...that was a tempting offer. Plus, dodgeball was really fun, and plus, Inferna sort of owed Neddy, because Neddy had saved Inferna from being eternally trapped in Level Ten with that insufferable faerie prince (but the sweets on that level all looked absolutely divine, so could you really blame her?).

“Alright fine, I’ll do it,” Inferna agreed, flipping her red hair over one shoulder. “Just tell me when, and I’ll be there. But don’t make it before noon, or I’ll probably sleep straight through it. Like, I’m not even kidding; last semester I somehow slept through ten alarms and missed a 12:30 PM lab. So don’t make it before twelve.”

She narrowed her eyes, again. “Now hand over those tartlets.”

After Neddy had given her the tartlets, Inferna lingered for a little while, then decided to go find some other food to eat, nibbling on one of the tartlets as she went. She bought a steak and mashed potatoes dish, stowing it away in her virtual inventory for the time being.

A commotion by the lists caught her attention, about an hour or so later. Intrigued, Inferna crept closer, just in time to see a fellow Obsidian player wearing a flowy dress win a duel. Inferna cheered with the rest of her Guild, elbowing closer for a better view.

Hey, she thought, suddenly. Isn’t that the girl I saw yesterday?

Inferna let her gaze follow the blonde girl as she collected her prize money and went off towards one of the open areas. She took off after her, finding that it was extraordinarily easy to follow the other player when she was wearing a pretty flower crown - all she had to do was look for the flowers in the crush of people.

Once Inferna reached the grassy field, she scanned the area before finally locating the girl she met at the Descend the day before.

“Oh, hey,” Inferna said, trotting over. A quick glance at her profile said that she went by ‘Morningstar’. “I saw your duel, by the way. Congrats on winning.” She grinned.

Morningstar gave her a scathing look. Inferna ignored it and flopped down to sit on the grass next to her, dragging out a bottle of Inferna Sauce from her inventory, as well as as the steak and mashed potatoes dish she’d just purchased. She all but drenched the food with her hot sauce, because everything in the game was so damn bland - to someone who’d grown up eating spicy food, anyway. 

“Do you want some, by the way?” Inferna asked, glancing up at Morningstar and grinning again. “It’s hot sauce. For when the white people food in this game gets too boring.”

She paused, for a moment. “I’ll trade you a bottle for a potion that makes me feel like I’ve just smoked some weed, if you have any. Or if you have anything like vodka? This mead and ale and stuff is fine, but jesus fucking christ, sometimes I just want to take two shots and be done.”

The two of them talked for a bit. Inferna mentioned that she’d be doing dodgeball with Neddy soon, and asked Morningstar if she’d want to join in. Then, once Inferna was hungry again, she got up and went searching for more food.

I should probably also get something if I’m going up against Aydina again, she thought. God, but she’s such a fucking cunt.

As such, Inferna found the marketplace and bought herself a few propugnatio potions, knowing that she’d need them to up her defense for the underwater dodgeball game; as a fire-mage, she was more vulnerable in aquatic environments. She also stocked up on fortissime potions, just to make sure her fiery attacks would pack an extra punch.

Satisfied with her haul, Inferna tossed the items into her inventory and went towards one of the stalls selling pastries. God, but they smelled good.