#BUT regular/main verse is golden also!! <3

[wildlcck]

ARTHUR (@suhspiria): ❛ i'm so high, i can see an angel. ❜ x

it's a goddamn miracle the man is seeing anything (besides stars) after the scrape they've just gotten out of- by the skin of their teeth too, no less. again. but, he'll be- he is- fine. he's got to be. ❛ you're fine... 's nothin' some shut-eye won't fix. you ain't dead- yet. our maker has to be gettin' mighty desperate, if he's sendin' his messengers after you. ❜

[amywhereyouwant]

Some TOH HCs I wanted to share

There are a LOT of them, so They're under the read more for your scrolling convenience

Luz

-Uses She/They pronouns

-Would watch the entirety of Sword Art Online just to be able to shit on it properly

-Eats way too much Shredded Cheese even though she’s Lactose Intolerant

-Has made a Your mom joke to Willow only to remember she doesn’t have one

-Mains King in Tekken and made a custom attire trying to make it look like the other King

-Screenpeeks religiously in Split Screen Multiplayer

-Predicted Hecazura 2 books into the series, still won’t shut up about it

-Relatively known Digital Artist, her blog probably took off when she started making art of the Demon Realm 

-Hates baking

-Helps Amity bake out of the kindness of her heart(Also seeing Amity enjoying herself is really nice)

-Had a cold once, hasn’t had a Human Realm illness since

-Has SH scars from her depressed period back in the human realm(S3E1), still ashamed over them

-Quotes Memes constantly, only Hunter understands what she’s talking about

-Cracked a rib tripping on a rug on her way to bed

Amity

-Absolutely hates Bugs, like, genuinely despises them

-Does not know how computers work, but still tries to use Luz’s laptop to look up date ideas

-Can and will dress as the most stereotypical Witch ever

-Adopted(All 3 Blight Kids are in my HC)

-Likes to bake

-Does not know how to bake

-Gets sick constantly

-Works out a lot so she can help out with rebuilding the Isles(and also a little bit for Luz)

-Used to apologise a lot for minor things(Pre-timeskip)

-REALLY Bummed she didn’t get to see Titan Luz

-Watched the barbie movie the same day Gus watched Oppenheimer

Gus

-Goes nonverbal when stressed out, uses Illusions and his palisman to communicate

-Cried for hours when he finished the last Cosmic Frontier book, even though it was a happy ending

-Likes the idea of Professional Wrestling, but wishes the fights were to the death

-Quotes Cosmic Frontier as a Vocal Stim

-Dramatically perishes in Matt’s arms on the regular

-Headcanons O'Bayley to look exactly like Hunter just for the memes

-Thinks Human 2D Animation is the most beautiful thing to have ever been created

-Watched Across the Spider-Verse and Begged for Luz to draw a Spider-Suit for him, she did one for everyone

-Got really jealous when everyone else got flapjack tattoos, then he realised he could just make one of his own with an Illusion

-Got insanely mad when he learned about Human Discrimination(“How can you hate someone for something they can’t change? That’s ridiculous!”)

-Watched Oppenheimer the same day Amity and Hunter watched the Barbie Movie

Hunter

-LOVES Dino Nuggies

-Didn’t know Dinosaurs were real for a while until Luz showed them to him, Velociraptors are his favourite because “They’re like Wolves but Lizards!” (They’re not)

-Has a tumblr account where he posts about Wolves, Luz is his only follower

-Definitely has a Fursona

-Kicks Luz’s ass at most video games, except for Halo 2 specifically(I wonder why)

-”Will you go out with me?” “Hunter we’ve been dating for a year” “Oh.”

-Thinks Huggbees’ How it’s actually made videos are 100% Legit and honest

-Made Willow a Flower Shirt to match his Wolf Shirt

-Wears Willow’s Flower Shirt he made

-Imagine Dragons is his favourite band

-Has Epilepsy

-Steals Willow’s dresses sometimes

-Found Nicole Coenen on YouTube, showed her to luz “She looks kinda like Amity!”(Nobody else sees the resemblance)

-Probably plays a LOT of Roblox

-Watched the Barbie Movie with Amity(Luz forced him to)

-Has seen every single vine there is(Thank the Titan for Vine Compilations on YouTube)

-Any kind of facial hair he grows is really patchy so he just goes clean shaven for convenience

-Snuck food during TtT even though he was 100% allowed to eat normally

-Bananas do exist in the Demon Realm, Hunter has just never learned that they do

-Gets visits from the Spirits of the other Golden Guards in his dreams

Willow

-Tackled someone to the ground when they only slightly bumped into Hunter(We stan a protective queen)

-Feeds her palisman doggie treats, nobody knows why

-Filled Camila’s entire back garden with way too many plants during TtT, they’re still there despite not being watered for a while

-Made a Garland made of both Demon and Human Realm plants for Hunter on their anniversary

-Has no real idol/role model

-Happily Listens to everyone else ramble about their interests

-Wears Hunter’s Wolf Shirt

-Calls Hunter “Hun” as a short for his name, started doing it even more after she figured out what it actually meant

-Pranks people she doesn’t like by putting giant Grape Vines around their house

-Held a presentation about plant care for the Gravesfield Gardener Society

-Thinks most Human Sports are boring(Except for Hockey and Roller Derby)

Vee

-Pulls off some crazy ass cosplays

-Knows how to drive Camila’s car perfectly, still has no idea how it actually works though

-Laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe first time she heard Metal Pipe Fall Sound Effect

-Considers Luz to be her Sister, Camila burst into tears and hugged her when she called Luz “Big Sis” in front of her for the first time

-Plays Minecraft on Camila’s home PC, has spent tons of time on Hypixel and built a little shrine for the other basilisks on a private world

-Takes after Luz in a lot of ways

-Is way better at Spanish than Luz, flexes about it constantly(Nobody really cares)

-Had no idea how to tell Masha she was a Basilisk when they confessed to her(Masha knew long before she told them)

-Is really cuddly in Basilisk form, not so much when shapeshifted(“I don’t really feel like it’s myself”)

-Her first kiss with Masha was really awkward, she apologised like 45 times and cried because it wasn’t good

-Steven Universe is a canon IP in the universe, so she got really confused when Amethyst sounded EXACTLY like her

I have no idea why I made this

[unforth]

I have started reading Danmei at your recommendation and I am IN SO DEEP. I was wondering if you could make a list of the ones you have read and recommend.

I AM SO GLAD ANON!! Both that I'm the reason you got into danmei, and also that you sent me this ask (I always wish I got more asks like this, lol. <3 )

Better yet, I can answer this pretty easily, because I've already compiled a stupidly complete list of what I've read, am reading, and plan to read, and it's on Tumblr even! And it's recent, so fingers crossed that the links all still work (with stuff going on with JJWXC - the website where most danmei is initially published - a lot of authors have locked, removed, or otherwise made it harder to access their works, so links have been changing often and things that used to be available often aren't).

Anyway, here's my FULL list! As you'll see if you click through, it's actually kinda short? because I'm a slow reader, and these books are so so so SO long. But, I'm plugging away, and reading more all the time (I'm like...almost 20% through The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua rn...).

As to recommendations...so, I've read, start to finish, 10 danmei novels so far, and I haven't yet read something I didn't like. I don't know what you've already read and liked, so it's hard for me to make specific recommendations and/or explain these books in a way that might help you decide which would interest you, but I can say that my personal top 5 are:

1. Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Fantranslations are no longer available for it, because it's being published by Seven Seas Danmei. I honestly don't even know where to begin with TGCF because I love it just that much. Like, it's my number 1 danmei, and it's ALSO in my top 5 books ever.

2. The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat. This has also been licensed by Seven Seas Danmei; if you're at all interested in reading it grab it now because the main translations are going down at the end of the month. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS AND TAGS 2ha is heavy angst with a happy ending, and all AO3 major archives apply to it, and then some.

3. Thousand Autumns by Meng Xishi. The one I'm hoping Seven Seas will license next. They are such a strange couple with a very unusual dynamic and I love that for them.

4. Qiye by Priest. This is the first book in the 'verse where the c-drama Word of Honor takes place, and is the book I finished most recently, and I really, really liked it. It was especially cool to read it and then watch some Word of Honor again because viewing the show through the lens of what I now know from Qiye is fascinating (I haven't read Tian Ya Ke yet, which is the book Word of Honor is based on, but it's on my list).

5. Golden Stage by Cang Wu Bin Bai. Peach Flower House Publishing announced yesterday that they've licensed this one under the name Golden Terrace, for a November release. I'm not sure yet what that means for the translation I linked, but I'd say, if you want to read a fantranslation this is probably the moment to do it.

Honorable Mention: Daomu Biji by Xu Lei isn't danmei, and it's honestly like...kinda terrible? The plot is so full of holes that it's sometimes incomprehensible, the official English translation is mediocre, the shows range from hilariously bad through genuinely good yet still full of huge plot holes and major plot holes...and yet somehow DMBJ has become one of my fandom happy places? I think it's because it's a trial by fire; the people who can get through the mess of canon have to be chill, there's no way to enjoy it otherwise (and I do, truly, genuinely, absolutely enjoy it) and so it's just...a really nice fandom to be in, and canon has a large cast with a lot of excellent supporting characters who often get the spotlight, which means it's a multishippers delight. But enter at your own risk. You WILL want to throw things at the author, on the regular, lmao.

I hope this helps a little? If I knew more what you'd read and liked, I could probably do a more tailored rec list. <3

[cerf-et-loutre]

Merlant Fashion Week: Day 1 - Black (Arc)Light of A’s eyes.

Kicking off Merlant Fashion Week, we start with my favorite casual look: the ArcLight wardrobe!! Four pieces of natural monochromatic delight and one messy hair.

So, let’s start!

(Photo for a better look of Noé with the coat, this is not from the same day).

WRAP COAT (Louis Vuitton)

Price: 4,800.00 USD

Sizes from 34 (XS or 2) to 42 (XL or 10)

This LV design is really popular, with sizes sold out in the USA, while no longer being listed in France, UK or Italy.

“The coat of the season combines a classic feel with avant-garde edge. Cut from a luxurious double wool-and-angora blend, it reinterprets the bourgeois wardrobe with its bold shoulders, and dramatic lapels in a contrasting wool-jersey blend. The belt’s Monogram canvas tips add a discreet Louis Vuitton signature.”

Detailed Features

Main : 48% Wool 31% Angora Hair 16% Polyamide 3% Cashgora 1% Cashmere 1% Elastane

Lining : 100% Silk

Black

Regular fit

Made in ITALY 

2. XS BICOLOR RIB KNIT HIGH NECK LONG SLEEVE TOP (Louis Vuitton)

Price: 1,160.00 USD 

 Size: 34 (XS or 2)

Guys, this was mad difficult to find. This design is not only out of stock everywhere but completely de-listed. Even on indian sites! lol.

I was honestly sure I wouldn’t even be able to find the exact model, as Noé doesn’t show it much. The best we are able to see is on the ArcLight interviews they did before the Q&A (the quality of those videos make me cry), and the complimentary photo they took with Scott Mantz. But, enough about that! 

Detailed Features

“How stylish is this top from Louis Vuitton! Beautifully made from a silk blend, this piece will give you a fitted look. It has a simple design with a high neck and long sleeves. This creation can be perfectly paired with skirts and skinny jeans.” 

Lining : 100% Silk

Black

(Sadly, I couldn’t find more detailed info about the materials used)

3. Black Skinny Pants (Society Room)

Adèle’s pants at the Hamburg Film Festival are the skinny pants both wore at the ArcLight panel. Now, they are not exactly the same in terms of tailoring. I’m not well-versed enough on english terminology about couture, but you can see the difference in the lower part of the pants, Noé’s are more open and longer, while Adéle’s are fitted and slightly shorter, that’s why you can see her socks better.

This is because this design belongs to Society Room Paris. A designer-house that makes exclusive tailored-made clothes.

“This townhouse is a contemporary version of 19th century Parisian salons and defines a new art of living.

Society Room offers a tailor-made brand for women and men , as well as a collection of ready-to-wear women "advanced contemporary" .

The particularity of the place lies in its philosophy, a place of life and exchange around creationThis townhouse is a contemporary version of 19th century Parisian salons and defines a new art of living.Society Room offers a tailor-made brand for women and men , as well as a collection of ready-to-wear women "advanced contemporary" .The particularity of the place lies in its philosophy, a place of life and exchange around creation.”

They do not sell online and their ready-to-wear collection is pretty limited, they prefer to work for hire. The closest I could find on their website was this:

It’s important to note that Cèline also has a similar design that she wore for the Golden Globes ceremony.

I particularly love the way they describe their work and their efforts for inclusivity, I think this is a huge reason why our babes wear them, aside from the clear good taste.

“Impeccable costumes, fitted cuts, personalized shirts, all this man-made universe, Society Room also dedicates it to women with an oversized and sexy tomboy wardrobe.

Society Room offers tailored pants and jackets, tuxedos and shirts. To this formal offer is added the custom-made casual (leather jackets or tunics).

It is a real service, also tailor-made, which accompanies customers in their experience during fittings by appointment.

4. Viv' Skate Metal-Buckle Sneakers (Roger Vivier)

Oh, the way this took me 2 hours to find and it was a very good friend and fellow Merlant Academy Founder who finally gave me the answer. I love her so much, guys.

Price: EUR 806.95

Size: White, Black, Black/Gold, White/Gold, White/Silver.  

Size: 37 to 42

When fashion meets street style, the result is an explosive trend that will never stop. Hand-crafted in leather, with an iconic metal buckle, the Viv' Skate is your new, elegant ally for a dynamic and non-chalant look.

Roger Vivier "Viv' Skate" sneakers in soft leather with patent leather trim.

Detailed Features

Leather upper

Signature metal pilgrim buckle at side.

Flat chunky heel.

Round toe.

Rubber outsole

Lace-up vamp.

Leather lining.

Made in Italy.

Maintenance and care cards included.

Branded dustbag

About the brand:

“Credited with creating the very first stiletto heel in the 1950s, Maison Roger Vivier today carries forward an extravagant artistic heritage. Each creation is meant to entrance with timeless Parisian elegance—sophisticated and inimitable, a rare and true luxury. Icons include the Miss Viv' bag, inspired by mid-century modern architecture; the sharp and flawless Belle Vivier Trompette pump; as well as the romantic, buckle-topped Belle Vivier and Gommette flats. The latest handbag design, Pilgrim de Jour, interprets the house-code buckle in a sleek and nonchalant way.”

...and VOILÀ!

On tuesday, Jun 02, our girl brings the spring with her and it’s damn cute.

[goldnfortune]

@bloomingascension​ said:

1) I always admire how you write your characters, especially how concrete your characterizations, and of course Callum's is among that. You always succeed in keeping him IC in your writings. 2) You kidding me?? Callum is prime daddy material. Also he's a MILF hunter, and I respect that. 3) I like reading your threads and plots, they give me that sweet sweet dopamine 4) Bish i'll follow all your blogs don't test me.  5) i'm gonna go full crack and say jojo because haha shenanigans 6) honestly his main verse is my fave, but close second are his warlock verse and envy verse, as well as eros 7) i'm trash so i'm over here stanning my own muse's ship uwu you know i love calsuka a lot dhghfdg and also i cant wait to do more caltus stuff uwu 8) nobody cause everyone i know already interacts with you lmaoo

Rate my character

How well I say IC

Aaaa thank you bby. It’s one thing I always hope I achieve considering I have so many muses. Glad to know I keep it IC with Callum. 

