#and that it's an extremely good muffler

[lytters]

i cannot for the life of me stop thinking about bakusquad giving your s/o the shovel talk fkrbkfjf

[mockerycrow]

Frozen Fingertips [1/2] (Ghost x GN!Reader)

ghost masterlist - crow’s mega masterlist - part two

Summary: You and Simon are in an extremely cold and snow covered area of Russia and manage to get separated from everyone else when a blizzard comes out of nowhere. Ghost helps keep you alive.

[WARNINGS: Light descriptions of developing hypothermia and frostbite, angst, hurt/comfort, ghost is actually worried.]

THE EXTREMELY COLD air bit at the little skin that’s exposed on your face and invades your lungs, nearly feeling like it’s sending frost to bite at the most inner corners of your esophagus. Dressed in snow boots, a snow suit as well as a snow jacket with a bullet proof vest, a thick scarf, two layers of gloves—a pair of thin gloves and then your snow gloves—as well as a beanie with your hood up. You tried to tie your scarf in such a way where it covers the lower portion of your face, but movement has made the fabric crumble down. The conditions of the snowy forest you’re trudging through are harsh; the snow is several feet deep, nearly up to your mid-thigh, causing you to have to quite literally pull your leg through dense snow, and of course you forgot your sunglasses for this trip. The bright sun is shining onto the snow surrounding you, successfully blinding you, causing you to squint until you give yourself a headache.

You have no idea what temperature it is, but all you know is that the fact that you’re moving through the snow is the only thing getting you through this. Your nose burns from the cold and so do your cheekbones, and any other skin that is exposed. You hold your rifle tighter to your chest in an attempt to maintain warmth, and despite all of your protective clothing, you don’t feel warm at all. You’re traveling with Ghost, while Soap, Price, and Gaz are infiltrating a nearby safehouse, owned by Makarov. You and Ghost are making your way to the exfil point after providing overwatch—the weather was beginning to pick up, blocking your line of sight. You shudder as some snow lands on the tip of your nose and melt, but nearly immediately freeze due to the temperature.

You keep dragging your feet through the snow, one foot after the other, trying to think warm thoughts to keep you going. Your radio crackles to life and Ghost’s muffled voice comes through; he’s only in front of you, but the snow can act as a sound muffler. “Doin’ alright?” His voice is like a wave of warmth washing over you, and you close your eyes for a moment as you walk. You open them and mumble, “Freezing my ass off, sir.” Ghost lets out a huff that almost sounds like a chuckle. “Keep moving, sergeant. You’ll keep your strength and warmth up.” You don’t bother to respond as you continue to trudge on. The wind begins to pick up as well as the falling snow slowly turns into a mini blizzard. “This is Price to Ghost and [Name], how copy?”

You don’t bother to respond as you’re focused on keeping yourself upright—when did you begin to feel so tired? “Loud and clear, Price. The weather’s pickin’ up.”

When did you begin to feel so.. warm? ..What?

You blink and suddenly you find yourself collapsed into the snow. You don’t question it, because you’re quite comfortable. The coldness of the snow feels good against your suddenly warm skin. You’re violently shivering, but you don’t mind. You’re warm. A pair of hands grab your coat, flipping you over so you’re no longer face down into the snow. You whine and weakly try to push whoever is touching you because their gloved hands are on your face, brushing snow off of your skin. “Stop,” You slur, your voice wobbling. Your hearing tappers out for a moment, and apparently so does your vision because the next thing you know—you find yourself in a cabin.

The first thing you feel is warmth—and then extreme coldness, and then numbness, and it’s a repeating cycle, causing you constantly shiver where you’re laying. Your limbs feel so heavy and you just want to stay laying down, but you’re hit with the thought of Ghost. Did he bring you here? Or did something happen, causing someone to take you? Your thoughts are in disarray, that much is clear. You can’t even form a coherent thought. You blink slowly as to focus your gaze, and you see a tall and bulky figure bent down by a fireplace, which you’re laying near. Huh. You’re somehow stuffed inside your sleeping bag. The figure’s back is turned to you, so whatever they’re doing, you’re unable to see. “C’mon,” The rough voice hisses. Oh, it’s Ghost.. Duh. You let out a choked noise as a weird pain of blistering pain radiates through your skull, and you’re vaguely aware of the feeling of your blood quickly rushing back into your fingertips, the humming sensation in your fingers nearing painful. They were lightly tingling before.

You blink again; time has passed. There’s a fire going now, a steady one, but it’s clearly not enough. Not with the way Ghost’s intense eyes are staring into yours, him saying something about you staying awake, something about how he knows you want to sleep—which he’s right about—but you can’t, and that you shouldn’t. You nearly wanna reach over and smack him about that, and you would have if you could move without the sluggish and heavy weighted feelings in your limbs. Who is he, to tell you, what you can and cannot do?? “I’m tired, Ghost.. Lemme sleep.” You croak out—your voice is trembling and you don’t understand why, but your body doesn’t give you enough energy to properly question it and you lay your head back down, trying to turn it away.

“Need you to keep those eyes open, [Name],” Ghost’s voice is suddenly.. very, very, very close to your ears. Your eyes flutter back open—you don’t even remember closing them—and you’re face to face to his mask. His brown eyes burrow into yours, nearing unreadable, but one thought pops up when your head allows it; he’s worried. Ghost is worried. “M’here,” You mutter, feeling yourself shake in your sleeping bag. “I’m here.” You watch as Ghost gets up from his position, which was looming over you, to add more fuel to the fireplace. The fire cracks and sparks alive once again, and you never noticed it died down. Must’ve been a while, of you being in and out. Your head is finally allowing you think more clearly. “How..” You lick your dry and cold lips before continuing. “How long has it been?”

Ghost looks over at you, pausing for a moment before poking at the burning wood with a fireplace poker. “You don’t know?” He questions, his voice tense. Bad sign. You not remembering how much time has passed is a very bad sign. You shake your head, tugging your sleeping bag closer to your body in a sluggish manner. Ghost’s quiet as he moves back over to you, grabbing his own sleeping bag which is tightly rolled up and attached to his backpack. Ghost begins to unravel the fabric and unzip it, in an attempt to make a blanket. “Well, a big blizzard started up as we were headin’ to the RV. Found you face down in the snow a bit behind me, and knew you..” He trails off as pulls the zippers down, hesitating in his movements. “..knew you needed to rest, needed help.”

You press your lips together because it’s so clear Ghost is avoiding what he wanted to say; what you both know what he meant. A harsh shiver rolls out through your body, harsh enough to make your vision spin, causing Ghost to huff. He drapes his unzipped sleeping bag over your body, tucking the extra fabric under your body. You groan quietly and you shut your eyes for a moment. Ghost is shifting stuff around and you his gloves fingers push your hat up ever so slightly and then you feel.. skin pressing against your forehead?? Your eyes open sleepily to the sight of Ghost’s mask pushed to above his nose, exposing his scarred lips and cheeks. You open your mouth to say something but a quiet whimper leaves you as your vision swims again—not giving you a moment to think about his kiss against your forehead. “Cold.” He mutters as he grabs the edge of his mask and pulls it back over the rest of his face, down to his neck. You watch as Ghost takes off his scarf and wraps it around your neck instead, and then he lays down next to you and wraps an arm around you, pulling you closer. You try to question why he’s doing this, but Ghost is already three steps ahead of you. “You’re not of any help if you’re dead, love.” His voice is steady, but it’s on edge—like he’s scared.

You shut your eyes and you lean into his everlasting warmth, and you decide to not point out how his gloved fingers are stroking the exposed skin of your face in a soothing manner.

[trypo-p]

Love to see ur Blu Scout headcanons!! :}

oh I am SO excited for this okayokayokay

BLU Scout Headcanons

BLU Scout's name is still Jeremy, but he was mostly called James.

BLU Scout is extremely pale compared to his RED counterpart. (I headcanon RED Scout as being quite tan)

He has tons of freckles, mostly on his shoulders.

A lot of scars. Scars too deep for the Medigun to fix.

His nose, cheeks, fingers and shoulders are often very flushed due to the cold conditions he's used to (this also leads to my headcanon that the BLU base is in a snowy area)

Light auburn hair!!!!!!

His arms are much more built than RED Scout (they both have absolutely JACKED calves but I like to think RED Scout has no muscle built in his arms)

His personality is quite different from RED Scout. BLU is blunt, rude, and he's come to terms with his insecurities and doesn't hide them under a fake ego like RED does. He still has the same charm RED has though.

He pisses people off if he wants attention. He doesn't want anyone to form a bond with him but he still craves the attention.

Avid smoker. Smokes the same brand that Spy does.

Unlike the RED Scout, BLU has zero interest in Miss Pauling. Or women at all.

Always wearing his scarf (Merc Muffler), I like to think BLU Sniper knit it because he canonically knit RED Scout a sweater.

Wears the "Ye Olde Baker Boy" hat w/ earmuffs + "Wipe Out Wraps". It may look like he's prepared for the winter but he's always considered underdressed for the cold to his team.

BLU has an ongoing grudge against his RED counterpart. Everytime they see each other on the battlefield they get into these huge cat fights.

BLU can actually read.

Struggles with social cues.

Used to work at a diner as a waiter so he could help his ma pay the bills.

Among everyone in his team, he gets along the most with Sniper, Engie, and Medic.

I'll probably think of more at some point, but this is how I've always seen BLU Scout.

