#Game theory 101

[monriatitans]

Let's Read Some $#!7: William Spaniel & Mikki Kendall

Monria Titans & WGS View On WordPress

[embassyrowprojectonline]

“Mastering the Game: An Executive Director’s Guide to Amplifying Influence Through Strategic Game Theory” is officially on Amazon

by Embassy Row Project

“Mastering the Game: An Executive Director’s Guide to Amplifying Influence Through Strategic Game Theory” is a revolutionary book that exposes CEOs and top-level executives to a fresh lens of leadership. This insightful book draws you into the intricate world of game theory and shows how you can leverage it to create power, influence, and a distinct strategic advantage in the boardroom and beyond.

Here is what you’ll learn from this groundbreaking book:

-An In-depth Understanding of Game Theory: Unearth the fundamentals of game theory, its principles, and how they can be a game-changer in executive leadership. -The Power of Strategic Interactions: Discover how game theory shapes decision-making processes, and how you can use this knowledge to drive your organization’s strategic objectives. -Predicting Stakeholder Actions: Master the art of using game theory to anticipate the moves of your stakeholders, ensuring you’re always one step ahead. -Building Strategic Alliances: Learn how game theory can facilitate the formation of beneficial partnerships, boosting your influence and reach in the industry. -Game Theory in Policy Influence: Understand how you can use game theory to shape policies that work in your favor, enhancing your organization’s operational landscape. -Negotiation Tactics: Harness the power of game theory to craft successful negotiation strategies that yield advantageous results. -Resource Allocation Strategies: Grasp how game theory can optimize resource allocation, improving efficiency and productivity. -Risk Mitigation: Explore how game theory can be leveraged for effective risk management, ensuring organizational stability and resilience. -Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Games: Delve into the realms of cooperative and competitive scenarios, and understand how to navigate each for optimal results. -Future Trends in Game Theory: Stay ahead of the curve by understanding the emerging trends in game theory and how you can use them to sustain your leadership position.

In “Mastering the Game: An Executive Director’s Guide to Amplifying Influence Through Strategic Game Theory,” you will explore a new world where science and leadership meet. It is a guide for those who aim to disrupt the status quo, fostering innovation and transformative leadership. By integrating the powerful tools of game theory into your strategy, you will not only amplify your influence but also carve out a path of excellence for your organization. Get ready to master the game of leadership and take your influence to unprecedented heights with this must-read guide.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Now Available on Amazon

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCK5Z8CX

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCCX6987

[lact101]

Do you guys think they made the ii arg to entertain us for a few weeks until the episode came out

And we solved it in like less than an hour

[outeremissary]

Actually good gameplay/bad story vs. bad gameplay/good story poll has me thinking a lot about "bad gameplay." I feel like that's often treated as a really binary thing, but like. How many games out there is this subject often hotly contested on? How many older games, how many cult classics? I feel like for every game with "bad gameplay" there's at least one person defending the impact it has on the experience and atmosphere of the game. I've seen someone get heated about the idea of making inventory limits in older RPGs more lax when porting the games to modern systems because it removes stakes from the game to be able to carry More Items. You lose an edge of puzzle and of wilderness survival. The inventory management question is one that often pops up in discussions around horror games as well- what's a badly designed inventory and what's one that's frustrating intentionally? Or one that's excusable by the limits of its age? Is clunky combat bad in a combat heavy action game, or can it push the game's genre to suggest something else atmospherically? I really enjoy defenses of gameplay that's "bad" or "obsolete." I haven't been playing Dragon's Dogma 2 and have no way to judge one way or another, but I have heard it called unfriendly, backwards, and bad by detractors and unfriendly, backwards, and good by defenders. It's so fascinating where people draw the line and what criteria they use to determine what's passing and failing. And then when there are whole mechanics people love or hate too! I was looking at escort mission discourse just today. Conversation where on the one hand some people believe there's no way at all to attain a theoretically possible good implementation of an escort mission, while other people see even the most player unfriendly implementations as a challenge of player skill rather than a failure of design.

I don't really have anywhere I'm going with this, I just felt that the more I thought about it the more interesting it was because of the ways that gameplay could be interpreted through age, technical implementation, genre, and player tolerance in ways very distinct from how story and writing are judged. I think "good gameplay" as a concept is often positioned as gameplay which is snappy, clean, and accessible (accessibility exception carved out for games that sell themselves as Hard Games) with precise and technically well crafted controls, but I've seen so many cases for good gameplay being the absolute fucking opposite if it produces an interesting play experience. And you could say "oh, that's determined by the intent of the creators," but do you always have a way to know their intent? And how many games come together actually according to plan, with no schedule slippage and everything implemented exactly according to vision?

To use an example near and dear to me- yeah, I'm not leaving the Kingmaker in the tags after all- a part of Kingmaker's gameplay loop is kingdom management. You're exploring, fighting, and interacting with the world, but you're also coming to rule it through the kingdom, and this has to be balanced as a part of this loop just like all the other pieces. Kingdom management feeds back into the other pieces of the game- it gives mechanical benefits, it opens up new interactions, and when you explore it backfills the empty space you leave behind with something new, the kingdom, which can be further transformed. It also fills a different kind of empty space, the temporal space between chapters, and gives you meaningful choices to make when the plot isn't at a fever pitch by making it so that how you use your time has stakes beyond what exploration and quests provide. Kingdom management is also timer dependent and RNG heavy as fuck, and at points can feel very unfair even if I'd argue it seldom ever traps you and never traps you without an actual reason. It's also situated in a genre, the RPG, where RNG is seen as an acceptable and even expected part of gameplay systems. For me, kingdom management enhances the experience of the game and is an extremely worthwhile addition to the gameplay which plays in enjoyable ways off of other aspects of the gameplay. It's a part of a memorable and fun play experience. But so many people fucking hate kingdom management and see it as not just something they dislike, but something which is Bad in design and implementation. It's positioned as disruptive, unwieldy, player unfriendly, overwhelming, and arbitrary. And I see the case for all of those points. And I don't think there's any final way to objectively settle whether it's Good or Bad, and that ultimately what it gives to the game very much comes down to player preferences and playstyle. How you interact with a game gives these systems their meanings and impacts.

I don't really have a conclusion to this. It's just kind of word vomit getting the thoughts out of my head. ^^;; But I don't know. I think it's something really interesting, the fact that there's not necessarily an objective way of seeing gameplay as good or bad the same way that there's not an objective way to see a story. I answered that poll "bad gameplay and good story," but when I think about the games that make me choose that, it's not like they're unplayable even if sometimes I truly hate the experience of playing them. I think that their gameplay gives them meaning, specificity, and staying power in my mind for how I experienced the game because of this gameplay in a way that games with "good" gameplay can't always provide.

[manticore239]

Goddamn I'm bad at this.

“this fic was written by AI”

[suiana]

❝ I Reincarnated Into a Shitty Chirstmas Romance Movie and My Love Interest is a Yandere?! ❞

✎ featuring my creature, Ezra Valentine :3 this is just ezra being a weirdo, some lore for my game? idk blawg just read it and you'll find out

✎ special shoutout tags to these people @yandere-yearnings @forbidden-sunlight @moyazaika @bun3333s @yanderenightmare @cumtastiics @ozzgin

Your "childhood friend" is a bit of a weirdo, you think.

Staring at you for far too long, lingering touches that suggest that he's more than just a bit interested in you, and the weird random confessions about how he wants to get crushed under the heel of your right shoe...

It's just weird.

You've reincarnated into a shitty christmas romance movie. And your "childhood friend", aka the love interest, aka Ezra Valentine, has a crush on the main character, you. Obviously.

You don't even know why you watched this movie in the first place. Boredom, maybe? Yeah, probably was because you started dozing off after hour 1 of the movie. The movie was... 1 and a half hour long? It wasn't even rated that high. Like a... 6.9 at best.

And now you're stuck here all because you watched this shitty movie with an even shittier plot. Where the main character left the small town for a big city, came back home to celebrate christmas and meets childhood friend, decides to give up big city life because they both fall for one another.

Just like every other damn Mallhark movie. Predictable, boring, absolutely TRASH.

You don't even know why or how you got reincarnated into this damned movie in the first place! Did you fucking pass away in your sleep??? Actually just die from fucking boredom???

Well it's no use thinking about that now because you've been stuck in here for a while now. You think that you're maybe about halfway through the original plot, where Ezra and the old mc were supposed to have some bonding time together and shit. But that's not the case now, because you've changed the plot.

And you're realizing that this "childhood friend" of yours... Is acting a little bit differently.

You don't remember him being that much of a weirdo in the original movie. If you remember correctly,he was just like, a little bit of a shy loser boy who was infatuated with the MC and liked gaming. But now... Now he's, what, a masochist? Or did they just not add that fact into the movie? You couldn't have forgotten. If the love interest was openly a weirdo like he is to you, you wouldn't have dozed off in the first place. Just now, he literally asked to be crushed under your right shoe. Crushed. Under. Your. Shoe. How the hell is that boring? You'd be 101% AWAKE. You love freaks more than anything, damn!

Now that you think about it, he's more than just a bit of a weirdo.

He's been calling and acting like he's your boyfriend. Hell, he acts like a CLINGY boyfriend too. Asking where you're going, clinging to you, giving you those damned boba eyes everytime you talk to others, specifically dudes. Fun fact but you wish he'd stop abusing those eyes of his because fuck, how can you resist him when he's looking at you like that?

Worse of it all, you can't do anything. Not when your key out and helper, Ai, said to act cool and to not arouse any suspicion from him.

Ai's also another character in this movie by the way. His character trope: the hot side character that barely gets screentime and is also sentient. And right now, he's helping you find a way back to your world... Meanwhile you've been stuck in Ezra's apartment under the guise of a mandatory childhood bestie sleepover.

It's been days since you've actually last seen Ai in person because of how much Ezra, your "childhood friend", has been clinging to you. In just the past 3 days, he's made you watch the entire fnaf lore theory THRICE. And not once have you stepped outside his apartment. Not because you don't want to, but because he'd always find some bullshit excuse to keep you with him.

"O-oh but kitty you'd miss this very important scene... Where freddy goes hurhurhuhr"

"Kitty! Kitty you can't leave now! We have to watch it again! What? We watch it more times so it gets engrained into our brains! That's just common sense!"

"Keeping you h-hostage?! I'm not! All friend do this! It's just u-um, friend bonding time! We haven't been around each other in so long you know..."

It's weird. Just plain weird.

Thankfully you still have your phone so you could occassionally sneak a message or two to Ai, informing him of your current situation. As long as that black haired man baby doesn't see everything is fine...

y/n: currently watching a new video, thank gyatt for that

y/n: would actually jump if i have to watch more fnaf

y/n: erm... lowkey think this is worse though... its a video about danganronpa

Ai: don't worry, i'll be there to save you in a bit

Ai: i might have found a way to get you out of here

y/n: fr? ty for that silly goober :3 all while im chilling on the couch having some me time :333 ur so skibidi

"A-ahem! y/n who are you texting..?"

