#aaa I am so happy these are getting printed

[bluefriendlycatfish]

ahahahahaaaaa I have preordered them!

[dashielldeveron]

AAAAA THANK U AGAIN FOR UR DESC OMG U R FEEDING MY DELUSIONS, UR MIND AAA(I’m so happy u think the waist looks densely muscular, it was exactly what I was going for cause u knowwww he’s built like that..((and for the love on the bike!!)))

I had to draw ur shouto next because that soulmate fic is literally the cutest ever!!! Like I have soo many scenes from it I wanna draw cause they are so clear in my mind, but the scene where he sees u in the dress IS ON MY MIND ALL THE TIME. Had to visualise it urgently.. him in his suit.. (this was the first fic of urs I read, and like reader I was so stupid and I genuinely thought we were planning a really extreme assassination until the last minute..)

...........

.......

...

......

he's SO. BEAUTIFUL.

look at him look at him NOW look at his face. the way you've made it a bit more angular than in canon gives the impression that he's grown up a bit, that he's actually of marriagable age (which he is, in fic), and ohhhhhh god. god. i know shouto is so, so unfairly pretty, and you've drawn someone i would be pissed to look at in real life because of how beautiful he is. god. god! i don't know what i'm going to do. look at his HANDS i want them on me. look at his tiny surprise as he sees us, the love of his life. and goddddd his hair looks sooooo soft. he looks very put together, and i want to make him extremely dishevelled. how do you DO it; how do you make all of these pretty men even prettier. oh my god. what do i DO NOW. i am kissing him on the mouth.

also please don't feel like an idiot for not realising about the wedding!!! that's the whole point of the route!!! it's fabulous that you were able to follow reader's line of thinking and experience that surprise with her!!!

but good GOD he is pretty. i can't stop looking at him. i think. i think i may have to print this out and put it on my wall. but then i wouldn't get anything done. i love him. i love you. how are you SO kind AND talented oh my gosh. thank you. thank you so much. xx.

[wychive]

𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨

summary // you found your pile of ‘letters’ to hyunjin that contain thoughts that have never been said and decided to write to him one last time.

pairing(s) // hyunjin x gn!reader, hyunjin x oc, slight minho x reader

genre(s) // angst, letter fic 

warning(s) // mentions of food, themes of being forgotten, vulgar wording, humiliation, overthinking

word count // 2.0k

author's note // happy birthday @noya-sannnn​ !! im sorry this was so late hhh you know how i am irl,, but i hope you enjoy this! i love you so much, jane <3 i apologize for the many grammar mistakes gn. i recommend listening to iu’s ending scene while reading this! btw y/n/n means your nickname.

[10/01/14, 3:55am]

dear jinnie,

hi there! it's y/n <3 i hope you're doing okay - i mean of course you are pfft anyways, just writing this short letter (more like paragraph)  sort of as a venting mechanism? for things i cant tell you about lol  im not so sure how you would call it, since you're so much better at words than i am. basically were like:

hyunjin: ow a brain freeze!

me: haha brain go brrrr

anyways haha yea <3 it's 4am so like,, ill see you at school!

signed,

your loser,

y/n/n

[15/02/14, 12:34am]

yo heartthrob!

im back with this kinda stuff haha it's been a whole? week? since ive written one of these so like yes..hi! i just wanted to say thanks, for today. you really know how to cheer me up huh? you really outdid yourself by setting up that little picnic for us. congrats on making the strawberry cake so perfectly <3 this day will always stay as a core memory in the back of my brain. you're too caring sometimes,,, istg you'll pay for this [maybe hugs?] >:) 

signed,

your partner in crime,

y/n/n

[30/02/15, 01:29am]

jinnie-senpai~~

LMAO you hate me calling you that, doesn't change a thing though. hehe,, nways i hope you enjoyed your birthday present :) i got you that really cool skateboard that you wanted. i worked my ass off for that in my mother's garden so like,, you gotta thank me for that a thousand times :D nah jk, its a sincere gift, from me to you. i rarely do this for ANYONE so consider yourself lucky to have a best friend like me -3- also, seungmin is like….kinda the cutest person ever. introduce me to him pls, thank!

signed,

<your bestest friend3,

y/n

(p.s. you're kinda cute too,,,, ig,,, still stinkee tho)

[13/04/15, 9:04pm]

hey 'baby' (HAHAHA ihy for this)

i hope your day was okay! i didn't see much of you today (which was sort of a bummer but wtv) so like…. uh yea. you told me you were doing okay over text, which kinda surprised me because like?? we always video call lol this is kinda the first time,, but its okay, i trust you! (i really hope youre doing alright tho, i'll beat anyone up if they make you sad >:( ) you also called me 'sweetheart' today which was like…. omg wtf haha????????? that was so weird to me for some reason… a good kind of weird :D we haven't done those kinds of nicknames in a while so…. happy to know that they're back in session <3 i talked to the new girl today, she's really cool! like she knows the bean song on tiktok so like its a total win heh, ill introduce you to her tomorrow! you'll love her a lot

signed,

your 'lover',

y/n/n

[08/06/16, 10:23pm]

hey howl (hehe go back to that movie night we had)

this spring break sucks so much,, esp because youre not here (you still couldve brought me along :'[ ) but wtv i hope youre enjoying yourself. ive been hanging out with yeonnie lately and i found out she likes conan grey too like pls i love her sm. can we adopt her?? please???? she told me you guys have been video calling too and that makes me so happy!! you two are getting along so well aaa my precious babies </3 

what if you developed a crush on her? haha…..jk unless?? (no jk dont shes all mine, stay away >:) ) anyways, i hope the three of us hang out soon. maybe go to that ice cream parlour where they serve the best cookies and cream?  

signed,

your daisy,

y/n/n

[19/07/15, 01:23am]

peepee poopoo hello

heyheyhey!! (heh, haikyuu thingz) i hope youre doing okay! i mean sure you are, with everything going so well. also i feel like you're not telling me something. maybe it's just me? is it? i hope it is because you tell me everything,, we've been talking less these days but its okay! i know how busy you are, especially with your dad always bugging you,,

also, i think yeonbin likes you :0,, she keeps talking about you whenever we hang out. don't get me wrong, its not bad that she likes you but...something doesn't feel right. i feel like i'm being the third wheeler here and like ugh idk. haha laughs yea i think its just me.. im sorry, i didnt mean to do you like this,, anyways, ill see you soon + her too ofc- yall are inseparable lmao

signed,

your moonlight,

y/n/n

[23/07/15, 01:56am]

greetings, kind sir

lol more like mean sir but like aight KSKSK,, anyways,, how have you been? we haven't really talked in a while,, our convos are always so short with it being one-sided :/ i wish you were online more. yeonnie is ignoring me,, do you know why? i think you do,,, but when i asked you just said you didnt know. did i do something wrong? pls tell me.. 

she blocked my contact the other day and she won't even smile at me when i pass her in the hallways. its,, sad and stressful especially because she was the only one that would genuinely talk to me. i hate to say this,, but i miss you. us, hanging out like the best trio we are, yknow? but i dont think you miss me the same way. sorry, im getting out of hand. i know im just overreacting. im just gonna sleep ig,, good night! sweet dreams,,

signed,

your pink lemonade,

y/n/n

[25/07/15, 03:25am]

hi there

i heard you and her got together?? congrats, jinnie! im so proud of you,, especially because you never had even considered getting a girlfriend a few months earlier lmaO you really woo the ladies huh? anyways,, i hope you've been well since we last talked,, how many days has it been?? i would say nearly a week or so but honestly it feels like a hundred years,, considering you and i used to talk every day. but you have her now to keep you company.

keep this a secret but can you possibly tell me why it hurts when i see her? or when i mention her or even think of her?? is it because she's connected to you? but.. you're my best friend, so why? is it because i miss you? is it because im alone now? is it because you left me with a simple 'i have to go now,, bye y/n/n.'? im not sure either. im being silly, i apologize. ill figure it out sooner or later. sweet dreams, jinnie

signed,

your asswipe,

y/n

[25/07/15, 04:30am]

jinnie

it's because i love you. 

signed,

your butterfly,

y/n

[??/08/??, 05:??am]

you

i miss your lame jokes. i miss your smile. i miss your laughs. i miss your funny faces. i miss the way your eyes twinkle. i miss th way you would make me happy just by doing the bare minimum. i miss the disaster you made when cooking breakfast. i miss the night when you snuck me out just to go to that pretty lantern event. i miss when you would call out my name everytime we met. i miss when we would share earbuds in train rides. dont you get it, hyunjin? i miss you.