Also I never made up fanon names for mercs until just recently. I read this really good speeding bullet fic where they called BLU Scout James and I haven't put it down since.

[jobrker]

small canonical details in sweeney todd:

i've been obsessed with this musical for far too long. i will likely be making a second post. enjoy.

lucy could have married up. whether this is due to her family being better off than benjamin or just because she was beautiful, the line in poor thing, "had her chance for the moon on a string" implies that she could have married better than she had. someone who could "afford" to buy her the moon.

lovett's first name is nellie. this comes from a line of dialogue before not while i'm around where she says, "sit here by your aunt nellie like a good boy and look at your lovely muffler."

lovett has an aunt named nettie. nettie lived near the sea and lovett would visit her as a child, explaining her desire to move there. we do not know if aunt nettie is still alive or not.

mr. lovett's first name was albert. he developed gout and possibly passed away due to complications with it.

toby is implied to be an alcoholic. he grew up in a workhouse and he claims that is what they gave to the children.

catholicism was extremely controversial in england during the victorian era. it was just becoming legal in the 1840s. so the fact that pirelli mentions shaving the pope probably isn't very impressive to the crowd of londoners. pirelli, being irish, was probably catholic himself which explains why he brags about it.

during the competition scene between todd and pirelli in the 1970 bond play, todd uses anthony during the tooth-pulling segment and yanks out one of his molars. anthony immediately forgives him, being the good boy he is.

pirelli sees a tailor. this may imply that he makes enough swindling people into buying his elixir that he can afford such an expense whereas a lot of people of his background likely couldn't.

saint dustan's church is what's actually at the address of 186 fleet street. in a string of pearls, the tunnels underneath are used. this explains the bells we hear throughout the show, before not while i'm around and johanna (quartet) and this is the church anthony plans on bringing johanna to in order to marry her.

johanna was a year old when benjamin was sent away.

turpin works at the old bailey. this courthouse has since been destroyed (due to a fire). the "old bailey" was actually a nickname for it because of it the street it was on. it was actually called the central criminal court. it was renamed in 1834. todd was in australia by that point so he likely doesn't know the new name.

lucy sewed, as most victorian women/housewives did.

anthony is from plymouth, a (then) fishing town in south-eastern england.

lovett is uneasy at the idea of discussing what goes on in asylums when todd and anthony begin forming a plan to get johanna back. potentially, this has to do with lucy and knowing her fate.

lovett mentions visiting aunt nettie and the seaside during the august bank holiday. however, this bank holiday wasn't established until 1871. sweeney todd takes place in 1846.

despite knowing that lucy had been prostituting herself, todd still calls her virtuous in his last moments.

todd has some knowledge of engineering and construction since he was able to turn his barber chair from just a chair to one that connects to a chute and can send customers to the bakehouse. he would have to make that chute himself. he possibly learned this from his time in australia.

lovett adopts a few birds between act one and two. they are in a cage outside of the pie shop for customers to enjoy. she also has a garden out there.

act one takes place in august.

[seat-safety-switch]

Have you ever been in a public washroom, or even at a friend's house, and realized they cheaped out on toilet paper? Doctors are united in their consensus: rough-feeling, inexpensive toilet paper sucks. It might even kill you, they imply strongly. Don't worry, though, there is a solution, and it doesn't even involve awkwardly asking someone to spend a buck on TP.

Introducing the Seat Safety Switch Solutions Bath Products Softener Mill/Pulper. Sure, that name is pretty long, but we have to be extremely specific because of our battle with our former manufacturing firm, which has now renamed itself to Shenzhen Safety Switch Solutions and is kicking the shit out of us in the market. Don't worry about how long the name is, because you're gonna want one, and everyone at the store will know exactly what it is when you ask. If they pretend like they don't, they're just hiding one in the back, so they can take it home when their shift is over. Ask louder.

Here's how it works. When you're at your friend's place, you can use this device to convert the nasty cheap toilet paper into smoother, baby-soft toilet paper. All you have to do is cram a whole pile of it in there, and then the portable mill will re-process the toilet paper into a much thicker, higher-quality weave. Give us a few more bucks and we'll even put in a diamond-quilting option. You're worth it.

Sure, it takes a lot of toilet paper on the input. It'll take about two rolls of the cheap paper to make a single square of the good stuff. You won't need as much, though, and you're not paying for it. What you are paying for, and our lawyers insist that we be extremely explicit about this aspect of it, is the fuel to run the V8 engine that operates the mill. Don't worry. I know what you're gonna say: isn't that heavy and loud? We combed the junkyards to find the smallest V8 (a mere 4.4L) and stuck a couple coffee cans on the ports for a muffler. As long as you keep it topped up with fuel – we do have a propane conversion kit, for a couple extra bucks – it can have your ass wiped in less than an hour.

Overall, these disadvantages are worth it never to feel the discomfort of sandpaper on your butthole, ever again. And if you're especially cheap, you may even realize that you can convert all that unwanted junk mail around the house into toilet paper, too, but our lawyers would caution you against doing so and will expressly state that we do not endorse such an act. Just give it a hearty thumbs-up.

[primojade]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒.

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 | in which tighnari makes up for the few weeks of loneliness away from your side as he let you teach him how to ice skate during the winter holiday because 'tis is the season to remember.

𝐂𝐖 / 𝐓𝐖 | gn!reader x tighnari; fluff; a bit hurt then comfort; kissing; let me know if I missed anything!

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 | this is my exchange gift for @mako-yaki in the Secret Santa Event hosted by @2022gisecretsanta ! I was supposed to add Ayato and Kazuha (and Wanderer cause I thought of a good scenario for him oof) but I sadly have no time to write more for them so maybe I'll just do a part 2 soon if possible! Still, I hope you like this as much as I love writing them! Happy holidays to you, comrade <3

PS. I'm most certain that teyvat do not have christmas because of its origin but for the sake of this fic, I just renamed it as a winter holidays with unknown origin lol. And I'm not certain too if my dear secret santa celebrates christmas so to be safe, christmas is referred to as 'winter holiday' instead!

masterlist

You glide for a few meters after stepping onto the ice to reacquaint yourself with the sensation beneath your skates. You awkwardly spin around, stumbling a little when the blades hit an uneven chunk of ice, but you quickly get back on your feet before you completely lose balance. You smile to yourself, at least you remember how to do that.

It's been a while since you have been in an outdoor rink, knowing that you were staying in Sumeru and its rainforest for a few years now. But the sight of multiple pairs of lovers skating together hand in hand as if they own the world, little children waddling about unsteadily on the ice, parents flailing around as they frantically attempt to chase after their cheeky children who have yet to wear their mufflers...

It all brings a fond grin to your face, memories of childhood and holiday outings coming to mind.

You gaze up at the place surrounding the rink, the bright blue sky filled with clouds and the towering pine trees located at the other end of the rink, and you feel excitement begin to well up in your chest. An excited hum escapes your lips, and you’re about to skate off when it hits you that you’ve forgotten something—or rather, someone.

You turn around at the sound of your name, and you see Tighnari standing a distance behind you, though even standing seems to pose a huge challenge to him. He’s trembling while flailing his arms as he attempts to keep his balance, even though it’s clear that he’s just barely taken a step off the ground.

His gaze darted between the ice then to you, slight panic glazing in his eyes. Though some relief sets in when you skate over to him, he gives you an irritated glare and an embarrassed flush of his cheeks when he sees you stifling your laughter at his pathetic state. 

You hold out your hand to him once you’re close enough and immediately he clutches tightly to your arm like a lifeline.

"The audacity of you to leave me behind, you heartless dunce." He huffed angrily, leaning against you as he tried to release the tension in his muscles, clearly tired from the effort of standing on ice even for a short period of time. "I can’t believe you almost left me alone to rot here!"

The way that extreme embarrassment tends to turn the fennec hybrid into a petty drama queen is so amusing. Especially when he still seeks you out despite how irritated he is.

"But you were doing okay," you said, though both of you know that he was the exact opposite of being okay. "It's your first time so don't be so stressed about it," you continue when his disgruntled scowl deepens at your unconvincing tone. "At the very least, you didn’t cry, 'Nari, I’m so proud of you."

He groaned in irritation when you patted his ears teasingly, brushing off your hand almost immediately. "I did not fall, thank you very much. And I don’t cry over such petty things."

"Oh? I'm confident your eyes were misty when I skated over to support you earlier."

“I did no such thing,” he scowled, though his long ears started dropping in defence. “Skating is rather hard, okay? I believe you were forgetting I have lived in the rainforest all my life. This is my first time.”

“Don't worry, I got you.” You said with a reassuring smile, nudging his waist lightly with your elbow. The action made him stumble and cling tighter to your arm in response. The absolute shock that crossed on his usually stern face makes you giggle, and it takes you a while to calm yourself so that he’ll stop glaring at you. 

You pried his hand away from your sore arm, and instead, intertwining his fingers with yours. "Don’t worry, 'Nari. We’ll hold hands, so don't let go."

Tighnari's brows shot up in the hairline, not comforted in the least by your reassuring smile. “I swear to all Archons in Teyvat, [Name], I’ll make you regret this if you let me go or pull weird tricks to make me fa—”

"I won’t! What kind of lover do you take me for?” You pouted.

Before he can come up with a snarky reply, you start pulling him across the ice rink. You have to bite the inside of your cheeks to keep your laughter to yourself when you hear him release an undignified yelp before tightly latching both his hands onto yours.

