#and I can say quality wise over personal taste

[hoolay-boobs]

They are the Perfect Girls™️ of Ever After High

[iheartchv]

Hi, I was wondering If I could get a cod matchup?

Im Ecuadorian-American. I’m an INFP, and I speak English, Spanish, and French. I’m also starting to learn Mandarin Chinese.

I’m 5’8, with dark brown hair that almost looks black, and brown eyes.

I have a HUGE extended family, but they don’t live in the US. Im from New York.

Personality-wise, I’m very shy and quiet, being selective of who I make my friends. Once I do though, I become very close to them. I’ve been described as a hidden treasure, like a pearl one might even say.

I am a bit of a nerd, (I even wear glasses, but they’re not too strong), I love playing COD (if you couldn’t already tell,) and Magic: The Gathering. I also like to draw, but have a mini panic attack when I see the prices of sketchbooks and charcoal pencils.

My music taste can only be described with “emotional whiplash,” because I love songs that sound very happy but have super dark lyrics. Aside from that, I love pop, Latin and Afro pop, EDM and RNB 

My love language is mostly gifts and quality time. If I’m really close to someone, it’s physical touch. In public, I’ll do something discretely, like holding somebody by their pinky. If it’s hidden, like under a table. I’ll be a little more daring, like putting my hand on their thigh.

Hope you have a good day! Take care of yourself, and sorry if this is a lot to take in!

//i tried to finish this before going to work; wifi at work sucks big time >3>

🤔 I'll match you with...

König 👑

I think you'd be paired with König

Scenario time:

Let's say you're in the military (your choice of what field/what you specialize in)

König and some of his Kortac comrades came by to talk with Captain Price

Kortac was thinking of borrowing some of TF 141 for a mission

König walked around the base, looking for those he saw fit; you were one of those soldiers/specialists

That's when he met you

And when his eyes met yours, for some reason, he felt something wash over him.. it was strange

🤍

At first it might seem like nothing is happening between you two, what with you both keeping to yourselves

Until he sees you with a sketchbook and a pencil

He sees it move across the page, his interest piqued

I headcanon that König is a creative person

I mean, look at his gear

It isn't military grade but it does and serves its purpose

So he'll come up to you, trying to gather what he needs to push himself to get to talk to you

"What are you doing?"

Despite him being a big man, you didn't hear him behind you

You jumped, your heart pounding from surprise

"Oh, did I frighten you?" He playfully said, although he was masking that he wanted to apologize for scaring you

"N-no..."

Silence for a second

"Just... practicing some shadows and shading..."

There is a landscape on the page

He's amazed at the skill you have though he's trying to be subtle about his interest in you

"That is... very good"

🤍

You two would make a cute couple

During briefings or meetings, I can see you touching him under the table

And König would try not to be flustered

Under his mask you'd know he was blushing

Your eyes sparkle with mischief

His eyes would look at you, tell you that you would be getting it when the meeting or briefing is over

One of König's love languages is gift giving

If he sees something that reminds him of you, he'll get it for you

Or he will make something for you

Quality time is another one of his love languages

Being alone with you is all he'd ever want

It don't matter if he watches you draw or play a game, you both do something together or not, he'll just enjoy being around you

Hugs and cuddles from this giant teddy bear 🧸

Forehead kisses, on top of your head, open mouthed kisses everywhere

He'd sigh

"I adore you, liebling"

His hands would run through your hair, trace over your facial features as if he was memorizing you, burning every single detail into his memory

Who would've thought there would've been someone so gentle underneath his tough exterior?

❤

[fiddlepickdouglas]

I just turned 30 and I wanted to hand down some things that'll hopefully help y'all in the future:

Eat what you want. Wear what you want. Like the media you want. You are allowed to like your things and show that you do.

Sometimes old friends come back and both of you have changed to somehow be even better friends than before and it's really beautiful.

Pace yourself. Slower. Sloowweeerrrr. SLOWER. It's okay to not always be going a mile a minute. It's okay, I promise. Say this aloud if necessary.

Drink water and brush your teeth

I have never regretted giving a big tip regardless of the quality of service

Every past version of you is both really cringe and an absolute marvel, that's just how it is

College is your choice, your time, and your money (debatable depending on how your tuition is funded but it's important to include). You can say no to it. You can start it, leave it, and come back later. You can do that multiple times. You can still find opportunities that pay well enough without having a single degree to your name. But do not waste a second making any of those decisions to please anyone else but you.

Asking is a virtue. So is admitting you don't know something.

Being unliked isn't the end of the world

You can't be blamed for what you did not know or fully understand in the past. Everyone has been problematic and it takes time to unlearn old things. You're not entitled to some wokeness award, but you can be proud of your progress.

I still have no idea how to make a fucking doctor/dentist appointment without feeling like a 5 year old who needs another adult to do it for me. Sometimes I talk to someone about it to hype me up.

If you have to consciously hide a side of yourself from someone you call a very good friend/partner/family member, please think it over. I'm not talking about being aware of what is appropriate to share at what times or actively keeping yourself safe - I mean if you cannot speak honestly about your own thoughts and feelings because you think someone who should care will suddenly hate you, that should be addressed.

BIG fan of leaving if things suck!

It's okay to do things alone. There are also some things better done with a group. You deserve to enjoy both.

Please keep at least one bank account with only yourself on it. Also learn how to do fucking online/mobile banking. I cannot stress this enough. Especially after you turn 18 and definitely before you get married.

It's okay to mourn dreams that you never achieved and even no longer want to achieve

Calling something or someone basic has done massive harm to society and there's really no good reason to describe anyone's hobbies or tastes as such, you're just being mean

Always question your assumptions of others. No one is fucking Personality Sherlock. Everyone is strange.

Listen to your body!!!!!!!!

Once you learn to recognize the many forms of ableism, you see it everywhere. Shut that shit down at every possible opportunity (keyword: possible. Choose your battles wisely)

Fandom only gets better from here, ignore anyone who thinks your presence is unwelcome by merely looking at your age

And most importantly:

STAY SILLY 😛🤓👻😽

[dazedazaii]

Hi ! ^_^ saw the Christmas event and was wondering if I could join the mistletoe lovers prompt with either Chuuya, Ango or Tachihara?

I go by she/her pronouns (I’m a woman). 5’3 here with one of those fluffy short haircuts (like a wolfcut but a bit shorter). I also wear glasses since my vision sucks and I have green eyes. As for personality, I’d say I’m socially anxious around strangers but extremely talkative and vulgar around people I know. I’m also an introvert and would rather die than be with people.

For interests, I really like art and music ! I do a bit of animation (procreate dreams is KILLING me) in a Scott Pilgrim sort of style. Music genres are of course slutpop, hyperpop and the amazing cunt-ry music. I’m also looking forward towards studying criminology and sociology! I find the mindset of criminals to be very interesting. So that’s shit I like, so now here’s the things I hate <3. I hate being cold and always sleep with five to six blankets because I freeze so easily. I always have cold hands too apparently.