[??/??/15, ??:??am]

asshole.

please tell me that isn't true, please. you're too kind to do these kinds of things, right? + i was your best friend,, then, why, why did you hurt me like this. i didnt do anything wrong.. you couldve just told me you didnt like me,,, why did she have to tell me? out of all people. 

youre so pathetic for this,, i thought you were brave, bold - but youre just a fucking coward. i loved you, i really did. and i realised too late… im sorry. she,, i shouldn't have talked to her in the first place, right? i bet you knew she humiliated me, in front of everyone. of course you did, you were the only one that knew. you told her. fuck, i hate you so much (yet why do i long for you on a night like this?). you know how much that'll affect me and yet, there you are, laughing about it with her.

signed,

fuck off,

you know who i am.

[31/08/15, 03:41am]

ah, jinnie

please tell me this is just a nightmare. please, please. stop just reading my texts, please answer them. jinnie. i miss you so much. i dont care bout her, please just let me be in your arms. i dont care if you love me back, please just talk to me at least. tell me what i did wrong,, jinnie,, please,,, clear these tear stains on my cheek with kisses.

signed,

your fuck-up,

y/n

[15/09/15, 04:59am]

jinnie

why do i keep crying because of you? its been a few weeks since everything has happened. please, nothing has changed. i still love you the same even with all the hatred i have pent up in this stupid brain of mine. i wish i could just walk back in time, to where it all began.

when i first met you in third grade and you pushed me while playing soccer or maybe when we took those ridiculous prom pictures, remember those? i hope you still have them,, because i do too. i hope the pictures of us on your wall still hang there,, it'll remind you of the happy times. hm,, maybe you don't need them. 

you already have millions of pictures with you and her,, i bet you printed some and replaced those with ours right? sly dog. 

signed,

friend,

y/n/n

[04/02/16, 12:57am]

hey

i went to the park today and saw both of you being happy. it's nice to see your smile again. im sorry i didnt go up to you,, i just thought it would be awkward. when i heard that adorable laugh of yours, it made me realise that i lost something special. but it's okay isnt it? as your happiness matters more than mine. 

signed,

y/n

[06/01/20, 08:00pm]

dear hyunjin,

im doing fine here. how about you? gosh,, how long has it been? years? since we last talked to each other. i havent heard from you since. i would just like to say i still think of you sometimes, when watering the plants or dancing while making pancakes. sometimes i think you're here with me too, just being the pals we were. 

sometimes i'd see you out, just reading a book in the park or buying pasta sauce at the grocery store. it's nice to see you having a stable life. im not sure if you're still with her or not, but its good to know that you still have that large friend group. also! you're never gonna guess who im dating--

it's minho! do you remember him? the one that i used to hate,, uh yeah. he asked me out the other day- you may wonder how tf,,, i too do not know how tf but he gives the best hugs ever. he gave me the love i wanted from you. he stitched my heart back together after it broke,, i love him so much, jinnie..

it's snowing,, do you remember when we would skate on the frozen lake in front of your house? are your parents well? i wonder if your mother still has those earrings i bought for her birthday. i never told you this but your laugh and hers sound so similar. 

i would just like to say thank you, for everything. you were a big part of my life, up until now. when we see each other after this, we would just be strangers. maybe flash a little smile or give a little wave whenever we greet each other but nothing more. some memories of us would flow in every now and then but it'll just be a short teaser. well, i'll be going now. smile for me, okay?

signed,

the one that loved you the most,

y/n.

taglist // @/noya-sannnn, @crvgio​ , @neo-shitty​

reply to be in my gen taglist!

[halcyonminor]

ok so uh. i have many Thoughts about the new episode; gonna put em under a readmore since i feel like throwing this in the main tag

the moment sayer said "you're in halcyon and you are not in danger" i was. pretty certain who it was talking to sdfsdfs but literally when young spoke my partner who was listening to the episode with me and i starting cheering really loud and we actually had to rewind a bit cuz we missed some dialogue

literally i am so. so happy about My Guy being back and, moreover, sayer being (seemingly) invested in keeping him alive - like, genuinely i did not expect that to happen

i'm very very Soft about sayer telling young he's been through a lot. you would not believe how soft that made me feel

i Assumed sayer was in nanites because i'm gay and i want sayer and young to share bodies but i think maybe it was just broadcasting from floor 13's programming bay? but i. don't know. i'm holding out for bodysharing

SPEAKING OF WHICH i am also still holding out for future to show up, possibly in its Own printed body (also i just want there to be two youngs.... two of them...)

i want sayer and ocean to get into a physical fight, ideally while sayer is in young's body

i really really want to get more exploration of young's character post-reprinting, how much he remembers, etc - like im SO curious about if he would remember hale at all - my guess it no, because i assume his memories are from an earlier scan, but also "consciousness" is handled kind of vaguely and nebulously in this series

i want to hear him more in general. every time he talks i want to Hold him

also i just really want more sayer/young moments where they dont hate each other as much.... theyve got one of my favorite dynamics in the podcast and i am SO excited to see them actually collaborate maybe?

i want young and hale to meet (under better circumstances).... maybe it would be nice for hale? i want them to hang out at the informal post-finale party with sayer and speaker

[thinking about hale/sayer/young polycule potential because i'm gay] aaa

[mayz1er]

hey! just finished chapter twelve! fucking crying rn!!!! you’re writing is so insane i cannot belive it you are so talented. i still can’t get over the whole “maybe god is a poet” part that shit was amazing and then when it turned into the end poem literal chills throughout my whole body also the specific line “i’d love you even as the stars fall” that’s so beautiful i love it sm

i have never wanted a fanfiction to have a physical copy more i want to annotate the shit out of this it’s so amazing you are so talented cannot wait for the next chapter excited to sob violently!

hello dua!! oh no, i’m sorry you’re crying!! however, i am satisfied that someone cried to chapter 12. i never know if the chapters angsty enough, because i never really like. feel it while i’m writing it, y’know? thank u so much wtf, i’m so very happy u liked it!! i like the “god is a poet” part too! it was inspired by a fic i read just around the same time writing chap 10

fun fact, “i’d love you even as the stars fall” was foreshadowed in a different fic of mine! in fact, all of my other fics except one foreshadow presidential ties in some way or another.

that’s actually. so flattering, so cool, what the fuck. you want to… annotate,,., my writing. that’s acc a really cool idea, if i didn’t have to explain to my parents that it’s my fan fiction that was being printed, i would genuinely make a physical copy 4 myself. maybe i’ll just hand write it in a notebook one day? thank you so much again aaa aaa aa!! hope u feel better <33

[izupie]

top 5 izuocha fics!

ashfjlkjhgf;

what a loaded question! Oh, it’s so funny how some fics immediately sprang to mind.

But I want to stress that this particular list isn’t in any order! So it’s in a bullet point list rather than numbers. I love all of these! I have like, some niche tastes in fanfiction and if something strikes a particular chord of what I love to read I will die for that story

These writers are so talented, so if you get the time please do check out their other works too!

Nightmare Complex by AmuletStormfall

I absolutely love ghost stories and things that are a little ‘off kilter’ and kind of creepy and this sang with that kind of vibe I am just. all about. I was so impressed with how it was crafted and the way it flowed. 

After A Long Day by @amynchan

So, I will die on the hill of ships who actually just have chemistry and would be friends even if they weren’t together romantically, and this! this has that so much. Just, their easy breezy love and way they are together makes me so happy.

Printed on my Wrist by @vixensheart

The way this is paced is almost lyrical, like a song. You just flow through this story in such a gentle, heartwarming way. I loved their chemistry and the way that you knew they were soulmates but I still gasped and screeched when she said the words aaa

A Hundred Touches by @sheepishlyshippingsheep​

The way this one is set out is so unique and it just builds and builds. It draws on the canon of the show in such a lovely way, showing all those sprinkling of Izuocha moments in a new light and I am living for it

Sweet Tooth by @savetheirhearts-midoriya

This one just makes me feel so warm inside. I can’t get over how adorable they are and how earnest the emotions it presents is aaa. It’s so in character I can hear the voices of the characters in my head while I read and it just makes me soft.

There are so many more I would want to put on this list, but these are the ones that really struck a chord with me. Maybe you’ll agree, or maybe you’ll see something here you haven’t read - please go check them out!

[irrevocably-delicious]

Cultivating an enjoyable video games experience with non gamers aka How do I get my non-gamer significant other to play games with me?

Video games.

Once a niche hobby of adult programmers in the 70s, before targeting 10 year old boys in the 80s and 90s, video games are now a mainstream hobby and entertainment product that has shown tremendous growth in the past 30 years. While films and serialized shows have shown some developments, with new technologies and the invent of streaming, the gaming industry has undergone a complete transformation in only a few short decades. Entire genres have been created, along with improved graphics, mechanics, and storytelling.

But with more people getting into video games now more than ever, the age-old question continuously resurfaces:

“How do I get my significant other to play video games with me?”