Come to think of it, despite his ungodly snarks and overall clumsiness at skating, your favourite scholar really isn’t too bad for a first-timer. He merely fell once so far. 

That first time was because you let his hand go for staring too long at that person who was executing a beautiful spin and statingstating bluntly that you skated like a "circus snake" compared to them. So rude. 

Though it wasn't that unusual when Tighnari insists on taking a break.

“What are you looking at?” His lips were curled downward in displeasure while seated on the bench.

“Nothing~"

"Sometimes, I really hate you.”

“Hehe. Love you too, 'Nari.” You respond in a sickeningly sweet, but mischievous voice. You bark a laugh loudly when he makes a move to get away from you but slips on the icy surface of the ground and lands squarely on his bum instead. That's twice now, you thought with a snicker.

After attempting for several minutes to convince Tighnari that you would stop harassing him for another hour and then failing spectacularly, you are left with little alternative but to drag him there. Back on the ice rink, you make the decision that you should definitely try to make your grumpy partner smile once more.

When he asks suspiciously what you're "plotting" this time, you refuse to say anything and gingerly take his hand before skating slowly toward the center of the rink. His misgivings and distrust towards you make you want to pout, but they aren't entirely unfounded given how you almost made him lose his sanity and completely drove him insane in the past hour.

“What are you doing?” He questioned in confusion.

"Dancing with the music while on ice!" You answer with a grin. "Since you're still new to this skating thing, just thought we could use a change of pace. And so that you would stop glaring at me already."

His brows furrowed. “And you didn’t think that I could use something like this earlier instead?"

You shush him, pressing a finger to his lips. "Shush. Just enjoy the moment, 'Nari."

He grumbles something incoherent under his breath, probably more complaints but nonetheless, his grip on your waist tightens to pull you closer to him, and he allows you to pull him along in slow circles. The both of you sway in time to the mellow beat, and after a while you hear Tighnari humming along softly to the carol while the ghost of a smile plays on his lips. His shoulders begin to loosen as he eases into the dance, the creases on his forehead fading away the more he loses himself in your eyes and in the faintly playing music.

Wordlessly, you felt your heart swell with affection. Tighnari has been so busy these past few weeks, and you both barely saw each other, if not at all. It makes you feel a little lonely, but you understand that his job requires his full attention and that many people rely on him as their leader.

You understand that, yes, still…it doesn't mean that you have to like it.

Perhaps Tighnari felt guilty about leaving you behind for so long either, and he felt it was his fault that he wasn't by your side at your lowest time when you needed him the most, so when the news of a new skating rink reaches his ears in the nearby country of Fontaine, he latches on the chance to take you along, knowing how you loved such excursions but have no time nor place to enjoy doing so. 

And even though it was his first time ice skating, and he wasn't even that used to the cold climate, Tighnari still took the effort to bring you here and you were grateful for his thoughtfulness for that. Whether he regrets it now or not because of your mischievous 'plotting' that almost made him senile remains to be seen.

When he appears to be less wary of the ice, you slowly skate backwards to pull away from him so you can lift his arm over and do a twirl along with him. The childish action pulls a chuckle from his lips, which causes your own to curve upwards as well.

"I supposed this isn’t half bad anymore," he remarked lightly.

"Right? I told you you would love this.”

He clarifies his sentence. "Correction: I like it when you don’t push me or make me skate like a Rishboland Tiger on incense."

Chuckling, you start skating and pulling him along with you. "It was your fault that you fell twice."

"You pushed me the first time," he argued.

"That was your fault, too."

"It wasn't, you lummox. I was doing fine until you—hey, look out!”

Before you can even process what he is saying, your left leg smacks against something hard, throwing you off balance. As you recoil and drag Tighnari down with you, all you can see is his gaping mouth and frozen expression of dread.

Your bottom takes the majority of the impact as your body crashes to the hard ice, and something sharp and unpleasant is jabbing at your side. Tighnari slammed directly on top of you, his immense weight knocking the wind out of you. He tries to get off of you as quickly as possible, but accidentally slips and falls on you again, this time, crushing your ribs.

“Ugh. I'm so sorry,” he muttered hurriedly, moving to get up so his weight is on his forearms that are resting on either side of your face. "Are you okay!?"

"I'll live." You replied with a grimace. "What was that?"

"A snowboard," he replies, looking over his shoulder where a blue overturned snowboard is lying. "Who in the world left that lying in the middle of a skating rink? That's highly dangerous! I would love to get some words with—"

"Probably a child," you stopped his tirade before it escalated to something close to a full-blown lecture. "Oww…"

Tighnari carefully crawls away from you so he has sufficient space to get back on his feet and once he’s up, he holds out a hand to you. "I'll help you up,"

You clasped his hand and allowed him to pull you up. But about halfway through, he manages to tip over—possibly because you put too much weight on him—and falls backward, dragging you with him.

You both crash land in a jumbled heap of limbs for the second time today. Perhaps the pain has finally reached your mind, but when you shift so that your weight is off of him and gaze down at his dumbfounded face, you can't help but laugh out loud. You know the people around you are giving you strange looks, but you can't help it.

You manage, struggling to recover your breath between laughs, "Today has been such a mess."

Tighnari is just staring at you like you've finally lost it, but before long the corners of his chapped, dry lips are also curling upwards and soon enough, he's laughing along with you at the ridiculous situation the two of you are in.

He sighed, blowing out a puff of breath and lightly flicking your forehead good naturedly. "You better make up for this later to me, you big lummox."

"Heh. Of course. Anything else you want as compensation?" You asked, brushing the viridescent strand of his hair from concealing his lovely face. He deserves this after all the terrorising from you today.

As he mulls over the query, his features settle into a thoughtful expression, and his lips pursed. Very cute, the way he’s almost pouting with his lips pushed out like that. Looking at him from this angle, with his dark hair splayed out around his head like a halo, lying on the shimmering ice beneath the bright rays of the sun in winter, you can’t help but feel your chest swell with affection. The loneliness you felt over the weeks apart from each other slowly, but surely unveiling itself little by little until it becomes nothing but a bittersweet memory.

He takes so much time to decide, and you feel impatient. So, with a mischievous smile, you lean in, catching him completely off guard when you press your lips to his. You pull away quickly after leaving a gentle peck, but his hand is quick to press on your back to keep you from moving away too far.

“One more time.” His tone is serious, but his face is well on its way to matching the colour of Nilou's hair as his gaze remains on your face, attentive olive eyes tracing the lines of your features and lingering on the changing colour of your heated cheeks. “As...compensation, that is.” he added, by way of explanation.

You smile brightly, ignoring the sting of your cracking lips when they spread too wide, and you lean in, more than happy to comply and compensate, while you’re at it.

This sweet moment is more than anything you could take home as a holiday keepsake.

TAGLIST (let me know if you want to be added in my future works!): @samarill , @maehemthemisfit , @chocogi , @rvoulte , @luvwukong ...

[hirocimacruiser]

Monster Mirage RS type Rb

An astounding world from the moment you step on board

The Mirage RS is positioned as a competition-based vehicle. It can be said to be a car. Furthermore, the price of the vehicle is lower than that of rival models. Therefore, it is possible to set a low price even if it is sold as a complete car, and Monster's Mirage RS typeRb was released as a complete car.

Photography: Takahito Naito Vehicle cooperation: Monster 0427-96-7772/03-3304-7789

With the arrival of the Civic Type R and Pulsar VZ-R, the Mirage has been dethroned as the most specced car in its class, but that doesn't change the appeal of this car. After all, the RS, which is a competition-based vehicle, has many attractive features such as a reinforced body, a modified engine, and an extremely low price. This car has enough elements to be a base car, but when it comes to modifications, it tends to be thought of as a minor base car. The Type RS/Rb released by Monster is a complete machine based on the modified minor RS. Setting of this complete car

The range is wide ranging from street to circuit. The suspension is equipped with the currently mainstream vehicle height adjustable shock, and the spring rate is 5kg for both front and rear, making it a not-so-stiff setting. Furthermore, the use of damping force adjustable shocks and variable rate springs shows that they place emphasis on ease of use on the street. In addition, the semi-metal brake pads and intake and exhaust system have also been modified. At 1.78 million yen, it feels like a great deal. In terms of driving performance, these parts are incorporated into a car that already exhibits good performance, so it's easy to imagine. Furthermore, to that extent (although still sufficient)

For those who are not satisfied with the modifications, there are many optional parts available, so you can't go wrong. Reinforced bushings and stabilizers, LSDs, lightweight flywheels, reinforced clutches, etc. One of the strengths of complete cars is that these parts can be installed at a lower price than the normal price if necessary.

Enjoying the process of modification is one way, but isn't driving a complete car as is or adding further modifications to the car as another way to enjoy SSC?

PIC CAPTIONS

Coilover shocks are standard

●●Original height adjustable shock. As Monster actively participates in various competitions, we have absolute confidence in its quality. Further modifications are possible with reinforced bushings (+7,700 yen ~) and reinforced stabilizers (+36,000 yen). Brake pads come standard with semi-metal. Wheels are optional parts. Wheel and tire

+170,000 yen for the set. Light unsprung weight

●Adjustable pillow upper

-Mount is standard equipment. direct

Steering response is obtained.