Love language would be words of affirmation because who doesn’t like being complimented (me, anyway). Quality time would be a close second because I’m clingy to people I like and constantly want to be around them. Physical touch isn’t necessarily my favorite but I’d fucking gladly throw myself onto Chuuya at any given moment the minute I saw him.

thanks for the event Haein ! U_U make sure to rest and take your time

hi anon ! thanks so much for being my first ask for this event (o^ ^o)

i match you up with ranpo !

i feel as if you two would have some things in common appearance wise; the glasses, hair, eye color … you two become close pretty fast

adores your major. maybe the two of you could start working together in the future !!

encourages you to speak up for yourself more around strangers if you want to be majoring in criminology and sociology. that kind of job requires lots of talk to strangers, he says …

we have similar music taste, anon ! though, ranpo told me it’s too loud for his liking … you can catch him listening to ur type of music if ur extra sneaky ⁽͑˙˚̀ᵕ˚́˙⁾̉

don’t worry about getting cold ! ranpos body runs hot ! plus, when sleeping with him, your six blankets are all gonna be tossed to the ground as he rolls around and snoozes away

if your hands are feeling extra chilly, ranpos got you. his hands are wrapped around yours and warming them up, scolding you and talking alllll about his day. you have no choice but to listen, unfortunately

he praises you for almost whatever; eating and drinking well, coming home after a long day of school or work, etc

quality time is very important to him, i bet. ranpo gets busy easily, and can’t always be with you, so, as a filler, he’s stuck to you like glue at the agency and makes sure to share a little bit of his snacks !

as for physical touch, ranpos your guy ! his hands are allll over you. whines whenever he doesn’t get a kiss every ten minutes. tell him to back off and he’ll pout but do so

[legofrans]

Fire emblem tier list based on my own personal enjoyment of the games. Don't ask what happened to the colors I'd like to know too. Tiers are ordered.

Obviously heavily biased towards my own tastes, but also to the expectations I had going into each game. This is in no way intended to indicate the actual quality of the games.

Short thoughts on my experience on all the games below. It adds up to a pretty long post.

Fates: I originally played it back in late 2016. Dumb as I was, I thought "oh hey if I just play revelation it'll kind of be like I get to experience both routes right?"

Well it turns out revelation sucks ass. I got to the final chapter but Soleil (I had an affinity for lesbians back then. Wondered why that was) got countered with a 3% crit, I ragequit, and I haven't touched any of the games since.

New years resolution is to play conquest. I've heard good things about it's gameplay so if I go in with 0 expectations for the story I think I'll be able to enjoy it.

Dark dragon and the blade of light, as well as Gaiden, have several problems that can be very neatly summarized: they're old. Not much here in terms of story to comment on.

. . . Engage. Let's start with the good: the gameplay is fantastic. One of the best in the series. Most games add some unique spin on the formula to make it their own, and for most it works out well. Engage takes that and goes above and beyond. Smashing weapons (forgot the term) is a fun addition. Engaging is also a really interesting strategic aspect. Skill management is really, really good. (although I wish weapon durability had also been a part of it.)

Problems start coming with the story. It's pretty much a stock standard Fe story. Evil dragon gets resurrected, we gotta stop him. This is considerably less interesting here than with Marth though. Marth was kind of a nobody (crown prince of a minor country but who is keeping track) while Alear is like. The Divine Dragon. Everyone knows them and loves them and is willing to bend over backwards or the nearest countertop for them. It just does not make for an interesting story for me.

There's also the Emblems! As said, fantastic gameplay addition. Story wise they first make no sense. Secondly, if you're going to put some of the most beloved characters from a franchise in a game, you should make sure they represent how they were in the game. Engage kinda falls flat here imo.

Then there's also the artstyle. I dont think Mika Pikazo is a good fit for fire emblem. It works for a few characters, but overall it leaves me wanting something else. Especially for the Emblems, I don't think I like how any of them look except like Roy and Camilla.

For most of the games in the series I can genuinely say that my critique comes from a love of the game. Im not sure I can say that in regards to Engage. It definitely comes from a love for the series as a whole, but I think engage is the only entry in the series which I actually dislike.

Shadow Dragon! Not too much to say here. It's Marth! You girls know Marth right?

The plot and gameplay are both very basic, and not much to write home about. Marth being s bit of an underdog makes him more interesting than Alear. The reclassing is interesting in concept, but I never really got into it.

New mystery of the emblem is kind of just more of the same, but with a larger cast and everything is happening again. It kind of works.

This entry and Shadow Dragon could kind of go either way, but ultimately the Gaiden chapters are enough of an interesting addition to put new mystery ahead.

Three houses was a pretty fun game! But I don't think it's a good fire emblem game. there's a lot I could say about the monastery and the class system, and the skill system and the grinding and the completely uncapped levels! I have a hard time considering it a mainline entry.

In short, around 70% of the game is either grinding or non-FE gameplay and I didn't enjoy that. What's more, I started with CF, and that route is straight up unfinished.

Three hopes isn't here because it's not a mainline entry but unironically enjoyed it more than Three houses.

Binding Blade! Good game. Good FE too. Pretty basic plot, but it's good enough. I'm not at all fond of the "true ending" stuff and also there's the hitrate issues for everything that's not swords. Roy as a protagonists is also one of the weaker ones in the series I think. Sorry man.

If I had played fe6 before 7 & 8 I'd probably have rated it higher. But all the GBA games are good, and everything that's C-tier and aboveis something I'd recommend.

Genealogy of the holy war is a very different fire emblem, but unlike 3H it is still distinctly Fire emblem. I didn't have much in terms of expectations going into this one. It has a lot of quirks, both good and bad.

The typical story formula has a very nice twist on it this time and keeps things interesting. Which is good since the story is one of the biggest draws, since the game offers a bit less in terms of challenge when compared to the other games in the series.

The gameplay quirks are very interesting, such as weapon kills, but because some units are extremely heavily favored in this game, it only ends up mattering for very few units or if you go out of your way to use other, worse units.

Shadows of Valentia is a game I really would've liked to put in high A-tier. It is probably the best remake of a game I've ever played.

But it's too faithful to the original. My problems with Gaiden were not just that the graphics actually hurt my eyes and that the menus were confusing and everything looked kind of weird. The maps. . . . also kind of suck.

There's too much weird terrain with too powerful bonuses. There's also too much open field. Enemy starting locations feel random. Many maps have one chokepoint to get through and that's all the features there is to it.

And then there's the story. One problem with having the script be about 300 times that of the original is that you can fit so much more misogyny in there. And they did.

Thats the negative stuff out of the way let's go to the positive. The class system rules. I'm a big fan of promotion bonuses going to a class base stat instead of adding flat numbers. The magic system with learned spells and HP cost is also really cool.

The weapon system is also great, with being able to promote certain weapons into other things with special features and skills. I like it! It's interesting! Items are kind of whatever though.

Radiant dawn is a mostly fantastic game with two very big problems and one major nitpick. The latter is that there's true ending bullshit again.

The problems are: the new support system. It's boring. Less opportunity for characterisation for everyone that's not a major player in the story.

The later chapters are also just a slog to get through. If you've been in the Fe fandom for a long time you've probably seen memes about RD enemy phases. It is like that.

Good things! The bonus XP system! It's fantastic. Being able to almost pick which stats you want a unit to grow in if you know what you're doing is great! Makes it so practically every unit can be good.

They did kind of screw over Laguz units though. And the Renning bullshit pisses me off so bad.

Blazing blade is a very good game and was many peoples first FE game. I don't have many thoughts on this. If Blazing blade was a dish it'd be bread dipped in olive oil. Simple. Fantastic. You don't need much more.

Awakening was also the introduction to fire emblem for a lot of people. According to some it saved the franchise, according to others it killed it.

Personally I had a lot of fun playing this. It has many well designed chapters, and a simple and fun skill and class system. Though, it has some issues in overleveling and access to grinding. The pair up mechanic is also somewhat of a double edged sword, which I really like. Do you want one stronger unit, or multiple strong ones? It's interesting! . . . . Until you get to A support or unlock dual guard+ at which point there's just one correct choice.