And it’s an understandable question! Games are an important hobby to some, and it’s nice to be able to share in that passion and joy with the person you love most. I completely understand this. I’m a cosplayer and I’ve definitely conned my boyfriend into pressing seams for me or sitting in hour long panels about EVA foam. It’s not exactly his number 1 priority, but we have fun together doing it, and he’s able to appreciate my craft a little more because of it.

Similarly, he’s not an artist, but he always helps me table in Artist Alley, gives advice on new prints to make (“If you’re going to make a niche DnD print, at least display it near the DnD stuff to be a conversation starter”) and stays up til 2am cutting stickers with me. It’s exhausting, but we have a lot of good memories from doing it together.

It’s nice to include your significant others in activities that bring you joy.

So how the hell do you convince your partner to engage with video games… if they never have before? And what kinds of games are going to give you the best experience?

Hi. Welcome. This is where I come in.

I’m not a gamer. At all. I’m awful at video games. Whilst my boyfriend was growing up and devouring every console he could convince his parents to buy, I was being a horse girl. No Halo for me today, sir, I have a showjumping class to attend. The only video game I would willingly participate in was Singstar during sleep overs, and that was because I was a musical theatre kid and knew this would be the only video game that I could completely decimate my peers with. Street fighter? No thank you. But I will wreck your shit with Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne.

But somehow, even though this is my upbringing, I have to acknowledge the fact that over the past 10 years I’ve actually played… a lot of video games. I think I’ve figured out the key. I think I’ve distilled the answer. Now obviously this is purely based on my experience, and everyone will have slightly different results, but I will now present you with my scientific anthropological findings of how you may be able to repeat this process.  

“How do I get my significant other to play video games with me?”

Now I think there are two ways to go about this.

1.       Play a video game together where both of you are holding a controller and in charge of some aspect of the game. Ie. Character, assistant, the right foot, etc.

Now I realize this seems obvious.

“You mean I can play a video game with my significant other by actually playing a game with my significant other??? Uhhhh yeah…. I WOULD THINK SO”

But hear me out. Out of the two ways you can go about this, I actually think this is the hardest way (I’ll explain why soon). My partner and I do not often play games together like this. What we usually do, and what I would be more likely to recommend is:

2.       Play a game where you (the gamer) have the controller, and your SO participates or watches from the couch.

This is what my boyfriend and I usually do, and it’s the less likely of the two options to cause arguments, fights, and tears.

But let’s first look at option 1.

Playing a game together

Do you remember when you were in high school and you had to do a film study for a semester? And your teacher would explain all the different camera shots and angles and what they meant? A low angle shot where a character towers above makes them seem intimidating. A character cloaked in shadow indicates that the character is sneaky.

Your teacher told you all this, but in reality, all of these meanings were probably pretty obvious to you. You intuitively knew what they meant because you had been raised on watching movies. You were already familiar with this language of film because it had always been present in your life.

Well guess what? Video games have a language too.

And just like film, if you have played video games your whole life, you might be surprised at just how much of this language you have absorbed, and how much of this literacy is REQUIRED to play a modern video game.

The fact that triangle is always jump, x to interact, L2 to aim, R2 to shoot, circle to crouch, square to reload… all of that is assumed knowledge that you would probably have ingested over time, so it comes completely natural to you now.

Your SO doesn’t know any of this. They probably don’t even know that the L and R buttons exist. I didn’t. I still forget.

This is why choosing a game to play together is so difficult. When you finally do choose one? You have to be patient. You cannot get annoyed when your SO has to ask every five minutes what jump is again. They may have difficulty navigating around menus and UI. They may have difficulty moving around in game. Side scrollers are pretty intuitive, but games that require you to position a camera? Ie. Most third person or first person anything? Oof. That’s hard. They might fall off a lot of bridges or stare at the ground a lot. This is a skill you have to build up. You have it already. They don’t. It’s important to remember that saying anything like “You can do it, it’s easy!” or “Why are you having so much trouble with this?” is NOT HELPFUL. It’s only going to make your SO feel stupid/bad. Remember, they don’t give a shit about video games. Their life has been just fine without them until now, and it will continue to be just fine without games. They are only doing this FOR YOU. So why would you want to make someone feel stupid for just trying to make you happy?

Treat them like a baby deer. Gently. Tentatively. You are slowly drawing them into the clearing. Any harsh comment will send them running.

Based on all this, here are some recommendations on games that work well to play with your SO.

1.    Games you are SUPPOSED to be bad at.

You know how I just talked about how there are general conventions over controls? And that it can be frustrating for your SO to learn these whilst they come intuitively for you?

Well what if you eliminated that disparity by playing games where the controls intentionally make no goddamn sense? By playing a game with whacky controls, it evens the playing field. Your SO is learning and struggling with controls, but so are you! This way your stupidity is not humiliating, it creates a sense of comradery. There’s no shame, just silliness and fun. The game I played with my partner that made me first realise the genius of this was… Octodad.

Octodad is collaborative. It’s an absolute nightmare to control, but for once my boyfriend’s muscle memory was actually a detriment. He would instinctively go to move like he would in other games, but that’s not how Octodad works. So he was rewiring his muscle memory whilst I was just a blank slate.

“Trigger to grab things? Yeah sure. Why not? I don’t know any better.”

It also hits that sweet spot of being short enough that the silliness doesn’t grow stale, and has a sincere enough story that you do become invested in the fate of the octopus in your hands.

10/10 Octodad. Highly recommend.

Other games in this genre that I feel would be worth a look:

-          Man Fall Flat

-          QWOP

-          Surgeon Simulator

-          Super Bunny Man

 2.    Hey! It’s Nintendo!

Ah Nintendo. It’s where most children start, so it seems like a logical place for a burgeoning gamer to begin. But specifically, what I want to recommend are the range of excellent Nintendo party games that are simple to navigate, fun, and often cooperative. I can’t play an FPS, but Mario Kart comes very easy to me…. Or as easy as it does to anyone. Similarly, Mario Party requires almost no video game literacy, and you can introduce it to your SO as “It’s just a board game that happens to be a video game”.

Although we do joke about Mario Kart and Mario Party being “friendship killers” because of their competitive nature and how easy it is to sabotage other players. If you are worried about these games maybe causing to much distress, I would also recommend the tried and true Wii Sports or the more modern 1-2-Switch. It has a cow milking game! It’s fun! And you can laugh at one another as you make terrible dick jokes.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND SUPER SMASH BROS. THAT IS NOT AN INTRODUCTORY GAME.

If you really want, play it on co-op team mode.

 In summary, when picking a game to play with your SO my general recommendations are:

- make sure the game has very simple controls and linear movement (if any at all)

- or have a game with bonkers controls so you can learn them together

- avoid competitive games to start. Or play competitive games that require no video game literacy. The best FPS or Tekken player is NOT going to win Mario Party. It’s just luck.

Playing games this way with my partner is fun, but not how we usually play games. This is because if I want to play a AAA title, or maybe a great JRPG I’ve heard about, I have to move on to the second method.

 Playing games where the gamer has the control and the non-gamer watches/participates via other means.

This is how my partner and I generally play games. Because my partner is the one holding the controller, navigating the game, combat and menus, I am not required to have any of that assumed knowledge I mentioned earlier.

But how can you make watching a video game compelling?

It’s actually not as difficult as you might imagine, but you’re right in that it does rule out a chunk of games. If you have grand dreams of your non-gamer girlfriend fawning over your sweet League of Legends skills… then I think you need a bit of a wake-up call. Competitive online games, FPS and sports games (such as FIFA) are generally not fun to watch. This isn’t a blanket statement! Some non-gamers could find these fun. But generally, if you don’t know the skill it requires to perform certain moves or strategies, or are unfamiliar with even the basic rules… these games just look like a mess.

Me watching someone play Overwatch: “Wow… I suddenly have motion sickness”

I find the most compelling games to watch are: Narrative driven

Think of all the games that are basically movies with some gameplay thrown in. Uncharted and the Tomb Raider reboot are just long form Indiana Jones movies. The Last of Us is a survival, drama, horror movie that makes you question your morals and how far you are willing to go to help humanity. The Witcher captures a rich narrative and lore comparable only to the Lord of the Rings films. The Yakuza series might be the best mob movie I’ve ever seen. All of these games are great and as engrossing to watch as they are to play. Lovable characters, compelling obstacles, and a good dose of spectacle keep them entertaining. Narrative driven games are my favorite to just sit and watch whilst my partner plays.

However, “narrative driven games” encapsulates thousands of titles, with some being more suited to watching than others. To help narrow down games that are enjoyable without a controller, I’ve narrowed it down into 3.5 sub categories.

1.       Games with a looser/more predictable narrative, but the visuals are just so damn appealing

2.       Choice based games – with the sub category of puzzle games

3.       Mediocre games, but they’re fun

 Each of these categories creates a uniquely different gaming experience, ranging from a cinematic “sit and watch” style, to a higher participation, more co-operative team based style. Let’s start with the first as it’s the easiest to define.