Specifications can be changed according to your preference

●The intake system uses a genuine replacement type sports filter. Furthermore, optional parts for more power are available

If you choose the full option set (+182,500 yen), you can be equipped with a lightweight chromoly flywheel and a reinforced metal clutch. Additionally, LSD can be installed if necessary. ②A large-diameter all-stainless steel muffler is equipped as standard. The exhaust sound is also good.

Even the interior is perfect

●As for the interior, each person has different tastes, but it is possible to install a Sparco steering wheel (+23,000 yen~). ②Bucket seats also made by Sparco start at +68,000 yen. Both are FIA ​​approved parts.

Don't forget to reinforce

A simple body reinforcement part, the strut tower bar (made of steel), can also be installed on the front and rear for an additional 18,000 yen. By wearing them at the front and back, it is possible to ensure a balanced front-rear relationship.

[vro0m]

I agree with your prev post btw, however a similar discourse was fueling the bird app a while ago and i’ve been meaning to say something adjacent;

>>This is also all my opinion, i’m also not trying to police f1, Lord knows we have enough of that;

I personally think as long as you’re a journalist, why shouldn’t one be biased? it’s a sport at the end of the day. A technical one so there’s a more quantifiable logic but a sport regardless. I don’t like comparing F1 to other sports but atm that’s what’s lacking (imo). Rivalry makes a sport. it allows like minded people bond over mutual love/distaste (maybe those are harsh words and it gets borderline toxic most times but ygwim). Again, you and you alone are entitled to how you enjoy your hobbies.

I appreciate Max and Lewis fans so much cuz imo they’re the ones keeping the lights on. These drivers haven’t been in a title fight in a while lol but the fans would argue over the color of the sky if they could. Everyday Alonso fans say “if Alonso had gone to… in 2014, he’d have had… championships by now”. Sainz and Leclerc fans as of lately are also at each other’s throats cuz these are great drivers.

When Lewis got announced to Ferrari, people fell to their knees cuz that’s the enemy, that was the death star. Sure this may not be our grand parents Ferrari and here we sing and do marshmallow challenges now but it’s a long rivalry. Mclaren-Ferrari, Red Bull-Mercedes. I’m not trying to dissect what was said or what caused what but Toto seemingly trying to cozy up with Helmut and Max felt like backstabbing to some.

delusional takes?… exists everywhere, some driver’s fans have blamed the wind,mirrors, chassis and even his own team sabotaging him for poor performances. saying the other teammate’s win has been “nullified”.

AFCON, Nig vs Cameron, one team absolutely bottled it but the fans were dancing up until the last minute to boost morale. it’s what fans do. Objectively is good but so are biases, it makes us human imo.

These days a lot of the races imo are boring asl. It’s why DTS tries to milk slight disagreements as intra team rivalries. There’s also new wave of fans who’s welcome to the sport ofcourse but i just personally don’t understand this “I love every driver and want to see everyone do well”. If i wore an arsenal muffler with a Tottenham jersey in North london i’m getting jumped over rivalry that’s been here almost 100 years lol.

Again yes it gets extremely racist and parasocial but that’s the toxicity that doesn’t belong in a fandom but exists in most if not all. It’s all capitalism at the end of the day but at the core of it or what it should be is a sport

ps…this long ass essay lol and it’s also one of the reasons imo football socials don’t take us seriously and also calling f1 not a serious sport😅

Yeah that's what I meant by everyone is entitled to enjoy the sport the way they want. I personally think it's fine if you're 100% delulu biased following other like minded delulu biased people if that's what's fun to you! God knows the delulu posts are the funniest on this hellsite!

I understand what you mean with rivalry and I agree but personally didn't find the teamLH-orange army war fun at all because it got nasty really quickly. Fans were hating on each other and very aggressive about their opinions and I don't like that. I like heated arguments fine but when it tips into hate then it becomes a bad experience for most people.

To take your football example, I think singing songs in the stadium, making fun of the other team and fans, it's all playful and part of the culture. But fuck ultras, you know what I mean? I shouldn't be worried about getting jumped when I leave a game. Same thing goes here. The problem is a lot of people get genuinely angry at things and then genuinely aggro and that's not fun. So like I said in my previous post, if getting into fights with other people over these things is fun to you, you do you, I'll personally probably block you cause it's not enjoyable to me.

Imo the difference lies in self awareness. If you're a bit or even fully insane about your fav but you know that you are then it's generally all in good fun. But some people aren't aware that they are being irrational about things and that can get ugly because they take things seriously and get serious emotions about it and send serious hate about it etc. But it's not only bad for other people they might get aggressive towards. I've had anons here be genuinely distraught and/or enraged by the lack of performance at the moment. I've had to ask many a person "are you sure F1 is enjoyable to you?" because at the end of the day arguing can be fun (God knows I looove debating, irl and online, I'm annoying that way) but if you step away from these fanspaces angry, sad, frustrated most of the time, then is it really good for you? are you really having fun?

[sarahlizziewrites]

found a manuscript of an old WIP from 2010

the prose is actually serviceable, but I know there's nothing good about the plot

am I allowed to steal sentences I wrote when I was 16?

Tiny, delicate flakes of snow still fell on the roof of the station and on our mufflers; fairies’ footprints blazing an icy path to our extremities with the sole purpose of tweaking them, pinching them, or simply causing them as much pain as possible. 

[vinyylz]

since everyone is rating these outfits i decided id rate them too-

u r gonna have to ignore the fact that the quality is 3 pixels blame twt for that

Buster bros

ICHIRO 3/10

• why

• he looks like he's about to go skiing and very prepared

• who decided to give him that haircut..for what reason...

JIRO 7/10

• not that bad but could be better

• his jacket under another jacket ?? worn like that?? i don't understand how it works but i don't think that's how u wear a jacket jiro!

SBURO 6/10

• it's decent

• he looks like he tried to match his hair with ichiro and failed

Mad trigger crew

SAMATOKI 10/10

• looks great!!

• nothing much to comment about his

JYUTO 6/10

• decent, could be better

• the white stuff on his shoulders makes it look like the beginning of a maid outfit that slowly morphs into a sherlock holmes style trenchcoat and idk how to feel about it

• incredibly rare sight of jyuto without gloves

RIO 9/10

• i like it

• i like the jacket and the turtleneck!!

• he is actually rocking it i think

Fling posse

RAMUDA 2783820/10

• HELLO?

• he isn't a fashion designer for nothing

• absolutely flawless it looks amazing i love everything about this

• THE HAIR??! THE DRESS (?!) THE COAT?!&?_) ALL ABSOLUTELY STUNNING POP OFF RAMUDA

GENTARO 7/10

• i love gentaro but i find this fit mid sorry

• his hair is ruining it hypmic stop doing their hair like this please

• the clothing itself looks alright i like it it's just the hair

DICE 8.5/10

• pretty simple but it's what makes it look good!!

• fits his color scheme!!

Matenrou

JAKURAI 7.5/10

• what did they do to you

• i like the clothes...but the hair...

• i think it's not that bad though i can get behind this

• i am starting at this very intently and it's growing on me a little

HIFUMI 4/10

• he looks like he took all his money he got from " "kittens" and blindly picked out the ugliest coat from gucci

• his hair is horrendous matenrou has all been cursed with the middle part hair

• hifumi this isn't you

DOPPO 2/10

• doppo...ily....but what are you wearing man..

• his coat looks 5 sizes too big. which i would not mind if the HAIR.

• his middle part is by far the worst what have they done to you

• i fear no thing...but that thing (doppo middle part haircut) it scares me..

• he's been forced into this there's absolutely no way he'd do this willingly

• i am trying to convince myself it's not that bad actually (i am lying to myself)

Dotsuitare Hompo

SASARA 9/10

• i actually like it

• the ear mufflers (?) are cute

• love the coat too it's a nice fit good job sasara

ROSHO 10/10

• one of very few who actually knows how to do his hair (insert applause)

• he gives off teacher vibes which yk..it fits because he is one

REI 6/10

• decent!

• he just looks like ur average old man in a coat but at least it's not horrendous

Bad Ass Temple

KUKO 10/10

• ABSOLUTELY AMAZING FIT

• his glasses reminded me of saiki k

• i love both his outfit and glasses and hair extremely epic

JYUSHI 7/10

• he looks alright but something about it just throws me off

• i can't place what exactly though

• his hair looks cool

• i think the fur jacket might be throwing me off but also it's not that bad?

HITOYA 8.5/10

• he looks like he took clothing advice from kuko

• i love his hair...

• he kinda looks like a middle aged mom....in a good way...the best way actually

[maocin]

Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?, 1997, Harvey Danger

Harvey Danger is not a hall-of-fame band. They are not special, they produced no classics, they left very little imprint on our larger culture musically. But with Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? they wrote a pretty much perfect album. Aside from two minutes of dead air at the end, this record rocks from start to finish. I want to talk about why this is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Starting Off Strong

Okay, so you've heard "Flagpole Sitta". Good song! A nice summer-y bop to get heads turning when it comes on over the radio. Something everybody can sing along to when the chorus hits. Maybe, if you knew who Harvey Danger were off the top of your head, you've heard "Carlotta Valdez", the frankly electrifying album opener that makes an equal case for most listenable on the album. This strong one-two will get you moving, get you hyped. Plenty of albums from genuinely talented artists go by without having even one song that you feel like really fucking screaming along to. And yet, from the first chorus of Carlotta to the very last four-count in Flagpole Sitta, if I'm not in public, I'm probably losing my voice. Maybe even if I am in public.