I really liked how silly the writing in awakening got. Very funny script, and a lot of memorable characters.

Mystery of the emblem turns 30 in a few days, and looks surprisingly good for its age. I started playing this a few months before three houses came out, and I had already played all the other games in the series ('cept fates) at that point. I had low expectations considering how bad DD/Gaiden felt to play, but mystery of the emblem feels almost good to play.

I don't miss weapon level being a stat like all the others. But I do miss the starshards (growth modifiers my beloved) and the very funny again staff.

S tier :)

Sacred stones was the first turn based strategy game I ever played and I've been hooked since. No, real chess does not count.

It has a really good tutorial, it's not that difficult of a game, and it has a very simple and easy to follow plot. It's definitely the best game to play if you want to get into fire emblem.

Chapters are well designed, the graphics are charming, and the characters are too.

Again, all the GBA games are very good. There's not too much to say here.

Path of Radiance features several of my favorite characters in the series. Titania, Ike, Soren, Lethe, Jill, "Eat rock" guy, Leanne, and Lucia.

This is probably the best the series ever got in terms of writing. It breaks of from the typical "oh no the evil dragon is being revived" formula and manages to have a plot that feels much more centered on the characters, which I love. The base conversations really help with that.

It's not just the story that's phenomenal the gameplay is also really good. The skill system is a bit limited, but the decisions feel all the more impactful because of it.

The class system has a pretty unique twist in that your units are promoted by leveling past level 20 this time around. The bonus XP system also helps a lot with that, although the Bonus XP system this time is just random stats, unlike in Radiant dawn.

While not the game I enjoyed the most, it's definitely the game I recommend the highest.

Thracia 776 is almost infamous in the fandom. Its known for being one of the hardest, if not the hardest game in the series. It has a lot of peculiarities, like capturing, leadership stars, movement stars, movement growths, magic and resistance being the same stat, stealing equipped weapons, forced dismounting, no Langes indoors, FUCC, Infinite duration statuses etc. . . Theres a lot going on.

But most of it is really good. And more importantly. Almost all of the bullshit goes both ways. Sleeping enemies sleep permanently. Enemies can capture your units, too.(which also has strategic value since it halves their stars) Your units have leadership stars. The fucking thief staff.

It also features one of my favorite mechanics, the crusader scrolls. It's essentially the same thing as the starshards but this time around they also help preventing crits. The modified growths together with thracias extremely low stat caps means effectively every unit can become very strong. Though there's still FUCC, movement stars, and skills to consider. All units are not created equal.

Thracia also has one of my favorite narratives. It is the smallest scale conflict (except Lyn mode) in the series and it makes for a very interesting change of pace. It's not a grand heroic adventure, but just about Leif trying to live to fight another day.

And that is also pretty well reflected in the gameplay. Thracia introduced both Escape and defense maps. It would've been a very different game if it had been all rout and seize maps.

All in all though, the game does at some points feature some actually unfair and unfun things too. Xavier's recruitment. 24x's warp tiles. Ch.4 if you don't know. Going into Thracia completely blind is a decision you'll have to make on your own. I tried doing that and had to hard reset upon hitting chapter 4. Then I opened a guide, and honestly, I don't regret it. But you should play the game if you haven't. It's good.

Also here's a tier list on how good of a game I think every game is, while trying to be impartial.

[cricketwrites]

Thank you so much ;o;

mmmmMMMM I LOVE THIS. Good taste. SAY LESS >:3

(Also I went a little wild with this one, and got really chaotic LOL)

GIF by kin-sama

Sanji:

-Sanji would probably struggle a bit with his internal emotions

-I hate to say this, but gender and sex (as in gender assigned at birth) does change things a bit for him, at least at first

-Eventually he does some thinking and realizes that he’s a dolt and he would love you no matter what, he just loves YOU

-We stan a self aware king

-Now that he’s gotten over that, his focus is on planning a perfect confession

-Like roses, candles, a nice meal, it's a whole event

-The other Strawhats try to help make this perfect for Sanji

-Except for Luffy, who didn’t get it, and Zoro, who couldn’t care less LOL

-Luffy must be kept away from the nice food

-He will eat it and he will feel no remorse

-NOW ONTO THE ACTUAL DAY OF THE EVENT

-Sanji is dying inside

-He is terrified but very excited

-He sets everything together, Usopp helps keep Luffy distracted, Nami and Robin hang around just in case

-Zoro is in the Crow’s Nest sleeping, completely unbothered. Literally could not care less

-Now, Sanji goes to find you, it’s going well

-He’s being smooth like butter (like criminal undercover IM SORRY I HAD TO-)

-Spending some quality time together, maybe taking a little longer than he intended to

-You two were having fun talking!

-He leads you into the beautifully decorated galley (aka ship kitchen/eating area)

-Aaaaand the food is gone.

-Nothing left.

-Sanji.exe has stopped working.

-”WHAT HAPPENED ;O;”

Sanji ^

-It was Luffy. He got bored faster than usual and ended up eating the food.

-You couldn’t help but laugh, he tried so hard.

-Give him a hug and tell him it’s okay

-He breaks down and ends up rambling about how he wanted this to be perfect because he wanted to show you that despite his biases he wants to be the best man he can for you and how he loves you so much and-

-He freezes.

-THIS WAS NOT HOW THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GO.

-You kiss his cheek and tell him that it’s okay, you love him too. 

-He cries a little Im not gonna lie.

-You and Sanji are a power couple.

-Things Sanji likes about you? Everything.

-He can’t simply name one thing because he fell in love with you as a whole, not just because of one trait

-Despite his misgivings, he is very devoted and very sweet

-If someone misgenders you (and youre okay with it, of course!) he will gently correct them once or twice

-More than twice, he tends to get annoyed and think it’s intentional

Sabo under the cut!

GIF by legitimateluffy

Sabo:

-Sabo, my beloved.

-He tends to notice people who stick out from a crowd

-Someone who dresses unique, someone who stands out because they’re so outgoing, or the opposite, someone who sticks out because they’re so quiet

-This doesn’t mean he won’t notice you, just that those are the people his eyes tend to drift to!

-I mean look at his brother. Ace walks around shirtless with a cowboy hat and shorts, with his really dorky ASCE tattoo.

-Listen I LOVE Ace but I can’t take his tattoo seriously

-Personality wise, he loves when people who have strong beliefs and adamantly defend them

-His name isnt Sabo the Revolutionary for no reason

-He doesnt mind if you’re loud or quiet, he can appreciate and love both

-You being nonbinary is interesting to him!

-He knows that there are people who come from all walks of life, so he really enjoys getting to know you!

-If someone misgenders you by accident, he will either rely on you to handle it or he will gently correct them himself. It depends on what you are OK with.

-He can be very protective though, he worries about you a lot

-Sabo is traumatized so he definitely can be a worrier

-To put it lightly

-He is vastly different from Sanji, so he comes to the realization that he loves you a LOT faster

-Less soul searching more simping

-He takes you to a very pretty place, sets out like a small picnic or something

-Something meaningful yet quick, since he tends to be busy and may need to leave right away

-But he still wants it to be meaningful and memorable

-When you accept, he just goes ._. for a minute

-He didn’t expect you to actually reciprocate

-What was he expecting?

-He didn’t think that far ahead!