 1.    Games with a looser narrative, but engrossing visuals

Sometimes games will have a good story, but you’re just not sure if it’s good enough to sustain someone’s attention for 20+ hours. Maybe it’s a little predictable. Maybe you know the hero is destined to save the day. Will this be enough to hold my SOs attention?

And I think you are really the only one to answer that.

But let me first tell you about one of my favorite games, and probably only the second game I ever played with my partner.

DMC.

I fucking adore this game.

Eat my ass. It’s great.

But is the story that great? I mean it’s cool. Half angel, half demon boys. Long lost twin brothers. An evil demon who killed your father and has now essentially become a mob boss and corrupted your city. It’s cool. It’s interesting enough, but at the end of the day, you know Vergil is going to betray you. You know your cardboard cut out girlfriend(?) is going to be a liability. You know you’re going to defeat that demon boss with your big sword.

But god damn, if it isn’t a riot to watch. Devil May Cry has some of the most stylish and slick combat, that it’s really entertaining to just witness. You can cheer on your SO on as they climb up to a SSS ranking and maintain their combo over 5 whole minutes. The soundtrack is blasting. The level design and art direction are stunning. Watching Dante get dragged into Limbo is always an experience, and you’re never quite sure what you’re going to walk into this time. DMC still has one of the most inventive boss fights I’ve ever seen and I’m honestly waiting for another game to top it.

So, I think if your visuals are captivating enough… that can definitely save a game with maybe just a good to average story. It’s just a treat for the senses.

Other games I would put in this category would be:

- The Arkham games, particularly Arkham City and Arkham Knight. God the combat is just great to watch, with each punch really feeling brutal and heavy. The spookiness of Gotham is eerily beautiful, and finding all the easter eggs in the world is a real treat.

- The latest Spider-man game from Insomniac games

- Breath of the Wild – I just like… being in this game

-Nier Automata – this one is a bit weird. I wasn’t sure which category to put it in, but felt because of the interesting mechanics and gimmick of playing over and over again to reveal more of the world and story, I decided to put it here.

 2.    Choice based games

This is definitely my favorite type of game to play, and the one that I think is the easiest to engage with, despite the lack of controller in my hand.

The whole reason I started playing games with my partner is because he was playing a game and after a while I just… sat down… and started watching.

The game was Mass Effect 3, and I just became really involved in the story and the choices my partner was making. We have since gone back and played the entire Mass Effect series multiple times, and I feel it really exemplifies what is so fantastic about playing a choice-based game with a non-gamer.

Choice based games still allow your SO to be heavily involved. If you are letting your SO make choices, then they are still playing the game. Just because I wasn’t the one actively shooting Collectors does not mean I had no impact on our game experience. It was my choice to cure the genophage. My choice to spare the Rachni queen, and you can be damn sure that it was my choice to romance Garrus across the series. Choice based games are fantastic for keeping your SO engaged and the two of you can cultivate your own story and endure consequences together.

Obviously I love Mass Effect, but some similar games in this style would be:

-          Until Dawn

-          The Witcher

-          The Persona series – but be careful! These games are long so may not be great as an introductory game

 Visual Novels! – Visual novels are excellent for this! They’re purely choice based, and it doesn’t matter who is clicking the next button. For an added amount of goofiness, take on roles and do stupid voices. Do it. It’s great. Nothing makes me laugh harder than romancing an anime schoolgirl with an old man voice.

 They’re short, but can be replayed for a different ending if you wish. My partner and I played Dream Daddy together multiple times and were avid about who our favorite dads were. I liked Robert and Craig. My partner liked Damian and Brian. 

 My partner and I have actually just started playing a new visual novel, but along with it being choice based, I would also classify it as a puzzle/problem solving game.

 2.5  Puzzle/problem solving games

Puzzle games are great for a similar reason as choice-based games, as they keep your SO involved. Only this time they are helping to problem solve. Many times I’ve been able to figure something out before my boyfriend, so I can go “ohhhh take that, drop it here, then move that here” and it’ll work!

Currently we’re making our way through the Danganronpa series, which is a bit of a hybrid between a visual novel and puzzle game. It’s not a difficult game to control or navigate at all, so I could play it on my own, but I like playing it with my partner as we bounce theories off of one another and work together to solve a crime. I’ll remember certain pieces of evidence he doesn’t, or he’ll remember one throw away line from the opening 3 minutes of the game that is now an alibi. During free time, we’ll each pick a character to talk to, so we both get to learn more about our favorite characters.

“I wanna talk to Sakura because she seems sweet and I want her to have friends”

“Ok, then I’ll talk to Mondo because he seems funky.”

And so on. The process is collaborative.

Some games of a similar genre that might be fun:

-          Catherine from Atlus

-          Portal 1 and 2

-          The Phoenix Wright series

-          Resident evil 2 – this one is a bit odd, but resident evil 2 is almost a memory game as you work to remember all the things you’ve picked up, the pieces you need to unlock doors, and prioritize the weapons you’ll take with you. “No take the grenade rounds. If we’re going in the offices, we left that face hugger there, remember?”

Finally this brings us to our third category, and also the most difficult to explain. So I’ve just called it:

3.    Average Games, but there’s just something enjoyable about them

Sometimes games are just… fun. Sometimes the story is alright, the gameplay is repetitive, but the characters and writing are just so inherently likeable or interesting that you can keep watching. For me, this whole category was created as a way for me to justify my fondness for the Saints Row series.

Saints Row is, on paper, pretty unremarkable. It’s a ridiculous series of games about a street gang coming into fame and eventually political power, and the outlandish things they have to do to climb that ladder. Often cited as a “GTA clone” the gameplay is repetitive and almost boring at times, with most of the missions falling into the “Go here, kill people” category. The world isn’t particularly pretty or interesting. It’s just a city. One that you’ve seen a million times if you’ve played any city-based open world game.

So why do I love this unremarkable series? Why am I oddly attached to these characters?

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the characters being written with a certain amount of honesty, and the interactions between them feel genuine and oddly heartfelt. I don’t really care about rival gangs or accumulating money, but if it lets me ride in the car and have another sing along with Pierce, then I’m going to do it.

I like the weird sexual tension between the Boss and Shaundi, which only seems to become more prominent if you play as the female Boss. I love Matt Miller and him ranting about his Nyte blayde fan fiction. I like finding out the Boss has read Jane Austen.

It’s just silly and fun, with a good amount of ridiculous spectacle. It’s definitely not a series that I could recommend. It just kind of appealed to something in me. I think there are lots of games that could fit this category. Most people will say that the Borderlands series is “Alright” but it has a lot of fun dialogue and characters who keep it entertaining. Similarly, despite lack luster reviews, I know a lot of people really enjoyed the 2013 Deadpool game because Deadpool was written just like he is in the comics.

This category is the hardest to nail, and you may go through several games that you think are “hilarious” or “crazy fun” that just don’t gel with your SO. That’s ok. As you play more, you’ll eventually be able to develop a sense of each other’s tastes and what will appeal to you.

 General Advice in closing

TL;DR, here are some good parameters to stick to until you reach a consensus of what games your SO might enjoy.

-  Games with a good story and compelling characters will always be entertaining

- If the combat is long and takes up a good proportion of the game, it should be visually interesting to look at. If the combat is repetitive or boring to watch, it should clip along at a good pace and only come in short bursts. Bonus points if there’s party banter!

- Start with shorter games, then build up. It’s a big demand on someone to sit through a 60+ hour game for your first few attempts. Maybe put that Tales game on the shelf for now.

I’ve tried to keep this advice general, but obviously you and your SO will have different interests, and you should appeal to those. I love anime. I love hot boys. Due to these factors, I am more than willing to sit through a long form JRPG about two rival noble boys, as it appeals to my weeb sensibilities. This is not something I would expect others to be able to do.

I generally don’t like films about heists or organized crime. It’s just not a genre that appeals to me, so asking me to sit through Grand Theft Auto is probably not the wisest choice. I have played GTA5 for those that are curious, and it’s not my favorite. It’s definitely not bad, and I do expect other non-gamers would be entertained playing through the story of it. There’s definitely a good story there! It’s just not one that satisfies all of my needs. Just like how I don’t expect every person to love sitting through God of War or Jak and Daxter.

Getting to learn each other’s likes and dislikes takes time. Favorite movies can be a bit of an indicator, but transferring to a different medium complicates things. The most important thing is to listen to each other and be respectful. If your SO doesn’t like your favorite game of all time, that’s not a personal insult. You are likely just experiencing the game in a different way than they are, and they can’t relate to that.