Shit. This damned guy! What does he think he's doing? Just popping up the second you finally have some alone time?! Wasn't he passed out from lunch just minutes ago???

"Erm... Just a friend?"

Ezra stares at you with wide round eyes, lps turning down into a frown before he sits uncomfortably close, pressing his long, lanky body against yours. Always the tall skinny guys that are the biggest weirdos man.

"Just a... friend?"

"Yeah, just a friend."

I mean, it wasn't wrong. Ai really was just a friend to you. Or at least that's what you think. To Ezra and his fucked up mind... Maybe you were abandoning him? And now he's jealous and might want to go batshit crazy on AI?

Haha! No way that would happen! Ezra, no matter how crazy he is, wouldn't go that far! He's just a loser who has an added interest in you now after all!

The look in his eyes say otherwise though.

"But I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Cold, dark, obsessive.

The way he stared at you sent literal chills down your spine. He had never looked at you in such a way before. Pathetic and needy, yes. But never this... Whatever the hell this was.

You back into the fabric of the seat, feeling a cold sweat line the skin of your forehead. All of a sudden, the room feels all too small and it's like you're trapped in his apartment with no way to escape.

It was suffocating.

"I'm the only friend you need. The only one you need, y/n."

You don't really recall a time where he's called you y/n so easily. It's always some stupid petname like kitty. And goddamn it, you wish he'd just say that instead. Hearing him call your name while he's staring into your very soul like this is making you feel like you're about to shit your pants.

"U-uh, okay dude chill out. You're my dearest friend, alright? Look let's jsut go back to watching that danganronpa analysis..."

And just like that, the terrifying aura IMMEDIATELY disappears and you're left with a sopping wet puppy of a man. You decide to make the first move, fiddling with the remote as you stand up and move close to the coffee table. Anythinng to gte away from this weird bipolar guy. How the hell did he develop this? A new character arc maybe?

In the midst of you trying to look anywhere but Ezra, you fail to realize that he had already taken your phone, leaving you with no way to contact Ai now.

"Now you'll never have another friend again..."

"What was that?"

"O-oh I said now you'll never be bored again! Haha!"

Right, totally what he said.

[justanarchiveforfics]

December Seventeen recs

Red horn | @himbocoups (smut)

devils are contract workers - simply offer them a payment that they can never refuse, and your problems would be taken care of. the only thing is, what could a mere human possibly offer to a devil?

Bad enough | @sluttywonwoo (smut)

 lee chan isn't the type of guy you usually go for... but you don't know that.

Simp notes | @shuastruck - on going (smau, strangers to lovers, fluff)

lee chan, college's critically acclaimed and certified (read: self-proclaimed) cupid was a hundred percent sure that his guide to love manual aka the simp notes worked just perfectly fine, seeing the number of campus couples he had managed to get together. until you came up with your complex romantic problem and chan finds his trustworthy notes betraying him, especially when he begins to fall for you.

or, in which, chan never thought he would be following his own simp notes to win over you.

Always | @spamgyu (fluff)

When Soonyoung told her he would always be there, he meant it. The days of pining for the girl he had fallen for freshman year had finally paid off.

Office hours | @seungkw1 (smut)

Red string theory | @spamgyu (soulmates au, fluff)

Soulmates weren't real. This wasn't a fantasy world... But somehow, the world wanted them together. Giving them one too many chances to be together. Almost as if there was a little string that connected them to one another.

Insomnia - city lights series- | @hannieween (smut)

The last bit of sanity in your mind vanished the moment before you asked your hot neighbour to be your fuck buddy. Whatever prompted you to muster the courage to get the words out was something you didn't know you had inside you. But he wasn't saying no.

Sehnsucht | @leejihoonownsmyheart (academic rivals, smut)

You and Wonwoo have been rivals since your first of University, and despite it being your final year, that rivalry doesn't seem like it's going anywhere soon when you both end up in German 101.

The Christmas boyfriend | @rubyreduji (fake dating, fwb, fluff, smut)

When you tell your mom the little white lie that you have a boyfriend, you don’t expect it to evolve into bringing your friend with benefits home for christmas. what can go wrong?

Maybe this is wishful thinking | @gyuldaengi (angst)

Fifteen to forever | @gyuswhore (fluff, angst, smut)

Fifteen was the age you had met Choi Seungcheol at a school hockey game. Forever was the age you would find yourself spending with him.

Must love dogs | @nevernonline (strangers to lovers, fluff)

after a breakup (three years ago) your friend finally attempts to get you back on the saddle by creating you a dating profile despite your protesting, hooking you up on dates with some of the eligible bachelors of their choice, none of which impressed you. until one day you met the boy with the dog.

From Accords to kisses | @hoshifighting (fake dating, smut)

Seungcheol, feeling overshowed by his accomplished cousin Jisoo, concocted a plan to surprise his family. Desperate to match up, he enlists Y/N, a talented athlete swimmer from his university, to play his girlfriend. Amidst the charade, unexpected sparks fly, leading to a surprising turn in their relationship.

[lorainelegacy]

@lilac-ravenclaw thank you very much for the tag! It will be fun, but hard to pick just ten, so I'll list the ten films that I've seen the most and that I'll never get tired of watching.

I don't know who to tag, so anyone who wants to join in is welcome ♥

Movies Tag Game !!

without naming them, post a gif from ten of your favorite films, then tag ten people to do the same.

Thank you to @shanaraharlyah @swtorpadawan + @shabre-legacy for the tags !! wowowow i love you all ♡

no pressure tags for… @catohphm @rubensmuse @boomingsmile @cynnaminstyx @bigbadvv0lf @sainro-dot-jpg @resumbrarum + anyone who sees this! ;)

[k-hippie]

K-MODS : UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Now that we ( at last ) finished our global x11 update, time was coming to get a closer look, especially on the oldest files ...

There's a joke to be made with updating after EAxis mess. Maybe something like ... Si(m)siphus ... Really, once we start working on an update, it seems like *everything* needs an update and we'll never get to the bottom of it. Or ... worst ( or better ) we get an insight on something we couldn't figure out and now we just want to test a theory or two, just in case it'll crack the code ... aaand we'll be good to make an overhaul of something else. Anyway ! Here we are :)

BRINDLETON BAY We are half pleased with the results here but those files needed to be updated ... Indeed ! The Cats & Dogs town is back into the fold with updated texture. We even removed the red pavement for more consistency. We aren't quite happy with the final result of this town and we'll probably come back later for finishing touch here & there but it'll do for the moment.

Please enjoy the return of Brindleton Bay among the family of the k-mods files :D

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SELVADORADA ( JUNGLE ADVENTURES ) It was long overdue indeed but working on Selvadorada is like working on San Myshuno, it is clearly not EAxis best hours ...

Anyway, we completely reworked both nature and urban files, finished the ruins, added the files we hadn't done ...

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STRANGERVILLE

We always have a soft spot for Strangerville, surely because it reminds us the Sims 2 Strangetown which was was so fun and irreverent !

You already have the k-505 nature we updated not long ago. Now, we remade the k-505 urban and put work into finishing touches, making sure we've covered everything that needed to be k-hippied :D

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K-505 : BASEGAME NATURE FILES UPDATE Which should actually be : What-A-Surprise-We-At-Last-Found-Files Somehow, we tackled the San Myshuno Pit Of Darkness Problem. Yes, you read that right, with one single file, two little adjustment and a lot of hair pulling ( "What do you mean EA stretch that file like peanut butter on a toast ?" ) Okay, with less sardonic comment, the k-505 base game mod actually got a new update that's even better. You know those rocks with grass on them ? Yeah, we cleared that. It's now better looking. No more funky hairy rock. And of course, as you may know if you read the previous post, we finally found the files guilty of the black/question mark deep down in San Myshuno ! So, do not hesitate to update all your files ;)

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K-101 : MAJOR UPDATE Technical lingo : we updated the specular files because it was bugging us to no end. Old wooden floor, cool. Old wooden floors that shined so much it looked new ? Not under our watch, no sir ! In addition, it solves a glossy problem for Mac users with an intel based computer. Damned ! we are so good ... :D All floors have seen their specular double-checked and done ... and by the way, all Jungle Adventures floors were added, all of them. Of course, if you notice something we may forgot, just tell us :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - K-303 : SKIES & MOONS UPDATE As the title says : those are moon & night sky replacements. It is re-organized ( we redid the folders to do not mix moons and skies ) All you have to do is to place these files into you mods folder and tada ! a brighter and bigger moon for your Sims :)

Voila, that's all for this week :) Hope it will be ok for you and your fun ! Next in queue, Britechester and Del Sol Valley …

All the k-mods : https://tech-hippie.com/k-mods/

k-303 Multifix stuff : https://tech-hippie.com/k-303/

if you think it good enough: ko-fi // paypal

:)

[arendelle-archives]

January 2025 Frozen map bonanza!

That's right, there is more than just in-depth studies of Frozen kingdoms and family trees in the Archive cabinets.

This was my present to the Arendelle Archives discord server for the new year! A quick recap of every large scale map we've seen in the Frozen franchise so far.

Here they are in order of appearance:

1. Frozen - The Troll Map (2013)

A supposedly ancient map that guided the royal family to the Valley of the Living Rock on the night of the accident. In the novel Dangerous Secrets (2020), it was revealed that the map had once belonged to Agnarr's mother Queen Rita. Ironically, later maps have proven this location of the Troll Valley to be incorrect.

2. Frozen Free Fall (2014)

A massive 3d-map assembled from screenshots of the mobile game Frozen Free Fall. Shared by u/DuckOfDuckness on reddit (full quality in the comments). Some of the locations, like the Troll Valley on the middle left, are actually consistent with later maps.

3. Frozen Fever (2015)

The first map that showed us the outline of Arendelle and The Southern Isles. Thanks to this, fans quickly deduced that Hans's home country was based on the Danish island Funen (Fyn). Note: "Nordsoen" (technically Nordsøen) is Danish for the North Sea, the real sea between Scandinavia, Denmark and the British Isles.

4. Frozen: Live at the Hyperion - Arendelle History 101 Queue Video (2015)

The only official map so far to feature Weselton. An expansion of the map from Frozen Fever. Shared by u/ArendelleKnight on reddit (video). Notice how the seemingly small island gets cut off on the left? I suspect Weselton is a bit bigger than what's seen here. Edit by me on the right.

5. Sailing Sisters (2016)

A comic book map I very recently analysed in my Frozen-project covering the kingdom of Vakretta! Arendelle is to the right and Vakretta is to the left. Also, notice how the large island at the top appears to be in the same location as Weselton on the previous map.

6. Forest of Shadows (2019)

The first and only map so far to show actual places of interest in the kingdom. The locations of Oaken's trade post, the Troll Valley as well as the Roaring River are consistent with the Frozen Free Fall-map! A very interesting map overall. Just don't look too close at the misaligned grid compared to the compass. Or the ridiculously wide fjord...