How sexy my character is.

;) Call does have the greatest potential to be a DILF and considering his ships that’s definitely going to happen. lol 

How interesting my RPs are.

This makes me happy. I’m just glad I can do threads and plots that keep my writing partners interested. uwu

Please tell me why you followed?

BISH same goes with any blog you have. You know we kick it with the mains babes. But also aaaa I’m just uwu

AUs I should do. 

lmaoo could you imagine him in JoJo tho? Nvm Joseph being an ass. Jotaro is the real dick lol 

Fave verse

I’m legit yessss that you’re fave is his regular main verse. That’s just him. That’s my Callum but I also have fun with the warlock and envy ones. He gets to be bad and an asshole in those. Otherwise he’s a golden good boy. I want to do more with Eros definitely. 

Fave ship

Calsuka are the OTP you know it. I love them. I love all of his ships. He’s such a lady killer and has no problem being that lol

Person/blog I should interact with

I mean you’re not wrong. I do interact with everybody you know XD

Thank you for sending this in. I love going through these to just get feedback on how I’m doing with a character. It makes me happy people like him. 

[biscuitreviews]

Biscuit Reviews Third Anniversary Review: Persona 5 Royal

It’s been three years since the beginning of Biscuit Reviews and what better way to celebrate the third year than to review an enhanced version of the third game I reviewed for the blog, Persona 5 Royal.

Now for this I’ll mostly be pointing out the differences between the two versions and give a review of the new content and Royal’s main selling point, a new party member, a new Palace and a third playable semester. Now that I’ll be talking more about in the “Keep Reading” cut to shield full on spoilers, because I can’t talk about that portion of the game without spoiling Persona 5’s story itself.

Like before, you are an unnamed silent-ish protagonist. Now in regards to Persona 5, the main character has two canon names, his manga name and his anime-adaptation name. To make it easier, I’m just going to refer to him as Joker from now on, which is his Phantom Thief codename.

One night, going home, Joker hears a woman screaming. He investigates it to find a man trying to have his way with her. He attempts to stop the man only to find out that he’s a powerful politician that turns the situation around to where Joker assaulted him. This false charge brands Joker a criminal to which his parents decide to have him live with their friend Sojiro Sakura

Later, a mysterious app downloads on Joker’s phone that allows him to travel to a place called the Metaverse, a place where cognitive distortions are manifested. It is here the power of Persona is discovered and Joker and friends take up the mantle of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

As a Phantom Thief, Joker will be attempting to steal the hearts from the Palaces of corrupted adults in positions of power to change their ways and admit the crimes which they have committed. These Palaces are all uniquely built with different paths, traps, and ambush points. Now in Royal, these Palaces have had a few changes. There are some shortcuts built to make going through the longer tedious areas less painful, there are new paths that lead to more treasure chests, and there additional areas to make use of the new grappling hook tool. 

However, the grappling hook is mostly used to access a new collectible in these Palaces known as “Will Seeds”. Collecting all three Will Seeds will make a new accessory to equip. Obtaining these Will Seeds aren’t an issue either as they are usually along the main path. The game also lets you know when a Will Seed is nearby and finding them is usually easy as the path to it is pretty obvious.

Even though the bosses are the same, all of their fights are different than in the original Persona 5. In fact, the new Okumura fight actually gave me a bit of a hard time, so much so I had to lower the difficulty of the game to have somewhat of a chance. It probably wouldn’t have been much of an issue if I had better Personas for the fight, but I was determined to push forward.

Mementos also comes back as your place to do side quests and comes with its own changes. There’s a new character called Jose who wanders Mementos looking for Flowers. You collect Flowers in exchange for powerful items. Mementos also has stamp collection stations. Collecting these stamps and giving them to Jose allows you to alter the rewards of Mementos. You can alter EXP received from fights, how much more money you can acquire, and have enemies drop better quality items within Mementos. It definitely makes going through weaker areas more bearable as you’ll still get decently rewarded no matter what level your party is.  Now remember the Will Seeds I mentioned earlier? If you have the Will Seed accessory, Jose will also upgrade it for you for no charge or special requirement.

After collecting every stamp, an extra boss fight against Jose will be unlocked. Going through this boss fight does contain what the internet has theorized as a possible tease for Persona 6, and possibly even the Shin Megami verse as a whole.

Now, the issue I had with Mementos in my previous review is still present. If you don’t keep up with Mementos, you’ll have a very long dungeon to do before you get to the “Final Main Dungeon.” So it is important that you at least go into Mementos once a month in game to keep pace.

Despite these new additions, Mementos does suffer a setback from the new additions. If you leave Mementos, you lose all the flowers you gained. You would think, “Oh that’s fine, Jose will probably be at the entrance so I have a chance to spend my flowers before leaving.” Nope, Jose will not be at the entrance, if you want to spend your flowers before leaving, you’ll have to find him within Mementos, spend your flowers and then return back to the entrance. For so many improvements to better streamline Mementos, it’s really odd that they did not streamline this part.

There’s also the addition of the Thieves’ Den. This mainly serves as an intractable gallery of events within the game where you view pictures, cutscenes, and listen to music. You can even customize it with various statues and wallpapers. Jose is also present here, but he serves more as a tour guide on what you can do in the Thieves’ Den.

There are additional improvements that have been included as well within the game. For one trying to convince a Persona to join you is easier as the game tells you that Persona’s personality type. Also Morgana and Futaba will actually tell you what kind of answers to give these specific Persona if you want them to join you. It certainly takes the guesswork out of everything and also makes Futaba feel more like an asset rather than just a character that is there because of the plot.In fact, Futaba actually does more in-game. She can sometimes takeover during the  all-out attack, and her Mementos and battle perks happen more frequently, at least, I felt it was that way.

The gun attack has also been greatly improved. In Persona 5, if you used up all of your ammo, that was it, you would have to leave the Palace and return the next day in-game to reload your ammo. Now, ammo is refilled after every encounter within the Palace. This to me, actually gave me a reason to care about buying and customizing new guns because they were now an actual effective tool.

There is also a new event that happens in the Velvet Room known as “Prison Alarm” This alarm allows you to do supercharged fusions that makes these fused Persona more powerful and also learn stronger spells. However, this is only guaranteed for the first fusion, the second fusion will have varied results. I do recommend still doing the second fusion as you’re more likely to have a normal fusion or a strong fusion than a weak fusion. Even if you do get a weak fusion, there is still a possibility that the weak fusion can know strong spells

All party members now know Baton Pass by default, you don’t have to have them learn it from their Confidant track. You can however make their Baton Pass stronger by playing darts with them, which is an actual mini-game in Persona 5 Royal. Not only will this increase the Baton Pass level, but also help deepen the bond with party members.

All Confidant events now have a phone call that occurs after the event that allows an opportunity to gain additional points towards Joker’s relationship with them. 

There are also 3 new confidants in Persona 5 Royal and maximizing their ranks are important to access the new semester and Palace. These new Confidants are Takuto Maruki, Goro Akechi, and Kasumi Yoshizawa. Even though Akechi was a Confidant in the original Persona 5, his track ranked up automatically and required no effort on the player’s part. Now, effort from the player is required.

Kasumi Yoshizawa will also act as your new “party member”. I use quotes around party member, because she’s only an active member for the new Palace, not for the overall story. She is used in a couple of battles during the main story, but that’s it outside the new Palace. I was really hoping she would be more of an active member, considering having a new party member was one of Royal’s main selling points.

As for Kasumi you’ll notice her Confidant rank is a bit different. She only has five ranks rather than the normal ten. She does have ten ranks, but to access the other five, you do have to access the new Palace as they are tied in to that Palace’s story.

Now, if you care more about the social aspect of Persona and not so much the dungeon aspect, you can still max out Maruki’s rank to access the new semester without worrying about the other two. But to get the full experience of Royal, you have to max out the three new Confidants and I encourage it to get access to everything. Also Maruki’s story and Kasumi’s story are both tied into the new Palace 

I will however state this though regarding the new semester. It’s only one additional in game month and that’s it. It’s a bit disappointing as I was hoping for two months akin to Persona 4 Golden, which opened up new events and scenes with the main cast. I am however curious about something regarding unlocking only the new semester and not the Palace. It’s something I haven’t quite found an answer for, it’s also a bit spoilery so I won’t go into details there, but I will in the cut.

Alright, I’m now going to be discussing the new Palace and its story. This will spoil the ending of the original Persona 5 as well as what happens in this new portion of the game. I’ll go ahead and give my score for the game as well as some of my overall thoughts.

If you haven’t played Persona 5 at all for any reason, definitely get Royal as it fixes a few issues that were present in the previous game and adds some new activities, cutscenes, and moments with the main cast. I highly recommend looking at this version rather than the regular Persona 5. If you played Persona 5 already and are debating on if you should get Persona 5 Royal, my suggestion would be to wait for a sale.

I will however add this as well. Persona 5 Royal is supposed to be the definitive edition. Normally when a definitive edition comes out, it includes all DLC. Now it does include all DLC from the original Persona 5, but Royal also comes with it’s own DLC. This DLC is in the form of costumes for Kasumi and additional extra boss fights with the protagonists from Persona 3 and Persona 4. Why are these not in Royal already to begin with? Royal already has a bunch of extra events and fights already, why weren’t these included?

So anyways, I’m going to give Royal two different scores as I feel that the experience will vary depending on if you’re a first time Persona 5 player, or a returning player for the new content.

If this is your first foray into Persona 5, it’s easily a 5 out of 5.

If you’re looking to go into this game for the new content, it’s easily a 4 out of 5.

So take it how you will and now I’ll be getting into the brand new content so again only click on “Keep Reading” if you have experienced the content, or just don’t much care for spoilers.

The events of the new Palace begin immediately after your fight with the God of Control. The original ending of Persona 5 is altered. Rather than Joker turning himself over for questioning during Sae’s pursuit against Shido, Akechi comes to turn himself in rather than Joker, showing that he survived the events of Shido’s Palace. The next day, you learn that Makoto’s father is alive as well as Futaba’s mother. To everyone else, this is how it always was, but Joker suspects that something has changed. This would be confirmed by Akechi and Kasumi who also seem to be aware of the changes around them. This marks Kasumi as now joining you as a permanent party member as well as Akechi, which was a surprise to me.

It is then up to Joker to convince the Phantom Thieves that what they are experiencing is not the true reality. During the investigation Maruki reveals that Kasumi herself is also living in an altered cognition and is in fact Sumire, the once thought dead sister. and not Kasumi. It turns out it was actually Kasumi that died in the accident, and it was Sumire’s grief that wanted Kasumi to come back. So to have Kasumi return, Sumire’s cognition got altered to where she was Kasumi and Kasumi was Sumire. During this conflict of identity, Maruki has Sumire channel that anger towards Joker and Akechi in an attempt to kill them.

The final battle against Maruki was slightly disappointing. His battle has three phases, but only one of them requires any actual effort, that being his first battle. His first fight took me a couple of tries to figure out the best party makeup and to figure out an attack pattern. Also, hopefully you didn’t burn any of those Full HP and SP recovery items while fighting the God of Control, because you will need them during this fight. The second fight, all you have to do is keep the attack debuff on him and your defense buff up and stay healed as you fight him. The third fight, you don’t do anything. You just have to stay healed and guard. You don’t have to buff yourself, you don’t have to manage your resources, just stay alive and guard for your life. Which is a shame because I was looking forward to a grueling fight with the third phase, something akin to old RPGs when it came to final bosses having multiple forms, you were in for the fight of your life with multiple forms that truly tested you and your knowledge of the game. Maruki had that promise, but ended up not delivering.

The new Palace also provides three different endings, with one of the endings having three different variants on how to get it. You have the indecisive ending, where Maruki puts Joker to sleep, with Joker’s room showing that no one has gone to check on him for who knows how long. The bad ending being Joker accepting Maruki’s reality and everyone being happy, yet it’s implied that Joker and Akechi are aware that it’s fake and that they both accept it as the new true reality. Now I’m not fully ingrained into the Shin Megami Tensei series, but I do know that this overarching series has spinoffs upon spinoffs based on different endings from its various titles. I can see one of these endings giving birth to a new series within the Shin Megami Tensei line because there is some potential in what has been created here with these bad endings and I hope Atlus does revisit this in the future. I have to say despite being bad endings, they were given some thought and care. 

Personally, I think the bad ending could actually serve as a true ending especially seeing every member, minus Akechi, was having doubts about what they are doing and if fixing reality is truly the best thing to do. Seeing that inner conflict with the cast also had me feel that same conflict. Do I want these characters that I spent over 100+ hours with to have their happy ending, or do I bring them back to the true reality?

Finally, there’s the good ending where the Phantom Thieves defeat Maruki and restore reality to its proper form. This means that Akechi is dead and the events of Persona 5’s original ending continue with the Phantom Thieves being the only ones that remember the events of the altered reality. 

Or is reality back in its original state? 

There are definitely some threads it left that do have me curious. Is Akechi truly alive? Does the Metaverse still exist? As far as I know, this is the first Persona game to actually have unanswered questions at the end. From what I understand with Persona 5 Scramble, the Metaverse does still exist, however, there’s no answer regarding Akechi. I’ll guess we’ll have to wait for either another Persona 5 sequel or maybe even easter eggs within Persona 6 to learn the answers to those questions.

Which is also my question for what I had earlier. If you only maximize Maruki’s Confident, does that mean the bad ending happens by default? I haven’t been able to find an answer to this online and I am a bit too worn to go back and retread through Persona 5 for a small curiosity. If anyone knows this, let me know or link me to a Youtube video where I can see this, I would like to know.

Either way, it’s a bit of a mixed bag with the new content. I did love navigating through the new Palace, and some of the new Mementos requests were on the challenging side for sure, but the buildup to a big finale fight was a bit of a let down and not being able to play the full third semester was even more disappointing.