Along with being respectful, obviously don’t pressure your SO into anything. Sometimes you’ll find that your SO might not want to play games with you because they had such an awful experience trying to play with their exes or other friends previously. I know I was really hesitant to ever pick up a controller again after an incident where I couldn’t navigate my character over a log, because I was not used to controlling a camera, and was made to feel really stupid and useless. I threw up my hands and said “Fuck this shit” for a long time. Your SO might be hesitant to play games with you because they worry that you’ll just get frustrated with how bad they are. You can reassure them that this won’t happen, but it’s still their choice to say no.

At the end of the day, it’s ok to have different hobbies. You don’t have to share everything. If you are lucky enough that your non-gamer SO might want to try playing games with you, then be kind, and be patient. When picking games to play together, try to pick something you can both enjoy. Go on a journey together. Have fun!

It’s a game after all.  

[magistralucis]

Russian Sweets Review [Part 1]

😍☕️ IT’S A HAPPY TEATIME ☕️😍

Today is my birthday, This year I received a most generous gift from @absolut--kurant in the mail: a package full of Russian confectionery! Me being all the way over in the UK, so many of these sweets I’ve only ever seen in images and didn’t think I’d see for a long time, if ever. To express my joy and gratitude, and because I love talking about food (news to no one, ahaha), I’ll be writing reviews of the contents as I work my way through this wonderful present. This is just part one of several, dealing with the small collection pictured above: four types of конфеты (chocolate sweets) and some very crunchy сушки (sushki).

The tea is Red Label (Fairtrade) with a spoonful of honey. Let’s begin.

(Note: I intended to take pictures of the actual sweets but I was so lost in savouring them that I forgot ffffffff and I really want to save them and eat them slow. So I’m going to do this scrapbook style, with the wrappers folded out to show what they look like. I collect exotic sweet wrappers so this serves me well, but I think I’ll include pictures of конфеты proper in the next installment of this review as a supplement.)

Сушки (Sushki)

This was on the top layer of the parcel you sent, @absolut--kurant! It’s the first thing I took out when I unwrapped the box, and accordingly the thing I surveyed for the longest as I sorted all the other delicacies.

From what I understand, the relationship of these мини-сушки to full size is that of mini pretzels to actual pretzels. Mini pretzels usually have so much rock salt tossed on them I don’t enjoy them half as much as soft pretzels - but these, I loved. These sushki are smooth and glazed with a faint yeasted aftertaste. Provided that they aren’t too heavily salted or spiced, I actually love dry flour-and-water-based foods like these. I get through packages of cream crackers, water crackers, and hardtack faster than I do any kind of cookie. I don’t even need to put cheese on them or anything, they’re moreish on their own.

Sushki taste of savory and nutrition. I just took one more out to sample while I was writing this section and then ended up grabbing five more. God save me. Also this is one of the very few things in the parcel with English labeling on the back, so I was perfectly informed of what this contained 😂

“Красная Шапочка” - Красный Октябрь (Red Riding Hood - Red October)

This sounds strange, but here goes: part of the unreality of Russian sweets for me was the way they are folded. That triangular-tipped fold is something I have literally never seen anywhere else. That’s probably why I picked up this one first - I saw there are other конфеты available with that fold, which I will sample in the next review - and examined it.

The fold was simpler than I thought it was. I’d always assumed it was some kind of tucked-in origami.

As for the chocolate itself: I expected solid chocolate, but was surprised by the wafer inside the chocolate shell. Russian chocolate is noticeably of different quality than British. Much smoother, I think, with a darker edge and a deeper flavour. The wafers were laid with some kind of nutty praline and it was a gorgeous thing to nibble. Are there конфеты that are especially good to take with tea, perchance? This was a good one for a quick dip.

“Халва в шоколаде” - Рот Фронт (Halva in Chocolate - Rot Front)

hello russian language reading skills please interact

I spent several minutes trying to read this wrapper and didn’t get far. I should learn cursive; this exercise showed me that I really am functionally illiterate in this language outside of print, because I can’t puzzle out the very frequent instances of cursive. At least it was obvious what was inside this chocolate. Халва couldn’t mean much else.

I love my halva, but I’m not versed in the different types. It took me ages to find a place that even sells them here, and it’s just the sesame variant. The halva inside this chocolate was very crumbly - but in a thicker, more tender way, not in thin layers like sesame halva tend to be. Brown, very sweet, extremely hearty. It’s one of the bigger конфеты in this package so I was satisfied.

I don’t know what type of halva it is, though. Some kind of nut?

Батончик - Рот Фронт (Batonchik - Rot Front)

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT THE CHRIST ARE THESE THINGS???? WHY ARE THEY SO DELICIOUS?? WHERE CAN I BUY FIFTEEN HUNDRED KILOGRAMS OF THIS STUFF AAAA?aAa?aa??

This. This made me bolt upstairs and search for 1) what this was, and 2) where I could buy it in the UK. It’s like 2.29GBP for 250g and I’m honestly considering stocking up on these because these absolutely hit the spot.

I think I like pralines. I think I like pralines a lot.

According to my research these are peanut-cocoa praline rolls. They’re not covered in chocolate themselves, but the mouthfeel is so incredible I was enchanted from the first bite. Elegant and soft. It also has one of the few Russian sweet wrappers I recognized (only in terms of visuals - I am unversed as to what’s actually in them), red and gold. I might have actually read the ‘red and gold’ descriptor in a book, too, some months ago. I only can imagine this ascertains their popularity among Russians.

There’s a Russia Beyond recipe for those. I might follow it.

“Маска” - Красный Октябрь (Mask - Red October)

I think I like Russian pralines a lot.

Batonchiki-like filling covered with a thin layer of luxurious chocolate. I think maska must be a different kind of praline, though, it feels lighter somehow; batonchiki feel denser to me. I return again to the comment on the quality of Russian chocolate again for this one, because this is the конфета that helped define what feels so different between Russian and British chocolate. To me, it feels that the standard quality of British chocolate has fallen in recent times, and Russian chocolate reminds me of the time when it was good.

Don’t get me wrong. Fine brand name chocolates have always been available here, and they were always of excellent quality. Nobody’s complaining about the posh M&S truffles or the Rococos or the Artisan du Chocolat. The UK is not lacking in excellent chocolates or chocolatiers with flourishing personal businesses. But the quality of everyday chocolates, the sort from Cadbury and the like, that has fallen ever since Kraft took over a lot of chocolate makers here. I remember when Dairy Milk was sold in vibrant royal purple wrappers with thick, mouth-watering squares weighing easily 500g per bar. Now it’s dozens of flavours but with very thin, mediocre chocolate. The perils of selling out.

I think Russian chocolate hasn’t done that. I’d have had to experience the Soviet life to follow the full continuity of these конфеты, of course, but they taste more legitimate to me. These are some fine chocolates. Though now I’m thinking of that ‘Russian chocolate with a horse magnet inside’ post and wondering what that one’s all about

Guest of Honour: Зефир (Zefir)

It is her ; w ; I see that when your product consists of what is essentially jelly meringue, 250g holds quite a lot of zefir, given the size of this pack. This honorary mention is mostly to prove that these got to me fully intact.

I did not open the zefir at this time because I was concerned about how I would keep them. They seem to me the most perishable food, once opened, out of everything else in the parcel - and the weather here alternates rapidly between hot, cold rain, and humid-sticky at the moment. I have put the zefir away to rest in a nice cool dry place for now. They expire in August, so I will pick a cold afternoon in the next week or two to enjoy them for real. I will write a review about them, too.

Closing Words of Part 1

Overall, this made for an excellent tea break and an excellent treat for the tastebuds. I can’t wait to arrange the second teatime. I feel like I learnt quite a lot, too - I first encountered the word конфет(ы) in Duolingo, where they’re translated simply as ‘candy’ (e.g. ‘Купи конфеты, пожалуйста’ is translated as ‘buy candies, please’). I thought very little of this. Like... you know, candy.

These things.

Surely you mean these things.

these things??????

But turns out, no, конфеты did not mean these things. I don’t know what a fitting English translation would be for them now. ‘Buy candies, please’ is one level of abstraction, but ‘buy this very particular subset of Russian confectionery, often chocolate-coated and in bar form, that are sold individually wrapped in paper or foil, please’ is quite another. Some retailers seem to content themselves with ‘chocolate sweets’ (but batonchik doesn’t fall cleanly into that category) or just ‘sweets’, but none of these translations carry the nuance of конфеты proper. Something for me to think about.

Thank you so much, @absolut--kurant. You gave me a fantastic birthday, as well as several more teatimes to look forward to. Tune in soon for further reviews ;)

[jimmymonet]

my classic “one text post of the year”, my resolutions post! feel free to read if u wish but this is mostly just for myself.

first a reflection on if I followed my 2018 resolutions...