7. Saks Fifth Avenue - Disney’s Frozen II Enchanted Forest Experience Booklet (2019)

A proper little treasure revealed to me by @saiten-gefroren through his Frozen timeline project Annals of Frozen in 2021. Originally posted on Instagram by @imdaaddlepate. Edit by me on the right.

8. Frozen II: Spirits of the Enchanted Forest - Iduna's Map (2019)

A re-imagining of the scene from the movie (even though the book was released before the movie) and actually showed the whole map, including The Southern Isles. In this version, Ahtohallan is a mapped landmass rather than just a sketch! According to what's revealed in Dangerous Secrets, this actually makes sense!

9. Frozen II: Look and Find (2019)

This version of the map also shows Ahtohallan as a mapped landmass.

10. The Art of Frozen II - Arendelle Town Map

Concept art (3D model) for Frozen II by David Womersley. According to the map, this part of the town is called"Arendelle North", suggesting the other (southern) half of the town is called "Arendelle South."

11. Frozen II - Iduna's Map (2019)

The map seen in the movie showing the borders of Arendelle and Northuldra. Rivers are consistent with the map from Forest of Shadows, meaning the Roaring River marks Arendelle's northern border. This map was a breakthrough for analysing Arendelle's location, as it features real coordinates along the "frame". You can find interesting theories about this here, here and here (my own project). Edits by me.

12. Frozen: The Saga - The Legacy of Anna and Elsa - Iduna's Map (2020)

Iduna's map before she hid it in the watertight compartment. Like the movie map, this one is cut off at the bottom and is missing The Southern Isles.

13. The Love Tree (2021)

An adaptation of the map from Frozen Fever. To my knowledge, this is the only other time we've seen this particular map design appear in a comic. What's odd is that (besides using the outdated geography) Kai is pointing out the land across the Arenfjord as if it belongs to Arendelle when the map from Frozen II clearly showed it doesn't. But at least we can credit the artist for getting the compass angle right!

14. Disney Wish - Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure (2022)

A slightly adapted version of the map from Frozen Fever, with "Nordsoen" (North Sea) written in English instead of the original Danish. The "frame" also features added coordinates. Unfortunately, the latitude is off by one degree compared to the map from Frozen II. The third pic was very kindly shared with me on discord by BadAtNamesAndFaces.

15. Tokyo DisneySea: Frozen Kingdom - Royal Banquet of Arendelle (2024)

This is the complete version of Iduna's map from Frozen II. Found in one of the dining halls of the Royal Banquet of Arendelle restaurant. The map once again confirms the borders of Arendelle and Northuldra.

16. Tokyo DisneySea: Frozen Kingdom - Kristoff's Ice Delivery Map (2024)

Many variations of this cartoon-y map have been included in the Frozen Official magazine throughout the years but this is to my knowledge the first time it has appeared "in-universe". Locations and rivers are consistent with previous maps. Note: the "Best ice in Arendelle!"-spot by the North Mountain is actually located outside the kingdom. It seems Kristoff doesn't have the best navigation skills 😁

/Virtual Winter

[emjayewrites]

The Year I Turned 25 • JK + AT (4/10)

SYNOPSIS: Grammy-winning R&B artist Y/N Y/LN, 25, is closing out the North American leg of her tour, riding high on the success of her sophomore album "The Year I Turned 24" - a raw, emotional project born from her public breakup with an NFL player. As she prepares for six weeks in Europe before the international leg of her tour, she's determined to have her own "hot girl summer," yet she’s unaware that she's about to get entangled with not one but two professional footballers - Jules Koundé and Aurélien Tchouaméni - sparking new public interest in her love life and forcing her to confront her fears about dating athletes again.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

PAIRINGS: Jules Koundé x Y/N Y/LN (fc: Ayra Starr) x Aurélien Tchouaméni

WARNINGS: cursing, football b.s., not so glamorous life of a celebrity, mentions of mental illness/misogyny/slut shaming/cheating, drug use (marijuana), drinking, rotational dating, eventual smut, paragon partners/polyamory — 18+ only

TAGLIST: @irishmanwhore, @sucredreamer, @whoevenisthiz, @saturnville, @peyiswriting, @greedyjudge2, @pepfectionary, @cocobutterqwueen, @alika-4466, @julescpu, @lettersofgold, @hopefulromantic1, @a-moment-captured, @serpenttines-library, @f1-football-fiend, @purplelewlew, @elyseesarchive, @enretrogue, @2serenity0, @yeea-nah, @127hydrangeas, @sunfairyy, @pinkcatcus, @muglermami, @shelovesfootie, @bbgkoo, @greyishbach @sinflowersugar @cranberryjulce

CHAPTER 4: X Marks The Spot...

YN was curled up in her hotel bed, scrolling through her phone with a smile playing on her lips as she sent a 'congrats' text to Lewis for winning his race in Silverstone before replying to Javaughn.

Professor Fine 👨🏾‍🏫: Made it to my conference. Already bored. Rather be back on that plane talking to you

YN: Aww poor baby. Give a lecture about Keynes to wake yourself up

Professor Fine 👨🏾‍🏫: A sense of humor AND knowledge of economic theory? Dangerous combination

Shit the only thing I even remembered from ECON 101…

He's cute, her thoughts mused, but not French-boys cute.

Her phone buzzed again:

Jules 🇫🇷: Can I stop by? Miss your face x

YN: Yeah sure

She barely put her phone down when there was a knock. Opening the door revealed Jules with shopping bags, looking good enough to eat in shorts and a fitted tee.

"How did you know I would say yes?"

Jules set the bags on her hotel room's small dining table. "I figured you missed me as much as I missed you."

"Aw, you're so cute." She peered into the bags. "What's in there?"

"Board games and food. Wanted to make the best out of being confined to each other's rooms."

She pulled out Monopoly, UNO, and Operation, grabbing the UNO deck with a grin. "Are you good at UNO?"

"Hell yeah."

"Well I'm the best so prepare to get your ass handed to you." She climbed onto the bed, patting the space next to her.

Jules kicked off his Sambas and settled beside her while she shuffled, their shoulders brushing.

Between rounds of "Draw Four" cards and playful trash talk, Jules asked, "Do you miss home?"

"Yeah, especially my mama's cooking. No offense but German food ain't hitting like her fried chicken and mac and cheese." She detailed Sunday suppers - collard greens, cornbread, sweet potato pie.

"She cooks like this every Sunday?"

"Pssh," YN trilled her lips. "Every day. She lives with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we've got this house in the Valley. Made it our own - got a garden with herbs and vegetables, renovated the garage into a gym. We do yoga together in the mornings. She's my best friend."

Jules' smile was soft. "That's sweet. You're really close."

"What about you and your mom?"

His eyes grew distant, fingers fidgeting with his cards. "I was an asshole growing up," he admitted, a shadow crossing his features. "But we got closer, especially since... well, I don't really know my dad." His jaw tightened slightly. "His brother reached out when I was sixteen. Met my half-siblings, but only saw my dad once or twice. He's all over the place. Most of my family - grandmother, cousins - they're in Benin."

"I feel you on the dad thing," YN said. "My sperm donor bounced when I was three. Just walked out on mama and me one day. No explanation, no nothing." She laid down a red seven. "Sometimes I wonder if he sees me on TV or hears my music and thinks 'damn, that's my kid.' But fuck him though. Mama did just fine on her own."

Jules' expression softened with understanding. "Fuck him," he agreed quietly.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ "My mom did everything too. Made sure I knew my heritage, my roots in Benin. Never really struggled with the racial identity stuff like some biracial people do."

"You're mixed?" YN feigned shock. He shot her a look before his mouth quirked into a grin, realizing she was joking. "I googled you after the photo op."

"Oh really? So you knew all of this?"

"Nah," she laid down another card, now only holding two. "Just skimmed Wikipedia. Did stalk your IG though. Feel like you can really get a vibe of someone from their social media."

"Huh," he played his hand. "And what does my IG say about me?"

"That you're a fashion girlie who takes himself way too seriously in photo shoots." His laugh filled the room just as she slapped down her card. "UNO!"

Jules looked discombobulated. "How did you–"

She batted her eyelashes adorably. "Told you to prepare to have your ass handed to you."

He muttered a curse, played his card, and watched her win. "You're cheating or something?"

"Sore loser much?" She clutched invisible pearls. "You should see me play Spades - mama made sure to teach me how to run that game."

"What is Spades?"

Her jaw dropped in shock. "What? How do you not know Spades? Have you not been to any cookouts–"

His wide, toothy grin gave him away.

"Your face!" he pointed, laughing uncontrollably.

YN squinted mock-angrily. "You almost had me, Jules Olivier."

That sobered him slightly. "Ooh middle name? Let me guess, you read that on Wikipedia?"

"Among other things. Like how they say you're 5'11" but you're more like 5'10"."

"5'10" and a half," he corrected.

"Oh wow," she deadpanned.

"Yeah, that half-inch makes a difference," he grinned​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, adding a wink.

YN smiled at him, letting out a soft sigh. "Nothing like trauma bonding over daddy issues".

"My therapist would call this a breakthrough moment," Jules quipped back perfectly.

A freak AND gets dark humor? her thoughts swooned. The perfect man doesn't exi–

They then moved to the table for ramen, Jules telling her about his post-Euros plans.

"Going to Japan for two weeks. Need to decompress after the tournament."

"That sounds dope."

His eyes sparkled mischievously. "You should slide through."

"To Japan?" She nearly choked on her noodles. "Nigga what?"

"It's still your Hot Girl Summer," he shrugged. "Why not?"

"You want me to stay the whole two weeks?"

"If you can. But a week is fine. I know Auré probably wants to spend time with you after the Euros too."

"Yeah, I'll think about it."

"Alright, chérie."

This man really just invited you to Japan! her intrusive thoughts screamed.

A whole international vacation, her rational side considered. That's... serious.

But watching Jules slurp his ramen, looking soft and domestic in her hotel room, she couldn't find it in herself to panic about what it meant.

All YN wanted was to rot in bed, wrapped in the hotel's fluffy duvet while binging every rom-com Netflix had to offer. She was three UberEats orders deep - having demolished a burger, then Thai food, and now picking at some döner kebab as Brown Sugar played in the background. Damari's interview on "Real Bros Talk" podcast had dropped late last night, and social media hadn't shut up since.

Her group chat with Jazmine and Dominique was blowing up with reactions, and Jermaine had already called four times about possibly releasing a statement. Even her label wanted to know if she was going to channel this into another album.

As if he deserves any more of my creative energy, she thought bitterly, shoving another fry in her mouth.