[553butterfly553]

Lightning Dragon Slayer Love - Laxus x OC 3

Getting To Know Each Other

Eventually, they all got safely to Magnolia without anyone throwing up on anyone else. Adryn instantly rushed off the train as soon as it came to a stop. She wanted off that thing from the moment she got on it. “You good?” Evergreen questioned the girl as she got off the train as well. She could see the color return to Adryn's face slowly showing that the girl wasn't going to be sick anytime soon. “I am now.” Adryn simply responded with a small smile. “Come on, let's get back to the guild to tell Master what happened,” Freed stated as he climbed off of the train with Bickslow and Laxus behind him. Laxus led the way to the guildhall while Adryn trailed behind. She was walking slower than the others for a few reasons, the main one being that she didn't want to go back to the guildhall. She didn't like being there at all. “Adryn, why are you walking so slow?” Evergreen questioned when she realized the other girl wasn't next to her anymore. Adryn looked up from the ground and frowned. “I don't like being at the guildhall.” Adryn simply responded, but then continued before anyone could get the wrong idea. “I mean, I enjoy being around Mira and her siblings, but I don't like the loudness and the chaos that is usually going on. I don't want to get brought into any fights or something.” “I see... Is there something else going on?” Adryn was surprised that Evergreen could tell that Adryn was holding something back. Adryn looked back down at the ground and frowned more. “I don't particularly trust many people anymore, so it's hard being around that many people all at once.” Evergreen nodded her head in response, but then walked over and grabbed Adryn's wrist. “What are you doing?” “Making sure you don't run off before we get there. Come on, let's go.” Evergreen then began to walk, forcing Adryn to walk as well. The two girls walked right past all the men and carried on like that until the guildhall was reached. Even then, Evergreen walked into the place and then released Adryn from her grasp. Due to Evergreen bursting through the door with Adryn, most people turned to look at them. That only served to make Adryn want to run away even more, but instead, she faced her fears and headed to the bar where Mirajane was. “Hello Adryn, how was the job?” Mirajane questioned as she looked at her freaked-out friend. She could feel the eyes on her still. “It wasn't so bad, but I still prefer to do things alone. We didn't get it all accomplished though. I'll explain more later. We need to talk to Master first.” Adryn responded as she turned around to see the rest of the group appearing and heading towards her. “Alright, I'll go get him.” Mirajane then walked off in search of their master. A few moments later, they both appeared and split up. Master Makarov walked over to the Thunder Legion, Laxus and Adryn as Mirajane headed back to the bar. “I hear you kids have something you need to talk to me about?” Master Makarov questioned as he looked up at the group. “Yes, Master. Your son is still out there somewhere. By the time we went to apprehend him, he was already gone.” Freed spoke up as he was apparently designated as the speaker for the group. “Also, I may have tried to kill him when I lost my temper.” Adryn brought up before Freed could get into too many details. Master Makarov looked over at the girl and sighed. “But Laxus stopped me before I could actually do any harm.” “I understand that going on that job must have been difficult for you. You seeing him after all these years must have been upsetting.” Master Makarov stated as he looked at the redhead. Adryn nodded her head in agreement. “I'm glad that you went with Laxus and the Thunder Legion. I'm afraid of what could have happened if you'd gone alone.” Adryn frowned and looked towards the ground as she muttered an apology for attempting to kill his son. However, Laxus just patted the girl on the head and began to speak. “She had every right to try to kill him after all he's done to her. I don't blame her and you shouldn't either.” Laxus' words caused Adryn to look up at him with a blush on her face. “Thank you, Laxus.” All Master Makarov could do was nod his head. He was, however, a bit surprised that Laxus defended Adryn like that. He then watched as the two bickered a little bit. Adryn didn't like being patted due to it embarrassing her, though she wouldn't admit that and Laxus continued to pat her head just to mess with her. “Master, we think that they like each other,” Evergreen whispered as she bent down to his level. “Oh?” He responded to the girl as he looked at her. “Laxus carried Adryn when she got drunk and was mostly gentle with her. He also defended her at the bar we went to last night. Plus, you just saw how she reacted to him patting her head. She blushed, and she doesn't seem like one to blush over any little thing.” Master Makarov just nodded his head and a huge smile on his face appeared. “Alright! You five will continue working together until Ivan has been caught!” Master Makarov stated loudly, getting the attention of Laxus and Adryn who were in their own little world together. They looked over at the master and nodded their heads before speaking in unison. “We already planned to do that.” Both Laxus and Adryn looked at each other and the girl chuckled while Laxus just smiled at her. They apparently were on the same wavelength. “See Master, something is going on between them, but I think they are both in denial.” Evergreen stated just softly enough that only who she was talking to could hear it. Master Makarov just nodded his head in agreement. “Well, if there's nothing left to talk about, I'm going to drink.” Master Makarov declared before heading to the bar. “That's a good idea,” Laxus said but was stopped by Freed's voice. “Actually,” Freed began, causing Laxus and the rest of the group to turn to him. “I was thinking that we could go and train together, to work on teamwork and get to know each other's abilities better. Due to Adryn being a new addition to our group, we should do this together, since we'll be working together for a while.” They all thought about it for a moment before nodding their heads. “Alright, lead the way, Freed.” Freed followed Laxus' orders and began to walk out of the building. He then them away from the guildhall and to a remote part of town where most people don't go. It was a frequent place for the guild members to go and train together. “Now, let's start with me verses you, Adryn,” Freed spoke up as they got to the outskirts of the field. The girl nodded her head and followed Freed out into the field. They stood apart a few feet and got ready to battle. Evergreen signaled them to begin their fight, and instantly, Adryn's eyes began to glow. Her beautiful golden eyes were vibrant red, and instantly Freed began to wince in pain, followed by that was the coughing. “Somebody like you could take a few minutes of this, but do yourself a favor and don't fight it. It'll hurt more if you do.” Adryn stated as Freed collapsed to his knees. Adryn cut off her magic and the glowing stopped, along with Freed's coughing and pain. “I think I won?” “Yes, I agree, you won,” Freed spoke up with a hoarse voice. “Are you alright? I didn't do it for too long, right?” Adryn walked over to Freed and checked him over a little bit to make sure he wasn't dying or anything. “I appreciate your concern, however, I am alright.” Freed allowed Adryn to help him stand back up before he turned to the others. Bickslow and Evergreen were staring in shock as Laxus smirked. “That magic really is something to take Freed down so simply,” Laxus stated as he looked right at Adryn. “Why didn't you use your lightning dragon slayer magic on Freed? Why only the pain magic?” Evergreen finally questioned as her shock wore off. “Why would I want to use magic that was forced upon me? The lacrima was placed inside me against my will, so I only use it if I absolutely have to. To not use that magic is more of a 'fuck you' to Ivan than anything.” Adryn responded. “Well, you absolutely have to now. Let's fight.” Laxus stepped up and walked towards the girl who just looked at him confused. “I can't use my pain magic?” “No, only lightning.” “Oh... alright then, but what if I hurt you?” To that, Laxus laughed. “You? Hurt me?” That seemed to piss Adryn off instantly. “Very well, I'll make sure it hurts then.” It was like a switch was flipped and the girl was suddenly raring to go. They walked away from each other in the field and got into position quite a few feet apart. Both of them seemed to have the same idea, so as soon as Evergreen signaled for them to begin, they both went into action immediately. Both of them used their Lightning Dragon Slayer Roar on each other, causing blue and regular lightning to clash, instantly causing a huge explosion. When the dust cleared, there was a huge hole in the ground and Laxus, along with Adryn had been flung backward and were now laying on the ground. That showed they were equal in strength. “Did that really just happen?” Bickslow questioned with his babies echoing him. “More importantly, are they alright?” Freed questioned as he hurried off to Laxus. “Laxus, are you okay?!” “Adryn, you good?” Bickslow and Evergreen made their way to the girl who was just laying on the ground. As they got closer, they could see she was just staring up at the clouds. “That hurt.” Was all Adryn said as the two reached her. They helped her up and turned to see Laxus already standing and brushing himself off. Adryn followed suit and brushed herself off as well. “I have to admit, that was unexpected,” Laxus stated as he approached the girl. Adryn just chuckled and nodded her head. None of them could have imagined that Laxus and Adryn would be equally powerful. “Let's tell everyone

back at the guild!” Bickslow called out excitedly. “No one will believe us,” Evergreen responded simply. “They will trust our word,” Freed spoke up, causing Evergreen and Bickslow to nod their heads. They'd gained the trust of everyone in Fairy Tail, so of course, they would believe them. “Let's head back. I think after that, we could use some drinks and food.” “Hell yeah!” Bickslow yelled with his babies repeating his words a few times. As they all walked back to the guildhall, Laxus couldn't help but stare at Adryn. He was surprised that such a small girl could be so powerful. It just caused him to be even more intrigued with her. As soon as they got back tot he guild, everyone split up. Adryn went to talk to Mirajane, Evergreen went to talk to Elfman, Bickslow went to talk to Natsu and his group while Laxus and Freed went to the bar to get food and drinks for their group. Soon, it was spread all around that not only did Adryn kick Freed's ass, but she was as strong as Laxus when it came to their lightning dragon slayer magic. Suddenly, everyone wanted to talk to Adryn, which she wanted no part of. “Mira, I think I'm going to head home. I don't like all this attention.” Adryn stated as she looked around at all the people who were not watching her. “Come on Adryn, please stay. You're part of the family, aren't you? They are just interested in you. They don't mean any harm.” Mirajane responded to her friend, but Adryn had already made up her mind. “Sorry, but I can't do this right now.” Adryn then used her lightning dragon slayer magic to turn into lightning and soar right out of the guildhall. “Where'd she go?” Laxus questioned as he had watched it all happen. “She left to go home.” Mirajane frowned as she turned to look at Laxus. “You know, I bet if he went to go get her, Adryn would return with Laxus,” Evergreen spoke up as she approached the two friends. “Why would she listen to me?” Laxus asked as he was genuinely confused. “Just go.” Both Mirajane and Evergreen practically yelled at the man, who jolted in surprise. “Maybe we should let her before tonight, she had to deal with quite a lot in the last few days,” Freed stated as he joined in on the conversation. “Besides, she didn't look like she wanted to be around other people, so Laxus should go get her tomorrow if she doesn't come to the guild herself.” The two girls nodded their heads and then went their separate ways. So, with that in agreement, they all went to eating, drinking and having fun. However, it bothered Laxus that Adryn was in the back of his mind the whole night. He still refused to think about why that would be though. ~ Morning came, and Adryn woke up to the lovely sounds of birds chirping. She took a bath, got dressed. She wore the same thing as always. Which was a pair of black shorts and a tank top. Today's tank top was blood red though. After she was dressed, she ate breakfast and sat down in her comfy chair before grabbing the book she'd been reading for the past week. However, she never got to open the book, as a knock reached her ears. Someone was at her front door knocking on it. She instantly was on edge as she approached, before looking through the little hole in her door to see Laxus standing there. So, knowing he wasn't a threat, Adryn opened the door. “How did you find me?” Adryn questioned before Laxus could say anything at all. He just smirked at her. “How about you let me in first, then I'll tell you,” Laxus responded as he looked down at Adryn. The girl moved out of the way as if saying he could enter. Laxus then saw that within the girl's home was a few chairs and a couch set around a fireplace. So, he went to sit on the couch motioning to the girl to sit next to him. Adryn closed her door and sat in a chair across from the man, rather than sitting next to him on the couch. “How did you find me?” Adryn repeated a little more serious than before. Adryn was serious about this because she was in the middle of the forest. “Mira told me where you lived. You know, it was hard to find this place even with her directions.” Adryn couldn't help but chuckle at that. “I know, that was the point of living here. I don't like visitors.” “Oh? Should I leave then?” Laxus made a move to get up, but Adryn stopped him. “I guess a visitor every now and then is alright.” Adryn then thought of something. “Why did Mira send you out here?” “She wants you to be part of the guild more. So she sent me here to get you. For some reason, Ever thinks that you'll listen to me.” Adryn couldn't help but blush slightly at that statement. “I see. Well, you can stay for a bit, but I won't go back with you to the guild.” “Why not?” “I don't like being around people much. It's hard to trust them, after all, I've been through. Besides, I just don't want to be there.” “You shouldn't say that. We're all a family, aren't we? You should be there more often.” “Funny, coming from the guy who pitted everyone against each other.” Adryn then put a hand over her mouth with a gasp. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that.” “No matter how you meant to say it, your point got across.” Laxus didn't seem to be too upset though. “Can I ask you something? Why did you do that to the guild if you thought of them as your family?” “I just wanted to make the guild stronger.” Was Laxus' simple answer to which Adryn nodded her head. “Speaking of that time, where were you during that?” “That was part of the five years I was with Ivan and Raven Tail.” “Well, I guess it's a good thing you weren't there, you probably would have stopped me faster than Natsu did.” Adryn couldn't help but chuckle at that. “I'm sure you would have won in the end against me if we fought normally. I don't usually use my dragon slayer magic, so it's difficult for me to use it for too long. I probably would have panicked and used my pain magic on you.” “What is your pain magic anyway?” “From what Ivan said, it's something like constricting the heart and other organs. 'Pain magic' is the best term we could come up with. I inherited it from my father, but I don't remember him much so I don't know what he called his magic.” “I see. Well, I don't think I want to know how that feels. It doesn't sound pleasant.” Adryn couldn't help but laugh at that. “What? Is the great Laxus Dreyar scared of a little pain?” Adryn was mocking him and Laxus didn't like it. He frowned and partially glared at the girl. “Fine then, use it on me.” “I don't feel like it right now.” Adryn shrugged as she smiled at the man. Laxus suddenly stood up, making the girl worry he was about to leave. “Where are you going?” “We are going back to the guild.” Laxus saw the look on Adryn's face change instantly. She frowned and looked towards the ground with worry in her eyes. “Are you afraid?” “...I am...” Laxus just chuckled and held out his hand to Adryn. She looked up with confusion. “I'll protect you.” Adryn's heart nearly stopped when he said that to her. Laxus was also as surprised at what just came out of his mouth as well. He wasn't expecting that. He was even more surprised when Adryn put her hand in his. “Alright, but you better keep me safe.” She had a huge smile on her face as she spoke, causing a smile to appear on Laxus' face as well. “Let's get going then.” To Laxus' statement, Adryn nodded her head. “Just let me get my cloak.” She then headed into her bedroom and grabbed the cloak off where it was hanging. “Alright, let's go!” Adryn happily said once she had put the cloak on. The two then set off through the forest to head back to town. They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Neither one of them had anything to say, so they just didn't say anything. However, the silence gave Adryn some quiet time to think. She mainly thought about Laxus and her feelings towards him. She wasn't a stupid girl, so she could tell that she was developing feelings for the man. The growing feelings made her want to run away from him and the guild, but she knew if she did that, Laxus would probably just come after her and it would just create a bothersome situation. So, she decided to talk to Mirajane about the feelings as soon as they got back to the guildhall. Soon enough, they reached the guildhall and split up. Laxus went for the Thunder Legion while Adryn went right for Mirajane. “Mira, can we talk?” Adryn's question brought worry to Mirajane's face. “Of course, what's wrong?” Mirajane led Adryn away from the bar and to a corner of the room where no one was. “Well, it's just that... I think... No, I know that I have feelings for Laxus.” Adryn got out after a moment of thought. “Oh my gosh, Adryn. I thought that something bad had happened!” Mirajane gasped with a chuckle. “Huh, but it is bad! I am terrified and confused. The only person I've ever had feelings for is a girl who was killed by Ivan. So, I don't know what to do with these feelings for a guy. Especially not when it's the son of the man who put me through hell!” Adryn was clearly on the verge of panicking, so Mirajane put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “Adryn, it's alright. It's okay to have feelings for Laxus. I think you should move forward with those feelings and ask him out.” “What? Fuck no. He probably doesn't even like me.” “He does though.” Adryn however already was standing up as she shook her head. “I'll just keep quiet about my feelings. I can't allow myself to fall for anyone yet. I have a mission to complete.” With that, Adryn walked to the bar to get a drink but was stopped by Natsu jumping out in front of her. “Fight me, Adryn!” Natsu yelled out, gathering the attention of most of the guild. Since they'd all heard about Adryn being on par with Laxus, all Natsu could talk about was wanting to fight her. “Alright.” Adryn shrugged simply. “Really, Adryn? I thought you didn't like people.” Evergreen commented from her table with the Thunder Legion and Laxus. “I hate people, but I do enjoy fighting.” That statement made a few random people chuckle. “Alright! Let's fight!” Natsu then powered up with flames and came charging at her. Adryn stood still, but her eyes began to glow. “Natsu has lost already.” Bickslow laughed with his babies repeating, “Lost! Lost! Lost!” “What do you mean?” Lucy asks instantly worried for Natsu. However, she was answered by Natsu beginning to cough. “Don't fight it. It makes it worse.” Adryn spoke up as Natsu was clearly trying to fight it. Natsu began to yell out, but he quickly fell to the ground, unconscious. “Oh damn, I did it too much.” Adryn quickly approached Natsu and bent down to him. “Are you still alive?” She shook him and when he groaned, she sighed a sigh of relief. “Natsu!” Happy cried out as he flew over to his best friend. Adryn stood up and shrugged her shoulders before walking to the bar for a drink. Everyone, minus the Thunder Legion and Laxus were shocked that Natsu went down so easily. To Laxus' surprise, he felt a sense of pride at watching Adryn take down Natsu. It was like he was happy that she was able to do that. It instantly confused him. However, after a moment, he was hit with the realization that it meant that he liked her. Even so, he wrote it off as a sexual like rather than a romantic one. He figured that he must just want to get in her pants due to her being one of the only girls who were strong enough to fight him. He did like strong women after all. “Laxus, what are you smiling about?” Freed's voice brought Laxus out of his mind and back to reality. “Nothing.” He instantly wiped the look off his face as he watched Adryn, but the damage was already done. His group was completely aware of his feelings for the redheaded girl now. Though, none of them decided to bring it up to him for fear that he would completely reject his feelings for the girl. So, they all just watched Adryn fight more and more people with her pain magic with her apologizing to each and every one of them afterward.