-He loves you so so much and is so happy that he can be with you

I wasn't planning on posting something else today, but I absolutely HAD to do this, it's so cute and fun. I hope you enjoy!! Ask Box: Open! ~Cricket <3

[ryker-writes]

Hi Ryker! Congrats on 1.2K, I found this lil guy who wants to give you flowers for the occasion :’)

I’m interested on who you’ll match me with *wiggles eyebrows* so here’s some info on me:

- My likes: fashion, rom-com and Disney movies, superheroes, shoujo anime and manga, fruit tea, kids (like babysitting them), sunny weather, hot fictional men (don’t we all?)

- Idk if favorite foods is part of likes or helps you with knowing me better but I love pastas, chicken, trying foods from various cultures

- My dislikes: soggy socks (like when it rains 😭), reaaally spicy food (my spice tolerance is WEAK), the gym, driving

- Some of my hobbies: cosplaying, writing fanfics, drawing and digital art. I’m not great at cooking but I’m learning lol

- Physical or personality preferences: for physical, I’d prefer someone taller than me but they don’t have to be (I’m 5’5”). For personality, I’d prefer someone who’s a good leader, good at looking after others, and good at giving advice to people. Someone who’s wise and both street-smart and book-smart. Someone who is self-confident and knows their worth. Someone who also isn’t afraid to tell the truth or say it like it is even if it can hurt or sound mean (basically someone who isn’t a people pleaser). Someone who, even if we don’t share the same hobbies or interests, is willing to learn about my interests like I’d be willing to learn about theirs. Also I’d prefer someone around the same age as me cuz I’m 21 and most of the TWST cast are under 18 😭 (if you have a first or second year in mind for me, I wouldn’t mind a platonic match up instead :0)

- My love languages: I think my two biggest ones are quality time and words of affirmation, and the ones I’d prefer a partner to have are quality time and gift giving

BETTY HI! Also based off what you told me, I can see a lot of connection to Leona lmao, but! I have another alternative that my brain likes (and I hope you don't completely hate ;-;)

"Betty! Of course! Now the obvious choice would be Leona. He checks off most of the boxes, but I think there's someone else out there who also would work really well!

Let me tell you about you and Vil!"

Okay okay so like I said, I think Vil also checks a lot of those boxes! He's not Leona, but based off what you told me, I think you two would actually do really well together! Now onto my little thoughts about you two :3

Fashion? Cosplay? Vil is all about that

he would help you adjust your cosplays if needed but also do makeup or give you any tips he can

if you want to promote your fashion and cosplay on social media you have his full support and will probably have over a thousand followers within a day

if not tho, he doesn't mind telling you good it looks on his own

Vil gets food from all around the world all the time and he has no problem sharing with you too so you get to try all sorts of new foods all the time

i don't know why but my brain is envisioning a beach date with the two of you relaxing in the sun with fruit tea

and this depends on personal taste of course but hot fictional men? I think Vil fits

he also fits most of your preferences!

we all know Vil can be brutally honest, but he pays good attention to those around him and that especially includes you

if something is wrong, he's the type to immediately notice and (maybe subtly) ask about it

Vil knows a little bit about a lot of things so there's a chance he already knows a little bit about your interests!

but that doesn't mean he isn't willing to learn more of course

he'll listen to you talk about anime, manga, or art any time of day

Now, he's a busy man so quality time with his partner also means a lot to him!

even if you're both doing your own thing, he loves spending time with you and he's still paying attention to you (even if he doesn't always seem like it)

he will also buy you all sorts of clothing and things he thinks are fashionable ✨

(Leona pls spare me)

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

woah!!!!! if ur still doign the shippy thing... :33

okay erm looks wise im around 5'9-5'11 , I have shoulder length hair that used to be dyed pink (now had faded to some kind of peach color..).. erm my clothing style can be unpredictable, I fluctuate between like coquette or whatever and like full emo scene glam im pretty unpredictable. like I said... not very strong and might be slightly overweight

personality wise, im usually veeerry quiet. like not notice me when im there quiet. over time when I get to know you im loud, and obnoxious, and very annoying.. im very protective and loyal to my friends or of people im close with, I will beat someones ass if a friend told me to. I get overstimulated way to easy but I can get very understimulated quick as well.. suuuper clumsy don't let me around glass.. very neurodivergent as well. my music taste is all over the place, I listen to pretty much anything if I like it..

interests wise, im very into history and geography and things like that.. im really into lost media, especially lostwave music.. I love reading comic books/graphic novels and dramas.. very into "the arts" like music and any kind of art. I also reeally love old cartoons, especially from the late 90s to early 00s

thats most of what I wanna say .. :3 I hope its enough.

You didn’t specify which fandom you wanted to be shipped in so I’ll just give you a random character I think you’d would match

Your Fandom Ship: Ponyboy Curtis

Explanation: I think at first he would be kind of intimidated by you because you’re so much taller than him and you look really cool. He thinks you’re tough looking as hell he’d probably be a bit scared to come up to you at first  and would probably need a peptalk from the rest of the gang before he even had enough guts to come up to you and say hi. I think you would love your dyed hair, and I think he would be obsessed with the fact that you consistently change aesthetics (hey thats like me!) and part of what motivates him to get up in the morning is wondering what you’re gonna wear that day and he even makes some bets with Johnny. He would be extremely respecting of any boundaries you have especially regarding your neurodivergence and very quickly to pull you out of any loud spaces if that was something that triggered you or very quickly to say hey they don’t like that texture.  as for personality I think that he would love the fact that you’re more quiet as Johnny is his best friend and Johnny is extremely quiet so I think he’s used to being around people like that although I think he would love it when you finally break out of that stage of being quiet and finally are loud obnoxious around him. I think he would really appreciate that. You trust him enough to be that way around him. He loves your protectiveness and fierce loyalty to your friends and that’s a quality that he himself has and I think it’s some thing that he just really values in a person. as for your hobbies, I believe that pony boy is deep down in arts kid, as he is canon Lee, an artist in the sense that he both draws and wrights and thinks more creatively and thoughtfully than a lot of the other greasers. I also think that he would be super into history and I think you guys would have a blast in that class just going crazy with hypothetical scenarios and comparing and contrasting certain events. I Ship you guys a lot!!!!!

[elysiuminfra]

