#I WILL BE SEEING IT IN CINEMAS AT LEAST ANOTHER 5 TIMES

[bucketbarness]

Just watched Thunderbolts and the second credit scene? Sambucky divorce era for real this time I'm sobbing

also no Alpine I'm distraught

[dereks-unrelenting-heart]

Top 10 SFTH Characters

I told y'all it was coming, and here it is; my Top 10 favorite characters in the SFTH universe

10. Peter (The Milkman)

This kid knows how to twist a fucking knife, huh? He doesn’t even know what’s going on and somehow he manages to metaphorically stab David 37 times in the chest /ref. Peter is also my favorite example of Tom playing a traumatized child, he just does it so well here. I genuinely love the scene where David tells him his mom's not happy and he immediately apologizes and wants to go Go-Karting with her. Idk how Tom can portray that kind of character that well, but I'm glad we get to see it so frequently- Plus it was iconic of him to sing 'Tomorrow' twice, once while he was running for his life.

9. Mario the Sheep (The Lighthouse)

Everyone’s favorite inbred, part-human, cocaine using sheep that loses his mind (alongside Sam) throughout the storyline. There's not much to say about it other than the fact I love comic relief characters and who's more comic relief than this guy? It was also fun to watch Sam slowly die inside once the sheep was made a main character, that was great-

8. Marty (The Evil Make-A-Wish Kid)

Another instance of Sam’s portrayal and delivery making his character memorable as hell. The smirk and the voice he chose to use for all of his lines make Marty one of my favorite villains in their plays (OLM doesn’t count, I see her as more morally grey than anything). He's a great combination of being played for laughs and genuinely doing evil things. This kid lights his mom on fire and all he has to say about it is "I'm gonna miss games when I'm dead." It might be my favorite line in that play tbh, along with "Congratulations. You killed the kid"

7. Andrew (All Eyes On Nigel)

Along with the Janae type nerds (spoiler for later 🤫), I also have a soft spot for the naive/inexperienced characters, especially when they get a little fucked up by the end of their storyline. Andrew is a prime example of this in the SFTH universe, being all excited about his job as an officer, before being taken hostage and being given drugs starting to sound like a favorite character of mine from a different fandom...

6. Donnie (The Detective v The Christmas Tree Bandits)

THE ADHD icon. He’s far from the only SFTH character with diagnosed ADHD and idk about you but he’s the representation I wanted fr- and now he’s dead :( Even if his death wasn't as emotional of a scene as y'all made it out to be, it still makes me sad and I will be living in denial about it with the rest of you for while.

5. Janae (The Neighbor's Under The Bed)

Janae is the textbook definition of the ‘character way too smart for their age to an unrealistic level’, therefore she has to make an appearance on my favorites list. She also has the line "My Seismogram IS TRUE" which is such a good quotable line, I'm never getting over that-

4. Jimmy (Toby’s Secret Pocket)

Ah, the Fan Favorite Tom character who can’t get through a door if his life depended on it. Who can blame the audience for latching onto him? "I was just gonna say it's the racism" "I get lonely sometimes" "STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW" I mean, how can we be expected to not love him?

3. Old Lady Marjorie (The Unrelenting Aubergine)

I think everyone knows why she’s here. 1) She's another villain/morally grey character from Sam, 2) At least half of her witchery is just drugs, and 3) She slaps AJ- I mean James- 3 times, causing Sam- I mean Marjorie- to turn bright red from laughter. Absolute Cinema.

2. Amanda (Clarissa's DIY Wedding)

Tom’s other hopeless romantic gay character, I’m sensing a pattern in my favs- I've mentioned how much I love that Tom went straight for 'yearning lesbian' with this one in my other post, but I'm gonna talk about it in more detail because I can. She loves Clarissa so so much, but because she doesn't think the feelings are reciprocated (true or not-) she will make sure Clarissa and Mark have their wedding and that, above all, Clarissa is happy. This fact makes me love her more, but also makes me so very sad..

There were a few characters that didn't quite make it to the Top 10, so before we go to Number 1, here's a few:

Honorable Mentions

Scottish Robin (The Midnight Mystery) He would've been #10 but I had to add Janae so he got demoted

Aside from the general chaos he is, I love Robin from a meta standpoint, because it’s one of those moments that shows that Luke and Sam have the same exact sense of humor. Luke 100% did the “WE’RE GOING DOWN TO CHIPPY” bit purely to make Sam laugh, and boy did it work. Also the joy in Robin/Luke screaming “BATMAN” at the top of his lungs is great, he is in his element lmao

Caravan Brothers (No, I Always Loved That Caravan!)

Before I realized they’re called the Caravan Brothers in the fandom, I fully just called them the incest brothers because I think that gets the vibe across. Technically, I think the O’Hands Brothers would also be accurate. Weirdest fucking brothers I’ve ever seen, but in an iconic way. Besides, I always love another chance for Luke to go gremlin mode for a character.

Big Hans (Oh My God, Is This A Joke?)

So he might've made it to the main list, but something about putting a nazi character in the top 10 wasn't sitting right with me, so he’s in the honorable mentions instead (At least it's not Xavier-) To be clear I just like how he was immediately introduced as a 'pocket-sized aryan' that was absolutely fucking Ze Blackberry, then in his next scene his vibe had shifted and he was oddly fond of the French accent/language for some reason?? “Don’t make friends with them!” “Why not? :(” Bro was literally just happy to be there.

1. Derek (The Unrelenting Aubergine)

Surprising no one, Derek Gangles is everything to me. I have no idea what makes me like him more than any of their other romantic characters, there’s just something about how Tom plays him that makes him so endearing. I think part of it is how he seems to be constantly in awe and admiration of Titch, loving him in such a (relatively) innocent way. “Are we gonna have kids?” I can hear the puppy eyes in his voice, are you kidding me??

[renegade-castiel]

Materialists Spoilers

So I saw Materialists tonight and I can’t get this out of my head so I decided to make a post. There are many things I could talk about regarding this movie but I’m gonna focus on one. This is a long one, I’m going to add some context for people who don’t care to see the movie but might want to know what’s going on, so buckle in.

When I saw the trailer for the movie, my immediate thought was “if she chooses broke ass Chris Evans over millionaire Pedro Pascal, I am straight up walking out of the theater.” And this is coming from someone who used to be absolutely obsessed with Chris during the Marvel era. I love Pedro Pascal. I would always choose Pedro Pascal over anyone.

However… Pedro’s character is very very interesting to me. Harry is a “unicorn” — makes over 6 figures, is tall, fit, handsome, charming. It’s so easy to fall in love with his character from the moment we first see him on screen. His conversation with Lucy at the singles table, where he says that he finds love to be the most difficult thing in the world. It’s endearing, it sounds like someone who has had difficulty in the past with love and is scared to try again, despite wanting to date her.

The clips of their dates are interesting, because it seems like he comes from a happy family, he’s smart and eloquent, he pushes for her to see her own worth when she is hard on herself, he always picks up the bill. And despite them going on 4-5 dates, never pressures her for sex, choosing to only bring her back to his apartment after they’ve decided to be exclusive/start seriously dating.

But then, subtly, red flags start to appear. I noticed them, briefly, as they came, but didn’t read much into them until the end, when I reflected on the movie as a whole. For one, he spends so much time with Lucy and yet after her client’s assault he never once notices that something is wrong with her. Or maybe he does and doesn’t bother to bring it up, meanwhile Chris Evans’ character, John, sees her once and immediately clocks it.

There are three red flags that I realized later, that go hand in hand. The first is when Lucy asks him if a date is romantic simply because of how much money is being spent at a place/fancy restaurant and he wholeheartedly believes that. The second is when he says that he can’t imagine fighting as a couple in the middle of the street over something. It reads of maturity and healthy coping mechanisms. And knowing Lucy and John have a history and yet doesn’t get slightly jealous or at least pay any attention to the way they act around each other — once again, it seems mature. But what both situations really show is a lack of passion. He doesn’t love her.

It all culminates in a moment that is one of the most instantaneously ick-inducing moments I have seen in modern cinema. They’re sleeping, about to go on a trip, when Lucy wakes up in the middle of the night. She has glanced at his leg, out from under the covers, in previous scenes and I thought that she maybe thought sleeping like that was weird or something. But no, there’s scars on his legs she’s seeing. And he wakes up, catching her, and immediately goes into Passive Aggressive™️ mode. He yanks the cover over his leg and rolls over for all of 10 seconds before getting up, throwing pants on, and stomping his way out to the kitchen, huffing and puffing. When I saw that, I immediately was like “where the hell did this come from?” The first fully noticeable chink in Harry’s “nice guy” persona.