[heroicadventurists]

Comic Book Stock Report

One of my favorite websites, Cageside Seats, does a weekly stock report on wrestlers and their trajectory in the company.   I thought it would be fun to apply this to the comic book industry.  This week will focus on characters whose stock is on the rise.

DC-Black Lightning

2018 and 2019 have been great years for Jefferson Pearce.  The tide really turned for the character with his provocative show on the CW, which premiered on the heels of Black Panther and Luke Cage. The series, which boosts a 94% score on rotten tomatoes, focuses on Jefferson’s professional, vigilante and family life.  Like Luke Cage and Black Panther, the show tackles social justice issues affecting the black community and our world today; creating a conversation that goes beyond comic books.

On the show, Jefferson is a respected leader in his community and DC is adapting that trait in the comics.  In Detective Comics # 983-987, Batman sought out Black Lightning to lead his new Outsiders team. Batman and the Outsiders was released on May 2019 and DC seems to be putting a lot of focus on Jefferson’s character and his ability (or willingness) to lead the team.

Jefferson also has a feature role on the DC Universe’s YJ: Outsiders.  The 2nd half of YJ: Outsiders will premier in June 2019. Season 3 of Black Lightning will air in the fall of 2019.

DC-Red Hood

Big things are on the horizon for Jason Todd.  DC is rolling out a 6-issue mystery thriller in June called Leviathan.  Based on promotional advertising, Jason is the prime suspect.  Jason will also have a role in DC’s Year of the Villain event.  On episode 175 of DC Daily, Dan Didio said they were highlighting villains who they felt deserved that level of priority.  Regardless if Jason is working from within to destroy Lex’s operation or he’s truly helping Lex, it’s promising that DC sees him as a priority character.

Red Hood will also be featured alongside Batman and Batgirl in the Three Jokers miniseries.  It has been said that this book will be the quintessential Red Hood story.

Jason’s profile is also expanding outside of comics, exposing him to more casual fans.  Jason first hit the small screen in the 2010 hit Batman: Under The Red Hood.  It would take 6 years for him to have a small cameo in another film.  2018 seems to be a turning point for Jason as he had appearances in Gotham by Gaslight, Batman Ninja and the live-action show Titans.  Jason will be returning to Titans in 2019 as a series regular.  Jason was also revealed to be alive on YJ: Outsiders, so we may possibly see more of Jason on that show as well. 

Jason will be making his first Lego movie debut in Batman: Family Matters. 

Marvel-Spider Man: Miles Morales

This has truly been a MILEStone year for Miles Morales. Miles made his movie debut in December 2018 as the titular character in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.  The movie was critically acclaimed and toots a 97% score on rotten tomatoes. The movie won Best Animated Film at the Golden Globes, The Critics Choice Awards and the Oscars.  A sequel and spin-offs are being planned. 

Riding off of this momentum, Miles has taken a more prominent role in the Marvel Universe.  He was originally introduced in the Ultimate Universe, however with his newfound popularity, he is now in Marvel’s main 616 Universe.  In December 2018, Miles received a new solo title with issue # 1 selling 57,491 copies.  Subsequent issues 2-4 are averaging over 33k units sold to comic book stores. 

Miles was also the lead character in the highly successful Spider-Geddon event and will receive a miniseries in Marvel’s upcoming Absolute Carnage event. This is a huge accomplishment considering he was a background player during the Spider-Verse comic book event.

Miles’ is swinging his way to the top.  Don’t be surprised if he shows up in the MCU one day.  It was confirmed in Spider-Man Homecoming that he is in that Universe.  Only time will tell. 

Marvel-Captain Marvel

When Thor could no longer wield Mjolnir, Tony was in a coma, and Steve was possessed by Kobik; Carol was there.  Carol has been a consistent presence in Marvel for years and an essential part of the Avengers. Even though she has consistently been present in comics,  becoming the first woman to have a solo film in the  MCU has taken her character to the next level.  Due to some smart strategic placement, Captain Marvel earned an astounding $1.127 billion dollars at the box off, making it one of the most financially successful movies in history.  Carol has become a symbol of women’s empowerment and will be getting a sequel to her self-titled filmed. Riding off of the momentum of Captain Marvel, Carol received a new comic with  # 1 selling 111,391 copies.

Captain Marvel is also featured on the animated series Marvel Rising. 

[emptynarration]

Verses and AUs (Long Edition)

All these AUs can work with either Host or Author. I’ll write down only the Host option, though in the Human AU Author’s human name is also stated.

Most of these verses have been made from my old version of Host. Said Host is small, sort of depressed, pretty sad and soft. So the opposite of the new revamped Host. There might be differences in how I write Host due to having those two versions of Host.

I’ll make a second page for verses keeping my old version of Host in mind, which will be linked with every AU that has it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Human AU [Second Version]

Host is named Markus Barker. Sometimes uses Host as nickname.

He is either: Born blind (sclera/pupil milky).                       Blind due to a disease (Neuromyelitis Optica).

He lives on his own with his pets. He either:     Lives in his cabin in the forest.                       Lives on the outskirts of town with a garden.

He has an older brother (Arthur, world-wide known author).

He works on a rather popular podcast as main-narrator. He also either: Works at a radio station.                    Stays at home (financial help from his brother).

Can also go with human Author, the aforementioned brother of Host.

Both can also exist without brother.

Human Slave AU:

Host is named Markus Barker. Host is his nickname though

He is either: Born blind (sclera/pupil milky).                       Got his eyes gouged out by an owner.

He had been sold as slave when he had been a young child (around 4 y/o?).

Medieval AU: [Second Version]

Host is named Markus Barker.

He’s a servant for a noble household, with bad eyesight. He hates it there, but there’s nothing he can do if he doesn’t want to end up on the street. Even if that means being treated like dirt.

Royal AU: [Second Version]

Host is named Markus Barker.

He’s a rather young king (20-25) because his parents died in a tragic “accident”.

He’s rather strict, but very open-minded and protective of his kingdom.

He is as good as blind, only able to see colours and shapes, due to an accident as child.

in case of magic, his situation with Alden is pretty much the same, though they keep it hidden.

Neko AU: [Second Version]

He is named Host (by his mother)

He is 2'4"

He was born blind (sclera/pupil milky).

He is biologically female but identifies as male.

He was taken away from his mother from a very young age (too young to be taken away from his mother).

His first real owner mistreated him terribly.

He’s angry at the world and hates people, not afraid of them even with his very small size.

Broken Host AU:

This Host is based on the old fandom interpretation after MarkiplierTV:

Dark is at cause for taking Author’s eyes, in exchange for power.

Due to that Host is one of Dark’s “pawns” and is forced to tell him about visions and things in the future as soon as possible.

Due to basically abuse he was mentally broken by Dark.

He is extremely obedient to Dark.

He’s covered in scars and brandings (burn scars).

He doesn’t speak a lot.

He gets lost in his head, and especially in his narrations, a lot.

Angel AU:

Host is named Markus (he was once human).

His pupils are white (eyes usually covered up by a cloth)

He is a collector of souls from dying people.

He can see the souls of living beings with his eyes uncovered (but not allowed to do so technically).

His wings are white, the feather-tips golden.

Knows English more or less.

Mermaid AU: (other versions depending on size!)

Host goes by the name of Host.

He had almost been caught once by humans, which resulted in the loss of his eyesight, and thick scars over his eyes.

His scales are golden. His fins are slightly see-through, and tipped green. His ears are fins. He has fins on his underarms. He has scales on his shoulders and arms.

He has scales that glow in the dark, and markings on his face which also glow in the dark (not visible unless glowing)

He’s a siren, and thus can speak and understand English.

Underwater mermaids communicate via clicking sounds (kinda like morse code, but different).

Fairy AU: (Basically an OC shhh) (More extra info here)

Host is named Rhosyn, but may go by the name Host as well.

He is a (flower) fairy.

He can change his size, between 0.5 inches and 3 feet.

His wings are large and slightly see-through. Golden in colour, with intricate swirls covering them.

(The rest of his looks)

He lives in a small flower field he takes care of by himself.

He is blind, but has learned to see magic.

Every living thing (from humans, to fae, to plants) have magic to some amount, which he can see and tell what he is looking at.

Harpy AU

Host has no name he goes by, but will let anyone name him

He is 8 inches tall

He’s a brown thrasher harpy

He has slightly darker skin (than Mark), short, like brown fuzz on his head resembling hair; white feathers with dark spots on his chest and hips down his thighs, where his legs then turn into bird’s feet; dark brown, almost black eyes. His wings have light brown feathers.

He mainly eats fruits, berries, nuts and insects

He isn’t afraid to attack anything larger than him, going so far as to attack humans if he has to

Forest Deity AU (It’s basically an OC shh)

Host goes by the name Elvin, since the forest he lives in is called Elvin Forest (Elvin means friend of elves)

He’s 5'3 tall

He has long dark brown hair, reaching his mid-back. His eyes are the color of tree resin/amber, the colour looking different depending on the light. He has “antlers”, long branches growing from his head and upwards. They change with the season; growing leafs and flowers; but are always decorated with little trinkets. He’s always bare-footed.

He is “bound” to one tree, which would hurt and kill him if it were chopped down. But he is also the heart of the forest, feeling with it, and it feeling with him

He has magical powers, and can talk to plants, trees and animals

For the people he is something of a myth: some people pray to him, some people ask for help or advice, some don’t believe in him

Fused AU:

Host isn’t a regular ego but also is an ego

TBH I’m uncertain about the lore of this either I’d say all egos are fused or this is a punishment made by Dark or smth

Host is “fused” with his recording equipment

Headphones always on his head, microphone in a metal mask strapped over his mouth

A rig on the back of his chair connected to his arms and hands which controls his movement. He can’t stand up

(Inspired by this drawing, and how he looks like in the AU)

Little Demon AU:

Host is a demon, still called Host

He is 7 inches tall

He has dark purple horns and two tails, and no bandages, but keeps his eyes closed

Looking into his eyes will cause the looker to be pulled into their own mind and be faced with their deepest and darkest fear

Host will be able to see that and interact with the person there, but also leave them there alone to suffer

He can “teleport” short distances, mostly through shadows

Doll AU: / It’s basically an OC shhh

Host is called Benjamin

He is a porcelain doll, 20 inches tall

He is typically asleep, and only comes to life and awakens after 4-5 days of constant care and love towards him

He stays alive through the love and care and want to have him alive from his owner, but also needs to be near them

If left alone and too far away from his owner for too long, his energy will slowly vanish throughout a few days. Making him tired, sluggish, and slow, until he can’t manage to walk anymore, and then can’t keep his eyes open

He was made in 1667 and has been with 19 different people/families throughout his life

A/B/O AU: [Second Version]

If human, Host goes by Markus Barker, Host as a nickname.

He’s a little feminine looking, but due to his height, no one suspects he’s anything but an Alpha.

He’s an Omega. Takes suppressants and scent-blockers to hide this status though.

Child Host AU:

Normal Host technically, but Host is a child now.

He’s 3'3".

He looks the exact same pretty much.

He doesn’t have any memories of being an adult.

Alden is also affected by this, and is brought to a more child-like state.

Asylum AU

Host goes by the name The Host

He is locked in a cell because of hallucinations and unreliable behaviour

Eyes AU

Host still has his eyes

Author was actually more timid and nice and not lusting after power

Dark absolutely hates him because Host doesn’t let himself be manipulated

(Inspired by this picture)

Swap AU

Host is swapped with Dark

He is monochrome. He wears a black trenchcoat and black tights, as well as knee-high black combat boots. He has a bright strand of hair, no eyes, and bandages around his eyes.

Here’s some info about the swap AU and Host’s backstory

He is called Darkiplier in this AU (pronounced Dark-eplí-er? sorta french lol)

He talks in third person as a comfort mechanism

He doesn’t really have a goal like normal Dark (getting revenge on Actor) but he takes care of the other egos and keeps them safe and in check

He does his radio show still, but has no narrating powers

Forest Creature AU

Host had died in the forest wishing to be a part of it

He is still humanoid, but he is covered in moss, leafs, plants, etc, growing all over him. Flowers grew over his blind eyes.

He fell in love with Edward Iplier, but he died in his arms. He is alone.

Banished Author AU

Author was banished into the void by Dark due to Dark believing Author would grow to become very dangerous towards himself and others

He had been stuck in the void, all by himself, for years

Being stuck in the void, he doesn’t physically age, and has no bodily needs

The void seeped into him, mixed with him, changing him

While he still has his powers of writing, and they are still primarily that, the void is a part of him now in a way

Little Space: (nsfw-ish)

Normal verse Host

In headspace he’s either around 1 year or around 4-6 years old

He usually is alone in his room to be little on his own

He largely prefers to be diapered and wear soft clothes

[hyyhyuka]

“You can cry if you need to, I’m right here. You’re safe with me.” for Qrowin if you take promts as well

Aaaah thanks!

Going up the hill on the wheelchair was easier than he thought, but in general, as hard as he expected. In the end, pushing his weight all the way up only with his arms was something he had done on a regular basis in the past; still did.

Just not that way. Wheels also didn’t help him a lot.

Winter looked golden against the rays of the setting sun; while her hair and skin reflected the light, her black dress absorbed it, and the contrast gave her such an unique, ethereal look somehow. Her right arm and leg, however, had a more opaque reflex. Effect of the fake skin.

He gave himself the time to admire her while letting the soldier have her privacy. After all, she was there to mourn, and he had no right to disturb her in such a delicate moment. He liked being alone when mourning, and it was just fair that he did the same to her.

It didn’t take long before she called him.

“I know you’re there, Qrow.” Winter didn’t turn to face him, though. Her voice failed a bit and her hair was styled and all thrown over her right shoulder… Probably she couldn’t stand to stare at the burn scars while applying make-up.

Bad day, then? Well.

“I guess the wheelchair isn’t all that silent.” Qrow pushed his way towards the woman, not caring about discretion anymore. He did, however, stop within respectable distance. “How did you know?”