GOOD MORNING ANON thank u for this question :] i love talking about being a hater btw sorry not answering your ask directly i tried and tumblr wouldnt let me :( just kidding im not actually as big of a hater as i say i am. when i talk about the musical - im not talking about any recordings, im talking about the ORIGINAL album. because i havent actually been able to find good quality recordings of the musical. :( and. well. warlow's jekyll is my favorite jekyll hands down now onto thoughts. i think the musical is fine, i like to listen to it sometimes even. some of my favorite jekyll and hyde stuff people have made are musical animatics (which go hard.) and im fond of the actors who have played jekyll/hyde, i just think the've done excellent with casting for the musical over the years. HOWEVER. i have opinions. many of these are based on my own personal tastes, some of them are actual criticisms - all of them are subjective. dont let me dash any reader's enjoyment of it on the rocks. i dont think its a "good" adaptation of the original story. it sort of.... misses the point? of the. everything? it treats jekyll and hyde as separate, with hyde being "pure evil" and jekyll being. well. good. there's not a lot of nuance to it. it IS from jekyll's perspective, and jekyll is an unreliable narrator (one of the MOST unreliable) but i just dislike how it handles hyde's entire deal. because even with jekyll being an unreliable narrator, it still doesn't give any other nuance other than hyde is entirely separate and entirely evil and the source of all of jekyll's woes (not the point - its not OBVIOUS in the book, but it can be easily gleaned through jekyll's breakdown). not only that but the weird and unnecessary inclusion of violence against women and painting hyde (and by extension, jekyll) as a sexual predator. i don't think that's necessarily TERRIBLE WRITING, as. well i believe jekyll does have a lot of issues surrounding sex but i, personally, cannot see jekyll/hyde as a sex pest in the way the musical sees it. he's an effective villain for sure. i just wish it...... handled it better. i just can't see jekyll like that, not even in the original book. i also think the inclusion of not 1 but 2 female romantic interests kind of.... takes away from the original point, i think. what i liked about j&h proper is that it really is about jekyll's relationships with the other men in his life - particularly utterson and lanyon, and in the background poole and jekyll's unnamed father - and how his own issues and problems cause him to navigate those relationships (as well as him reinforcing toxic masculine standards) BUT THATS NOT THE STORY THEYRE TRYING TO TELL. which is fine!!! it's a story about jekyll, and how good his life was before he destroys it. i just don't like that they used misogynistic writing to tell that story. i wish the women in the musical were given far more depth than "jekyll's love interest" and "weary prostitute that hyde stalks", and that they had more.... substance. outside of jekyll/hyde. this isnt uncommon, and particularly not uncommon for musicals / media of this genre. women are just not given as much substance compared to the male leads. and its SAD :( another thing is the.... music. not the score itself - the orchestra is not particularly striking compared to some other musical soundtracks i listen to, however they do reuse motifs throughout the musical - and its exciting to pick that out! there are certain series of notes associated with jekyll/hyde. and i think thats cool because i love motifs. lyrically, i think it's lacking. i think it could have been far, far more interesting lyrics wise but im not sure why they didn't push for it? there's a lot of other musicals (frankenstein, for one) i can think of that are, musically, very stylistically similar but LYRICALLY far superior. i like that it takes a lot from the book, but the way it uses it... leaves something to be desired. the melodies are pretty good in some songs, though, ill give them that. i also dont like the idea of hyde as a crazed serial killer. the death of carew in the book was poignant. i think, it was jekyll's (hyde's, technically) first murder. i also dont think hyde (and by extension, jekyll) WOULD go on a crazed killing spree just for. whatever reason. i just don't really see it happening, but that's because the musical- once again- treats hyde as separate and fully evil and not part of jekyll. when i think of hyde - i think of, what would jekyll do if given the chance? serial killing is not one of those options for me. but the musical doesnt handle jekyll/hyde that way - all of it points towards jekyll not being in control, and not WANTING these things, but hyde, being SEPARATE, doing them anyway. because if.... if it didn't, it would paint jekyll as a very, very, very bad person. someone who 1. is willing to cheat on his fiance with a prostitute, 2. willing to HURT those he is sexually attracted to out of selfish desire when he's rejected 3. a potentially extremely abusive husband. i don't think this was the intention. i really don't. but if you put the musical through that lense, of jekyll/hyde being the same guy, well...... yeah i just dont think thats what they were going with. so i dont think, in the musical, they're portrayed as the same guy. which is not a kind of adaptation i like or prefer. to wind down, i think it's lacking. a bit... boring and somewhat tasteless. i think it couldve been much, much more. i think the lyrics could've been better, i think the writing could've been WAY better, i don't think, overall, it's a good "adaptation", or even a good retelling. i think it's misogynistic. i think it completely misses the point of the original book. i don't think it's even a "great" musical by musical standards. it's more.... just... lukewarm. i suppose. not "terrible" just not. good. BUT i do like some of the tracks, and i DO LOVE that UTTERSON is a big part of it! he's typically ignored in a lot of adaptations. i do love the dedication that theater groups bring to the musical (there's a recording of the russian version with an INSANE SET!!) - and i do love the actors that have portrayed these characters over the decades. i just wish the musical was..... i wish it understood the original message more. and wasn't obsessed with torturing women. and was actually good. and didnt suck. long story short. its not good. there's some qualities i like. but overall i think it sucks mad cheese. the end

[thatwritercricket]

Hiya, Cricket! May I please request some of your finest romantic headcanons for Sanji and Sabo with an afab non binary reader please? Like what traits made the boys fall for her/them, and how they confess to their s/o. Thank you very much for your time, stay awesome!

Thank you so much ;o;

mmmmMMMM I LOVE THIS. Good taste. SAY LESS >:3

(Also I went a little wild with this one, and got really chaotic LOL)

Sanji:

-Sanji would probably struggle a bit with his internal emotions

-I hate to say this, but gender and sex (as in gender assigned at birth) does change things a bit for him, at least at first

-Eventually he does some thinking and realizes that he’s a dolt and he would love you no matter what, he just loves YOU

-We stan a self aware king

-Now that he’s gotten over that, his focus is on planning a perfect confession

-Like roses, candles, a nice meal, it's a whole event

-The other Strawhats try to help make this perfect for Sanji

-Except for Luffy, who didn’t get it, and Zoro, who couldn’t care less LOL

-Luffy must be kept away from the nice food

-He will eat it and he will feel no remorse

-NOW ONTO THE ACTUAL DAY OF THE EVENT

-Sanji is dying inside

-He is terrified but very excited

-He sets everything together, Usopp helps keep Luffy distracted, Nami and Robin hang around just in case

-Zoro is in the Crow’s Nest sleeping, completely unbothered. Literally could not care less

-Now, Sanji goes to find you, it’s going well

-He’s being smooth like butter (like criminal undercover IM SORRY I HAD TO-)

-Spending some quality time together, maybe taking a little longer than he intended to

-You two were having fun talking!

-He leads you into the beautifully decorated galley (aka ship kitchen/eating area)

-Aaaaand the food is gone.

-Nothing left.

-Sanji.exe has stopped working.

-”WHAT HAPPENED ;O;”

Sanji ^

-It was Luffy. He got bored faster than usual and ended up eating the food.

-You couldn’t help but laugh, he tried so hard.

-Give him a hug and tell him it’s okay

-He breaks down and ends up rambling about how he wanted this to be perfect because he wanted to show you that despite his biases he wants to be the best man he can for you and how he loves you so much and-

-He freezes.

-THIS WAS NOT HOW THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GO.

-You kiss his cheek and tell him that it’s okay, you love him too. 

-He cries a little Im not gonna lie.

-You and Sanji are a power couple.

-Things Sanji likes about you? Everything.

-He can’t simply name one thing because he fell in love with you as a whole, not just because of one trait

-Despite his misgivings, he is very devoted and very sweet

-If someone misgenders you (and youre okay with it, of course!) he will gently correct them once or twice

-More than twice, he tends to get annoyed and think it’s intentional

Sabo under the cut!

Sabo:

-Sabo, my beloved.

-He tends to notice people who stick out from a crowd

-Someone who dresses unique, someone who stands out because they’re so outgoing, or the opposite, someone who sticks out because they’re so quiet

-This doesn’t mean he won’t notice you, just that those are the people his eyes tend to drift to!

-I mean look at his brother. Ace walks around shirtless with a cowboy hat and shorts, with his really dorky ASCE tattoo.

-Listen I LOVE Ace but I can’t take his tattoo seriously

-Personality wise, he loves when people who have strong beliefs and adamantly defend them

-His name isnt Sabo the Revolutionary for no reason

-He doesnt mind if you’re loud or quiet, he can appreciate and love both

-You being nonbinary is interesting to him!

-He knows that there are people who come from all walks of life, so he really enjoys getting to know you!

-If someone misgenders you by accident, he will either rely on you to handle it or he will gently correct them himself. It depends on what you are OK with.