The guitars sound like what I want guitars to sound like, sometimes twinkly and bright with an undercurrent of grungy distorted rhythm, sometimes driving fully into the territory of punk with a warbling angry lead and a forceful drive on crunchy power chords. The drums keep things moving -- there's no laying into the groove here, no snapping on two and four. This is for moving your whole body to the inexorable pull of a fucking awesome downbeat. The vocals are distinct but still speak the language of late 90's pop-grunge with some typical growls, a sarcastic, cynical delivery, and the obligatory megaphone-sounding bridge every now and again.

Oh, and holy shit, that bass. Paul McCartney is crying tears of happiness somewhere.

These first two songs are perfect pop-punk anthems. When I finish "Carlotta Valdez" I want to scream YES! along with the guys in the studio. Flagpole Sitta makes me want to go drive a car too fast, strut around Main Street with the crew, unapologetically enjoy my world with awareness of the enlightened hipster perspective and rejection of its caustic holier-than-thou attitude. In short: Go, white boy, go.

2. Changing the Game

It's extremely important what happens between "Wooly Muffler", "Private Helicopter", and the three songs that follow. And now I want to talk about lyrics, because yeah, those matter too. Wooly Muffler opens with a strikingly evocative image given what you're used to hearing after the first two songs: Flagpole Sitta's "Only stupid people are breeding/The cretins cloning and feeding/And I don't even own a TV" seems like it comes from some Green Day song* but the vulnerability of "All I ever wanted to be was a wooly muffler on your naked neck" belongs on Pinkerton. Neither of these are necessarily good or bad -- they're just well-executed in equal measure, and the range should be acknowledged. Wooly Muffler is not the first hint that this album might be much more than another dumb pop-punk effort, but it is the most obvious. Unless you're a Hitchcock fan. For everyone else, when the guitars kick back in heavy on Wooly Muffler, we know for sure it's real. "If you've got greatness in you/Would you do us all a favor/And keep it to yourself" is one of my favorite lines in anything I've ever read, seen, or heard. These guys are the real deal, another Nirvana, capable of capturing the energy without succumbing to the bullshit. *(although it's actually quite delightfully ironic and clever and if we're being charitable "Longview" is too, and everyone everywhere should really give artists more credit because being authentic in ways that everyone agrees with is comically hard)

And then "Private Helicopter" comes on. You just can't help but recognize everything awful about the genre in the way Sean Nelson delivers "favorite ex-girlfriend." I almost turned the album off right here the first time I listened to it. There's no use lying; I totally did, and I had to go back later to finish the rest. I am here to promise you: it's not blink-182. You are not hearing the beginning of a boyish album about sex drugs and rock'n'roll. It's one miss for one verse, if it's that. Yes, it's scary to hear a record that sounds like it's headed in the right direction almost veer into the wrong one, but I solemnly swear that this song gets personal, it gets angry, it is not a bit piece. And that's why getting through the first half is so important, because it's not their fault that "What's My Age Again" and later Offspring albums are cringey to listen to now. This song suffers for sins that are not (!) its own. So you might be upset heading into the middle of the album. Fortunately --

3. Holy shit these next two songs are really fucking good I mean wow

"Here's a fact you cannot rise above/We'll have problems, yeah/Then we'll have bigger ones."

As a writer or listener for a vast amount of music all told, I am not uniquely qualified to say this but I am qualified enough. When Sean Nelson says he doesn't know what the line "From damage to damn control" means, he is not admitting defeat. The best writers in the world will tell you a good song is a gift and a good line is pure dumb luck. Sometimes, it's just stringing words together and singing them in a way that means something to someone. If you don't feel anything when you listen to "Problems and Bigger Ones", there's something fundamentally wrong with you as a human person.

Jack The Lion is deeply personal and deeply sad. I watched my father lose his father to Alzheimer's; I read the 23rd Psalm at Papu's funeral. I was too young to understand why Dad cried at "Cat's Cradle," call it self-centeredness. "When you coming home dad?/I don't know when" just didn't hit as hard at eight, because my father had been home for me. It's not nostalgia talking when I say I fucking love this band. It's "Jack The Lion." Watching my father deteriorate would break me. This song is really, really good.

4. Now that we're all sold on this being phenomenal, lets listen to some songs about love and hate and all that good stuff

I don't have much to say about "Old Hat." It's one of those love songs that you have to squint at to realize it's astoundingly true. There's not much conventional beauty in that. However, it works out to be exactly what it's meant to be. What a commendable thing to aspire to. To ape one of my favorite people on the internet, the brevity of Old Hat has a lot to teach about the craft of writing. I learned, of course, absolutely nothing.

"Old Hat" is about love. So is "Terminal Annex," but a different kind: the inverse, really. "Dreaming of the fistfight I never got into/Thinking of the mean shit I wish I'd said to you" is one of those lines that means a lot to those born into boyhood in America. I hope I've sold you on the idea that these fine gentlemen are self-aware; it's my firm belief that the song isn't actually about how much he hates this girl, rather it's about the ways that kind of hatred can influence a life. In any case, it means something, and that's another check mark.

5. Taking it home

The last two songs have to mean something too. We're this close to a more-or-less perfect album, just bring it home.

And oh brother, does "Wrecking Ball" almost fuck it up or what. Maybe you're into this sort of thing, but I was enjoying my album free of hackneyed metaphors, with its depth coming from reflection and self-awareness and trust in the artist. Creating a metaphorical house is... a little much for my taste. But it's got that profound sound, and just because it has the T.S. Eliot accent isn't enough reason to hate it.

Let's talk about "Radio Silence" now. Assume for a moment the last three minutes of the song don't exist. What a fucking song. In 1997, before Twitter collapsed all nuance, before Facebook bore our personal information into the gaping maw of every aggregating advertiser, before the hyper-modern fractionalization of every group of people, we have "Radio Silence". The lament of a man who just so desperately wants to be left alone. And by way of that lament, his caricature. And by way of that caricature, some form of commentary. Sure -- it winds up meaning what you want it to mean. Absolutely it's true that you could overanalyze this album to death, it has the accent of profundity and enough words to feed a freshman lit class for weeks, months if they can bring in other works to compare it all to. Obviously this much is true.

But in 2023 when you listen to this fucking song and you hear "All hail to another confession" how can it not make you feel at least something. Some people walk around living thinking a friend who asks for favors is no friend at all, some people believe their public profile is a great place to drop all the trauma of their childhood. Is it so much to ask to maintain a little radio silence? If you choose to read it as a plea for normalcy, it might look a little something like that. But it's all yours to interpret and that's the best any artist anywhere can offer.

All that said, here's my two cents. The ending refrain of the song sounds fucking beautiful. By that point I've already decided what I want to believe for the day -- a song's not going to change my mind about what should and shouldn't be acceptable in polite conversation with strangers. Whatever I'm feeling or thinking, when that refrain comes in, I get chills.

6. Go forth!

If you lived through the nineties you might remember Flagpole Sitta, or if you were on Vimeo in 2007 (google flagpole sitta lipsync), or if you listen to your local alt-rock radio station. But it's not even the best song on this album. I prefer Carlotta Valdez and Jack The Lion. Furthermore, Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? isn't even their best whole work -- that probably goes to King James Version, although Little By Little was also well recieved.

Harvey Danger is self-aware and self-important, deeply involved with the culture that birthed it and equally parts mocking of its origins. They are fine lyricists, fine musicians, they put the music first and produce songs that you can enjoy listening to. And most importantly, if your friend who likes good music asks you how the album is, you can play Flagpole Sitta -- but if you have a friend who thinks Nirvana were industry plants, well, you can just as easily play them Radio Silence, and get a less frigid reception than if you had confessed to liking Dave Matthews. They created an almost-perfect album. Had Sean Nelson taken a better tone at the beginning of "Private Helicopter" and the record label decided to lop off the last three minutes of nothingness with noise, this album would be impossible to find fault with. Not a 10 by any means -- it's no great work of art -- but something even rarer: a perfect seven.

7. Postscript

Reasons you might not like this album:

It's not very musical and the vocal performances range from 'nothing special' to 'straight-up grating if you don't like pop punk'.

Mired in mediocrity, it doesn't strive for or achieve anything beyond the grounds it covers. No innovative sound or meaningful lyrical accomplishment; it never captured a movement or spoke to a generation the way a classic album does.

The lyrics aren't much! If you're used to something like Springsteen's grit, or Penelope Scott's wittiness, or the complexity and sincerity of Kendrick Lamar, you're going to be disappointed. Hell, even if you're more of a Taylor Swift fan you might find "So casually cruel in the name of being honest" to be more pithy and striking than most of Harvey Danger's offerings. Although if you think "All Too Well" inarguably clears everything on this album, even after listening, then I'll be very sad.

By calling this a perfect album I don't mean to say that it's full of perfect songs, or to argue that it's a classic, or even to say that it's particularly good for your tastes. If you look for greatness in your music, you will not find it here. But what they try to achieve, they achieve, and they do so entirely without fault. This album left a sincere impression on me and I hope you didn't read this far because what the fuck are you doing you're wasting your time go listen to it!!!

[cina-full-moon-xanadium]

Right, well! I’m now 10 episodes into Daitetsujin 17 -- ie the only currently subbed episodes, and seemingly will stay that way until next month. 