“It wasn’t even the wheelchair. You were panting.” Then she turned to him, a soft smile on her lips. Even the simple motion of turning around was a show when she did it. “Is it because you’re getting older?”

“Ha! I can still knock you down on a fight.” Their banter had become much tamer since the war. Something about fighting for their lives and everyone else’s brought them closer again. “How are you feeling?” Winter turned back to the grave in front of her. Looking down, he realized it was her father’s.

“It’s one of those days…” The wind blew forward some leaves from the nearby trees; it was fall. Everything was golden and calming; except her troubled eyes. She wouldn’t say another word, but Qrow didn’t need it. He knew where her gaze fell.

The man had died on a direct raid at SDC, with the intent to steal the Dust and tear down the building. He knew about the incident, found out later that Winter was sent to defend the company, but only saw her weeks later, so he had no chance to talk to her about how she felt, and she wouldn’t want to, anyway. They were in a war. Negative emotions were much triggering back then.

Jacques Schnee was a son of a bitch, and how Winter could possibly miss him was something beyond his comprehension. While he wanted to ask, anyone would know better.

So the professor stretched his hand to her, looking as the gloved fingers intertwined with his. It was better like that; no words, just their presence. If she wished to tell him how she felt, or to speak at all, she would do it without him asking.

And she did.

“Thought you were going to judge me for mourning my father.” That was just slightly offensive.

“Ouch. Even I have decency.” She breathed out a laughter. “Do you really want me to speak my mind about it?”

“You don’t have to, Qrow. I know you can’t understand.” She then sat by his side, crossing her legs under her. And kept holding his hand. “If you can hold your hatred for my father, I’ll tell you something.”

“I’m listening.”

Her hold onto his fingers was soft.

“I was an only child for almost 11 years. And, you believe it or not, he was a kind man in the beginning. He brought me gifts almost each month, we played together on my room, he would let me be on his office and rock me to sleep on his arms while reading the company’s profits… I loved him dearly.” Her grip started to tighten gradually. “Even when the accusations started to come, he tried to avoid bringing his anger home, just so my mom and I would still see a smile on his face when he came back.”

Qrow couldn’t believe what he heard, neither picture a toddler Winter on that man’s arms, sleeping. He remained silent, both because he had no idea of what to say and because he was genuinely interested.

“Then the White Fang attacked us. And then again, and again, and again. All the damage, the lost Dust, and the problems with other businessmen who wished to avoid him in order to remain away from the Fang’s wrath... It piled up, and it became worse, and suddenly we had reached the point where he couldn’t keep his anger at the office anymore. Once he almost hit my mother in the face. Once he broke a glass and a shard cut my face. After months, he stopped apologizing.” Her breathing became a bit shallow, and he squeezed her hand tighter. “I watched my father rot and I couldn’t help him.”

“And then... I decided to become a Huntress.” Her sigh failed. “The attacks made me afraid. I wanted to protect myself and my family. And, even before, I liked more training with my mother than analyzing the company’s negotiations my father made. So I told him I didn’t want to be a Heiress, but a Huntress instead. He didn’t like it one bit. Told me he had a plan for my future and it did not include leaving the family’s company. I was a prepubescent girl, you can deduce what happened.”

Winter pushed herself back to her feet. For the first time, she felt... True. She wasn’t forcing her spine into a pristine, soldier of steel position, her face wasn’t a blank mask, there was dirt on her legs and her hand was still there. On his own. Warm and soft, but strong.

“My siblings were just born then. I lived two years on that house before I left for Titan Academy, and I had to endure watching my father give them attention and treat me like a stranger. But even then, he was cold. My siblings never met the loving father I had, at least, not completely, not without seconds intentions. And when I left, I told him I hated him. I really did, back then.” Her sighs and lip biting were a signal that she was losing it. “I lived almost 27 years yearning for that father I have lost, and asking myself if he ever really loved me!...”

“Winter-” Their contact broke suddenly, and she stomped her way to the edge of the Memorial Cliff. She was crying; her pitched sighs and cries broke his heart and brought her pain to him. She made a smart, bitchy move, though - the passage between the graves sometimes got too narrow for him to follow her on the wheelchair.

“Why do you think I always aimed for perfection? Because part of me wanted him to look at me and realize I had made it! I was free!” Winter was breaking like a glass someone was pressing down very slowly. And, suddenly, shards flew all around. “I never had any regrets concerning my choices! But I regret not being able to save him with every fiber of my being, no matter that I know I couldn’t! I just do!”

“Winter!” The slam of his hands into the chair’s arms was nothing to stop her. It was a dull sound under the ocean they were under. It hurt. More than when he got hit or lost his Aura, more than when he got poisoned, more than the effects of the poison, more than the realization he couldn’t walk anymore (not without Dust).

“I went to the SDC even before the raid began, because the General knew it would happen sooner or later. It was the first time I looked into my father’s eyes for years. And he told me he was sorry. He told me he was sorry for pushing me away! Told me he was proud of what I did, proud of me! He told me he loved me, Qrow! I was so happy!”

The professor didn’t even know he was crying too until he felt a little tap on his chest, a tear. Followed by its peers, they blurred his vision and forced him to blink and shed more tears just to focus on her image. She couldn’t go on anymore, she didn’t have to; he knew what happened after. He saw the scars. He saw her prosthetics. But she still did. Emotions, once let free, couldn’t be subdued again.

She turned around, facing the horizon just so he wouldn’t see her cry anymore, and her ex-nemesis pushed himself up, testing his legs. They held on fine. He might still had a bit of Dust inside the metal vertebra replacement; he could make it to her, but once he arrived there, she’d probably have to carry him. That didn’t matter at the moment. He had to do it.

“I watched my father die! I promised him we would make amends after the war, but he died because of me! If he’s on that grave, I’m the one to blame!”

The strength left him with each step, but he did make it with just enough to stand. He pulled her to his arms and whispered on her ear, “You can cry if you need to, I’m right here. You’re safe with me. It was never your fault. You did all you could and I’m sure he knows it and he’s still proud of you.” And she did.

She cried and he cried until night fell. He held her for comfort and she held him when his legs gave up. They hugged and adjusted themselves to each other just to feel their heartbeat on their own body. Once the ocean of emotions drained away, once their soul found peace again, she carried him patiently back to his wheelchair and he gave her a handkerchief to wipe away the makeup that could not withstand the water and the rubbing against his suit.

They didn’t call each other “girlfriend” or “boyfriend”, because it wasn’t an official thing yet; but it was pretty much what they were.

“I’m sorry.” She looked up at him. “I said a lot of shit about your father without knowing those things.” Her smile was so frail, he felt like pulling her into his lap and hugging her to protect it from the world with his own body.

“It’s fine. The man you knew as Jacques Schnee was a bastard, so you weren’t wrong.” The cloth was folded again and again on her fingers. “What I want to know is how much of his love was genuine. Guess I’ll never know, huh?”

“One day, maybe.” Once more, he took her right hand, feeling the hardness of the metal underneath the fake skin, admiring how good that piece was. Sturdy, fast-working and realistic look. “But you’ll have the General for that matter. You’re pretty much his surrogate child anyway.” No answer but a bit of sincerity into her lips. “And you’ll have me. I’ll love you like none of them ever could. How does that sound?”

Then her smile shone, and the moon was merely reflecting her beauty. Her lips felt too soft and delicate against his, like velvet and rose petals, and she grabbed the push handles of his chair as they made their way back. She was close enough for him to lean his head against her.

The would could be broken, but they made it whole enough for each other.

“That sounds amazing.”

[emerald-amidst-gold]

13, 17, and 36 for the OC ask? :D

More fun questions, more fun questions! :D

Thank you so much for the ask! <3

13. Describe your character's typical wardrobe for the regular day.

I was hoping to get this question because I don't think I've ever really described in detail Fane's exact clothing preference. We all know he wears similiar Elvhen bindings (like Solas's undershirt), but beyond that I always focus on Fane's facial features and adjoining components (hair, eyes, structure). So, let me, to the best of my ability, attempt to lay it out more clearly!

Fane is repulsed by light colored clothing, so he sticks to dark neutrals (black, grey, deep browns), so as for a typical shirt it's usually just a cotton tunic in any of those colors, but primarily black. He'll usually keep it partially tucked into his pants or leggings (depends on the day with his scars). Fane goes for loose and 'casual', tight clothing is an absolute no-go, and it's why he fits and specs all his own armor because he knows precisely how he wants it to fit. He'll usually forgo gloves when not out in the field, but since the Anchor is extremely volatile due to Fane's emotions, he'll extend his wraps on his left arm to keep it covered and somewhat stem the flow so it can't crawl up his arm rapidly. The leather wraps usually differ in color (black, brown), but Fane is picky about the exact material and make, so he cures and crafts them himself as well. Fane never goes barefoot unless he's in bed and is always wearing boots or meshing to keep his feet covered.

Fane doesn't want to associate himself as an 'elf' or 'Dalish', so he turns his nose up at all clothing that replicates designs like it. And even through he's not one to get cold easily, Fane will wear a fur cloak (usually a deep emerald or black) around Skyhold to put up a front that he is cold, so that no one questions his abnormal behavior. He wears a deep crimson velvet sash around his middle, and it is the only thing to have Elvhen inspiration on it (golden embroidery of branchless trees and tiny halla on it). Mhairi made it for him, and Fane wears it for her, not for the heritage it represents. It also double as a scarf if he doesn't want to wear it around his waist! All in all, Fane is casual and he's not obsessed with looking 'noble' or 'Inquisitor-like'. He wants comfort and flexibility.

17. Who are they soft for? Do they find being soft easy or difficult?

His sky, of course! Fane shows a side to Solas that no one else really gets to see. His tone is gentler, quieter, not harsh and unintentionally demeaning. He's more prone to lean into a touch or rest his head on Solas's shoulder. Sometimes, and this is just something I adore, is that Fane will just sit behind Solas, hug him from behind while they're sitting and bury his face in his neck. Solas, in turn, just reaches up and cards through Fane's hair while he either works on something or reads.

Solas and Fane are heavily emotionally driven, and they don't always speak when they're alone. It's comfort of presence, silent words in soft gestures. Solas will go about what he's doing while Fane just works through something in his mind, waiting to see if he wants to talk, but most times, Fane just falls asleep like that and Solas lets him without fuss. In public, being soft is hard for Fane, even with Solas, a thousand eyes always watching for a misstep or juicy detail, but in private, it's as natural as fast flowing river and Fane lets the current take him.

36. Tell us something about your OC that doesn't make it onto the page?

Honestly, I don't think I have anything that I won't be telling about Fane in story - main fic or drabble. A lot of the stuff that goes on with Fane is tightly intertwined, so extracting one bit is like unraveling a perfectly tied knot; it all falls apart and nothing works seamlessly anymore.

But if I had to choose one thing is that Fane can use a staff. No magic, of course, but he's versed in how to use one as a physical weapon instead of a focal point for energy. Originally, I wanted to make Fane a character that used a lance as his primary weapon because I'm always like, "Bioware. I get that mages use staves, but there are such things as LANCES!" Like come on! It could be mistaken for a staff, but if fashioned correctly, it could prove to be a useful disguise for a mage! Bah, don't mind me! But anyways, that's the only thing I can think of that I probably won't go into depth with Fane about. Just know that he can use one, and fairly well, too!

[netunleashed-blog]