She follows him into the kitchen and we learn that Harry has had the $200k surgery mentioned earlier in the movie, where you can become up to 6 inches taller. She assures him that she is not judging him and understands why he would want to get that surgery — she’s even had a little cosmetic surgery done (which in hindsight is crazy bc with what money girl? you make $80k and live alone in NYC you don’t really have a lot of left over money). What follows is another chink in Harry’s image — he responds to her admission with “I thought so” and then a rant about how insecure he was before the surgery and how after, he has Value™️ now. People respect him, both at work and women that see him out. He makes sure to mention that he hasn’t struck out with women once since getting the surgery when he gives this little rant. The second she says it is really over between them, he shakes her hand, devoid of any emotion. Just basically a “Nice doing business with you.”

It was so jarring to see him like that… what happened to sweet, charismatic Harry that we have seen thus far in the movie? Harry’s character in my opinion is really meant to serve one purpose — that men will do and say what they need to in order to obtain you, create a fake persona, pretend to be the perfect man, etc., just to drop it completely when they’re eventually found out. Once she realized the truth, his real personality came out straight away, revealing his real identity and all of his insecurities. Everyone has insecurities, don’t get me wrong. But there’s something about going out of your way to fix that problem and believing that you are now more worthy in society as a result… you know, deep down, that the insecurity is still festering because you don’t just snap out of that the second you spend the money to fix it. The root cause wasn’t his height. He already had insecurities that manifested in him having issues with his height.

And it’s after this crazy reveal that he admits he doesn’t think he is capable of love. Which, when you think about it, is clear as day. He didn’t understand romance, he lacks passion, he wanted someone as a partner and not a “soulmate.” Which, when you refuse to accept who you really are (pre-surgery), and have that level of deep-rooted insecurities, can you really show up completely for someone else? This isn’t even a “you can’t love someone else without loving yourself” because I don’t fully believe that. But when you create that fake persona, and you’re acting all day every day of your life (which has to be downright exhausting) to hide from your true self, I’m not sure how you’d also have room to love as well.

Anyways… it’s crazy, because here I am, a woman who would always choose Pedro Pascal over anyone else. And yet, I absolutely understand when Lucy breaks things off with Harry and goes back to John. There’s no such thing as the perfect man. And those who are actively trying to hide their secrets and insecurities to cultivate this perfect, charming persona are much more dangerous than the guy who might be chaotic and messy, but isn’t insecure in who he is as a person.

This has been a very long one and I appreciate you if you have made it this far. Please let me know if you agree/disagree.

[tallwife]

Ive been kind of quiet about personal posts on here in the last year or so making my moves in silence so here's the full crazy rundown of how me and bf got together because all I've been doing really is make the occasional vague post but not expanded on it

Met this guy at a party about a decade ago (omg) when I was about 16/17 who I remember because I talked to him and this other boy about video games. Other boy was like a GIRL who GAMES??? And the guy was like 'obviously girls can play games lol' and I remember it well because it was funny and he was nice. Don't see him again

About 5 years ago meet the guy again, we don't make the connection for another few years that we've met before. He has a gf and is nice enough, but I don't know him very well yet

He hangs out with my friend group a lot and I click very well with him when we talk, but he's not on my radar because of aforementioned gf

I start a VERY tumultuous idiotic embarrassing situationship with one of his best friends aka the 'GIRLS CAN PLAY GAMES???' guy. I'm stupid and have feelings for him and on reflection it was insane. My heart is being ripped out constantly and I'm being toyed with

Meanwhile he and his gf break up and soon after he has a casual fwb thing with another one of my friends. So he's still not on my radar at all

As this is all going on me and him become very very good friends, its 100% just platonic and supportive. He finds out how badly his friend treated me and to my surprise he firmly takes my side on things and is a massive help and a great friend in this time, distances himself a little from situationship guy

We start to click and hang out constantly. We bond over being bi and other personal things and we have the same humour, nobody can make me laugh like him.

At this point about a year and a half ago, we probably hang out at least once a week. We have a cute weekly cinema habit and we talk about everything. I've never felt this comfortable and safe with a guy before. Start to realise he's also very much my type but I try to keep it out of my mind

He starts to get back into the dating world and I realise it makes me feel really nervous and sad. UNSURE WHAT TO DO. I worry that I am just feeling this way because of proximity and also that I am going to fuck things up if I ask about it. I also kind of fell into that trap of thinking 'if he liked me he wouldve already tried to make a move'. i start imagining how id feel if he got another partner longterm and it makes me feel really sad

About this time last year it's like I wake up one day and am like 'fuck I have feelings for him' but figure I just need to ignore it and get on with my life

Attempt to have a brat summer and affirm that I will find someone else and that these feelings will go away. By early July I realise this is IMPOSSIBLE and that I will need to tell him how I feel because he's the only person I ever look for at events and the person i think about all the time.

situationship guy leaves the continent and i never have to see him again HOORAY

A few of us go abroad in mid July. Hot country, us two and another friend, his gf and brother.

the whole time im TRYING to ignore my feelings but im 100% fallen in love and am so attracted to him. we have long late night chats over cigarettes on rooftops, late night swims, day trips by ourselves etc. so i realise i have to tell him how i feel or i'll regret it

almost have a heart attack from nerves but tell him on the last night of the holiday. feel like im going to get rejected and because hes slow to react and needs to process it im SURE hes rejecting me

we basically stay up all night talking about what this could mean, the implications if it goes wrong, can we stay friends if so, etc. but we do end up holding each other and falling asleep together.

the second we land back in ireland we go on a 40k+ step walk all day to discuss EVERY detail. at the end decide we're gonna try it and have a proper first kiss by the ocean AHHHHH

have our first date the next day

we fall crazy in love

both admit later on that we had BOTH been in love with each other for the past year and BOTH had resigned ourselves to never confessing it because we cherished our friendship so much and thought the other person would reject us

friends to lovers arc in real life complete

[moonrabbit250]

My thoughts about Thunderbolts*

I was going with moderate expectations just in case, but it was actually peak. It could end up being recency bias but rn its a tentative top 5 mcu movie for me. Had me crying like 3 separate times, and had some good comedy moments too. Loved its main theme too.

First, as much as I like seeing Walker be bullied because of him being a self aggrandizing ass, he gained some solid depth. Alexei was still quite silly but his relationship with Yelena was one of the highlights for me, he had a really good emotional core this time. The weak link of the group was Ghost, even if she's likable she was the least explored but her presence was felt when needed. Bucky I felt had the least connection with the others as a group, but because of his personality and past he fit right in. Valentina was an effective antagonist that got under my skin with her manipulations and using others to get what she wants.

The stars of this whole thing was ofc Yelena and Bob. I loved how we got to explore her guilt and feeling completely lost in the world making her the perfect person to help Bob. The way Bob's character arc is presented and executed is amazing. His depression and all consuming loneliness is the actual villain of the story is so beautifully sad. Him being so easy to manipulate at first by Valentina because of his value of himself being so negative and then lashing out to the world was done so well. The scene where he fights himself and is stopped by everyone else is perfect, the symbolism on that is just what I needed. I adore stories where you have to confront and try to accept all parts of yourself, eventually seeing other people already accept you so this was for me. Sentry easily my favorite mcu antagonist now.

Yelena being the one to relate and make Bob realize the most that its possible to survive the void was so touching. Her still dealing with the grief of losing her sister and pouring her heart out to her dad hit me so much emotionally. The trauma rooms for her were all depressing but the one that felt the most heavy was another version of her forcing alcohol down her throat. Lastly, Lena finding a family that she can feel she can be herself because everyone is just as inept as life as her just like Natasha is great.

Visuals for the memory rooms, The Void's character design, and darkness powers were so creative and helped for the emotional gut punches. I'm so glad I decided to watch this in cinemas.

[panosatthemovies]

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is, most probably, the last in the series of spy films that began with the excellent De Palma-directed first installment in 1996—reviving a TV series from the ’80s, which itself was reviving a series from the ’60s, originally inspired by the James Bond films and Bondmania.