-He can be very protective though, he worries about you a lot

-Sabo is traumatized so he definitely can be a worrier

-To put it lightly

-He is vastly different from Sanji, so he comes to the realization that he loves you a LOT faster

-Less soul searching more simping

-He takes you to a very pretty place, sets out like a small picnic or something

-Something meaningful yet quick, since he tends to be busy and may need to leave right away

-But he still wants it to be meaningful and memorable

-When you accept, he just goes ._. for a minute

-He didn’t expect you to actually reciprocate

-What was he expecting?

-He didn’t think that far ahead!

-He loves you so so much and is so happy that he can be with you

I wasn't planning on posting something else today, but I absolutely HAD to do this, it's so cute and fun. I hope you enjoy!! Ask Box: Open! ~Cricket <3

[tetsunabouquet]

Can't Help Falling In Love With You Chapter 3

Masterpost

A/N: Finally! It's out! I know, I've been busy lately with my homework and life, I really am sorry. I hope you enjoy chapter 3!

Midorima pulled back from the kiss, his cheeks red like a lobster. Your eyes were dazed and your confusion overrode your sadness, freeing you for a moment. "I apologize, I didn't meant to nanodayo!" You blinked before staring at his face. "Am I that senpai to you?" "What senpai?" "That senpai one admires from afar." You stated bluntly, watching as even Midorima's ears turnt red. He looked at his shoes and nodded, feeling etremely vulnerable himself all of the sudden. You chuckled. "You've got some really bad taste." Midorima looked at you, bewildered. "Why would you say such a thing about yourself? You've got some really excellent qualities, you're more then the drunken mess you currently are, nandayo." His way of speaking made you laugh and Midorima's heart skipped a beat as he heard the rich sound of your laughter. "Thank you for your kind words." You said, smiling softly. "It is the truth. You've got such a big heart and a great mind, it is easy to see, nanodayo." Midorima wore his heart on his sleeve at the moment, this was the moment if he had any, to come clean with how he felt. You looked deep into his beautiful green eyes, framed by those girlish long lashes. "You must be a very analytical kind of person to have noticed that. Most don't." You spoke matter of factly, being used to getting written off as 'just a girl from the streets' and treated you as someone worthless. It was but a cruelty you had gotten used to over the years. "That's because most people don't really bother to judge someone beyond their face value. Which is unfortunate, nandayo. Sometimes, the best people can go by unnoticed because of it. During middle school, when I was part of the legendary Teiko team, we had a phantom 6th man. Nobody ever noticed him and considered him valuable until our Captain noticed he had a strength our team missed. Some people just need to be seen with a different lense." You blinked, surprised at his wise words. 'This Midorima really is quite something. And he really likes me?' It was when you studied him out of curiosity, when your gaze finall befell upon the little trinket he carried with him. "That's the cutest stuffed jellyfish I've ever seen." "It's today's lucky item." You giggled. "Today's lucky item?" "Do you know Oh Asa?" "Eh? You believe in that stuff?" You looked at him, your expression looking even more surprised then before. "For some reason, unless I carry my lucky item with me, I'll get into lethal accident after another, nandayo." You tried to surpress a chuckle, and Midorima was honestly glad to see your mood become a little better. "Well, if it works for you, then I suppose that's nice. " You said, your gaze drifting off at the thought at how you could use a magical item to fix your life now. You jumped at the sound of the bell, indicating lunch time was over. Midorima looked at you and said, "You should go to the infirmary and get some rest. I am sure the nurse will understand if you're honest that you had a bad falling out with Sairenji. I'll go by your classroom and inform your teacher I sent you unwell to the infirmary." You smiled at him. "Thank you for being so kind." Midorima looked at you, wondering when it was the last time when he had let his guard down this much around another person, but as he looked in your eyes he knew he didn't regret allowing himself to be vulnerable. "You deserve it." Midorima said, and he meant it. He caught the touched look in your eye, and helped you up. He could have swore his heart stopped for a while, and that by the time you disappeared into the hallway towards the infirmary, he could finally feel it again, thumping so hard he could have choked on it.

[sotwk]

hey! i know you've probably answered some of this before, but which of your OCs is your favorite- whether your favorite to write, or to imagine headcanons for, or which has the character design/background you're most proud of or most looking forward to writing more of in the future?

Hello Anon! (Whether you're the same Anon who has asked me the other questions about my OCs or a new Anon altogether--I love you!)

I did answer a somewhat similar ask a while back where I babbled on about how I wish I had more courage to write and post stuff about Queen Maereth, my Elvenqueen, beloved Mother of the awesome Princes. She has a TON of history I meticulously interwove with Tolkien canon that I have written down only in notes. Alas, I am so terribly gun-shy about sharing them and I hope that, with a bit more encouragement from Readers (like you!), this will change soon.

But below the cut I will answer YOUR awesome question:

Favorite to write, or to imagine headcanons for: I genuinely cannot choose amongst the four OC princes which one I enjoy creating for because I can honestly say they inspire and excite me equally. What's so fun is that they're all different from each other, with their one common quality being they're all such GOOD GUYS. When I think of ideas for the 5 brothers (favorite food? hobbies? kissing style??), I go across the board, so they all have equal amounts of HC information in my notes.

Character design/background you're most proud of: Character design-wise, not necessarily most proud of, but I will admit Crown Prince Mirion is my favorite, purely as a matter of personal taste. I subconsciously based a lot of his characteristics on Hector of Troy, who is for me THE ultimate hero prince. Plus I gave him Henry Cavill (most beautiful man alive imho) for his face claim, so yeah--I kind of just created my ideal blorbo in this character.

Most looking forward to writing more of: AH! So the funny thing I was just telling my friend @achromaticerebus earlier is, some Readers have commented on which of the OC Thranduilions they like best, and no one has yet chosen Prince Turhir as their favorite. I am not at all offended by this (neither would Turhir really; he could care less about being popular), but I do find it amusing since Turhir is the most like Thranduil in both personality and interests. Everything I have written so far about Turhir shows him as a hardened warrior who's colder than his brothers, so I look forward to showing the softer (in)side that's actually pretty sexy. I think he's the type of person you just need to get to know before you fall head-over-heels for them. Did I mention his face claim is Sam Heughan, Jamie from Outlander?

Bonus writer secret!

I have been toying around with ideas for a possible (possible only, cannot stress that enough, I am afraid to promise anything, lol!) multi-chapter story that places a female OC or Reader in "Golden Age" Woodland Realm, where the lucky lady gets to hang out with the entire Royal Family and their household. Turhir is my top choice to be the leading prince in this story and the potential romantic interest.

Interested in SotWK content?

Introduction to SotWK

My Headcanon Masterlist 

My Fanfiction Masterlist

[ghosttownwherenoonegoes]

Thank you so much for your thoughts and assessment (is that the right word?) ! 🖤 I always love your opinion about characters, especially in such a in-character depth the show/movie itself didn't provide, you're absolutely awesome and intriguing! 🖤

Can I ask you something more? Of course it's alright if you don't want to 💖

What qualities do you think Eddie would look for in a person, romantic-wise?

You're so welcome! I suppose assessment is as good a word as any for how we look at characters and their personalities. Thank you so much! You sound like you know me from some of my other blogs and if that's the case, I'm honoured that you follow me across fandoms!!!🥰💖Thank you for your kind words, that means a lot to me! I hope my answers to your asks satisfy your curiosity! You can ask things whenever you want and I'll do my best to answer them, though no guarantees of course!

Hmm...

Okay, I honestly think Eddie will date anyone. Anyone. No matter what you look like, how you dress, your music taste, your favourite colour, where you sit in the canteen or where you work, etc., none of that matters to him.