How Reese Witherspoon Turned Female Empowerment into a Media Empire

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=5463 How Reese Witherspoon Turned Female Empowerment into a Media Empire - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=5463 When Reese Witherspoon founded the production company Type A Films in 2000, she was still very much seen as an actress first: a rising performer from Pleasantville, Cruel Intentions and Election who, at 24, wasn’t yet known as the eventual A-list star of 2001’s Legally Blonde. While the company produced the first installment and its sequel (Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde) and lighter films like Four Christmases, it wasn’t until Witherspoon merged her production company with Bruna Papandrea's Make Movies to create Pacific Standard in 2012 that there was a noticeable shift in Witherspoon’s career -- which was years beyond her 2006 Oscar win for Walk the Line and iconic rom-coms -- and the types of stories she wanted to tell.“I was really seeing a deficit in the marketplace of strong female roles and women as the lead in films," Witherspoon, 38 at the time, told ET in 2014, emphasizing the personal “responsibility” she felt to tackle that deficit head-on. “I realized if I wasn't going to start creating these opportunities for myself and other women, nobody was going to do it.”With the back-to-back releases of Gone Girl, Wild and Hot Pursuit -- the latter two of which starred the actress -- Reese Witherspoon the power producer emerged. Two years later, Pacific Standard followed the films up with the HBO juggernaut Big Little Lies,starring Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, with both actresses serving as executive producers. In the intervening time, Witherspoon parted ways with Papandrea and founded Hello Sunshine, of which Pacific Standard is now a subsidiary, with a focus on telling female-driven stories across all platforms. Its singular mission: “to change the narrative for women.”“I think about the little girls out there who watch women be the architect for their own stories and write their own stories and produce them and act in them and take the power back,” Witherspoon told ET in 2017. “[I’m] motivated by motivating them.”Following the ratings and awards success of Big Little Lies, which includes eight Emmys wins (helping women dominate the 69th awards), four Golden Globes and the ignition of the Laura Dern-aissance, suddenly “everyone wanted to be in business with me as a producer in the TV space,” the actress told the New York Times in January.In the months following the 2017 Emmy Awards, news broke that the actress would be producing and starring in TV projects for Apple (an untitled series starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston) and Hulu (Little Fires Everywhere), and Big Little Lies would be returning to HBO for a second season (with Meryl Streep joining the cast for added star power) under the Hello Sunshine banner. Since then, a number of upcoming film and TV projects for the producer -- a new comedy from 30 Rock producer Colleen McGuinness and Are You Sleeping on Apple, A White Lie starring Zendaya, Legally Blonde 3 -- have been announced.Reese Witherspoon speaking with press at the European premiere of 'A Wrinkle In Time.' Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Disney By 2018, Hello Sunshine -- which, it should be mentioned, features Sarah Harden (CEO), Rachel Spiegelman (head of brand studio), Charlotte Koh (head of digital media & programming) and Lauren Levy Neustadter (head of film & television) in key leadership roles -- had expanded even further by bringing Reese’s Book Club to Audible, launching an original podcast series and partnering with AT&T (owner of Otter Media, an investor in Witherspoon’s company) to create a female filmmakers lab and the Hello Sunshine Video On Demand Channel. The channel will launch with two new shows, including an unscripted interview series hosted by Witherspoon. The latest move not only puts Witherspoon in Oprah Winfrey territory, but has turned Hello Sunshine into a full-fledged female-centric media empire with unyielding potential and cultural buzz.(If any more proof was needed, the fifth season of Younger, which premiered in June, features a subplot involving the show’s central fictional book publisher brokering a deal with Hello Sunshine to not only option the film rights to one of their books, but partner on a “content incubator” because their female-centric companies align. The storyline, while fictional, is astutely on brand.)While Big Little Lies proved to be an unsurmounted success, how each subsequent project will land largely remains to be seen. But for Witherspoon, “it shouldn’t just be about financial success,” she told Marie Claire in February. “We should have as many opportunities to fail as we do succeed. Because artistry is not about succeeding always. It’s about having the courage to try and put out into the world new ideas.”And with seemingly limitless ideas and no signs of slowing down, there’s no shortage of women in Hollywood ready to work with her. Aniston, Kidman, Streep, McGuinness, Are You Sleeping creator Nicole Tramble and star Octavia Spencer and Little Fires Everywhere showrunner Liz Tigelaar and co-star Kerry Washington are all now part of Witherspoon’s growing legion of female partners, with seemingly more to come. “I’m excited to be on the receiving end of her brilliance,” Spencer said.After recently befriending Witherspoon, Girls Trip breakout Tiffany Haddish spoke to ET about the potential of that relationship. “Reese has a production company and I have a production company now, so we might be production-ing,” she teased. “We probably gonna create some magic.”'Big Little Lies' stars Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley and Zoe Kravitz attend ELLE's Annual Women In Television Celebration 2017. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for ELLE With so much magic in the mix, here’s what Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine have in the works and how they’re empowering women across all platforms:TVBig Little Lies Season TwoCurrently filming, the show about the intertwined lives of California-based mothers reunites the main cast -- Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoe Kravitz -- with writer and executive producer David E. Kelley, who expands the story adapted from Liane Moriarty’s best-selling book. “It gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the lives of these intriguing and intricate Monterey families,” Witherspoon said in a statement. Streep joins the cast as Kidman’s mother-in-law with Andrea Arnold taking over for Jean-Marc Vallée, who directed the first season, as well as HBO’s Sharp Objects starring Amy Adams. “Andrea’s unique storytelling style will be a welcome addition to the filmmaking team,” Witherspoon added.Little Fires EverywhereBased on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller about two families living in 1990s Shaker Heights, Ohio, Little Fires Everywhere is an upcoming eight-episode Hulu miniseries co-starring Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, both of whom will executive produce. “At Hello Sunshine, we strive to shine a light on female-driven stories that are rooted in inspiration, emotion and truth -- all of which form the bedrock of Celeste Ng's ingenious work,” Witherspoon said in a statement. “She is just amazing,” Washington told ET of Witherspoon, adding that despite both of their busy schedules -- the Scandal star is set to return to Broadway in November -- ”you find time for the things that matter.”Are You SleepingExecutive produced by and starring Octavia Spencer, the new Apple series created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman is based on the true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber. The ensemble series, which began production in June, also stars Aaron Paul, Ron Cephas Jones, Lizzy Caplan, Elizabeth Perkins, Mekhi Phifer and Tracie Thoms. The premiere will be directed by Anna Foerster. “I’m excited to be on the receiving end of [Witherspoon’s] brilliance of finding this project because it fits me on so many levels,” Spencer told ET.Untitled Morning Show Project The first of Hello Sunshine’s three Apple projects to be announced, the new untitled show based on Brian Stelter’s book about the morning talk show wars marks Jennifer Aniston’s first series-regular return to TV since Friends. The show, which was given a two-season, 20-episode order, will also star Witherspoon and be run by Bates Motel producer Kerry Ehrin. “I’ve lived in a world where I’ve been interviewed for 25 years. That’s really interesting to flip it around and see what the other side looks like and how journalists live their lives,” Witherspoon told ET about her interest in the project.You Think It, I'll Say ItOne of multiple projects Hello Sunshine has brokered with Apple’s new streaming service, the 10-episode comedy series created by McGuinness is inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld's short-story collection. Kristen Wiig was slated to star but has since dropped out due to a scheduling conflict with filming Wonder Woman 1984.Hello Sunshine Video On Demand Channel In partnership with AT&T, Hello Sunshine is launching a VOD channel -- accessible on DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-Verse -- spotlighting female-driven content, with two new series premiering in July and September. “AT&T was one of our first partners in the quest to bring female-centric storytelling to the forefront and we are especially proud of how these original series push that mission ahead,” Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden said in a statement, with Witherspoon adding: “I am so excited for the world to experience the stories from our partnership with AT&T, which are set to be equal parts entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking and unabashedly real."Shine On With ReeseDebuting July 17 on Hello Sunshine VOD, Shine On is Witherspoon’s first unscripted series and will celebrate extraordinary women who have cultivated their own paths to success. Week to week, she’ll sit down with the likes of Dolly Parton, Ava DuVernay, Pink, America Ferrera, Kacey Musgraves and more to discuss work, family and hopes for the future.Master the MessDebuting Sept. 4 on Hello Sunshine VOD, Master marks Hello Sunshine’s foray in home and lifestyle content with decluttering gurus Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin tackling the everyday (and overused) rooms of families in need of a transformation. Shearer and Teplin are co-founders of the Nashville-based design and organizing company The Home Edit.Meet My MomThe five-episode, short-form Facebook Watch series features honest and entertaining chats between high-profile celebrities and their moms, including Witherspoon, Westworld’s Leonardo Nam, YouTube star Lilly Singh, Olympian Adam Rippon and model Ashley Graham.DeliveryAs of 2017, TV writers Kristin Newman and Rob Wright are developing a new medical drama about a hospital’s perinatology unit at NBC.FilmLegally Blonde 3Slated for Valentine’s Day 2020, Witherspoon will reprise her role as Elle Woods in the ongoing franchise about an idealistic sorority girl-turned-lawyer, with much of the original creative team expected to return.A White LieBased on Karin Tanabe’s 2016 novel The Gilded Years, the upcoming film starring Zendaya is inspired by the true story of Anita Hemmings, a light-skinned black woman who passed as white and became the first black person to attend the exclusive all-female institution Vassar College. Fargo and The Leftovers producer Monica Beletsky will write the script.Martina Navratilova Documentary For its first feature-length documentary, Hello Sunshine has teamed up with producers Glenn Greenwald and Suzanne Gilbert to tell the story of tennis legend Martina Navratilova.Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine andSomething in the WaterIn 2017, Hello Sunshine optioned the films rights for the Gail Honeyman novel Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, about a lonely heroine who learns to open her heart to other people, and the Catherine Steadman novel Something in the Water, about a successful documentary filmmaker who’s about to get married. The latter was a recent Reese’s Book Club pick and will be adapted by Julia Cox (Parenthood).Books and Podcasts Reese’s Book Club and Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshineon AudibleAhem, Oprah: Reese’s Book Club is touted by Hello Sunshine as “fast-growing in reach and influence,” with female-centric and female-written books selected each month by Witherspoon. The club recently went digital with a partnership with Audible, which will showcase standout audio performances for book club members too busy to read each selection. “When I started Reese’s Book Club, I wanted to highlight stories with women at the center and I’m so excited to deliver on that mission,” Witherspoon said in a statement.Audible Originals by Hello SunshineAdditionally, Audible and Hello Sunshine will partner on the development of original audio productions, with the first project expected to be announced later this year.How It IsHello Sunshine launched its first original podcast series featuring original female voices in April. Hosted by Orange Is the New Black’s Diane Guerrero, the weekly series features women from the world of Hollywood, activism and tech discussing their stories and reclaiming their power.OtherAT&T Hello Sunshine Filmmaker Lab This summer, AT&T and Hello Sunshine are collaborating with Dreaming Tree Foundation’s Fresh Films to cultivate a new generation of female storytellers with an eight-day immersive program for teen girls in Los Angeles, California, during which they will create content for the Hello Sunshine VOD Channel. RELATED CONTENT: Nicole Kidman on the Empowering Moment She Shared With Reese Witherspoon on 'Big Little Lies' Set (Exclusive) Natalie Portman Credits Reese Witherspoon With Teaching Her The 'Ways of Modernity' (Exclusive) Selma Blair Praises 'Powerhouse' Reese Witherspoon for Leading the Time's Up Movement (Exclusive) Source link

[othersportsnews-blog]

The journey carries on for Manu Ginobili, image of 'The Spurs Way' - San Antonio Spurs Site

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/the-journey-carries-on-for-manu-ginobili-image-of-the-spurs-way-san-antonio-spurs-site/

The journey carries on for Manu Ginobili, image of 'The Spurs Way' - San Antonio Spurs Site

SAN ANTONIO — The amount of typical-season online games, details, assists and steals complete out at 19,646, but it’s difficult to precisely quantify what Manu Ginobili has brought to the San Antonio Spurs more than his fifteen-yr profession.

Citing resources, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Ginobili, who turns 40 following 7 days, is in the course of action of finalizing a return to the Spurs for his 16th season. A resource mentioned the team is even now performing by contracts to deliver back again a couple of its possess free of charge brokers, with Pau Gasol at the best of the checklist.

Ginobili’s return is good information not only for the Spurs but also for the NBA: however an additional glimpse of a participant usually touted as 1 of the most decorated intercontinental gamers in basketball background.

“Just like [Tim Duncan] did not choose ideal absent, it’s ordinarily greatest to get a little bit of a respite from basketball, crowds and all that, and think about what you want to do,” Spurs mentor Gregg Popovich mentioned at the conclusion of this earlier season.

With that respite seemingly more than, the Spurs can flip their focus to chasing a sixth title soon after a rather tranquil offseason that — outside the house of landing free of charge-agent ahead Rudy Gay — saw several noteworthy additions to a 61-earn roster from 2016-17.

When talking about Spurs veterans, Popovich usually tosses about the phrase “corporate know-how,” which is exactly what Ginobili possesses to go with the leadership, intangibles and playmaking skill that can adjust the course of a game.

With Duncan retired and Tony Parker not expected to return right until early 2018 from his quadriceps personal injury experienced in the Western Convention semifinals, Ginobili presently serves as the lone bridge in between the aged and the new. And he’s very well-versed in “The Spurs Way.”

Which is exceptionally significant for this team, which Popovich and general supervisor R.C. Buford conveniently confess is in a transitional phase as the Spurs glimpse to make about superstar and MVP finalist Kawhi Leonard.

“It’s hard to select a several [of my favourite times] since it’s quick to bear in mind the wins, the good times, the highs,” Ginobili mentioned at the conclude of the season. “But even the lows ended up excellent, as well, in a feeling of connection, camaraderie, of doing it with each other. We earn it with each other. We eliminate it with each other. Even the undesirable times, the challenging types, I’m happy of them, as well. Individuals times get you far better, smarter, make you mature. So it’s hard to select 1 moment. I think the total excursion is incredible, and it’s been incredible.”

Manu Ginobili’s return for a 16th season will support the Spurs continue on to changeover from the Tim Duncan period to the Kawhi Leonard period. Soobum Im-Usa Currently Sports activities

However, the journey just isn’t more than.

Ginobili has played in 992 typical-season online games with 213 postseason appearances more than his to start with fifteen seasons, though obtaining All-Star and All-NBA honors 2 times.

But the accolades under no circumstances led Ginobili astray from his regular brand of self-deprecating humor, a high quality that permeates an business that prides itself on not having itself as well severely.

“I’m the same dude that was battling against Memphis [in the opening round of the 2017 playoffs], and that you ended up all anxious [about], the specific same dude,” Ginobili mentioned. “Sometimes obtaining good online games. Sometimes undesirable types. Sometimes making pictures, and occasionally not. I’m the same dude, and I often mentioned that successful the championship or not successful it, scoring 20 the past game or next-to-past or what ever, or zero, is not heading to adjust who I am or the determination I make.

“I cannot toss nine months to the trash and just answer to the way I felt the past game.”

Ginobili started out what a lot of expected to be his ultimate game for the Spurs when the team was removed in Video game 4 of the Western Convention finals at the palms of the Golden Condition Warriors. Popovich mentioned he inserted Ginobili into the starting off lineup as a way to honor the veteran, and he responded with fifteen details on six-of-twelve taking pictures to go with 7 assists right before leaving the court with 2:twenty five remaining to a standing ovation at the AT&T Heart.

Throughout the 2016-17 typical season, Ginobili usually cracked jokes on the street at arenas about the league, hinting he was probable playing at those people areas for the past time.

We’ll listen to additional of that this approaching season. And for Spurs followers, which is certainly not a undesirable thing.

Thought of 1 of the creators of San Antonio’s society of selflessness, Ginobili has wowed crowds with an array of unconventional moves, intelligent passes and arguably the league’s most perilous Eurostep — all though playing with a relentlessness that bordered on recklessness.

“He puts his physique on the line each night. He’ll do it to make a excellent engage in for the team. He has no regard for what comes about to his physique,” Spurs taking pictures guard Danny Inexperienced mentioned.

“He’ll do what is necessary to earn online games and just support our momentum. I have the viewed passes, I have viewed moves, I have viewed Manu do a little bit of every thing. He’s been doing it for a though. I have discovered a ton [from Ginobili] because I have gotten listed here. From Working day 1, I have tried to be a sponge and get every thing that he’s completed — he will make it glimpse so quick, but it’s not quick to do.”

You can bet which is what 2017 Spurs draft picks Derrick White and Jaron Blossomgame program to do, as very well as a lot of of the returning gamers.

Ginobili cemented his legacy prolonged back by transforming the way teams look at reserves, as the versatile taking pictures guard — inspite of becoming 1 of the league’s most talented gamers — has selflessly appear off the bench for the the greater part of his profession.

“I’m positive other coaches have applied it,” mentioned Warriors assistant Mike Brown, who once coached Ginobili as part of the Spurs’ staff members.

“[Ginobili is] heading to be remembered for the titles, the scoring and all that other things. But you discuss about a dude which is as talented as he is, could have completed anything in the NBA for a lot of yrs. He was humble plenty of to be 1 of the to start with to settle for coming off the bench graciously. That speaks volumes.”

Even with Ginobili’s age, the guard has not revealed key symptoms of regressing. Ginobili did pass up his to start with fifteen pictures of the playoffs in the Spurs’ to start with-round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, main a lot of to marvel whether it was time for him to get in touch with it quits.

Ginobili considered about it, as well.

“You know, for times, I felt like I did not [have anything still left] in the Memphis sequence,” he mentioned.

Then in the next round, Ginobili abruptly appeared to flip back again to clock. In Video game 5 of the conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets, soon after sending the game to overtime with a driving still left-handed layup, Ginobili blocked James Harden’s ultimate-next attempt to preserve a Spurs overtime victory.

In the West finals, Ginoboli pulled with each other two of his greatest postseason outings more than the earlier a few yrs (21 details in Video game 3 and fifteen in Video game 4), demonstrating the eventual NBA champions that the aged gentleman might not be completed just however.

“He kind of labored us rather good in these 4 online games, so I think he’s acquired fairly a bit still left in the tank,” Warriors ahead Draymond Inexperienced mentioned. “One thing about it: He’s undoubtedly not a liability on the ground. He can even now defend. He can even now score buckets with the greatest of them. So undoubtedly a great deal regard to Manu and their business. 1st-ballot Hall of Famer, for positive.

“However 1 of the hardest men. Whenever a person asks me like: ‘Who [are] the hardest men you ever [had to] guard in the league?’ He’s 1 of the types, often, in my respond to.”

Inexperienced will get an additional crack at dealing with Ginobili in 2017-18. And for that, Spurs followers — and NBA followers — must be thrilled.

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[thesundiaries]

New Delhi & Agra, India

Turns out April in regions near the equator is the hottest time of the year. We were vaguely aware of this before booking our trip to India but it really only hit us when we walked out of our plane onto the searing asphalt and blinding sun of the tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. It was the beginning of a trip that had high highs and low lows but that really truly leaves a lasting impression on you. There is nowhere quite like it, this mixture of urban sprawl, ancient history, and tropical air.