TheShadeRoom: #DamariRush opens up about his relationship with Grammy winner (you know who 👀), says he "wasn't sexually satisfied" and needed someone to "match his freak" 🤔 [Video clip attached]

view all comments...

ynglobaldom: Not him trying to shame her for being inexperienced when he got caught cheating??? ↳ popculture_tea: The projection is REAL ↳ teamdamari: Maybe if she wasn't so boring… chartdata: Her album about him went #1 though 🤷🏾‍♀️ IDC IDC minaroe: Sir you averaged 3 yards per carry AND 3 pumps max ↳ tsrfans: SCREAMING 💀 deuxmoi: Meanwhile she's living her best life in Europe…

Three-pump chump at best, her intrusive thoughts scoffed. All that gym time for what?

Exactly, her rational side agreed. What's the point of working out if you can't even use that stamina?

Her phone buzzed non-stop:

Mama 💕 Baby girl call me

Big Kyle I'm booking a flight to Cleveland rn. Just say the word

LewLew Bean Ignore that 🤡 You're thriving without him

Jules 🇫🇷 Thinking of you x. Let me know if you need anything

Aurélien 🌹 He's not worth your energy, belle. But I'll beat his ass if you want

Professor Fine 👨🏾‍🏫 How are you doing? I would love to have dinner with you soon...

Enzo 🇮🇹 Bella, don't let him dim your light. You're magnificent x

Carina 💋 These men are trash. Come back to Florence, I'll treat you right 😘

She ignored them all, which wasn't fair to her French boys especially, but she needed peace. This summer had been transformative - teaching her about being open, exploratory, less stuck in her head (because a girl really gets in her head). She'd discovered parts of herself she never knew existed, found strength in vulnerability.

Her therapist's words echoed: "Give yourself grace. You're allowed to feel hurt, but don't let it stop your growth."

So she deleted the Instagram app, cutting off the negativity. She'd found something real in Europe - perhaps not with Jules and Aurélien, but definitely with herself.

After another hour of self-loathing and mindless Netflix, YN dragged herself up. The French national team was already on their way to Munich to prepare for their semis against Spain, and she had a six-hour private coach ride ahead of her.

Get it together, she told herself, cleaning up the UberEats carnage and shoving clothes into her suitcase.

She chose comfort for the journey - matching grey sweatsuit and slides, hair wrapped, not a stitch of makeup. The coach was basically a fancy van, but she wasn't trying to impress anyone today. Just R&R and her thoughts.

Somewhere around hour four, her phone buzzed:

🌹🇫🇷 Group Chat:

Jules 🇫🇷 Made it to Munich x. Miss your face

Aurélien 🌹 Can we see you tonight?

YN Not really in the mood boys

Jules 🇫🇷 We'll cheer you up! Got something fun planned

Aurélien 🌹 Not what you're thinking 😈

YN scoffed out loud.

Jules 🇫🇷 Be ready by 9! Wear something comfortable

She typed out another "no" but deleted it. Maybe distraction was exactly what she needed.

YN Fine. But no funny business

Aurélien 🌹 Us? Never 😏

These boys, she thought, but found herself smiling for the first time all day.

______________________________________________

YN stepped out of the Uber, pulling at her biker shorts as she stared up at the JUMP House Munich sign in confusion. She glanced between Jules and Aurélien, who both looked way too pleased with themselves.

Jules chuckled. "You told us you liked bouncy castles."

"And we even had the employees sign NDAs," Aurélien added casually.

Her eyes bugged out. What the hell? "You rented it out?" YN asked incredulously, tugging her oversized t-shirt back into place.

"Yeah, surprisingly it didn't cost that much," Aurélien shrugged, looking fine as ever even in athletic wear.

They rented it out AND made sure it wouldn't leak to social media? her rational thoughts swooned.

The bar is in HEAVEN, her intrusive thoughts agreed.

"We wanted to hang out with you and figured this would be a nice place outside of our rooms," Jules explained.

Inside was a playground of interconnected trampolines, foam pits, and obstacle courses. They headed straight for the massive free-jumping area, armed with foam balls for an every-man-for-themselves dodgeball battle.

"This is so unfair!" YN shrieked, bouncing and falling as foam balls flew at her from both directions. "Y'all are literal athletes!"

"All's fair in love and dodgeball," Jules called out, launching another attack.

"What he said," Aurélien agreed, showing absolutely no mercy.

The soccer trampoline section brought out their competitive sides. Both men started showing off, doing elaborate mid-air tricks before their kicks.

"Real humble, guys," YN rolled her eyes.

"Your turn," Jules challenged.

To everyone's surprise - including her own - YN managed to score several goals.

"Yo!" Jules' eyes widened. "Coach needs to sign her up!"

"For real," Aurélien nodded appreciatively. "Got that natural talent."

"Les Bleus could use you," Jules added. "I know people—"

"Boy, stop," YN laughed. "Singing is my gift to the world. Besides, y'all just impressed 'cause your standards are low."

"Our standards?" Aurélien raised an eyebrow. "You just scored on a goalkeeper."

"A robotic goalkeeper on a trampoline," she corrected. "Don't get excited."

But watching them bounce around like overgrown kids, demonstrating increasingly ridiculous tricks, she felt the weight of Damari's interview lifting. Sometimes healing looked like getting pelted with foam balls by two French footballers who'd rented out a trampoline park just to make her smile.

And what a smile it is, both her thoughts agreed.

"I need a break!" YN called out, bouncing off the trampoline. Her thighs were burning, but it was worth it.

The workers huddled in the corner, speaking rapid German and sneaking glances their way. She caught phrases like "Koundé" and "Nationalmannschaft." Normally it would stress her out, but those NDAs were ironclad.

Jules and Aurélien followed her to the café area, looking unfairly fresh while she was dripping sweat in very unsexy ways.

Now THIS is how you use stamina, her intrusive thoughts purred, eyeing how neither man seemed winded.

She chugged half her water bottle before speaking. "Y'all are machines or something?"

"Professional athletes, remember?" Jules grinned.

"Belle," Aurélien's eyes lit up as he spotted something across the room. "Want to try the battle box? Like American Gladiators."

YN looked at the elevated platform with foam sticks. "You want me to get up there and fight y'all? Two whole professional athletes?"

"We'll go easy–"

"Absolutely not. My ego can only take so many hits in one night."

"Your loss," he shrugged, already getting up to grab one of the foam battling sticks. "Jules?"

"Oh, you're going down," Jules jumped up, grabbing one for himself.

YN settled onto a bench, phone ready to record this foolishness. The boys squared off on the platform, circling each other like they were in an actual arena.

"Your defense is trash!" Aurélien taunted, taking a swipe that Jules barely dodged.

"Better than your aim!" Jules shot back, feinting left before striking right.

They traded French insults she couldn't understand, but their laughter echoed through the space. Watching them play-fight, seeing this unguarded side of them, YN felt a pang in her chest. Three weeks and four days left of her summer vacation. She'd miss this - miss them. The way Jules' eyes crinkled when he really laughed. How Aurélien's smirk softened when he thought no one was looking.

Maybe they'll let you spin the block when the mood hits, her intrusive thoughts suggested.

"Ha!" Aurélien knocked Jules off balance. "That's what happens when you talk too much shit!"

"Oh, fuck you! Rematch!" Jules demanded, already climbing back up.

For once, both her rational and intrusive thoughts agreed: these French boys were worth keeping around. Even after summer ended, even after she went back to reality.

"YN!" Jules called out. "Come referee!"

"No way! Y'all are too competitive–"

"Please?" They both turned those eyes on her.

Definitely worth keeping, she thought, getting up to play referee despite her better judgment.

_______________________________________________

YN found herself in Aurélien's hotel suite. She couldn't believe what was happening - another date night (hangout?) with her two French baguettes, but this felt different than all the others.

The night started off normal - JUMP house, coming back and ordering room service, chatting the shit, laughing, watching movies.

However, as usual, whenever they were together, things got heated and she now was standing in her bra and panties in front of them.

"You're thinking too hard again," Jules noticed, his hand caressing her shoulder.

"Just processing," she admitted. "Two weeks ago I was overthinking every little thing. Now it feels..."

"Natural," Aurélien finished, his smile softer than usual.

Girl, you know exactly where this is heading, her intrusive thoughts purred.

And for once, we're not overthinking it, her rational side agreed.

They'd never made her feel pressured or insecure. If anything, she'd never felt more desired, more understood. The connection between them flowed like lava - intense but not consuming. The way they looked at her - like she was precious but powerful - made her feel invincible. Made her feel brave enough to want more.

Something that Damari never did...

"We take care of what's ours," Jules said simply.

And that's what she was, wasn't she? Theirs. At least for now, at least for this perfect summer moment.

Her knees hit the carpet as their eyes darkened with promise. They kissed and fooled around already but YN's nerves were now electric, her body humming with anticipation. She watched as Jules slowly removed his shirt, his muscular chest on display, while Aurélien pulled his t-shirt over his head, revealing a glimpse of his toned torso.

"Relax, ma belle," Aurélien whispered, his voice like velvet. "We have all night."

YN took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for Jules's belt first. His warm fingers covered hers, stilling her movements.

"Easy, cherie," he murmured. "Take your time."

She inhaled, the scent of his cologne filling her senses, and exhaled slowly, steeling herself. With a nod, she tried again, her fingers deftly unbuckling his belt and sliding it free from the loops. The rasp of the zipper followed, and she gently tugged his shorts down, revealing his black boxer briefs.

Jules's erection strained against the fabric, and YN's mouth went dry. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the bulge, feeling the heat radiating from him. With a gentle pull, she freed him from his underwear, his thick shaft springing free. She inhaled his musky scent, her body responding with a rush of heat.

Leaning forward, she took the tip of his dick into her mouth, her tongue swirling around the head. Jules's hands found her hair, his grip firm but gentle as he guided her, encouraging her to take more. She relaxed her jaw, taking him deeper, her lips sliding down his length.

"Fuck, yes," Jules groaned, his hips thrusting forward in rhythm with her bobbing head. "That's it, baby, take it all."

YN's eyes fluttered closed, her jaw aching slightly as she accommodated his size. She reveled in the sounds of his pleasure, his praises fueling her desire. Then, she heard Aurélien’s voice, a soft murmur in French.

YN's free hand reached out, pulling Aurélien closer by the waistband of his sweat shorts. He chuckled, his warm breath tickling her ear as he whispered, "Impatient, aren't you?"

With Aurélien’s help, she untied his shorts, sliding them down his lean hips. He stepped out of them, his boxer briefs already tented with his erection.

Aurélien guided her hand to his dick, his shaft hot and rigid in her grasp. He groaned, his head falling back as she stroked him through the thin fabric, her touch tentative yet eager. "Come 'ere, pretty girl. I want to feel that mouth of yours."

YN released Jules with a wet pop, a string of saliva connecting her lips to his glistening dickhead. She turned her attention to Aurélien, her hand pulling his boxer briefs down before wrapping around his length as she leaned forward, taking him into her mouth.

Aurélien’s hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing her cheeks as he guided her. "Slowly, ma belle. Breathe through your nose."

She obeyed, her breath coming in shallow pants as she took him deeper, her throat working around his girth. Aurélien’s praise filled her ears, his hands tightening in her hair as he began to thrust gently, his hips moving in a slow, sensual rhythm.