It’s an... interesting show. Like Robot Detective it’s intriguing in how it just does not follow the usual Tokusatsu Masked Hero tropes; it’s inspired more by super robot shows that were becoming popular at the time and we don’t have any transforming heroes or secret identities; just a boy that has a bond with the one robot capable of fighting the enemy and the army that supports them. It’s also one of those rare Showa Toku that actually has an active, ongoing plot! Characterisation is still relatively light but every story is a 2-parter and features some kind of development, or following up on a mystery, or some kind of new element or etc. 

The war setting also means many of these plots are not your usual Showa Toku villain plot of like water buffalo man going out to poison the air and masked ranger makes him explode and the commander goes grr i’ll get you next time; most of the plots are direct conflicts and attempts to bring down the enemy -- the villains learning 17′s weakness and seeking to destroy him, the villains forcing a soldier to blow up their base, etc. None of them force any significant shifts in the status quo or anything but they all feel like a natural part of an ongoing conflict rather than your usual MOTW shenanigans.

Characters as I said are about as much as you’d expect from the time period but there’s some highlights. 17 even about a third of the way into the series is treated with SO much mystery and intrigue as to how sentient he really is, with even solid info on him (such as a 15-hour recharge period) changing over time to the confusion of his creator. Dr. Hassler, the mad scientist who set everything into motion but quickly finds himself demoted to the pathetic useless man who stomps around in Brain’s employ is a fucking DELIGHT and the star of just about every episode for how hilarious his performance is! Brain itself is interesting for the questions it brings up; it’s a fully sentient computer that gained its own will and decided humanity has to go. It’s a lot more capable of complex thought and conversation though than say your Arks or whatever and that leads you to wonder what exactly is going on with it, as it hides secrets and knowledge even from the loyal agents trying to carry out its will.

So there’s a lot of things I am enjoying, but there’s elements that I’m not sure about -- it is a war story, and the army at the forefront goes without any real criticism or commentary. You might wonder why then I’m such a big fan of Ultraman, but there stories are a lot lighter and the defence team represents more than just standard military; and is also usually either a goofier concept or one with criticisms at the core -- but the Red Mufflers are a VERY grounded depiction of the military, and a couple comedic side characters aside it really goes without question the sheer extent of their activities and methods and what’s cast in a good light or not. The captain is an extremely forceful shouty type who physically abuses his men, forces Saburo (a child) into the army, puts him in insane danger... it’s all treated as something Necessary that He Knows He Has To Do and it’s just bizarre to watch when I know Ishinomori is someone who took huge issue with the military industrial complex! It’s a setting that makes it hard to get into this show too much

[2n2n]

Talking about finding Kou unattractive was fun! I want to be a shallow ho and rank the JSHK boys! I'll stop rereading the manga for the 100th time. I'll take the boys to task. This is partially like. Bc my husband wants to read it. When I was giving up on making this list, after the power went out,  I thought of him. In the chair across from mine. In our workroom. And I persevered.

LETSS GOO-- FROM THE LEAST APPEALING TO THE MOST--! A RANKING--!!

Minamoto Kou

I looked deep into my own heart for this. I beheld all the images and I sat on it for a while. I placed different characters here for a time. But. Kou really is in fact, the absolute least appealing guy for me personally. The Minamoto look is: bad, it's bad. For me, it's no good. Kou's weediness is akin to an adolescent large-breed dog: a legginess, big-pawed, knobby elbows. An adolescent coyote. ...and I DON'T LIKE CANINES!! Typically, boyishness could add a charm in and of itself, at least to elevate him above the ikemen... but his knobby gangliness is a new kind of gross.

While Teru is your typical ikeman Kou really is your typical shounen hero, complete with loud mouth and frequent 'serious business' scowl! It's an unpleasant and unsexy gaze! The light hair and blue eyes, not doin' it for me! Kou's unique trait is his narrow, tall iris, ovals instead of circles. It's an interesting choice that makes him stand out in the cast, but somehow, it makes him look like Sonic the Headgehog to me?! Combined with that scowl.... It's.... no good! It's bad! What's worse is he's like, built/toned under all of that. Guy's all bumpy like a lobster under his shirt. GROSS lol.

Kou also displeases me with his gestures at times. He straight up throws a rock at Mitsuba’s head, and will just punch him in the head or ‘bonk’ him. I would rather see the guys pointing knives at throats, thank you. Let’s try to be a little more saucy with our domestic abuse, ok? Put a little more romance into it..... ugh....... you’re not even trying, are you..... 

Minamoto Teru

GROSS. KIMOCHI WARUI! There's not a thing appealing about him, not even a boyish charm! Teru's icey blue eyes and pinprick pupils are effective at conveying his character, and his blond hair is the Minamoto calling card......... and it all makes him sooo unattractive! I'm not into the whole blond-haired-blue-eyed boy thing!

He's your typical ikeman, tall and broad-shouldered, built and toned underneath his schoolclothes. His only charm point is being completely deranged, with an unsettling control over his unwaivering gaze and flat, practiced smile. That's impressive, and I appreciate the bait-and-switch nature of his ikeman front, and his more socially broken and manipulating qualities. Doesn't change that he is freakin' unattractive, though! Such a gargantuan man! I won't have it! 

....he used to be in last place, but I had to face that Teru has that interesting undercurrent of raw trauma and suffering, and a capacity for harm that is respectable. As well, his young self is far more appealing than Kou’s-- the blank-eyed, sad, bandaged boy coming and going to his training sessions, is quite interesting, and I like to see him. Teru will get credit where it is due.

Mitsuba Sousuke

Mitsuba could not get it, from me. Personality wise he's, so annoying. The idea of being around a guy I am completely neutral on, looks fine sure, but then he's going to like, accuse me of wanting to rape him and scream about how cute and adorable he is-- horrible. Would piss me off so much to be around. Like Kou, I don't like guys who are going to freaking yell. I could hang out with Tsuchigomori, I could not hang out with Mitsuba. Repellent.

But like, this is a shallow list. AESTHETICALLY, Mitsuba is neutral. Perfectly neutral. The cardigan/muffler style is really pretty common, mundane, he doesn't really stand out. He doesn't really take the femme thing far enough to make me care about it or particularly notice it. He clearly doesn't like to be classed as femme either, which extremely loses him points-- like come on, that's your 1 appeal, isn't it? And you're not owning it? Tch.... what is the point of it, then.....

Unnatural hair colors don't typically do it for me, on boys, unfortunately. This pink-eyed pink-haired look is cute to me on a magical girl, but, eh... the only favor it does for me, is make it more distinct that Nene-chan's eyes are red, rather than pink. Which I like better....! She feels like some sort of albino animal ♥

Mitsuba actually isn't all that small/short either, which detracts points. He's actually middle-of-the-road, heightwise. He's not ghoulishly tall like Teru, nor as legs-akimbo as Kou, but he's also not as shrimpy and threadbare as the Yugi twins! Again, he's pretty neutral. Comparable to Akane.

Mystery-look is..... frankly cluttered, got a lot going on. The hood is fine, the scarf is on brand, but it's got a lot of fiddly crud attached to it which doesn't add anything but some noise. The gnarly beast hand is his sexiest trait, and he's NOT OWNING IT. Sad! Maybe if he could wear a skirt and embrace his spookiness, I'd notice him, but as it is, he fades into the background for me. And then he opens his mouth, and I'm actively annoyed by him. Unfortunately I would chase him with horrible bugs to make him scream, like Tsukasa does.

Ryuuji Tsuchigomori

He's................................... I'll be honest while making this list I forgot Tsuchigomori needed to be on it. Forgot he counts as 'a guy'. I think he is fundamentally sexless to me or something, he's like background noise. But you know what--!? He's more neutral than the Minamoto boys, as he isn't actively repellent in any particular way. He's grossly tall and long and I'm not into this sort of pointed spikey lanky appearance, nor does the pipe and glasses chain do anything for me, but, like........................................ he's a nice guy. His black/white hair is a fine look, and in a fine style. A large purple turtleneck and black gloves is a stylish aesthetic.

I respect that he is uncontrollably submissive to Amane. Like sure guy, I get it... he's a sortof pathetic man, afraid of loud noises, startled by cars and thunder.....that's preferable. Funny.

Aoi Akane

Little dweeb boy. Akane is interesting! His distinct eye-design is the center of his eye, his pupil, being a highlight, a pinprick of blue. Set in his brown iris, it has a different sort of subtle chilling effect-- less overt than Teru's icey gaze, but effective in scenes and illustrations. Akane's nature is complicated, so it suits him. I can tell Aida-sensei cared in designing that aspect. This concept of 'mostly normal, but something's a little off....' is well-conveyed.

I like natural hair colors, and Akane's is a very pretty red-brown, with matching eyes. It has a good 'boy next-door' quality, like he's meant to have! It kindof lends him an 'unspecial, normal' atmosphere, early on, so you don't think twice or expect the twist with him. Akane really does have that 'ooh, simply a boy' appeal. Like Mitsuba he's average, not tall, not lanky, but not weedy or shrimpy like the Yugi. He's not an extreme, but he's more on the 'boyish' side of things, with a smaller, shorter face. 

That all said he DOES have the Boy Meets World, or Simba, if you will, hair, and, , I can't take it seriously. The middle part bangs is never a Look, for me. It's simply funny. It's good for his little dweeb quality. 