Delhi is a city that has to be seen to be believed. It is sitting in LA-level traffic in an air-conditioned Uber with Bollywood music playing in the background while green-and-pink tuk tuks and motorcycles packed with whole families whiz by, horns blaring as a monkey climbs on a nearby car. It is women walking to temple by a freeway in beautiful jewel-colored saris with shining gold filigree, the colors dulled by a haze of red dust that billows up from the ground and the smog that permeates the air. It is having a 10 rupee pakora in a grease stained napkin for lunch in an alley of Chandi Chowk and then spending 11,000 rupee on dinner at Bukhara at the ITC Maurya, where you wait next to a giant orchid arrangement in the mahogany paneled lobby for the taxi the concierge called for you. It is walking out of a 400 year old sandstone fort directly into a maze of stores and tangled electric wires that nearly block out the sun, looking for the neon lights of the closest McDonald's to buy a Fanta. 

Truth be told, it can be a bit overwhelming and there were times we felt defeated by the heat, the blaring traffic and a stomach bug or two. But I can safely say that it is unlike any of the other metropolises I have been in and if you fly into Delhi you should definitely take some time to explore the city. And save up for a meal at Bukhara. 

 THE PLACE TO PICNIC INSIDE A PALACE:

If you're looking for historical sights, the Red Fort is probably near the top of your list. This expansive structure was built in the 1600s and served as the main residence for the Mughal emperors for 200 years. It is hewn out of red sandstone and white marble, with green gardens criss crossed by the long dry beds of canals that used to carry the water that surfaced inside the ornate carved pavilions and cooled their shadowy, pale interiors and noble residents. In its courtyards and dungeons the emperor used to carry out Coliseum-style fights between exotic animals like lions and elephants. In the present day, you can find many families picnic-ing on the lawns and pigeons roosting in the intricately carved marble walls, their former bright white color faded to beige and streaked with dark grey smudges from age. Bring water. And if you dread roaming the fort underneath the bright Delhi sun the night can be a preferable time to visit when you can also witness the Sound and Light Show, which projects colorful art onto the facade of the fort to the sound of music. Buy tickets in advance and note the separate (usually shorter) line for tourists.

WHERE TO GRAB A BITE POST-RED FORT:

Chandi Chowk is a market area in Delhi adjacent to the Red Fort that is rife with small shops and food stands. We were there on a Sunday where most shops were closed but walking in the narrow alleys, dodging motorcycles and cast iron pans bubbling with fried loops of orange jalebi and peeking inside the occasional sari store or barbershop is still an experience. I would likely not have worn open toe shoes if I went again and instead of waiting for an Uber, would have grabbed one of the many tuk tuks rushing by to find a ride home. As for food, this site provides a comprehensive list and Karim's Kebabs nearby is a particularly popular spot. As is just looking for what looks good (and well-fried if you are wary of Delhi belly). 

WHERE TO GO FOR NEW YORK CITY PRICES AND THE BEST CHICKEN OF LIFE:

If you are pleased with how far money can stretch in India, Bukhara will be a bit of a rude awakening. You can easily spend $100 USD per person here but if you can't tell by the refined interiors of the ITC Maurya hotel that houses Bukhara and the genteel English-speaking service, this is a pre-tty nice establishment. The food here, a lot of it flame-grilled over charcoal pits, is exceptional. No doubt one of the best chicken dishes I've had and together with the blistered naan, buttery black lentil daal, cool creamy raita and giant cubes of life-changing seared paneer cheese - probably one of the best meals of my life in general. The waiter threw in some free dessert, saffron tinged and pistachio topped firni (an Indian rice pudding) and we left very happy if unexpectedly $160 USD poorer. If we went again I would skip the cocktails (save the room for more daal then get your cocktail fix at the 1911 bar The Imperial Hotel) and take note of the rupee to USD conversion rate, which were blissfuly unaware of the first day in Delhi.

WHERE TO STAY:

Hotel prices in Delhi can range from $2 USD a night for a bunk bed in a shared room in a hostel to $1000+ USD for a room at one of the Taj properties. Although Airbnb is not as popular in India, we still found interesting properties in the Delhi area. Although some of them can be further from the city center, note that Uber is safe, widely used and very affordable (we rarely spent more than $2 USD on a ride). Hauz Khaz, Greater Kailash and New Friend's Colony are all good, safe, relatively upscale neighborhoods to stay in that are not too far from main attractions. And there are some sights and eats within, including the Lotus Temple and Seventyseven restaurant, both in New Friend's Colony. We booked a fairly large apartment in Greater Kailash that easily accommodated five people (and could have accommodated at least 2 more) with a rooftop garden that had quite the sunrise and sunset views. There was also A/C, filtered water in the kitchen and it included a prepared breakfast every morning (for about $100 USD a day). Link here.

IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME IN DELHI:

There are many places we missed as we only had 3 days total in Delhi. Besides the attractions we saw Akshardam, Humayan's Tomb, Jama Masjid Mosque, Qutb Minaret, Lodhi Gardens, the Stepwells, Connaught Place and Dilli Haat (for hand made goods) were all stops on our list we didn't get to. As for restaurants, SodaBottleOpenerWala , a traditional tea house (like this one or this one) and this list from CN Traveler were all noted down too.

FOR FEELING LIKE A LOCAL:

You can get to Agra from Delhi via train (2-3 hours) or private transport car (~3 hours). The train is significantly cheaper and a chance to ride with nearly all locals if you take the regular train instead of the express. Make sure you reserve seats and if you are a woman traveling alone, there is a women-only car. We sat across from a family with two small children and some locals perched on the bunk beds that were in for much longer trips than us. Although few people spoke English the few that did were fun to chat to and wonderfully helpful when the conductor came by and (angrily) noticed we were seating in the wrong area as we had not reserved seats. It's a long ride, the benches are far from comfy, and there is no AC but the company of your fellow passengers and the Indian countryside whizzing by the open windows is quite the experience. Maybe book it only one way and then take the more comfortable express with it's airline style seats or a private car back the other way. Bring snacks and bug spray.

IF YOU MISSED THE RED FORT:

If you missed the Red Fort in Delhi, the Agra Fort in Agra is it's bigger and badder cousin. Similar to the Red Fort it is not solely a fort but a large complex and the Agra Fort is so massive it can be considered a walled town. It was also a residence for Mughal emperors and part of the fort is still in use by the Indian military. You can find multiple courtyards and gardens, some framed by imposing arches hewn out of red sandstone and others all delicate terraces and carved white marble. Be prepared to walk a bit and definitely bring water with you. There are many guides that will offer their services to you if you want a more complete tour. We opted to just wander around. Also, in my opinion I would skip the Red Fort entirely or just go for the Light & Sound show in Delhi if I was also visiting the Agra Fort, which in my opinion is more impressive and has a similar enough architectural style that there is no need to go to both. 

WHERE TO BREAK FOR LUNCH:

I don't know about you but despite being a big fan of Indian food, the variety of Indian food we get in the US is quite limited and although most people know what vindaloo curry and tikka masala is, there were times when I would look at a menu and not understand what a single dish was. I now am much more well-versed in what constitutes a dosa, a paratha, a vada and an idli. And if you are not, the lacey thin crepe you see above is a dosa. 

Dosas are a thin crepe-like pancake, made of a rice and lentil batter. They cook up so that they are crispy and feather-light, and are often filled with golden spiced potatoes or thickly sliced paneer cheese. On the side, they are served with a wide range of hot and cold sauces like cool coconut chutney, pickled onions, warm lentil daal, and tomato chutney. The onion dosas we got at Dasaprakash were laced with tiny flecks of caramelized onions and I would highly recommend them. The restaurant had friendly servers and was also where I discovered my favorite Indian beverage: salty lime soda. If you are worried about the salty part, you can get them sweet and salty - but the salty is SO much more refreshing. Lastly, if you are in the mood, besides their top-notch dosas, Dasaprakash also has a very extensive ice cream selection for dessert. 

IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW CHEESE BOARD:

Note that in general if you arrive by train to Agra you will need to hire a car to drive you around. There is a taxi station right outside the train station that shows fixed prices for the driving fares. Although we were skeptical of how pushy the drivers were, it is the way to do it (unless you are staying in Agra and have arranged a tour thru your hotel). The prices are all inclusive although you are expected to tip at the end. Usually you can see multiple sites, like the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal, while your driver waits outside for you. They will also take you to lunch and dinner if you are staying late: if you have any preference as to where you can request to be taken there, if not they will likely take you to a friend's restaurant. It is also common for them to stop at shops that sell marble inlaid items and gems, both characteristic of Agra. Although they definitely get a commission if you buy anything we found both shops to be of good quality and bought a small marble table and a pair of earrings. Likely because it was the off season and we spotted very few other non-Indians around (even at the Taj Mahal), we were able to get generous discounts (...at least from the initial price stated). 

THE BIG ONE:

I guess if it's your first time in India it's difficult to not go to the Taj Mahal. Many times when I first visit a city I eschew the big, more time-consuming uber-tourist spots - I only went to the Louvre the third time I went to Paris and despite living in Toronto, I've yet to make it to the CN Tower. But there is a reason they are such major attractions. And even if you feel like you already know exactly what the Taj Mahal looks like, seeing it in person, with the sunlight gleaming off it's curved white walls, is quite a thing. In the off season when we went, it is not terribly crowded at all, and you can walk around and linger wherever you want. Our guide also suggested going later in the day to catch the sunset and to avoid the midday heat, which I wholly endorse.  When it's busier, I hear sunrise and sunset boat rides thru the river that runs beside it are a serene and unique way to see this wonder of the world.

Note that as a foreigner, your ticket already includes a guide, a bottle of water and covers for your shoes. So no need to go with one of the "official" guides that try to tell you they can help you cut the line at the outside entrance. 

IF YOU MISS MEXICAN FOOD:

If you miss your weekly burrito, try a chicken kathi roll! Spiced chicken and/or paneer are rolled in fluffy kathi rolls, fresh off the griddle. Cheap, fast, and tasty, we were big fans of Mama Chicken in Agra. They also have biryani, mutton and momos if you want to stray from their specialty.

[giveuselife-blog]

Pinnacle 10 Stunning Nations To Spend Holidays In THe World

New Post has been published on https://giveuselife.org/pinnacle-10-stunning-nations-to-spend-holidays-in-the-world/

Pinnacle 10 Stunning Nations To Spend Holidays In THe World

The word ‘Holiday’ may be very favorite to every person. Meaning a number of pleasure and brings happiness to our regular lifestyles. We all are very busy on this earth with our each day works. There are numerous human beings all around who’ve even no time to spend some time with their pals and own family because of their busyness. The one’s types of state of affairs can deliver loads of stress and unhappiness to their lifestyles. To overcome that dull lifestyle, humans want a long spoil from the works. Making Vacations with pals or own family may be a great concept and when it is feasible to spend Vacation in an international maximum Stunning united state of America or vicinity, not anything can be well worth than that.

There are numerous Stunning Nations over the sector in which spending Holidays will deliver refreshment for your mind for sure. Here are Pinnacle 10 most Beautiful International locations in which you may make your vacation memorable,

1. Switzerland

There may be absolute confidence that Switzerland is considered one of most Beautiful Countries to spend Vacations wherein have a few first-rate nature full of crystal lakes and mountain tops protected with snow. Lots of human beings pick out this united states of America to go to for its fusion of lifestyle. This united states has each website of historic and archaeological value to the present day humanity. The museums Right here are too specific of treasurer for artwork enthusiasts and historians, which can be a mixture of France, Italian, German and the Swiss cultures. This country has greater than enough sights, to be able to preserve you busy enough to enjoy your Vacations. The Swiss National Park is an area wherein you may see many species of animals, vegetation, and birds. You’ll get the opportunity to look how various forms of birds living off their natural habitats. a few humans select this location to spend their honeymoon. The majority prefer to spend Vacations in Bern the capital of Switzerland because of its splendor and purchasing experience. The shops in Bern are positioned in the Medieval Streets that run about six kilometers long. You will be provided Right here with each nearby and a few international fashion designers merchandise. Some other essential component is that this city has some worldwide organizations which include UNESCO. The Chillon Castle is Some other principal tourist appeal in Switzerland in order to offer you a lot in terms of history and ancient subculture. This oldest Fortress stands on the bank of Lake Geneva. There are approximately hundred buildings, 3 elaborate courtyards, several dungeons and four awesome partitions from wherein you can revel in a thoughts-blowing view of Lake Geneva. This place you should deliver the first priority when you spend your Vacation in Switzerland I recommend.

2. United Nation of America

Any other primary visitor appeal place is United states of America wherein people come to experience flora and fauna, nature, frolic and a laugh. There are Plenty of most inexpensive USA excursions in Washington D.C the capital of The united states even as dwelling in The big apple may be very highly-priced for people however some inexpensive tour packages additionally available which humans constantly look for. Statue of Liberty, Empire State Constructing, Imperative Park, and Metropolitan Museum of artwork and Instances Square are the main enchantment of the New york town. You should go to Florida to experience the Lovely beaches, towns, and also Disneyland. humans definitely like to spend time Here in water parks, restaurant, subject matter park and accommodations.

In case you need to have a few films fun, then you ought to visit Hollywood in L. A. where the primary award applications held each 12 months. Hollywood Wax Museum, Grumman’s Chinese language Theatre, Walk of Fame and Ripley’s Agree with it or no longer are the principle sights in Hollywood. Some other town California will offer you a whole lot extra delight with its Golden Gate Bridge, Alamo Square Park, San Francisco Zoo, Palace of Great Arts, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz Island.

Las Vegas one of the towns of United states is called world’s amusement capital, which could be very famous for casinos. This town additionally introduces you with Golden Nugget, Flamingo Lawn, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and Guggenheim Las Vegas inside the Venetian.

three. Turkey

Turkey is Another visitor top notch destination where You’ll get general refreshment for the duration of your Vacations. The herbal beauties will take you in your dream world. The mineral pools there sure the human beings dip into and heal certainly and experience the attractiveness of Dalyan at some point of passing a super day on the river. You have to go to the Lycian tombs 2300 years old at the hillside from wherein you would possibly see the ocean turtles frolic and feed them If you lucky enough. Paragliding is tons famous there with a purpose to make you feel weightlessness and thrill of flying. You also can pass for fishing on the sea in which you may meet tuna, Crimson Snapper, Amberjack, Mahimahias, Barracuda and so greater. Here you have a incredible threat to seize The ones fishes as plenty as you may. Scuba diving and boating additionally lots popular interest Right here so as to provide you with a whole lot pride. If you want to peer the real Turkey along with your complete own family, then visit the Jeep Safari with a purpose to take you thru various villages of Turkish nation-state like Saklikent, The mud baths and Yakapark Trout Farm and so forth.

four. Mauritius

Mauritius is one in all essential traveler locations of the sector this is recognized to uplift souls and deliver a few spoil taking moments to traffic. it’s miles very well-known for its thoughts-blowing sceneries. Folks that come Right here to go to, lose their thoughts into the sceneries. Mauritius Botanical Lawn is one of the excellent visitor destinations in Mauritius and called one the oldest Botanical Lawn inside the world. the principle sights of this Lawn are massive water lilies and a huge collection of types of palm bushes. The Lovely seashores of Mauritius are the important thing points of interest of this u . S . A .. Gabriel Island is one of the Pinnacle traveller locations in Mauritius which is understood for its easy and delightful beaches and best for individuals who love snorkelling. In case you are a bird lover then you may got to Aux Aigrettes a small island in which you may see some rarest birds inside the international like Pink Pigeon and Kestrel. it’s far a home of a number of the rarest plants of the world as nicely. Some other enchantment of Mauritius is the Eureka Creole House where you could revel in the island splendor pix of Mauritius. That could be a massive museum House and one of the high-quality visitor points of interest of Mauritius. The proper time to go to Mauritius is among August and February while it’s miles a pleasant cool temperature. So Mauritius is one of these places which make you all in favour of its awesome sceneries.

five. France

France is the maximum popular destination to spend Holidays, which has plenty to offer you an awful lot pride. This u . S . A . earns a big sum of money from the spectators every year. The Eiffel Tower is the main sights Right here. it’s miles situated next to the river Seine in Paris. The traffic must ascend 1665 steps to get the Pinnacle, as it is three hundred metres immoderate. The visitors can view about 67 km far by means of French panorama from the Pinnacle. Your Paris excursion will not be completed In case you do not go to Eiffel Tower. It is so famous that a long queue constantly watching for you before the entrance.