But although the first film was a tight thriller, the series lost its way and became a bit silly in the second and third installments. It finally found its stride with Ghost Protocol—which, for me, was a masterpiece of popular entertainment—and continued from strength to strength with parts 5, 6, and 7: fun, humorous, extravagant adventures for the whole family, reminiscent of the Bond films of the Roger Moore era—films that are sorely missed in today’s cinema.

So what happened with the last one?

Well, the problem, I think, lies in the fact that they broke the story into two parts. Then COVID and the Hollywood strikes forced them to delay part two, which eventually got a new title and a 15-minute prologue full of exposition just to bring audiences up to speed with what happened and what’s at stake.

And that’s the second bad thing about this film: it takes itself too seriously, repeating again and again that unless Ethan Hunt succeeds, it’s “the end of the world as we know it.” And because of that tone and soberness, we lost all the fun—and apart from a few exceptions, no one in the audience laughed during the entire 3-hour movie.

That was sin number three: exhausting the audience not with action scenes but with at least an hour’s worth of exposition just to raise the stakes.

Were the stakes raised? Yes.

Did it work? Eventually, it does.

The whole film becomes a matter of life and death for the entire world, and yes, that pays off in excitement. The filmmakers bring everything they’ve learned from the previous films and mix it with elements from WarGames and The Hunt for Red October, perhaps some underwater sequences from Thunderball, as well as concepts from Spectre and No Time to Die, and finally deliver an incredible biplane sequence partially inspired by Octopussy. That scene alone, at the end, is worth the price of admission—Tom Cruise once again brings stunts to another level, even at the age of 61.

I admit, even with the problems mentioned above, I had the most fun I’ve had in a cinema in quite a while. And this is the kind of movie I mostly miss these days.

So go see it.

Save cinemas while watching Tom Cruise save the world.

And have some fun watching the impossible—Cruise escaping death while filming the craziest stunts, once again!

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/fsQgc9pCyDU

[gardenof-eda]

I found another rabbit hole, shocker.

I started looking into the oldest scary clown movie. Admittedly I am either a true horror fan or a masochist as I have a pretty longstanding hatred of the scary clowns trope. So much, that I find some non scary clowns terrifying depending on their stance or face makeup. And yet, I have found myself in many a scenario almost in tears watching something clown related. Both IT interpretations, American Horror Story ( actually don’t know if Dandy or Twisty is worse), the Terrifier (only the first, as it’s name truly served its purpose), Killer Clowns from outer space etc.

My search led to a discussion on the oldest clown movie being somewhere between Lon chaney’s character in Laugh, Clown, Laugh or the Man Who Laughs. I’ve always seen pictures and been interested in the latter anyway, the movie cover chosen is pretty striking and has always made me curious.

So, here I am, watching the Man Who Laughs.

It’s described as a horror and listed as such but right at the beginning there is such an air of tragedy. The way the story allows us to see the layers of cruelty and sadness Gwynplaine experienced feels so ahead of its time. The images of a tortured boy being left behind by a ship to die as an outcast. The image of the boy itself is so hard to see. To be asked to imagine a child who’s survived having his face carved so heinously is in itself only one of the emotional hurdles of the movie. A quick fast forward we see the effects of the world’s beatings on Gwynplaine. He is shy, a seemingly unworthy contender in this human race who’s accepted the crumbs of a life as a freak. His value is even briefly compared to a 5 legged cow and like so many other with physical differences in the past. His only path led to the circus where his face laughs for money but his heart breaks for more than simple change and the fleeting acceptance of a crowd seeking out entertainment and not empathy for the man they see before them.

So many cinema themes are rampant, the most obvious being “Sock and Buskin”. The masks symbolize both the joy and sadness experienced in the theater as well as in life. Gwynplain has no choice but to wear the face of joy and laughter while his life has been a series of unspeakable tragedies. There’s a moving but quick moment where he’s staring at himself in the mirror, he’s hoping to see something different perhaps but as usual, nothing changes. He closes the mirror doors and there on the knobs, sit the two masks in question. Another instance comes later when Ursus claims the show must go on! We have this shot of the words “The Man Who Laughs” on the stage, as the performance is being introduced by a man who can’t help but to sob as he introduces the Dea’s stage appearance to a crowd of eager and unaware onlookers.

The theme of beauty being in the eye of the beholder is also something I think is important to in this movie. Dea is the only blind character and yet is gifted with the most sight and perspective. In her own words, she beautifully tells Gwynplaine that god has made her who she is so that she could be with, and see him for who he truly is. Nonetheless, he loves from afar as he feels anything closer is a union she doesn’t deserve. He doesn’t see the man she sees, just the clown. It’s unfortunate as she doesn’t appear to be the only one that loves him. Ursus clearly loves him the way he would his own son. He allows him to not only live with him but he roots for Gwynplaine and Dea’s happiness, as well as grieves at the loss of him, and the possibility of Gwynplaine’s fulfilling his need as heir in the form of husband for the beautiful but cruel Josiana. Finally, but certainly not least he is loved by Homo. The canine companion and protector of their little family. Homo feels like a commentary on the unconditional love that overflows in animals, and stops short in humans. Despite each members lowly place in this wretched society, Homo’s love for them is ever present. He goes through remarkable hurdles to bring his family back together, his most triumphant being his attack so that Gwynplaine could escape, and finally his swim to the ship so that he could go back to the life he so desperately fought to have back.

A lot of the film has Gwynplaine covering his mouth when it is not needed for performance or when he is around those judging eyes.He uses his hands and a cloth mask to cover his ever present gruesome expression. Despite this we lose no depth of emotion from this character. The weight of the entire performance mouth covered or not is on Conrad’s emotive eyebrows, the wrinkles tattooed on his forehead from years of torment, and his eyes that are always just brimming with sadness and tears. There’s this brief moment when before he finds his courage to address the court where he uses the cloth that normally covers his smile to cover his eyes. Like the way a boy closes his eyes to jump into the deep end. It summarizes in once glance that this although he physically grew up, a scared little boy has always been standing behind a mutilated mask. It’s so quick, but so poetic and only made more grand by the image of him standing there. His face voluntarily uncovered by himself being the only smile in a room full of frowning.

Maybe my own perceptions of government have leeched into this last thought but here we go. I think my favorite concept in this movie is the image of a clown. What is it? A person in hair and makeup, entertaining the masses? Is that then not the role of monarchs and their peanut gallery courts? Are they not painted, powdered and wigged figures that put on a show for the people around them? A show of power to those that fear them, and a show of their divine right to those that wish to be like them. Not only do they put on things like these carnivals and freak shows in the first place to keep the poor complacent and distracted; but on a more contrived note, is the pomp and circumstance of monarch’s and not just all show anyway? The stale image of a stuffy gallery full of people with nothing better to do than to sit in yards of frill and lace draped across their historically unhygienic bodies while a bored quartet plays as their background theme. I haven’t even begun to describe the performances of the women.

Or is a clown a strategic use of body language and facial expressions to earn a positive reaction out of people? One could argue that Duchess Josiana is then one of the best. I love seeing liberality in women, especially in something so far back as a German expressionist film. However the brazen display of her feminine wiles is very “put on” in front of men. She performs when they enter her space albeit clown, courtesan, or the peasants and drunkards at the fair. She darkens her light features with eye paint and lines her painfully sharp cupids bow with red lip paint to complete her character as a classless calibre of woman. A performance the queen has seen more than once and refuses to applaud. She couldn’t be more delighted to cage her restless bird in a marriage she would deem a punishment. Jokes on her, you’d be hard pressed to find a man for a husband like Gwynplaine.

A round of applause for Olga Baclanova whose deliberate take on malicious femme fatales never cease to make me loathe her. I’m always floored by the likeness between her and Madonna in her heyday. In you need to see more of her you’ll find an equally impressive and loathsome performance of hers in the movie Freaks, another movie ahead of its years.

This movie feels like a gateway to joker origin stories, call backs to the displays of love of the Hunchback of Notredame, Cicero, and maybe even Pinocchio. I was left with commentary on casting stones at glass houses dripping in cleverly disguised writing. I’m always surprised by how German expressionism or I guess just a good movie in general whips me into a verbal frenzy. Despite a beautiful display of acting on each actors part, the obvious star was always Conrad Veidt. His portrayal of an innocent man tortured by his permanent grin draws out the real clowns of society. Making Gwynplaine a clown that can’t be feared, but a man that is deserving of all the love in the world.