"That's it. Suck me." His voice was hoarse, his accent thick with desire. "Merde, YN."

YN moaned around his length, the vibrations sending him over the edge. He withdrew, his dick glistening with her saliva, then he plunged back into her mouth, his hips snapping forward as he began to fuck her face. YN's hands gripped his thighs, her nails digging into his skin as she took him, her throat working to accommodate his thickness.

Aurélien's thrusts became more urgent, his hands tightening in her hair as he held her in place. "You're so fucking good, bébé. I'm gonna cum."

YN's eyes widened, her body tensing in anticipation. She wanted this, wanted to feel him release, to taste him. Her throat relaxed, and she focused on the sensation, on the pleasure she was giving, her own desire spiking with each of his grunts.

With a final, powerful thrust, Aurélien came, his dick jerking in her mouth as he spilled his seed. YN swallowed, her throat working to take all of him, her eyes never leaving his.

Aurélien withdrew, his breathing ragged, his hands roaming over her neck. "You're incredible, YN."

YN's cheeks flushed, her body buzzing with satisfaction. She turned her gaze to Jules, his erection still hard and ready. "And you?" she asked, her voice husky. "Are you ready for more?"

Jules's eyes darkened. "Fuck yeah. Come 'ere." He positioned himself between YN's legs, his eyes locked onto her as she eagerly drew closer. Her tongue darted out, expertly navigating his length. She sucked and teased, her hands gripping his hips as he groaned in pleasure.

Meanwhile, Aurélien moved behind YN, his fingers deftly unhooking her bra. His hands explored her breasts, kneading and pinching her sensitive nipples, causing her to moan, her mouth full of Jules' dick.

Jules's climax was sudden and intense. He groaned, his body convulsing as he released his seed deep into YN's throat. She swallowed quickly, savoring the taste of him as well.

They then led YN to the bed, where she lay back, her eyes heavy with lust. Jules and Aurélien positioned themselves on either side of her, their lips finding her neck and breasts. Jules’s tongue skirted across YN’s neck, sending shivers down her spine. His touch was gentle, almost reverent. Aurélien, meanwhile, was a different story. His hands were rough, his movements urgent.

Aurélien’s attention soon turned lower, his tongue tracing the curve of her hips and the soft skin of her belly. He reached for her panties, tugging them down to reveal her core.

"I've been waiting to taste you," he murmured, his eyes dark with desire. His tongue delved deep, exploring every inch of her, while his fingers danced over her clitoris.

"Fuck," YN moaned, her voice a mere whisper. Her body throbbed with pleasure, her back arching and her nails digging into the sheets as she cried out. Jules continued to kiss and suck on her neck and then her body shook uncontrollably as her orgasm hit her like a freight train. Aurélien lapped up the sweet nectar happily, his tongue darting in and out of her hole.

He pulled away once he was done, a satisfied smile on his face as he sat on his haunches. "You wanna try the Eiffel Tower?" Aurélien asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. YN hesitated, her cheeks flushing.

"It’s your call, YN," Jules assured her, his voice gentle.

"You won't mind if Aurélien and I..." she trailed. A flutter of nerves danced in her stomach. The idea of taking them both at once was daunting but one at time seemed more plausible. Less scary.

Jules gave a reassuring smile. "Nope," he replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I’ve got a thing for watching anyway."

YN rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course you do. Such a freak."

Jules shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you say so." With that, he moved to the far end of the bed, propping himself up on one elbow, a spectator ready for the main event.

YN was nervous, but also excited. She turned to face Aurelien, who was already leaning in, his grip on YN’s hips tightening. A shiver ran down her spine as he captured her nipple with his tongue, swirling it sensually. YN's back arched into a bow, a moan escaping her lips.

"Showtime, ma belle," he said, a cocky grin spreading across his face. He then turned, reaching for his shorts that were still on the floor. He retrieved a condom from his pocket, tearing open the package with his teeth and sheathing himself. The raw, primal gesture sent a wave of desire crashing over her.

Aurelien positioned himself at her entrance, slowly thrusting inch by inch until he was fully seated within her. YN glanced over at Jules, who was watching the scene with a half-lidded gaze. A pleased smile played on his lips.

"She takes dick so well," Jules remarked to Aurélien, his voice low and appreciative. Aurélien groaned in agreement. "You got the man speechless, chérie. Good pussy will do that."

YN moaned, her attention torn between the pleasure from Aurélien and the thrill of being watched by Jules.

As the pace quickened, Jules began to stroke himself, his eyes fixed on the passionate scene before him. Aurélien’s thrusts grew harder, deeper, driving YN to the brink of ecstasy.

"Fuck, baby!" YN whimpered, wrapping her legs tighter around Aurélien’s waist as his pace became erratic. "Fuck…fuck…"

"He’s fucking you good, huh?" came Jules’ soft voice. "Are you gonna cum, chérie?"

"She’s so tight," grunted Aurélien as he gripped her waist tighter, the sound of his balls slapping rhythmically against her reverberating across the room. "Fuck you’re so wet, bébé."

"Oooh…I’m gonna cum. Shit, Auré, just like that."

Since when was she ever this vocal during sex? But then again, sex had never felt this good, this exquisite, to have her teetering off an edge. YN’s head thrashed back and forth on the sheets as Aurélien’s stamina proved to be withstanding and unrelenting, his hips moving in an almost Sonic-like speed.

From his spot on the bed, Jules continued to stroke himself with fervor, his eyes never leaving YN and Aurélien until he too felt those familiar coils within his body.

With a final, explosive thrust, YN’s body trembled as she climaxed. Aurélien’s wasn’t that far behind, with him emptying his pleasure inside the condom and spent but satisfied, collapsed onto her, his weight supported by his elbows.

Both Aurélien and YN were breathing heavily as they heard Jules utter a curse before exhaling a long sigh, signaling his own release. They lay like that for a moment – the murmurs of post-coital bliss echoing the space, their hearts beating like jackhammers within their chests.

"Well," YN started, breaking the silence. "That was fun."

"Incroyable," declared Aurélien just before he planted a tender kiss to her forehead then rolled off of her to dispose the condom.

"Ditto," concurred Jules, and YN felt the bed shift as he got off as well. "Let me clean you up, chérie."

YN simply nodded and remained still, her body continuing to spasm from the aftershocks of her orgasm.

Not us having back to back orgasms! Love that for us! her intrusive thoughts cheered.

A dopey-ass grin etched on her tired face, and footsteps drew closer until she felt a warm towel gently cleaning her inner thighs.

"Are you good, YN?" wondered Aurélien’s deep voice from a couple feet away. "She looks out of it, Jules."

"Nah, she just been fucked really good, is all," Jules said with a low chuckle as he finished cleaning her up. "She’s gonna sleep like a baby tonight."

I really am.

"Come on, ma belle. Let’s tuck you in." This was Aurélien and YN hummed in contentment as she felt his strong arms delicately lift her body and situate her flushed against his on the bed. Another kiss on her forehead then one on her cheek. "Bonne nuit."

Bonne nuit indeed…

The last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep was Jules’ little giggle and then them whispering something to one another in French.

YN's muscles protested every movement - her thighs especially were giving "day after leg day" energy, though the workout had been much more enjoyable. She stepped into what had to be the biggest shower she'd ever seen, and that was saying something considering she'd had a custom rainfall shower built in her Valley house. But Aurélien's suite was ridiculous, all marble and multiple shower heads and enough space for three people to move comfortably.

Jules' playlist filled the steamy air, his voice joining Brent Faiyaz: "You know you're all mine, all mine..."

"Stick to football, my guy," Aurélien chuckled, washing his hair.

"Like you can do better?"

YN leaned against the marble wall, adjusting the shower cap on her head and the silk scarf beneath, which Aurélien mysteriously had in his luggage (she wasn't going to ask questions, just appreciated that her sew-in was protected). The hot water soothed her aching body.

Last night had been... well.

Her thoughts didn't need to finish that sentence.

Worth the soreness, her intrusive thoughts decided.

Definitely worth it, her rational side agreed.

The domesticity of it all should've scared her - three people sharing a shower like it was the most natural thing in the world. Instead, it felt right. Easy.

"Pass the body wash," she called out.

"Ask nicely," Aurélien teased.

"Please pass the body wash before I slip and die in your fancy ass shower?"

Their laughter echoed off the tiles as Jules handed her the bottle.

What amazed her most was how nonchalant they were - not just about sharing a shower, but about last night too. She still couldn't wrap her head around how close they were, how far removed from the toxic masculinity she'd grown accustomed to with Damari.

Her ex would never. He was always spouting some homophobic nonsense, getting weird about showing any affection to his boys. "What I look like hugging some nigga? That's gay as fuck!" he'd say, like basic human touch would somehow compromise his manhood.

Yet here were Jules and Aurélien, having a full-blown conversation about their upcoming match while naked, sharing space like it was nothing. Zero awkwardness, zero fragile masculinity, just pure comfort with themselves and each other.

A mindfuck, her intrusive thoughts noted.

But the best kind, her rational side agreed.

Maybe this was what real security looked like - being so confident in yourself that you didn't need to police every interaction for "sus" behavior.

"What are you thinking about?" Jules asked, noticing her expression.

"Just… appreciating the view," she deflected with a grin.

But really, she was appreciating how much her definition of masculinity had shifted since meeting them.

The playlist shifted to Travis Scott's "R.I.P. Screw" and Jules started dancing, making YN shoot him a weird look. She turned to Aurélien like is he for real?

Aurélien just laughed. "You should see him in the locker room. He screams out Kendrick Lamar songs like a nutcase."

"And like you don't do the same whenever you listen to Meek Mill?" Jules called out while rinsing off.

Aurélien kissed his teeth. "Whatever, bro." He gently nudged YN forward to rinse. "Anyways, Jules said you're going to Japan with him?"

YN shook her head, squinting conspiratorially at Jules' back as he exited the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. "I didn't give him an exact answer yet, but I'm thinking about it."

"That's dope," Aurélien said.

"Where are you going, Auré?" she wondered, letting the water wash away the soap.

"Maybe LA with some friends first then Sicily. Why? You wanna come too?"

YN's smile widened. "I can hang with you in Sicily. My first stop is in Rome, so that's perfect."

"Oh that's cool. Maybe I can see your concert before I head off to Madrid."

"I like that," she said, stepping out as Jules wrapped her in a fluffy towel.

Minutes later, she stood at the counter brushing her teeth next to Jules with Aurelien in the other side, the domesticity of it all making her heart do weird things.

_______________________________________________

Sandwiched between her French boys in Aurélien's massive bed, YN munched on a fruit salad while they watched Challengers. They'd spent the whole day in his suite, the boys returning from practice to find her exactly where they'd left her.

When they got to that scene - Tashi kissing both Patrick and Art - YN's foot-in-mouth disease struck.

"Did you guys just wake up one morning and decide to share that girl in Bordeaux or did you have one of those bro talks?"