What does matter to him are things like a kind heart – if you're mean to him or to his friends, either in front of him or, worse, behind his back, then there's no chance, even if he thinks you're attractive (and, again, what makes someone attractive to Eddie is personality, NOT appearance. Our metalhead doesn't judge or discriminate, unless you're an asshole. And then he's as mean to you as you are to him).

If you're shy or anxious, then he's actually quite good at balancing out the dynamic and he'll help you to feel comfortable while also seeing if he can't coax you out of your shell a little. If you're softly spoken or spoken over because you take a while to make a point (like Dustin asking about Lucas in Eddie's first scene, or because you just like to think before you speak), then he's making sure that you feel heard and listened to, shushing roughly anyone who tries to talk over you or put words in your mouth so you get to the point faster. I can see him saying something like, "go on, sweetheart, take your time. I'm listening." and giving you a soft smile before glaring at the person who tried to take that space away from you.

So, kindness is a big one. Maybe actually THE biggest one. If you're grumpy and rough 'round the edges (like me) but still kind, then that's something he loves. Someone who won't judge him on anything; his clothes, his class, his music, the fact he's still doing everything he can to graduate. Someone who meets him where he is in life and is willing for him to do the same. Someone who has a little bit of a bite to them; they don't take his bullshit (even if that's just glaring at him when he says something below the belt because you're not brave enough to actually speak up, or outright verbally calling him out; it's all the same to him. Intent over all else) but they also encourage him. Someone who is supportive, someone who is content to let Eddie be Eddie...

This isn't to say his standards are low, but fuck, if you're into him and you're kind and you got something a little off about you? He's head over fucking heels, at first sight. Attraction first, friendship next, and all else falls into place. Eddie would date anyone at all; if you're into him – and I mean genuinely into him, don't lie because he can sniff those out before you're even thinking of telling one – then high chances are, he'll be into you!

Eddie is Eddie and you're you and that's everything.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Tár (Field, 2022)

This review contains mild spoilers.

I think what hooked me right away was the look of the movie. I do not always do well with movies that can be described as aesthetically austere (at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think modern arthouse cinema has a tendency of mistaking austerity for artfulness and is too often afraid of raising the audience's pulse), but I think there's a clear sense of purpose here behind the movie's visual strategy. The colour palette here can be described as pallid and glum, heavy on damp greys, a coldness creeping into the images. The interiors are orderly, defined by clean lines and sparse furnishings, like we've stepped into a morose IKEA commercial. If we get warmer colours, they're from the dimmed lights in hotel rooms or in dramatically structured concert hall, which don't always feel like friendly settings. There's a sense of deliberate curation here, not unlike the persona the protagonist has manufactured for herself or the precision with which she purportedly engages in her art, and the breaks from this aesthetic (the crumbling ghetto she ventures into in one scene, her neighbour's unkempt home, the spectral non sequiturs, the oaken tones of her childhood home, the tropical greens of the Philippines) perhaps find cracks in her psyche. Maybe this is pat visual metaphor, but I was engaged by the forcefulness of the execution.

I suppose social media and smartphones are still a new phenomenon in the grand scheme of things, but this movie bridges the gap between the personal and the digital more compellingly than I've seen elsewhere. Computer and cell phone screens are not inherently cinematic, and what I think this movie does wisely is tie a sense of perspective to them. We see the protagonist pore over and react to questionable emails to and from a figure in her past. We observe her through a smartphone camera, as texts are exchanged deriding her. The movie does not fully reveal the entire context around these communications. We do not get a definitive answer on the protagonist's role in that figure's fate, nor do we see who exactly the exchanges are between, although in both cases we can make educated guesses. But that ambiguity enhances a certain isolating quality inherent in the digital, the way that negative feelings tied to online activity exist partially in a void. And between the early scene where she chews out a student for not wanting to study Bach for half baked social justice reasons and her eventual cancellation, the movie observes how the online world can spill over into the physical world.

I also found the movie pretty compelling for its ability to resist the usual cliches about portraying difficult artists, in that it refuses to conflate her personal failings with her artistry. The movie repeatedly brings up other artists with personal failings (like the aforementioned Bach scene), as if to goad you into making that conclusion, but the cruelty we see her mete out here is much more covert and almost adjacent to her success as an artist. (One of the funnier examples is the pettiness with which she undermines her neighbour's efforts to sell her apartment. "Apartment for sale! Your sister's in jail! We're all going to hell!") And of course it helps when you have a performance both as controlled and as physical as Cate Blanchett's here, especially as the control seems to be the point. It's not a coincidence that we see her getting a bespoke suit and shirt made, and I must take a moment to commend her good taste with respect to the height of her collar, the rise of her pants, and the slouchy silhouette of her jacket. Yes, yes, I'm talking about clothes again.

I am still chewing this one over and suspect I will have smarter (or at least more) thoughts on this later, perhaps on an eventual rewatch that I will very likely be doing at some point. But what I can say was that I was enrapt for the entirety of its two and a half hour runtime, despite the very real possibility that I could have fallen asleep.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

#Order 5: Advice from an Old Soldier.

Ok, so how do you do it again?

Ok, so it’s...

“Welcome to Canzanilla Café, can I take yer ooooorder~?”

Huh...

Ain’t that a bit...flamboyantly gay?

Would you rather I do anything else?

God no.

Well there we go then. Here, there’s more customers coming in, so I’ll lead by example.

Ok, looking forward to it.

*Kuripa steps out behind the counter and addresses one of the customers.

Welcome to Canzanilla Cafe, can I take yer ooooo-

Huh...!?

Uh...I think that’s a little different than what you did before.

O-Old man!?

Huh?

*Kuripa freezes as he sees who it is at the table.

Ah, Kuripa. Good to see you. I trust you are well?

W-Wait a sec...Old Man Hayamoto? What are YOU doing here?

Let’s just say that when you get to be my age, you oftentimes are overcome with the urge to travel and see new things that you may never have seen in all your years.

Kibin informed me what was going on here, so naturally, I was curious. Now that you’re here, I see why she brought it up. Not to mention Mr Ouma had also put in a good word about this place.

Who’s this Kuripa?

Ah. Is this a friend of yours?

This is the head bartender. She’s a friend from the USA, Maya Canzanilla.

You met my girlfriend Kibin, right Maya?

Yeah, why?

This old soldier is the man who raised her and taught her to survive when she was stuck alone during the tragedy. Kanjiro Hayamoto.

Right now, he’s employed as a chef at Kokichi’s cabaret club, the High Roller.

It is a pleasure to meet you.

Uh...you too sir.

*Maya leans over and whispers in Kuripa’s ear.

So...he’s one of the COOL old people, right?

Yeah. Like your wise grandad.

Mio nonno wasn’t wise.

Oh whatever. Show the man some respect or I bite you!

Alright jeez...!

*They turn back to Kanjiro.

We can continue chatting over drinks. What can I get you sir?

One Oolong Tea please. Oh, and I take it strong, thank you.

Here’s your tea sir~

Ah...!

*Kanjiro raises the steaming cup to his lips, smells, blows and then takes a sip.

Well?

Hm. Exquisite.

The tea is clear and glowing pleasantly...The fruity fragrance compliments the richness of the taste.

You can thank Maya for this one. Usually I make the tea, but she does this job a lot better than I do.

I don’t typically brew tea either. But you did tell me that this guy deserved the best we had.

Hahahaha...Thank you very much Kuripa. You’re far too kind.