[devil-works-hard]

i rlly liked ur adding things to batim post, could u do that for batdr?

I'm glad you liked my ideas! Here's a few I came up with for BATDR:

Little Devil Lounge

Give us more of the cannibalism thing that apparently happened - supposedly Chef Buck killed Andre and put his flesh in the food, but there's really no evidence for that besides the giant heart on the stove. Maybe there could be a room with more evidence of butchering bodies (meat freezer!). Bonus points if there's a puzzle related to dissecting a Lost One or something.

Atrium offices

More tunnels! More offices! More stuff to crawl through and dig through and search! I loved this part of the game, it felt so lived in and interactable. I don't have many notes on the content of the area, I just really want more of it.

Artist's Rest

That one audio log says there are parties, gambling and other unsavory activities happening there all the time, but the area is surprisingly sterile. Firstly, make the place more lived-in. There are a ton of Lost Ones in the area, what if they used Artist's Rest as their home?

Secondly, I'm imagining a secret area used by the demon worshippers, hidden away from the rest of the studio. Something that still has traces of the Ink Demon's following and Sammy. An audio log or note from someone asking how it's possible that Wilson defeated the demon- because the Ink Demon was all-powerful, right? How could he be defeated? The Ink Demon offered salvation, what does Wilson offer?

Amok's Sewer / Gent Tunnel

Honestly that whole section is... a mess. Just give us more build up to Amok. Show us Amok-themed graffiti. A Lost One praising Lord Amok in Artist's Rest. Just give us something.

Or, if that's not possible, more information about Gent. It's their tunnel, so we should see more signs of them and what their purpose is here.

Downtown

I actually really like the Downtown area. It's nicely laid out, and appropriately messy. I would have liked to have gone into more of the shops, I think.

Imagine going into the cinema and actually watching one of the cartoons!

Let us into at least one of the hotel rooms. I don't really know what should be there, but we should be able to get into one, somehow.

The timestable on the wall leading into the Downtown mentions a bunch of areas that we don't see. We wouldn't have to visit all of them, but even just seeing one would be fun.

Like imagine visiting New Flesh. What the hell would even be there.

Gent Factory

Again, another good area in my book. But, considering their relationship with JDS (especially in Thomas's note), I'd like to see more Gent workers talking about JDS. Commenting on their ignorance to the Ink Machine's real purpose, the failure of the studio, something.

Thomas's desk, or office, or whatever.

Schematics for the Ink Machine! Plus more info for its intended purpose and what it can do.

Better yet, give us something from Alan Grey. If Gent is going to be the new evil company, we should get more of that.

Wilson's Mansion

Again, not many notes here. I really just want to see more of Betty. She mentions her room, and also that she's also part of a long line of experiments.

In-General Suggestions

More secret spots used by Grace - especially if these spots can be used to sneak past lots of Lost Ones.

More of Kay Lee's puzzles. Her audio log says "Here's my first hint" which implies there are more things hidden in the studio. That's a huge missed opportunity.

A scene with all four members of the Butcher Gang - For a game that used the Butcher Gang so much in the advertising, BATDR doesn't really use them that often. In BATIM, Chapters 3-5 each had an area/event that had all three of them together, which really made them feel like a gang. BATDR has them each show up separately- but this really dilutes them imo.

Imagine this: Audrey loses her Gent pipe (bonus points if it's partially/fully upgraded). After fending for herself without it, she discovers that it's been stolen by the Butcher Gang. In a claustrophobic cluster of offices, Audrey needs to sneak up on Piper to banish him if she wants to get it back. The puzzle involves setting off distractions in a specific order (possibly under a time crunch) to get him into the right spot for Audrey to banish him.

Piper has Audrey's pipe, which makes him extremely dangerous. He patrols the area. He can kill her in two hits.

Striker now patrols the vents, which are needed to access important areas to the puzzle. If he finds her, the only way to avoid dying is to get out of the vents.

Fisher still hides in lockers and other hiding spaces. There aren't many hiding spaces available, so listening carefully is key.

Slicer can still teleport around, and will attack Audrey if she stands out in the open for too long. She's also not fooled by hiding spots, so Audrey needs to keep moving.

Also, more ink powers! We get three but the one is really underwhelming.

Reach - like a sticky hand, but ink

Melt - melt into an ink puddle and hide on the spot!

Vision - Being able to see hidden golden messages (like with the Seeing Tool)

It's hard to keep things location-specific like I did in my other post, mostly because we don't spend much time in BATDR's locations. Still, this was fun to do :)

[luciluck2046-md]

Murder Drones: Glowing Future AU

6. A failed date and another drone

"Sooo, you need help to arrange a date." Lizzy asks me after I explain my problems. "And you came at me because?"

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"You had like 5-6 lovers and I know that you like a specific girl, so can't you just help a fellow friend of yours?" I ask her. I don't really want to interact with her, but I have a weapon that must be used.

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"And what do I get in return?" She asks back, checking her nails. I can hear V and J giggling from their bedroom.

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"A date from that girl." I smirk.

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"Wasn't she dead?" She puts another question.

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"Well we're still searching for ways to get her back, so uhhhh, just wait and trust my promise?" I say a bit embarrassed. I'm talking about Doll. She told me that she still likes her. And Doll heard that. And she likes her back. The reason none of them told each other was because they didn't know????? But now I have to arrange a date with those two. If I find a way to move Doll from my head to a device or even another drone. Hopefully that will happen soon since I can't stand two voices anymore, Cyn is always commenting and Doll is critiquing too much.

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"Alright I think we may have a deal. Get inside." She tells me, making way for me to enter her house.

Our teacher is sitting in the living room correcting some tests... I see N's test having dogs drawn all over it and a big B. I'm not surprised. After we pass the living room, we enter Lizzy's bedroom, where V and J are painting each other's nails. The bedroom is big and wide, with big pink walls and a light beige floor.

"Girls, do you have any idea of what kind of date N would like? Uzi wants to do a date thingy." Lizzy mumbles at the two girls.

𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂

Me and N are walking along the hallways to get to the cinema. I can't even explain how much it took me to get mom AND Tessa let me go on this date with N. Apparently Tessa is harder to please than mom...

"I can't wait to see what movie you chose!" N tells me excited.

It's Beetlejuice. I wanted to go with Oppenheimer but I am pretty sure he wouldn't like it. I don't even know how they got that movie at the cinema. It's almost 1100 years old! That thing sure is ancient... I had to search so much to get the original version. Until... I virused the laptop.

At least me and Doll got to an agreement. If she shuts up, I will actually go to sleep earlier and try to get some full 8 hours! Since she's also getting affected by my bad habits. But with Cyn... The bow she wears is multipurpose.

N keeps talking about how excited he is to see the movie all the way, then we get to the doors of the cinema.

I push the doors, but they won't flinch. I look more carefully at them.

"AWWW COME ON!!" I yell annoyed. On the door it's a note.

"Today we're closed because of some unexpected circumstances"

I see some water leaking at the bottom of the doors... I think the roof wasn't cleared of the snow and it got too much...

"I guess there's no film..." I mumble.

|

"Wait, have you seen that movie?" He asks me.

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"Well yeah? I wouldn't have chosen it if I didn't watch it." I tell him.

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"Can you tell me what it was about? Or even describe the movie in detail!" He tells me, smiling.

I laugh. I think he may have liked the movie.

"Well... It all starts with a couple, that in my opinion gives off some very bisexual vibes, that are spending their holiday at home..."

𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂

"Haha! That's some unseen twist!" N says after I finish talking about the movie.

We were sitting on the floor, leaning onto the walls of the hallway.

"Yes! I really like old stuff, as you can see. Wait, what's the time?" I say. I don't have my own clock anymore, I kind of erased it from existence like a year ago... Exploring my files and trying to skip school really made me fuck up a lot of things.

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"It's 6:49 pm." N responds.

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"Huh? So 12+6 is... IT'S ALREADY 17:50!?!?" I yell surprised. "We were supposed to go to the cafe twenty minutes ago! HURRY!!!" I yell, taking his hand and NOT waiting for an answer. Lizzy, V and J decided to come with me at the cafe, and I told them to meet up at 17:30.