Jules burst out laughing while Aurélien shook his head, rolling his eyes. "It was both."

"Both?"

Jules' laughter subsided. "We were young and horny and like I said, Aurélien is my bro, so…"

"That easy?"

"I mean, yeah. And it's every guy's fantasy to have a threesome," Aurélien shrugged.

"Well yeah, but with another guy? I thought it was more so two girls?"

"Yeah, I guess. But there's been conversations in the locker room about running a train on girls and whether people were down—" Jules started.

"Running a train? What?" she screeched. "You guys were like twenty talking about — you know what? Just continue."

Jules scoffed. "It happens a lot honestly. Auré and I aren't into all that. Not with everyone on the team. But he was down and the girl was down… and it was nice."

"So what happened to her?" YN popped a grape in her mouth.

The boys shared a glance before Aurélien answered. "Feelings. We caught feelings and so did she, but for both of us. And we didn't really understand that we could both date her at the same time. Like polyamory wasn't as mainstream as it is now."

"Plus we needed our prefrontal cortex to be fully developed before making choices like that," Jules added.

"And now?" YN pressed, chewing another grape.

They exchanged another look, smirking. "I thought this wasn't a serious thing?" Aurélien quipped.

Touché, she thought.

"Well, I'm just spitting hypotheticals… so hypothetically speaking, if I didn't want to end this and wanted two boyfriends…"

"It'll be hard because you're in the States, but we both live in Spain and spend a lot of time together anyway. It's really nothing but a flight," Jules said.

"What about one-on-one time or is everything just going to be together?"

"We can do both. Jules and I aren't really the jealous types, especially if you're ours."

"And sometimes I just like to watch," Jules winked.

"Your freaky ass," YN sighed, amused and just a pinch irritated.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Jules chuckled.

"It's not–" Her phone buzzed.

Professor Fine 👨🏾‍🏫 In Munich soon. Dinner tomorrow? Would love to see you before heading back to NY

She quickly turned her screen off.

"You don't have to hide who you're talking to, belle," Aurélien said.

Jules gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, it's cool."

"I know, but still…"

"Text your other man, YN," Aurélien urged, eyes back on the TV.

After a pause, she replied:

YN Tomorrow after the match? There's this great Italian place near my hotel

Professor Fine 👨🏾‍🏫 Perfect. Looking forward to it 😊

She put her phone on DND and tucked it under her pillow.

"You're so awkward," Jules said.

"Very," Aurélien agreed.

"It's still rude!"

"Are you gonna fuck him?" Jules asked bluntly. She shot him an accusing look. "I'm just looking out for my sexual health, okay?" He held up his hands. "I know about Auré because we did our physicals before Euros and everything's clean with both of us, but adding another partner after Enzo and Carina and now us?"

"I'll take another round of tests just like I did after Carina and Enzo. Safety is my priority too," she said. "But I don't know. He's hot yet I'm not gonna just jump in bed with him. Dinner first."

"Okay," Jules nodded.

"Alright," Aurélien agreed.

"Plus I'm fine with you two," she added with a mischievous grin.

They shot her amused looks as the movie played on.

Who would've thought, her thoughts mused, that summer would turn out like this?

Tomorrow was the semi-final, but right now, curled between them, YN felt like she'd already won.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[toothfa-1-ry]

SQUID GAMES

HEADCANNONS:

CHOI SU BONG/THANOS - player 230

just father activities

seven sizzling sausages sizzling in a saucepan

FICS:

CHOI SU BONG/THANOS - player 230

chicks dig bad guys

you still like it though

won't you hold me? console me?

memories we made back then !!

KANG DAE HO - player 388

our cafe in jeju

THE SALESMAN

love theory 101

[zeravmeta]

The Value of Rules, The Heart, The Soul, and The End of the World

So as we're entering the final arc of the series i wanna make my own theory on how things will shake out, specifically one question:

What is the Heart?

The final artifact that Luna put in place capable of harming Sol, the Heart is the third Sacred Spirit Treasure alongside Rebellion and Aegis which was never found in any of the past loops and something Fuuko theorizes only drops in the 101st loop.

But now in the final battle, it's still nowhere to be seen. We've seen the other two Sacred Spirit Treasures, but despite being weapons that Luna herself made that are capable of slaying Sol, we've also seen throughout the manga that the game was HEAVILY rigged against humanity with their actual effectiveness in Loop 100 showing them to be kind of weak compared to Sol himself. Loop 101 Union maybe has two of the three already, and yet despite the promise of the Heart dropping through quests, we have long skipped past that opportunity, so now we need to determine how the Heart will come into play.

So, here's what I think: I think the Heart is Apocalypse, or rather the completed form of Apocalypse.

(books are heart shaped lol)

Since I started reading, Apocalypse has always had this weird role in the story to me: It's an Artifact placed by God to add more UMAs and help along the end of the world, but it specifically gives quests for the Negators to complete and gain more advantages for when Ragnarok comes. Moreover, they make sure to specify that Apocalypse is an Artifact instead of an UMA, even though it seems to act so much like the latter. There's even the joke in one of the end pages of Clothy and Apocalypse fighting like small dogs held back by their owners, and one of the only other Artifacts we see with sentience is Rebellion, one of the Sacred Spirit Treasures.

So what's the deal here? If Apocalypse is the Heart, how is it that it was never discovered, how is it that it's never been "properly" activated? What's the true purpose of the Heart? How will it slay Sol?

Well, the true purpose of the Heart is meant to show the value of the rules, not as enemies of humanity but as companions to them.

As much as they deny it, Apocalypse does care about Juiz personally. Even though it's the instrument of humanity's destruction, Apocalypse aligned with Victor's motives in letting Juiz die so that she can reincarnate and have a peaceful, happy life away from this war with god. He's even infuriated with Fuuko for trying to get Juiz in Loop 101 because he doesn't want her to be involved in this anymore. You can't spend 455.4 billion years alongside someone without caring about them at least on some level, and ironically both Victor and Apocalypse shared this mentality in never realizing just how much they cared until she was finally gone. Apocalypse, one of God's instruments to make humanity suffer, is capable of displaying compassion for them.

But that's not the full story. The Heart as a name is also to note, and I think maybe we can look at this manga's tendencies to play around with language as a base. In Japanese, "Heart" is usually said phonetically as "Kokoro" / written as "心" and tends to just mean "heart", but it actually has multiple meanings depending on the context used, specifically mind and spirit.

One's spirit. One's soul.

I think that Soul plays a part in the Heart artifact, not only due to the power he grants humanity but also that of the UMA, as well as his weird parallels with Apocalypse: Soul is the only known UMA made by Luna, whereas Apocalypse is the only known Artifact placed by Sol. Soul is the only UMA shown to be capable of directly controlling Apocalypse, and has been capable of warping it to his needs. Soul is the rule which gathers information and memories from the past and transfers them to the living, and Apocalypse is the book which stores the information of the past loops, the past lives of the world. Juiz in the very beginning of the series even says that "God resides on the other side of Apocalypse", where we know that the Superior 10 Rules are housed inside of the Sun itself.

And critically, one of the goals of the wager between Sol and Luna is to see if humanity is capable of reaching the Gods. Soul and Apocalypse both provide the potential for that above all others.

So, I believe the Heart artifact comes from combining the two, combining Soul and Apocalypse. And how would this theoretical combination come about?

Well, I think Soul is going to be the true final antagonist of Undead Unluck, slaying both Sol and Luna to usher in his own validated world, one that is also free from the whim of the gods and lets the UMA live freely.

A critical point to note is that the UMA, despite the pride many of them take in their purpose in tormenting humanity, are just as much victims of this game between gods as humanity is. They are concepts given form and made specifically to torment humanity for the goal of "finding the greatest life", but we see that this mentality is still a choice in and of itself. UMA have distinct developed personalities and can clash, as seen with Seal and Spoil when they interact with other UMA.

Clothy, Spring, Blood, Shadow, Move, UMA have also showcased that they can peacefully interact and coexist with humans, even care about and love them. If anything, from how Seal talks, the main point of contention UMA seem to have with humans and Negators is that humanity is somehow seen as "worthier" than they are to garner so much personal attention from the gods. Most UMA seem to mainly just be interested in expressing their rule's function over anything, and humanity just happens to be the target they're pointed at to put those rules into action. Seal himself even has the aspirations to be the "King of UMA" just because he feels like he's special for the scraps of attention that Sol gives him. The parallels with Ruin are Not subtle whatsoever in this department, especially as Ruin's abusive parent is depicted as just a black void that burned him (how sunshine burns his skin), eerily similar to the way Sol appears as an avatar.

If humans are dolls that the gods play with, then the UMA might as well just be the stage which the gods use, a mere backdrop item for the Negators to break as necessary for their development.

Negators being "vessels" for these rules has also always stuck out to me, because we see that the UMA and the corresponding Negator can be two separate beings; they're not really possessed in the conventional sense. Fuuko even points out during the Beast fight at Beast's mention of "UnBeast" that there are far fewer Negators than UMA and their rules, further pointing to a discrepancy in the advantages given to each side. It may seem like it's the UMA who are winning, but it's actually humanity; Ragnarok necessitates Sol himself to come down and destroy the planet, meaning that the UMA themselves aren't actually capable of defeating humanity. Juiz alone was able to hold off the Superior 10 Master Rules by her own ability, and it was only to hide her trump card, no less.

To add to this, when I thought of what vessel could mean, what immediately came to mind was not only how the souls of previous Negators are carried over to each new one, but how Rebellion could possess Victor.

Perhaps Soul will have Apocalypse possess him (or vice versa), and this will create the Heart artifact? It should be capable of slaying Sol as Luna said, but it's just as likely that Soul could point this weapon at her too, and given that Luna's domain is in the spiritual as stated by Language, if anyone would know how to exploit her weaknesses, it would undoubtedly be Soul.

Apocalypse being the Heart would also work with Undead Unluck's meta-narrative aspects as well: From Me, To You was a manga which prophesied the events which would take place in both a narrative (Anno Un) and meta-narrative (shoujo manga romance that Udul uses for inspiration) sense, much like how Apocalypse is a book which prophesies the end of the world. Perhaps it prophesies Ragnarok, the physical literal end of the world at Sol's hand, but it could also prophesy the end of the manga itself by way of slaying its final antagonists.

And this would all be Soul's ambition to free them from the gods. At this point, we don't fully know what Soul's feelings on humanity are, given that he does hold them in high esteem while also being willing to exterminate them, but perhaps he would care more about saving the UMA from the gods instead of further tormenting humanity.

A goal that Fuuko Izumo would agree with because it will free both of them from this endless blood feud.

Mutual understanding. A Heart.

The Negator powers which cause tragedy and invalidate the rules will disappear, the UMA as avatars to make humans suffer will disappear, but all the rules which the UMA embody will apply in a completely validated world, not made by either of the gods, but by both humans and the rules themselves.