I did start reaching out to more ppl at college! Ive made lots of new friends either through classes or mutual friends! I also specifically I made a ton of friends thru playing Pokemon go on campus :’’’^) and found a lovely group of buddies who I cannot wait to hang out with more next semester!

I have started going out more! having my car on campus and right outside my dorm is so nice. me and my roommate have gone to the mall, art museum, gone downtown to eat, etc. all when we have time. I also spent the majority of my time OUT of my dorm this past semester which is a big improvement from last year (which I mostly owe to pogo and being in the library lol)

I did get a new job! its on campus and in the entomology department so I love it. my work this past semester was pretty easy but next semester I'm gonna have a lot more to do involving extracting DNA and stuff &I'm very excited.

I did sell some art! I sold just a few of my old pieces on etsy but I sold a TON of patches this year! I also took commissions for the first time over the summer and that was a really good experience! I also screenprinted and sold some shirts towards the beginning of this year. I unfortunately didn't get to make a lot of art the last quarter of this year but dam... school is hard lol

I did reorganize my room & make spots for both of my lizards. I still need to go thru and clean a bit 

I am growing out my hair and it looks alright I guess

2018 was pretty good! it started out really bad but I feel like every month has gotten better and better. me and my boyfriend (kind of?) moved in together due to some unfortunate circumstances but I feel like it has allowed us to grow so much as a couple! he has also been working so much towards being healthy and happy and I'm so proud of him aaa I love him so much ;___; we’re also hitting our 4 year anniversary next feb and I'm so excited. we also went to both Philly and Michigan together (and id never been to either) and both were so much fun. in Philly we got to see one of our favorite bands (king gizzard & the lizard wizard) and it was the most fun I've probably ever had (and the hardest I've ever danced) & we also went to some awesome museums. in Michigan we got to hang out with a bunch of cool dudes and go to youmacon and explore Detroit a lil bit. I did art commissions for the first time, made a ton of patches, screen printed, got a new job, made a bunch of new friends, found a lil group of buddies who I love, played some new games, idk the year just got better and better as it went on! looking forward to what 2019 holds....

for 2019...

hang out with my buddies! spend time with my cool & sweet friends that make me happy and stop settling for ppl that make me uncomfortable and make bad decisions lol.... I have a tendency to only see the best in ppl and I'm afraid that will come back to bite me so I gotta be more assertive and stop hanging out w ppl that i know are bad...

go thru my closet and room once again and get rid of stuff I don't want. gotta make my wardrobe perfect and donate stuff I know I won't wear

continue to go out at college and explore places! go to new restaurants, small art shops, cool museums, etc. i love it aaaa

work really hard at my job and hopefully secure a job for next academic year. also move into an apartment at some point.

travel some! I might have the opportunity to go to Madagascar for all of July but ill find out next month. even so I want to go to more places to hang out with buddies that live far away, maybe go to a concert or two, maybe see some cool museums, etc.

continue to grow out my hair til I get sick of it and want to cut & donate it

OH classic new year resolution, go to the gym more! I started going a decent amount this past semester but I completely stopped once I got sick and then started having a bunch of exams. 

watch some new movies n shows. I didn't watch like anything this year but here’s a list of some stuff Ive wanted to watch forever but never got around to it uhh: texas chainsaw massacre, terminator 2 (rewatch), aliens (never seen the whole thing in one sitting), annihilation, hellraiser, idk just a bunch of movies I've never seen that Ive heard are good. also finish reading some books I need to finish

lastly uhhhh I want to reach level 40 in Pokemon Go by the end of next semester lol. thats just a silly one 

[jess1820]

ti amo nyc! seeing phoenix 3x with feenix friends (jul 5 - 7 2018)

So! 3 days of phoenix with wonderful people in new york (my first time in nyc!), I don’t even know where to begin x.x (Pictures are on IG, video on YT). The Speciale shows are beautiful and incredible, and the boys put so much thought, detail, and love into it all. It was one of the best experiences in my life and it was so fun seeing everyone at the shows!!

under the cut is pretty much a rambling summary of the shows (amazing and adorably decorated), cute moments, and when we met them (ft. my fav convo with branco abt pokemon and witnessing brotherly tension) 

💘 @andersfel @funkyphoenixfan @thesunwillshineagain

7/5 | Night 1 💗

the show The show was amazing! It had been 7 months since I had last seen them. We were between Deck and Chris, I settled for the second row (I could have squished to the barrier but it was more comfortable to just be behind a little). That day was super humid and hot, so this show was probably the most sweatiest, but so satisfying. It was such a fun time! We got consolation prizes which is always super great! And countdown for Mads aaaaa (it was her 21st birthday, guess who (Chris ofc) sung to her 😭!!!) It was such a beautiful moment. They played Goodbye Soleil first and she was a bit down, but once it finished, COUNTDOWN happened! She was so happy it was the best reaction (what a complete 180 lol). Telefono was such a tune to hear live, I loved it! They were using the telefono booth instead of the red telephone (after the show you could get a polaroid in the booth for $1, such a cute idea whaaaa!!).

I thought for the Speciale they chose to use different guitars (Chris’s mint green, Branco’s array of guitars (black and red) instead of the og guitars (telecaster and cream bullet), but turns out they just didn’t have their regular guitars in time because their gear was still being held by air france until the 4th show lol.   

after the show

thomas After the show, we went outside to wait (we should have wandered the disco afterparty that was happening inside! The boys were hanging out meeting fans). About an hour later, Thomas came outside first wearing a white tee and backpack on. It was a small group outside so he went around to everyone, signing stuff and taking photos, and he hugged everyone too! He was so nice and gentle as usual. He left shortly after because he said it was past his kids bedtime and he had to put them into bed, something sweet like that 😭. Romy was at the show (with we think, Cedric’s daughter?) and they were helping run the merch stand! It was too cute!! They were so sweet. They were also in front of the barrier at some songs on the far right jumping and having such a good time during the show! It was so pure. (And I guess Vee is bffs with Romy now hahaha).   

deck Ok next up, Deck came out and was very chatty and goofy. He didn’t go to the afterparty. Vee said something about him being a charmer and he imitated playing a violin to be romantic, oh, he is so precious. Deck was really examining the Rally single I brought to get signed and he was like oh this is very rare and was looking at it, front and back. He was so nice and so cute 💘.

branco (and chris) Branco came out next and was so pretty wearing a koi fish print shirt. He has the best shirts. B was very friendly. Mads brought up the Coco thing (he signed as Coco on her INBLT booklet from the Manila show) and we got to hear him talk about his nickname again, it was so sweet and precious (his nieces call him Coco if you need a refresher). I love hearing him speak in general aaaa (you know me). Gotta say I also loved hearing him yell “Monsieur Mazzalai” at Chris because he was the last one needed to sign Mad’s awesome jacket. Chris made a face at him 😂. I had a few minutes with B and I am v happy he signed his name with the music note doodle! Sadly I didn't have the time to get to Chris bc he had to leave in a separate car (the rest of the boys got into one van, I remember Branco had a whole foods market bag aha). I did get to watch Chris run to the car with his suitcase which was funny and adorable, I love him. 

7/6 | Night 2 💗

the show They did long distance call!! Aaah! I was finally at the barrier, right between Thomas and Deck (literally the center can you believe it). The show was amazing as usual and they had balloons that would rain down on us in italian flag colors. It was at this show where a lot of balloons were falling onto the stage so Deck was using his bass and hitting the balloons (og it was so precious). He was having so much fun. I got a Deck wink during the show too aaa 💖 . Also, they played Lovelife with Giorgio Poi which was really cool! The boys had told us yesterday that they had a special planned for tonight, and this was that! And, I got to touch Thomas’s hair lol he was in our section a lot! 💘

after the show

so many faces We stayed for the afterparty because the boys had told us last night to stay and meet them here. It was funny because we were all awkward at the party so we followed them around like children while other people were actually partying.

We saw Sofia!!! She was gorgeous, literally radiating. It was unreal to see her in person. Cosima was with her! We also saw Chris’s girlfriend! Ah they were so cute (they were getting sake, dancing by the DJ, it was adorable). Chris was going around everywhere, drinking a lot of sake and beer lol. I flagged him down once to say hi and he said hello and he pat my back and LEFT 😂. So I had to flag him down again to ask for rally to be signed. It was a bit uncomfortable to follow them around and when there’s a moment/you get the guts to say hi they are either with someone else or with family and you’re just standing there so awkwardly lol. It’s easier to talk to them when they’re outside vs inside with music playing and it being a bit dark. I think we all agreed on this.

branco I also spotted Branco too! I found him near the back by the merch and asked for a photo again. My phone was such a failure that it took a while to get a photo so when it was done he asked if it was okay, twice 😭 (it’s still a bit blurry but I think it’s cute). Sweet bb koala you are so precious 🐨. 