We're running in the hallway to get to the cafe in time. It's one I used to regularly visit to draw, and the workers there are so sweet!

We arrive at the cafe in a record time, and I open the door, mumbling "Good Afternoon!" and going straight to the furthest table that is there

"Sooooo, wanna see my sketchbook?" I ask N, throwing my notebook on the table. The English notebook, aka my sketchbook starts out with two lessons and goes on with bored doodles.

"That's... Your English notebook." He mumbles confused.

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"No it's not." I disagree.

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"I can see that it's being written in the first pages."

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"Go further."

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"Oh WOW! THOSE LOOKS SO GOOD!!!"

I laugh

"Of course they look good, I was bored as fuck and I had to do something." I tell him.

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"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you... Why do you keep skipping school?" He asks me.

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"... I just don't want to go, and I finally found an excuse." I say, avoiding saying the true reason. He doesn't need to know. At least not yet. "On the school theme, do you like it until now?" I ask him, changing the subject.

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"Yeah, but it's kind of boring... I already know everything, Tess already taught me more in a week than your teacher in the whole year." He explains bored.

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"I KNOW, RIGHT!? MR. SMITH SUCKS ASS!" I say loudly. Several people are looking at us. I try to ignore them.

But the bad has already been done. People have noticed N, and they're giving him too much attention. And it's not the chill one.

"Who brought in the serial killer-" I hear someone say, but I take my backpack and trow it with FORCE at them. I think N noticed the attention now-

"You Think?" Cyn mumbles in my head. She doesn't like talking to me like that but I'm sure she HAD to comment.

"Oh, hi everyone! I'm Serial Designation N!" He says without realizing that he's not wanted. Oh, I wish I would have been so innocent...

He turns back towards the table and I sign to everyone that I'm going to stab them with my pen if they don't leave. And I make that very clear. Luckily they understood the message, and left N alone.

"Uhhhh can you tell me more about dogs?" I ask him, remembering what V told me.

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"OH SURE!!!! The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from an extinct population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers..." He starts explaining to me the whole Wikipedia page. I get comfy, knowing that he's gonna talk for a while...

𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂

"UGHHHHH THIS WAS SHIIIIT!" I yell, running in my room and jumping in my bed. I get facedown in my pillow and groan loudly.

The date was awful! First the cinema closed, then the cafe RUINED N's sketchbook, then I "overreacted" when J "accidentally" spilled OIL all over N's new clothes...

This date was a BIG FUCKING FAIL.

N enters the room shyly, and he tries to say something but I talk over him.

"Sorry about this..." I mumble loudly. "I made you expect a wonderful date but it was all only shit." I add disappointed.

|

"Hey... Uzi, before I say what I want to, let's go somewhere, shall we?" He tells me.

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"Where?" I ask rolling my eyes. "Where else could we go? I'm already banned from that cafe." I mumble. I actually liked going there, but me snapping at J after all the stress I felt...

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"The rooftop? The moon is especially beautiful right now." He smiles. And I smile back.

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"Alright..."

𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂

We're both laying on the rooftop, looking at the sky, CLOSE to each other, holding hands like the lovers we are.

We're both quiet. He said that he wants to tell me something, but I think he may have forgotten. Or not. I don't know. But I decide to break the silence.

"N... Sorry for having the worst first date..." I mumble embarrassed. "Your notebook is all soggy, your clothes are ruined, J is mad at me..."

|

"Oh Uzi... What I wanted to tell you is that this is actually the best date ever!" He laughs. "I didn't care about the movie, but it was fun to listen to you describe everything about it. And the sketchbook? I can always get another one. But I would never exchange the time we spend drawing for anything else!" He tells me, smiling and chuckling.

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"But your new clothes are dirty now..." I try to say. All he told me until now is really, really sweet... But I don't want to believe him.

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"They are CLOTHES Uzi, there's no problem that they got dirty a bit faster than usual. But it showed me that you would do anything to protect me, and that's really cute!" He explains. I blush slightly as he tightens his grip on my hand.

I don't say anything, but I'm thinking about all he said. Then I remember how Tessa tested me a week ago... And I want to ask him about it. But I wait for a little break. After about another ten minutes I speak to him.

"N? Can I ask you something..? There's something that Tessa said that's been bugging me for the past week..." I mumble.

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"Oh, sure! What is it?" He asks relaxed.

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"... What do you like about me..?" I ask him. Even if what she said was mostly a trick, I really don't know... "I mean, most of me is shit too."

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"Don't say that! Everything about you is perfect for me. You're funny, interesting, caring, strong, confident, brave, and so much more! I can't say everything I like about you." He explains to me, smiling.

I am speechless. He really thinks that about me? That's... Surprising. And calming. I feel a little less tense than before. After a while that felt like an eternity, I finally talk again.

"Thanks..." I tell him, moving a little closer.

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"What did Tessa tell you?" He asks me.

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"... She tested my self trust and things like that..." I mumble embarrassed.

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"Oh. Well you should really believe in yourself a bit more! But I can help you, if you let me." He tells me. He's so sweet...

There's another silence. This one's awkward. Very awkward. I move even closer to him.

"What abou-"

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"So uhm-"

We both say, moving our heads in unison.

And kissing each other by accident.

I jump back, surprised and blushing.

"EWWWW, GROSS!!!" I yell, trying to hide how flustered I am.

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"You don't think it's gross, so why are you saying that?" N chuckles.

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"BECAUSE IT IS!" I yell embarrassed.

N chuckles even more.

"Well, it was an accident." He says amused. "UNLIKE THIS!!!" He yells, actually kissing me on purpose. For 5 long seconds.

I move back flustered and speechless. He laughs loudly, but in a cute way.

"О МОЙ РОБО-БОГ УЗИ, Хватит ДУМАТЬ ОБ ЭТОМ, ЭТО ПРОСТО ПОЦЕЛУЙ. / 𝙾𝙷 𝙼𝚈 𝚁𝙾𝙱𝙾-𝙶𝙾𝙳 𝚄𝚉𝙸 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝙿 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙸𝚃, 𝙸𝚃'𝚂 𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙰 𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂." Doll yells at me annoyed. I guess she's done with our "shut up and I'll get 8 hours of sleep" deal. Well, neither of us will get enough sleep. >:3

"You're so cute when you're flustered!" He tells me, hugging me tightly. "Also I got you back in your happy mood!"

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"Yes you did-" I say, but I hear a crash and feel some strong wind passing me.

Then I hear a boom.

Both me and N turn surprised to see smoke coming from behind the bunker. We fly down to check what happened.

It is... A DISASSEMBLY DRONE!?!?

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"N, weren't you and your gang the only Disassembly Drones????" I ask him confused. He doesn't answer. I see that his left eye displays the classic X, but with a D underneath it.

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"Uhhh, no? OHHH I REMEMBER WHO SHE IS!!!" He says surprised.

I think he's talking about the drone that's in front of us...

She isn't regenerating.

Yet.

I hope there won't be any worm thing.

Oh fuck.

She moved.

"AGH SHE'S ALIVE KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER!" I yell, jumping behind N, since I don't have my railgun. I clearly don't trust her to be inoffensive and not attack me the first second she sees me.

Her broken screen displays some glitchy eyes, blinking fast. The usually all yellow crown has one of the lights red, and her left ear's tip is red instead of yellow. From all I know, this means that she's offline. Offline from what? I didn't ever ask.

She gets up, ignoring us, and getting dust off her clothes. She's shaking. A LOT.

"Ughh... I should have kept my glasses." She mumbles in a weird voice.

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"... D? You're alive!?!?" N yells, getting closer.

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"OH SHIT, UHHHH... GOOD AFTERNOON CAPTAIN N! SERIAL DESIGNATION D AT YOUR SERVICE!" She yells panicked after hearing his voice.

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"Did she just call you captain N!?!?" I ask him surprised.

D's ear moves towards my voice, then she JUMPS in the air and flies towards me with some impressive speeds.

"OH SHIT N RUN!!" I say, getting out of the way.

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"Why didn't YOU kill this drone, what the fuck???" D asks surprised.

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"I... I don't understand what you mean?" N asks confused.

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"... YOU ARE NOT N. HE WAS THE ONE WITH THE HIGHEST BODY COUNT, AND YOU DON'T EVEN TALK LIKE HIM. But you do have his clothing and hairstyle, and mimic his voice well..." She rumbles.