I think Undead Unluck will end not with the Negators or UMA winning one over the other in the conventional sense, but coexisting and ending the gods as a collective.

Soul's ideal world. The character who understands even more than Sol or Luna the power of both Humanity and the Rules. The power of the Soul, the Heart.

small tinfoil hat subsection but tangentially related to this I also think Ruin's comeback as a good guy (lets be real its gonna happen) will come from him gathering the UMA as a force to work with the Negators against the gods because he refers to all the UMA as his friends, and I think an interesting comeback here will actually be UMA Galaxy.

Fuuko's strength as a character lies in her acceptance and understanding of others, even the people she dislikes. It's why Andy himself says that Unluck is "the world's cruelest ability within the world's kindest person" because it specifically targets the people she loves the most, leaving her alone. The imagery of the round table Ark (Apo on it makes it look like a sundial lol) compared to Luna's own table on the moon is intentional: Luna (and perhaps even Sol) have a profoundly lonely existence. They've set themselves up in this wager where they torment everyone for a potentially unreachable goal. Luna created Soul but she doesn't understand humans the same way she doesn't understand rules, and the UMA who have souls as well are also something she does not see the value in. Neither Sol or Luna understand anyone nor have anyone who understands them, and it's Fuuko's Unluck, which necessitates understanding, which CAN reach them.

UMA Galaxy itself was the Master Rule added after Loop 100, as well as being the first proper UMA we see in the series AS WELL as being the UMA most tied to Sol and Luna in general by concept alone (outside of Soul), so I think it'll be interesting if maybe UMA Galaxy comes back as a critical supportive ally to stop both Sol and Luna from destroying the Earth/ending humanity or UMAkind, and that the way the UMA help in stopping the gods is by using their rules in tandem with the Negators against the gods, especially UMA Galaxy using their literal cosmic scale to let Earth escape the gods grasps. All in gratitude for the one Negator who dreamed of them existing in a validated world.

[nihongoseito]

【音韻論コーナー】 syllabification in japanese vs. english!

buckle in, it's time for another episode of 音韻論 (phonology) 101 with sasha!! this time, i was inspired by a brief conversation i had with my bf where he set off my linguist alarms without meaning to (this happens frequently lol). actually, we were talking about zelda, the video games! here's how the conversation went:

bf: *yada yada yada* zelda. zeruda! me: うん、ゼルダ。 bf: how do you say the title in japanese again? me: ゼルダの伝説。でん、せ、つ。 bf: den-set-su.

two things are important here. first: i've clearly highlighted the slow, syllabified pronunciations of 伝説 that each of us produced, so please remember them. second: my bf is a native english speaker who doesn't speak any japanese! he was just trying to parrot me.

with the stage set, let's get into the weeds!!

what is "syllabification"?

it's exactly what it says on the tin: syllabification is the linguistic term for analyzing* strings of sounds as syllables. so, of course, this begs the question...

what the sweet hell is a "syllable"???

ah, the humble syllable *wipes tear*. she's a flighty little bastard honestly. but the good news is, we don't need a sterling scientific definition here today, we just need the basics.

try this exercise, which (depending on your L1) you might recall from grade school: say "syllable" out loud while clapping in rhythm with the word. it should turn out like this:

sy -lla -ble clap-clap-clap

this is a tried-and-true method for ascertaining the number of syllables in a word, and it's very hard to get wrong in your native language.** so, we say syllable has three syllables.

but, oh, of course we aren't done—do you notice where i've drawn the syllable boundaries (hyphens) above? what can we say about each of my proposed syllables...?

let's say this: each syllable (as i've drawn them) contains a vowel. (please read the letter y in syllable as a vowel.) from this observation, we can make a rudimentary theory: a syllable is one vowel plus its surrounding consonants (if any).***

aaaaaand this is where we descend into madness. what counts as "surrounding consonants"? in the middle of a word, how do you know which consonant belongs to which vowel? what if there are multiple consonants all in a cluster? are all consonants counted the same way? and also, what if the vowel is a long vowel or a diphthong? and what if—*panicked screeching*

ok ok ok, let's calm down. again, we don't need to solve linguistics today, we just need a working theory. so, going forward in this post, i humbly ask that we assume the syllable boundaries i draw are correct! i'm happy to discuss the particulars of syllabification in greater detail if you send me a message :)

*of course, this term can literally mean analyzing, like linguists do, but it can also refer to what speakers naturally assume their language to be doing. so if we say two speakers "analyze" the syllabification of a word differently, that refers to a subconscious judgment on the part of those speakers, not an actual scientific theory.

**just to cover all my bases: not every language uses the syllable as its primary unit of counting sound, though all languages have syllables (probably). for example, tokyo and kansai japanese count by mora (although kagoshima japanese counts by syllable!).

***yes, some languages (including english!) can use liquids as nuclei! don't worry about it here though!!!

what is syllabification like in japanese?

if you know anything about japanese phonology (which i honestly believe a lot of you do), you know we're always talking about the mora in japanese linguistics. like the syllable, the mora is a unit of counting sound. today, let's ignore the mora.

wait, what?! ignore the mora?! *i am burned at the stake for linguistics crimes*

alright, no, but seriously—please don't worry about moras today! all we need to worry about is syllables. i'll offer this rule of thumb: when counting syllables in japanese, analyze long vowels, diphthongs, little っ, and ん as belonging to the vowel directly in front of them.

let's see an example of each. again, we are NOT(!!) counting moras!!

long vowels: お-かあ-さん = three syllables (お母さん）

diphthongs: てい-ど = two syllables (程度)

little っ: けっ-か = two syllables (結果)*

ん: さん-ぽ = two syllables (散歩)

this way, we can see how quirks of japanese phonology fit in with our one-vowel-per definition of a syllable. for example, it seems like diphthongs and long vowels count as "one vowel" in japanese (if we take my syllabifications to be true).

make sense? japanese syllabification is actually wicked simple comparatively speaking, so these are the only tricky things to worry about. (for those of you still thinking about the moras, feel free to draw your own conclusions about how they're affecting our syllabifications here...!)

with that, we're ready to move onto a much messier syllabification system: english's.

*in rōmaji, this syllabification would be written kek-ka.

what is syllabification like in english?

let me be brief: it's complicated.

let me be slightly less brief: english loves consonants, and clusters of consonants, and clusters of consonants in phonologically inconvenient places. just to illustrate it, i'll give an example of an english syllabification i love:

stre[ng]-[th]e-ni[ng] = three syllables (strengthening)

ok, what the hell is going on here. first, the consonants in [brackets] are single consonants represented in english spelling with multiple letters (i.e., [th] is actually one single sound phonetically). second, we can see plenty of consonants are touching each other, like str and [ng][th], which happens in japanese way less frequently. so the differences are great and many!

but, what about the similarities? please recall our rudimentary definition: a syllable is one vowel plus its surrounding consonants (if any). does that seem to hold in the strengthening case...? why, yes, it does! if we set aside the lurid consonant nightmare, we can clearly see that each syllable in strengthening has one and only one vowel. so at the very least, our definition of a syllable holds across languages. that's what makes it helpful as a definition, of course!

hey, do you guys remember how like an hour ago i was talking about ゼルダの伝説 on this post...? let's finally get back to that!!

the syllabification of 伝説!

woohoo, time for the main event!! let me copy the conversation from earlier in the post here, and abridge it slightly:

bf: how do you say [legend] in japanese? me: 伝説。でん、せ、つ。 bf: den-set-su.

we're ready to tackle this syllabification puzzle now. but before we do, let me ask: can you see the puzzle? (hint: it's in the english!)

you may have an idea, but let me make it even more obvious. i'm going to convert the japanese syllabification into rōmaji:

me: 伝説。 den-se-[ts]u. bf: den-set-su.

aha, [ts] is a single phonetic sound in japanese! do you see it now? when parroting my japanese, my boyfriend broke the [ts] in half with a syllable boundary!!* why the heck did he do that??? let's discuss this problem in two parts: phonetics and phonology.

first, the phonetics: [ts], while very common in japanese, is not a common sound in english. specifically, [ts] does not occur at the beginning of syllables in english. for native english speakers, think of all the times you ever said tsunami (in english)—did you actually say [ts]unami? or did you say something more like sunami?

spoiler alert: i'm almost positive you said sunami. while we can get [ts] in other places (e.g., i[ts], ca[ts], etc.), we can't get it at the beginning of syllables. therefore, the japanese syllable [ts]u is not technically pronounceable in english. faced with an unpronounceable syllable, my bf had to find a way to make it pronounceable, and his strategy was to turn [ts]u into su, just like in sunami.

now, the way he turned [ts]u into su is where the phonology comes in! in the japanese, the syllable boundary (if we take my word for it) comes in front of -[ts]u, but as we've seen, that's a no-go in english. one option would be to completely delete the [t] from the original word, since he can clearly hear it's there; but it seems in this case, deletion was not preferable to getting in there with a shovel, hacking [ts] in half,** and actually moving the syllable boundary between the two halves. so doing, he both kept [t] from being deleted and kept [ts] from appearing at the beginning of a syllable. that way, he protected the original components of the compound consonant while still obeying the rules of english phonetics in his brain. wow, efficient!

so, we can summarize the new, english-ified syllabification as a kind of process:

original: den-se-[ts]u ! -[ts]u is unpronounceable → rejected

alternative: delete [t]: den-se-su ! salient sound is missing → rejected***

alternative: interpose syllable boundary: den-set-su ✓ no unpronounceable -[ts]u ✓ no salient sounds are missing → winner!

does this process make sense to you? well, i hope it does, since i'm the one trying to explain it...but if you think you've got it, then let me say, congratulations! you just did "optimality theory", a prevalent method of modern phonological analysis. go tell everyone you know!

so yeah, that's how my boyfriend (probably) got from my syllabification (and pronunciation) of 伝説 to his. all that work for one silly letter?! that's phonology, baby!

*how do i know for sure that he did this? well, it was clear to me from his enunciation, which was very slow and cleanly segmented. while that wouldn't fly as a valid method in a scientific experiment, i'll ask that you please trust my experience here!

**does this actually qualify as cutting the affricate (compound consonant) in half? some people would argue it's actually a two-step process of deletion and (re)insertion. i'm not an expert on that, so i'll admit i don't know for sure, i just picked the simpler one to explain in the post!