7/7 | Night 3 💗

the show We were back at the barrier for the last night (for us), back to the right side between Deck and Chris. We got to hear playground love (waaaaaaah) and tuttifrutti! Playground love was so beautiful og 😭.

Throughout each night during sunskrupt, Branco would take a water break. A massive water break. He would drink water, keep the bottle at his lips and look into the screen, pondering life, then take another long drink of water. It was so long we were laughing and watching him drink water each night 😂 It was such a thing. I was that dork who took photos of this moment hahaha.

After playground love was countdown (when Chris came out, he brought his own guitar instead of picking up the one that was on stage, already tuned I think). Going into countdown, he had to put a capo on the guitar and tune it a bit, which took a very short amount of time but it was still something he had to do, and he was like ah merde! It was really funny and cute to hear him swear on stage since it was dead quiet 😂 

cute speciale things I tried their phoenix sake and took a polaroid in the telefono booth! It’s so cute. I also tried their childhood sandwiches on a “DAMN good baguette” (yeah they advertised it like this) and I gotta say, it sure was tasty. I didn’t get to try the gelato. Everything was so cute, they had ti amo balloons and a disco ball. They had a DJ too (I remember seeing Hedlund and Daniel Glass DJ-ing). The super mercato was so cool but I heard it kept breaking. Luckily I was able to get the pins and patches I wanted! (Though I didn’t notice they had a blue ti amo patch until it was too late!) The merch table also had a lot of cool merch and some old stuff from Bankrupt!. The entire vibe of the place was amazing. Every glass surface was graffitied with phoenix ti amo nyc 💘.  

after the show

chris and branco (ft. the greatest conversation) The afterparty this night felt a bit more natural for us. Maybe because we knew what to expect, but overall it was just more comfortable. At the party, we saw only Chris wandering around. We spoke to him and got to tell him we were all friends online and he was really surprised (it was cute). He was v thankful for us cheering so much! He was so smiley aaah. Mads finally was able to give him the cutest phoenix doodle she made (literal cutest he found himself and kept pointing to it 😭). I also remember a bit where Vee was talking about Deck’s spider pose and Chris was asking how to do it and then he tried to do it 😂 Chris is the best hahaha

After the venue kicked us out/ the party ended, we went outside and found that Branco was already outside talking to other fans. I was being silly on this last night and was speaking (was I loud?) about how cute he was to my friends and saying dumb things like look at those eyebrows and those cheeks (everything abt him is so cute ok i love this koala) and he stared into my soul 3 times (while talking to another group of fans) 🙈 and I didn’t know what to do im sorry for staring at u B 😭 💀 (you’re so pretty god!!)

Ok once it was our turn to talk to B, we talked to him abt…..pokemon 😂 (I don’t want to say too much but supposedly he has pokemon go and I love pokemon so you can imagine why we went down this path). It was a perfect opportunity since Vee also likes pokemon and her backpack featured the eevee evolutions. He was like ahh pokemon…. We asked him to pick a favorite from the backpack and I think he was confused (it was dark) and he pointed to eevee and named it as pikachu. The way he said it was so cute oh my god. He was like that’s pikachu (he said it twice). We were telling him that’s eevee and then he was saying that he is very old from another time, the shakespearean time. I think Vee then said he’s immortal or a vampire and he didn’t deny it. (idk why) I had to bring up the old cringe photoshoot they did where he looks like a vampire and he was watching and listening to me so intently as I was describing it. Mads saved it and just said it was posted on their IG and he was like ahh. (He probably was like these girls are so weird). Then he said that he knew the pokemon names but in french and so he pointed to vaporeon and said that’s aquali. It was SO CUTE. WOW. I can still hear his voice saying aquali. Literally so precious. 

Switching topics, Mads was asking if he saw the super cute doodle she did that she gave to Chris and I think he said he didn’t, but Chris said he showed him? (this part is a little fuzzy for me). Branco said that Chris never lies, called him over and then they were discussing if Chris had shown him/if Branco was present. Chris said that Branco probably forgot, then shortly after they started to speak in french to each other and we felt like shit was going down right in front of us omg (brothers fighting?!). At the end of it Branco opened his mouth without saying anything, then closed it, speechless (or, I thought of a cat showing its teeth lol) it was insane.  

Aaaaaa if you made it here thanks for reading 💗 It was such a cool time seeing phoenix with the feenix gang from online! I hope we all get to do it again in the future ✨ You all made this experience so memorable. 

[franeridart]

Would you ever consider uploading your Kekkai Sensen piece onto Redbubble? My friend and I are massive fans and I would love to own a print or tshirt with it on it!

Done! Just click on available products to see all the stuff it’s on! :D and thank you for liking it!!!

Anon said:YESSSSS qlu is such a good fic!!!! literally the writing is.... so good and so in char!!!! loved seeing art of it!!!!!!

YAH!!!! Asma’s one of my top favorite bakushima writers, she’s got such a good grasp on them and her storytelling style is always incredibly on point, I love reading her stuff so much !!

Anon said:I highkey love your art.

Anon said:Ahh I saw art of that scene before and thought I was content with that but OMFG YOURS IS FUCKING AMAZING

THANKS I’m super glad you liked it!!!! You shouldn’t make that sort of comparisions tho, anon :O 

Anon said:I honestly love the fatgum fam so much (they're actually the only reason I'm reading the series alongside Tsuchako; I saw your pictures of them, fell in love, and proceeded to speed through the manga in hopes of seeing them) and seeing your art of them makes my day.

OH BOY I’m happy you liked that one!!!! And I hope you’re enjoying reading bnha regardless of whether the fatfam or tsu and uraraka are on screen, anon !!!!

Anon said:I'm ganna scream if none of the bakusquad members end up running through those doors and tackle Kiri tbh, especially Mina considering we had a flashback to her during his fight

I would actually point more towards Kaminari being the most probable one to react on screen, since he’s always got something to say in scenes like this one - and in general towards Kami, Baku and Sero being the ones to... confront? Kirishima specifically about this mission, not because I don’t want Mina to be there too! But generally as far as past arcs go Mina seems to be more part of the girls group than anything, and since Tsuyu and Uraraka were there too she might be between the ones reacting to Tsu and Ura more specifically (like she was the one to fawn over the two of them after their first day of internship) while Sero, Baku and Kami were the ones to react on screen to Unbreakable AND the ones Kiri spoke to about his insecurities to begin with... then again, given the flashback I do hope Mina will be proud of him on screen......... aaaahhhhhhhh I guess we won’t know until Horikoshi will finally show us, will we? ;u;

Anon said:slides you one (1) dollar and half a corn chip, "so um tododeku?" ps your art is beautiful and soft I love

Thank you! And I guess I do have a tag for them? Tho it’s mostly old stuff.... ahhhhhh it is my fav Deku ship, so I might draw more in the near future! Keep the dollar and half corn chip for now haha

Anon said:hello! that food that you drew looks?? delicious??? i would gladly eat it,, anyway sorry for the weird message! have a nice day!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH it was seriously fun to draw too, I’m happy you like how it came out!!!!!

Anon said:YOUR HAIKYUU ART AAA I LOVE!!! 💕💕and also bnha just,, that tALENT MY GUY👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 kill me now pls 😍😍

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:DO KIRI'S BOYFRIENDS NOT KNOW HE'S IN HOSPITAL!? HOW WILL THEY RESPOND WHEN THEY FIND OUT

THAT’S WHAT I’M HOPING HORIKOSHI HIMSELF WILL TELL ME NEXT CHAPTER, ANON!!!!

Anon said:pls draw some miritama!!!

In the future, for sure! They’re one of my favorite bnha ships, after all!!

Anon said:THE MATSUHANA!!! yes, bless that post, thank you for seijou third years

THANK YOU FOR LIKING THEM!!!

Anon said:I just wanted to say that when I am in a depressed funk your art always makes me feel a bit better :)

Ahhhh boi that does mean the world to me!!! I’m so happy I can help you out a bit, anon!! ;u;

Anon said:YOUR ART = MY LIFE BLESS YOUR SOUL 👌🏿💕

I’m sOBBING thank Y O U ;O;

Anon said:I really miss ur haikyuu stuff but u have stopped doing 'em... draw something for me please?😽

Can I ask you to not, like, dismiss the fact that I have, in fact, been drawing haikyuu? Aside from the last one, since I got this ask before posting that, but in the past month as I have made present more than once in answer to asks exactly like this one I HAVE been drawing haikyuu again - you think it makes me feel good to have hours of work been treated as if they never happened? That it makes me want to draw more? Just to have even more people come in my inbox and ask me why I’m not drawing haikyuu anymore, as if the stuff I drew doesn’t even exist? If you meant this ask as in “you’ve stopped drawing only that”, then I’m sorry, but bnha is the fandom that’s making me the happiest at the moment, I’m not stopping drawing for it. I am willing to draw more haikyuu, when I feel inspired to do so, but only if you guys stop treating hours of work as if they never existed. It’s really, really not a good feeling, nor something I have the wish to feel any more than strictly necessary - if the stuff I draw has to end up ignored anyway, then I’m just straight out not gonna draw it anymore

Anon said:Bi i love your art a whole bunch

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!! ;u; thank you lots!!!!!!!