And thank you, Canzanilla-sama, for the lovely drink.

Still...you really do remind me a lot of the old timers at my place back home. They tend to give...weird thoughts and opinions on their drinks as well.

Weird thoughts?

Well, not WEIRD weird it’s just...they sure have a lot to say about drinks.

Personally, I just gulp a drink down and say “This was yum”...and that’s it.

I see...so that’s what you mean.

I believe you may be misunderstanding those old folks intent, Canzanilla-sama.

Eh?

Savoring the drink you made and being mindful of it’s taste and quality is their way of showing RESPECT for your craft, and their gratitude to you for brewing it for them.

Tea and coffee of this quality is difficult to come by...but what’s even harder to come by is a barista who is capable of brewing in a way that perfectly suits the occasion AND the emotion.

What I’m saying is you’re a rare talent, and I’m sure your regulars appreciate what you do for them.

Wow I...I never thought of it that way.

You ok?

Yeah, it’s just...I dunno...

Guess I’ve just never seen eye to eye with elderly people my whole life. I never really truly got along super well with my Grandparents, even though they raised me. We were a happy family, but I don’t think I ever really understood them before now.

I’ve always just thought that...older people were annoying and didn’t shut up about things that I don’t understand or care about.

No matter what age you are, people come in all varieties of personalities. Some very good and others very bad.

But most of the time, it’s simply the desire of the older generation to teach the younger. It’s up to you whether you take their lessons to heart though.

I mean...I’m definitely interested in this whole “savoring tea” thing...Like I said, I’ve never really given my abilities much thought. How do you do it?

*Maya sits down opposite him.

Every type of caffeinated drink is unique. The more you drink, the more you will come to understand the subtle differences. 

Tell me. It is typical for the old folks at your café to smell the tea before they taste it? Or do they stare at it for a long while before they actually take a sip?

Yeah.

That’s the old fashioned way of ascertaining the quality without drinking it. If a blend smells musty and looks too cloudy, that implies it’s of lower quality. If it’s soothing and clear on the other hand, that says it’s higher-grade.

Damn...I’ve been missing out. My sense of smell ain’t that great, but...I could at least tell the difference between a good and bad cup of tea.

Yeah...I didn’t know that either, and I’ve been mixing drinks since I was a kid.

It’s nothing to be nervous about. As I said when I first arrived, my old age makes me naturally more curious to learn, just as young age does. Knowledge is a vast and wonderful thing, and it’s never ever too late to learn something new.

For example, did you know this is the first time I’ve ever had tea in a cup like this?

For real?

Yes. Usually I have tea in more traditional Japanese cups. Cylindrical containers with bumps on them typically.

If you’re interested in learning how to evaluate tea, do it like this. Observe the tea, smell the fragrance, take a sip. Sight, smell and taste are all important for evaluation.

As long as you set yourself a plan and follow it, you can’t go wrong.

I...learned a lot today. Thanks sir. You’re a good teacher.

Hehe...Please. The only thing I have ever taught before is how to survive and how to use weapons. Not an honest living by any means.

What I shared with you today are my own habits as a traditional, old-fashioned, Japanese local. 

Each region of the world has it’s own tea-based traditions and culture. If it wasn’t for the similarities between me and the elderly at your café at home. One should always respect the conventions of their own country.

You were born in Italy, right?

Yeah, in Bologna.

I think you’ll find that the advice I’ve given you may not be very useful back in your birth country.

Still, I hope you can take something away from this.

Yeah, I’ll be sure to remember it. Well, I am pretty scatterbrained, so I guess I can only promise to try.

*Kanjiro places his finished tea down on the table neatly, and then stands up.

Thank you for such excellent tea, Canzanilla-sama. It made my trip to the Future Foundation all the more enjoyable.

I take it you were originally here to visit Kibin?

Yes. It is the Christmas season after all.

*He takes his money out of his pouch and places it down on the table.

But if this cafe remains open for that season, then I will certainly become a regular.

Well, this is kind of a limited time event, so we’ve only got a few days left before we have to close the shop.

Regardless, you have my full support.

*Kanjiro bows and leaves the cafeteria.

...

That gave you a lot to think about huh?

Yeah...I’ve never really gotten along with old people but...maybe I just misjudged them. I always thought that smelling tea was just...something they did because they were old...I didn’t realize they were trying to compliment me.

...I’ll think on that.

[sorabyul]

yet another concert that i claim to be one of my favourites, but i truly mean it. the rose joins day6, seventeen, epik high as my top concert experiences of all time ♡

i went into the rose's concert with low expectations. i know they're talented, but i always thought that the majority of their songs fell outside of my personal taste. tbh this concert was going to be more for my best friend than for me, but the concert truly lived up to its name — healing together is what we achieved tonight.

concert-wise, the rose is also just so solid?? like weirdly enough, their studio albums do not do their music justice. they're voices are even better live and their instrumentals resonate, like i-feel-it-deep-within-my-chest-until-it-can-heal-my-heart level resonate. i always end up walking away from concerts with more favourites than when i started and tonight was definitely the case.

but there was so much that i learned tonight about the rose, and i'm so thankful for it:

woosung is (arguably) the least musically inclined — i always thought that, given his solo career, he was the most musically talented, and the other members were there to support and build upon his musicality but i was very wrong. don't get me wrong, his performance quality and voice are still unreal but all the other members can sing?? and they play multiple instruments?? they are so well-rounded, it's enough to make me fall in love with them!!

dojoon is so fucking cute i cannot deal — his english is so good and he was so cute in how he interacted and joked around with the crowd. he's such a happy soul on stage and dare i say he may be my favourite member now??

i didn't know they've been making music together for 7 years — they are such close knit friends and you can definitely tell! like yeah, bands are stationary but they moved and danced and jammed each other whenever the opportunity arose. from jaehyeong and dojoon crossing the stage to each other, to them hugging and supporting each other, to how dojoon made jaeheyong and hajoon sing, like ahhhh!! it's so refreshing to see groups actually be true friends in the korean music scene ♡

another standout moment that i will never forget for the rest of the life was "seesaw".

woosung and dojoon, who are most fluent in english, started off by explaining the meaning behind this album and how/what healing (through music) means to them. then, jaehyeong took the mic and you could tell that he was really nervous because he's likely a) not used to being in the spotlight (as the bassist) and b) his english isn't as fluent as the main vocalists.

but he started explaining how he wrote seesaw as a way for him to open up because he's not that kind of person to begin with, but he wanted to heal with his members and to share that experience with the world.

then, they showed this video (which was filmed in korean) that showcased the meaning of the song a bit more, specifically with each member talking about how they wanted to support jaehyeong.

so he starts singing, and it's magical because it's just piano and strings in the background. and the vibe just hit right, so everyone had their lights going. by the time woosung and dojoon take over the vocals, jaehyeong was just watching the crowd and i'm not joking when i say that my eyes did not leave him.

i can only imagine how surreal it was for him — to be in a foreign country, to bare your soul to faceless strangers, to have your story told in a perfect harmony of lyrics and music, to see twinkling lights make your hard work sparkle that much more, to be supported and support others at the same time.

something inside of me moved when he turned back to start crying because i just know that it was something he'll never forget. after the song ended, everyone cycled through unified, thunderous cheers of "we love you", "jaehyeong", and "괜찮아" (it's okay) for him. i'm honored to have been a part of an act of pure love, and i hope he knows that, even though we don't speak his language, we heard him.

i'm really, really glad that i went. i feel like a different person than i was this morning, and if that's not a healing, beautiful thing then i don't know what is.