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"Uhhh... I still don't know what you're talking about... Anyway, you seem to be... Very damaged. Do you want to get some help or..?" N asks confused. He seems like he's genuinely confused.

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"Oh yeah, the reason I came... WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO WITH TESSA!?!?" She yells annoyed, getting a blade at N's neck.

I will not tolerate this.

I use my solver to push her back, and get ready to KILL HER if she dares to do anything to N.

"Oh, you know Tessa!? She's in the bunker, you know?" He explains smiling, completely ignoring the threat.

I look at him disappointed. He cannot just give out info like that.

𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂~𖥂

Prev | Next | Masterpost

Ohh, surprised that they kissed? TWICE? There are no words on this sweet earth to express the satisfaction I got while writing that >:3

Also don't ask me what's up with D(actually do ask me) and why she's violently shaking. Like she got some screws loose(literally) and her circuits are kinda broken, so don't be too harsh on her <3

[onepiecereactions]

Marine academy chapter 5

Note: Marine Academy, chapter 5 on 28. Akainu X reader. Oc is called Murphy.

This chapter is SFW.

Marine Academy Part 1 Chapter 5

"Murphy, concentrate, dammit" Emma grumbled as she tried to place the needle on the mannequin with precision. The blonde, at her side, spent more time yawning than assisting her.

"Honestly, you're not helping. I'll tell that Sakazuki to stop keeping you awake" The brunette continued, a little louder. Some girls in the room turned to them, intrigued.

"Stop it Emma, ​​the girls are going to get the wrong idea !" Murphy begged, strangely wide awake this time. The brunette gave her a mocking smile.

"So, are you telling me about this evening or not at least?" Her friend questioned as she finished placing her needle and gave the instruments to Murphy.

"There's nothing extraordinary to tell. We just went to the cinema to watch a movie. It was important to me, because he had never been there. I think he enjoyed it. Well I guess... He's not really the type to smile and show his emotions... "Explained the blonde.

"Okay, but at some point, we're going to have to clear things up. You've been together for almost six months and still nothing has happened."Emma began.

"Because nothing is going to happen Emma, ​​we're just friends who enjoy each other's company." Murphy explained, skillfully performing the exercise under the astonished eyes of her friend.

"Yeah. I'm waiting to see how much he would enjoy your company if he found you naked in your bath." The brunette grumbled, her head resting in her hands on the table.

Murphy didn't have time to be offended before they were interrupted by their professor.

"That's pretty well done, ladies." The doctor began, examining the mannequin. "I've received your assignments for your first internship of the second year."

Murphy and Emma froze above the mannequin.

"Emma, ​​your application for pulmonology has been accepted, congratulations." The brunette jumped up and down, trying to keep herself from exploding with joy.

"Murphy, your application for trauma has also been accepted, congratulations. This is the first step for the emergencies room, I have high hopes for you." The professor finished before heading to another table.

The two friends looked at each other, a mixture of surprise and joy overwhelming them. Murphy had a hard time holding back tears of relief and happiness. These congratulations touched her deeply.

[...]

"Saka, Saka! I got it! Do you realize ? I got it!" The blonde said in a high-pitched voice, jumping up and down. The man had just come out of his training. Murphy had been waiting for him on the bench where they had been used to meeting after class for several months.

They never stayed very long, they both had exams to prepare for, but they enjoyed having dinner together in the calm and cool of the night.

He gave her a slight smile.

"Congratulations." He replied simply.

"But do you realize? The professor said she had high hopes for me to specialize in emergency ! I've been dreaming about it for years, Saka!"

She said, continuing to jump up and down next to him.

It had been weeks since he had thought about the nickname she had given him. He had understood long ago that when Murphy had an idea in her head, nothing could turn her away from it.

"And you? Tell me how it went?" The blonde asked, taking her sandwich out of her bag. She sat down next to him on the bench, getting closer to him. His devil fruit and natural warmth were a real pleasure in this freezing period.

"I'll embark tomorrow." The man simply said , biting into his apple.

"Tomorrow?" She asked, her gaze lost.

It was early. Very early. Too early. It was in a few hours in fact.

"Congratulations, I knew you would make it, I never doubted it." She confided.

Only the twenty best students of the soldier promotions could embark on a mission at the beginning of the second year. But Sakazuki was by far one of the strongest in his promotion. Most likely in the entire Academy.

The soldier didn't answer, but handed her a bottle of cold mango tea, her favorite. It was impossible to find it on the medical campus, but Sakazuki always managed to get her some. She had never figured out how.

"I'm going to be cold at night now. You'll have to lend me your jacket when I have dinner while you're gone." She ordered in a soft voice, her eyes filled with worries.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

five weeks down, ten to go… one third of the way there! (& at least two of my kids have set final test dates such that we’ll be done 8 weeks from now…) today was another long one - 40 hours across 7 days - and i said yes to another twice weekly student if we could get the scheduling to work out but (luckily?) the parents have been flaky about getting back on that front so i haven’t actually met them yet. i have some lucky cancellations coming up too (my one ACT kid is taking a mini break which is great because that test is like the longest to digitize, it’s so huge lol). i’m hoping this week is like… a teeny bit more chill? but if not it’s okay. i did some highlighting on the train today but mostly because i wanted to listen to brat but it’s completely different more than i wanted to do anything else.

domestic tasks such as laundry, room cleaning, etc continue to fall by the wayside alas. i also did not wind up making it to my vax appointment between needing to go help my mom home from the hospital (she’s fine) and getting hit by Migraine. but i did make it to female trouble at BAM cinema, which wound up being one of the movies i have been gladdest to see in a theater with other people.

this week i am hoping to get my vax for real (hoping tomorrow) & make plans to see jeremy strong roy cohn sebstan trmp movie with my mom. also i have dinner plans tomorrow with a friend! i thought about cancelling my friday zoom chat with a friend due to I Have So Much Work but i’m glad i didn’t. i have completed 5 weeks of 5x a week workouts (& meeting my step count!) and will be taking a chill week as recommended by reddit in the hopes that that leaves me feeling a little less beat up than i have doing 10-week programs in the past. i am drinking way too much coke zero but it’s fine. i am perhaps not fully Thriving but i’m not feeling crazy, and if i start feeling crazy this week i will only have to feel crazy for ten weeks at most, which frankly is fucking nothing, but i probably won’t (or, well, i might but it will be temporary and due to PMS, lmao). i’ve read almost a third of flowers in the attic and listened to b2b featuring tinashe approximately 9 billion times.

[thatwasthenightthingschanged]

eras tour city guide: Gelsenkirchen

(Hamburg | Munich)

are you're traveling to see the eras tour in Gelsenkirchen and are looking for things to do in the city or just need advice for good food/drinks spots? Or are you looking for some insider information about the venue? here are some ideas for you (I will continuously update this post!):

GENERAL ADVICE

credit: @youlooklikeasixtiesqueen (thank you!!)

❗if you're taking public transport i recommend using the app "vrr bus&bahn". it has a green logo with vrr in it as the thumbnail. you can use it to look up public transport lines and if they're on time, and you can buy tickets on your phone (i think paypal and credit card are accepted as payments, not sure about google pay etc) i think it should be in english if your phone is set to english, but i can't 100% guarantee it. i just remember that a friend has her phone set to english and i believe the app is in english for her. you will need to make an account to buy tickets.

❗gelsenkirchen has the highest percentage of people living in poverty in germany. if you're not from around here and you're imagining a cute german town that looks like it's from a picture book, then that is not gelsenkirchen. it's a large town in the industrial part of germany. crime is not uncommon, especially downtown. keep an eye on your belongings, if you wear a bag make sure it closes completely, and please walk in groups of at least three people when it gets dark. basically just make smart choices and use common sense to stay safe.

❗ the median temperature for july is around 25°C

THINGS TO DO:

credit: @youlooklikeasixtiesqueen

❗important: taylor is playing her shows while the kids are out of school for the summer, so anything touristy that is family friendly will probably be full

❗there is a theme park nearby called "movie park germany" which is hella overpriced. there's not a lot of good rides for adults. the lines are also very very long in the summer. i would not recommend going.