There are many testing websites in France, wherein your very own tent may be pitched on. Those campsites typically provide some exquisite offerings like playgrounds, clubs, swimming pools, stores, bars, and enjoyment at the same time as a number of them provide you with extra offerings like cycles of rent, fishing, tennis, snooker, and French boules, which aren’t highly-priced at all. Paragliding, rafting, hiking, canoeing, horse riding and abseiling also available for the journey fans.

There’s a high-quality facility for cycling in France. The considerable Countrywide community of Velo routes will bring you into canal towpaths, quietus of lanes and transformed railway tracks will take you closer to the heart of geographical region by using the use of voice verses, that is referred to as greenways and this is absolutely motorized site visitors loose.

There are some superb ski areas in France. The Alps And the Pyrenees are the essential ski regions with Masses of ski hotels. Trois Vallees is one of the finest ski hotels in France. So this location will no longer make any skiers disappointed as they have loads of factors to do there.

some more places to be able to come up with limitless pleasure like National Parks and wildlife reserves, The Dune de Pilat the most important sand Dune in Europe, Canal du Midi the oldest canal in Europe, Millau Viaduct the world tallest traffic bridge and Thermal Springs and many others.

I think There may be not anything extra you need to make yourself glad for the duration of your Vacations over the sector as tons as you getting just in France.

6. Maldives

That is one of my most favorite locations, where I like to spend my Holidays very frequently. not only me but additionally Masses of human beings come Here to spend their vacation each 12 months. As an end result, it is very difficult for instant reserving in Maldives with a big rush. So you have to e-book your Vacations as early as possible. The beaches Right here are certainly thoughts-blowing in which you could lose your thoughts very without difficulty. the primary attractions are Here beaches, crystal clear water, coral reefs and marine existence in which you may revel in boating, scuba diving, snorkeling and living within the fine accommodations. The motels have a few services similar to Jacuzzis, heart-throbbing spas, and private swimming pools. Indoor Sports, Windsurfing, Scuba diving and Masses of more capabilities will decorate your exhilaration. Even though a number of the resorts do now not have scuba diving function so make certain you take a look at this out before booking a hotel. the primary transportation system is a boat in Maldives and also you always need to hold your jacket with you because the weather changes Right here very quickly.

One more final aspect, you have to e-book for a total package to your Holidays, as in an effort to be a fix amount of money. Otherwise, so that it will be very costly for you just paying for food and entertainment features with an extra 20% taxes on meals payments.

7. Australia

it’s miles always a superb experience to spend Vacation in Australia. You’ll certainly get the actual journey from the rain forests, beaches, cities and wineries in Australia. The cities in Australia provide all price range’s resorts for the visitors. maximum of them are located near Relevant Commercial enterprise Centre in which you also can see cultural centres, buying precincts, nightlife and eating place nearby. April/May additionally and September/October is the high-quality time to spend Holidays in Australia while the sunny weather comes with a low temperature and that is best warmness for swimming in the water. However, a number of the states of Victoria and Tasmania may be a chunk cool but common can be best for you. An Island in Queensland named Fraser Island is international largest Sandy Island, which is set 1840 km length. Here you could experience mangrove forests, coastal heaths, wall and peat swamps, rainforests, sand dunes and eucalyptus. Sydney Opera House is Every other visitor attraction in Australia. For the rich Chinese site visitors casinos and purchasing are the important draw card Right here. Harvey Bay is one of those Australian Cities in which you may watch Whales.

eight. South Africa

South Africa is Another Beautiful u . S . in which you may spend your valuable Holidays. Table Mountain is the maximum enchantment in Cape City the capital of South Africa that turned into decided on to be range seven natural wonders of the world. This mountain is about 1470 meters high from the sea level, which looks like a Table. The visitors can revel in the natural perspectives through riding a cable automobile from Top of the mountain for greater than 750 meters. Garden Direction Countrywide Park is Any other traveler attraction for viewing wealthy wild animals like elephants and plenty of others species. If you need to look a few ancient buildings, specific styles of animals and birds then you could go to Robben Island approximately 7 kilometres a ways from Cape City wherein Nelson Mandela spent maximum of his existence. Another tourist enchantment vicinity The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront will provide you exciting sections like shopping, restaurants, nightclubs, discos, accommodations and some museums. those who love natural world need to go to Kruger National Park, that is located on approximately 18000 Rectangular kilometres wherein the park accommodates about 2000 styles of rare plant life, 500 species of birds and a large collection of wild animals.

nine. natural world Holiday in Brazil

Brazil is Some other big Stunning united states of America, which is considered as one of the best Holiday attractions locations of the sector. Amazon Rainforest in Brazil provides 20% of the world’s oxygen. This huge Rainforest is native to at the least 40,000 plant life species, 3,000 fishes, 1,294 birds, 378 reptiles, 427 amphibians, 427 mammals, 2.five million species of insects and 33% of worldwide known species. This atmosphere seems continually green, high-priced and teeming with its animals and plant life. There are Plenty of inns in the rainforest from where you may see a number of the plant life and fauna, some unluckily endangered species as nicely. Any other sights Pantanal Conservation Vicinity that is the biggest wetland over the sector and in which You’ll get the danger to see marsh deer, giant River Otters, Hyacinth Macaw, the Topped Solitary Eagle and large Enter. If you want to see some endangered species like Marmosets, Woolly spider monkeys and Lion Tamarins, then you definitely ought to go to Atlantic Rainforest, that is considered as a UNESCO global Background Web site. The temperature adjustments Here right away specifically within the north to south, that suggests more variant of temperature.

So I’m able to endorse you have to visit Brazil In case you love the natural world.

10. Wales

Wales is the high-quality place to spend your Christmas Vacations In case you need to make it memorable. Right here you can bypass a few relaxing time along with your own family and the vacation cottages are the best location to spend your Holidays that are bounded by mountains splendor and a mind-blowing green river valley. Those kinds of cottages can be found in an excellent limitless number of the scenery this is prompted with the aid of a few great artists and photographers. This place is a historical land of Fort and mountains additionally, you can find out Right here some art galleries and quantity of natural world. a few human beings prefer to stay in a stunning a cottage on their Holidays and Wales may be very a good deal ideal for locating The one’s varieties of fine cottages, that are surely tremendous and fashionable also with a completely reasonable price. maximum of the cottages is very nearby of seashores or the seaside from wherein you may experience the Stunning view all around.

[allcheatscodes]

guitar hero ii xbox 360

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guitar hero ii xbox 360

Guitar Hero II cheats & more for Xbox 360 (X360)

Cheats

Unlockables

Hints

Easter Eggs

Glitches

Guides

Achievements

Get the updated and latest Guitar Hero II cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, achievements, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for Xbox 360 (X360). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

Use the links above or scroll down to see all the Xbox 360 cheats we have available for Guitar Hero II.

Check PlayStation 2 cheats for this game

Also Known As: Guitar Hero 2

Genre: Simulation, Musical Instrument / Band Sim

Developer: Red Octane

Publisher: Red Octane

ESRB Rating: Teen

Release Date: April 3, 2007

Hints

*Play Hidden Chords On Hard For More Points

While playing a song on Hard, it is almost like the notes on expert. So, after experimenting playing a song on Expert. I have concluded that you can play hidden chords in any song. (I do a lot of chords to try to get more acheivments, hope this works for you, too).

* this could would on these pairs too, I haven’t tried these:

Hidden Chords on Easy (from Medium)

Hidden Chords on Medium (from Hard)

Beat All Songs On Expert Easily

First, go to practice mode under training. Next, choose a song to practice. Then choose to play the song from the beginning of verse #1 to the end of verse #2 on easy and set it to full speed. then practice the song. hit all of the notes in the song and right when the last note is finished, unplug your guitar controller,(note: you cannot use a wireless controller to do this cheat). A screen should pop up saying you rock too hard and to reconnect your controller. Reconnect your controller and repeat the disconnecting and reconnecting twice more, do this fast.(three times total). then pause the game after reconnecting for the third time and quit.(if you did this on time then the pause menu should give you the option to continue, if it does not give you this option restart the song and try again). After you have quit go to career, choose any band, and set the difficuty to expert. Now choose any song and you will only have to play the first two verses of the song you practiced. you will get credit towards your career for playing the song you chose on expert. (your last indicator of the fact that the cheat is working, is that you will not hear the crowd cheer if it does). Also note that you will have no star power meter through the song.

Play Less Notes

For example if there is a note with a black ringaround the top and then after that there are a bigstring of notes without the black ring all youhave to do is get the note with the black ringaround it (strum) you don’t have to strum for allof the noted without a black ring around it.

Buy New Stuff!

If you want to get new guitars, songs, and characters you have to be on difficulty medium, hard, or expert to get money and also go to the store.

Cheats

All Songs

Press Blue, Yellow, Orange, Red, Yellow, Orange,Blue, Yellow, Blue, Yellow, Blue, Yellow, Blue,Yellow, Blue, Yellow at the main menu.

Horse Head

At the main menu press blue orange orange blue orange orange blue orange orange blue.

Performance Mode

B, B, Y, B, B, O, B, B

Flaming Head

At main menu push orange, yellow(2), orange, yellow(2), orange, yellow(2), orange, yellow(2), orange, yellow(2), orange, yellow(2) to unlock flaming head.

Monkey Headed Crowd

Press Orange, Yellow, Blue(2), Yellow, Orange,Blue(2) at the main menu.

Eyeball Head Crowd

Press Yellow, Orange, Blue(3), Orange, Yellow atthe main menu.

Hyper Mode

At the main menu press Blue, Orange, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Yellow.

Air Guitar

At the Main Menu, enter Yellow, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Blue.

Unlockables

Musicman Lava Pearl Stingray

Complete 21 songs with a five star rank in Co-op mode.

Gibson Cherry Sg

Complete 10 songs in Co-op mode.

Gibson Cream Sg

Get a golden five star rankon all 40 original songs.

Gibson Grabber

Complete 20 songs in Co-op mode.

Gibson Natural Maple Grabber

Get a goldenfive star rank on every song.

Gibson Natural Thunderbird

Get a five starrank on all of the regular songs in Co-op mode.

Gibson Thunderbird

Complete 30 Songs in Co-opmode.

Hofner Sunburst Classic

Get a five star rankon every song including the bonus songs.

800k Pair (30 Points)

Get 800,000 points on asong in Cooperative.

Millionaire Pair (30 points)

Get 1,000,000 points on a song in Cooperative.

Hendrix Award (10 Points)

Beat a song withlefty flip on.

Teacher’s Pet Award (10 Points)

Practicethree different songs.

Saturday Morning Award (10 Points)

BeatTrogdor and Thunder Horse.

Kick The Bucket Award (30 Points)

Beat Jordanon Expert.

Gear Head Award (30 Points)

Buy all guitars.

Fanatical Completionist Award (30 Points)

Buyall guitar finishes.

Record Collector Award (10 Points)

Buy allsongs.

Life Of The Party Award (10 Points)

Buy allcharacters.

Fashion Plate Award (10 Points)

Buy all outfits.

Extra Credit Award (10 Points)

View the credits.

Big Spender Award (10 Points)

Spend $10,000at the store.

Scenester Award (10 Points)

Beat all theunlock songs.

Joan & Lita Award (30 Points)

Get a 100 notestreak in Cooperative.

Joe & Steven Award (30 Points)

Get a 500 notestreak in Cooperative.

Keef & Mick Award (30 Points)

Get a 1000 notestreak in Cooperative.

Lennon & Mccartney Award (10 Points)

Get an8x streak in Cooperative.

Page & Plant Award (30 Points)

Get 100% noteshit on a song in Cooperative.

200k Pair (30 Points)

Get 200,000 points on asong in Cooperative.

400k Pair (30 Points)

Get 400,000 points on asong in Cooperative.

600k Pair (30 Points)

Get 600,000 points on asong in Cooperative.

Axe Grinder (10 Points)

Unlock Rock CityTheater.

Shredder (10 Points)

Unlock Vans Warped Tour.

Rock Star (10 Points)

Unlock Harmonix Arena.

Guitar Hero (10 Points)

Unlock Stonehenge.

Dimebag Darrell Award (10 Points)

Get a 100note streak.

Eddie Van Halen Award (30 Points)

Get a 500note streak.

Yngwie Malmsteen Award (30 Points)

Get a 1000note streak.

Easy Tour Champ (10 Points)

Beat the Easy tour.

Medium Tour Champ (30 Points)

Beat the Mediumtour.

Hard Tour Champ (30 Points)

Beat the Hard tour.

Expert Tour Champ (30 Points)

Beat the Experttour.

Sandbox Hero Award (30 Points)

Earn fivestars on all songs in the Easy tour.

Most Likely To Succeed Award (30 Points)

Earnfive stars on all songs in the Medium tour.

Guitarmaggedon Award (30 Points)

Earn fivestars on all songs in the Hard tour.

Start A Real Band Already Award (30 Points)

Earn five stars on all songs in the Expert tour.

Rock School Grad (10 Points)

Complete alltutorials.

Scoremonger Award (10 Points)

Get an 8xmultiplier.

Perfectionist Award (30 Points)

Get 100%notes hit on a song.

Rock Snob Award (10 Points)

Refuse to play anencore.

Long Road Ahead Award (10 Points)

Fail a songon Easy.

100k Club (10 Points)

Get 100,000 points in a song.

200k Club (10 Points)

Get 200,000 points in a song.

300k Club (30 Points)

Get 300,000 points in asong.

400k Club (30 Points)

Get 400,000 points in asong.

Champagne Room V.i.p. (30 Points)

Get 500,000points in a song.

Roadie (10 Points)

Unlock Rat Cellar.

New Kid (10 Points)

Unlock Blackout Bar.

Young Gun (10 Points)

Unlock RedOctane Club.

New Songs

To unlock a 6th song in each group, go on your career and play the first 5 songs in that group (depending on what level of difficulty, for example if you were on hard you have to play all 5 songs, same for expert. If you play on medium you only have to play 4 songs.) Then (if you play on at the least medium) to will get chanted for an encore. If you pass that song you will unlock the 6th song in that group.

Easter eggs

Currently we have no easter eggs for Guitar Hero II yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Glitches

Currently we have no glitches for Guitar Hero II yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Guides

Currently no guide available.

Achievements

Currently we have no achievements or trophies for Guitar Hero II yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.