***are you wondering why deleting [t] is ok in sunami, but not here? it's probably because with [ts]unami, there is no earlier syllable to shunt the [t] into, and it can't float out there on its own, so it gets deleted. that's just my guess though :)

so, what did we learn?

we learned the syllable can be a fickle and garish beast, and yet at her most basic, she is consistent across languages! if you try counting syllables in the other languages you know, i hope you'll find our rule about one-vowel-per-syllable to continue to hold. of course, there are always exceptions or puzzles, so keep an eye out for those too—they're fun!!

wow, and to think—all that just because my bf wanted to talk about zelda. before i sign off, here's a final brain teaser for all you mora freaks out there: assuming i don't speak kagoshima japanese (i don't), why did i present the word 伝説 to my bf syllable-by-syllable rather than mora-by-mora? by all accounts, the mora is the unit of counting in all major varieties of japanese.

this is just speculation, but probably there are two reasons. first, english is my native language, and english counts by syllables; syllables are more salient to me than moras. personally, the only place i ever feel the moras in english is in poetry or songs, so in a regular conversation where we were otherwise using entirely english, my brain was in syllable mode.

second, ん, the moraic nasal, tends to be pronounced differently in isolation versus in context. in 伝説, it's probably realized as a nasal vowel, but if i had actually said 「で、ん、せ、つ」 to my bf, that ん would have come out as a velar (or somewhere back there) nasal. to a non-japanese speaker, that would be majorly confusing, and he probably wouldn't have been able to parrot it at all. i wanted him to understand, so i made it easier! (wow, true love~)

anyways, that's the linguistics du jour, i hope you enjoyed it :) as always, お疲れ様でした and see you next time!!

[bluecheeseinmyoffwhites]

Buddie Theory 101

One of the strongest aspects of Buddie scenes is the symbolism within them. Whether it's the location they're at, the activity they're doing, or even the colors presented, there is always some element that is constant throughout their scenes together. Below are brief explanations about each "theory" & example scenes. I made this as a little game so I can watch the rest of Season 8B & pick up on which theory is being utilized, but thought it would be fun if I shared.

Kitchen Theory

The kitchen (& dining room) represents love, as the kitchen stores food to provide energy, & love is stored in the kitchen. Buck & Eddie have very domestic scenes in the kitchen. Often they would have intimate/vulnerable conversations with each other here. The kitchen is also where the duo have most of their breakups (Taylor, Ana, Tommy). Also gateway to lasagna theory.

Couch Theory

Couches are a metaphor for relationships, as you “settle down” with someone. This theory has been popularized in Season 6, when Eddie is confronting Buck about Taylor & his past relationships. Buck gets an armchair to signify his single journey. Later in the season, he crashes on Eddie's couch because he feels comfortable there.

Beer Theory

Beer symbolizes the bond between Buck & Eddie, as it is one of their favorites hobbies to do together. Almost anytime they’re at each others house, they share a beer while hanging out together.

Universe Theory

Theory that there is a higher power (universe) trying to court Buck & Eddie together as they are looking for exactly what the other provides. The "universe" keeps putting them in situations that bring the men closer together in impactful ways, like the tsunami, shooting, etc.

Heart Theory

Theory that the heart symbolism in Season 5 was specifically for Buck & Eddie. This theory was kick-started by Carla in the previous season, telling Eddie to be sure "follow his heart” after introducing her to Ana. The next season has several heart related instances, like a heart attack call in an airport, a heart transfer call in a helicopter, Eddie’s panic attack scare, Buck’s heart drawing, etc.)

Christopher Theory

Christopher is the human embodiment of Buck & Eddie’s persons, being their "son". They are confused as a family, and Christopher portrays qualities of both. Obviously he is Eddie's son, but he shares traits with Buck as well, such as abandonment issues & being a Casanova. Buddie's involvement in Chris's life allows them to heal their inner childs, and grow together as a family. This is signified in the Season 4 finale, where Eddie deems Buck as Christopher's legal guardian in his will.

Door Theory

Doors are symbolic of someone’s life. When entering a relationship, you will be integrated in your partner’s personal life. Leaving the door represents leaving the world of the partner. When Buck & Eddie breakup with their partners, they usually leave a door (Abby, Ana, Taylor, Tommy). With Buddie, they open doors to each other, stepping in each other’s lives & staying. An often credited scene is 5x13 "Buck is in the Room". Eddie closes himself off to crash out, and Buck was the only one that could reach him.

Color Theory

Theory that certain colors/lighting they are portrayed during certain moments are tied to Buddie. Buck has a signature blue and Eddie has a signature green, but many other colors have significance to the duo depending on the situation they're in. This theory works in tandem with the Clothing Theory & Magnet Theory.

Clothing Theory

States that certain clothing Buck and Eddie wear are symbolic to their relationship (shirts, suits, etc). This theory can be tied with color theory, as Buck & Eddie wear their signature blue & green colors on their clothing. Buddie’s poker night blue & red suits & Buck’s breakup green are also notable (shoutout costume department: one of us).

Magnet Theory

Theory that magnets, pictures, or anything on the fridge is significant to Buddie. They each have pictures of each other & their families, but Eddie specifically has a certain array of magnets that carry messages of their own.

Music Theory

Theory states that the music choices during Buddie scenes are chosen because the lyrics align with their relationship/whatever they’re going through at the moment. The best example of this is 3x03, which Photograph by Ed Sheeran plays as Buck & Eddie share a heart to heart.

Horse Theory

There is a horse/cowboy analogy going on that was started with Ana in 3x12, talking about getting back on the horse. She tells Eddie that it's okay for some people to not like horses. In 5x14, Buck takes the Diazes to equine therapy. Chris gets horse riding lessons while Buck and Eddie have a heart to heart. Eddie calls Buck cowboy before he gets struck, and Buck dresses as a cowboy for Halloween.

Back Theory

Honestly probably the biggest one here. The Back Theory references Buck & Eddie's devotion to each other, having each others' backs and helping care for each other. This promise was made to each other in their first episode together. This was a promise Buck made to Abby, his first ex (1x05). Ravi briefly states that partners in a relationship should have each other's backs while sitting directly next to Buck (5x18). Also, when Buddie engage in physical embrace, they often go for each other's backs or shoulders.

CONCLUDE

So those are all the main theories laid out. I didn't get into too much details because I just wanted it to be a general post & I'll be here all day dissecting each individual scene. There are other posts on here that go into much greater details about these theories. The 8x06 Confessions ending had about half of these btw, which is why everyone was going crazy about the scene. Here's to 8B!!!!

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SOTE rant (1)

One thing that I find very annoying, is the propensity for Lore video makers to completely jump on the DLC and analyse it in a void. Everyone is theory crafting like the base game doesn't exist anymore.

Everyone is taking Miquella's approach as the go to for divinity 101 and acting like only the people name dropped in the DLC matter, except for Radagon, who is very important, despite NEVER being named, ANYWHERE in the SOTE game files.

Oh no, excuse me, he's named ONCE in a delete dialogue (unless he speaks during battle but I was under the impression that he never does?) from Radahn:

Yet everyone is out there saying Marika used the gate to make herself a god and created Radagon in the process. And that he was created that way as her lord, and then immediately fathered Messmer and Melina.

But I... kind of don't see it? Why would SHE need to use a special vessel ritual like everyone is theorizing?

She already has a sworn lord : Godfrey.

Why is everyone making these Marika centric lore videos and never dropping the names of key characters?

Godfrey. Serosh. Maliketh. Why is nobody asking themselves WHEN did Marika get granted her "brother" Maliketh by the three fingers? Why is nobody making speculation on whether she had a pact with Hoarah Loux before becoming a god.

He could very well be the vessel needed. He doesn't need to have his soul separated from a body or any such nonsense. That's what Miquella ended up doing because he had no choice if he wanted to use Radahn.

Here is what we know of Godfrey :

Godfrey was a ferocious warrior. When he vowed to become a lord, he took the Beast Regent Serosh upon on his back to suppress the ceaseless lust for battle that raged within. The first demigods were The Elden Lord Godfrey and his offspring, the golden lineage. Crown of Godfrey, the first Elden Lord. The age of the Erdtree began amongst conflict, when Godfrey was lord of the battlefield. He led the War against the Giants. Faced the Storm Lord, alone. And then, there came a moment. When his last worthy enemy fell. And it was then, as the story is told, that the hue of Lord Godfrey's eyes faded. Helm of the Crucible Knights who served Godfrey, the first Elden Lord. Weapon of Godfrey, Elden Lord. It was broken in a battle fought as leader of the Tarnished during the Long March. This weapon is symbolic of Godfrey's vow to conduct himself as a lord, later becoming an emblem of the golden lineage. In the days of the past, a crown was warranted with strength.

The first demigods were The Elden Lord Godfrey and his offspring, the golden lineage.

This line either means that the voice of the game is lying, wrong, or not knowledgeable enough. Or that Messmer is not a demigod, or that Messmer is the son of Godfrey.

And while he does have red hair, he is cursed with a red flame... And his little sister, Melina, doesn't have the distinctive red hair of Radagon's children. She's also not a demigod as far as we know.

Messmer and Melina are named M like Mohg and Morgott! We have plenty of hints that they could be Godfrey's children, first and foremost being the canon base game text asserting all demigods first descended from him. We simply don't know otherwise.

It's also asserting he was the first Elden Lord, and not second or a later addition.

There's also his vow to conduct himself as a Lord, which seems like something he might have done prior to Marika making him Lord.

The beast depicted is Serosh, aged counselor who guides the golden lineage. The black nails protruding from golden fur are said to represent Serosh, Lord of Beasts, who went to become King Godfrey's Regent.

Serosh is very mysterious, and we just know he's some sort of limiter. I've made plenty of posts arguing for Maliketh and Serosh being the same type of beasts from the same global origins.

Beasts are reverred by the Hornsent! Our first boss is their storm beast guys, and the head looks quite similar to Serosh. Who, BTW, is also a spirit form?? Who turns real on command?

All this to say, it doesn't sound impossible at all, to me, that Marika would have come to the gate of divinity already having a lord lined up -- Godfrey -- and counsellors giving advice on how to execute her plan : Serosh and Metyr mother of fingers.

I assume it would be in Metyr's power to grand Marika her (necessary?) Shadowbound beast.

Isn't it interesting that Maliketh is a Shadowbound Beast? In our Shadow Realm DLC? He's never mentioned in the files, sadly.

But all of these people are key to Marika's ascension. I wish people would think about them more when they do their lore videos and not just roll right into creating Radagon out of thin air.

What bothers me most about the secret rite here, is that it says "the secret rite of the divine gateway", like THE rite, not A rite. It could be THE other one is not secret...

But more importantly, the line "usher in a god's return" just really does not fit EITHER of Miquella OR Marika. Neither of them is returning!! Maybe the God of Placidussax would be returning, but both Marika and Miquella are/try to ascend for the first time.

Miquella is also the only one with anyLord shennanigans we know of for sure.

I think Miquella divests himself of everything in order to comply with this ritual. So he has something to "return to". He sheds everything, so that he can pass through the gateway. But he's returning to an Empyrean's birthright. To a demi-god.

But we don't know that this is something Marika would have needed. We don't know that she used this specific ritual. After all, circumstances are VERY different for her :

The Gate of Divinity is fresh and bloody, implying a recent mass sacrifice. And then she plucks Gold from a corpse or receptacle of some sort.

None of this is depicted in Miquella's return, and he's not trying to emulate his mother, because her way of doing things came with a curse loaded "original sin". So we even have reason to believe Miquella would not actually be replicating the same ritual.