⭐ the area around the veltins arena itself (arena-park):

- mini golf: 3.50€ for adults and 2.50€ for kids - schalke museum: museum about the football club that the veltins-arena is home to, 5€ for adults over 21, 6-21yo it's 3€, under 6yo it's free - apollo cinema: no movies in english but if you speak japanese or turkish you might be in luck if you want to catch a movie - food: several places to buy food including a mcdonalds - there is also a small castle called schloss berge nearby

⭐ zoom erlebniswelt:

- amazing large zoo with three areas (africa, asia, alaska) - highlights: igloo ride, petting zoo, viewing platform for the giraffes, lemur island (lemurs move around freely amongst visitors), canopy walk (by the orangutan outdoor area) - definitely plan to be there for at least half a day, my tip is to go when it opens and go to the "alaska" area first because they have this little ride that's an igloo that shakes you around a bit and it's so much fun, but there can be quite long lines in the summer (i think mostly because it has aircon), it's called "alaska ice adventure" and is opposite the polar bears - they have a little boat that you can go on to get closer to the baboons and flamingos but imho it isn't worth the wait - another tip: bring your own food and plenty of water. it's very expensive at the zoo. like, worse than airport prices. - you can buy artwork made by animals for very good prices at the gift store. i love the penguin art made by their little feet waddling over the canvas. - sadly not a great place for people who need walking aids or wheelchairs. they do say they're somewhat accessible but they aren't (it's better than ten years ago but still not great) - there's plenty of toilets and places to sit, and the toilets have always been clean when i went - prices: for adults it's 21,50€, kids up to 12 pay 14€, and it's free for kids under 4. if someone wants to bring a dog it's 6€. prices are reduced by a lot after 4pm (adults 10€, kids 8,50€), but you won't have a lot of time in the zoo, only about two hours. they also have lower prices for students if you have proof that you go to school or college. it is recommended to buy your tickets online and i agree with that. there's very long lines in the summer. - getting there: if you go by car, parking is 6€ for a day. the address for a gps is bleckstraße 64, 45889 gelsenkirchen. HOWEVER I do recommend taking the tramline 301 from the main station, the stop is just called "zoom erlebniswelt", it's a very short walk. - website: https://www.zoom-erlebniswelt.de/ (only in german) - btw they had baby pigs at the petting zoo not too long ago - @notjustillusion (thank you!!) also recommends ZOOM Erlebniswelt!

⭐erlebnismuseum schloss horst

- i haven't been but i've heard it's cool - interactive museum in a castle!! - exhibits on how people lived in the mid-16th century - free and accessible! - playground outside for the kiddos - in the afternoon on mon, tue, thu, and fri you can use an old printing press - open every day except saturdays from 3pm to 6pm, and sundays from 11am to 6pm - getting there: the address is turfstraße 21, 45899 gelsenkirchen. from the main station you can take bus 383, or tramline 301. the stop is "schloß horst" or "schloss horst"

credit: @notjustillusion (thank you!!)

Zeche Zollverein in Essen: a Zeche that was shut down, great place for walks and/or tours informing you about mining in the Ruhrgebiet in general!

credit: @feminst4life (thank you Nadine!!)

Nordsternpark: nice park where you can go climbing and there's also a museum!

Rungenberg-Halde: a nice photo spot!

FOOD & DRINKS:

credit: @feminst4life

Noah & Zoe's Place: all kinds of food (from breakfast do dinner to drinks), only a 15 minute ride with the tram away from the venue!

GENERAL ADVICE ABOUT THE VENUE:

credit: once again @youlooklikeasixtiesqueen (I feel the need to thank you again because you helped me so much with this post!!)

veltins arena, also called "arena auf schalke", max capacity around 60k

it has different entraces, your ticket should say which one you need to use

cashless venue - you can pay by credit or debit card, or using google pay, apple pay, or samsung pay. you can also trade cash at the venue for a "knappenkarte", which is basically a card you can pay with when you buy something in the venue. they have several different "payment counters" where you can exchange your money throughout the stadium. i'm not sure if these restrictions apply to merch, because it hasn't been announced if she will have her merch trucks or sell it inside the stadium.

you can buy food at the venue, they have vegetarian and vegan options too, but i don't know what anything costs. they have an overview where you can see what food counter has what on their website. they have pretzels and sweets at every food counter.

the website says you can bring in something to drink that is up to 500ml in a "tetra-pak", aka a juice box or a milk carton. i'm not sure about foldable silicone water bottles. plastic bottles are not allowed.

no bags larger than an a4 sheet of paper. i recommend a clear bag as well. they don't seem to have a clear back policy, but it'll make security lines move faster (i'm nearly certain there will be bag checks, i've never been to a concert in this general area that didn't have them, no matter how big or small). i got a clear fanny pack from amazon that i can also wear over one shoulder and around my torso because i think it'll make dancing easier than a crossbody.

i know someone once brought a dog to the rep tour and idk if it was a service dog but i think it's worth mentioning that animals are not allowed.

cameras for commercial use are not allowed (usually that means don't take a dslr)

powerbanks are only allowed if they are smaller than 10x7x3 cm. charge your phone beforehand and maybe put it in energy saving until you want to take pictures

you are not allowed to climb on seats

if you pee anywhere other than the toilets, smoke outside the designated area, or put a sticker somewhere, it's a 25€ fine

the roof will be closed unless it's too hot

they don't have lockers so only take what you need

website: https://en.veltins-arena.de/

[shadows-shells]

tag game!

was tagged by @calliopechild!

1) are you named after someone? 

--nopez

2) when is the last time you cried? 

--i tear up a lot at media 😂 reading The Neon Void Saga (i do recc the RotTMNT movie and this fic!!) https://archiveofourown.org/series/4662100

3) do you like your handwriting? 

--yes but nobody else does 🤣 they can't read it, it's a self-evolved semi-cursive /no regrets

4) what is your favorite lunch meat? 

--i like most things in the deli. chicken, turkey, bratwurst, pork, beef, lamb etc

5) do you have kids? 

--nope, childfree by choice

6) if you were another person, would you be friends with you? 

--i want to (be able to) say yes so i shall

7) do you use sarcasm? 

--not me im innocent, trust

8) do you still have your tonsils? 

--yep

9) would you bungee jump? 

--nope. not scared of heights but not an adrenaline junkie. And the reliability engineering class in uni (required for my major) was scarringly enlightening 😂 

10) what is your favorite kind of cereal? 

--don't eat cereal much these days anymore, but plain cornflakes, Honey Stars and Frosties 💯

11) do you untie your shoes when you take them off? 

--nah life is too short for that 😂 

12) do you think you're a strong person? 

--yes

13) what is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

--matcha

14) what is the first thing you notice about people? 

--introversion/extroversion is usully quite obvious at first meeting 

15 ) red or pink? 

--red 

16) what do you least like about yourself physically? 

--nah fam we're not doing that today (or ever) ✌️ 

17) what color pants and shoes are you wearing now? 

--blue, no shoes 

18) what was the last thing you ate? 

--pasta

19) what are you listening to right now? 

--Takami Hiroyuki's 'Justice' has been on loop all day

20) if you were a crayon, what color would you be? 

--blue?

21) favorite smell? 

--grass after rain (petrichor)

22) who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? 

--my colleagues

23) favorite sport to watch? 

--probably an unpopular choice but mid-distance track (ran competitively in school for awhile)

24) hair color? 

--black-brown. It was pure jet black in the sun when i was a kid, sobs, maybe i should dye it pure black again one day (but i know i won't 😂 im a cheapskate)

25) eye color

--black-brown

26) do you wear contacts? 

--these days, only when dressing up for friends' weddings

27) favorite food to eat? 

--almost any kind of soup, rice, pasta

28) scary movies or comedy? 

--comedy

29) last movie you watched? 

--at the cinema? Sonic 3 (definite recc!!)

30) what color shirt are you wearing? 

--blue

31) summer or winter? 

--summer, anything below 20 deg C is yucks

32) hugs or kisses? 

--hugs

33) what book are you currently reading? 

--im mostly on ao3 these days, but right now i'm rereading 'Palgrave Key Concepts - Literary Terms and Criticism' by John Peck and Martin Coyle. 

On its own i wouldn't say it's the perfect textbook but it's a great refresher (with clear examples, and covers many topics) if you alr have somewhat studied literature before

34) who do you miss right now? 

--some of my friends who'd moved overseas

35) what is on your mouse pad? 