In Clockkeeper form he sortof looks like a nerd boy about to attend a steampunk convention. God bless him but it's not for me. I guess he has no agency in it so I shouldn't judge him. The long ponytail is funny, it reminds me of a Jedi Braid or a rattail. Jim Hawkins here. It would look nicer and perhaps more interesting if he simply completely released it from the ponytail and let himself have long flowing hair. Wouldn't that be interesting? I'd like to at least see that.

He's a SIMP and a stalker so his personality's very appealing. He's a good, deranged, obsessed, devotional boy, and we love that here. He's not my boy, but I'm glad he exists.

Hyuuga Natsuhiko

It feels like confronting something to place Natsuhiko so high on the list? I'm surprised, but I accept it. This is where he naturally is inclined to go...

Natsuhiko's hair is a rich, deep brown, as are his eyes. It's pretty! He's on the taller end, more of the ikeman shape as Teru has, but ueh, his personality is really his saving grace. He's such a charming little SIMP, slave to a hot girl, and dedicated caretaker to the little ones. I like Natsuhiko's genuinely caring vibes, and his politeness and chivalry is both funny and cute. He's happy to lavish compliments. He will dive into the ocean after Tsukasa. He does his best to set a good example for the kids. 

His incompetence and yet sublime confidence, the way even someone like Nene can quickly gather "something.... is not right about this hot guy...".... the idiot cell.... it's all great. He's really soooo fun and funny to watch in scenes, I'm always happy when Natsuhiko is involved and in the panel. I'm never not excited to have him about. It must mean something! He deserves credit for his affable personality trumping his aesthetic. It would be nice to receive his toothless flirting-- and it really is toothless, isn't it? He's so dedicated to his lady, but it doesn't stop him from being complimentary and charming to any girl.... what a nice nonthreatening guy to receive some attention from. Most of these guys I would not actually want flirting with me, but Natsuhiko could do it, its fine.

There's not much art to display of him in full-color, but his everyday look is quite nice, honestly! The choker/collar, the little titty window, the relaxed and easygoing eyes, the little kitty mouth..... a good bimbo, Natsuhiko. I hope he can dip it.

Hakubo

The people can say whatever they want about Hakubo. He is decadent, gorgeous, an utter dreamboat. I understand Sumire-- I would let him consume me, and I would also do everything in my power to be his wife. What a pretty boy..... Hakubo's innocent gaze in his youth is so precious..... ah, he has a delicate quality to him. He's on the thinner side... he can feel so small, when he's young. Passive... an observant eye... quiet. Ever-calm, like still waters.... He has dark, dark deep brown eyes, and hair. His eyes are more defined by sparse highlights than anything, his pupils lost in the shadows. A smokey gaze..... I'm biased, 'cuz my husband has dark hair, eyes, and brown skin..... I'm glad all these choices were made for Hakubo. 

He's always adorned in gorgeous robes, kimono, peppered in accessories of ropes, gold, beads... always goooorgeoussss. The setting around him is so often as lush as his finery-- flowers, rainfall, ferns, foliage.... Hakuboooooo!!! Everything about him is drenched in preciousness, in a sacred energy. Aida-sensei has drawn him so many times in so many detailed, gorgeous illustrations..... and it's paid off!! I really understand the dreamy quality! An otherworldly creature... a pitiable thing without agency, his own desires unknown to him... ohhh, Hakubo!!! So so kissable. His design does everything expertly. I'm glad Aida-sensei and I have compatible tastes in this situation....

His horns downturned shape compliment his personality as well, so charming. As a Shinigami, the blackened furry arms are soooo captivating, sexy, cool!! Just so cool!!! That he’s completely solid black from the jawline down is hoooot... such an awesome look!!!! Black is-- the best color ♥ His mask and the draping fabric hiding his face, are such AWESOME looks, so-so-so cool! Hakubo makes only the coolest aesthetic choices!

 I have not a single bad thing to say about Hakubo. Personality, clothes, hair color, eye color, he's drop-dead.... Such a dramatic leap from “I would let Natsuhiko flirt with me” to “Hakubo could eat me”-- please understand the dramatic gap in attractiveness. Hakubo has blown everyone else in this list thus far out of the water. 

its the

hottest boy. It's the ultimate..... boy.... time.

Yugi Amane

Our title character for a reason. I feel as if we preserve black hair in our cast purely to make his all the more special, all the more captivating. What a beautiful honor to give to what is typically seen as a hum-drum hair color. And again my husband’s hair color, ohhh what can I saaaay

If Akane is meant to have a kind of 'everyboy charm', Amane has that even moreso, and maybe a little.... something beneath that, scraggly charm. He isn't meant to be in-world conventionally attractive. He is decidedly short, shrimpy, without muscle toning (the Yugi twins were not trained fighters, they were merely unfortunate boys), in Picture Perfect we get to appreciate just how small and weedy the boys are under their finery. Amane has big, round bug-eyes, distinctly huge even in-world, perhaps more of an odd or offputting trait rather than a handsome one, to most. Compared to the slender eyes of the conventionally attractive Teru, the Yugi feel like some bizarre little urchins.

I love an underdog, don't you? The Yugi's look is not for everyone, in-world, but it's devastating for those weak to it. It's an acquired taste. Nothing looks like them.

Amane's eyes are golden. Not as unrealistic as something like purple, yet not very human, either. Like big gold coins. Or perhaps, like the eyes of a wild animal... His pupils stand out hard against the bright glow, and typically adhere to the top of his iris, looking sort of indirect. When Amane's pupils finally leave the outline of his eye and sink to the middle, you pay attention! He's got an incredible knack for looking down the barrel at you only when it counts. His expression otherwise is frivolous, and the pupils floating to the top remind me of some sort of vintage toy. To me, Amane's eyes show off how rarely he is taking something seriously. They suit him so well.

His hair feels thick, choppy, multilayered. The edges are blunt as if cut clean sideways with a pair of scissors in the home. They rest messily like heaps of straw in a pile, they do not lay flat and smooth across his crown. In profile-views, you can tell the length is a bit shorter mid-way down the cranium at the back. Some longer strands overhang....

Messy rough hair, furthering this... bit of a ragamuffin look. Scruffy, like a kitten. Despite his small stature, Amane doesn't have petite hands, at all. You'd expect them to be more understated, for all the other ways he's a shrimpy thing, but they're sizeable, long fingers, distinct knuckles, knobby, a bit. The tips are blunt, but the nails are long, a sssssslight feminine detail. His fingers are almost always posed very deliberately, very distinctly. Aida-sensei clearly loves hands! She puts endless care into depicting them. Hanako's are lovingly illustrated all the time. 

His Gakuran.... ahhh, an elegant all-black silhouette, with peeks of red embellishing here or there. He feels like some sort of sports car, I don't know how else to say it. Sleek, glossy, smooth. Aida-sensei takes great care to often draw his belt-buckle and even his white tucked-in undershirt visible just between the divets of the gakuran's hem. The red-detailing on the edges of the jacket's bottom, weren't even there, in the earliest volume. They add so much, though! The gakuran pinches tightly around and under his chest, shoulders, lower back. It loosens right around his belt, and tends to bunch or crease along its rim, making you perpetually aware of the belt's thickness just below. Lighting tends to strike the peak of his ribs and shoulders, first, and shadow his stomach and lower back. He feels all ribs-- his body sinks immediately beneath them, makes him feel underweight. Hot. HOT. Hot tragic boy hot boy died in sad circumstances hot. Hot. Ghost of tragic miserable boy. Small scrawny underweight. HOT.

The gakuran's buttons are a lurid detail. Big, gold, round-- to compliment his eyes-- metal, shining, and engraved with sakura blossoms. Really really easy and tempting to imagine running fingers over the rounded, bold buttons, feeling the dips of the engravings. So much texture.

When first introduced, his pants were long, and draped over his shiny classy black shoes. Aida-sensei however became addicted to drawing his ankles, and exposing those bright-red knit-texture socks of his, so now, we always have that additional jolt of color, and a peek at his small body under the patterns. They're very nearly capris, lol, his ankles are so exposed, now.... 

The last kisses of red on this design are the ropes on his hat, and the characters on his seal. He's not overrun with color, or embellishments-- predominately black with only splashes of gold and red where it's needed. Simple, not cluttered at all. A very elegant design. He himself feels like a shrine... some sacred thing. Opulent.... clean, nothing out of place, somehow... somehow! It’s miraculous, how he balances this trim feeling with the urchin vibe.... that’s Amane.... 

When the tsueshiro comes into play, he gains a cool vampiric edgy allure! It's without clutter too, just some fanciful detailing at the collar, and a solid red lining. Whether Amane is mischievous and smirking, wide-mouthed and laughing, squinted and glaring, lidded and leering, or tongue-lolling gnasty sleezeball, it's all immaculately alluring.

Amane could do anything to me he wanted, he could call me dummy, he could stab me, I would be lucky to have earned the grace for him to look upon me for a moment. He can be a dangerous leering liar all he wants. He can lie to me aaaalll day, I’ll listen ♥♥♥ I feel like I could go on for 100 years about Amane... I have to stop at some point!!!

whoaaa this list doesn’t include Tsukasa.... WELL, IT’S COMPLICATED....! I think I relate to him too much to be able to rank him externally.... it’s the limits of my psyche, gomenasai.

[oliviajames1122]

Why do exhaust systems wear out?