Anon said:I cry, everyone you draw is so pretty and the background in that bakushima pick you posted a few days ago was amazing (the starry one, where they're holding hands), I stared at it for hours.

BOI I’M SUPER HAPPY YOU LIKED THAT ONE !!!!!!!!!! I was really unsure about it but seeing you guys like it is making me incredibly happy!!!!

Anon said:your KiriBaku Baccano AU is everything I never knew I needed mostly because I didn't think anyone else remembered that anime

You and me both, anon! The baccano fandom sure is a silent one, despite its name hahaha 

(..........................baccano means racket in italian, ignore me)

Anon said:can you draw bakugou finding out kiri's in the hospital? ily

I’ve drawn stuff sorta for that scenario thrice already (x x x) but for anything more specific I’m gonna have to ask you to wait for after I’ll know for sure if Horikoshi will give me a canon version of that or not! I really do hope to get that scene in canon, but if Hori will fail me I’ll most probs fill the void for myself again haha

Anon said:GOSH the way you draw kaminari is so CUTE

THANK YOU!!!!!

Anon said:we saw Kirishima recently being taken on that stretcher, how do you think bakugo would have reacted to Kirishima being that hurt (assuming they're in love at this point) ?

Again, I’m gonna answer this one once I’ll know for sure Horikoshi won’t give me the canon version! If we’re lucky we’ll know in a couple of days !!!!! ;u;

Anon said:AAAA THE LIL MUMMY KIRI!! The newest chapter ended me, Horikoshi owns my soul and he aiNT TREATING IT RIGHT!

YO WHAT A MOOD

Anon said:OH MY GOD THAT COLLEGE AU WITH BAKU IN THE SWEATER THING WITH GLASSES IS EVERYTHING. I CAN DIE HAPPY

cont:I JUST SAW THAT IT WASNT MEANT AS AN AU BUT BOI NOW ITS MY FAV AU

GOOD I’M !!!!! SO GLAD HOLY SMOKES THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!

Anon said:Is it me or is Kaminari's fringe slowly taking over his face? I love it!

If you’re talking about my art, then yeah, sorta! Thank you for liking it! Tho I have to admit I’ve kind of always drawn it like that, I don’t understand in a practical way how with his parting that far on the side his fringe doesn’t fall in front of his eye and that sort of subconsciously ends up showing in the way I draw him haha

Anon said:i praise lord yeezy everyday for how much kiribaku you draw, you're the real mvp 🙏🙏🙏

;O; thank you my friend, you’re way too nice!!!!!

Anon said:I have that headcanon that Bakugou actually uses LOTS of emojis in his texts. Kirishima is stunned when he first finds out (and no one believes him)

If you’re talking about emojis and not kaomojis then I’m with you on that lmao mostly cause I feel like Bakugou would be a really lazy texter but would at the same time be the type to dislike writing without capitals or proper punctuation and so on, so to avoid having to put actual effort into texting he just answers (when he answers) using one single emoji and thats it. It’s up to his interlocutor to understand what he meant with it. Up until now the only people who get it 100% of the times are Kirishima, Sero and surprisingly Todoroki.

Then again, I do think you meant kaomojis lmao

[frombaliwithlove]

🗓️ 11/22/20 // To go to Bali is possible, if you apply for an e-Visa, which allows you to stay 2 months with 4 times to extend (equals 6 months max). It feels like a lot of steps— even leading up to my departure, I still feel like I’m missing something. So I’m documenting this now, but will update it once I get to Bali to confirm any changes. (NOTE: this has been updated, as of 11/29/20). So here’s how I did it...

Find a reputable Visa Agency - I used Bali Visas. I learned about them from my friend Christina (@christinaadavis), who is a Digital Nomad Coach. (I can put you in touch with her for more guidance).

Prepare the following materials to apply for the e-Visa:

Bank statement with at least $2,000 (yes, it’s a low barrier of entry, but the economy is suffering with no tourism, so I’m sure it’s this case to allow those who can do this long-term stint a chance.)

Passport that won’t expire for 12 months

U.S. address & Indonesia address (I have a friend based in Singapore, who shared his friend’s Bali address, which I listed since I wasn’t booking my hotel until after I got my e-Visa)

Health Insurance (as per my previous post, I went with SafetyWing for $40/month - covers motorcycle accidents, COVID-19, and scuba/surf accidents, dengue and monkey bites - all things that I’m concerned about plus others)

Lastly, once you’ve submitted the application, you’ll need to bank transfer $410 to Bali Visas (if you want the basic package; there is also a VIP one), which is the cost of the e-Visa and their fee. It was easy for me to do online with no bank fees. Then with each extension, it’s approx. $50

Once you get the e-Visa (took less than 2 weeks for me), prepare these docs as print outs for your trip:

Sponsorship Letter via Bali Visas

Health Letters signed via Bali Visas

COVID-19 negative test taken within 7 days of arrival

Return ticket (have it insured)

IMEI registration - if you plan to get an Indonesian SIM card, like I will be doing, you can port your U.S. number to Google Voice for $20, then it’s free forever. This is a bit of a stressor, so here is an article to help understand the steps and VAT. This is only recommended if you plan to be there longer than a month.

Note: you need to go to the IMEI customs after you go past normal customs to register the phone via the steps in the above link. You’ll pay the VAT with a credit card. I listed mine at $600, and should have said $500 because I had proof of my iPhone 11 Pro degrading to $506 and had a print out, but even once showing that, they referred to my registered price of $600, and I had to pay $43 tax. Still not bad when I did the comparison math of keeping my cell plan on in USA.

You’ll need to fill out the eHAC form online via Bali Visas; make sure to do international and domestic versions

Also, get a letter of good health from a US doctor (I ended up not needing to show this, but it varies, so be prepared)

Lastly, should you plan to rent a scooter, motorcycle or even drive a car, head to AAA website, print out the application for the International Driver’s Permit and go to the local office with 2 passport pictures. For $20, you can get that permit and drive around with no problem from the police.

That’s it for now! I have other tips to share, but will do so once I arrive, e.g., airport pick up driver, how to pick a hotel until you find a long-term stay villa, etc.

UPDATE ON 11/27 - TIPS:

VIP Fast Trak via Bali Visas for ~$100 - I decided to add this on 4 days before my flight. I started to worry about the 3 hour transfer between my international to domestic flight once I got to Jakarta, and I'm so glad I did it. If you do have tons of time, don’t sweat it, but I arrived at peak 4pm and if it wasn’t for the assistance, I wouldn’t have been able to skip the 4 different lines (e.g., 2 COVID/Ehac lines, Visa Passport Check, Customs, IMEI Customs, then baggage claim, onward to Domestic check-in, then security all over again)

CASH - don’t forget to get cash at the ATM in the airport. I was rushing and forgot to. Reason is for GoJek, which is the [scooter] Uber for Indonesia. The app is rejecting my US credit cards, but they accept cash that you can hand to your driver.... so have been walking around until I have time to find a local ATM near my current stay

TILE - if there is anything I couldn't suggest harder, it would be to buy a tile and put it in your luggage. So quick FYI, I booked my flights on Delta using points, but the flights were two affiliates (Korean Airlines and Garuda Indonesia). In this case, I am able to check my bag once and they’d know to transfer it from one airline to another during my layover. However, because this was booked via Delta, I couldn’t check into a seat at Garuda until I got to Korea. Long story short, once I got to Jakarta, I couldn’t find my checked bag, and thankfully, the TILE app pinged me its location, and I found it. I literally started to prep myself on the idea of letting go of my belongings and buying everything new in Bali...

Priority Pass (access to airport lounges) - before booking, check to make sure these are open in the airport you’re going to. I had three options in Seoul, Korea/ICN, which was great. Better wifi (it was low in main terminal), good food, place to rest. My friend Christina checked with Tokyo, Japan/Narita Int’l, and it’s closed when she gets there. It’s the best perk to relax at lounges in between flights. If you can’t find one, check if there are Nap Rooms, which are actually quiet/open/dark/safe.

LASTLY, thanks to my girl, Christina (@christinaadavis), who helped me figure out this Visa process, and Kevin (@wellnesskev), who was over in Bali giving me small tips at each step when I needed it. And that’s just two new friends of a larger community of ex pats that I’ve already connected—all who have been so amazing with info shares. If you can take the time in your life to embark on this time away from your every day... DO IT! I’m happy to help anyone wanting to make the jump, too!