--🙈 using one of those rubber mats with gridlines that artists use to pad their desks while slicing watercolour paper

36) what is the last tv program you watched? 

--...rewatching some TMNT 2k3. yall caught me :3

37) what is the best sound? 

--music, birdsong

38) rolling stones or the beatles?

--beatles

39) what is the farthest you have ever travelled?

--Boston was a 22+ hrs flight and then it somehow took another 2 hrs to get out of the airport 💀 tbh, probably never again

40) do you have a special talent? 

--uhh im pretty good at combing social media for fandom info?

41) where were you born? 

--not doxxing myself today sry guys 😅 

42) people you hope will participate in this but don't have to?

--uhh tagging the first five ppl on my dash @dawntreaderflynne @plothooksinc @emeraldtortoiseshell @yellowhollyhock @ninjaturtlefun

And anyone else seeing this on their dash and wants to do it, consider yourselves tagged 😁 

[claygoestothemovies]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Greg Berlanti��s FLY ME TO THE MOON had my theater cackling, myself included. Unfortunately, the rom part of this rom-com crashes on take off. Thankfully, this screenwriter (Rose Gilroy, based on a story by Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein) at least appears to know how a cat acts in real life, unlike another recent film.

The razor sharp caper follows Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson playing Don Draper if he was fast on his feet and had a sense of humor), a marketing genius who’s “encouraged” by a man working for Nixon (Woody Harrelson) to take on a job in Florida. What will she be marketing? Why, the moon, of course! America is deep in the Space Race, and NASA needs a social facelift if it’s any chance of succeeding. On the more technical side of making Apollo 11 happen is launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), and the last thing he needs is a smart and attractive woman making distractions, or something like that.

The big hook of the film is that in order to ensure that the moon landing goes off without a hitch to the American People and the world, they have to take measures to fake it. The comedy of all of this is hysterical. I haven’t laughed so much at a con since DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS. The jokes consistently land, and make fantastic use of Tricky Dick being in office. Scarlett Johansson is at the top of her game here, more films should let her be funny! Give us a ScarJo/Rachel McAdams buddy comedy, someone! Rose Byrne can come, too! Tatum is fine, and he handles the comedic elements satisfactorily. Harrelson and the rest of the supporting cast seem to be having a marvelous time, especially Jim Rash as the high strung director brought in to make the top secret film. Ray Romano also gives a warm turn as Henry Smalls, a fatherly figure working at NASA. A delightful black kitty is also featured. What a year for cats in cinema!

If this had just been a comedy, I would mostly give it top marks. Although I would definitely deduct points for that inexcusable runtime, no comedy - romantic or otherwise - needs to be 132 minutes long. But it’s not just a comedy. It’s a romantic comedy, and in that department, it somehow fails entirely. Everything about the romance, except for maybe the meet cute, feels so utterly forced I never bought in for a second. It’s the Sixties, I should be feeling Doris Day and Rock Hudson levels of sexual tension between these actors! Johansson could have chemistry with a napkin, yet Tatum seems like he could be her character’s brother; romantic sparks are not the vibe they give while sparring.

While overlong, and that could have been fixed by Nix(on)ing (sorry) the romantic plot, and my issues with the romantic aspects aside, I still had a great time with this one! I laughed a lot of that runtime, enjoyed some possibly revisionist history, and got to see ScarJo rocking period costumes and hair while making all the men around her look dumb. It’s not rocket science, but as far as popcorn entertainment goes, you could do a lot worse.

3.5/5

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Feature animation continues its slow North American crawl until at least the summer. If ELIO and SMURFS don't measure up, certainly BAD GUYS 2 in August can, but until then...

The highest an animated movie scored this weekend was at #7, THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP. Ketchup's release of the animated Looney Tunes sci-fi adventure kept its 2,700+ theater count in the face of SNOW WHITE, though it might've had its screentimes cut down in some venues. The theater I'm seeing it at tomorrow for the second time? That's the only screen time. It fell about 42%, making $1.8m for the weekend. Not a bad drop, the picture sits at $8m everywhere. Might have a shot at the double-digits, as next weekend's only new releases are DEATH OF A UNICORN, A WORKING MAN, and THE WOMAN IN THE YARD. Could pack in another okay weekend until A MINECRAFT MOVIE opens.

Not too far below at #9 is DOG MAN, falling 41%, making it to $95m here and $128m everywhere.

MUFASA quietly leaves the scene, as it's now at #15 (it finally left my cinema the other day), $253m stateside and $717m worldwide. Comes to Disney+ this week.

MOANA 2 saw a big tumble, looks to finish up with $460m domestically and under $1,060m worldwide.

NE ZHA 2, on the other hand? Oh, it passed $2.1b worldwide. Again, much of that gross coming from China. I don't know if any Western animated feature is gonna even come near challenging that record total. I think the best shot we've got on those grounds is like, SHREK 5 or maybe INCREDIBLES 3? Even then, it may be a stretch. Very few films have made $2b, and it'd have to take years of inflation - I feel - to match that. If anything, another Chinese animated feature has more of a shot at challenging that than whatever it is we're releasing over the next few years. Not that it keeps me awake at night or anything, I just find it interesting that this movie may just remain box office champion for a long, long while.

[colossal774]

In GTA IV they punish those that dared to steal the multigazillion dollar game with a drunk cam where you can see the game and technically move but it’s all backwards and drowsy and fucked up I would love to sit with the creators imagine creating something you know will be profitable and adding this in for shits and giggles so Raj in Mumbai or Minh from Hanoi who probably can’t even understand English waste time downloading their shitty overplanned and underdeveloped game just to find out it’s drunk cammed I played that game too well for years growing up you just download a fix and hope it keeps working but it always failed somehow and Nico isn’t moving properly again and you say goodbye to all that progress and restart the save and get another fix the one that will surely work this time and the more you progress the more you stop feeling your gun about deleting the game then bam you’re in that car again in front of a garage and your fat fuck cousin is saying Hey Nico dialogue screen is moving weird game mechanics fucked yet again anyways we strayed again so that was my game same game all the time same version sometimes and barely functional to keep you invested while punishing you for wanting to play it I hated it the big city with giant neon lines didn’t impress me the array of female models you can undress with a symbol mode or just replace all the dudes with naked tits something vaguely resembling bushes didn’t either I was in it for the story that’s what always got me and the characters the cousin that you will predict either of you betray the other or the death of one of you and the other mourning him like Mafia 2 stuff that was the era and I didn’t mind it I even accepted it and wished he would be the one that betrayed me it makes the story better again Mafia 2 you’re totally the asshole when the credit scene comes it leaves you empty and guilty so I kept playing I enjoyed the dates a kid my age finding out that there are dating mechanics in a game that isn’t online or pay to win was heaven because then seeing those vague bushes and distressingly anatomically accurate tits on the not anatomically accurate models felt weird it felt manufactured unearned I wanted Nico to actually earn love and by extension wet his dick but in a worth it setting not just ones I had added from a weird porno/mods/patches site that didn’t have one clean file so I did the dating I courted them when I could because Nico wasn’t a rich guy and had main missions to stick to and I even did it with the odd drunk camera active once or twice I didn’t get to see what happened when they eventually did the deed but it was better than seeing the modded models while he realistically didnt I loved the silly commercials Nicos had running on the TV more than the fully actualized in game cinema GTA 5 had because it was real it didn’t feel manufactured I think I’m the only person alive that has this game as their favorite GTA one it’s not the best story or characters or anything but when I had it it was mine the radio in GTA 5 with the funny edgy jokes written by old comics to make teens drool didn’t interest me I wanted what’s mine and what’s mine was an underdeveloped overly ambitious game that punished me for not buying it I hated that drunk cam and no fix ever worked long enough for me not to hate the game but even though I hated every single thing about it because of the cam and how my old laptop couldn’t run it properly without fuming and shutting down I finished it at least three times with the drunk cam not totally fixed and with my PC magically deleting save files whenever the drunk cam didn’t and I bought 5 when it came out because I liked the series never liked the dudes behind it but always liked the ones in it from GTA 3 to 5 and all whats between paid for one and accepted that Tommy if my saves weren’t deleted will lose the ability to do basic tasks and Nico will drunk cam my progress to hell and Claude’s whole world will shake until I find another fix I love video games and hate taking meds it fucks with the save files blurry vision and all