This may be the thought of many that why do exhaust systems wear out? Although there is no specific lifespan for an exhaust system, there are many factors involved which cause them to wear out. However there is a rough estimate by many car garages in Reading that a premium exhaust system should last at least 2 years. Read on to find out the factors affecting exhaust systems.

Factors Which Affect EXHAUST Systems

Deteriorating from the inside

Most of the exhaust system's deterioration happens from the inside. This internal corrosion is a result of acidic moisture that is chemically produced by the combustion of air and petrol in the engine. These acids cause breakdown when they come into contact with the inside of the exhaust system. When the components of the exhaust system and the engine are both still cold, acid moisture is most harmful. The condensed acid evaporates when the engine and exhaust system are fully warmed up, and the resulting hot gases exit the tailpipe. As a result, components close to the engine warm up first, maintain a higher temperature for a longer period of time, and age more slowly than components further back in the system. As a result, the lifespan of exhaust manifolds, pipes, and catalytic converters is substantially greater than that of exhaust pipes, mufflers, or tail pipes. Search car service near me to ensure the best service for your vehicle.

Vehicle usage

How frequently you drive your car can affect your exhaust system, This can be due to short trips as the metal parts can corrode because the exhaust system does not get warm enough for water to evaporate.

Materials

When choosing a new exhaust system make sure to see if the parts met OE spec standards which are recommended by garages in Reading. This ensures that the parts are manufactured using high quality materials which can withstand the due stress on the exhaust. Using parts which do not meet this standard can cause a compromise in the exhaust’s performance.

Environmental Factors

The exhaust system may suffer as a result of uncontrollable environmental factors like the weather and traffic. Salt and other chemicals used on the roads in the winter for traffic safety can cause exterior corrosion, which can lead to exhaust system failure. Reduce the corrosive effects of salt on your car by regularly washing it during the winter. The durability of the exhaust system might also be affected by the state of the roads. By making a hole in the exhaust system components or jarring hangers and other parts loose, running over a rock or other piece of road debris or bottoming out in a pothole can cause external damage. Search check MOT history to see if this has been a previous issue.

Other drains in the electrical systems

Some common drains which occur are the glove box and trunk lights that come on or remain on when they should not. These are fully capable of killing batteries.

Severe temperatures

Extremely hot or cold weather will be fine for a new battery or one that is in good condition; however an old or weak battery will fail in extreme weather conditions. Such weather can also bring out other underlying causes.

Problems in the charging system

If a battery seems to die whilst the car is in motion then your car's charging system may be at fault. To confirm if this is an issue, search for and book an appointment. Loose or stretched belts and worn tensioner can prevent an alternator from working also causing your car's battery to die.

[rolandrockover]

Driven Out

I've noticed that there don't seem to be too many fans out there who care much about Rock and Roll Over's Baby Driver (1976).

Unfortunately, this song neither enjoys cult obscurity status nor can it be found on any imaginary set wishlist of Peter Criss die-hard fans. Not that there are no supporters of it at all, just that enthusiasm for it is particularly rare.

Nevertheless, if every leap year someone steps out of line and says something good about Baby Driver, then this is not entirely unjustified. For my part, I think there are very good reasons for preferring to belong to the latter group. I mean, how can you not love Peter's voice and the simplistic but energetic good humor that flows out it like the exhaust fumes from the muffler of the car he's singing in as it rattles past?

For Solo Ace's Wiped Out (1978), interestingly enough, there seems to be a very similar fan attitude, mine included once again, but with the one difference that Wiped Out moves less within high spirits or love, but rather a fascination with the extent to which basically good natured impulses can be capable of degenerating into opposite extremes. Which, I guess is generally considered cool in rock music, so the real rockers among the Kiss fans should really love Wiped Out.

By the way, if anyone is wondering what today is actually about, then I can only reply with joyful anticipation: About those singing-screeching double guitars that are so inherent in these two emotionally contrasting songs, what else?

And what feels like a pleasurable glide on positive waves from the last minute of Baby Driver and grooves into the sunset for all time with a high degree of elegant self-control, comes across more like a collapse on Wiped Out, both physically and mentally. Of course, not least in the context of its lyrical content and the radical changes in rhythm and mood, which only find their footing and groove in an extremely rocking but equally aggressively destructive riff, that in no small measure creates the vision in me of Ace shooting energy beams from his electric guitar all around him in uncontrolled bursts and as if possessed.

Or was it just my imagination running away with me once again? Because after all, I'm not even a rocker.

And context is everything. You know what I mean?

One of the links will activate rocking waves of harmony and a car-driving cat man, and the other those aforementioned frenetic energy death rays from our favorite space man:

Baby Driver (1976)

Wiped Out (1978)

[rndyounghowze]

NJ-6 Paranormal Cirque 3

Part Of: Cirque Italia

Directed By: Rafinha Salgueiro

Presented By: Paranormal Cirque

Many things have happened in our lives at the Hamilton Mall. Dana used to work retail there. We have gotten the call that pulled us out of homelessness at the Olive Garden nearby. We have also cobbled a car muffler back together in the parking lot. There are a lot of family memories tied up in that central location. Little did we know another family was ready to make us a different kind of memory in that same parking lot. It was a memory made of fire, rope, and high wire. It was memories made of jaw dropping, sexy, and raunchy moments. It was circus artists from Cirque Italia’s third troupe of “Paranormal Cirque”. Some came from long lines of circus families. Some were performers joining their first tour. All of them were ready to blow our minds!

Welcome To The Graveyard

To truly understand what paranormal Cirque is all about we have to start with the lore. The idea is you are now trapped in this creepy circus tent with the lost souls of former circus performers. There’s no way out except to watch the entire show. Don’t threaten us with a good time! An adorable little boy on a tricycle a la Saw gives us the creepiest pre-curtain speech ever while we wait for the denizens of Paranormal Cirqu to invade. Then enter the sexiest, creepiest, and somehow most hilarious you’ve ever seen in the center ring. This two-act show features a rotating cast of performers from all over the world. There are acts from juggling to Wheel of Death and everything in between. Be prepared to be scared, and excited, and laugh your assets off. These grim-grinning ghosts have a show for you!

We Felt Like Kids Again!

Circus has always been a huge part of our lives. We bonded over what acts we liked the most. We each have circus memories from childhood. However, as animals rights supporters and “refined” theatre critics we always thought the circus was out of reach. Yet Cirque Italia’s Paranormal Cirque 3 brought the circus back to us in a big way. Although no humans were harmed in the making of our circus experience, the extreme acts and the creative story left us on the edge of our seats. What are the things that your parents always warn you about? Don’t go too high or fast. Don’t play with fire. Now just imagine performers going higher, faster, and hotter. Did you know that Paranormal Cirque has three troupes that tour the US and Canada? There’s no excuse to miss this great show!

We felt welcome.

There are still places for us where we feel like we don’t belong for some reason. But, Paranormal Cirque was warm and welcoming, if not a little scary. Dana is very creepy at heart (Ricky is still looking for evidence of said heart) The second they saw a black and white striped tent and people dressed in all black with bloody-style face paint Dana was home. The audience was a mix of locals and elder adults. There were also some hardcore fans that follow the Cirque from town to town. Then there’s your friendly neighborhood RnD. We dressed up in our best black and red ensembles but we would have been just as comfortable in jeans and Eagles T-shirt. Dana likes to call some things “no class culture”. It means anyone from anywhere at any tax bracket would feel at home. The staff was super friendly and guided us to our seats. They answered any questions we had and even posed for pictures. Despite the lack of littles (it’s what we call those fruits of the womb) it felt like a family atmosphere. It’s a circus for the kid in every adult.

Hair-Raising Acts

Hair Hang: We’ve seen the hair hang a couple times now and we still want to know their hair care routine. In this act this woman is a victim of a chainsaw killer waking up and realizing she’s been hung up and rigged for butchering. So adding that story element means every “trick” was her futile attempt to escape.

High Wire Motorcycle Trapeze: We’re loathe to describe it because that’s what it literally is. Yet imagine a motorcycle balancing on a high wire with a trapeze welded under it. Now imagine the biker and the aeriallist are both doing acrobatics. Even with all that imagination it was better than that.

Crossbow: Imagine a knife throwing act but instead they’re shooting crossbow bolts around their partner. Sounds simple but you will be screaming and gasping.

Spanish Web: One woman, one rope, and one sub…I mean man…spinning the rope. With just one loop she’s spun by her hands and feet at high speeds and we are holding our breath the whole time.

A Coterie Of Cirque!

This is a sampling of the performers and acts you might see when you go. However, the roster and acts vary from show to show and even night to night.We enjoyed every single act but we can’t create a 10K word review.

Before You Go

This Is Not For Kids: Between sexy half naked people, implied “murder” and language we’d leave the littles with grandma. The Cirque won’t let children under 13 in at all. The are other rules for children 13-17.

BRING CASH: There is food, souvenirs, facepainting, and (cough cough) beer. Everything must be purchased with cash. There some cool stuff you’ll definitely want.

Keep Your Stuff On You: We made the mistake of kicking our stuff under the bleachers and theres nothing under there but concrete. Ricky had to crawl under and get it. Best to keep big items in your car and just bring your wallet and tickets.

Come as you are or goth yourself up just don’t wear a costume or a mask. You will not be allowed in. There ARE masks you can buy when you’re in there. (Hence why you should bring cash.)